on the receiving end

this blog has been in hiatus for quite some time. i've been pretty busy with work, wedding preps, and my visa application. oh, and it was also my turn to be patient this time.

last wednesday, i saw our family dentist because i was having pain on the left part of my jaw. pain was initially noted whenever i took a bite. then after a few days, pain was observed whenever i opened my mouth wide. it has been like this for more than a week now so i thought it best to consult our dentist.

dra. nanette just told me to observe it for another two weeks and to take ibuprofen "as necessary." if after two weeks, nothing much has changed, she will refer me to her brother who's a specialist in TMJ (temporo-mandibular joint) dysfunctions. yikes! :( she said that i may need to wear a certain appliance to correct my jaw because it may be misaligned. uh-oh.

i'm crossing my fingers for the next two weeks.

+++++
after my visit to the dentist, i went to an OB-GYNE fertility specialist to check on the status of my endometriosis. now that i am already married and very much ready to start our own family, Joseph and I decided to get a fertility work-up to determine our chances of conceiving.

i underwent an ultrasound first and yes, there are still cysts in my poor ovaries. chocolate cysts, that is. nothing malignant. just a result of the chronic condition that i have (read the resource blog that i put up).

as part of the work-up, we need to undergo some diagnostic tests as well to rule out whatever problem there could be that might prevent us from conceiving. this includes, to name a few, blood tests (CBC & CA-125), a hysterogram (to check the patency of my tubes) and a sperm count.

i now know how difficult it feels to be a patient. it is financially and emotionally draining as there is no guarantee if the procedures will be successful in helping us conceive a child. it has been utterly frustrating for some of my friends at our support group and i know we could also go through that at some point. but Joseph, being the more positive thinker of the two of us, has been quite supportive about the whole thing. he just advised me to just focus on what has to be done. he believes that it is God's will if He will bless us with a child and that we should just accept that. (i just love my husband! ü)

now, we realize how much children are true blessings. some people may take it for granted because it is given to them so easily. but for us, it will always be a wonderful gift, because it was willed by no other than God himself.

we are still hopeful though. after all, miracles do happen every day. :)