Thankfully things have really picked up at work this week, making each day fly by lickety-split. It feels good to have concrete functions to perform on a daily basis. Consequently, now that I don’t have to agonize over how slow the clock moves I’m a much happier worker.

I went to the doctor (GP) this morning about the whole birth control issue and, more importantly, to check out these two-week long stomach cramp/lower back ache/nausea symptoms that I’ve been having. I’ve lost some of my appetite due to the nausea, although it’s not debilitating and I haven’t actually thrown up yet nor have I had the urge to do so. The discomfort in my abdomen is primarily concentrated where my ovaries are, and the dull lower back pain is pretty constant too. These are all of the usual symptoms I get when I’m about to start my period, but I’m not due to start until next Sunday. I took a pregnancy test last weekend just to rule out that possibility and it came out negative.

The doctor advised me to continue using the birth control pills that I’m currently on, since these symptoms and the pills aren’t related. She also felt and poked around my stomach, which didn’t give me any more discomfort than what I already felt. So what was the diagnosis? A routine trip to the gynie, which is exactly what I was expecting. It’s also been over a year since my last visit, so I’m definitely due. The only thing that makes me a little nervous, however, is that the gynecologist is a man. Since Spain has a free healthcare system, I didn’t have a choice in picking who to go to- a downside considering that I’m used to choosing my health care provider. I ended up making the appointment for next Friday just to cover my bases, but I think I’ll speak with some of the women at my church who go to a private gynecologist to find out what they recommend. Either way, I’ll be going in next week to check this out.

In the mean time I’ll try not to fall into my Internet self-diagnosis habit.