I feel very bloated and yick. I’m not in pain, but it feels more like the “remembrance” of pain… little aches and stuff in my stomach area. I do now know what is causing my cramps during my period though… it was the same kind of pain. Stupid cervix. ;)

I was thinking today about pain. I have always seen myself as quite a sissy, but you know… who really knows how much pain you are in? It’s all relative. It’s quite possible I tolerate pain more than I give myself credit for. I told Den what I was thinking and he nodded and agreed with me – he definitely thinks I underestimate myself. I have never had a broken bone or things like that… but I’ve also dealt with different kinds of pain. And it’s certainly true that how you handle it depends on the circumstances. I’ve gotten my ass kicked by animals on more than a few occassions: bit by the dog, attacked by the cat (and not in a playful manner, I had deep, deep gouges all up my leg). And it’s weird, because you know it happens, but it takes a few seconds to really sink in, to reach you – and even then you block it out until the situation is dealt with. It’s only afterwards that the true pain hits you.

While I was laying there I was thinking about what labor would feel like. Pain from the cervix being inflated is probably very similar to the pain of a head pressing down and dialating the cervix. And labor is probably much much worse. (Although I did see one singular comment on some forum saying that her HSG was the most painful thing she’d ever been through, including labor – but that is probably a very rare occurrance!) It made me wonder how well I’ll fare during labor – if I’ll ever be able to actually get through it without medication. I certainly don’t have any qualms about popping a bunch of midol during my period, or before and after my HSG. Maybe when I get into labor all my previous thoughts will go out the window because holy hell this hurts! But then again, maybe it’ll be very different because it’s not a random pain, it’s a purposeful pain… it’s because of the baby, for the baby. In the end not even people who have been through labor can tell you what it’ll feel like, because not only is it different for each person, it’s different for each experience – depending on your body and the baby’s position and all the combination of things that make each birth a unique experience.

:: ::

One completely random comment: When we walked into Radiology and the receptionist asked how she could help me I said, “I have an appointment for a hysterosalpingogram,” just like I’d been saying that word for years. I was so proud of myself. ;)