Lab work

“So we’re just going to do the pap and then we’ll discuss your lab results.”

I was a tangle of nerves all the way in. I somehow convinced myself that I wouldn’t actually have to do the pap because the blood work would be so conclusive and we wouldn’t need anything else. Ha. Hahahaha. No.

The nurse was great, let me babble on about my job (I love my job, and am an entrepreneur and maybe a little bit of an expert in my area of specialty.) She kept me distracted from the goings on in my nether regions. It was actually less painful than most of my past experiences. I would even call it “uncomfortable” rather than “excruciating”, and I didn’t even cry.

I got dressed and sat back down. Lab results. I was excited.

Do I have a thyroid problem? It’s very possible! All signs point to possible thyroid problem!

Do I have a hormonal imbalance? It could be hormonal. Maybe I have low iron and a chronic, underlying infection! There are so many potential causes for my low sex drive. At the end of this appointment, I thought, I’ll have a prescription and a little pill to take and all will be well. I was giddy at the thought of a thyroid condition.

The doctor came back in, with my chart.

“Your blood work came back normal. All normal. Thyroid is normal, hormone levels are normal, iron is normal, blood sugar - all normal."

He looked apologetic.

“So I think it’s the depression.”

And wrote me a prescription for Effexor.