Figuring it Out

Before and during the trip to visit my extended family, I had noticed that my boobs seemed oddly sore and I kept having to remind GeekBoy to be gentle with them. It seemed a little strange, but I’d been going through all sorts of weird physical experiences since getting the lap band (shoulder pain, gas, spit-ups, port pain, etc.) so it didn’t seem that far outside of the usual. I was also vaguely aware that my period was due during the trip so I thought it might be a more pronounced PMS symptom.

Near the end of the trip, I knew my period was about to start because I started having some twinges and mild crampy feelings in my lower abdomen (as happens when my period is starting) so I took some Advil and went on about my day. The next day, I was surprised it hadn’t started, but I was having the weird crampy twingey feelings again so I took some more Advil and waited.

The trip came to a close and we traveled home, but my period still hadn’t come. It crossed my mind that I might be pregnant for a split second, but the likelihood of that was so slim (next to impossible in my mind) that I quickly tossed the thought aside. When I got home, I checked my calendar and noted that my period was actually almost a week late. That never happens. Could I attribute it to travel stress? Not so much. I travel all the time. Ummm….

The next day, I went to the store and picked up a 2-pack of early detection pregnancy tests. The logic went something like this: if it’s made to be sensitive enough to detect pregnancy hormones before you’ve missed your period, it’ll certainly give me a correct reading if my period is late. I didn’t have any interest in false negatives. I also didn’t want to alarm GeekBoy unnecessarily, so I didn’t mention any of this to him. After all, I was pretty sure I was being crazy and there was a perfectly rational explanation for what was going on. I’d test, verify that I wasn’t pregnant, and go on in my quest to figure out what had happened to my period.

The pregnancy test instructions say that the first morning urine is best for testing. After peeing on the stick, you’re supposed to set it on a flat surface and let it do its thing for two minutes. OK. I can handle this.

First thing the next morning, I go in the bathroom and pee on the stick. A positive sign immediately appears and it’s clear and dark and there’s no mistaking it. No need for the two minute wait time here. My heart starts racing. It’s for real. False negatives are common, but false positives don’t really happen with these tests. Holy crap!