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The four of us walk inside, and the bravado I had only lasts as far as checking in. Then my legs begin to shake, my hands tremble, and it’s hard to stay calm.
“Nora,” a feminine voice calls. I look up, seeing a woman only a few years older than me, wearing a pretty pink blouse. She’s got a lanyard around her neck, and her bright pink hair is flowing around her shoulders. She’s looking around the room, despite it only being me here who could be the patient.
Orson stands and takes my hand as we walk over to her.
“Are you both coming in?” she asks, and there’s no judgement in her tone, just a little bit of impatience.
We both nod, and she beckons us to follow her down the hall. The walls are painted pink, with lots of different photos on the wall, and what should feel welcoming just doesn’t.
I counted no less than five vagina drawings.
“Okay, take a seat, take a seat,” she encourages. “So, I received information from Dr Abbott this morning and just want to check some things with you.”
I nod, biting my lip. We start with when my periods started, what they used to be like, how long they’d last, that sort of thing. I wasn’t the best at answering because it had been so long, but she just brushed past them anyway.
“You’ve never had a heat?” she asks, and I shake my head. “Okay, and before now, when was your last period?”
“It ended a few days before my 18th,” I say, thinking it over before nodding. “A week before then maybe, I can’t really remember.”
“Have you had any spotting in the last six years?”
“No.”
“Any other symptoms of a period?”
“No,” I say, shaking my head.
“Do you take any birth control?” she asks, and I shake my head. “Any regular medication aside from your sleeping tablet?” Another head shake, but this time she raises an eyebrow. “I read about your history with poor mental health. Do you not take an anti-depressant?” My throat burns, but I shake my head. “I see. Okay then, let’s get in to this period. When did it start?”
“I started bleeding yesterday, but I’ve had some cramps and a headache since Sunday.”
She nods. “How heavy is your flow?”
“Pretty heavy,” I reply. “I was using the regular tampons yesterday, but I’ve now got some ones more suited for the heavy periods. If I don’t change it within about two hours, I tend to leak.”
She nods with a small frown. “Any other period symptoms? Constipation? Sickness? Fatigue? Mood changes?”
“Anger,” Orson says, causing me to roll my eyes, but the doctor doesn’t react. “You’ve been a little moody.”
“The sickness, yes, but it’s hard to say whether that’s the period or the depression,” I say, and she nods, her judgement thick in the air. “I’ve never had much of an appetite.”
“You’re doing better, though,” Orson says, giving me a soft smile as the scent of his pride fills the air.
“Can we get you up on the scales?” she asks, disregarding what Orson said, and I nod, bending to take my shoes off. “I want to check your height and weight.”
We quickly do my height, and I tell Orson to take a picture so we can show Cevon, and then she checks my weight.
“You’re not too underweight,” she says, reassuringly. “You need to gain about 5kg to move into healthy, but I’m not worried. Your periods have come back, which is likely because your body is back to a healthy state. So, as long as you don’t lose weight, you should be fine in that regard.”
That’s a relief. It’s something I didn’t truly realise I was worried about until the tension fades, so it’s good that she’s managed to soothe that.
“So, we’re here about your heat, right?” I nod. “I’ll get a nurse to take some blood samples, but I’m pretty confident your heat will be coming as is the norm once this period ends.”
“Okay,” I say, glancing up at Orson. “Are we talking immediately, a delay, or—”
“It varies for each woman,” she says, already packing up her notes. “It can be anywhere between a few days to a month. If the blood work shows that your heat will be coming, I’ll give you a call. We can schedule another appointment in a month or so if it doesn’t hit.”
“I see.”
