#124 Polyp Results (08/28/12)

Well, yesterday was very stressful for me.  After all was said and done, nothing different from what I had suspected.  I really need to keep my stressing in check.  Last night, after the muscle relaxants wore off, my stomach was not happy at all, that is the first place stress shows for me. 

Well back to the appointment in general.  It was supposed to be a quick appointment.  But, it wasn’t.  First off they did the follicle count again.  This time I got to see things, as they had a monitor on the wall for me to watch.  Today, I had 5 on my left, and 9 on my right for a total of 14 (last time I had 15). Even though one less, I’m still above normal, so good to go on that front. 

The SHG was a little different from what I had thought.  I thought the ultrasound was put into the uterus, but the catheter is just to add fluid so they can see the uterus better with the tranvaginal ultrasound; same wand that is used for the follicle count.  They once again saw the probably polyp.  Once they were finished looking, my doctor told me to go over to his office across the building and tell the receptionist that he wanted to see me.  I told him I had to pay for additional parking.  My appointment was supposed to be 10-15 maybe 20 minutes.  I was all ready at an hour between waiting, change into gown, waiting, test one, waiting, test two. 

Once more parking was paid for I went to my doctor’s office.  He explained what he saw, they polyp looked to be 8 mm in its highest diameter, with an average of 5mm.  He said it isn’t too big.  Now normally his patients, are people having issues with fertility, in which, a polyp might be a hindrance.  But the only reason he is our doctor, is the fact we are missing the crucial item, sperm.  Many people have polyps and get pregnant, and have no issues and deliver a perfectly healthy baby.  However people with polyps do have a higher rate of miscarriages. 

He then went on to tell me the surgery procedure, a little scary, and what the possible complications or issues could be, although small rates of issues.  The way he explained things, it was very detailed, but also very understandable, so that was nice, and I felt I had all the information to make a good decision.  He then asked if I wanted to have the surgery.  I told him I would follow his recommendation.  The doctor then asked me “If I weren’t to give you a recommendation, what would you like to do?” and I said “Have it removed.”  He had mentioned what I had been thinking, every time we tried to get pregnant (at a hefty cost each time), and didn’t succeed, I would be thinking, is the polyp the cause? 

End result, I should be getting a phone call in the next couple days to schedule surgery. 

#123 Pinnacle Pregnancy Point (08/27/12)

Today is my SHG to determine if the polyp is a polyp, and whether it needs to be evacuated from my uterus. 

Today is the day we find out if we are good to go as planned, or if there is going to be another delay. 

Today is the day that I get another invasive ultrasound.

Today is the day I find out if my body is ready for me to become a mom.  (My mind is still in debate.) 

Today my head is going in circles.  I’m trying to calm myself down, and say that today is no different than yesterday, but it’s not.

In two hours my wife and I will know if we are closer to becoming moms. 

#117 Crohns Diagnosis (08/20/12)

Well, today was the day.  I went for my follow up with the gastrologist regarding crohns.  This was part of my “So close, yet so far” post.   The good news is this shouldn’t affect my pregnancy.  The bad news is I have been diagnosed with Crohns.  Because of family history the minor issues have been treated seriously and testing was put through instead of put off.  It is because of the cautiousness of my doctor, it has been caught very early.  Right now there is just a small section of my small intestine that is slightly inflamed, and my blood levels are just a bit out of the normal. 

This news was a big of a blow, but not quite unexpected.  Today I will be picking up my first prescription of the first level medications for treatment/maintenance of crohns.  This medication, or a variation there of, I will probably be on for the rest of my life (or until possible cure in the future, but that is currently in dream stage).  The first level medications are a Class B, which is relatively safe to take during pregnancy.  This will hopefully reduce the inflammation, and keep my stomach in line for a long time, including in pregnancy.  The possible scary thing is, for people that get pregnant, one in three that have stomach issues will get worse during pregnancy or afterwards, if not in control of the issue in advance.  My doctor didn’t seem too concerned though because it has been caught early and isn’t doing any over and above damage, currently.  In this case, the sooner I get pregnant the better, before the disease has a chance to get worse (hopefully, if, not when). 

So, the next possible road block I need to handle before trying to get pregnant is the polyp.  Today is my day 1 of my cycle, which is right on schedule, so I will be having my SHG in the next 6-10 days to see what, if anything, needs to be done.

#115 So close, yet so far (08/16/12)

It seems as my wife and I are getting closer to trying to get pregnant, something else comes up.  First major obstacle before even discussing was my wife quitting smoking.  That was a very stressful period for both of us.  But yippee, she has quit and been smoke free for almost five months. 

Next, get our diet under control so pregnancy wouldn’t be as difficult on the body.  For the same five months, we have been working on that, each of us down about 15 pounds.  (Her a little more, me a little less.) Doing that while trying to get over the quitting smoking, not necessarily the best plan of attack, but it also helped with post smoking weight gain.  She didn’t really gain any afterwards, just took a long time to get the ball rolling to start losing.  This was another stressful point of contention. 

Now, we have things timed out, figured when would be best to start trying, saving money/paying down debt to be able to afford the venture of putting a bun in the oven.  Next road blocks.  Months ago I went in for a colonoscopy, not a fun experience, but a requirement due to issues I had with my stomach.  As a follow to that my doctor recommended a specialized ultrasound to look at my small intestines, specifically for Crohn’s.  The wait list for that was a long time.  The office that handles such ultrasounds sent a letter shortly after my colonoscopy (back in February) to book an appointment in August.  So that trouble was put to the back of my mind. 

On back to back Wednesday, I had an HSG which informed me that I had a polyp, “We’ll discuss at the follow up appointment whether to take it out or not.” Then I had the Crohn’s ultrasound which informed me that I have an inflamed area of my small intestine.  The contrast test took a long time to get the IV in, not fun, my veins don’t cooperate. 

The next Wednesday was the follow up for the fertility clinic, in which appointment, I found out I need to go for an additional ultrasound, which actually goes into my uterus, to have a better look at the polyp, which is about a centimeter in diameter.  When I first saw a blip on the HSG, that I assumed was the polyp, I thought it was fairly small in comparison, but I guess that is just where it attaches.  The fertility doctor showed me the actual possible polyp (might be just dye disturbance, but unlikely).  To me, that polyp is centre stage in my uterus taking up a large portion of the vital space that would be holding the fetus/baby. 

Now back to the Crohn’s ultrasound, I know I’m even having difficulty keeping track.  Because we are nearing, at a snail’s pace, the possibility of insemination, my fertility doctor mentioned that I should follow up with the Crohn’s doctor before we even try, and let them know I’m nearing the TTC stage of my life.  Well, as of today, I still hadn’t heard anything, so I gave the Gastrologist a call.  Talking with the receptionist, they had received the results a few days ago, and she was going to call me today.  Due to a cancellation she was able to fit me in Monday, but I needed to get additional blood work done before the appointment.  So she faxed the paperwork off to my nearest lab, and off I went this afternoon.  Once again it was a bit of a nightmare trying to draw blood.  Seven and a half vials, five people, and two pokes later I was done.  At least people didn’t just “Try.”  They gave up after putting the tourniquet on my arm, then my other arm, then back to the first, then on my hands, then got the next higher up person to try.  Third person in managed to get 2 vials, but then on the third my vein collapsed, hence the half comment.  Two of the things they were looking at were my blood count, and Celiac.  At least I don’t have to wait too long before my appointment to get the results. 

Between the probably removal of the polyp, and maybe getting my stomach under control, our first insemination is looking to be delayed by another month or two or three, who knows maybe indefinitely and we will have to try my wife first, once my health is moderately under control. 

That is my vent for today.  I went for fantisizing/fear the possibility of twins to having that pulled farther away.  Even though I knew something was up after the Crohn’s ultrasound and the HSG, it is hard to hear you need more tests to figure out what is wrong.  It just sucks that anything is wrong in the first place.  Maybe the polyp was the reason there was never any accidental pregnancies with my first husband, maybe my inflamed area is why there have been a couple times I am doubled in pain, in bed in the fetal position for the night, do I want to pass these defective genes to the next generation.  We picked a hopefully perfect specimen for the sperm donor, but I’m really not a prime candidate for passing my genes.  After I had our last fertility appointment, I looked into egg donation.  See if that is something that is required, as we can’t donate sperm to help another couple in need, but we do technically have eggs.  But in the end, I wouldn’t want anyone to have the health issues I have, so I am doing a favor by not donating eggs. 

PS: To add to the frustration factor, I’m on PMS.  AAAARRRGGG

#100 Testing (08/01/12)

For my 100^th Blog I was going to post something like the 100 reasons I want to lose weight.  I have put the list together, it did take a while, but I think I’m going to hold onto that for myself for now. 

On my last post I listed things I wanted to get done; eventually they got done, except the working out part.  I just haven’t made the time, however last night I cleaned for about 2 hours, that does count for something I guess. 

Today I get tested for Crohns; which means I get another two weird ultrasounds.  I’m guessing they aren’t going to be all together pleasant.  On top of that, I’m not allowed to eat or drink for 8 hours before the appointment.  Normally when that is the case, I would think doctors would schedule the appointment for morning, so you don’t need to go longer than required without food and water (and coffee).  Alas, I haven’t eaten or drank anything since last night, and my appointment isn’t until 1:00 p.m.  Technically I could have had breakfast at 4:00 am, but I am not one to get up that early.  The appointment may be from 30 minutes all the way up to 3 hours.  I’m tired (lack of coffee), hungry, blood sugars low and getting cranky, and now I’m randomly losing my voice due to dehydration.  It is still a long way to go before I can have anything to eat/drink.  I’m not looking forward to the remainder of today.  Arg.

The upside to having low sugars and no caffeine; I have no energy to stress about the test itself.  A slight upside I guess. 

#95 Fertility Testing (07/16/12)

Science may have gone too far.  The one reason I was remotely prepared for this was I had read another lesbians blog regarding trying to get pregnant.  Ultra sound, you think of the jelly on your stomach, moving the wand around etc.  Yes and no.  We (my wife and I had the same tests done today,) had the standard one done, then one using the image below:  

To any other lesbians out there, save the shock to the system, when you go in for a follicle count, you will be experiencing this too.  It was mildly invasive, and mildly uncomfortable.  Hopefully this experience will be very worth it, and show that we’re very fertile.  Well, at least one of us. 

On a side, because I wasn’t 100% sure what we were going to go through versus not, I didn’t share with my wife before hand to stress her out.  I told her the possibility the evening before.  As the doctor is making out the forms for these procedures, they should explain what is going to happen.