RE Appointment for Hysteroscopy

So I had the ultrasound and hysteroscopy appointment this morning. A bit uncomfortable (not as bad as the HSG) and pretty quick. I will get an official call from the doctor tomorrow with his diagnosis and all, but from the nurse practitioner that did the procedure today the results are:

~ A fibroid on the back of the uterus wall

~ A LARGE cyst (endometrioma) in my left ovary

So that means no IUI and we'll have to go the IVF route.

Sigh...

Deep down I knew this would be the result. But I still can't help but be disappointed.

So now I'm anxious to find out the plan/timeline from here...

RE Appointment

To put it simply, we had a wonderful experience with the RE yesterday.  We walked into a beautifully decorated office and were greeted by a warm, caring staff.  After doing the usual blood pressure and weight and stuff, we were escorted to Dr. K's office.  He greeted us with a kind smile and we immediately started talking.  He had read over my records and I showed my photos from the surgery.  He thought that my doctor had done well with my surgery and that her decision with my left ovary and such was a good idea--he would have done the same thing.

After a quick exam he was happy to report that my left ovary is healing great from the surgery. Still a big larger than the right one, but he was happy to find that is was shrinking and that it was not attached to anything.  He said that the Science of our situation is that my hormones are good, my egg reserve is good, Zach's semen is good.  The endometriosis is the only problem.  Not blocked tubes or anything like that.  He feels that my tubes were never blocked, they were just constricted.  He said that the endo is the only reason why we are not getting pregnant.  Zach asked about trying on our own.  He said the chances are slim b/c of the severity and proximity of the endo.  He said I have a chemical problem.  The endo causes problems with the egg and sperm uniting and sometimes even with ovulation and the egg dropping.  He said that he understood why my doctor wants to do the Lupron-- b/c there is still endo in my body that she could not get.  and that it would supress that endo.  but he also said that while the Lupron would do just that, it would also come back strong as ever the month after the medicine was out of my system, thus creating a short timeline for us to try to get pregnant on our own before the endo started causing problems again.  He also said that the Lupron would be doing the exact opposite of what Zach and I wanted-- it would put our baby dreams farther away.  He said the "cure" for endo is pregnancy. He said a 9 month full term pregnancy followed by breast feeding would be the best thing that could happen to my body.  And that for many women (25% of his patients are there b/c of endo) the pregnancy made the endo practically go away.  He said immediately after I stop breast feeding I will have to go on birth control pills to keep the growth of the endo down.  Then we found out our plan.

Our Plan:
1.  Zach gets another semen analysis done (Dr.K likes to have 2 normal readings--long explanation / story to type)

2.  I get an ultrasound done between days 7-10 of my August cycle.  He will be looking to see if there are any polyps or endometriomas IN my uterus or ovaries.

3a.  If there are NOT any polyps or endometriomas (or if they are very small) we will proceed with one round of Clomid and an IUI (artificial insemination)-- this is what he is hoping for. He says it's the least invasive, most cost effective, and easiest way to get pregnant

3b.  If there are polyps or endometriomas, then we will move straight to IVF (in January for insurance reasons).  In the meantime I will have to go on birth control pills or 3 months of Lupron to keep the endo at bay while we wait.


So, in the end, he said that while IUI would be his preferred way to go (for many reasons), we are excellent candidates for IVF due to our health and age and so forth.  He said that he will be able to get us pregnant and as soon as I have that ultrasound next month we'll be able to pick a route and get started.  He wrote me a prescription for prenatal vitamins (EEEEEK!!! :) ) b/c he likes for them to be in my body working and for me to be in the habit of taking them and then he walked us down to Julie for us to check out.  We shook his hand and thanked him for his time (we were there 2 hours).  He gave us a smile and 2 thumbs up and he was off.  With the nurse we went over the timeline for having Zach's test done and I got the directions for how to schedule my ultrasound and we were all done.

I walked out of there on cloud 9.  I had been so nervous and stressed and scared of the unknown and had been immediately comforted by Dr. K and his nurses upon meeting them.  They seemed to really care about us and about our dreams of a baby.  We both felt very comfortable and confident in Dr. K and we are excited about the events to come.  Zach later told me that he had been watching me during our meeting and that he could just see the stress melt off of me, that he could see my old self come back through. That my color was returning to normal and that my eyes and face looked happy again.  Words can't express how much that meant to me and what Zach means to me.  He has been so wonderful through all of this-- he is such a blessing to me.

I'm scared

I've been on quite an emotional roller coaster this past week. I think it finally hit me the other night what is happening to me. I had been doing some research on endometriosis and the Lupron drug my doctor is suggesting. And I'm scared. And sad. I haven't been able to sleep at night (hence this post at 2:30 am!). I got up at 3:00 am the other night and just went in the bathroom and cried my eyes out for about half an hour. I guess I just feel like I've taken one step forward and about 3 back. I thought that clearing the tubes through my surgery would be the end of my trouble. Only then to find out that my trouble has truly just begun. The Lupron sound mega-scary. I've been reading people's comments about it in forums and stuff and it sounds plain bad. The major weight gain (like 10 pounds per month), depression, mood swings, joint pain, hair loss and more. Women say that they look in the mirror and don't recognize themselves. That they are 30 years old but feel 80. Anyway, I'm trying to stay positive and not freak out. I am working on a big list of questions for my doctor when we meet with her next Monday.

Surgery Update

So, my surgery (laparascopy) was this past Monday, the 15th.

It was uncomfortable to say the least and the outcome was not at all what I expected. The good news is that she was able to unblock my tubes! yay!
The bad news is, I had TONS and TONS of endometriosis. It was covering everything-- my bladder, uterus, tubes, and my ovaries. My left ovary was so swollen and enlarged that it was bigger than my uterus! It was also so badly covered in endometriosis that she said if I had already had my children, she would have removed it.

So, I have been on bed rest this week. I have had terrible gas pains (trapped gas left over from the surgery) and my midsection is really sore. Feelin' a little more alive today. got majorly dehydrated wednesday afternoon and yesterday was rough trying to catch up on my fluids. i felt like i had the WORST hangover EVER! I'm still only eating toast. yum. But i have managed to take a shower and put on 'real' clothes today! yay! and I'm outta the bed and downstairs on the couch watching the Today show and reading blogs! 

Progress, ladies, progress! I am supposed to be 'normal' by this weekend. I sure hope so! 

I go back to the doctor next Monday (29th) to start my next round of treatment--Lupron (I think--I was pretty out of it when she told me the name). In any case I know it is a drug that will put me into menopause. That's right ladies, menopause. For 6 months. The lupron will decrease the amount of estrogen my body makes which the endometriosis feeds off of. So I will be a lovely, hot MESS for the next 6 months! 

After all of that I should be clear to start trying for a baby. I will know more after my meeting next Monday. I'm nervous, to say the least. I have, of course, googled Lupron.  The side effects of the do NOT sound good. But I have to get rid of the endometriosis. My doctor could not believe how much was in there and that I was not doubled over in pain every single month popping loratab. Anyway, that's all for now...