Great news....we've made another step forward and now have a plan in place!
JGIII and I met with Dr. Fritz yesterday for a post-op appointment as well as to develop a plan to move forward. He remains so upbeat about the results from the surgery. The pathology came back showing that he did in fact get the left fallopian tube disconnected from the uterus, however, the right side was inconclusive. Doesn't mean that it's not disconnected but the pathology cannot prove that it was. Dr. Fritz actually joked that my insides were like "Where's Waldo". I love that he shares my sense of humor.
The next step is coming on June 17...the day I get back from Girls State. He needs to do a mock transfer as a way to completely map the shape of my uterus and a saline sonogram which uses ultrasound to look at the walls of the uterus.
We also have to decide by that date how we're going to pay for this process. The interesting thing about the cost options we were given is how different it was from Carolina Conceptions. The price for 1 IVF ("Fresh") cycle and 1 frozen cycle together at UNC Fertility is the same as the cost of 1 fresh cycle at CC. Amazing how 2 offices that offer the same services can be so different. UNC Fert also participates in a program called Attain IVF which offers packages for reduced costs. I don't qualify for their refund program (if you are unsuccessful you get a refund up to 70%) because I'm not "normal". Go figure. LOL The program that I do qualify for gives a discount of 32% for 2 fresh and 2 frozen cycles. We now have to weight out whether we think we might need 4 rounds of IVF. It would definitely be cheaper if I get preggo the first time and don't have to pay anymore. At this point, I think we'd pay whatever to be able to have our own little baby.
Finally, in July I will start with injectable shots of Lupron. I actually had been reading about this drug yesterday because it is used by a lot of doctors to treat endometriosis as it brings on menopausal symptoms which should lesson the development of the endo. I will only be on this for a short time to prevent an early surge of LH which would cause my ovaries to release eggs before they are ready to be retrieved.
I'm so excited to have things start falling into place! I can't wait to see what God has in store for us next. Wish me luck!
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Monday, May 6, 2013
Unexpected Answers to Prayer
My apologies for not writing this earlier and waiting almost 4 days after surgery to give a complete update. Mostly, I didn't write because I felt like poop over the weekend. Thursday's surgery sure took a lot out of my body and definitely took some recovery time that I hadn't counted on.
Getting up Thursday morning, I thought I knew exactly what I was headed into as I took my last sip of coffee before I was NPO 2 hours prior to being at UNC for the procedure. We arrived at the Ambulatory Care Center (quite large outpatient surgical facility on UNC's campus) exactly on time and met my mom and dad there. It's nice to have so much support from family that they are willing to be there no matter how small the process is. It probably helps that I'm the only one. :)
We got checked in at 10:45 AM but UNC was fairly backed up when we arrived so we still waited until after noon before they finally had a pre-op bay ready for me. Once in pre-op, there was plenty more waiting around. Dr. Fritz had a surgery prior to mine that took a little more time than he had planned. Knowing that he took his time with that patient, I knew that would do the same for me. Dr. Fritz came and spoke with me before they took me back along with 2 other doctors that were consulting with him and working on his team. The plan was to do a VERY simple entry into my abdomen (probably into the upper left quadrant of my stomach area rather than the belly button because of the concern about the pelvic adhesive disease and scar tissue). There was to be 1 other incision to put the tools into place to leave the clips on the tubes at the place where they came into contact with the uterus. IF he opened me up and saw too much scar tissue, he was going to pull right back out and not "stir anything up". The surgery was to take about 1 hour.
The last few things I remember were getting the anesthesia in my IV line and being wheeled in to the OR. It seemed like there were SO many people and I thought to myself-wow, there sure are a lot of people here just to take care of me. They got me moved onto the table and I don't remember anything else.
Next thing I know, they are waking me up in recovery and I overhear someone saying that it was 5:30. I was clear enough to think that couldn't possibly be right because my surgery was supposed to only an hour. They brought JGIII and my parents in right away which was good. Dr. Fritz had been able to go out and talk to them several times during the surgery as well as on his way out of the hospital when it was over. What was supposed to have been fairly short and uncomplicated, turned into a 3 and 1/2 hour surgery with some bumps along the way but ultimately a good outcome.
Dr. Fritz observed that I did have a large amount of scar tissue and adhesions but, wanting to give me the best chance at IVF possible, decided he had come so far that it wouldn't be fair to just stitch me up and not do anything. A great thing about being somewhere large and having the research basis that UNC does enabled him to call in a surgical specialist that had dealt with issues like this adhesive disease before. The specialist was able to move the scar tissue out of the way so that Dr. Fritz could actually be in contact with the tubes at the site of the uterus. Instead of putting the filshie clips in that we had discussed, he clipped them. This way the fluid that I was worried would then accumulate in the tube would spill out into the abdominal cavity and be absorbed by my body anyhow. Yay! Prayer answer #1.
While he was looking at this area, Dr. Fritz was given a much better picture of the cysts that we had been dealing with. On the left ovary, I knew that I had a considerable in size cyst that had not gone down in size after the abscess was treated a year ago. What I didn't know, and no one else did because it's not visible on an ultrasound, is that it was a chocolate cyst (or endometrial cysts). Rather than grossing you out with a description of this, I'll just give the wiki link for it...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endometriosis_of_ovary.
As I've mentioned in earlier posts, I live most every day with some degree of pain-usually requiring a constant regimen of ibuprofen. Of course, my GI doc doesn't want me taking the ibuprofen but Tylenol just doesn't cut it. Dr. Fritz was able to drain these cysts which have been the cause of all of this pain for months and months. Yippee!! Prayer answer #2.
This was totally not the purpose of my surgery but the benefits are two-fold.
1. I should have much less (maybe none) pain going forward towards IVF. Knowing that the stimulation of the ovaries to prepare for egg retrieval causes greater pain in and of itself, I wasn't sure how I would be able to deal with this combined pain. Now, I shouldn't have as much to worry about.
2. With the chocolate cysts removed, Dr. Fritz will have an easier time sending the needle into the follicles around my ovary when they are ready for egg retrieval.
Needless to say-I'm not complaining AT ALL about the extra time it took to finish the surgery. Recovery was a not much fun over the weekend but I learned the anesthesia takes a while to work out of your body and apparently a nerve gets aggravated when they inflate your diaphragm with air to perform the surgery. That nerve takes a little time to settle down but in the meantime, your neck and back ache like crazy.
I am so elated that some "extra" things were done to increase my IVF chances and so hopeful for a positive experience.
Right now, I have a follow-up appointment in 3 weeks to have x-rays and determine that in fact, the tubes were cut from the uterus. If Dr. Fritz determines that they didn't actually cut the tubes, there is another procedure that goes through my uterus to get this done. Then he is looking at mid-July as starting the initial IVF process. He has a concern that if we wait too long, the endometriosis will start to come back and cause the same complications that we tried to tame down already.
Getting up Thursday morning, I thought I knew exactly what I was headed into as I took my last sip of coffee before I was NPO 2 hours prior to being at UNC for the procedure. We arrived at the Ambulatory Care Center (quite large outpatient surgical facility on UNC's campus) exactly on time and met my mom and dad there. It's nice to have so much support from family that they are willing to be there no matter how small the process is. It probably helps that I'm the only one. :)
We got checked in at 10:45 AM but UNC was fairly backed up when we arrived so we still waited until after noon before they finally had a pre-op bay ready for me. Once in pre-op, there was plenty more waiting around. Dr. Fritz had a surgery prior to mine that took a little more time than he had planned. Knowing that he took his time with that patient, I knew that would do the same for me. Dr. Fritz came and spoke with me before they took me back along with 2 other doctors that were consulting with him and working on his team. The plan was to do a VERY simple entry into my abdomen (probably into the upper left quadrant of my stomach area rather than the belly button because of the concern about the pelvic adhesive disease and scar tissue). There was to be 1 other incision to put the tools into place to leave the clips on the tubes at the place where they came into contact with the uterus. IF he opened me up and saw too much scar tissue, he was going to pull right back out and not "stir anything up". The surgery was to take about 1 hour.
The last few things I remember were getting the anesthesia in my IV line and being wheeled in to the OR. It seemed like there were SO many people and I thought to myself-wow, there sure are a lot of people here just to take care of me. They got me moved onto the table and I don't remember anything else.
Next thing I know, they are waking me up in recovery and I overhear someone saying that it was 5:30. I was clear enough to think that couldn't possibly be right because my surgery was supposed to only an hour. They brought JGIII and my parents in right away which was good. Dr. Fritz had been able to go out and talk to them several times during the surgery as well as on his way out of the hospital when it was over. What was supposed to have been fairly short and uncomplicated, turned into a 3 and 1/2 hour surgery with some bumps along the way but ultimately a good outcome.
Dr. Fritz observed that I did have a large amount of scar tissue and adhesions but, wanting to give me the best chance at IVF possible, decided he had come so far that it wouldn't be fair to just stitch me up and not do anything. A great thing about being somewhere large and having the research basis that UNC does enabled him to call in a surgical specialist that had dealt with issues like this adhesive disease before. The specialist was able to move the scar tissue out of the way so that Dr. Fritz could actually be in contact with the tubes at the site of the uterus. Instead of putting the filshie clips in that we had discussed, he clipped them. This way the fluid that I was worried would then accumulate in the tube would spill out into the abdominal cavity and be absorbed by my body anyhow. Yay! Prayer answer #1.
While he was looking at this area, Dr. Fritz was given a much better picture of the cysts that we had been dealing with. On the left ovary, I knew that I had a considerable in size cyst that had not gone down in size after the abscess was treated a year ago. What I didn't know, and no one else did because it's not visible on an ultrasound, is that it was a chocolate cyst (or endometrial cysts). Rather than grossing you out with a description of this, I'll just give the wiki link for it...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endometriosis_of_ovary.
As I've mentioned in earlier posts, I live most every day with some degree of pain-usually requiring a constant regimen of ibuprofen. Of course, my GI doc doesn't want me taking the ibuprofen but Tylenol just doesn't cut it. Dr. Fritz was able to drain these cysts which have been the cause of all of this pain for months and months. Yippee!! Prayer answer #2.
This was totally not the purpose of my surgery but the benefits are two-fold.
1. I should have much less (maybe none) pain going forward towards IVF. Knowing that the stimulation of the ovaries to prepare for egg retrieval causes greater pain in and of itself, I wasn't sure how I would be able to deal with this combined pain. Now, I shouldn't have as much to worry about.
2. With the chocolate cysts removed, Dr. Fritz will have an easier time sending the needle into the follicles around my ovary when they are ready for egg retrieval.
Needless to say-I'm not complaining AT ALL about the extra time it took to finish the surgery. Recovery was a not much fun over the weekend but I learned the anesthesia takes a while to work out of your body and apparently a nerve gets aggravated when they inflate your diaphragm with air to perform the surgery. That nerve takes a little time to settle down but in the meantime, your neck and back ache like crazy.
I am so elated that some "extra" things were done to increase my IVF chances and so hopeful for a positive experience.
Right now, I have a follow-up appointment in 3 weeks to have x-rays and determine that in fact, the tubes were cut from the uterus. If Dr. Fritz determines that they didn't actually cut the tubes, there is another procedure that goes through my uterus to get this done. Then he is looking at mid-July as starting the initial IVF process. He has a concern that if we wait too long, the endometriosis will start to come back and cause the same complications that we tried to tame down already.
So new at this....
I'm sure there is some fancy way to do this but I really don't know what I'm doing so...
I wanted to give a back story to this journey for us. I have written several other posts on my other blog but they really didn't fit the "creative" aspect that I started that one for.
I'm "pasting" them here because, again, I'm an idiot when it comes to this blogging stuff and I have no idea how I can just share them.
Uncertainties
Wednesday, March 27, 2013 (1)
I wasn't sure how I felt about blogging about this process but I have been reminded that there are so many people that have gone through this scenario before me and have lifted me up with their experiences that I would like the opportunity to do the same for someone in the future. I feel like that's one of the reasons that God has put me here on earth.
A short back story...I have had painful periods for as long as I can remember. My doctor originally put me on birth control to make it ease up and for years I was fine. After JGIII and I got married and we decided to start a family, I was no longer going to be on these pills. I began having worse and worse pain every month but thought it was something we (as women) just had to live with. I refused to ever let that be a reason for missing work or not being able to do something. Fast forward to 2 years ago. In a routine visit with my endocrinologist about bmy thyroid issues, she discussed with me the possibility of having Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). No one had ever mentioned that to me before and after a simple blood test for my hormone levels, it was determined that I did in fact have that. I was put on Metformin (a diabetic drug) that has been shown to help with PCOS. After being on that for only 2 months, I ended up being in the hospital diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis (a whole 'nother ordeal lol). While I was there, they confirmed that I didn't have quite a few cysts surrounding both of my ovaries. I got the UC under control and was seemingly fine. However, I was still not able to get pregnant and having those painful cycles. Each month that went by was more frustration and heartache that it hadn't worked.
Fast forward to 1 year ago. I was at home with the flu (the real flu-it'll teach me not to get a flu shot) and of course started my cycle at the same time (Murphy's Law). I was having such bad pain that I finally had to go to the emergency room. They decided it was my appendix which they removed but made sure to tell me that the cysts that had been on both of my ovaries were now abscesses. I left the hospital from the surgery and returned right back the next week because the pain had actually increased. Turns out those abscesses were causing high fevers and LOTS of pain.
My ob-gyn finally saw me and did an ultrasound. Something had to be done immediately. I was admitted for my 3rd hospital stay within a month and placed on high intravenous antibiotics. They also attempted to drain the abscesses around my ovaries. This was all the doctors combined efforts to save the ovaries as I was still trying to get pregnant for the first time. The procedure worked on my right ovary but not on the left. They successfully got the infection under control and happily I've had no fevers since then. However, in the past 2-3 months, the pain has been coming back with a vengeance. Some days I can go with only taking Advil/ibuprofen at bedtime other days I have to be on it every 6 hours or I can't function.
Because of the problems with the abscesses, my ob-gyn said I will have to see a fertility specialist to assist in our getting pregnant. I had my first appointment with a local clinic that many people I knew had used and were successful at. I met with the doctor on the first visit who told me there would be nothing they could BUT in vitro fertilization. I was totally not prepared for that. Because of the damage that was done by the infection, much of the area surrounding and including my ovaries is damaged. My fallopian tubes are at least partially blocked and the fluid that is supposed to be absorbed by your body is instead cycling around through my tubes, uterus, etc. This fluid will be instantly toxic to any egg or sperm that encountered it. The doc wanted to perform a sterilization procedure on me to seal off the tubes and keep this fluid out of the uterus. Wow! Imagine going in thinking they would go over the several steps you could take before in vitro but being told they wanted to "sterilize" you. Needless to say I was shaken up. I had been at this appointment alone because JGIII couldn't leave work and I was falling to pieces. I honestly felt hopeless at this point. To top everything off, before I left I had to meet with the financial person. I felt like they were just there to take my money.
As I am not one to relinquish control on anything, I decided to get a second opinion. I had several other people who recommended UNC Fertility. I did some online research and decided to give it a try. My meeting with Dr. Fritz was awesome. He spent SO much time with me and made sure I understood everything that he was talking about. He didn't rush or act like he had something else to do. He was totally honest with me that my body is really failing me in this area. He told me the same things that I had been told at the other clinic but I didn't feel like all hope was lost.
We are taking everything one step at a time.
Today is the first step. I had my AMH (Ovarian reserve) levels tested to see what my total number of egg storage is like. As long as it's good, it means that if we go through with the in vitro, the stimulation would be able to produce eggs. I'll be meeting in a short little while to get these results.
I'm saying lots of prayers today that things work out. I know this is in God's hands and I need to, as they say, "Let Go and Let God". Easier said than done sometimes.
Quick Update to "Uncertainties"
Wednesday, March 27, 2013 (2)
I wanted to write a quick update to my earlier post today...
Just got back from my appointment with the fertility clinic. Again, I can't stress enough how great Dr. Fritz is. If anyone is reading this, or knows someone who needs a reference on a fertility clinic I will definitely back them for everything I've had up to this point.
I had asked that other fertility clinic to send over my medical records (really just the results of the AMH blood test I had done) to UNC Fertility. As a reaffirmation of why I was NOT in the right place when I went there, they sent over records on a completely different person attached to my release. After calling and relaying my frustration to them (I was polite lol) they did manage to find the correct information and fax it over.
The good news....my AMH levels were great! Dr. Fritz couldn't have been more pleased. For those of you with a medical background, it was 7.4. Not sure what "normal" is but it was good news all the same. Before I left, Dr. Fritz wanted to do an ultrasound to get an idea of what my reproductive anatomy looked like.
He also had some concern that the ovaries had been moved out of place and were behind the uterus. More good news-they were right where they were supposed to be. :) The left ovary is VERY large (7 cm - 8 cm/normal is 2 cm) which presents it's own problems.
The next step is a surgical procedure to clamp off the tubes from the uterus. This will keep the fluid from getting into and possibly damaging the uterus. It also means that the fluid will not be there when they attempt to implant an egg down the road.
Overall...I give this appointment an A+. Dr. Fritz was encouraged by the news we had today and, like me, is taking this one step at a time.
God truly has answered all my prayers up to this point and I will continue to trust in Him that His will for my life will be done.
By telling my story, I have been reminded what terrific friends I have in my life. Those of you that I don't get to see or talk to on a regular basis, know that you are just as special to me and that your prayers and thoughts mean more to me than you know. To those of you that I lean on each and everyday (you know who you are)-thanks for always being there for me. Love to you all!
Under the Knife
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
I had NO idea what to call this blog post but I did want to share this part of my journey here since I have had so many people supporting me and reaching out to me throughout this journey.
I mentioned in my last post, after my most recent doctor's visit, that I would have to have a surgical procedure done to close off my fallopian tubes in order to keep the fluid that is created in them, out of my uterus. This fluid has been described to me as "toxic" to both my eggs and any sperm that are introduced as well as similar to oil in that if the doctor was to implant a fertilized embryo into my uterus, it would be very difficult if not impossible to implant along the uterine wall.
The process for rectifying this situation, is by inserting a clamp on the fallopian tube at the point in which it meets the uterus. Bluntly, this is a tubal ligation. However, I like to use the medical term of bilateral tubal occlusion because it doesn't sound as if I am electing to have the procedure done. Trust me when I say, if there was any other process I could do, I would.
Worst case scenario (according to Dr. Fritz) is that he gets in there and finds way more scar tissue than he expects. If that's the case, and he can't get to the tubes. He will stitch me back up and not do anything. He assured me that it's OK if this happens, we can still move forward with IVF, it'll just make the journey that much harder. As he puts it, we want to "tip the balance as much in our favor as possible" before starting the process. I'm praying for nothing less than a perfect surgery and for everything to be better than he expects. From my lips, to God's ears...
So, tomorrow, Thursday, May 2, I will be heading over the Ambulatory Care Center at UNC to have an outpatient, laparoscopic surgery done by Dr. Fritz. The surgery should take less than an hour and I should be fine by the weekend, only having "discomfort" as he calls it. We'll see. At least he's giving me some prescriptions in case the pain is more than he's expecting it to be.
There are thousands of women every day that are going through the very same thing if not something much worse. It still can feel lonely at times with no one to share your feelings, etc. with (aside from JGIII of course-although he's probably tired of hearing me talk about it lol).
As always, I am grateful for each of you that has taken the time to read this and support me along this path. For those of you that have reached out to me, either in the comments or on Facebook-a huge thank you. I know that I am not alone in this journey.
I wanted to give a back story to this journey for us. I have written several other posts on my other blog but they really didn't fit the "creative" aspect that I started that one for.
I'm "pasting" them here because, again, I'm an idiot when it comes to this blogging stuff and I have no idea how I can just share them.
Uncertainties
Wednesday, March 27, 2013 (1)
I wasn't sure how I felt about blogging about this process but I have been reminded that there are so many people that have gone through this scenario before me and have lifted me up with their experiences that I would like the opportunity to do the same for someone in the future. I feel like that's one of the reasons that God has put me here on earth.
A short back story...I have had painful periods for as long as I can remember. My doctor originally put me on birth control to make it ease up and for years I was fine. After JGIII and I got married and we decided to start a family, I was no longer going to be on these pills. I began having worse and worse pain every month but thought it was something we (as women) just had to live with. I refused to ever let that be a reason for missing work or not being able to do something. Fast forward to 2 years ago. In a routine visit with my endocrinologist about bmy thyroid issues, she discussed with me the possibility of having Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). No one had ever mentioned that to me before and after a simple blood test for my hormone levels, it was determined that I did in fact have that. I was put on Metformin (a diabetic drug) that has been shown to help with PCOS. After being on that for only 2 months, I ended up being in the hospital diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis (a whole 'nother ordeal lol). While I was there, they confirmed that I didn't have quite a few cysts surrounding both of my ovaries. I got the UC under control and was seemingly fine. However, I was still not able to get pregnant and having those painful cycles. Each month that went by was more frustration and heartache that it hadn't worked.
Fast forward to 1 year ago. I was at home with the flu (the real flu-it'll teach me not to get a flu shot) and of course started my cycle at the same time (Murphy's Law). I was having such bad pain that I finally had to go to the emergency room. They decided it was my appendix which they removed but made sure to tell me that the cysts that had been on both of my ovaries were now abscesses. I left the hospital from the surgery and returned right back the next week because the pain had actually increased. Turns out those abscesses were causing high fevers and LOTS of pain.
My ob-gyn finally saw me and did an ultrasound. Something had to be done immediately. I was admitted for my 3rd hospital stay within a month and placed on high intravenous antibiotics. They also attempted to drain the abscesses around my ovaries. This was all the doctors combined efforts to save the ovaries as I was still trying to get pregnant for the first time. The procedure worked on my right ovary but not on the left. They successfully got the infection under control and happily I've had no fevers since then. However, in the past 2-3 months, the pain has been coming back with a vengeance. Some days I can go with only taking Advil/ibuprofen at bedtime other days I have to be on it every 6 hours or I can't function.
Because of the problems with the abscesses, my ob-gyn said I will have to see a fertility specialist to assist in our getting pregnant. I had my first appointment with a local clinic that many people I knew had used and were successful at. I met with the doctor on the first visit who told me there would be nothing they could BUT in vitro fertilization. I was totally not prepared for that. Because of the damage that was done by the infection, much of the area surrounding and including my ovaries is damaged. My fallopian tubes are at least partially blocked and the fluid that is supposed to be absorbed by your body is instead cycling around through my tubes, uterus, etc. This fluid will be instantly toxic to any egg or sperm that encountered it. The doc wanted to perform a sterilization procedure on me to seal off the tubes and keep this fluid out of the uterus. Wow! Imagine going in thinking they would go over the several steps you could take before in vitro but being told they wanted to "sterilize" you. Needless to say I was shaken up. I had been at this appointment alone because JGIII couldn't leave work and I was falling to pieces. I honestly felt hopeless at this point. To top everything off, before I left I had to meet with the financial person. I felt like they were just there to take my money.
As I am not one to relinquish control on anything, I decided to get a second opinion. I had several other people who recommended UNC Fertility. I did some online research and decided to give it a try. My meeting with Dr. Fritz was awesome. He spent SO much time with me and made sure I understood everything that he was talking about. He didn't rush or act like he had something else to do. He was totally honest with me that my body is really failing me in this area. He told me the same things that I had been told at the other clinic but I didn't feel like all hope was lost.
We are taking everything one step at a time.
Today is the first step. I had my AMH (Ovarian reserve) levels tested to see what my total number of egg storage is like. As long as it's good, it means that if we go through with the in vitro, the stimulation would be able to produce eggs. I'll be meeting in a short little while to get these results.
I'm saying lots of prayers today that things work out. I know this is in God's hands and I need to, as they say, "Let Go and Let God". Easier said than done sometimes.
Quick Update to "Uncertainties"
Wednesday, March 27, 2013 (2)
I wanted to write a quick update to my earlier post today...
Just got back from my appointment with the fertility clinic. Again, I can't stress enough how great Dr. Fritz is. If anyone is reading this, or knows someone who needs a reference on a fertility clinic I will definitely back them for everything I've had up to this point.
I had asked that other fertility clinic to send over my medical records (really just the results of the AMH blood test I had done) to UNC Fertility. As a reaffirmation of why I was NOT in the right place when I went there, they sent over records on a completely different person attached to my release. After calling and relaying my frustration to them (I was polite lol) they did manage to find the correct information and fax it over.
The good news....my AMH levels were great! Dr. Fritz couldn't have been more pleased. For those of you with a medical background, it was 7.4. Not sure what "normal" is but it was good news all the same. Before I left, Dr. Fritz wanted to do an ultrasound to get an idea of what my reproductive anatomy looked like.
He also had some concern that the ovaries had been moved out of place and were behind the uterus. More good news-they were right where they were supposed to be. :) The left ovary is VERY large (7 cm - 8 cm/normal is 2 cm) which presents it's own problems.
The next step is a surgical procedure to clamp off the tubes from the uterus. This will keep the fluid from getting into and possibly damaging the uterus. It also means that the fluid will not be there when they attempt to implant an egg down the road.
Overall...I give this appointment an A+. Dr. Fritz was encouraged by the news we had today and, like me, is taking this one step at a time.
God truly has answered all my prayers up to this point and I will continue to trust in Him that His will for my life will be done.
By telling my story, I have been reminded what terrific friends I have in my life. Those of you that I don't get to see or talk to on a regular basis, know that you are just as special to me and that your prayers and thoughts mean more to me than you know. To those of you that I lean on each and everyday (you know who you are)-thanks for always being there for me. Love to you all!
Under the Knife
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
I had NO idea what to call this blog post but I did want to share this part of my journey here since I have had so many people supporting me and reaching out to me throughout this journey.
I mentioned in my last post, after my most recent doctor's visit, that I would have to have a surgical procedure done to close off my fallopian tubes in order to keep the fluid that is created in them, out of my uterus. This fluid has been described to me as "toxic" to both my eggs and any sperm that are introduced as well as similar to oil in that if the doctor was to implant a fertilized embryo into my uterus, it would be very difficult if not impossible to implant along the uterine wall.
The process for rectifying this situation, is by inserting a clamp on the fallopian tube at the point in which it meets the uterus. Bluntly, this is a tubal ligation. However, I like to use the medical term of bilateral tubal occlusion because it doesn't sound as if I am electing to have the procedure done. Trust me when I say, if there was any other process I could do, I would.
- I don't love the idea of having surgery (who does?) and
- I'm completely distraught over the idea that I am not going to have the option of getting pregnant naturally after this is done.
Worst case scenario (according to Dr. Fritz) is that he gets in there and finds way more scar tissue than he expects. If that's the case, and he can't get to the tubes. He will stitch me back up and not do anything. He assured me that it's OK if this happens, we can still move forward with IVF, it'll just make the journey that much harder. As he puts it, we want to "tip the balance as much in our favor as possible" before starting the process. I'm praying for nothing less than a perfect surgery and for everything to be better than he expects. From my lips, to God's ears...
So, tomorrow, Thursday, May 2, I will be heading over the Ambulatory Care Center at UNC to have an outpatient, laparoscopic surgery done by Dr. Fritz. The surgery should take less than an hour and I should be fine by the weekend, only having "discomfort" as he calls it. We'll see. At least he's giving me some prescriptions in case the pain is more than he's expecting it to be.
There are thousands of women every day that are going through the very same thing if not something much worse. It still can feel lonely at times with no one to share your feelings, etc. with (aside from JGIII of course-although he's probably tired of hearing me talk about it lol).
As always, I am grateful for each of you that has taken the time to read this and support me along this path. For those of you that have reached out to me, either in the comments or on Facebook-a huge thank you. I know that I am not alone in this journey.
New Blog
I've moved to a new blog to start posting about my IVF process. My story didn't really seem to fit under Ashley's Creative Corner so here's a new place I can share the journey that JGIII and I are going on.
Shortly, I'll post the update to my surgery from last Thursday but I wanted to introduce this new site first.
Thanks again for following and keeping up with us!
Shortly, I'll post the update to my surgery from last Thursday but I wanted to introduce this new site first.
Thanks again for following and keeping up with us!
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