tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53688448296641715582024-03-05T02:40:29.597-06:00Tied No MoreOur (hopefully short) TTC journey after tubal reversalBrandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10566835137282530859noreply@blogger.comBlogger124125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368844829664171558.post-57533168287526255042016-05-26T08:54:00.000-05:002016-05-26T08:54:11.494-05:00Almost at the end of my ropeI sure wish I had some good news, especially considering we are just a few days shy of the 4th anniversary of our TR. But no, AF just arrived this morning, meaning we're on cycle #56 now. Fifty-five cycles have come and gone, with no BFP in sight. <br />
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A fellow TR sister (who had her TR after mine, with the same Dr.) just had her second TR baby last week, and another TR sister just announced her second TR pregnancy. I'm happy for them, but part of me wonders "why not me too?". <br />
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I only have 90 days left on my Fertility Friend membership. At this moment, I don't think I will be renewing it. (never say never though) Obviously, if God hasn't given us another baby by now, more than likely He won't. Its hard to completely give up on this dream though. Its such a struggle when your head tells you to be realistic and your heart keeps pulling you in another direction. Even with trying to keep myself busy with work, my mind daydreams what another child would look like in our family. Watching the kids and wondering how the dynamic would change with another baby. <br />
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This is how my brain rambles....<br />
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<br />Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10566835137282530859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368844829664171558.post-87217334507286110992016-01-15T17:49:00.001-06:002016-01-15T17:49:19.843-06:00...and she showsAF showed up this afternoon. On to cycle #51. Heartbroken once again.Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10566835137282530859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368844829664171558.post-17349409278289776052016-01-14T18:45:00.001-06:002016-01-14T18:45:23.457-06:00WaitingI just changed my O date on my chart. It was debated whether I O'd on Dec 31 (since I was surging and had horrible O pains) or Jan 1 which fits the timeline of surging 24-36 hours before O. I don't think it really matters either way since AF still hasn't shown up and all hpts are BFNs. I don't feel pregnant, yet I don't feel not pregnant either. Does that make any sense at all? I'd prefer a BFP, but if AF is supposed to show, let her show up already so I can cry and move on. The not knowing being drug out like this kills me.Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10566835137282530859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368844829664171558.post-78727891530772853062016-01-13T08:21:00.000-06:002016-01-13T08:22:10.157-06:00Where we are at....Sorry for the lack of updates lately. I've been working a lot (putting money back for hopefully baby gear). Here's what has been going on the last week.....<br />
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Jan 6--Biggest thing is I've been smelling a "vomit" smell for the past 3 days in my house so I've been a little queasy on and off. No one else can and I can't find a source of what could be smelling bad. (I'm fine at work) But I always have a sensitive nose, so it's probably nothing. Very slight cramping yesterday, but nothing that lasted long. I feel like I'm out. <br />
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Jan 7--Ok, so this morning was a totally different story. About 6am I couldn't keep my eyes open! I literally had to tell my tele partner at work to watch my screens so I could take a 20 min cat nap!! Now, I haven't been sleeping past 2 pm most days, so by the time I get off work I've been up 17-19 hours. So it could be that I'm just tired from not a lot of sleep in between shifts. I was also super nauseated to the point of going to the bathroom....so that makes me more positive because that's hard to explain away! (Although it is 7dpo and that usually happens like clockwork even on non pg cycles, not that strong though) Also, my opks have still been high all week and we know for sure I've already O'd. So that's interesting to see if that means anything soon. <br />
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Jan 11--Nothing but stark white bfns. Cramping, sore bbs and some nausea on and off. Woke up at 4am sweating and needing to pee so bad. If I'm not pg, AF should arrive by Wednesday at the latest. 11dpo beta.....2.55 Not pregnant. There is a slim chance that I could be 10dpo, or that implantation just happened and it is still super early. However, I've been having a specific wet feeling that I get before AF shows (its a different wet feeling from the other wet feeling I have. Weird, I know.)<br />
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So it looks more than likely that I'm headed to cycle #51 soon. :( <br />
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Jan 13--As you can see by my chart, I've been having a lot of cramping, sore bbs, etc. One of the things I hate about the TWW is that so many symptoms can either be pregnancy or just hormones, like progesterone, messing with you. Makes this time period pure torture!! Last night before I went to work, I had a tiny amount of "spotting" when I wiped. I mean <u>SUPER</u> tiny. So tiny that I feel silly even marking it on my chart or even talking about it. No bigger than a pencil eraser but light pink nonetheless. So I put a pad on and headed to work, fully expecting AF to rear her ugly head. Anytime AF starts, I may get spotting, which really is more like a super light flow, enough to reach a pad a decent amount. Full flow starts no more than 4 hours later, usually within 2. This however, never went anywhere! I kept going to the restroom thinking she arrived, but when I wiped, it was creamy CM. The whole 12 hours at work, I kept thinking she would arrive. Closer to the end of my shift, I began thinking....maybe this is IB? Then I would talk myself out of it. It was too scant, I'm 12dpo (11dpo at best) that's too late for IB, etc. My cramping wasn't as bad as it's been, plus the AF wetness feeling that I get kinda went away too. I'm trying not to grab at straws, but I'm feeling a little hopeful, like I'm still in the game for this cycle. AF should have shown yesterday, but really should be starting today at the latest.<br />
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So my new plan is this......if AF doesn't arrive before I leave for work, I'm going to take a HPT with me. If AF is still MIA during my shift, I will take the HPT before I leave for work. Based on that result I'm going to call the office and see if they will let me stop by on my way home from work and do another beta. If this was IB last night, a HPT may/may not show anything yet, as HCG can take a few days to build up in my system. However, since my beta was already 2.55 and FRERs can pick up 6.5, maybe, just maybe, I will see some pink lines in the morning! Dear God, please let me see some lines!!! Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10566835137282530859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368844829664171558.post-52595154475459257142016-01-04T16:29:00.000-06:002016-01-04T16:29:53.384-06:00TWWI was supposed to go in yesterday, but for some reason I didn't have a time written down so I called the office. They are only open a few hours on Sundays and since it was also DS birthday I thought I would be a little rushed. They called back and said it was no big deal if I wanted to come in today instead since it was just a follow-up scan. Whew! That extra time helped a little. <br />
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So no bloodwork today, just a sono. Sono shows all 3 follicles are gone, with free fluid all around where they were (so very good indication that all 3 ruptured and not just one) and good, fuzzy lining. Based on my chart, labs, sonos and O pain, we've all agreed that I likely O'd on Dec 31 so that makes me 4 DPO today. I go back on Jan 11 (11dpo) for a beta, but we all know I'll be peeing on sticks before then. LOL.Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10566835137282530859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368844829664171558.post-31402463226178327462015-12-31T14:00:00.000-06:002016-01-04T16:12:31.580-06:00OvulationWent in for another LH level and sono this morning. Sono shows right follicle is 30mm (super amount of growth in two days!) and still two on the left. Nurse called back with the LH results--40, so I'm finally ovulating! OPK was also + this afternoon. I go back on Sunday for a followup scan to make sure I ovulated. Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10566835137282530859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368844829664171558.post-27403022237304019542015-12-29T18:53:00.000-06:002015-12-29T18:53:57.185-06:00LimboAnother sono and blood work this afternoon. Sono showed my lining is 13.68 with even more free fluid on the left side (good) with the two follies on that side a little smaller than they were yesterday. Evidently they start to shrink right before ovulation. They are now 18.0 and 13.6 and the one on the right is now 22.7 (grew since yesterday). Two nurses (one who did the sono today and the one who did it yesterday) that both said they are 99% sure I'm O'ing. Got a call with my blood work results this afternoon....nope, not O'ing yet! (I don't know the exact values today since my phone was being stupid and sent her call straight to my voicemail.) So the plan is to keep doing OPKs and call if I get another positive. I go back Thursday, if not sooner, for another sono and more blood work. Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10566835137282530859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368844829664171558.post-54668031114354348322015-12-28T19:28:00.000-06:002015-12-29T07:29:50.658-06:00Possible problem?The plan was for another follicular check and lab work on the 30th, unless I had a +OPK sooner than that in which case I would go in that day. Well, at 230pm today I went "peak" on my OPK (it has been low the last two days and totally skipped "high") so I called Dr N's office. They had me go in at 330pm to do an LH level and sono. The nurse said I looked very good, that my follicles had grown even more (now 21.6, 18.4 and 17.6) and that the largest one had some fluid around it and was super hazy, a very good indicator that I was surging! Fast forward to 430. The nurse called and said that my LH level was only 3.74 and that Dr N was surprised that I got a +OPK with a level that low. She doubts I'm actually surging, even based on the sono results. Plan is to BD tonight (just in case I really am surging) and go back in for another sono and more blood work tomorrow afternoon. Even the nurse was surprised how low my level was for how I looked on sono, so now I'm a little scared that this could be the reason I've been having such a hard time. <br />
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FX that my OPK just caught the <i>very</i> beginning of my surge and that my level is where it needs to be this afternoon!Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10566835137282530859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368844829664171558.post-81294908888859857202015-12-27T13:26:00.001-06:002015-12-27T13:50:55.769-06:00Follicular checkSince we are doing clomid this cycle, I had to go in for a follicular check today. We saw three follicles....One my right (21mm) and two on the left (15.8 and 16.4). My lining was 11 so everything is looking good! Next step is for another follicular check and a lab draw on the 30th (unless I get a +OPK before then, in which time they will have me come in that day). <br />
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Until then, grow eggies, grow!Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10566835137282530859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368844829664171558.post-90199784682486042062015-12-19T10:14:00.000-06:002015-12-19T10:14:06.081-06:00Cycle 50....CD 2I'm CD 2 today so I just called to schedule my baseline sonogram for this cycle. I'll be going in tomorrow at 730am (right after I get off work). Dear God, please let this be the last cycle we have to struggle with and bless us with a healthy little bean growing into the New Year. Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10566835137282530859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368844829664171558.post-24927087629726542482015-12-17T09:43:00.000-06:002015-12-19T09:45:13.900-06:00Follow UpI had my post-surgery follow up with the Dr today. Incisions look good and no pain (I still have a slight tugging/pulling sensation on one side of my abdomen when I stand up from a sitting position though). Dr N went over the official results from the laparoscopy....she removed 3 polyps--all of which came back clear (ie no cancer or abnormal looking cells) from the pathologist, checked tube patency by pushing dye through--all clear with good flow, and checking the possibly damaged left sided fimbria--which cleared up with a little extra pressure of dye, no repairing needed!! Thank God! There are two main problems for conceiving after a TL/TR: tube lengths--shorter tubes make conceiving harder--mine are still a good length, and proximity of tube to the ovaries--mine are "very good" she said. Dr N said based on what she saw in there, she doesn't know why I haven't gotten pregnant yet! The polyps could be a "possible" reason why, since they can impede implantation, but she said she has seen uteruses with more and/or larger polyps still conceive. <br />
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Dr N then went over our options. We discussed what we tried at the other RE's office and what we feel comfortable with doing over here. IUI/IVF is still off the table, so we are going to try another Clomid + TI cycle. Plan is to call on CD 1/2 and schedule baseline sono, start meds on CD 3-5 or 5-7, follow up with u/s until O is near, BD at home when its times, and confirm O with another u/s. The good thing, since we have meet our out-of-pocket max for the year, most of this cycle will be covered by insurance depending on when AF arrives and we get started!<br />
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So now we just wait for AF to arrive...which should have been here already, but surgery delayed it a little.Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10566835137282530859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368844829664171558.post-34913981384258015242015-12-11T06:36:00.001-06:002015-12-11T06:39:27.812-06:00Post-OpYesterday was my surgery!<br />
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I finally convinced DH to leave a little early so he could grab a bite to eat on the way. (He was so sweet and didn't want to eat in front of me since I was NPO and hadn't had anything in 16 hours. No sense both of us not eating.) We got there and had to sit a while, which was no big deal. They finally called me back and got me started with the changing/IV process. The nurse went over my history again, Dr N came in a chatted for a minute and then the anesthesiologist came in and asked the typical questions he needed to ask. They gave me to two anti reflux meds and hooked up my antibiotic (I have Mitral Valve Prolapse, so I have to have prophylatic antibiotics before any type of surgery or dental procedure). They were finally ready for me, so I walked back to the OR room and the nurse got me all positioned and ready. The anesthesiologist put the mask on me and I was out within seconds!!<br />
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Next thing I knew, I was waking up in the recovery room. Things were really foggy at first so I don't remember if I saw DH or Dr N. (DH had to go get two of the kids from school anyway and I do know at one point he was in the waiting room with them when I was getting ready to leave.) The nurse gave me some crackers and water, then got me up to go to the bathroom. I only peed a dribble, along with some bloody discharge, and by the time I got back into bed I was queasy. She handed me some more crackers and water, but that made it worse so she gave me another shot of anti nausea meds. Since I couldn't pee and didn't even feel like I had anything in there (despite 4 liters of fluid they gave me), she said she would have to place a Foley Catheter (tube in your bladder that drains into a bag). It only felt like a few minutes since I tried, but I was still foggy and keep dosing off so it could have been an hour for all I know! Once the foley was placed, it immediately drained 200cc's of urine. Since was it nice and clear, they told me to keep it in overnight and discharged me. After we left, we had to go pick up DSS and then grabbed some food to eat at home.<br />
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I ended up going to bed early last night after I ate and took my meds. DH woke me up around 11pm so I could take another dose of pain meds and empty my foley. It was actually nice having that in! From 11pm-345am I had peed 1400cc's so that saved me from having to get up 2-3 times! LOL<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95VliCGRIeO1EtA0xm8t9LSYdrA_a3NGHj3AHVe0PKKIhm6ypRAjo2CgC6_LIuvCpR8rOl1um10uMizrFk3eDQduLOJpUprVJHP0-WdXaTeWy6fI0K697w1I9Hq0zrqpfqcVnSocZh7k/s1600/foley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95VliCGRIeO1EtA0xm8t9LSYdrA_a3NGHj3AHVe0PKKIhm6ypRAjo2CgC6_LIuvCpR8rOl1um10uMizrFk3eDQduLOJpUprVJHP0-WdXaTeWy6fI0K697w1I9Hq0zrqpfqcVnSocZh7k/s320/foley.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Its now 630am so I will probably go back to bed in a little bit since I've been up since 345am. (DH husband wakes up soon, so I may wait a bit and see if he'll go to Chick Fil A for me :) A chicken biscuit helps the recovery process.) The nurse said I could remove the foley after 830 this morning. Pain level is good so far. I'm a little sore (feel like I got punched in the abdomen when I move), but I'm feeling a lot better than I expected! Even the bloating is not as bad as I thought it would be since they pump you up full of gas for the surgery. They also told me that I might have some shoulder pain while the gas escapes and moves around, but since my shoulder hurts all of the time due to my rotator cuff tear, I can't tell any difference.</div>
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As for the results, DH talked to Dr N, but you know how guys are....they don't ask many questions and can't remember what all was said. Basically, the gist that I got from him was that she removed a "few" polyps and pushed dye through my tubes. They were still both open and the area closer to the left fimbria/ovary that was maybe blocked or damaged, cleared right up when she applied a little more pressure pushing the dye through!! Huge relief!! Everything else checked out ok and the plan is still no intercourse for a week, but we are free to getting back to TTC after that. I go back for an incision check and follow up next Thursday. </div>
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And assuming this doesn't throw off my cycle, AF will be arriving in 5 days anyway so we'll be good to go (and hopefully pregnant!) this next cycle!<br />
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Fingers crossed!!<br />
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Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10566835137282530859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368844829664171558.post-42257607714004165812015-12-09T14:58:00.000-06:002015-12-11T04:50:45.966-06:00Tomorrow is the day!The office just called with my surgery time for tomorrow (I have to be there at noon). I really, really hope things go well and this is the fix that we needed! Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10566835137282530859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368844829664171558.post-35634635342790391312015-11-30T22:19:00.000-06:002015-11-30T22:33:30.616-06:00Appointment NewsHad my appt today......
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Dr N reviewed my chart/HSG results from last year, had an U/S done (she wanted to see an antral follicular count over 4....mine was 19 before she stopped counting! YAY!) Had pre-op blood work done, went over the surgery plan, signed consents and scheduled my post op visit. She will be making a few small incisions instead of all going straight through the vaginia, but expects the recovery time to be shorter than originally predicted. <br />
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Is it Dec 10th yet?? LOL. Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10566835137282530859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368844829664171558.post-84176618039306869692015-11-21T00:08:00.001-06:002015-11-21T00:09:16.304-06:00Latest UpdateLittle recap: So back in Feb 2014, I was going to have surgery but that's when our lawsuit stuff (DSS) started and we had to take the 5K that was for the surgery and put it toward the attorney. Last Oct was when DH started his new job, his new insurance would cover part of the surgery, but it was still going to cost around 2-3K out of pocket. We didn't do it then because we still had some other financial stuff to pay off first.
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Fast forward to now....We had meet our deductible for the year several months ago, but with me starting a new job, DH didn't want me to have surgery just yet. Plus is looked like it was still going to be at least 1K+ out of pocket so we figured we'd just have to wait until next year and unfortunately have to pay more because our deductible would reset. After I got home from work this morning and was trying to sleep, something told me to go ahead and call the dr's office. (The likelihood of getting it done before the year was over seemed impossible since its already mid Nov). I left a message for the surgery coordinator and she responded a few hours later. Turns out because we are almost to our max out of pocket for the year, the <u>max</u> we would have to pay is $442.78 if we do it before Jan 1!!!!! They want me to come in for a visit with the dr and a sono (which I want anyway) and redo labs to make sure its even worth proceeding. So my visit is Nov 30 and surgery (assuming everything is still ok with my levels) is Dec 10!! <br />
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Such happy news, esp considering AF arrived today and started cycle #49. Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10566835137282530859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368844829664171558.post-27608448377381645182015-05-01T14:39:00.002-05:002015-05-01T14:41:04.718-05:00Still plugging along....Later this month, we will "celebrate" 3 years since our TR. Its hard to be "happy" since there isn't a toddler running around, no baby laying in my arms, and forty-one cycles passing without a single BFP to date.
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Last Feb I was supposed to have surgery, but a personal issue came up that we had to redirect the funds to (insurance wasn't going to pay for the surgery). That situation is finally coming to an end, plus DH has new insurance that looks like might cover it this time! I have to call and get confirmation, but it looks like we might have something new happen.
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In the meantime, we're still plugging along....hoping....praying....trying.Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10566835137282530859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368844829664171558.post-62815992961744687952014-01-23T20:27:00.000-06:002014-01-23T20:28:03.323-06:00ResultsToday was my HSG.....not horrible news, but not great news either. <br />
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I get back in the exam room and was prepped for the procedure. Dr. N came in and started explaining what was happening as she did it. The x-ray machine was moved into place so we could see where the dye would go and Dr. N injects the dye. My uterus starts filling up promptly and my left tube slightly comes into view. It takes a several seconds to start moving down the tube, then we notice the right starts showing up. There was some 'spilling' of the right tube (yay!), but I could tell by Dr. N's commentary that she wasn't too happy about the left tube. She then had me rotate on my right side for a minute and continued taking x-ray pictures. After that, she told me to get dressed and we would discuss in more detail what she thinks. (The whole procedure lasted less than 5 minutes and other than some cramping, was pain free.)<br />
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I meet her in the conference room and she goes into more detail about the tubes. Good news, she thinks the right tube is perfectly fine. There is a little spot where she believes the anastomosis was, but nothing too concerning on that side. The left, however, has issues. It had a larger area of dye collection where the anastomosis was, plus there was a collection of dye toward the distal end of the tube, where the ovary meets. Its a very large 'fingerling' collection. Dr. N can't say for certain what it is/isn't, but she thinks its very possibly scar tissue that has accumulated in that area, preventing any eggs from traveling down that tube. Which makes sense since because I often feel a little tug/pinch on that side at times.<br />
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Her recommendation going forward: to do a laparoscopy and see exactly what's going on with that tube. She doesn't want to cut and do another anastomosis on that side (1. my tube is already short enough and cutting a bad section out won't help matters, because the shorter the tube, the worse it is to conceive. 2. more scar tissue can form in that same spot, increasing my chances for an ectopic, which are higher following a TR anyway). Dr. N wants to go in, take a look around, try to fix what she can without causing too much disruption in there, make sure the right tube is fine and to also take out a polyp that I have in my uterus (that was also discovered today). We can't be sure that this will be the complete fix all, but she believes this is the best course of action for my situation. <br />
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So, surgery is scheduled for Feb 13th at noon. I pray to God this was the only obstacle in my way. And I would be lying if I said I wasn't pissed at Dr. K for not doing an HSG instead of the CIS back in Oct '12. We could have found that then, taken care of it and could have had our baby by now! Grrrr!!!<br />
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*Another piece of good news: my AMH level came back today. Dr. N said last week that at my age, she wants to see at least a 1.73 (the higher the number the better).....mine was 2.8. So at least that relieves me of a little pressure thinking my eggs are dried up due to my age. My body looks old for 35 on the outside, but my eggs are a young 31 year old. LOL.Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10566835137282530859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368844829664171558.post-67761975859734856592014-01-18T21:20:00.000-06:002014-01-22T21:26:17.968-06:00Cycle 23AF arrived today, so I called the RE's office and scheduled my HSG for next Thursday. The office offers a free consultation with their in-house therapist, so I have an appointment with her on Thursday as well. I have also been thinking of trying some acupuncture this cycle, so I need to call the two I found and see if either of them can get me in soon.Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10566835137282530859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368844829664171558.post-9638069046812227672014-01-16T16:26:00.000-06:002014-01-22T21:29:47.946-06:00Negative BetaDr. N just called and said my beta came back at <2. Not a big surprise, so now I'm just waiting for AF to start so I can schedule the HSG.Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10566835137282530859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368844829664171558.post-57697982889206279352014-01-16T12:03:00.000-06:002014-01-16T12:12:11.166-06:00New RE AppointmentWe just got back from my new RE's office and things went pretty well for the most part.
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1. Meet with Dr. N.---I immediately liked her right off the bat. She's very Type A, lets get what we need to get and get it done. No dilly-dallying. I'm not sure if part of that is because I'm on cycle 22 and still not pregnant, or if she is just like that. I suspect its probably a bit of both. From the time I got called back until I was walking out the door was 30 minutes....and that was with several things being done, but not feeling rushed. My kind of office!!
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We went over my history and she is concerned a little bit about my hypothyroidism and family history of certain auto-immune diseases. She said that may be playing a factor in why I can't get pregnant now, but the fact that I have had two successful pregnancies is very promising that its not a huge factor. We also talked about testing (or lack of testing) that Dr. K. did. She was not happy that he had me do a CIS instead of a HSG. (last year, Dr. K. said the CIS was very similar to the HSG and that he orders those in most cases since insurance covers more and its more comfortable on the patient.) Dr. N. said no, they are not similar enough when talking about tubal issues. The way the CIS works, you will see the free fluid in the uterus, but you will have no idea where its coming from (meaning you won't know if the tubes are blocked or not). CIS can be ok in some cases, but since I had a TL/TR, its VERY important the we know EXACTLY where/if my tubes are open or not. She was also not happy that he didn't do an AMH level (checks ovarian reserve), but more on that in a bit. And of course, she didn't have my chart from Dr. K's office either, which I promptly called and chewed them out for because they charged me $25 3 days prior to get them faxed over and they weren't even faxed!
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2. Sonogram---After the consultation, she did a u/s on me. She was looking for any abnormal structures and wanted to get some measurements of my uterus and ovaries. At this point, she said she now knows why Dr. K. didn't do an AMH on me. They want to see at least <b>5-6</b> Antral follicles in each ovary for a woman my age. I had <b>15</b> on one side and <b>18</b> on the other. This tells her that I have good ovarian reserves, but she still wants to do the blood work just to make sure there are no surprises. She also said that with me being 11 DPO, that my uterine lining is VERY nice and thick, ruling out possible progesterone issues. All of these results were the same at Dr. K's office 2 years ago, so no surprises there.
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3. Financial---They had me talk to a financial officer to go over cost associated with any testing, what insurance will/won't cover etc. Turns out, I didn't even have to pay anything today because my insurance has some sort of code on it! So they will bill me any difference insurance doesn't pay for. (They gave me a estimate on what I will probably owe.) This is very nice for budgeting purposes since I had to pay everything upfront at Dr. K's office (insurance covered some things, but not many there).
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4. Blood work---I then went for some blood work. I asked if she would add a beta to it, since I'm 11 DPO, and she said no problem. I LOVE that this office does most everything (u/s, HSG, blood work, etc) in house. The AMH is a send out and takes 8-9 days to get the results back, but I will know the beta value sometime today.
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So, the game plan is: <br />
--If I'm not pregnant this cycle, once my AF starts, I will call the office to schedule my HSG to be done between CD6-10.
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--Once they get my records rom Dr. K., they will review DH's SA (since he has fathered 3 children and his last SA came back fine, it more than likely won't need to be repeated).
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--Review my records from Dr. K. and see if anything comes back that needs more testing, etc.
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--See how my blood work comes back.
Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10566835137282530859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368844829664171558.post-53484506459960673262014-01-13T10:36:00.001-06:002014-01-13T10:36:55.340-06:008 dpoToday, I am 8 dpo of cycle #22. I've been having some light nausea on and off, hot flashes and I've gone to bed early the last two nights because I've been so exhausted. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high because it makes it harder when AF shows, but I can't help but be a little excited about this cycle. Hope this is finally it. Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10566835137282530859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368844829664171558.post-16636498432365584012014-01-09T00:21:00.001-06:002014-01-09T00:22:50.547-06:00UpdateOn my last post (which has been almost a year ago), Dr K didn't think just any more meds would be beneficial to us and suggest we try for IUI or IVF. Since that wasn't an option (and still isn't), DH and I had to talk about how we wanted to proceed. We weren't quite ready to give up completely, (well me anyways) but thought stress was a big hindrance, so we took a step back from the obsessive BBT/OPK/CM path. I still charted some, but not to the degree that I had been. <br />
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Fast forward to Nov 2013. It had been getting harder and harder to not 'do anything' so I talked to DH about getting a second opinion from another RE. He wasn't quite on board at first (because even though we have records from the previous RE, there would still be new patient costs for the new RE). Ultimately, he finally agreed to give it a shot. This way, if it is still bad news, having a second opinion hopefully will give me the closure I need to move on. <br />
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So we have an appointment for Jan 16, 2014 with the new RE. This is the RE that I initially contacted to have the TR done with, but the patient coordinator would never return my calls or emails. The front office couldn't do anything about it, since all new patients had to go through her. Long story short, there is a new patient coordinator and this one has been on the ball about getting everything done in a timely manner!<br />
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Now we just sit and wait until next week to see what kind of news we get. Pray that its good and that we have a very good reason to celebrate in 2014. (Coincidentally, I am 3 DPO today of cycle 22 and AF should arrive around the time of my appointment. How amazing it would be if I could get a BFP a few days before our appointment?? FX!!)Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10566835137282530859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368844829664171558.post-28586251193234416822013-02-28T18:35:00.000-06:002013-02-28T18:35:31.782-06:00Our journey is over.....Dr K called me just now to talk about our next step. Basically, he doesn't think another round of meds will help because I'm 'more a tubal patient and not a IF patient, per se'. We knew the meds weren't going to give us that much of a better chance since I do O on my own, but we tried them because that all thats left that we can try. He really thinks it could be just a simple egg-met-sperm issue, whether because of something in my tubes (CIS showed them open, but something else could be preventing passage) or sperm/CM issue. (DH's SA came back fine.) So, he said our only options are IUI or IVF, both of which we won't do, so its the end of the road for us. We don't even get one more chance at the meds. I have been trying to prepare myself for this, but I'm so freaking upset right now.Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10566835137282530859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368844829664171558.post-67070043578659975562013-02-28T15:22:00.001-06:002013-02-28T15:22:12.262-06:00Just what I thoughtI wasn't going to go get my beta drawn this morning (since the many BFNs already gave me my answer), but since my temp rose a little this morning and I was headed to that part of town anyway, I thought was the heck.<br />
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They just called with my result and its <2. (A positive pregnancy level is >5) Not a big surprise.<br />
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Since I stopped the progesterone 2 days ago, AF should arrive soon then its on to our last TTC cycle.<br />
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Disappointment yet again.Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10566835137282530859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368844829664171558.post-12817024728553791202013-02-27T15:05:00.001-06:002013-02-27T15:05:57.674-06:00Sigh.....The last two days my temps have dropped, (I was hoping yesterdays temp was possible implantation and that today I would have a rise) coupled with the fact that I have very little pregnancy symptoms, this cycle seems to be a bust. I'm not sure when AF will start since I'm on the progesterone. I'm not going to be taking anymore this cycle so hopefully it won't prolong it too much. I'm supposed to go get a beta at my RE's office tomorrow, but I'm not sure if I will go get one done. FRERs hasn't showed anything and with temp drops it seems kinda pointless. <br />
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DH and I have decided that next cycle will be our last TTC. If we don't get pregnant, we won't TTA (try to avoid or prevent pregnancy), we just won't be actively TTC.<br />
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I'm still praying for my miracle.Brandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10566835137282530859noreply@blogger.com0