I had my post-op appointment scheduled for 9:30 this morning. My husband and I arrived at the fertility clinic around 9:20 and signed in. Around 10:15 we were called back. Jen took my blood pressure and weight and then had us wait in the exam room.
Around 10 minutes later Dr. Brown came in and checked my incisions and asked me how I have been since the surgery. I told him I was doing well, and told him about the reaction that I had to the adhesive. He then asked us what our plan was now. My husband explained to him about how we used almost all of our F.S.A. to pay for the surgery, so we really don't have any money until the beginning of the year. Dr. Brown then told us that it is good to take breaks, so that he'd see us in January. So, I guess unless something changes I won't have anymore updates until January.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Recovery!!
We got back home from the hospital at around 7:30, and by then I was REALLY hungry. My husband asked me what I wanted to eat and I told him either a cheeseburger or chicken nuggets. He seemed to get really upset with me and told me "fine" he then looked at my dad, and said, "good luck". Then he and my mom left. They later told me that my anesthesiologist told them if I was nauseous that I couldn't have anything like that to eat, but I wasn't nauseous and they assumed that I couldn't have it and thought I was being difficult.
When they had returned they cooked some chicken nuggets, but they were very spicy, so I didn't eat them. I started getting a little sore around 9 pm, so I took some of the pain killers that my doctor had prescribed. My husband helped me walk upstairs and helped me get settled into bed. It hurt to lay flat, so I slept propped up on 4 pillows. I woke up in the early morning in some pain, so I took some more medicine and went back to sleep until around 8:30.
I was in some slight pain the rest of the day, so I kept up on my pain medicine. On Saturday night I felt some extreme pain, and I looked at my belly and it was really swollen. My mom looked at my pain medicine bottle and noticed that it was mainly acetaminophen, so she suggested that I take an Ibuprofen in between my prescription, and that really helped.
Sunday, we noticed that the dressing on my belly button was falling off, so my husband called my doctor and asked him what we should do. He suggested leaving the dressing on it , but if it did fall off to keep it clean and try and keep it covered. Monday night the dressing completely came off, and my mom helped me change the dressings. My parents flew back to Michigan on July 12th.
I slowly weened myself off of the pain meds until I was only on Ibuprofen when I needed it and now it has been about a week and a half since the surgery and I haven't taken anything in about 4 days. I have also quit covering up my belly button because I had been having a reaction to the adhesive (even the adhesive for sensitive skin) and it was tearing off my skin.
I have my post-op appointment on August 1st, but until then I can't do anything that involved my lady parts, including swimming, bathing, tampons, anything!!!
When they had returned they cooked some chicken nuggets, but they were very spicy, so I didn't eat them. I started getting a little sore around 9 pm, so I took some of the pain killers that my doctor had prescribed. My husband helped me walk upstairs and helped me get settled into bed. It hurt to lay flat, so I slept propped up on 4 pillows. I woke up in the early morning in some pain, so I took some more medicine and went back to sleep until around 8:30.
I was in some slight pain the rest of the day, so I kept up on my pain medicine. On Saturday night I felt some extreme pain, and I looked at my belly and it was really swollen. My mom looked at my pain medicine bottle and noticed that it was mainly acetaminophen, so she suggested that I take an Ibuprofen in between my prescription, and that really helped.
Sunday, we noticed that the dressing on my belly button was falling off, so my husband called my doctor and asked him what we should do. He suggested leaving the dressing on it , but if it did fall off to keep it clean and try and keep it covered. Monday night the dressing completely came off, and my mom helped me change the dressings. My parents flew back to Michigan on July 12th.
I slowly weened myself off of the pain meds until I was only on Ibuprofen when I needed it and now it has been about a week and a half since the surgery and I haven't taken anything in about 4 days. I have also quit covering up my belly button because I had been having a reaction to the adhesive (even the adhesive for sensitive skin) and it was tearing off my skin.
 |
| You can see the reaction from the sensitive skin tape |
 |
| You can see the incision in my belly button, but you can also see how the band aids tore off my skin :( |
The Surgery!!
On July 8th I woke up around 9 a.m. I was nervous, but nothing like I usually am when I have something new going on. I was still going to the bathroom every 45 minutes to an hour, and I was really sick of it!! My parents and my husband ate breakfast and then we sat down to watch some TV and we ended up watching the space shuttle Atlantis' final launch. We then got around and left to go to the hospital.
We arrived at the hospital a little before 12:30 and checked in. I of course had to use the bathroom when we got there, and the admission clerk wouldn't let me go. She finally checked with the nurses and they gave me a little cup, so I could finally go. Around an hour later they called me back. They showed me to my bed, I was then asked a million questions and then the nurse told me to change out of my clothes and into my gown and then she left. I changed and then sat on the bed and waited for her to come back.
When she returned she brought warm blankets with her, so she covered me up with the warm blankets and asked me about the huge bruise that I had on my left arm. I explained to her what happened during my pre-op appointment, she said she understood, but she wouldn't be bruising me today. I was very relieved!! She then put a really tight band around my arm, found my vein, and gave me my IV. I was very impressed, she then told the other nurses that if I needed to have blood work taken, that they needed to do it during the surgery, because she wasn't going to "butcher my arm anymore." I also asked her how long the bowel prep took to leave the system because I was still feeling it's effects. She told me it depends on the person and their "evacuation history", but if I needed to use the bathroom to just let them know and they would come help me.
She then brought back my husband and my mom to hang out with me until I was taken back for surgery. My mom was asking a million questions, and kind of driving me crazy, but I know she was only doing it to keep me from thinking about the surgery. Finally my doctor and the anesthesiologist came back to talk to me about what was going to happen, and then the OR nurse came back and saw that I was really nervous. She put something in my IV to make me relax, but it just made everything around me fuzzy, I was still really nervous. A few minutes later the nurse anesthetist came with a box of tissues and dried my tears. She told me to relax and asked where my favorite place to be was. I pointed at my husband's shirt (Disney Cruise Line). She then said that she also loves Disney and that she goes there about twice a month. She OR nurse then told me that they call her Princess Heidi because of it. She then gave me some more medicine in my IV and had my mom & my husband kiss me and then we were on our way.
I remember a tiny bit of the OR (a cold room with a lot of machines and moving from one bed to another), but the next thing I remember was waking up in recovery looking at a clock. The nurse there then asked me how much pain I was in. I wasn't really in any real pain, but I was a little uncomfortable so I told her a 3 or 4. She then gave me some pain medicine and stared taking the sticky monitors off of my chest. She also took my blood pressure about 3 more times, and then rolled my bed over to the bathroom and said that in order to be discharged I needed to pee, so I went in. I was still really dizzy, so she left a pull string on my shoulder to pull when I was finished. She came in when I was done and helped me get to the sink to wash my hands and then to the recovery area to a chair where she asked me if I was hungry. I told her that I hadn't eaten since the day before at 2:30, so she got me some graham crackers and some Diet Coke. I wasn't really hungry, but I drank some of the Diet Coke and nibbled on the graham crackers.
Then my mom and my husband came back to see me. The nurse gave them some instructions for my discharge and then took my husband and showed him where to park to pick me up and then had my mom help me get changed. They also gave us a huge pad to put on, because of the bleeding. They then released me, I don't really remember being released or getting in the car, but I do remember taking some of the graham crackers with me to give to my dad.
We arrived at the hospital a little before 12:30 and checked in. I of course had to use the bathroom when we got there, and the admission clerk wouldn't let me go. She finally checked with the nurses and they gave me a little cup, so I could finally go. Around an hour later they called me back. They showed me to my bed, I was then asked a million questions and then the nurse told me to change out of my clothes and into my gown and then she left. I changed and then sat on the bed and waited for her to come back.
When she returned she brought warm blankets with her, so she covered me up with the warm blankets and asked me about the huge bruise that I had on my left arm. I explained to her what happened during my pre-op appointment, she said she understood, but she wouldn't be bruising me today. I was very relieved!! She then put a really tight band around my arm, found my vein, and gave me my IV. I was very impressed, she then told the other nurses that if I needed to have blood work taken, that they needed to do it during the surgery, because she wasn't going to "butcher my arm anymore." I also asked her how long the bowel prep took to leave the system because I was still feeling it's effects. She told me it depends on the person and their "evacuation history", but if I needed to use the bathroom to just let them know and they would come help me.
She then brought back my husband and my mom to hang out with me until I was taken back for surgery. My mom was asking a million questions, and kind of driving me crazy, but I know she was only doing it to keep me from thinking about the surgery. Finally my doctor and the anesthesiologist came back to talk to me about what was going to happen, and then the OR nurse came back and saw that I was really nervous. She put something in my IV to make me relax, but it just made everything around me fuzzy, I was still really nervous. A few minutes later the nurse anesthetist came with a box of tissues and dried my tears. She told me to relax and asked where my favorite place to be was. I pointed at my husband's shirt (Disney Cruise Line). She then said that she also loves Disney and that she goes there about twice a month. She OR nurse then told me that they call her Princess Heidi because of it. She then gave me some more medicine in my IV and had my mom & my husband kiss me and then we were on our way.
I remember a tiny bit of the OR (a cold room with a lot of machines and moving from one bed to another), but the next thing I remember was waking up in recovery looking at a clock. The nurse there then asked me how much pain I was in. I wasn't really in any real pain, but I was a little uncomfortable so I told her a 3 or 4. She then gave me some pain medicine and stared taking the sticky monitors off of my chest. She also took my blood pressure about 3 more times, and then rolled my bed over to the bathroom and said that in order to be discharged I needed to pee, so I went in. I was still really dizzy, so she left a pull string on my shoulder to pull when I was finished. She came in when I was done and helped me get to the sink to wash my hands and then to the recovery area to a chair where she asked me if I was hungry. I told her that I hadn't eaten since the day before at 2:30, so she got me some graham crackers and some Diet Coke. I wasn't really hungry, but I drank some of the Diet Coke and nibbled on the graham crackers.
Then my mom and my husband came back to see me. The nurse gave them some instructions for my discharge and then took my husband and showed him where to park to pick me up and then had my mom help me get changed. They also gave us a huge pad to put on, because of the bleeding. They then released me, I don't really remember being released or getting in the car, but I do remember taking some of the graham crackers with me to give to my dad.
The Prep!!
On July 6th my husband's aunt and I picked up my parents at the airport. My dad had never flown before and my mom had only had one airplane trip, so I was very nervous for them. Everything went well, and they even signed up for frequent flyer miles at the airport. On the 6th we just went grocery shopping and rested at home, because my parents were very tired from their trip.
On July 7th I showed my parents around St. Augustine and we went shopping for a project my dad was going to help me with. We then went back home, because I had to start my bowel prep at 3 pm. We got home around 2 and made lunch. By this time I was getting very nervous, because Dr. Brown had told me that this was going to be the worst part. Well at 3 pm I took my 4 Dulcolax pills and waited.
Everything seemed alright. I then had to wait until 5 pm so I could start my Miralax & Gatorade cocktail. Well, after I started the prep I was not able to eat anything at all. I was able to drink clear fluids though. Well finally at around 4:30 I found a pitcher that I was going to use to mix up my cocktail I poured the powder into the bottom and added the 64 ounces of Gatorade and mixed it up. I then put it in the refrigerator, so it would be cold. I figured it would be easier to drink cold than room temperature. I also found a cup that I could use that was about 8 ounces.
Around 4:45 I couldn't wait any longer; I figured the sooner I began the prep the sooner it would be over. So I drank my first glass and set my phone timer for 15 minutes. I was also happily surprised that the Miralax hadn't changed the taste of the Gatorade. It was pretty easy to drink my first 4 cups, but around 6 it started to hit me HARD!! I finished all the the Gatorade and Miralax, but I literally spent the majority of my night in the bathroom. My husband finally got home from Minnesota at around 12:30 and I was still up and in the the bathroom. My parent waited up with me until he got home and then they went to bed. I was finally able to go to bed around 3 a.m., but I was still up every 1/2 hour to go to the bathroom.
I was finally at the point that I was ready to have my surgery. But, it was only because I wanted the bowel prep vengeance to be over!!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
My pre-op appointments
So, yesterday I had my pre-op appointments with Dr. Brown and the hospital; needless to say I was very nervous. My appointment with Dr. Brown was first. We arrived there around 8 and waited until around 8:30 before Jen called us back. She took my temperature and blood pressure and then showed us to our room. We waited about 5 minutes for Dr. Brown to come back in. He performed the trans-vaginal ultrasound to make sure there weren't any "surprises", and there weren't. He then told us what to expect from the surgery and what I needed to do to prepare for it.
He said that he didn't expect the surgery to last more than 15 minutes, but it could last up to an hour and it is what the consider "band-aid surgery" because there aren't any stitches needed, just glue. He reassured me that everything would be fine. I told him I wasn't really worried about the surgery, but more so about the pain afterwards. He then explained that on Friday I will be really tired from the anesthesia, so I'll just end up going home and going to sleep. He said that Saturday I'll probably be in some pain, but it is from the air that is inside of my body from the surgery. He then said that by Sunday I'll be sore, but not in any "real pain" and that will probably last about a week. He then wrote me a prescription for pain medication.
He then explained how I was supposed to prepare for the surgery. He told me how to make my Dulcolax & Miralax cocktail and mix it with 64 ounces of Gatorade and how I was supposed to drink it. He then told me that the "bowel prep is the worst part of the whole procedure". YIPPEE!!! I am supposed to start that a couple hours after lunch on Thursday, and then after the prep I can't have anything to eat, only clear fluids until around 10 am on Friday and then I can't have anything at all. He then told me again that everything would be alright and that he does about "10 of this procedure a week and no one has died yet :)". He then gave me a hug and told me I'd be okay and that he'd see me on Friday.
We then left and went to our pre-op appointment at the hospital. We had an appointment for 10:15, but we arrived around 10 and they called us back right away. We met with the registration person first and she explained all of the legal things about having surgery and about patient/doctor confidentiality and had me sign a lot of papers. She then had us pay the crazy surgery bill. She then gave me a folder with some paperwork in it and showed me where the pre-op area was. I registered at pre-op and about 5 minutes later the nurse called me back.
We then went over more paperwork and the nurse explained what I needed to do the day of the surgery. Which was mainly not eat or drink anything and don't wear any make-up or nail polish and to wear glasses instead of contacts and wear comfy clothes. She then took me to another nurse who would be drawing my blood, and this is where the trouble began!!
She began by wrapping my arm in the sticky ace bandage and then taping it shut and then tying another rubber bandage around that to make my arm tight. She then had me squeeze a stress ball to get my veins to stick up and then she started to poke me to try to get my blood. She started up by my elbow and then decided that she didn't like that spot after she had already stuck me with the needle. She then got upset with me because I was still squeezing the stress ball. She kept saying "you're going to blow out your veins". She then stuck me in the middle of my forearm and started to wiggle the needle searching for a vein. As she was wiggling the needle she started rubbing my arm like she was trying to milk the blood from it. Finally, the original nurse came in and saw that she was having trouble. She then took the needle out of my arm because "the vein had burst". She then put the rubber bandage on my other arm and started feeling for a vein. She apparently couldn't feel one because the nurses who had been sticking me said that "she doesn't have any veins". Finally they decided that they couldn't get it to work, so they were going to walk me down to the lab. The second nurse also lectured me about drinking water and that I "should drink a ton of water to make it easier for me and the nurses on Friday". I do drink a ton of water, water is all I ever drink anymore!!!! Finally I walked down to the lab and waited for them to try to get blood out of my arm.
After waiting about half an hour and feeling defeated, they finally called me back. First I had to pee in a cup. When I was finished the phlebotomist asked me "what happened here" to the cotton balls and tape from the first two attempts to take my blood. I then had to explain to her that I was at pre-op first and that they couldn't get any blood. She laughed and said, "that's because they don't know what they are doing". She then put the rubber bandage around my arm and felt around and immediately asked me, "are you ready?" I told her that I was but I couldn't watch her do it. She then stuck me with the needle and said "BINGO!! We got it!!" She then filled up several vials of my blood and then put another cotton ball and some sticky ace bandage around my arm. She then gave me this hospital bracelet and said that I had to bring it with me when I came back to the hospital on Friday or I would have to start the whole process over again. She then asked me if I would like it loose so I could take it off, or if I wanted it on tight so I wouldn't lose it. I decided that I would rather have it on tight and not lose it than to go through the whole blood-taking ordeal again. She then said that I was free to go!! We then left the hospital and went to Sonic, because we hadn't eaten anything all day. I felt pretty crappy the rest of the day, so I laid down and read. I feel a little bit better today, but the nerves are still here.
Here is my arm today and my fancy hospital bracelet!!
He said that he didn't expect the surgery to last more than 15 minutes, but it could last up to an hour and it is what the consider "band-aid surgery" because there aren't any stitches needed, just glue. He reassured me that everything would be fine. I told him I wasn't really worried about the surgery, but more so about the pain afterwards. He then explained that on Friday I will be really tired from the anesthesia, so I'll just end up going home and going to sleep. He said that Saturday I'll probably be in some pain, but it is from the air that is inside of my body from the surgery. He then said that by Sunday I'll be sore, but not in any "real pain" and that will probably last about a week. He then wrote me a prescription for pain medication.
He then explained how I was supposed to prepare for the surgery. He told me how to make my Dulcolax & Miralax cocktail and mix it with 64 ounces of Gatorade and how I was supposed to drink it. He then told me that the "bowel prep is the worst part of the whole procedure". YIPPEE!!! I am supposed to start that a couple hours after lunch on Thursday, and then after the prep I can't have anything to eat, only clear fluids until around 10 am on Friday and then I can't have anything at all. He then told me again that everything would be alright and that he does about "10 of this procedure a week and no one has died yet :)". He then gave me a hug and told me I'd be okay and that he'd see me on Friday.
We then left and went to our pre-op appointment at the hospital. We had an appointment for 10:15, but we arrived around 10 and they called us back right away. We met with the registration person first and she explained all of the legal things about having surgery and about patient/doctor confidentiality and had me sign a lot of papers. She then had us pay the crazy surgery bill. She then gave me a folder with some paperwork in it and showed me where the pre-op area was. I registered at pre-op and about 5 minutes later the nurse called me back.
We then went over more paperwork and the nurse explained what I needed to do the day of the surgery. Which was mainly not eat or drink anything and don't wear any make-up or nail polish and to wear glasses instead of contacts and wear comfy clothes. She then took me to another nurse who would be drawing my blood, and this is where the trouble began!!
She began by wrapping my arm in the sticky ace bandage and then taping it shut and then tying another rubber bandage around that to make my arm tight. She then had me squeeze a stress ball to get my veins to stick up and then she started to poke me to try to get my blood. She started up by my elbow and then decided that she didn't like that spot after she had already stuck me with the needle. She then got upset with me because I was still squeezing the stress ball. She kept saying "you're going to blow out your veins". She then stuck me in the middle of my forearm and started to wiggle the needle searching for a vein. As she was wiggling the needle she started rubbing my arm like she was trying to milk the blood from it. Finally, the original nurse came in and saw that she was having trouble. She then took the needle out of my arm because "the vein had burst". She then put the rubber bandage on my other arm and started feeling for a vein. She apparently couldn't feel one because the nurses who had been sticking me said that "she doesn't have any veins". Finally they decided that they couldn't get it to work, so they were going to walk me down to the lab. The second nurse also lectured me about drinking water and that I "should drink a ton of water to make it easier for me and the nurses on Friday". I do drink a ton of water, water is all I ever drink anymore!!!! Finally I walked down to the lab and waited for them to try to get blood out of my arm.
After waiting about half an hour and feeling defeated, they finally called me back. First I had to pee in a cup. When I was finished the phlebotomist asked me "what happened here" to the cotton balls and tape from the first two attempts to take my blood. I then had to explain to her that I was at pre-op first and that they couldn't get any blood. She laughed and said, "that's because they don't know what they are doing". She then put the rubber bandage around my arm and felt around and immediately asked me, "are you ready?" I told her that I was but I couldn't watch her do it. She then stuck me with the needle and said "BINGO!! We got it!!" She then filled up several vials of my blood and then put another cotton ball and some sticky ace bandage around my arm. She then gave me this hospital bracelet and said that I had to bring it with me when I came back to the hospital on Friday or I would have to start the whole process over again. She then asked me if I would like it loose so I could take it off, or if I wanted it on tight so I wouldn't lose it. I decided that I would rather have it on tight and not lose it than to go through the whole blood-taking ordeal again. She then said that I was free to go!! We then left the hospital and went to Sonic, because we hadn't eaten anything all day. I felt pretty crappy the rest of the day, so I laid down and read. I feel a little bit better today, but the nerves are still here.
Here is my arm today and my fancy hospital bracelet!!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
The nerves have started to settle in!!!
I was woken up at 7:30 this morning by someone at Baptist Beaches Hospital to pre-register me for my surgery!! She also told me that it would cost us $1561 after insurance (YIKES!!) I think that is when it finally sunk in that I am having surgery in 9 DAYS!! I am a worrier to begin with, so I am not coping so well. In other words I am terrified!! I have never had surgery before and I am honestly afraid.
I have my pre-op appointment with Dr. Brown on Friday morning at 8 and then I have my pre-op appointment at the hospital at 10 am. Luckily my husband is going with me so I won't be as nervous!! But, then he goes to Minnesota for work on Tuesday night and is gone until late Thursday night. He will be back just in time for my surgery on Friday.
My parents are flying in on Wednesday at noon and my husband's aunt is going with me to pick them up at the airport (I am terrified of flying and even going to the airport makes me queasy, so she is my life saver!!) Hopefully my nerves subside or this is going to be a long 9 days!!
I have my pre-op appointment with Dr. Brown on Friday morning at 8 and then I have my pre-op appointment at the hospital at 10 am. Luckily my husband is going with me so I won't be as nervous!! But, then he goes to Minnesota for work on Tuesday night and is gone until late Thursday night. He will be back just in time for my surgery on Friday.
My parents are flying in on Wednesday at noon and my husband's aunt is going with me to pick them up at the airport (I am terrified of flying and even going to the airport makes me queasy, so she is my life saver!!) Hopefully my nerves subside or this is going to be a long 9 days!!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
More information about my surgery
I just got off the phone with my fertility doctor's office. I go in for my pre-op appointment with them on July 1st at 8 am. I then go straight to the hospital where I am having my surgery for their pre-op appointment at 10:15.
They also gave me the actual time for my surgery; 2:45 pm. Really?!?! I would much rather have it first thing in the morning so I don't have to worry about it all day.
There does seem to be a tiny bit of good news coming out of me having surgery. My parents are hopefully going to come down from Michigan to be with my husband and I. They haven't been to see us since we moved, and we have only gone back twice since we moved to Florida. I miss them a lot and my mom comforts me when I am crazy stressed and nervous, so hopefully they will be able to come. Too bad it took for me to have surgery to get them here!!
They also gave me the actual time for my surgery; 2:45 pm. Really?!?! I would much rather have it first thing in the morning so I don't have to worry about it all day.
There does seem to be a tiny bit of good news coming out of me having surgery. My parents are hopefully going to come down from Michigan to be with my husband and I. They haven't been to see us since we moved, and we have only gone back twice since we moved to Florida. I miss them a lot and my mom comforts me when I am crazy stressed and nervous, so hopefully they will be able to come. Too bad it took for me to have surgery to get them here!!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
For Every Little Miracle
When I first saw this commercial I knew that I had to figure out how to put it on here. It has brought me to tears each time I have watched it. To me every child is a miracle and through our struggle with infertility that has just been made clearer and clearer.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
My stinky day
Well, as you can tell from the title of the post, I didn't get my BFP :(
I woke up around 3:30 this morning when my husband's alarm went off for him to go running. I went into the bathroom and peed in my cup with the intention to take my test. Well, as I was finishing up in the bathroom I found that evil AF had arrived, so I dumped my pee and cleaned my cup and thus began my stinky day:(
I got up the courage to call Dr. Brown's office around 11:30 to schedule my surgery, only to have to leave a message on their machine. Well, around 3:30 they called me back with my surgery date and explained a little bit about what is going to happen.
I have to have a laparoscopy and hysterscopy on July 8th to figure out why my IUI's aren't working and to try to fix any problems that they may find while there. I don't know what time the surgery is for and I won't for a while. I will be called back from Dr. Brown's office with a date for my pre-op appointments at the hospital and with Dr. Brown and also with the time of my surgery.
Now I am super nervous!!! I have never had surgery before and the only time I've been put under is when I had my wisdom teeth out. I did have one of my fears conquered though; the lady from Dr. Brown's office asked about my insurance information and I told her that our insurance doesn't cover anything related to infertility. She then explained that this procedure is a medical procedure and that it isn't coded as infertility, so our insurance should cover it!! That lifted a huge weight off my shoulders!!
Well, please think of me in the coming months as I prepare for this surgery and I hope and pray that it fixes our issues and that our next IUI is successful!!
I woke up around 3:30 this morning when my husband's alarm went off for him to go running. I went into the bathroom and peed in my cup with the intention to take my test. Well, as I was finishing up in the bathroom I found that evil AF had arrived, so I dumped my pee and cleaned my cup and thus began my stinky day:(
I got up the courage to call Dr. Brown's office around 11:30 to schedule my surgery, only to have to leave a message on their machine. Well, around 3:30 they called me back with my surgery date and explained a little bit about what is going to happen.
I have to have a laparoscopy and hysterscopy on July 8th to figure out why my IUI's aren't working and to try to fix any problems that they may find while there. I don't know what time the surgery is for and I won't for a while. I will be called back from Dr. Brown's office with a date for my pre-op appointments at the hospital and with Dr. Brown and also with the time of my surgery.
Now I am super nervous!!! I have never had surgery before and the only time I've been put under is when I had my wisdom teeth out. I did have one of my fears conquered though; the lady from Dr. Brown's office asked about my insurance information and I told her that our insurance doesn't cover anything related to infertility. She then explained that this procedure is a medical procedure and that it isn't coded as infertility, so our insurance should cover it!! That lifted a huge weight off my shoulders!!
Well, please think of me in the coming months as I prepare for this surgery and I hope and pray that it fixes our issues and that our next IUI is successful!!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Mid 2 Week Wait
I am officially in the middle of my 2WW and I am going crazy!! I usually lose it the second weekend of the 2WW so I am very happy that this weekend is Easter. This will be my husband and I's first Easter away from the majority of our family. We moved from Michigan to Florida about a year ago, and left most of our family behind :( One of my husband's sisters and his aunt and uncle live very close to where we moved, so thankfully we aren't alone. This year my husband & I and his sister are going to spend Easter together (our aunt and uncle are going on a cruise this Easter... those lucky ducks). So, at least I will have that to keep my mind off of the waiting.
I wish everyone a Happy Easter, Happy Passover and a Happy Spring if you don't celebrate either of those.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
IUI #3
My appointment was scheduled for 9 AM. My husband and I arrived at the office around 8:55 AM, signed in and waited about 45 minutes to an hour to be called back. When we were finally called back, we had to wait in the exam room for another 25-30 minutes. While in the examination room I was wearing nothing more than a large paper towel over my bottom half and I was FREEZING!!!
Dr Brown and Jennifer finally came in and started to do the IUI, but could not find my cervix. Dr. Brown had Jennifer go out of the room to go get another piece of equipment that looked like a very large pair of scissors. He then had Jennifer push on my lower abdomen while he tried to find my cervix.
This was very uncomfortable!! The IUI was finally completed, but I felt faint and very nauseous. After Dr. Brown had finished the IUI he explained to me that my cervix is short and that if this IUI isn't successful that I will need to schedule surgery to have my cervix stretched. They then had me lay flat with my knees bent for about 15 minutes and then I was free to go home.
I really hope and pray that this IUI is successful for many reasons:
1. My husband & I really want to be parents.
2. I really don't want to have surgery. The thought of it terrifies me!!
3. This is getting really expensive (even with a flexible spending account) & our insurance doesn't cover infertility, so who knows if they'd cover the surgery.
So, I guess I am now officially in my 2WW!!
Dr Brown and Jennifer finally came in and started to do the IUI, but could not find my cervix. Dr. Brown had Jennifer go out of the room to go get another piece of equipment that looked like a very large pair of scissors. He then had Jennifer push on my lower abdomen while he tried to find my cervix.
This was very uncomfortable!! The IUI was finally completed, but I felt faint and very nauseous. After Dr. Brown had finished the IUI he explained to me that my cervix is short and that if this IUI isn't successful that I will need to schedule surgery to have my cervix stretched. They then had me lay flat with my knees bent for about 15 minutes and then I was free to go home.
I really hope and pray that this IUI is successful for many reasons:
1. My husband & I really want to be parents.
2. I really don't want to have surgery. The thought of it terrifies me!!
3. This is getting really expensive (even with a flexible spending account) & our insurance doesn't cover infertility, so who knows if they'd cover the surgery.
So, I guess I am now officially in my 2WW!!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Here we go again!!
I went back to the fertility specialist today to see how my follicles had developed. My right ovary didn't have any follicles, but my left had several!! My largest follicle was 28, so we scheduled my IUI for tomorrow.
I got home from the doctor and gave myself the Ovidrel shot right away. It really stung and also bled more than usual. This was the first time I needed to use a band-aid after giving myself a shot.
I go in for my IUI tomorrow at 9 AM.
I got home from the doctor and gave myself the Ovidrel shot right away. It really stung and also bled more than usual. This was the first time I needed to use a band-aid after giving myself a shot.
I go in for my IUI tomorrow at 9 AM.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Infertility Medicine
I received some of my medicine in the mail today from Freedom Fertility Pharmacy, so I thought I would write a little bit about the medicines that I have to take.
On days 3-7 of my cycle I have to take 2 Femara pills. Each pill is 2.5 MG.
On days 3-7 of my cycle I have to take 2 Femara pills. Each pill is 2.5 MG.
Femara is used to increase ovulation.
I was told by the nurses at our fertility clinic that I should feel lucky that I don't have to take Clomid, because that makes women a little crazy.
The first month that I had to take the Femara I got some crazy side effects, but since then I haven't had any so I feel extremely lucky.
I also have to take shots of Gonal-f. Right now I use 75 MG.
Gonal-f is used to help develop the ovarian follicles that are needed for ovulation.
I have had to take these shots each time I have done an IUI. I don't seem to make large enough follicles without the "booster". I take the Gonal-f around cycle days 11-13, but each month it changes a little bit. I give myself the shot in the chub part of my abdomen, near my belly button. It doesn't really hurt, but it kinda freaks my husband out, he doesn't like to see shots being given. I have also had the Gonal-f in a different form. My last cycle I had to mix the medicine myself and suck it up into the syringe and do it that way. I much prefer the simplicity of the pen.
I also have to take an Ovidrel trigger shot.
Ovidrel is used to release the egg you've been developing at a certain time.
I also have to take this shot every time I have an IUI. The doctor will tell me a time range of when to take the shot, and it corresponds with when my IUI is scheduled. I also give myself this shot in the chub area of my abdomen somewhat near my belly button. I usually make my husband sit by me when I do this one, because I tend to have to do it in the evening when he is home, and this one stings just a tiny bit when the medicine is going in.
I have absolutely no pain tolerance, and I can give myself these shots, so they aren't that bad.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
What happened to the cyst?
I went back to see the fertility doctor today!! Dr. Brown was out of the office, so I saw his nurse Lisa instead. AF has been a beast, so I have been pretty crampy and today was no different. They called my husband and I back and tried to get my blood pressure (with no luck after 2 tries), and then showed us to our exam room.
After about 5 minutes Lisa and Jen (our physician's assistant) came back in and asked how I was feeling. I told them I had been pretty crampy, but okay besides that. Lisa then began to do the trans vaginal ultrasound to check for cysts (remember I had an 18 mm one last month). She checked my left ovary first and their was a very small cyst, but she said it wouldn't be an issue. Then she spent the next 10 minutes trying to find my right ovary (with no prevail). She said that it was alright, because if there were cysts it would be easy to find.
She then gave me a prescription for Femara to take through Monday. She also told me she would be calling in a prescription for Gonal-f to the fertility pharmacy and they'll be calling me. She said that I should also request a refill on my Ovidrel when they call. I begin taking the Gonal-f on April 8th through the 11th and then go back in to see Dr. Brown on April 11th at 8:30 a.m.
After about 5 minutes Lisa and Jen (our physician's assistant) came back in and asked how I was feeling. I told them I had been pretty crampy, but okay besides that. Lisa then began to do the trans vaginal ultrasound to check for cysts (remember I had an 18 mm one last month). She checked my left ovary first and their was a very small cyst, but she said it wouldn't be an issue. Then she spent the next 10 minutes trying to find my right ovary (with no prevail). She said that it was alright, because if there were cysts it would be easy to find.
She then gave me a prescription for Femara to take through Monday. She also told me she would be calling in a prescription for Gonal-f to the fertility pharmacy and they'll be calling me. She said that I should also request a refill on my Ovidrel when they call. I begin taking the Gonal-f on April 8th through the 11th and then go back in to see Dr. Brown on April 11th at 8:30 a.m.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Our Fur Baby
With my husband out of town this week it makes me appreciate my fur baby even more. Usually I get really annoyed when he tries to sleep on top of my head at night, but it seemed kind of comforting this week to have a warm body so close to me (even if it was purring)
I love you Macey!!
Macey trying to eat his food out of the Helping me with laundry
storage container we store it in
Macey trying to catch lizards in our lanai
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
TTC Tag
Like I said in my first post, I get a lot of encouragement watching the ladies on YouTube with their infertility and TTC (trying to conceive) journeys. Several of them have done what they call a tag video, but since I don't make videos I thought that I would do my tag here on my blog.
1. How long have you been trying?
3 1/2 years. We stopped trying to prevent pregnancy in June of 2007.
2. How many kids do you have?
None :(
3. How old are you and Hubby?
I am 31, and my husband is 30 (I am 8 months older)
4. How long have you been married?
Almost 6 years, May 14, 2005
5. What are some crazy things you do to TTC/while TTCing?
Go to see our fertility doctor A LOT!!
6. Does your hubby know all about the TTC cycle?
Yes, he kind of has to because we have to go to see our fertility doctor on certain days for certain tests
7. Have you been diagnosed with any kind of infertility?
Male factor infertility
8. What do you do to pass the time during your 2WW (2 week wait)?
NOTHING, I go CRAZY!!!
9. What day do you usually ovulate?
13 or 14 I think
10. What sex are you hoping for?
Either is fine because we don't have any children, but eventually we'd like a boy and a girl
11. How many pregnancy books do you have?
None
12. How many HPT's (home pregnancy tests) do you go through a cycle?
Usually None, my evil AF comes before the need for one, but last cycle 2
13. What have you bought for your baby/pregnancy already?
Nothing
14. What themes/designs do you like for a nursery?
Nothing too elaborate, because we rent and can't really paint the room or anything.
15. Do you plan to do pregnancy Vlogs when you get pregnant?
Probably not, I'll more than likely stick to my blog. My husband isn't to keen on putting videos of our private life up for everyone to see.
16. Who are your favorite moms or parents to watch on youtube?
Jeni- CandidMommy (I also follow her blog)
Jennifer- JPSUESS (I also follow her blog)
Meghann- rMeghann (I also follow her blog)
Carla- thebubblelush (I also follow her blog)
Jen- InformationMommy
Megan- rmmartin92405
Jordan- 08jaydensmommy08
Candace- ouradoptionoption (I also follow her blog)
Britney- MBShrewsbury
17. How do you want your labor/birth plan to go?
I don't have one, but I have NO pain tolerance (stub my toe and pass out, literally) so it will DEFINITELY be in a hospital and more than likely with some pain medicine.
1. How long have you been trying?
3 1/2 years. We stopped trying to prevent pregnancy in June of 2007.
2. How many kids do you have?
None :(
3. How old are you and Hubby?
I am 31, and my husband is 30 (I am 8 months older)
4. How long have you been married?
Almost 6 years, May 14, 2005
5. What are some crazy things you do to TTC/while TTCing?
Go to see our fertility doctor A LOT!!
6. Does your hubby know all about the TTC cycle?
Yes, he kind of has to because we have to go to see our fertility doctor on certain days for certain tests
7. Have you been diagnosed with any kind of infertility?
Male factor infertility
8. What do you do to pass the time during your 2WW (2 week wait)?
NOTHING, I go CRAZY!!!
9. What day do you usually ovulate?
13 or 14 I think
10. What sex are you hoping for?
Either is fine because we don't have any children, but eventually we'd like a boy and a girl
11. How many pregnancy books do you have?
None
12. How many HPT's (home pregnancy tests) do you go through a cycle?
Usually None, my evil AF comes before the need for one, but last cycle 2
13. What have you bought for your baby/pregnancy already?
Nothing
14. What themes/designs do you like for a nursery?
Nothing too elaborate, because we rent and can't really paint the room or anything.
15. Do you plan to do pregnancy Vlogs when you get pregnant?
Probably not, I'll more than likely stick to my blog. My husband isn't to keen on putting videos of our private life up for everyone to see.
16. Who are your favorite moms or parents to watch on youtube?
Jeni- CandidMommy (I also follow her blog)
Jennifer- JPSUESS (I also follow her blog)
Meghann- rMeghann (I also follow her blog)
Carla- thebubblelush (I also follow her blog)
Jen- InformationMommy
Megan- rmmartin92405
Jordan- 08jaydensmommy08
Candace- ouradoptionoption (I also follow her blog)
Britney- MBShrewsbury
17. How do you want your labor/birth plan to go?
I don't have one, but I have NO pain tolerance (stub my toe and pass out, literally) so it will DEFINITELY be in a hospital and more than likely with some pain medicine.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
My first post!!!
Welcome!! My name is Mindy and I am creating this blog to help me cope with my husband and I's diagnosis of infertility. I am in some way comforted by watching people on YouTube talk about life with infertility, so I thought that I would make a blog and that could be my way to reach out to the infertility community.
A little bit about myself: Well, my name is Mindy and my husband and I will be married for 6 years in May. We were actually introduced to each other through my family on July 4, 2000, and have pretty much been together since. We have an awesome cat named Mace Windu (Macey for short) who thinks that he is everyone's best friend. My husband and I are also crazy about Disney (we are annual pass holders and also are Disney Vacation Club members). We go to Disney whenever we can, we just love everything about it!!
We were diagnosed with infertility during the summer of 2008, after not getting pregnant after being off the birth control pill for a year. After many tests we got the diagnosis of Azoospermia. My husband then began taking a suplement called Proxeed Plus along with Clomid to see if that would improve our situation. After taking the medicines and a few surgeries that the urologist recommended we still had no improvement. Shortly after this we had to move to a different state for a job change and therefore had to find a new urologist. After going over my husband's medical history the new urologist immediately referred us to our fertility specialist.
Our first appointment with Dr. Brown (our fertility specialist) was during the summer of 2010. He went over all of our medical history and told us what we would have to do to get pregnant (in short IUI). He also gave me forms for a bunch of tests that I needed to have done before we could proceed any further. After I had taken all of the blood and other medical tests we were ready to begin.
In September we went in for our first appointment after having completed all of the tests and found out that I had a "monster cyst" according to Dr. Brown and couldn't go ahead with treatment that month. I was sad, but Dr. Brown gave us birth control pills with the hope that they would help shed the cyst when I got my period. Well, it worked because when we came back in October the cyst was gone and we proceeded with the treatment. I ended up taking Femara pills and also Gonal-F shots and eventually an Ovidrel trigger shot to have my first IUI on October 30th. I got my evil period (AF) the day before the 2 week wait was over. I was very sad.
My husband and I talked and figured out that we needed to find out a new way to pay for fertility treatments because they aren't covered by our insurance at all and we couldn't afford to pay out of pocket anymore. So, my husband talked to the people at his job and ended up signing up for a flexible spending account that we could use for infertility. But, we had to wait until the new year for it to be in effect so we had to wait a few months. I got my AF while we were at Disney in the beginning of January for my husband's first 1/2 marathon so we had to wait another month!!!
Finally, my AF came back the very end of January, so we went back to Dr. Brown and went through the whole Femara pills, Gonal-F shots and eventually the Ovidrel trigger shot to have our second IUI on February 16th. I was very excited during my two week wait for this IUI, because my AF was late so I was getting very excited. When my 2 week wait was over, I took the test and I got a BIG FAT NEGATIVE (BFN). I ended up getting my AF the next day :( She ended up being 5 days late!!!
We went back to Dr. Brown on March 4th and found out that I once again have a "monster cyst" so I am again on birth control this month hoping that the cyst will be shed like it was before.
Now everyone is up to speed with what is going on with our infertility journey. I plan on keeping everyone up to date with what is happening with me and our journey to get our BIG FAT POSITIVE (BFP)!!
A little bit about myself: Well, my name is Mindy and my husband and I will be married for 6 years in May. We were actually introduced to each other through my family on July 4, 2000, and have pretty much been together since. We have an awesome cat named Mace Windu (Macey for short) who thinks that he is everyone's best friend. My husband and I are also crazy about Disney (we are annual pass holders and also are Disney Vacation Club members). We go to Disney whenever we can, we just love everything about it!!
We were diagnosed with infertility during the summer of 2008, after not getting pregnant after being off the birth control pill for a year. After many tests we got the diagnosis of Azoospermia. My husband then began taking a suplement called Proxeed Plus along with Clomid to see if that would improve our situation. After taking the medicines and a few surgeries that the urologist recommended we still had no improvement. Shortly after this we had to move to a different state for a job change and therefore had to find a new urologist. After going over my husband's medical history the new urologist immediately referred us to our fertility specialist.
Our first appointment with Dr. Brown (our fertility specialist) was during the summer of 2010. He went over all of our medical history and told us what we would have to do to get pregnant (in short IUI). He also gave me forms for a bunch of tests that I needed to have done before we could proceed any further. After I had taken all of the blood and other medical tests we were ready to begin.
In September we went in for our first appointment after having completed all of the tests and found out that I had a "monster cyst" according to Dr. Brown and couldn't go ahead with treatment that month. I was sad, but Dr. Brown gave us birth control pills with the hope that they would help shed the cyst when I got my period. Well, it worked because when we came back in October the cyst was gone and we proceeded with the treatment. I ended up taking Femara pills and also Gonal-F shots and eventually an Ovidrel trigger shot to have my first IUI on October 30th. I got my evil period (AF) the day before the 2 week wait was over. I was very sad.
My husband and I talked and figured out that we needed to find out a new way to pay for fertility treatments because they aren't covered by our insurance at all and we couldn't afford to pay out of pocket anymore. So, my husband talked to the people at his job and ended up signing up for a flexible spending account that we could use for infertility. But, we had to wait until the new year for it to be in effect so we had to wait a few months. I got my AF while we were at Disney in the beginning of January for my husband's first 1/2 marathon so we had to wait another month!!!
Finally, my AF came back the very end of January, so we went back to Dr. Brown and went through the whole Femara pills, Gonal-F shots and eventually the Ovidrel trigger shot to have our second IUI on February 16th. I was very excited during my two week wait for this IUI, because my AF was late so I was getting very excited. When my 2 week wait was over, I took the test and I got a BIG FAT NEGATIVE (BFN). I ended up getting my AF the next day :( She ended up being 5 days late!!!
We went back to Dr. Brown on March 4th and found out that I once again have a "monster cyst" so I am again on birth control this month hoping that the cyst will be shed like it was before.
Now everyone is up to speed with what is going on with our infertility journey. I plan on keeping everyone up to date with what is happening with me and our journey to get our BIG FAT POSITIVE (BFP)!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)