We are Warriors

Yesterday's doctor's appointment didn't go as we had hoped. Sarah, the fertility specialist from Little Rock, went over my test results and performed an ultrasound, and confirmed that I have a "broad uterine septum." Basically the uterus should look like an upside down triangle, long and flat across the top and pointed at the bottom. The top of my uterus, instead of being flat, swoops way down towards the pointed part at the bottom. This isn't good and that part of the uterus (the septum) must be removed before we can proceed with IVF. If left alone, I would mostly likely lose a baby around 25-27 weeks because of a lack of room in the uterus for a baby to grow. Also, if an embryo happened to attach to the septum, it isn't blood rich, so the placenta wouldn't be able to form, the embryo wouldn't get the nutrients it needed to develop and I'd end up miscarrying after just a few weeks. So, I need to have surgery to remove the septum. My doctor here, Dr. Hinton, whom I love, isn't able to do the surgery. :-( She hasn't ever done one this "broad" and they don't have the instruments here required to do the procedure. So, we'll be headed to Little Rock for the surgery in a few weeks. We're waiting to hear back from Sarah whether it will be this month or the beginning of May. I was extremely upset by the news that I'd have to have surgery. I've never "gone under the knife" before, so it's a little scary. I had a little pity party for myself yesterday afternoon and I asked Jeremy "Why does everything have to be so hard for us?" His response, "Because we're warriors!" I've never thought of myself as much of a fighter before, but this is definitely a cause worth the fight! I am very thankful for having the HSG test. I feel like it's much better to know what's wrong and have it fixed, than to be oblivious to the problem and face a potential miscarriage later on. Knowledge is definitely power and what doesn't break you, will only make you stronger. From one warrior to another: may you find the strength to conquer any obstacle you face.

A Little Bit of Pressure

So, I went for the HSG last Thursday. I'd heard it was uncomfortable. So I thought I'd be smart and take a pain pill before Jeremy and I left for the hospital. I would be very thankful for this later! After checking in and waiting for a little bit, not too long though, (I was surprised. We all know how hospitals and doctor's offices can be with staying on time.) the nurse took me back. After changing into the gown she gave me, I had to hop up on this xray bed, well I'll call it a table because it was as hard as a rock-no 'bed' you'd ever want to sleep on!

The tech came in to do the procedure and as he's doing all the poking, prodding, and injecting of the dye, he keeps repeating "You're going to feel just a little bit of pressure" over and over and over again. 'Just a little bit of pressure' HA! More like 'a whole lotta pain!' By the time he actually injected the dye, I thought if he says 'a little bit of pressure' one more time, he's going to end up with a foot in his face. Fortunately for him, it was over by that point and he didn't repeat it again.

One a cool note though, I got to watch the monitor as the xray machine projected the images of my uterus and tubes filling with the dye. I noticed right away that the dye spilled out from both tubes-that meant they weren't blocked. YAY! Afterwards, the tech went over what we had both been watching on the screen-clear tubes, but...

There seems to be an issue with my uterus-he mentioned a possible uterine septum-another thing for me to google...But he said the radiologist would be the one to look at all the images and send a report to my doctor. Until then, I'm supposed to try not to worry. Yeah, right.

Jeremy drove me home afterwards, and then he went on to work, which gave my mom the perfect excuse to come over and "hang out," aka take care of me. Mommas are definitely the best caretakers ever.

Today, (Tuesday) Jeremy and I are meeting with Sarah, the fertility specialist from Little Rock, so she can go over the images, the radiologist's report, and perform an ultrasound to determine if I have an arcuate uterus (Another date with google!) or a uterine fibroid, and whether or not I'll have to have surgery before we can proceed. So, may the odds be forever in my favor and here's your Tip of the Day: A little bit of pressure = pain and a possible foot in the face for the person responsible.