A Revised Game Plan

Last week I wrote about my HSG test (here), and Friday I had my consultation about it as well as an ultrasound to see if my first round of Clomid worked. It didn't. Or at least it hasn't yet. I have to go back for another ultrasound on Tuesday to check again.

Of course I also found out Friday, that it probably wouldn't have really mattered if the Clomid did work. You see the polyp or fibroid in my uterus is large enough, (think ping pong ball), that it's pretty much acting like an IUD (intrauterine device-birth control). Not to share too many gory details with you, but with that polyp/fibroid there's no room for future baby M to implant and start growing.

Meaning.... Surgery.

I had Googled treatments of polyps/fibroids as well as the scar tissue around my right tube, and so I pretty much figured it was coming. By the way, NEVER, EVER Google something you think may be wrong with you, just wait to talk to the doctor. Pretty sure I wish I would have taken my own advice instead of spending hours every night from Monday thru Thursday pouring over crazy internet stories and working myself up for the worst possible news.

The only positive thing to come out of my crazy, neurotic Google "research" was that I was actually relieved when I got the actual treatment plan from my RE, (Reproductive Endocrinologist).

The polyp/fibroid does need to come out since it's unlawfully renting out so much prime real estate. The scar tissue/endometriosis around my right tube needs to come out too. If possible it always helps to have two functioning tubes, plus having a blocked one puts me at an increased risk of having an ectopic pregnancy and that's enough to scare the daylights out of me! Regardless of whether we were planning on having a baby, these would need to be resolved for my general health.

So the surgery plan. I will have a hysteroscopy to remove the polyp/fibroid and laproscopy to get rid of the scar tissue/endometriosis/whatever's cramping my
styletube. They're both outpatient procedures that I will have done the same day. RE does them on Friday afternoons so that once I come out of anesthesia I can go home and rest all weekend and hopefully be
able to movesemi back to normal by Monday or Tuesday.

Unless there are some surprises when they scope my insides during the laproscopy my recovery time should be relatively short and we'd be able to go back on Clo.mid within a month or so at a higher dose since the 50mg hasn't worked for me (yet).

It all sounds simple enough, right? Well, I'm learning that in the world of infertility, there is always a waiting game attached to each step. Basically meaning we can't just schedule the surgery for tomorrow and call it a day. I have to wait for my next cycle to show up, and since I don't actually have them on my own and the Clo.mid most likely didn't work, I have to wait 3-4 weeks to see if I have one naturally and if not, the dreaded Pro.vera again. I swear that drug is beginning to be my nemesis. It's definitely on my list.

I take the Pro.vera and go through all it's lovely side effects yet again, and then when it does it's job I get to take birth control pill for a month. Yep, you read that right. I don't know the specifics, (I'm doing good to follow this much), but something about having to be on the birth control before the surgery helps prepare the uterus for surgery. This is where I just nod my head, smile, and follow directions because I didn't go to medical school and I'm not trusting Google anymore. I think Google may end up on my list with Provera.

Is anyone else exhausted just from reading this? ;) I sure do know this, that whenever a baby M is finally produced he/she can never, ever, (ever, ever, ever), claim that they weren't wanted!! ;)

As always if you have any questions feel free to leave a comment or email me. I'm not writing about all this to elicit pity, this is just the easiest way for my to communicate to our friends and family what all is going on without us having to spend hours on the phone every week explaining it over and over. Also, if can be any help to anyone then it's worth laying all this out there for whomever to read.

Jennifer

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11