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Friday, April 16, 2010

Surgery Scheduled

So I heard back from the surgery scheduler and I'm on for May 6th, which was my date of preference. Yay! I will have my pre-op over the phone on April 26th and can't wait because I'm dying to know if Dr. Amato thinks that the polyp has caused implantation failure, how long she thinks I've had it, etc.

Annoyed But Grateful Too

So I called OHSU today since I still had not received a call back from the surgery coordinator. I'm annoyed and frustrated with them. This is a classic case of having to be your own advocate when it comes to health care. What if this was cancer? Would they still be so nonchalant about returning calls?

The coordinator said that she emailed Dr. Amato to request a certain surgery date (May 6th) and has not heard back. So, it's still tentative and I'm waiting once again. Last time I talked to her she said that I would need to find out a date before receiving an estimated cost. I mentioned this to her and she said, "actually we looked into it for you". Interesting how she wouldn't have brought it up if I hadn't asked. Her news was pretty good. We only have to pay a small amount compared to the total cost of the surgery. Praise God! The last thing I want is to use our IVF fund for this surgery. I'm very grateful for this.

[ Hannah's Prayer ] Then Hannah prayed and said: "My heart rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. 1 Samuel 2:1

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Bye Bye Pre-Baby Fat!

I decided that it's time to do something about feeling over-weight and under-energized...this time "for realz". I'm now a member of Weight Watchers online. I really like it so far and am excited to fit into my clothes better by summer. It's also highly recommended to get into shape and be at your ideal weight before you get pregnant, so that's another motivator! In order to afford this program,I'm giving up Starbucks. My initial commitment is 3 months. I hope I can make it without an iced tall vanilla latte for that long!! So far, its been a lot easier than I expected.

On top of WW Online, I've subscribed to www.e-mealz.com They plan my entire week of dinners and provide a detailed grocery list, customized to the WW points system for two. It is supposedly a great way to save money since it helps you only buy what you need for the week. So far, we've had two meals and they've been quick, fresh and tasty. Wow, I sound like a commercial. I'll keep y'all posted on my progress.

Test Results, Etc.

It's a nice day in the Northwest! It's kinda sunny and we went to church, then ate lunch out on the front porch. It was hard to just drive right past our favorite Thai place today, but we managed to resist and made sandwiches and salad instead.

So I got the test results back for the labs I did so far...drumroll please...
FSH= 8.6 (Anything under 10 is pretty darn good)
Estradiol= 65 (Under 80 is good here)

Plus, I found out that Dr. Amato wants to do the surgery to remove the polyp. It will be done by hysteroscopy( see http://www.sharedjourney.com/define/hysteroscopy.html for more info)

I'm not sure when it's happening or if it is covered by insurance yet, as I've been waiting for a call back from OHSU. So far, I've learned more helpful information about this procedure from my friend Gretchen and the internet than I have from my actual doctor. Apparently, polyps have been known to effect the implantation of embryos. Who knows how long I've had it, seeing that my last reproductive endocrinologist did not perform the saline infusion sonogram or anything like it to test the inside of the uterus. We are both annoyed about this, yet hopeful that maybe this small adhesion is the cause of our infertility. Perhaps we can have it removed and become parents without IVF! Of course, we'll discuss this with the doctor at our pre-op and see what she thinks.

Thanks for your prayer support and taking this journey along with us!

Friday, April 2, 2010

More tests, more patience needed

I visited OHSU Wednesday to have another prerequisite test performed, the sonohysterogram. This is where they do an ultrasound and inject saline to view the uterus. They are able to detect abnormalities and see how many resting follicles I have. It turns out that I do have a polyp. The three reproductive endocrinologists at OHSU are going to review it and decide if I need to have it removed. My number of resting follicles was 5 on one side (not so great) and 9 on the other side (better). This gives the doctors an idea of how much medicine to give me when they start stimulating my ovaries to produce more eggs. I'll probably need a more aggressive amount since my ovarian reserve seems to be a little lower than normal and my last IVF medicine protocol only turned out "so-so". Next, they performed a "trial transfer" where they take a catheter and make sure it goes into my uterus easily so they know what to expect on the day that they put embryos inside of me. While the tests were a little uncomfortable, they were not filled with excruciating pain. I had some minor cramping and spotting, but that was it.

Next steps: find out if I need to have polyp removed and take care of the rest of our lab tests

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