Urologist and Post-Op Appointment

Well I had my post-op appointment of November 23, 2010 and the specialist said that everything went well with the surgery. I was given the "all clear" :) During the visit, I asked my doctor a few question regarding clomid, stages of endometriosis, and my recent bloodwork. He stated that the stage of endometriosis found was mild. Can we say big sigh of relief. My doctor feels as though I will very likely become pregnant soon since I've had the surgery. As far as my bloodwork is concerned, everything was almost normal such as Rh factor, sickle cell, hiv/aids, cystic fibrosis, and etc. The only thing that was abnormal was the diabetes test. I am NOT a diabetic, but because of my weight and family history, I am very, very high risk for diabetes :( It's okay, I know what I have to do..........

The blood tests also confirmed that I do have PCOS. I had somewhat convinced myself that I did not have it because of the inaccuracy of my last ob/gyn. The doctor recommended that I return in January 2011 and I will likely proceed with clomid and IUI depending on the outcome of DH's visit with the urologist.

Jarvis and I went to the urologist on December 3, 2010. He was very anxious about the appointment. Jarvis filled out the paperwork and then were called into a room to meet with a doctor. The doctor came into the room and discussed DH's medical history. DH was then told by the doctor that he would need to give him a physical exam and for him to "drop his pants and lie down on the table". Well DH was in total shock as though he did not see this coming. He dropped his pants and laid on the table. I sat in a chair in the corner of the room feeling as though I could roll out of the chair laughing because I knew how uncomfortable and embarrassing everything was for Jarvis. The doctor measured his testicles while explaining everything he was doing and looking for step by step. He was mainly looking for something called variococelle which he luckily did not have. The doctor then had DH to stand up in front of him with his pants down and he proceeded to examine him and he was told to cough. After the exam was complete, the doctor stated that everything looks normal and that he would not have to return to a urologist until he reaches age 40 for a prostate exam. The urologist went on to say that the low motility factor will be treated by the fertility doctor. I almost forgot to say, the doctor stated that a multivitamin may be beneficial, but all the "extra stuff" energy supplements, etc. may be detrimental to us conceiving.

After all was said and done, Jarvis left the building sooooo fast. I asked what was wrong and why was he walking so fast. He replied with "as you would say, I am absolutely mortified and I want to get out of here". I tried to explain to him that no one knew the purpose of his visit or saw anything that they did not suppose to see. He was still embarrassed and did not have much to say. I even tried to pull that "women go through things like this all the time" card and he was just not hearing it. Needless to say, we are both super glad that appointment is now in the past and we look forward to the next steps. Below are photos from after my surgery was completed.

Celeste

Trying to play catch up

 I finally chose to create this blog today after months of saying that I was going to create one. I initially wanted to try doing video blogs, but I am way too shy. My husband and I have been trying to conceive our first child for well over one year with no luck. I'm not sad about it at all. I am truly excited about what our future may hold. Here is an informal timeline of some of the things that have happened along the way.

April 2009- Annual pap smear, same problems, cramping and heavy bleeding. After complaining about cramps, I was given a vaginal ultrasound. The doctor stated that I had PCOS.

December 2009- My period decides to stay on for two months so I call the doctor. During the appointment she says "lets just watch it and come back in two weeks". Well I went back and was given a prescription for Prometrium and the bleeding never skipped a beat.

January 2010- After going back to the doctor, I was told to wait another two weeks for the bleeding to subside. After no success, I was given an appointment for a D & C for abnormal uterine bleeding.

February 2010- I had the D & C and shortly after, my period appears to be getting "back to normal". I was given a three month supply of Loestrin 24 birth control to build up the lining.

March 2010- Post-op appointment, everything looked fine.

April, May, June 2010- Normal period, taking birth control during these months.

July 5, 2010- I started my first round of Clomid. I was given the 50 mg to take on days 5-9. While taking the meds, I ovulated on the 19th and 20th day.

August 5, 2010- I took another 50 mg round of Clomid for days 5-9. I can really say that some of the listed side effects are so true.

Somewhere between August 10 and August 30, I came to the realization that I had not had any type of testing done. When I mentioned it to my doctor, she somewhat snubbed me and said "you have age on your side". This made me furious. So I began searching for a new doctor by using the yellow pages and other medical search engines. The doctor that I chose was someone that I heard of by a friend of a friend. I scheduled an appointment and went on August 30, 2010. I love my new OB/GYN. I never thought I could handle going to a male doctor, but its okay. My new doctor even returns his own patient phone calls! During my first visit, I was given a pap smear and the doctor told me that he would call me if the test came back abnormal. Well he did not call.

September 13, 2010- I had an HSG test and it showed that both of my tubes were open. The pain though......OMG! It hurt so bad! I would never recommend researching anything prior to doing it. I cried as I was getting undressed.  By the time the radiologist and gynocologist walked in, I was fine (dry eyes, no more tears). When it was time to lie down, I cried again and kind of pissed the doctor off. I said "if you don't cooperate, I'm going to reschedule you". I instantly came to my senses after thinking about losing my $100.00 copay. The test was over within five minutes and I went to work afterwards.

September 30, 2010- I had my follow up appointment for more detail of the HSG test. He stated again that my tubes were indeed open, but I am suffering from "unexplained infertility". He then went on to say that he will be referring me to a fertility specialist and once pregnancy is achieved, return back to him.

October 13, 2010- I had my first visit with the fertility specialist. The entire office staff were friendly. As for the doctor, I really liked him. He seemed to be VERY knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor. I met with the nurse and had my vitals taken. Then I went over a series of recommended tests for women that are trying to conceive. I accepted to have all the required tests for my race. I declined the chicken pox test. The doctor went over everything with me and spoke with me about my medical history. He they requested a sperm sample from my husband. The look on his face was priceless. I laughed and in the midst of my laughing, the doctor said "while he's getting his sample ready, I am going to examine you". I was so unprepared for a female exam. My cycle was present and I felt so uncomfortable. My husband then came back into the room and appeared to be mortified. The doctor then said, that I needed surgery to figure out what's going on inside of me. I instantly agreed to the surgery because I am willing to do whatever it takes to conceive. Eight vials of blood were filled and it was so draining. My surgery was scheduled for November 5, 2010 at 12:30pm.

October 14, 2010- I received a call from the doctor and he said that my husband's sperm count and motility were low. The count was 7 million and I don't remember right off what the motility was at this time. He was asked to produce another sample prior to my surgery.

October 27, 2010- My DH performed a sperm sample in the privacy of our home and rushed it to the clinic. I wanted him to wait until he arrived at the clinic, but he refused. The results of this test were that the sperm count was 45 million and the motility was at 28%. The doctor then recommeded my DH seeing a urologist and gave us a referral. The first appointment with the urologist is on December 3, 2010.

October 29, 2010- I traveled to the hospital to do post-op testing and registration. My copay was $100.00. Vitals were taken and the nurse discussed how to prep for surgery. Prior to leaving, I was given a sterile wipe to clean my stomach off with one day before surgery. This pad is used to decrease the chances of developing an infection. The wipe was extremely cold.