Thursday, August 28, 2008
Another dead end
So Kevin and I have been anxiously waiting to start the IUI process for the last month or so and on Tuesday we got that chance so we thought. Tuesday morning I got up at 6:45 and did my ovulation kit and it came up positive so I called the clinic and they said the latest I could come in at was 10:20 well for those of you that know my husband doesn't get home until 8:30 from his first job. So they had someone call me back because it takes us 2 1/2 hours to get there. So they said if I could be there by 11 they would take me. So we rushed down there and got there at 10:45 so they take me in and do my blood work and then send me down the hall for my ultrasound where they measure my uterus and ovaries and my follicles and check for any abnormalities. So that all took about 45 min. so now we are headed back home and they call me with my results which I am thinking this is too soon something isn't right. Well my instincts were correct! I have no follicles and my lining was thin and my estrogen level is low. So now more blood work to check my progesterone level and I have to meet with the doctor on Sept. 22nd. So now I have no idea what to expect and what to think. I am so depressed and I am the type of person that when something is wrong I fix it ans I can't fix this and It is driving me insane!!! So please keep us in you prayers maybe someday they will work.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
On our way!
I had a doctors appt. today to check and see if my cysts were gone or if they had grown and guess what they are gone!!! YAY!! So now we are on our way to our first and hopefully last IUI. I will have to test with the ovulation predictor kits this month and when I get a positive LH SURGE I will have to go to the RHS clinic in Pittsburgh and be evaluated(blood work, sonogram, ect.) Then if everything is good then the next month I will test again and when I get the positive Kevin and I can go and do the actual IUI. So please keep us in your prayers because God has a plan for us and hopefully this is it!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
About Infertility
Infertility is, indeed, a very painful struggle. The pain is similar to the grief over losing a loved one, but it is unique because it is a recurring grief. When a loved one dies, he isn't coming back. There is no hope that he will come back from the dead. You must work through the stages of grief, accept that you will never see this person again, and move on with your life.
The grief of infertility is not so cut and dry. Infertile people grieve the loss of the baby that they may never know. They grieve the loss of that baby who would have had mommy's nose and daddy's eyes. But, each month, there is the hope that maybe that baby will be conceived after all. No matter how hard they try to prepare themselves for bad news, they still hope that this month will be different. Then, the bad news comes again, and the grief washes over the infertile couple anew. This process happens month after month, year after year. It is like having a deep cut that keeps getting opened right when it starts to heal.
As the couple moves into infertility treatments, the pain increases. Most infertility treatments involve using hormones, which alter the user's moods. The tests are invasive and embarrassing to both parties, and you feel like the doctor has taken over your bedroom.
A couple will eventually resolve the infertility problem in one of three ways:
*They will eventually conceive a baby.
*They will stop the infertility treatments and choose to live without children.
*They will find an alternative way to parent, such as by adopting a child or becoming a foster parent.
Reaching a resolution can take years, so your infertile loved ones need your emotional support during this journey. Most people don't know what to say, so they wind up saying the wrong thing, which only makes the journey so much harder for their loved ones. Knowing what not to say is half of the battle to providing support.
Don't Tell Them to Relax
Everyone knows someone who had trouble conceiving but then finally became pregnant once she "relaxed." Couples who are able to conceive after a few months of "relaxing" are not infertile. By definition, a couple is not diagnosed as "infertile" until they have tried unsuccessfully to become pregnant for a full year. In fact, most infertility specialists will not treat a couple for infertility until they have tried to become pregnant for a year. This year weeds out the people who aren't infertile but just need to "relax." Those that remain are truly infertile.
Comments such as "just relax" or "try going on a cruise" create even more stress for the infertile couple, particularly the woman. Relaxation itself does not cure medical infertility.
Don't Minimize the Problem
Failure to conceive a baby is a very painful journey. Infertile couples are surrounded by families with children. These couples watch their friends give birth to two or three children, and they watch those children grow while the couple goes home to the silence of an empty house. These couples see all of the joy that a child brings into someone's life, and they feel the emptiness of not being able to experience the same joy. Comments like, "Just enjoy being able to sleep late . . . .travel . . etc.," do not offer comfort. Instead, these comments make infertile people feel like you are minimizing their pain. You wouldn't tell somebody whose parent just died to be thankful that he no longer has to buy Father's Day or Mother's Day cards. Losing that one obligation doesn't even begin to compensate for the incredible loss of losing a parent. In the same vein, being able to sleep late or travel does not provide comfort to somebody who desperately wants a child.
Don't Say They Aren't Meant to Be Parents
One of the cruelest things anyone ever said to me is, "Maybe God doesn't intend for you to be a mother." How incredibly insensitive to imply that I would be such a bad mother that God felt the need to divinely sterilize me. If God were in the business of divinely sterilizing women, don't you think he would prevent the pregnancies that end in abortions? Or wouldn't he sterilize the women who wind up neglecting and abusing their children? Even if you aren't religious, the "maybe it's not meant to be" comments are not comforting. Infertility is a medical condition, not a punishment from God or Mother Nature.
Don't Ask Why They Aren't Trying IVF
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a method in which the woman harvests multiple eggs, which are then combined with the man's sperm in a petri dish. This is the method that can produce multiple births. People frequently ask, "Why don't you just try IVF?" in the same casual tone they would use to ask, "Why don't you try shopping at another store?" There are many reasons why a couple would choose not to pursue this option.
Don't Play Doctor
Once your infertile friends are under a doctor's care, the doctor will run them through numerous tests to determine why they aren't able to conceive. There a numerous reasons that a couple may not be able to conceive. Infertility is a complicated problem to diagnose, and reading an article or book on infertility will not make you an "expert" on the subject. Let your friends work with their doctor to diagnose and treat the problem. Your friends probably already know more about the causes and solutions of infertility than you will ever know. You may feel like you are being helpful by reading up on infertility, and there is nothing wrong with learning more about the subject. The problem comes when you try to "play doctor" with your friends. They already have a doctor with years of experience in diagnosing and treating the problem. They need to work with and trust their doctor to treat the problem. You only complicate the issue when you throw out other ideas that you have read about. The doctor knows more about the causes and solutions; let your friends work with their doctor to solve the problem.
Don't Be Crude
It is appalling that I even have to include this paragraph, but some of you need to hear this-Don't make crude jokes about your friend's vulnerable position. Crude comments like "I'll donate the sperm" or "Make sure the doctor uses your sperm for the insemination" or "I'll carry your baby for you" are not funny, and they only irritate your friends.
Don't Complain About Your Pregnancy
This message is for pregnant women-Just being around you is painful for your infertile friends. Seeing your belly grow is a constant reminder of what your infertile friend cannot have. Unless an infertile women plans to spend her life in a cave, she has to find a way to interact with pregnant women. However, there are things you can do as her friend to make it easier.
The number one rule is DON'T COMPLAIN ABOUT YOUR PREGNANCY. I understand from my friends that, when you are pregnant, your hormones are going crazy and you experience a lot of discomfort, such as queasiness, stretch marks, and fatigue. You have every right to vent about the discomforts to any one else in your life, but don't put your infertile friend in the position of comforting you. Your infertile friend would give anything to experience the discomforts you are enduring because those discomforts come from a baby growing inside of you. When I heard a pregnant woman complain about morning sickness, I would think, "I'd gladly throw up for nine straight months if it meant I could have a baby." When a pregnant woman would complain about her weight gain, I would think, "I would cut off my arm if I could be in your shoes." I managed to go to baby showers and hospitals to welcome my friends' new babies, but it was hard. Without exception, it was hard. Stay sensitive to your infertile friend's emotions, and give her the leeway that she needs to be happy for you while she cries for herself. If she can't bring herself to hold your new baby, give her time. She isn't rejecting you or your new baby; she is just trying to work her way through her pain to show sincere joy for you. The fact that she is willing to endure such pain in order to celebrate your new baby with you speaks volumes about how much your friendship means to her.
Don't Treat Them Like They Are Ignorant
For some reason, some people seem to think that infertility causes a person to become unrealistic about the responsibilities of parenthood. I don't follow the logic, but several people told me that I wouldn't ache for a baby so much if I appreciated how much responsibility was involved in parenting. Let's face it-no one can fully appreciate the responsibilities involved in parenting until they are, themselves, parents. That is true whether you successfully conceived after one month or after 10 years. The length of time you spend waiting for that baby does not factor in to your appreciation of responsibility. If anything, people who have been trying to become pregnant longer have had more time to think about those responsibilities. They have also probably been around lots of babies as their friends started their families. Perhaps part of what fuels this perception is that infertile couples have a longer time to "dream" about what being a parent will be like. Like every other couple, we have our fantasies-my child will sleep through the night, would never have a tantrum in public, and will always eat his vegetables. Let us have our fantasies. Those fantasies are some of the few parent-to-be perks that we have-let us have them. You can give us your knowing looks when we discover the truth later.
Don't Gossip About Your Friend's Condition
Infertility treatments are very private and embarrassing, which is why many couples choose to undergo these treatments in secret. Men especially are very sensitive to letting people know about infertility testing, such as sperm counts. Gossiping about infertility is not usually done in a malicious manner. The gossipers are usually well-meaning people who are only trying to find out more about infertility so they can help their loved ones. Regardless of why you are sharing this information with someone else, it hurts and embarrasses your friend to find out that Madge the bank teller knows what your husband's sperm count is and when your next period is expected. Infertility is something that should be kept as private as your friend wants to keep it. Respect your friend's privacy, and don't share any information that your friend hasn't authorized.
Don't Push Adoption
Adoption is a wonderful way for infertile people to become parents. (As an adoptive parent, I can fully vouch for this!!) However, the couple needs to work through many issues before they will be ready to make an adoption decision. Before they can make the decision to love a "stranger's baby," they must first grieve the loss of that baby with Daddy's eyes and Mommy's nose.
So, what can you say to your infertile friends? Unless you say "I am giving you this baby," there is nothing you can say that will erase their pain. So, take that pressure off of yourself. It isn't your job to erase their pain, but there is a lot you can do to lesson the load.
Let Them Know That You Care
The best thing you can do is let your infertile friends know that you care. Send them cards. Let them cry on your shoulder. If they are religious, let them know you are praying for them. Offer the same support you would offer a friend who has lost a loved one. Just knowing they can count on you to be there for them lightens the load and lets them know that they aren't going through this alone.
The grief of infertility is not so cut and dry. Infertile people grieve the loss of the baby that they may never know. They grieve the loss of that baby who would have had mommy's nose and daddy's eyes. But, each month, there is the hope that maybe that baby will be conceived after all. No matter how hard they try to prepare themselves for bad news, they still hope that this month will be different. Then, the bad news comes again, and the grief washes over the infertile couple anew. This process happens month after month, year after year. It is like having a deep cut that keeps getting opened right when it starts to heal.
As the couple moves into infertility treatments, the pain increases. Most infertility treatments involve using hormones, which alter the user's moods. The tests are invasive and embarrassing to both parties, and you feel like the doctor has taken over your bedroom.
A couple will eventually resolve the infertility problem in one of three ways:
*They will eventually conceive a baby.
*They will stop the infertility treatments and choose to live without children.
*They will find an alternative way to parent, such as by adopting a child or becoming a foster parent.
Reaching a resolution can take years, so your infertile loved ones need your emotional support during this journey. Most people don't know what to say, so they wind up saying the wrong thing, which only makes the journey so much harder for their loved ones. Knowing what not to say is half of the battle to providing support.
Don't Tell Them to Relax
Everyone knows someone who had trouble conceiving but then finally became pregnant once she "relaxed." Couples who are able to conceive after a few months of "relaxing" are not infertile. By definition, a couple is not diagnosed as "infertile" until they have tried unsuccessfully to become pregnant for a full year. In fact, most infertility specialists will not treat a couple for infertility until they have tried to become pregnant for a year. This year weeds out the people who aren't infertile but just need to "relax." Those that remain are truly infertile.
Comments such as "just relax" or "try going on a cruise" create even more stress for the infertile couple, particularly the woman. Relaxation itself does not cure medical infertility.
Don't Minimize the Problem
Failure to conceive a baby is a very painful journey. Infertile couples are surrounded by families with children. These couples watch their friends give birth to two or three children, and they watch those children grow while the couple goes home to the silence of an empty house. These couples see all of the joy that a child brings into someone's life, and they feel the emptiness of not being able to experience the same joy. Comments like, "Just enjoy being able to sleep late . . . .travel . . etc.," do not offer comfort. Instead, these comments make infertile people feel like you are minimizing their pain. You wouldn't tell somebody whose parent just died to be thankful that he no longer has to buy Father's Day or Mother's Day cards. Losing that one obligation doesn't even begin to compensate for the incredible loss of losing a parent. In the same vein, being able to sleep late or travel does not provide comfort to somebody who desperately wants a child.
Don't Say They Aren't Meant to Be Parents
One of the cruelest things anyone ever said to me is, "Maybe God doesn't intend for you to be a mother." How incredibly insensitive to imply that I would be such a bad mother that God felt the need to divinely sterilize me. If God were in the business of divinely sterilizing women, don't you think he would prevent the pregnancies that end in abortions? Or wouldn't he sterilize the women who wind up neglecting and abusing their children? Even if you aren't religious, the "maybe it's not meant to be" comments are not comforting. Infertility is a medical condition, not a punishment from God or Mother Nature.
Don't Ask Why They Aren't Trying IVF
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a method in which the woman harvests multiple eggs, which are then combined with the man's sperm in a petri dish. This is the method that can produce multiple births. People frequently ask, "Why don't you just try IVF?" in the same casual tone they would use to ask, "Why don't you try shopping at another store?" There are many reasons why a couple would choose not to pursue this option.
Don't Play Doctor
Once your infertile friends are under a doctor's care, the doctor will run them through numerous tests to determine why they aren't able to conceive. There a numerous reasons that a couple may not be able to conceive. Infertility is a complicated problem to diagnose, and reading an article or book on infertility will not make you an "expert" on the subject. Let your friends work with their doctor to diagnose and treat the problem. Your friends probably already know more about the causes and solutions of infertility than you will ever know. You may feel like you are being helpful by reading up on infertility, and there is nothing wrong with learning more about the subject. The problem comes when you try to "play doctor" with your friends. They already have a doctor with years of experience in diagnosing and treating the problem. They need to work with and trust their doctor to treat the problem. You only complicate the issue when you throw out other ideas that you have read about. The doctor knows more about the causes and solutions; let your friends work with their doctor to solve the problem.
Don't Be Crude
It is appalling that I even have to include this paragraph, but some of you need to hear this-Don't make crude jokes about your friend's vulnerable position. Crude comments like "I'll donate the sperm" or "Make sure the doctor uses your sperm for the insemination" or "I'll carry your baby for you" are not funny, and they only irritate your friends.
Don't Complain About Your Pregnancy
This message is for pregnant women-Just being around you is painful for your infertile friends. Seeing your belly grow is a constant reminder of what your infertile friend cannot have. Unless an infertile women plans to spend her life in a cave, she has to find a way to interact with pregnant women. However, there are things you can do as her friend to make it easier.
The number one rule is DON'T COMPLAIN ABOUT YOUR PREGNANCY. I understand from my friends that, when you are pregnant, your hormones are going crazy and you experience a lot of discomfort, such as queasiness, stretch marks, and fatigue. You have every right to vent about the discomforts to any one else in your life, but don't put your infertile friend in the position of comforting you. Your infertile friend would give anything to experience the discomforts you are enduring because those discomforts come from a baby growing inside of you. When I heard a pregnant woman complain about morning sickness, I would think, "I'd gladly throw up for nine straight months if it meant I could have a baby." When a pregnant woman would complain about her weight gain, I would think, "I would cut off my arm if I could be in your shoes." I managed to go to baby showers and hospitals to welcome my friends' new babies, but it was hard. Without exception, it was hard. Stay sensitive to your infertile friend's emotions, and give her the leeway that she needs to be happy for you while she cries for herself. If she can't bring herself to hold your new baby, give her time. She isn't rejecting you or your new baby; she is just trying to work her way through her pain to show sincere joy for you. The fact that she is willing to endure such pain in order to celebrate your new baby with you speaks volumes about how much your friendship means to her.
Don't Treat Them Like They Are Ignorant
For some reason, some people seem to think that infertility causes a person to become unrealistic about the responsibilities of parenthood. I don't follow the logic, but several people told me that I wouldn't ache for a baby so much if I appreciated how much responsibility was involved in parenting. Let's face it-no one can fully appreciate the responsibilities involved in parenting until they are, themselves, parents. That is true whether you successfully conceived after one month or after 10 years. The length of time you spend waiting for that baby does not factor in to your appreciation of responsibility. If anything, people who have been trying to become pregnant longer have had more time to think about those responsibilities. They have also probably been around lots of babies as their friends started their families. Perhaps part of what fuels this perception is that infertile couples have a longer time to "dream" about what being a parent will be like. Like every other couple, we have our fantasies-my child will sleep through the night, would never have a tantrum in public, and will always eat his vegetables. Let us have our fantasies. Those fantasies are some of the few parent-to-be perks that we have-let us have them. You can give us your knowing looks when we discover the truth later.
Don't Gossip About Your Friend's Condition
Infertility treatments are very private and embarrassing, which is why many couples choose to undergo these treatments in secret. Men especially are very sensitive to letting people know about infertility testing, such as sperm counts. Gossiping about infertility is not usually done in a malicious manner. The gossipers are usually well-meaning people who are only trying to find out more about infertility so they can help their loved ones. Regardless of why you are sharing this information with someone else, it hurts and embarrasses your friend to find out that Madge the bank teller knows what your husband's sperm count is and when your next period is expected. Infertility is something that should be kept as private as your friend wants to keep it. Respect your friend's privacy, and don't share any information that your friend hasn't authorized.
Don't Push Adoption
Adoption is a wonderful way for infertile people to become parents. (As an adoptive parent, I can fully vouch for this!!) However, the couple needs to work through many issues before they will be ready to make an adoption decision. Before they can make the decision to love a "stranger's baby," they must first grieve the loss of that baby with Daddy's eyes and Mommy's nose.
So, what can you say to your infertile friends? Unless you say "I am giving you this baby," there is nothing you can say that will erase their pain. So, take that pressure off of yourself. It isn't your job to erase their pain, but there is a lot you can do to lesson the load.
Let Them Know That You Care
The best thing you can do is let your infertile friends know that you care. Send them cards. Let them cry on your shoulder. If they are religious, let them know you are praying for them. Offer the same support you would offer a friend who has lost a loved one. Just knowing they can count on you to be there for them lightens the load and lets them know that they aren't going through this alone.
When your heart is broken
What do you do when your heart hurts and you want to rip it from your chest? When you just can't cry anymore but thats all you want to do? Does the pain ever go away? How do you ever deal with everyone around you being PREGNANT? I feel like that is a swear word in my vocabulary anymore. I feel like this has got to be the biggest baby boom in history!! Everywhere I turn someone else is saying guess what I'm pregnant! I don't want to hear it anymore I would rather you hold a gun to my head and pull the trigger!!!! It would be easier to accept ,I think. I don't want to hurt anymore I want it to be our good news for once! I hate hurting!!!!!!!! Why does god let 15 year olds have babies ,they don't even know how to take care of themselves yet! Sorry about this I just needed to get some well over due stress out. Thanks to those who listen.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
One Disappointment after another
Well I went to the doctor today and got more bad news you would think that I would be used to it by now but it never gets easier. I went for what was supposed to be my last ultrasound and last round of clomid and he was even going to bump me up to 100mg instead of 50mg like I have been doing. But I can't do it because now I have 2 cysts on my left ovary . So that has put a stop to everything! He gave me 2 options 1. I can go on the pill for a month, why the hell would I do that? 2. Wait and see what happens, I chose option 2. So now I have to go back in a month and see if it went away. So we are very disappointed and upset right now so please keep us in your prayers we really need them right now.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Another disappointment
Well, another period and another disappointment. So now another trip to the doctor and my last round of clomid. In some ways I am glad about that. I am so sick of going to the doctor once a month and having an ultrasound once a month. So now the only next step is to do the IUI I am kind of scared to do it for fear that it won't work. I also went to the reflexologist again and she said that things were better not as much congestion around my ovaries and uterus. So that is a good sign. She suggested that I see a chiropractor because if something is out it could be cutting off things to my reproductive organs. So I will have to look into that. So that is where we are right now. Another depressing day but things can only get better right? Lets hope so!! It is in Gods hands.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Our Situation
Well I guess this is my way of telling everyone what goes on without having the awkwardness of asking Questions. Kevin and I have been trying to conceive a child since July 2006. It has been a very long and painful road and there is no end in sight. After about 10 months of trying and no luck we decided to seek help. If that is what you want to call it..... So I made an appt. with my obgyn he met with us and discussed our options. First of all they tell you to remember that you did not get married to have children that you got married because you love and care for each other and not to forget that in this process. Which can be very trying at times. So our first step would be to get Kevin tested with a semen analysis which did not come back good. They told us that his sperm count was very low but not dangerously low. Which meant we still had a chance. So they wanted him to do another one in about a month that one was a little better. He had to do one more after that and they progressofley got better each time. Dr. Rapaport then referred us to a urologist in town Dr. Cherry.
It took us a few months to get into him. In the mean time they started me on clomid in June 2007 to make sure that I was ovulating. They leave you on this medicine for 3 to 6 months. It is awful you are not yourself on this medicine at all. My poor husband god bless him he has been a saint. I was on clomid for 3 months and then my doctor was out of town when I needed my ultrasound and I started to think to myself why am I on this we don't even know what is wrong and they haven't found anything wrong with me. So needless to say I stopped talking the medicine which took me about three more months to feel like myself again.
In August of 2007 we got in to see Dr. Cherry and he gave Kevin a full exam and 2 more semen analysis' which he then told us that it wasn't his count that was low it was his volume. Which means it just doesn't have enough power to get to where it needs to go. Everything that he checked out in Kevin's exam came back fine. Which meant another dead end. He then referred us to a specialist in Monroeville named Dr. Bruning so off we were to Monroeville which thank god for my brother in law and sister in law for taking us in during our appts. and making sure we got there.
Our first visit to his office in September 2007 was very discouraging to say the least. We went in and he did another exam and came to the same conclusions as Dr. Cherry did. And yet again another semen analysis was ordered he sent us off to a place called RHS(reproductive health specialists) there in Monroeville. By this point we were very discouraged and ready to give up. Why do anymore semen analysis when they are coming back the same at this point. So back we come with no more knowledge than what we left with. They scheduled us another appt. with Dr. Bruning for a month which was the beginning of Oct.2007. All we learned from that appt. was that Kevin's testosterone level was coming back low. About half of what it was supposed to be. But he wasn't going to do anything about it unless he was showing signs like being tired all of the time and so on. And for any of you that know my husband knows that that is a big red flag. HE FALLS ASLEEP ALL THE TIME!!!! So they gave him a prescription for that. Then he told me that it would be a good idea to have an HSG done which in lamens terms means putting dye into my falopian tubes to see if they are blocked. He also told us it would be a good idea to make an appt. at RHS and see what they have to say. So atleast with this appt.we felt like we were getting somewhere. So on our way home that day I scheduled the appt. with my ob and got in a couple of weeks later.
In the mean time I did some research online to see what I could find out what this HSG was all about. Man was I nervous when I read what I was to expect. They say it can be the most excruciating pain you have ever felt or just like a cramp. So I went to the hospital to have this done on a Friday morning and what they have you do is put a gown and a robe on and go into this X-Ray room with the tech and lay up on a table then they X-Ray your bladder to make sure it is empty and then we waited a few min. for the doctor. When Dr. Rapaport arrived he put this pillow under my butt to elevate me and then they insert the dye into your tubes and make you move your hips from the right side to the left side. Let me just tell you this is no fun at all I would not wish this on my worst enemy. It felt like I had horrible stomach cramps like I had to got to the bathroom. I even took 3 aleve before I went. I felt like crap for about 2 days. But in the long run everything checked out ok. Thank god I don't know or even want to imagine the pain if they would have been blocked.
So we decided to make an appt. at RHS and see what they had to say so I made the appt. for November 12,2007. Kevin could not get the day off work to go so my mom and dad went with me. I met with Dr. Albert we discussed the option of an IUI (intrauterine insemination) she said we were very good candidates. I know some of you are thinking so why haven't you done this and the answer to that is money, money, money. Our insurance will not cover any of the expences, so this procedure will run us at the least $700.00. Which my not sound like a lot to some of you but what if it doesn't work???? Then we are screwed! So for now we are living on hope. In Feb. 2008 I started taking clomid again. God help us all! I just took my 5th month of this it is a 5 pill cycle and I am ovulating as we speak. So say a prayer that it works and we don't need round 6. Because round 6 is it that is the end as we know it. We are out of options until we can afford an IUI. I am so sick of monthly doctors appts. and ovulation kits and medicine that I am ready to SCREAM!!!!
I have also started seeing a reflexologist if you don't know what that is it is a person that works on your feet with massage and tells you if you are having any problems anywhere. She has told me that I have congestion around my ovaries and uterus. I am currently doing a detox kit and taking vitamins and herbal supplements(i will try anything at this point) so I feel like a drug addict taking all of these things and keeping them on schedule. I go back to see the reflexologist on July 7th so stay tuned. I will update with any new information as soon as it is available to me.
It took us a few months to get into him. In the mean time they started me on clomid in June 2007 to make sure that I was ovulating. They leave you on this medicine for 3 to 6 months. It is awful you are not yourself on this medicine at all. My poor husband god bless him he has been a saint. I was on clomid for 3 months and then my doctor was out of town when I needed my ultrasound and I started to think to myself why am I on this we don't even know what is wrong and they haven't found anything wrong with me. So needless to say I stopped talking the medicine which took me about three more months to feel like myself again.
In August of 2007 we got in to see Dr. Cherry and he gave Kevin a full exam and 2 more semen analysis' which he then told us that it wasn't his count that was low it was his volume. Which means it just doesn't have enough power to get to where it needs to go. Everything that he checked out in Kevin's exam came back fine. Which meant another dead end. He then referred us to a specialist in Monroeville named Dr. Bruning so off we were to Monroeville which thank god for my brother in law and sister in law for taking us in during our appts. and making sure we got there.
Our first visit to his office in September 2007 was very discouraging to say the least. We went in and he did another exam and came to the same conclusions as Dr. Cherry did. And yet again another semen analysis was ordered he sent us off to a place called RHS(reproductive health specialists) there in Monroeville. By this point we were very discouraged and ready to give up. Why do anymore semen analysis when they are coming back the same at this point. So back we come with no more knowledge than what we left with. They scheduled us another appt. with Dr. Bruning for a month which was the beginning of Oct.2007. All we learned from that appt. was that Kevin's testosterone level was coming back low. About half of what it was supposed to be. But he wasn't going to do anything about it unless he was showing signs like being tired all of the time and so on. And for any of you that know my husband knows that that is a big red flag. HE FALLS ASLEEP ALL THE TIME!!!! So they gave him a prescription for that. Then he told me that it would be a good idea to have an HSG done which in lamens terms means putting dye into my falopian tubes to see if they are blocked. He also told us it would be a good idea to make an appt. at RHS and see what they have to say. So atleast with this appt.we felt like we were getting somewhere. So on our way home that day I scheduled the appt. with my ob and got in a couple of weeks later.
In the mean time I did some research online to see what I could find out what this HSG was all about. Man was I nervous when I read what I was to expect. They say it can be the most excruciating pain you have ever felt or just like a cramp. So I went to the hospital to have this done on a Friday morning and what they have you do is put a gown and a robe on and go into this X-Ray room with the tech and lay up on a table then they X-Ray your bladder to make sure it is empty and then we waited a few min. for the doctor. When Dr. Rapaport arrived he put this pillow under my butt to elevate me and then they insert the dye into your tubes and make you move your hips from the right side to the left side. Let me just tell you this is no fun at all I would not wish this on my worst enemy. It felt like I had horrible stomach cramps like I had to got to the bathroom. I even took 3 aleve before I went. I felt like crap for about 2 days. But in the long run everything checked out ok. Thank god I don't know or even want to imagine the pain if they would have been blocked.
So we decided to make an appt. at RHS and see what they had to say so I made the appt. for November 12,2007. Kevin could not get the day off work to go so my mom and dad went with me. I met with Dr. Albert we discussed the option of an IUI (intrauterine insemination) she said we were very good candidates. I know some of you are thinking so why haven't you done this and the answer to that is money, money, money. Our insurance will not cover any of the expences, so this procedure will run us at the least $700.00. Which my not sound like a lot to some of you but what if it doesn't work???? Then we are screwed! So for now we are living on hope. In Feb. 2008 I started taking clomid again. God help us all! I just took my 5th month of this it is a 5 pill cycle and I am ovulating as we speak. So say a prayer that it works and we don't need round 6. Because round 6 is it that is the end as we know it. We are out of options until we can afford an IUI. I am so sick of monthly doctors appts. and ovulation kits and medicine that I am ready to SCREAM!!!!
I have also started seeing a reflexologist if you don't know what that is it is a person that works on your feet with massage and tells you if you are having any problems anywhere. She has told me that I have congestion around my ovaries and uterus. I am currently doing a detox kit and taking vitamins and herbal supplements(i will try anything at this point) so I feel like a drug addict taking all of these things and keeping them on schedule. I go back to see the reflexologist on July 7th so stay tuned. I will update with any new information as soon as it is available to me.
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