So I know that many of you have been waiting to hear from me to find out how yesterday went...I'm sorry it took me a little while to get back with you, but by the time we got back yesterday I was physically and emotionally "worn out". Overall, I did not get the answer that I wanted, but there is hope and I just need to remind myself to be patient.
The drive itself was about 80 miles one way, and it took us about an hour and a half to get there. Like Cyndi told me, the building itself was not at all what I expected it to be, but the office itself was very modern. We got there about half and hour before our appointment time, so we sat in the waiting room and tried to relax. The lady working at the front desk was a ray of sunshine, I think it would kill her to smile once in a while! All the other staff there were very friendly and helpful.
So within five minutes of being there a girl came out and called my name, and I was like hey this is going to be fast. She just wanted to check my vitals, and then it was back to the waiting room. We sat, and sat, and sat some more. Our appointment was scheduled for 2:00 and at 2:25 we got to go back to the doctor's office. So we are sitting there for a few minutes and this guy comes zipping in, he introduced himself as Dr. Scheiber, and apologized for keeping us waiting so long. He is one of the few doctors that I have ever been to who has apologized for being late so that scored him some points. :)
Dr. Lachiewicz had written a letter for me to take to him so he took a few minutes to read it and commented on what I great doctor Pete was and said that he wished that he was closer so that he could help more of his patients. He then went over the basic stuff, history, lifestyle questions, etc, etc and then said that there were at least three options for us.
The first being to have a laparoscopy done to investigate the spot on my left ovary that has been questioned as a para tubal cyst. He said that he would do an ultrasound to check this out later in the appointment. He said that the surgery was minor and would be done on an outpatient basis.
The next option would be to switch to injectable medications, and ovulation induction, along with IUI. This option can be good and bad, because it can create stronger ovulation, but there is also a high risk of multiples because of the meds and not knowing how many eggs your body will not only release, but also fertilize. For us, this option would be the most cost effective, but has it's risks.
The third option would be to do IVF in correlation with the injectable medications. I asked him if I was even a candidate for this because I had been told my the previous doctors in Kettering that I was not a candidate for IVF because of my weight. He said that that was not necessarily true, but he would have to check during my ultrasound to see if he was able to reach my ovaries, which would be important in doing the egg retrieval. This option is the most expensive, but also comes with the highest success rate (48-52%)
He then went on to say that my weight is one of the biggest factors that comes into play right now. Out of all the doctors that I have been to, he was the most compassionate when talking to me about my weight. He said that because I already have high blood pressure and because of my weight, if I were to get pregnant I am at a very high risk for preclampsia, toxemia, and gestational diabetes. He said that while it is his job to help people to get pregnant, he has to make me aware of the risks, and that he also wants me to have the healthiest pregnancy possible.
He said that if I could lose even 3, 5, or 10% it could be enough to help my blood pressure and make my body ovulate on it's own, in which case I may not even need him. He said that if I chose to take six months off to try to lose some weight, that he would hold my spot and I would just need to let him know when I was ready to come back. He went on to say that I was not his biggest patient by any means, and that if I wanted to ignore his advice and pursue treatment immediately he would do the treatment, but just needed to make sure I knew what the risks were.
We then went to another room so that I could have an ultrasound done to check things out, and to make sure that things were OK since I have not had a period in close to 40 days now. So I had what felt like my 1000th ultrasound, the nice thing was he had a screen he could look at and there was a screen on the back so I could see exactly what he was looking at and he told me what he was looking for. He said that the paratubal cyst was on the outside of my left ovary and that it was clear so it was no harm to me as long as there was no pain associated with it. He then went on to say that everything else looked like textbook pcos. He was able to find the left ovary without and problem, but the right was a little harder, but he did end up finding it so it would be possible for me to have IVF if necessary. He then looked a little closer and I noticed a small white spot in my uterus. It is scary, when you have so many ultrasounds that you know what things are when you see them, but I had never seen this before. He said that it was possible that it could be fibroid, or that it could be the build up of my lining since I had not been having regular periods.
After the ultrasound was complete, he said that he was going to give me a prescription for Prometrium(the evil pill), which would help me to jump start my period. I told him my concerns with taking it because the last time I had it I had a terrible cycle and could not even work for a couple of days because I lost so much blood that I became very weak. He said unfortunately that when you go so long without cycles it makes your lining thicker, which in turn makes your cycle heavier because you had to shed all of the lining. He is the first doctor that I have ever had that explained what was going on with my body at this time and why I was reacting like this!
He also said that he wanted me to come back down after my cycle started to have a saline HSG done to make sure that the little white spot was just lining and not a fibroid, because if it was a fibroid, surgery may be necessary first before anymore treatment. I am going to try to see if Dr. Lachiewicz can do this procedure at UVMC so I don't have to drive all the way to Cincy for a 15 minute test. I will try to give them a call next week.
So needless to say, I did a lot of thinking on the way home, especially because there were multiple accidents and we were stuck in traffic for a long time. I did more thinking as the evening went on, and did a little crying, and talked with my friend (who knows who she is), who never judges and tries to listen and be fair, and offers infinite support, and sat down and talked with David some and decided that it would be best to take a break for now and work on making myself healthier first. I have set my first goal at 20 pounds to see how things go, but I definitely have the motivation this time, because I know what the outcome could be.
I have been dealing with a weight problem all of my life. A lot of it came from not having the happiest of childhoods and eating, when I was sad or angry. Food has always been what has made me feel better, I didn't drink, or smoke, or rebel against my parents, I ate to make myself feel better. My dad is an alcoholic and it made life hard, so I ate, my parents were getting divorced and it was tough so I ate, my brother died and I was crushed, so I ate. Then I met David and suddenly I had something in my life that truly made me happy! From the time we met until we got married I lost about 40lbs and felt great. After we were married, I gained about 10 pounds that a lot married couples gain because they aren't worried about impressing someone anymore. A year late we decided that we were going to try to start a family and I went off the pill, and that is when things really fell apart. I gained about 40lbs over the course of the last two years and it seemed like no matter how hard I tried I could not lose. The medicine that they have me on to try to help me get pregnant, makes it impossible at times to lose weight, but I am going to give it my all and try to do the best that I can! I know it won't be an easy road, but not much has been in my life.
On a side note, on the way home I was about a dozens signs for an organization that needs foster parents. I thought that maybe it was a sign (no pun intended) that this was something I should check in to. I went home and pulled up the website and filled out an information request form and emailed it to them. Today they emailed me back and told me what the steps were in becoming a foster parent and attached many documents that need to be filled out and sent back to them. So this is something that we may seriously look in to for the time being because even if we can't have the kids at the present time, there are kids out there that need a good home and someone to love and I know that we can give them that.
If you have made it all the way to the end of this blog, you sure are a good listener! I appreciate all of the support that all of you have given to us, and please know that we will be there for all of you too. I have faith that things will work out for us in time, I just need to hang in there.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Love,
Trisha
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