Long time no post....

Wow...it has been a long time since I updated this blog. I thought that when I started this blog I could at least squeak out one post a week. I guess not....I'll try harder :o)

As an update to the last post - I had all of the necessary testing done that the doctor requested. All of the testing fell on Saturday's or Sunday's. What a relief. The only day of work missed was for a follow up appointment - I didn't have to spill the beans.

All of the blood work came back normal - they tested for more things that I can possibly list, but it was all normal. I had an internal ultrasound done around the time that I should have been ovulating. The ultrasound showed a few ovarian cysts and a strange "mass". A small mass but none the less, when your doctor tells you that they found a mass and you need further testing .... it is scary. I had to go to Magee Hospital for a follow up ultrasound at the beginning of December. The point was to get a second opinion from another Doctor and to see if this mysterious mass had a blood supply of its own. Apparently blood supply = bad.

The second ultrasound revealed that the mass does not have its own blood supply. That is a good thing. As of right now, no further testing required. They will keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get any bigger. The doctor that did the second ultrasound seems to think that I may have some fluid in my tubes. If that is the case, we won't be getting pregnant without help.....ever. The only way to confirm if this doctor was right is to have exploratory surgery. As of right now, I have elected to not go that route.

Where do we stand? After meeting with the fertility specialist and going over all of the test results she would like to try IUI (Intrauterine Insemination). This will put the sperm as close to where it needs to be as possible. http://www.fertilityplus.org/faq/iui.html

She is willing to try 3 months of IUI at that point if we are not pregnant it we will have to move on to the exploratory surgery to see what is going on or move to IVF (Invitro Fertilization).

Provided that everything works as planned, we will be trying the first IUI around the middle of January. Fingers crossed.

Appointment at the Endocrinologist

I had a 3 month check up with my Endocrinologist this morning. At the last visit, my Thyroid Levels (T3, T4 and TSH) were right on the mark. As a result the doc didn't adjust my meds. So at today's appointment I find out that my TSH is very high compaired to my last visit. It was around 1.3 last time and now it is around 4.5 - now, 4.5 is still considered "normal" by some doctors, but several studies have proved that it needs to be lower than that for optimal fertility. The T3 and T4 levels were still ok.

Now the medicine will be adjusted and I go back in January.

A visit from a friend

My friend Jenny and her husband drove out for a visit this weekend. The visit was a much needed, especially on my part. It is amazing what a wonderful friendship does for the soul. I only wish they lived closer - I wish I could see them all the time!

First Appointment with a Reproductive Specialist

On Wednesday we had our first appointment with an RE in Penn Hills. This was the much anticipated appointment where I had hoped to get some sort of plan.

What we (I) ended up getting was another month chocked full of testing. I will have 3 more appointments during my next cycle. The first appointment will be blood work only and will occur on the 3rd day of my upcoming cycle. Not too bad except for the fact that the clinic is in Penn Hills and approx. 2 hours away. This is my only option since the clinic wants to do their own testing in their own lab. The second appointment could be a little tricky. Basically I have to pee on a stick (Ovulation Prediction Kit) for a week during ovulation - this must occur before 6:45am. On the day that I get a positive result, indicating ovulation, I must call the clinic between 6:45 and 7:00 am. Then I will proceed to the clinic for blood work and an ultrasound. The ultra sound will hopefully verify that I am producing eggs and that they are being released. The third appointment will occur at the end of November. This appointment will be another consultation with the doctor to discuss the test results and come up with our plan.

This should all prove to be interesting as I have not shared any of this with my boss. I will potentially need 3 days off in the upcoming cycle - 2 of them at the drop of a hat. I really hate calling in sick, but I'm not ready to share this one yet. Everyone deserves to have a secret or two, right?