Hysterscope and polyps removal...

 
So it's been a crazy 2017 so far. On January 1 my father-in-law's health started declining fast from years of dealing with lupus. By Wednesday we knew it was only a matter of time and he wouldn't be with us much longer.

Not knowing how much time he had I kept debating if I should reschedule my procedure or not. After discussing with my husband we decided I would go and do it still since there wasn't much I could do here to help.

My dad offered to drive me down to Utah for the procedure Friday January 6 and we left around 5:30am. I figured we'd be back around 5pm. I was able to stop by my in-laws house once more before I left and said my final goodbyes.

As I was driving to Utah I got the text I dreaded and my heart broke. My father-in-law had passed away at 7:30am.

I felt so torn wishing I had rescheduled so I could be with my sweet husband during this time. My father-in-law was one in a million. I considered him a father and loved him so much. I know He is pain free and enjoying heaven with our son Jayden.

It was freezing that morning ---we are talking it got to -26* at one point. The roads weren't too bad but there were tons of accidents that caused delays but we had left early enough to have a cushion.

I arrived at Utah Fertility center about 45 minutes before I was scheduled and we waited. They took me back around 11 and got me hooked up to an IV. Dr. Conway came in and chatted for a quick minute and then I was out and before I knew it I was waking up in a chair with a heat pad on my abdomen. (Which felt heavenly) My dad came in while I was waking up so he could hear what the doctor said (I was afraid I wouldn't remember) .

Dr. Conway came in and said they removed 2 bigger polyps and a couple smaller ones. She sent them to be tested just in case. I was able to dress and walk out and we drove straight home. I slept most the time from the anethesia but also was able to talk to my husband a little. They had had a busy day as well with meeting with hospice workers, funeral home, and what not.

We had his funeral yesterday and it was a beautiful service and it was wonderful to remember and honor such a GREAT man. He really was the greatest of the great. 

I'm still spotting/bleeding from the procedure which is super annoying. I'm wondering if it's also a mixture of breakthrough bleeding from birth control. Dr. Conway PA Stephanie said it's normal and to just continue as I have. If it last much longer I'll call again and see if I can double up on birth control to stop the spotting.

I start meds in a couple weeks and the the labs and u/s monitoring will start for my transfer in February 17.

I told my father-in-law to make sure he brings us some babies and to hug our Jayden. Knowing he's up there with our future child brings me more hope that this transfer will be the successful one.



 

IVF # 2-- Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET)

So we started prepping for our second FET in August 2015.

 A frozen embryo transfer (FET) is a cycle in which the frozen embryos from a previous fresh IVF or donor egg cycle are thawed and then transferred back into the woman's uterus.

I was on birth control from 7/11-8/28 they do that so they can regulate your body and make sure the timing of the uterus and lining is ideal for a frozen embaby to implant.

My fertility clinic also started me on lupron 8/24 (to suppress my ovaries) which is still funny to me because I don't ovulate. #PCOSproblems

Here was my schedule/protocol

08/24/15- 9/9/15 Lupron 10 units
08/31-9/4 Period
09/07 Estrace 1 mg 7AM/7PM, baby aspirin
09/09 Labs and u/s
09/9-9/10 Estrace 1 mg 7AM/ 7 PM, baby aspirin, Lupron 5 units
09/11-09/14 Estrace 2 mg 7AM/ 7 PM, baby aspirin, Lupron 5 units
9/15  Labs and u/s--lining getting thicker
09/15-09/19 Estrace 2 mg 7AM/2PM/7 PM, baby aspirin, Lupron 5 units
09/18 Labs and u/s-- lining great 12-13mm
09/20-9/24 Progesterone in oil 1ml/cc (shot in bum), doxycycline 100 mg 2xday, Medrol 16 mg, Estrace 2 mg 7AM/ 7 PM, baby aspirin, STOP lupron

09/24 Labs in Spokane-- look good
09/25/15 TRANSFER DAY ---- 2 EMBRYOS (both were hatching)

About 2 hours before your transfer they have you drink 36 oz of water and you are supposed to hold it until after the transfer. They do this so your bladder is full and they can more easily see where they are placing (squirting) the embryo.  

 Having a full bladder is super uncomfortable and I swear I was going to pee my pants or dribble on the doctor but luckily after they checked my bladder they let me release some before the transfer because it was so full. Again a day of no scents, no lotion, deodorant, etc. 

I put on my gown, hairnet, socks and walk into the sterilized room, climb up on the table, stirrup up and the nurse puts the u/s on your full bladder the whole time so the doctor can see where he's placing the embryo.  The doctor, cleans your cervix and preps it and sticks the catheter in until you see it in the uterus, the embryologist shows you your embryos on screen and they are so tiny, like the size of a pin head tiny, zooms in and you can see the cells in it---it's amazing. He sucks both frostys up in the straw brings it into the doctor (all while you're bum is a breezing in the air) #embarassing 

The doctor sticks the straw in the catheter and then pushes (squirts) it out and you see this little white flash and it's over. They go check the straw to make sure it's empty and say clear when they see it's empty. The whole thing probably only takes 15 -20 minutes and then they just had me walk out, finally release my pee and said no exercise, sex, or overheating  until after first pregnancy test.  They said the embryo will not fall out, it kind of just floats around until it attaches (or not) to the uterine wall. 

TWW: Two Week Wait. Waiting the 10 days until you know if the embabies stuck or not.... tried to stay occupied and not think to much about it. But doesn't work so well. 

9/30 Progesterone/Estrogen labs-- all look good

10/4 Did an at home pregnancy test and it was POSITIVE

10/5 Pregnancy lab test HCG 755

10/7 2nd pregnancy lab test HCG 2225ish

10/15 U/S and Labs--- Pregnant with TWINS! We were shocked  and pretty excited (but of course cautiously because of our past) that we had 2 littles growing in there. We kept wondering if we had 2 boys, 2 girls, or one of each. I had a little brown spotting and cramping after the u/s which they say is pretty normal with any pregnancy after an u/s.

10/16-10/19 Brown spotting continued

10/20  Had red spotting @ 3:30pm my heart sunk and I just started bawling. This was all too familiar just like last time.

10/21 A gush of red and a blood clot at 12:30pm. I called the doctor to tell them what was happening and they got me scheduled for an u/s in office @ 4PM. The u/s showed 2 heartbeats and my HCG was 100,000 Progesterone 15 (all good) But I still couldn't feel at ease. This is exactly what happened last time,... I bled. I had u/s and baby was still there. I bled more and baby was gone. 

6:30pm-1:30am more clots and more bleeding.  I knew deep down that I probably would not be carrying these babes full term and it broke my heart. I held onto what sliver of hope I could and kept telling myself that we saw the 2 heartbeats and prayed that all would be how the Lord wanted it to be. Had next u/s scheduled for 10/29

10/22 red spotting and small red clots

10/23-10/27 red when wiped

10/29 u/s showed no heartbeats or blood flow, the babies had stopped growing and measured 6 weeks, placentas had collapsed on each other. Just as I had feared. Dr. Asay came and spoke with us and told us we could do cytotec pill to induce a miscarriage or wait until they pass on their own or do D&C but they don't recommend those this early on in a loss. So we opted for cytotec that we were told to take vaginally at night because most people get nauseated and you can sleep through the worst of it. We picked up the meds and went home.

9:15PM I put the pills in vaginally as instructed and waited for it to start. I felt like not much was happening and slept through the night mostly. I was super anxious because they wanted me to try and collect the "products of conception" (my babies) to see if they could test and see if there was a reason for their loss. So every time I was on the toilet I was looking for what I thought was my babies or the placentas. It was awful.

11/3 I didn't feel as if the cytotec worked so they sent another script of cytotec for me to do and I started it at 1:30pm. Again the anxiety of trying to collect was awful and to add to it the pharmacy messed up my RX and said they couldn't fill it so I had it transferred to another pharmacy to fill it and I was just wanting to be done it had carried on long enough and I was broken inside. At one point I sat down on the toilet and something fell out and I thought it was a baby, but when I got it it was actually just one of they cytotec pills that hadn't dissolved. Seriously my emotions were shot. I thought for sure we were headed to a D&C because things just hadn't happened like I thought they would. 

11/5 labs and u/s showed that I didn't need a D&C (tender mercy) and had passed everything. HCG was 640. They told me they would monitor my HCG levels until they were below 5. 

11/11 HCG labs 365

11/18 HCG labs 170

12/2 HCG labs 33.6

12/16 HCG labs 4

01/2016 Decided to get lots of lab testing done to see if there was a reason I kept miscarrying. Neal and I were both karyotyped and it came back normal, I had tons of clotting panels, thyroid, antilphosopholipid and a slew of others and everything has come back normal. So that led us to do FET 3 that most of you followed us along for...ended in a blighted ovum. So we are prepping for my next FET transfer and saving money to get our embryos tested. I am trusting God that this next transfer goes well since we won't have the money to test them before hand and I truly believe that things will happen how He wants them to regardless so I am trusting him and praying the embryo they choose will be healthy strong and a fighter and that my body with these new meds Dr. Conway is having us try will be the key to a full term healthy baby.