Wednesday, September 30, 2009

And now for the much, much longer Lap update

Monday was Lap day and I wasn't nervous or scared or anything (completely unlike me).  I guess part of me hoped that by having the surgery, it would mean that maybe, just maybe, this road of IF would get a little easier for Hubby and I for the next few months.  I figured that Dr. M would go in, remove any and all possible spots of what she thought was Endo, and then bam!  Magic fairy dust would sprinkle over Hubs and I and in a few months we'd have our much-waited for BFP.

Yeah...completely different story.

The facility where I had my surgery was completely across town and our GPS didn't quite get us there.  She (our GPS) got confused or something.  Of course it didn't help that the office was on the opposite side of another office building.  Nevertheless, we got there on time and got registered and all that good stuff.  I won't go on and on about the office, but I must say that that is probably one of the best patient-oriented staff that I have ever encountered.  If I have to have surgery again, I'd definitely choose that place.

As for the surgery, I don't remember a dang thing.  Which is good.  I'd hate to have woken up in the middle of it!  Recovery was shaky.  I don't do well with anesthesia.  I had bouts of pretty bad shaking and nausea.  All I wanted to do was sleep.  Once we got home, that's about all I did.  I crashed on the couch and slept the day away.  (I had to stay up for House though...can't miss my show!  haha)  That night, I wasn't in too much pain, so I didn't take any pain pills.  I didn't sleep that well because the gas "bubbles" decided to make me achy.

Yesterday was better.  I took a couple of pain pills, but they don't really help with gas pains, which is the majority of my aches at the moment.  I was up and walking around and trying to eat a little here and there.  Overall, not too bad of a day.  Last night, I slept pretty good too, despite the fact that the gas pains were seriously horrible right before I went to bed.

As for surgery prelim results...Dr. M came out and talked to Hubby and let him know what she discovered during surgery.  He somewhat filled me in, but I know he's not the best when it comes to medical terms, especially when it pertains to the female body.  He did mention that the pictures she took and showed him were pretty cool.

She did give me a call yesterday to see how I was doing.  She also filled me in on what she discovered, and I'll do a somewhat bulleted version:
  • Pre-surgery HSG showed the left tube blocked for some reason, and the right tube was spilling fast.
  • During surgery - 
    • Left tube appears normal.  She thinks it could be blocked at the distal end (by the ovary), but since during my first HSG they got the dye through the tube with no problem, she's not quite sure why it would appear to be blocked during surgery though.
    • Right tube had some adhesions on it.  She removed those as best as she could.
    • Based on what she saw, she thinks my tubes may be diseased, which she said is usually caused by an STD or PID.  Since I've had neither and she didn't see any inflammation, it's pretty skeptical that either could be the reason for my tube issues.
    • She didn't notice any endo or any obvious lesions, which is a good thing I guess.
    • She saw lots of good healthy eggs just waiting to be fertilized.
  • The final diagnosis:  Tubal IF
So what does that mean?  Well, basically my tubes are the cause of our IF problems.  One doesn't work, and one could possibly have blockage issues.  Dr. M said that IVF would probably be our best route.  She said we're young and my eggs and his sperm are excellent.  They just aren't joining together.  She is also afraid that if we were to get pregnant on our own, and it just so happened to come from the right tube, it would most likely result in an ectopic pregnancy.  She did give us some comforting news though...apparently there are some military bases that do IVF (kinda surprising since the military insurance doesn't cover such procedures).  The cost issue is drastically reduced by going through a military facility.  The downside - the closest one is 14 hours away.  The upside - they have about a 65% success rate with people my age with tubal IF.

But she's leaving the final decision up to us.  She said if we want to try Let.ro.zole (Fe.mar.a) for awhile, then that's okay too.  We'll discuss it more at my post-op appointment.  I'm kinda leaning towards just doing the IVF route, especially if she knows a doctor at the base.  I know it's going to be a wait before we can get an appointment down there, but maybe in the meantime, we could try Fe.mar.a for a few months and see how that goes.  I'm not sure.  We'll get Dr. M's honest opinion and thoughts about it all and make an informed decision.

Plus, that will give us time to figure out how we're going to still keep this from our families.  That alone is going to be a task in and of itself.

4 comments:

Erin said...

I'm sorry to hear this Gabsy. I am thankful that she gave you options though. I hope you feel better soon and can move forward and master a plan to get pregnant soon!

Misty Dawn said...

Ugh that sucks girl...I've never heard of any of the girls having this condition. Seems strange that she couldn't find the blockage in your lap? (((HUGS)))

Caitlin said...

Ugh that just stinks! Looks like we are in the same boat. I was DX with tubal IF as well. Have any questions, just ask.

((HUGS))

Caitlin said...

Ugh that just stinks! Looks like we are in the same boat. I was DX with tubal IF as well. Have any questions, just ask.

((HUGS))