Surgery.

Our first visit with the fertility specialist was very informative. Before we went in we had to fill out tons of information about us, our medical history and have all of our exams/test results sent over to the doctor’s office. Before we even came in he had reviewed our file and knew just what questions to ask.

After our first visit, we had a plan! The fertility doctor wanted to have a few more tests run to makes sure the previous tests were correct. So I had another ultrasound completed and then had a saline sonogram done. The results from the sonogram again showed that I my tube wasn’t really working and that I had a polyp in my uterus. After the exams were done, it was time to talk to my OB/GYN about scheduling surgery.

The laparoscopic surgery was scheduled for January. We wanted to wait till the beginning of the year so that our deductible would be met for the whole year, verses doing it in November. One of the problems with scheduling it out so far is that you have to be between days 1 and 10 of your cycle. This actually caused a bit of a problem for me because come December my period didn’t show. I wasn’t pregnant, I had taken enough tests to know that, but my period still wasn’t coming. It got to the end of the month and I knew if it started then, I would have to reschedule the surgery, since it was on the 12^th of January.

This actually caused me quite a bit of grief because I didn’t want to have to reschedule, I just wanted it over with. Well the day of the surgery loomed closer and I still hadn’t started. My doctor had put me on some medicine to help start my period but it still wasn’t working. On the morning of the surgery, my doctor had me again take a pregnancy test; they took some blood work, all returning negative. They concluded that I wasn’t pregnant and that I would be able to continue on to have the surgery.

After waiting in the prep area for what seemed like forever, they finally wheeled me into the surgery room. As I kissed Sean goodbye, I could see the concern in his face and here the love he had for me in his voice. The ushered him out to the waiting room as I was taken in to sign some more paperwork.

I think it is funny that they have you sign a bunch of paperwork, talk to the doctor and the anesthesiologist, and then they inform you that you won’t remember having these conversations. You would think that would do that well before so you can remember the instructions they have given you. Anyway, after that was done into the surgery room I went. After the anesthesiologist had given me the medicine, the next thing I remember is waking up and asking the nurse if I had been singing.

Once I had recovered and woken up from the medicine they took me back to the room where Sean was waiting for me. The doctor then came in told me what had happened. During the surgery they found out that my uterus looked great and there weren’t any polyps. My left tube looked great as well but that my right tube was extremely damaged. They ended up removing the damaged tube leaving me with one functioning tube. They also felt that I had a slight tubal endometriosis.  This comes when the lining of the tube starts to grow in other areas then just the tube. The doctor informed us that even though the left tube looked picture perfect, they said that there wasn’t a way to check the and see the inside and that since the right tube was so damaged, it was likely that the other one may have damage on the inside.

Laparoscopic surgery recovery wasn’t to terribly bad. I had three incisions made, one in my belly button, one right above my pelvic bone and one a bit above my left hip. I think after the first day, the worst part is the gas that they fill your abdomen with. What is left irritates the diaphragm, which in turn sends referred pain into the shoulders and neck.  The other hard part was using the bathroom. You forget how much you use your stomach muscles until they are so sore that it hurts to even go to the bathroom.

After the surgery and I had recovered a bit more, it was time to head back to the fertility doctor. It was time to get busy with trying to get pregnant again.