Baby Steps to Babyville

It’s been three weeks since the surgery. I would say things are mostly back to normal other than the fact that a.) At times, I still feel more tired than usual, and b.) I’m not sure when I’ll get my period again. So, what’s next in this great adventure? Well, the day of the laparoscopy, John and the doc talked while I was still asleep. Even though everything went great, the doctor wanted to send us home with a prescription for Clomid.

Now, I don’t have anything against Clomid expect everyone I know who has ever taken it felt mildly to severely crazy while on it, and most of them didn’t end up pregnant. Life is hard enough, so I would prefer to avoid adding any unnecessary mood swings to the mix, if at all possible. I fully acknowledge I might change my mind about this at some point, but I’m not at that point. Knowing this, John turned down the good doctor, which probably doesn’t happen all too often because John said he seemed surprised.

I trust this doctor, so I wanted to discuss his recommendation for Clomid a bit more during my follow up. I expressed my concerns, and he sent me home with two prescriptions. One for Glumetza (Metformin) and one for Letrozole, in case the Glumetza alone doesn’t work.

It’s nice to know I have these options, but after a lot of thought, I’m not ready to take either right at this moment. For some reason I had it in my head that Glumetza (which is supposed to treat insulin resistance in women with PCOS) would be the equivalent of a baby aspirin.

Then I started googling the evil Internet. It’s possible I wouldn’t have any side effects, but if I did, it would most likely be in the form of nausea and/or diarrhea. Call me crazy, but if I’m going to take drugs, I would like them to make me feel better not worse.

I’m not even going to discuss Letrozole, which is supposed to be like Clomid but more mild. Wikipedia says it’s used to treat breast cancer, and after I saw that I really didn’t want to know anymore. Honestly, before I start pumping my body full of powerful drugs, I would like to know if the surgery alone does the trick.

So, it’s back to natural remedies for now.

I’m going to give my body a chance to fully recover and wait until my next cycle begins (the doctor warned the laparoscopy would likely throw things way off). Once I’m back on track, I might wait one more full cycle before starting the Glumetza. 

In the meantime, I’m focusing on significantly improving my diet. (That tiny bit of cancer has me drinking wheatgrass and green smoothies.) I’m going to keep the supplements simple and focus on just taking my prenatals and fish oil. The authors of Making Babies stressed those were the two most important. Well, most important other than the most natural remedy of all ~ the fun part. (Wink. Wink.)

Modern Medicine

I showered, shaved my legs, flat ironed my hair and dressed in the biggest, cutest sweats I own before John and I headed out the door at 5:30 a.m. last Thursday. We arrived before the surgery center even opened, so we snapped a few photos of ourselves outside. I was, shockingly, not nervous, not even a little bit.

My laparoscopy was scheduled for 7:30 a.m., and I was wheeled into the operating room at 7:45 a.m. The surgery lasted 2 hours. I was afraid I would wake up in pain, but I didn't. I woke up to the sound of John and the nurse talking. As I was coming to, I could feel John holding my hand and rubbing my shoulder. He told me later that every time he rubbed my shoulder my heart rate would increase on the monitor.
 

The doctor told John the surgery went great and our chances of conception are excellent. He removed endometriosis, drilled on my ovaries, checked my fallopian tubes (which are clear) and removed my appendix. I knew prior to the surgery my appendix might be removed if it had endometriosis on it, but I was still surprised to find out I had undergone an appendectomy. When I asked the nurse if my appendix had endometriosis, she said it was sent to pathology, which I thought was slightly odd.

I expected to be sent home 2 hours or so after surgery, but I had to wait more than 7 hours because they won’t let you leave until you pee the required 100 ccs. Not that I minded. I alternated between sleep and conversation and wasn't at all aware of the time. I was barely in any discomfort at all.

By the time we left the surgery center, it was after 5 p.m., and we had to stop at the pharmacy on our way home. We hit rush hour traffic, and I kept my head in a barf bag (which I had packed just in case). I never threw up, but I felt nauseated the whole drive.

When we arrived at my parents' home (where I have been recovering), the real fun began --- horrifying pain shooting through my right shoulder and neck. Big thanks to those who warned me about this crazy kind of gas pain. It hurt so bad I bit my other arm. The pain lessened significantly every day and it wasn’t constant, but it lasted about 5 days. It really was the absolute worst part. 

The good news is the percocet not only helps with the pain, it helps you forget the pain even happened. Of course, it gave me a huge headache so I switched to ibuprofen Saturday night. I also had to remain on a liquid diet until Saturday morning because you can’t eat until you pass gas. (Anyone else see a trend regarding my bodily functions? I am still waiting to poop.)

Other than that, the recovery has been extremely smooth.

I saw my doctor on Tuesday. He confirmed a diagnosis of stage 3 endometriosis and PCOS. I asked him if he found endometriosis on my appendix, if that is why it was removed.

“No. What I found on your appendix was much worse,” my doctor said.

“OK,” I replied.

“Your appendix had cancer on it.”

Do not be alarmed. What was found was a teensy, tinsy, 4 mm smidge of cancer. Had this spot of C been 2 cm or bigger, it would be a different story. Still, hearing a doctor say the word cancer makes you want to run out and eat something healthy.

I’m also in awe of the perfect timing of it all and thankful to God for modern medicine.

Pre-Op

A word of advice: The words “bowel prep” are not your friends.

As part of pre-op, today (Wednesday) included a light breakfast, a clear liquid diet and three enemas. Other than the day-long ban on caffeine, the enemas were clearly my favorite part.

I think I asked everyone I spoke with today if they’ve ever had an enema. I called my friend, who used to be a nurse, twice for advice on self-administering the thing.

But I still never felt I quite got the hang of it, so I’m hoping the results are good enough for surgery work.

Other than that, today was just a mad rush to get things done. Nothing like a long to-do list to keep the mind occupied.

Doctor, Doctor, Mr. MD

I took your advice. I shaved my legs. I painted my nails. I gathered up all the information I have regarding my own medical history.


I arrived at my doctor’s appointment 30 minutes early with extra glossy lips and a clip board in hand. I typed up a 3-year account of my menstrual cycle and a list of all my recent supplements. I filled out the medical history form the office had sent me prior to the appointment. I even brought in all my supplements (except the royal jelly, which requires refrigeration) and my copy of the Making Babies book, neither of which were necessary.

I felt as prepared as I would ever be. And I figured I knew exactly how this would go down. By the end of the appointment, I would have doctor’s orders for six weeks worth of blood tests, and in two months, I would be back in his office for the results. I was wrong.

John and I met with the doctor in his office. He looked through my medical history and asked me questions. He is soft spoken and kind, and we liked him right away. It helped that we were referred to him by dear friends, so we already felt a level of trust and confidence in him that we wouldn’t normally feel toward a stranger.

After our initial discussion, we went to an exam room. Let’s just say it wasn’t the most fun I’ve ever had. By the end, I felt nauseous and faint. But the worst of it didn’t last long, and it was worth it. I now know some important things I didn’t know before. First, there are multiple cysts on both my ovaries. Second, the doctor believes I have endometriosis and PCOS.

The PCOS part wasn’t a surprise, and because I suspected PCOS, I never really thought about endometriosis. It didn’t occur to me that both might be at play. So, after peeling myself off the exam table and getting dressed, John and I met back up with the doctor in his office. This is where he gave us his professional recommendation, which is to have a laparoscopy as soon as possible.

One thing he said, which I really appreciated, was the importance of having this surgery for my overall health (not just to improve the likelihood of pregnancy). Not getting pregnant is what got my attention, but it is a symptom of something else.

My surgery is scheduled for Wednesday morning. I'd appreciate prayers and good thoughts, and any pre-surgery advice.


UPDATE: Laparoscopy was moved to Thursday.