HSG results

I apologize for not posting yesterday.  Once I got home, I cooked dinner for Rachel and Clint.  Rachel spent the night with me since B is still out of town.  I slept so well last night just knowing I wasn't alone in the house! =)

Dr. Houserman performed my HSG.  It hurt!  They had prescribed a Valium for me to take prior to the procedure.  I took it too soon at my last appointment, so I took it later this time.  (It never kicked in until AFTER the appointment).  I dissolved an Ativan under my tongue and it helped relax me a little.  I'm a weenie when it comes to having all of these tests.  My severe pelvic pain makes most of the procedures almost unbearable.  Thankfully it was over quickly and I only cried for about three minutes.  It was evident from the x-ray that the septum is still there.  =(  Dr. Houserman said that she thought it was alright to move forward with IVF.  I wish that the septum had been completely removed!  I will not let myself get upset or hopeful until I talk to Dr. Allemand.  He should be back in the office next week so I will leave message to see what he says about the results.

3rd HSG Tomorrow

For those of you who have been following my story, you know that my uterus has caused us many issues with TTC.  Tomorrow I will have my third and hopefully final HSG!

A uterine septum is a congenital (birth) defect where the uterus is not shaped correctly.  On my first HSG in June, it appeared that I had two divided cavities.  Dr. Bates resected much of the septum in September, but there was still an evident divide in January when Dr. Allemand looked at my second HSG results.  After my surgery was complete in February, Dr. Allemand gave me before and after pictures of my uterus, tubes, and ovaries.

At the top you can see the septum before and after resection.

Endometriosis

Open tubes and more Endo

Adhesions of Endo on my Uterus

Opening of both tubes and my Septum

There was no way to know that I had a uterine septum until I had began seeing a RE.  There are no signs or symptoms, other than not getting pregnant or having recurrent miscarriages.  My chemical pregnancy in November could have due in part to the residual septum.  Making sure that my womb is shaped correctly is extremely important for us to get pregnant and carry a baby to term.  Many women still get pregnant with the uterine septum present, but babies are often breeched and have little room inside.  Also, it makes implantation more difficult, because there is no blood flow to the septum.

Having seen the images of my womb, I feel confident about tomorrow's HSG.  At our appointment last week, Dr. Allemand said that a slight contour in the cavity would be alright.  My tubes have been checked out four times already (previous HSGs and with each surgery) so I feel that I can only expect good news tomorrow.

Please keep me in your prayers tomorrow.  My Dad is taking me (he also took me to my last HSG).  I'm hoping for better results for the both of us.  I don't think Dad could stand to see me upset again.  Also, Brandon is out of town for work and I want to have something good to share with him tomorrow evening!

Great nurse!

I sent a FB message to my Nurse Practitioner this morning and she called me!  They have me scheduled to come in Thursday morning at 9am to discuss IVF versus IUI with frozen sperm, as well as a few other scenarios.  I'm not even sure if Brandon will be able to go.  If he cannot, I'll be fine.  There's still a lot of things weighing on us and I just feel like I need to talk to Dr. Allemand again. 

None of this has been easy.  After talking to Casey (our NP) today, she again reiterated that IVF is the best option with the condition of Brandon's sperm.  She told me that I didn't have to move forward with the HSG just yet, but I told her that it was fine.  They'll have to do an HSG no matter what I choose so I may as well get it over with now. 

HSG scheduled

This morning I called to schedule a consult with Dr. Allemand.  He's booked through April, but they wanted me to go ahead and schedule my HSG.  My appointment is next Tuesday at 1:45pm.  I can't believe that this will be my third one.  Hopefully everything will look great and I won't need anything else afterward.  I don't think I can handle any more bad news!

You Think I Would Be Used to Bad News by Now

Today was a bad day.  Warning:  This is not going to be one of my "finding the silver lining" posts. 

I took a Valium before the HSG, and it helped keep me calm during the procedure.  As Dr. Allemand was pushing the dye, he noticed that it was not flowing from my right ovary.  Once he was finished, he helped me sit up and showed me the x-ray.  It was apparent that I still have a septum in my uterus, as well as a blockage on my right fallopian tube.  I visibly saw my heart shaped uterus on the film. I will need to have another surgery to resect the septum and address my fallopian tube.

They called in a prescription for Prometrium, and I will start those pills tonight.  I should take it for 10 days and start a new cycle shortly thereafter.  My follow-up appoint with Dr. Allemand is scheduled for next Thursday at 9:30am.  Then, we will talk about details concerning another surgery.  We discussed briefly that he will perform a Laparoscopy and Hysteroscopy.  He said that he needed to perform the Laparoscopy so that he could visibly see what is wrong with my ovary.  The Hysteroscopy is an obvious choice to correct the septum.

Right now I am upset, sad, angry, and just utterly devastated that I still have this uterine abnormality.  I thought that Dr. Bates at UAB had corrected this problem, but obviously he DID NOT.

My plan is to have the surgery sometime next month so I can have some time to heal and recover before pursuing IVF.  Please be thinking about Brandon and myself in the next few days.  We are both equally upset and feel defeated and let down.

HSG tomorrow

Tomorrow I will have my 2nd HSG.  Dr. Bates at UAB did one in June, and discovered my septate uterus.  The surgery in September should have corrected this abnormality, but Dr. Allemand wants to perform another HSG so he can see my uterine cavity now.
For most women, this procedure is a cake walk.  Most of you know that I suffer from intense pelvic pain, and the first HSG was brutal even with Xanax.  Tomorrow, I'll take a Valium before the test is performed.  After the HSG, I have an ultrasound to see how my follicles are responding to the Follistim.  I noticed lots of EWCM yesterday, and I haven't seen that in months!  It must be a good sign.

I know that I have readers who aren't familiar with fertility testing, so I'm adding a link about the Hysterosalpingogram (HSG), as well as a video explanation.

Anniversary and Waiting til Wednesday

Today is our 2nd Wedding Anniversary and we've been together for 4 years.  =) We spent Friday, Saturday, and part of Sunday at B's parent's lake house.

We had a nice time and got to relax in the sun.  I would have LOVED to go to the beach, but it just wasn't feasible with our added expenses of fertility stuff. 

My HSG last Wednesday wasn't as bad as I thought.  It was not comfortable at all, but the DRs and nurses were GREAT with me.  My tubes were all clear, BUT my uterus didn't look right. =(  At the time they were not sure if it was a bicornuate uterus, OR if there was a septum there.  After the ultrasound today, they think that it's a septum--see picture on the left. 


So,  it looks like I'll not be having the IUI this cycle.  I see Dr. Bates on Wednesday.  We'll possibly do another ultrasound if he wants to look himself, although the lady today was positive that it was a septum.  They'll do a laparoscopy to remove the septum, and recovery time is supposed to be quick.  =)  

I'm a little discouraged that I won't be pregnant this  month, but I'd rather get pregnant and have a healthy baby. The risks associated with the bicornuate were scary and I could NOT imagine getting pregnant and losing my child.

Now I just have to make it to Wednesday to figure out our game plan. =)