I am not a patient person and waiting for the results from our genetic testing seems like it's taking forever!! We still have a 1-2 week wait too! Ugh.
For the most part, things have been getting better emotionally for me this week. However, I've now moved on to the stage where I'm bitter/angry about anything baby related. I don't want to hear about babies, or talk about how cute someone's baby is. I don't want to see another pregnant person, etc. I've had this happen before, so don't be alarmed. It's normal. I will be fine. No one needs to send help.
Today was my appointment for my 1st beta blood draw. I was able to go to a lab in Coeur d'Alene, which was obviously more convenient than driving to Spokane. The beta test is to detect levels of HCG (only present during pregnancy). My level has dropped significantly and is down to 1,000 (from 50,000). I will continue to have blood draws every 10 days until the level is back to 0.
I scheduled our follow-up appointment with our RE where we will discuss our next step. It is September 28. Another thing to wait for, but it will be worth the wait. He will get us excited about IVF again and make us feel hopeful again.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
D&C
It's been a long, tough week since we found out about our miscarriage. We have been overwhelmed with support and love from our family and friends, and for that we are extremely thankful. Each day is a little easier and in time we will be ready to try another round of IVF. Right now the shots and time commitment are the easy things to accept. It's the emotional roller coaster that seems like too much to handle.
Yesterday we went to Deaconess Hospital in Spokane for the D&C. We were very well taken care of from the moment we arrived. All the nurses were very attentive and the anesthesiologists listened when I told them I tend to get sick from anesthesia. Our RE performed the surgery and spent some time talking to us prior to the surgery to make sure we were doing okay and that all our questions were answered. He isn't always the friendliest doctor, but we have seen a different side of him that is kind and caring. After surgery I was in quite a bit of pain (primarily cramping). The nurses quickly gave me some toast and water so I could have a pain killer. I have a sensitive stomach and have had problems with several pain medications in the past. This time I was given a Percocet and my goodness, it was AWESOME! I understand how people become addicted to them. It took care of the pain quickly! Unfortunately, our RE only wanted me to have one of those and then asked me to switch to Advil or Aleve. So far, I've been able to keep the cramps under control. Today they are very slight twinges, so I'm on the road to recovery.
Craig was the best nurse yesterday and waited on me, cooked for me and helped keep me comfortable. What an amazing husband I have!
We have been told I need to have two regular menstrual cycles before we try another round of IVF. It looks like we will be doing another round in November, at the earliest. Until then, we will enjoy the break from baby making and continue to heal from this miscarriage.
We paid for genetic testing and should get the results from that in 2-3 weeks. I will keep everyone posted.
Thank you to everyone for your continued support and prayers! Craig and I are so very thankful!!
Yesterday we went to Deaconess Hospital in Spokane for the D&C. We were very well taken care of from the moment we arrived. All the nurses were very attentive and the anesthesiologists listened when I told them I tend to get sick from anesthesia. Our RE performed the surgery and spent some time talking to us prior to the surgery to make sure we were doing okay and that all our questions were answered. He isn't always the friendliest doctor, but we have seen a different side of him that is kind and caring. After surgery I was in quite a bit of pain (primarily cramping). The nurses quickly gave me some toast and water so I could have a pain killer. I have a sensitive stomach and have had problems with several pain medications in the past. This time I was given a Percocet and my goodness, it was AWESOME! I understand how people become addicted to them. It took care of the pain quickly! Unfortunately, our RE only wanted me to have one of those and then asked me to switch to Advil or Aleve. So far, I've been able to keep the cramps under control. Today they are very slight twinges, so I'm on the road to recovery.
Craig was the best nurse yesterday and waited on me, cooked for me and helped keep me comfortable. What an amazing husband I have!
We have been told I need to have two regular menstrual cycles before we try another round of IVF. It looks like we will be doing another round in November, at the earliest. Until then, we will enjoy the break from baby making and continue to heal from this miscarriage.
We paid for genetic testing and should get the results from that in 2-3 weeks. I will keep everyone posted.
Thank you to everyone for your continued support and prayers! Craig and I are so very thankful!!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Devastated!!
We went for our routine and final exam with our RE this morning. As soon as he inserted the wand (for internal ultrasound) he was very quiet and kept looking at the clipboard in the assistant's hand. He then asked if this was my first pregnancy and I started to panic. He said, "Everything looks fine, but there is no heartbeat". My heart started racing and I looked at Craig. We were both in shock! I asked the doctor if maybe he was just missing it because of the baby's position. He said no and even turned the doppler (like an EKG) on. No heartbeat. It has obviously been a very, very difficult day for us. You all know how much we have been through and we were really celebrating this baby already! The doctor is stumped as well as our nurse. No one saw this coming. In fact, last week I asked our doctor if it was okay to tell the whole world about our news and he said everything was looking great and it was time to tell everyone. So, of course, last night I posted an announcement on Facebook for the world to see. Ugh.
We were given the choice of either "letting nature run it's course" or having a D & C. The advantage of the D & C is we may be able to get answers about what happened, while letting nature run it's course is non-invasive. We have opted to have the D & C, which is scheduled for next Tuesday. It's a surgical (no incisions, vaginal only) procedure done at a hospital where I will be put under and our doctor will go in and remove the baby. He will then be able to run tests to possibly (not 100% guarantee) tell us what went wrong.
Today has made us realize several things:
1. We are not ready to give up on IVF
2. We will not be telling the whole world we're expecting until much later next time
3. A pregnancy does not equal a baby
4. We have an amazing support system in our friends and family!! :-)
We were given the choice of either "letting nature run it's course" or having a D & C. The advantage of the D & C is we may be able to get answers about what happened, while letting nature run it's course is non-invasive. We have opted to have the D & C, which is scheduled for next Tuesday. It's a surgical (no incisions, vaginal only) procedure done at a hospital where I will be put under and our doctor will go in and remove the baby. He will then be able to run tests to possibly (not 100% guarantee) tell us what went wrong.
Today has made us realize several things:
1. We are not ready to give up on IVF
2. We will not be telling the whole world we're expecting until much later next time
3. A pregnancy does not equal a baby
4. We have an amazing support system in our friends and family!! :-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)