alien encounter - part one

My husband and I have been trying to conceive for two years.  The first year I was told to relax, enjoy it, and that it typically takes 6-12 months to conceive.  (Why I believed this, I have no idea because I know lots of little girls that have too much fun in the back of car one time and end up with a bundle of joy nine months later...)  In November, 2010, I found out I was pregnant but miscarried the next day.  So 2011 came and I began to feel there was more going on.

I heard about a charting method called Creighton and began immediately.  I noticed that I was having having unusual bleeding (like 15-20 days each month) and pain during intercourse.  My cycles were all over the place! So I started seeing a Family Practice doctor here in Dallas, thinking this was maybe due to hormonal imbalance. Although he is not an OB/GYN, he is trained in Creighton and has a lot of knowledge about fertility. He knew more about my reproductive organs and how they're supposed to function than my OB/GYN!   After a month of blood draws every other day, he noticed my estrogen levels were off the charts and I was making no progesterone (my numbers were <0.1).  I started taking progesterone... no change.  Then I started hCG shots (at $110 for 8CCs)... no change.  So he decided to do a sonogram. Enter: the alien!  They found a large (5.5 cm) fibroid in my uterus.  Fibroids don't typically cause any problems, so my doctor wasn't worried. We continued to wait.  But month after month, nothing changed. So I was referred to an OB/GYN in Austin.

I saw Dr. Kalamarides three weeks ago for the first time, and after looking at the notes from my doctor here, he believed my alien should be removed and that endometriosis was probably causing the pain and bleeding. Overall, a pretty good report. I was thrilled!  He wanted to see me at the beginning of my next cycle to check a few other things and thought we would continue with plans for surgery pretty quickly.

On Thursday, January 5 my husband and I made the trip to Austin for what we thought would be a quick in and out appointment, and that we would be leaving with a date for surgery in hand.  First, we did an ultrasound and then a saline infused sonogram to get a better look at the topography of my uterus.  During the ultrasound he noticed my ovaries look poly-cystic (which means I'm probably not ovulating).  I now have to go back next Wednesday and Friday to see if these cysts dissolve, grow, or change.

He also noticed the alien is attached to one of the four main uterine arteries... he is living the good life! This however, presents a potential threat during surgery and complicates everything.  We debated just letting this alien continue dwelling in his mother ship (my uterus).  But because of his location, he is the main cause of my pain, and I would really like to relocate him.  Dr. Kalamarides mentioned the possibility of just cutting off the artery, which has done before, and the uterus somehow learns to manage with only three arteries.  Knowing this was something to think about, we decided to proceed with the appointment.

Then during the saline sonogram (and when the saline was injected, it felt like liquid cramping of the highest degree... NOT FUN!) Dr. Kalamarides noticed I have a small uterine polyp (which can cause a lot of bleeding) as well as a cervical polyp!  So at this point, I'm thinking I should offer up my body to be a case study for doctors since I have just about everything in the book of infertility. =) One good thing he noticed is that my uterine wall is very smooth. Praise the Lord!!

But this alien has taken over, brought his minions (the polyps) and is making himself quite comfortable. I'm not okay with this!! I realize that he poses no potential threat to a baby... but he's disgusting and so large and he's robbing me of experiencing my husband like the Lord created me to! I could not be more frustrated.


Game Plan:  I'm going back Wednesday and Friday next week so he can monitor the ovarian cysts.  Then we will probably schedule a laparoscopy at the beginning of February. At this time, Dr. Kalamarides will do a D&C, hysteroscopy (which looks at polyps and where he determines if they need to be removed), look for endometriosis, remove small fibroids, and study large alien to see if he can be removed. He would like to do it laparoscopically, but if it's not safe, he could do a myomectomy (which is where they remove fibroid through my abdomen).  Or he may have to leave the alien alone.

Good News/Praise the Lord: I'm so thankful for Dr. Kalamarides's wisdom and confidence in treating me. During the sonograms, he kept saying "oh wow! That's interesting!" But never, "hmmm, I have no idea what that is."  I'm thankful there is treatment for everything I've got going on. I'm thankful the Lord has finally given us some answers that explain the pain, bleeding, AND possibly the infertility.  I'm thankful insurance will cover this because of my pain/bleeding.  I'm thankful for friends (multiple ones!) who have graciously offered us a place to stay in Austin when we make these trips. I'm thankful my boss at school has been so understanding and willing to work with me missing so many days. I'm so thankful for my supportive husband, who sat through the 2 1/2 hr appointment, and drove the 7 hours with me down there and back, and is willing to do it again next week. =)  And I'm blessed beyond words to have the support, encouragement, and prayers from friends and family.

Prayers:  Continued wisdom for Dr. Kalamarides. Direction and peace from the Lord, especially in removing the alien. It's not worth risking my fertility, but oh how nice it would be to not have pain! =)  And I would love prayer that I would not become bitter and angry. I'm trying to take note and remember all of the ways I have seen the Lord's hand guiding us through this (hence this blog). I know He is good and sovereign, and that if He wanted us to have children right now, we would!! One way I'm trying to look at this is, the more I have working against me, the greater the miracle it will be when we do finally have children one day! I am confident the Lord will bless us in His perfect timing.

humbled by His faithfulness and love,
sarah jane