So, this morning bright and early I checked into the hospital for my HSG test. We went to the radiology wing and gave all our info. We only waited like 5 minutes, and the nurse (her name was Breezy by the way, and she was really cool) escorted me back to the xray room. She gave me a hospital gown and a robe to wear (the robe was a nice addition, I'm gonna ask for one when I'm in L&D) because I was completely covered up for a change! So, they had me lay on the x-ray table and they took an initial x-ray to see what shape my uterus was. After they did that, they scooted me all the way to the edge of the table and began the procedure.
First used the speculum to open the pathway the catheter would go through (just like a pap smear) then he swabbed my cervix with what looked like iodine to cleanse the area, then he filled a syringe with this yellowish-goo and then attached the syringe to a 12" metal looking tube and inserted it into my cervix. Now when I researched the procedure, everything I read said they used a balloon to hold the cervix open, but this thing had two little spikes that poke into the cervix to hold it open. As soon as he put it in it hurt. Immediately the cramping started, and then as soon as he injected the dye (the yellowish-goo) I was INTENSE pain!! My hubby held my hand and I'm sure his fingers hurt by the end of it. I tried so hard to breath through the pain, but it was very hard to do. I equate it with being in labor. It only took 5 minutes tops, but it felt like much longer.
So, the dye went in and they photgraphed it as they went. As soon as the procedure was done, he quickly removed the catheter and I was done. He let me sit up and pulled the monitor around so I could see the results. As soon as I sat up I felt like I was going to throw up, don't know if it was the pain, the laying down, or the cramping, but it was not a great feeling.
Anyways, on to the results. First thing he told me was that there was scar tissue on my cervix. He says it's probably from my son's birth, or from my D&C 8 months ago. He doesn't think that has anything to do with my reproductive health, it was just something he noticed. Another thing he said was I had a "severely tilted uterus" which means it tilts back more that it should, but again, it can make it a little bit tougher to conceive, it's not an issue, and there's really nothing they can do for it. Other than that, there are no fibroids or polyps in my uterus, my tubes are open and very clear, no scar tissue other than on the cervix (that means my D&C was done right!) so everything looked as it should! It's good to know that nothing is wrong in there. Below is an example of what I saw, This is NOT my scan, but one I found on google, that had the same results as me.
I cramped really badly for about an hour or two after the procedure and have a little bleeding, but it should be done by the end of today. The doc said he was concerned about my cervix if I keep bleeding, since those two spikes might have torn it, and therefore I would need stitches. I hope not!
But anywho...now I'm just waiting to do my retests for my blood work. Then it's on the the next phase. My doctor even suggested clomid already, but I don't know if we're ready for that yet. I'm more worried about finding out how to STAY pregnant.
I came across this book at the library, it's called The Conception Chronicles. I was pleased to find a book about TTC, that wasn't all text-booky. This one is raw, blunt humor about the roller coaster of TTC. It was so funny at some times. I really enjoyed reading it, I read it cover to cover in a day.
Some of my favorite highlights from the book:
On the topic of Timed Intercourse: "Since when did sex have to be special for him? In your old life, your husband could have one leg caught in a bear trap and would still somehow manage to have sex if you showed even the slightest interest." Absolutely hilarious, and true! lol
"Slutty Saturdays"- Trying to make the baby marathon less work by trying to spice up the romance with lingerie? It gets tiring when your 3 day window turns into 10 days of safety net, dubbing Saturday as "Slutty Saturday" reserving that to be the only day you have to strap yourself into something that doubles as a rock climbing harness. (I love this, it is so funny to me)
There's also a chapter about how to deal with "Fertile Foes" and those are the women who flaunt their obvious fertility in your face. That's a good chapter b/c I've encountered my fair share of those!!
Anywho...just my lil' book review. Enjoy!
BTW, I'm 9DPO today...just a few more days till testing! I can't say for sure if I feel pregnant or not though. Like every month I've gone back and forth and can't really say for sure. As far as symptoms go, I have a little nausea that started yesterday, and I pee a lot, but that one isn't such a good sign or not b/c I have waaay too much juice in my fridge and I always have a drink nearby. I was starving the other day only 10 minutes after I was full, and I've been a little on the sleepy side, which again isn't a good indicator since my 2 year old wakes me up daily at the crack of dawn by putting his nose against my nose and says "Mommy. Wake up!" LOL. Only time will tell. Very tempted to hit up the pharmacy and get me a first response since those are the most accurate test and give an early response, but I have sworn to wait until AF is due to test, which will be Saturday. I can do this!! lol.
So I went and saw my new OBGYN today. I'd heard great things about him, and that he also has a special interest in fertility. I've wanted to see him for a while, but we just got insurance that he accepts, so I made an appointment as soon as I could! Today was my appointment and I went over my medical history with him, and we lingered on the topic of pregnancy and my 4 miscarriages and he was very surprised that I still had not had any tests done to see what is going on. I told him that my doctor basically would tell me to try to get pregnant and then they would see how my body handled it and he was not thrilled about that.
So he explained to me that new findings show that a 20% of repeat miscarriages are caused by clotting disorders like thrombophilia. Basically a clot forms in the placenta and eventually destroys the pregnancy. He said that since I had a 2nd trimester miscarriage it made it even more likely that this could be a problem for me. So they drew 8 vials of blood today and sent them off to the lab to be tested. If it does happen that I do have a blood clotting disorder, when I do get pregnant I get to take 2 shots a day of a medicine called heparin throughout the entire pregnancy and through postpartum recovery. Not looking forward to that, but if it gets me a baby I'm all for it. And this made me wonder, since I had my son and the only "complication" was mild preeclampsia onset at the end of my pregnancy, why wasn't this possible disorder a problem? He told me that it can not only be genetic, but acquired at later points in life, so I could have acquired it after my son was born, but that gives no explanation to my 2 miscarriages before him. Anyways, we'll know in about 3-5 days the results.
He also told me if I am not pregnant now, than once I start my cycle again to call and schedule an HSG test (Hysterosalpingogram) which is where they inject dye into my uterus and it flows up the fallopian tubes and then they take an x-ray of it. They look for misshapen uterus, blocked tubes, or anything in the uterus like a fibroid, polyp, or scarring that prevents the embryo from properly implanting. He said sometimes the dye that is injected can clear out any blockages in the tubes, remove scar tissue, and basically aid in the process of getting pregnant. I heard it is a little painful and uncomfortable, but the results are usually pretty good- conception wise.
If all those come back normal we'll do a semen analysis, and then he suggests genetic testing to make sure neither of us have any genetic defects that are causing repeat miscarraiges.
Well, HOPEFULLY I am pregnant now, and these things will not be necessary. Well, except for the blood clotting thing, because if they came back positive I'd get on those shots right away.
I am very relieved, even excited at the chance to get some answers. Who knows, they all might come back normal and there's nothing wrong with me, but atleast this will remove any doubt! I am due to test a week from tomorrow and I am going to try with all my might to resist the urge to pee on a stick until then. We shall see! Wish me luck folks!
