This morning we had our appointment with Dr. K to go over the results from all the tests I've undergone. J is out of state for work so she joined us on speakerphone.
My ovaries are young. I have lots of eggs. And my tubes and uterus are open and ready for a baby!
That's the gist at least. I can't remember all the levels that she shared with me. I am borderline PCOS, but she doesn't want to diagnose it quite yet just because all my issues could boil down to metabolic syndrome. The weight is either the cause or the symptom.
We talked about the genetic test results a bit. She would recommend reaching out to the company who did the test to find out the incidence of being a carrier within the general population. J and I aren't super worried about having a deaf child so we'll ask them, but we won't be pursuing any genetic testing of our donors.
Dr. K reviewed the IUI procedure and how we would begin that process, which was really exciting to hear. Not because we didn't know how it worked, but because we are so close to really beginning to try and we can't wait! Because some of my hormones are on the PCOS borderline, Dr. K is recommending I use Letrozole (aka Femera) instead of Clomid because the former regulates male and female hormones in the body, which helps with fertility. She also mentioned that she'd prefer to go straight to Letrozole instead of trying Clomid and finding out I don't respond to it.
J and I told Dr. K that we've decided to wait until January so that we can work on losing weight and getting healthier in addition to saving more money. We are already on the hook for $1500 bucks or so. That was just for blood-work and genetic testing, which is insane. My current insurance won't cover the blood-work since it's being used for future infertility treatments, which is total bunk but lucky for us, open enrollment is coming in November and I've heard that some of the other plans cover more. Dr. K was really happy to hear this and said she wished all her patients were like us, because she hates to see people go through all the stress and emotions and financial costs if the chances are optimal.
I will need to meet with the PA regarding the Healthy Start program that Dr. K recommends. I don't know how soon I can get in to see her because this is about to be the busiest time of year for me at work. Hopefully it will be very soon!
Friday, August 22, 2014
Monday, August 18, 2014
8/18/2014: Genetic Testing Results
Well, the results are in!
Part of the blood-work I had done a couple weeks ago was being sent away for genetic testing, which I failed to mention in that day's post. (The rest is to determine things like whether or not I have STDs, blood type, and some hormone levels). Today we received an email notifying us that the results are ready to view. J is out of town this week for work, but I decided to view the report anyways.
When I had my blood drawn, I had to decide between the basic genetic test or the more extensive test. Of course, the main difference is the potential out-of-pocket cost after insurance, but since the more extensive test examined tens of thousands of diseases versus just a few thousands I decided it would be more worthwhile to get the extensive version.
It turns out that I am a carrier for GJB2-related DFNB1 Nonsyndromic Hearing Loss and Deafness. I'm not really surprised nor am I upset in any way about this official finding. You see, both of my parents are deaf and have been for as long as each of them can remember. Though I have some hearing loss, it doesn't appear to be the type this genetic trait indicates, which is congenital hearing loss that can be mild to severe but does not worsen.
My parents are the only deaf people in our family and may even be the first anyone in the family has knowledge of, but I always knew there was a chance for it to be genetic. Before J and I started to seriously plan for children we discussed the possibility of having a deaf child and agreed that this wouldn't be a huge deal. If anything, it would motivate both of us to sharpen our American Sign Language skills. Technology has advanced so greatly and there are many more educational outlets for deaf children now that I don't foresee this being an issue.
We will cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, we are looking forward to our appointment with Dr. K to discuss results and next steps.
Part of the blood-work I had done a couple weeks ago was being sent away for genetic testing, which I failed to mention in that day's post. (The rest is to determine things like whether or not I have STDs, blood type, and some hormone levels). Today we received an email notifying us that the results are ready to view. J is out of town this week for work, but I decided to view the report anyways.
When I had my blood drawn, I had to decide between the basic genetic test or the more extensive test. Of course, the main difference is the potential out-of-pocket cost after insurance, but since the more extensive test examined tens of thousands of diseases versus just a few thousands I decided it would be more worthwhile to get the extensive version.
It turns out that I am a carrier for GJB2-related DFNB1 Nonsyndromic Hearing Loss and Deafness. I'm not really surprised nor am I upset in any way about this official finding. You see, both of my parents are deaf and have been for as long as each of them can remember. Though I have some hearing loss, it doesn't appear to be the type this genetic trait indicates, which is congenital hearing loss that can be mild to severe but does not worsen.
My parents are the only deaf people in our family and may even be the first anyone in the family has knowledge of, but I always knew there was a chance for it to be genetic. Before J and I started to seriously plan for children we discussed the possibility of having a deaf child and agreed that this wouldn't be a huge deal. If anything, it would motivate both of us to sharpen our American Sign Language skills. Technology has advanced so greatly and there are many more educational outlets for deaf children now that I don't foresee this being an issue.
We will cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, we are looking forward to our appointment with Dr. K to discuss results and next steps.
Thursday, August 7, 2014
8/7/2014: HSG test
I had the HSG done this morning and it was relatively easy.
After running around town like a crazy person after 11pm the night before when I realized we had no Ibuprofen in the house, I was a bit scatter-brained and very exhausted. I was also nervous because I had done far too much reading on the internet about the procedure. Everything I read made it seem like it would be terribly uncomfortable, but it was just mildly uncomfortable. Ha.
I arrived at the hospital, checked in, and only waited a few minutes before being taken back to the X-Ray dressing/changing room. Dr. K's staff had previously mentioned she performs the procedure on several women all in the same morning so I wasn't surprised to be sharing the room with four others when all was said and done.
Once in the dressing/waiting room, I had to remove everything from the waist down and wear two very fashionably hospital gowns so as to avoid from showing everyone my bits. After a few minutes, I was called back to the X-Ray room where they took a shot of my abdomen, I'm assuming for placement purposes? I'm not really sure.
I returned to the dressing/waiting room for a bit, perused an outdated edition of HGTV magazine, and then was called back for the real thing. Dr. K introduced me to her resident, explained the procedure to me one more time, and then we began. The most difficult part was spreading my legs far apart without stirrups, honestly. She inserted the speculum, cleaned my cervix with antiseptic, inserted the catheter into my uterus, and injected the iodine. We had to wait a minute or two for the radiologist, but it really wasn't long nor was it a problem despite Dr. K's apologies. They took two or three shots of everything lit up with the iodine before Dr. K removed everything and began explaining the results, which were good.
Though my uterus tilts back a bit (not enough to be a concern), my fallopian tubes are clear and there was good flow of the iodine! I know we can't really start trying until January at the earliest, but every bit of good news helps me to remain positive and get more excited to start trying officially!
The next appointment is to go over the results of all the testing and discuss next steps. Yay!
After running around town like a crazy person after 11pm the night before when I realized we had no Ibuprofen in the house, I was a bit scatter-brained and very exhausted. I was also nervous because I had done far too much reading on the internet about the procedure. Everything I read made it seem like it would be terribly uncomfortable, but it was just mildly uncomfortable. Ha.
I arrived at the hospital, checked in, and only waited a few minutes before being taken back to the X-Ray dressing/changing room. Dr. K's staff had previously mentioned she performs the procedure on several women all in the same morning so I wasn't surprised to be sharing the room with four others when all was said and done.
Once in the dressing/waiting room, I had to remove everything from the waist down and wear two very fashionably hospital gowns so as to avoid from showing everyone my bits. After a few minutes, I was called back to the X-Ray room where they took a shot of my abdomen, I'm assuming for placement purposes? I'm not really sure.
I returned to the dressing/waiting room for a bit, perused an outdated edition of HGTV magazine, and then was called back for the real thing. Dr. K introduced me to her resident, explained the procedure to me one more time, and then we began. The most difficult part was spreading my legs far apart without stirrups, honestly. She inserted the speculum, cleaned my cervix with antiseptic, inserted the catheter into my uterus, and injected the iodine. We had to wait a minute or two for the radiologist, but it really wasn't long nor was it a problem despite Dr. K's apologies. They took two or three shots of everything lit up with the iodine before Dr. K removed everything and began explaining the results, which were good.
Though my uterus tilts back a bit (not enough to be a concern), my fallopian tubes are clear and there was good flow of the iodine! I know we can't really start trying until January at the earliest, but every bit of good news helps me to remain positive and get more excited to start trying officially!
The next appointment is to go over the results of all the testing and discuss next steps. Yay!
Friday, August 1, 2014
8/1/2014: Blood-work and a surprise ultrasound
Today I returned to Dr. K's office to get my Cycle Day 3 blood-work done. They were a bit delayed in getting me back, which was a bummer but not at all surprising given the nature of the office. My veins are awful and the poor tech had to try 3 times to get a vein that would provide enough blood for all the tests required. I'm used to this with my terrible veins, but I could tell she felt awful.
During the blood-work the tech mentioned that I am also supposed to have an ultrasound done. That was news to me, but since I was already there it wasn't a problem. J and I must not have remembered that bit of information given the enormous amount we got simultaneously.
Unfortunately, the ultrasound was of the intravaginal variety which is never fun...but even less so when on your period. Again, they need to do the ultrasound on Cycle Day 3 for a baseline.
After a bit more waiting, the ultrasound tech finally came in to start the test. It was interesting to see my uterus and ovaries, but it was not very comfortable. The tech mentioned that my follicle count looks good, which made me feel a bit of relief given the mixed bag of news yesterday provided us with.
Just a few minutes later, the tech was done and explained to me the next steps like the HSG and making sure to schedule a follow-up with Dr.K to review all the results. She then gave me another business card of the PA on staff. She recommended I call her soon because she's the PCOS expert and according to the tech it looks like I have PCOS.
I'm actually relieved by this news because for two years I've been convinced I have PCOS mainly due to the sudden weight gain of nearly 100 lbs and a few other symptoms like fatigue, hair thinning, my period being all messed up, and excess body hair to name a few. My sister has PCOS as well which increases the likelihood of me having it. Despite all these symptoms every blood test I've had has come back negative. I am so frustrated by this and by my other doctors' refusal to order additional testing like an ultrasound.
I've been miserable because I've regained so much weight that I worked hard to lose (previously I lost 150+ lbs) and every time I try to get back on the saddle so to speak, I can't seem to lose any weight. We wanted to start trying to have kids right after we were married almost two years ago, but the weight gain made us feel like it wasn't a good time.
This revelation caused me to look back at the blood-work I had done with Dr. P. According to various online medical sources, it's possible to test within the normal ranges and still have PCOS. Particularly interesting is the ratio of LH to FSH. In women with PCOS, the LH level is often two or three times the FSH level. Mine is roughly two times higher than the FSH level. If I were ovulating on CD 15, the day after the blood-work, the LH would be between 25-40 mIU/mL. Very interesting stuff!
Next Thursday I have scheduled my HSG at a local hospital. I hope we will get more answers!
During the blood-work the tech mentioned that I am also supposed to have an ultrasound done. That was news to me, but since I was already there it wasn't a problem. J and I must not have remembered that bit of information given the enormous amount we got simultaneously.
Unfortunately, the ultrasound was of the intravaginal variety which is never fun...but even less so when on your period. Again, they need to do the ultrasound on Cycle Day 3 for a baseline.
After a bit more waiting, the ultrasound tech finally came in to start the test. It was interesting to see my uterus and ovaries, but it was not very comfortable. The tech mentioned that my follicle count looks good, which made me feel a bit of relief given the mixed bag of news yesterday provided us with.
Just a few minutes later, the tech was done and explained to me the next steps like the HSG and making sure to schedule a follow-up with Dr.K to review all the results. She then gave me another business card of the PA on staff. She recommended I call her soon because she's the PCOS expert and according to the tech it looks like I have PCOS.
I'm actually relieved by this news because for two years I've been convinced I have PCOS mainly due to the sudden weight gain of nearly 100 lbs and a few other symptoms like fatigue, hair thinning, my period being all messed up, and excess body hair to name a few. My sister has PCOS as well which increases the likelihood of me having it. Despite all these symptoms every blood test I've had has come back negative. I am so frustrated by this and by my other doctors' refusal to order additional testing like an ultrasound.
I've been miserable because I've regained so much weight that I worked hard to lose (previously I lost 150+ lbs) and every time I try to get back on the saddle so to speak, I can't seem to lose any weight. We wanted to start trying to have kids right after we were married almost two years ago, but the weight gain made us feel like it wasn't a good time.
This revelation caused me to look back at the blood-work I had done with Dr. P. According to various online medical sources, it's possible to test within the normal ranges and still have PCOS. Particularly interesting is the ratio of LH to FSH. In women with PCOS, the LH level is often two or three times the FSH level. Mine is roughly two times higher than the FSH level. If I were ovulating on CD 15, the day after the blood-work, the LH would be between 25-40 mIU/mL. Very interesting stuff!
Next Thursday I have scheduled my HSG at a local hospital. I hope we will get more answers!
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