Month 2! (April 2014)

We have moved into month 2 of testing at Midwest Fertility!  Thursday, April 3rd AF (Aunt Flow) started and to say it was a bad day is an understatement. I had such high hopes last month after starting the thyroid medication,  seeing a positive OPK (ovulation test), and not having any spotting like I typically do during my cycle. I allow myself one day to be sad, cry, drink a glass of wine (or two) LOL , and feel sorry for myself. But only one day. By Friday I already felt better and after a busy and fun weekend with Barry I was looking forward to this month of testing/trying :)

This month we... well I had a fun saline-infused ultrasound. I was glad Barry was able to take off a little early from work to be there with me. My doctor was on vacation so the on-call doctor performed the procedure. It wasn't too bad, mostly just uncomfortable. Barry kept me entertained as he held my hand and told me funny things to distract myself from the actual procedure :)

The doctor who performed the test said everything looked great and didn't see anything causing our infertility! Yay for good news!

Next text is my blood test scheduled for this Thursday, April 24th to recheck my thyroid levels. Hopefully they have lowered and are between 1-2! (Fingers crossed!)

I will keep you all informed on what this blood test reveals.

Thanks again for all the prayers!

3/19/14: Finding some answers :)

Yesterday was a huge day for me. I had my first blood draw scheduled for 7:40am. For most people, this isn't a big deal. For someone with severe blood and needle phobia, this experience is literally enough to through me into a full on panic attack, pass out, and never want to return to that doctor's office again.

 (Which isn't an option if I want to become pregnant LOL)

Usually, a couple days before a doctor's appointment, I'm already nervous and wanting to cancel. Everything about this appointment was different. I had a weird calm over me that I have NEVER experienced before a doctor's appointment. I had a sense that God was in control and that everything would be fine. Through this whole journey, I keep telling myself, "God wouldn't give us more than we can handle."

Luckily, my blood draw took less than 1 minute and the nurse was amazing. I sat there for a couple minutes after and then left. (Easy!) I didn't expect to hear anything that day or even the day after, but less than 6 hours after my appointment, I received a call from the nurse! She informed me that my prolactin number was in the normal range at 17.1.

(yay for normal!) Then, she told me that my TSH was in the normal range at 2.89 but considered on the higher end of normal for women trying to conceive. My doctor likes this level to be between 1-2. She then explained he recommends that I take 25mg of a thyroid replacement medication every morning on an empty stomach and have my levels checked again in 4 weeks. 

I was honestly kinda excited to hear this news. I feel like it's the first bit of news we have received that is something we can change. I just can't help but think maybe this is the  simply can be the fix that will bring us our baby. I pray that it is :)

- Sarah

Taking the Next Step :)

 Barry and I had our first consultation with Dr. Will at Midwest Fertility Specialists yesterday. I hoped and prayed we would never have to get to this point, but after trying to conceive for over 17 months, we decided it was time to see a specialist.

Leading up the appointment, I was very calm and even a little excited. But, the night before the appointment, everything came rushing into my mind at once and I hit my breaking point. I was filling out our paperwork for the second time, (I had originally filled out the paperwork for Advanced Fertility but had to switch to Midwest Fertility) and I just became overwhelmed. I don't know if it was the hundreds of health questions I had to answer, the embarrassing questions I had to ask Barry, or the countless insurance forms, but I had to literally walk away from the table. Sometimes there's nothing left to say and that's exactly how I felt that night. Anytime Barry would ask me anything, I would just cry. That night he  held me tight and I quickly fell asleep in his arms.

The day of the appointment I stayed busy and work and didn't have too much time to worry. Barry met me on the north side and we drove up the rest of the way together. We found the building easily and rode up the second floor to Suite 250. The receptionist was very friendly and after barely enough time for Barry to brew a cup of coffee in the Keurig, we were being called back to the consultation room.

We weren't even waiting for more than five minutes before Dr. Will came in. He walked in, called us by our first names, and introduced himself. He had already looked at my paperwork and we dove right into our journey over these past 17 months. He asked some more in-depth questions about certain issues and took lots of notes. At the end of our talk, (including him asking about when we got married, how long we have known each other, and how we met.. which was a nice change from just medical questions!) he suggested I get a fasted blood test and an SIS ultrasound. My blood test is scheduled for Wed, March 19th. I believe they are checked my AMH, FSH, and thyroid hormone levels. Once we have the results from that, Dr. Will will have a better idea as to our next step! My SIS ultrasound will not be scheduled until my next cycle (hopefully I don't have a NEXT cycle!!)

I'm glad to have the ball rolling and excited to have some answers soon!