Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Blood Test #2
I went for my second "post D&C" beta test today, and my hormone levels are now down to 42. They still need to get below 5 before I am done with bloodwork. Anything less than five means "not pregnant anymore". I have another blood draw next Wednesday...hopefully it will be the last.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Blood Test #1
I had my first post D&C blood test yesterday. My beta-HCG levels are down to 129. This is a HUGE drop, which is what they would expect. I have to go back in one week to have my levels checked again. They need to have my levels be less than five (a technical negative) in order to clear me for any upcoming treatments. So - next Wednesday it is back to the RE's office again. Hopefully that will be the last time prior to our follow-up and consult on September 15th.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
No More Restrictions!
I had my surgical follow-up yesterday with my OB. She said that everything looks good, and I should not have any problems moving forward. I have been "released" from my restrictions, and I am now free to begin working out and leading a normal life again. I am past the point where I could get an infection, so nothing more to worry about here. She also noted that it probably was not necessary for me to have a RhoGAM shot (for Rh incompatibility) after my early ectopic pregnancy / miscarriage. Now that I have had a later miscarriage and received the RhoGAM, I will have to have RhoGAM shots if I have any bleeding in future pregnancies. This will keep my body from attacking the baby's cells if it is Rh positive. Anyway...
Next week I will be going back to the RE's office for blood work. They want to make sure that my pregnancy hormones are dropping off appropriately. If so, we will then be cleared to move on to a frozen embryo transfer (FET) in a couple of months. Right now we are working diligently to plan our trip to Colorado in October and are just trying to be a "normal" couple (no shots, ultrasounds, pills, etc.). More than likely, I will begin suppression (birth control pills / lupron shots) with my October cycle. If that happens, we will probably do our FET in November. We have five frozen embryos left to use...so we might as well use 'em.
Next week I will be going back to the RE's office for blood work. They want to make sure that my pregnancy hormones are dropping off appropriately. If so, we will then be cleared to move on to a frozen embryo transfer (FET) in a couple of months. Right now we are working diligently to plan our trip to Colorado in October and are just trying to be a "normal" couple (no shots, ultrasounds, pills, etc.). More than likely, I will begin suppression (birth control pills / lupron shots) with my October cycle. If that happens, we will probably do our FET in November. We have five frozen embryos left to use...so we might as well use 'em.
Friday, August 11, 2006
Road to Recovery
I had my D&C (dilatation and curettage) performed on Wednesday. I have been recovering at home since that time. Overall I feel pretty well. I think the option of surgery was the right choice and will be much easier to handle versus the alternative (natural miscarriage).
My pre-operative lab work showed that I am blood type A-. The negative stands for "missing the Rh factor". Essentially, it means that I have a rare blood type. Only 15% of the population is shown to be Rh negative. Now, the interesting thing is that Matt is Rh positive. If we do conceive, it is more than likely that the baby will be Rh positive. This can be a bad thing, because my body would recognize the Rh positive factor as a foreign body and would attack it (situation called Rh incompatibility). This situation can be avoided or mostly avoided given modern day science. A first pregnancy is not a risk, given that I wouldn't have produced any antibodies against the Rh positive baby yet. Anything after a first pregnancy can be dangerous, unless you are given an injection of RhoGAM. This injection kills off any Rh positive red blood cells in my body so that I do not create the antibodies to do this in the future. Confusing? Well, it is a bit confusing. Anyway...I was given an injection of RhoGAM after my D&C to help protect any future pregnancies. The one worry that we have at this point is that I was NOT given a RhoGAM injection after my ectopic pregnancy / miscarriage. My nurse at the fertility clinic is looking into this situation for me, as she believes that the injection is not necessary until you are at least 7 or 8 weeks into a pregnancy (which I was not at that time). I am hoping that this is the case so that we have not jeopardized future pregnancies with the possibility of Rh sensitization. Still confused? Sorry! The important thing is that I am not.
Outside of all of this, I am physically and emotionally starting to heal. Each day is a better day, and will continue to be so, I am sure. I have a surgical follow-up appointment with my OB next Friday. I have a follow-up and consult with my reproductive endocrinologist (RE) on September 15th. By that point in time we will be deciding if we are ready to proceed forward with any next steps (i.e. frozen embryo transfer) or not. If we do decide to move forward and jump into this again, I think it will be our last time. Hopefully everything will work out, as I continue to believe that everything happens for a reason.
My pre-operative lab work showed that I am blood type A-. The negative stands for "missing the Rh factor". Essentially, it means that I have a rare blood type. Only 15% of the population is shown to be Rh negative. Now, the interesting thing is that Matt is Rh positive. If we do conceive, it is more than likely that the baby will be Rh positive. This can be a bad thing, because my body would recognize the Rh positive factor as a foreign body and would attack it (situation called Rh incompatibility). This situation can be avoided or mostly avoided given modern day science. A first pregnancy is not a risk, given that I wouldn't have produced any antibodies against the Rh positive baby yet. Anything after a first pregnancy can be dangerous, unless you are given an injection of RhoGAM. This injection kills off any Rh positive red blood cells in my body so that I do not create the antibodies to do this in the future. Confusing? Well, it is a bit confusing. Anyway...I was given an injection of RhoGAM after my D&C to help protect any future pregnancies. The one worry that we have at this point is that I was NOT given a RhoGAM injection after my ectopic pregnancy / miscarriage. My nurse at the fertility clinic is looking into this situation for me, as she believes that the injection is not necessary until you are at least 7 or 8 weeks into a pregnancy (which I was not at that time). I am hoping that this is the case so that we have not jeopardized future pregnancies with the possibility of Rh sensitization. Still confused? Sorry! The important thing is that I am not.
Outside of all of this, I am physically and emotionally starting to heal. Each day is a better day, and will continue to be so, I am sure. I have a surgical follow-up appointment with my OB next Friday. I have a follow-up and consult with my reproductive endocrinologist (RE) on September 15th. By that point in time we will be deciding if we are ready to proceed forward with any next steps (i.e. frozen embryo transfer) or not. If we do decide to move forward and jump into this again, I think it will be our last time. Hopefully everything will work out, as I continue to believe that everything happens for a reason.
Monday, August 07, 2006
From Bad to Worse
It is with great sadness that I share the news with you that we have officially lost the pregnancy. Our ultrasound today showed no fetal cardiac activity, the placenta has detached, and the sac is showing signs of collapse. I am scheduled to see my OB tomorrow for a repeat ultrasound and for a pre-op appointment. I will likely be scheduled for a D&C later this week.
I want to thank everyone for supporting us through this difficult journey. It is a sad day for us, and a frustrating end to an even more frustrating process. Outside of taking time to recover and grieve, I am not sure what we plan to do in the future regarding any further fertility treatments. We will take this process one day at a time and come to a decision sometime down the road. During this time, it is ok to feel badly for us, but I ask that you do not feel sorry for us. Life is not always fair, and we are all given difficulties to face. This just happens to be one of our difficulties. Thank you.
I want to thank everyone for supporting us through this difficult journey. It is a sad day for us, and a frustrating end to an even more frustrating process. Outside of taking time to recover and grieve, I am not sure what we plan to do in the future regarding any further fertility treatments. We will take this process one day at a time and come to a decision sometime down the road. During this time, it is ok to feel badly for us, but I ask that you do not feel sorry for us. Life is not always fair, and we are all given difficulties to face. This just happens to be one of our difficulties. Thank you.