Exit Ramp CLOSED

It would appear I've left you in limbo since my last post. Usually when I leave you hanging, it's for a good reason. I can't think of a better reason than what I'm getting ready to share with you!

 

First, a quick recap: our last miscarriage was October 2013. I decided to get away from all my doctors, charts, temperatures, etc. As ignorant as it might have seemed, I wanted to do it all on my own.

 

On June 5th, I had no choice but to call my fertility doctor because my folic acid supplement was about to run out. I figured by talking to his nurse, I could avoid him and she could just call in the prescription for me. Of course by now I should have known that nothing works the way I plan it. Dr. Edelstein ended up calling me the next day and talked me into coming to see him to chat about "options".

 

On June 10th, Mike and I went in and learned that my "Dream Team" of gynecologists had discussed my case and very much agreed that I had something going on with my fallopian tubes. We knew my last pregnancy was in my right tube and the three others never made it to where it was supposed to go.

 

We stayed at his office for about two hours and came up with our game plan. Step One in Mission: "Might Be Possible" was to visit with my original Ob-gyn, Dr. Gospodnetic to see about going in (literally) to check out my potentially faulty plumbing.

 

On June 16th (this past Monday), Mike and I went in and I had an ultrasound on my lady bits. The outcome was less than stellar. I definitely needed surgery and my tubes definitely needed to come out. After another two hour appointment, my salpingectomy was scheduled for Wednesday.

 

Today is Friday. I'm at home in bed (and I may or may not be on a high from my new best friend, Percocet. I'm actually considering naming my first born "Percocet" since she's been such a good friend to me). I'm also lacking two very damaged fallopian tubes that pretty much caused us to have all our miscarriages in the first place. Three years of going through...whatever you want to call it, only to have the cause for it all solved in less than two weeks. Keep in mind that I had all my parts checked out after my first MC. My tubes were in okay condition then, but each miscarriage caused serious wear and tear.

 

If you're like me and spent all your classroom hours of Family Life passing notes back and forth to your friends and NOT paying attention, you missed some pretty solid, simple facts about the female reproductive system. Let me help you out. The only things you need to have a baby are: eggs, sperm, and a healthy uterus. Check, check, and CHECK!

 

Most women have 2 ovaries that contain the eggs that are produced during a girl's cycle. When a boy and a girl have unprotected sex, his sperm heads straight to the ovaries so an egg can be fertilized. Said fertilized egg then exits off the ramp and travels through the tubes until it reaches the uterus and grows.

 

My left tube was almost completely deteriorated. My right tube was severely damaged and right ovary had many lesions (probably from scar tissue from my old ovarian cyst). With that type of damaged piping, it was apparent that I could get pregnant easily, it was just impossible for the fertilized egg to get where it needed to go.

Having my tubes removed was a no-brainer for us. Why risk another pregnancy when obviously we knew the outcome wouldn't be a good one? I teach alllll types of children, yet it is my job to get them to pass the SAME test at the end of the year. Some children learn different ways, but what they come to know at the end of the year is the same. I can still have a child; I just have to take a different route than what most normal women take! At this point in my life, this shouldn't surprise me. "Different" should be monogrammed on all my clothes.

 

I'm still in shock over learning that my miscarriages actually could be solved. Months of having no answers from anyone and here I sit typing, recovering from having my body corrected. Ironically, this week would've marked our first child's second birthday had my first miscarriage never happened. To have my body "fixed" this same week, well, if that ain't something, I don't know what is!! So here's to all the construction workers  and support people who've repaved our roads to having a kid. This road has been ridiculously bumpy and we still have many miles to go, but one thing is for sure: I can rock a neon orange DOT vest until all the bumps have been smoothed out. After all, the exit ramp might be permanently closed 'round here, but there's always a detour to getting where you want to go.