Thursday, September 13, 2007

ultrasound and bloodwork

So I am seeing a Reproductive Endocrinologist (aka fertility doctor), well technically we are seeing a Reproductive Endocrinologist because Jeff has an appointment next Friday too. Our initial consultation was in August and my first appt. was yesterday.
WARNING: I don't know how graphic the rest of the this entry will or won't be so consider yourself warned.
My appt. was for bloodwork and an ultrasound. "No big deal," I thought, picturing the hundreds of baby shows I'd seen with the ultrasound being performed from the outside. Getting blood drawn wasn't a hug deal although it did surprise me that I wasn't able to watch the vials fill up this time. In the past I've had no problem watching the needle go in and the vials fill up- comparing it to each previous time to see if the nurse hit a good vein or whatever. Anyway, this time I kept getting a little queasy when I would look at the vials so I had to look away and felt like I had just taken one giant step down on the pain tolerance/general toughness scale. After that, the nurse led me into the room for the ultrasound and pointing to the table she told me to undress from the waist down. Definitely not what I was hoping. So then I am sitting there on the table waiting for the Doc and I see the ultrasound machine. And then I see the wand. Definitely not my day. So needless to say the ultrasound wasn't done by rubbing anything on my tummy.
The doc said that my uterus looked fine, and then that he was "looking for my right ovary." Then there was silence while he kept jabbing and poking and twisting that thing all around. In the meantime I am staring at the nurse's face who is looking at the ultrasound screen and she keeps getting this puzzled look on her face. But realizing that I am staring at her she keeps catching herself and going blank faced or giving me this little smile. And then he says, "Actually, I'm HUNTING for your right ovary." Hunting is not a word one hopes to hear when it entails your insides being stirred around like cake batter. But finally he found it. He said that it was hiding behind my uterus and that it has a cyst on it. The left ovary was fine.
Going into this whole adventure the doc said that he wanted to do bloodwork, an ultrasound, an HSG, and a sonohistogram (or something that sounds like that). So I am halfway there. Yay!
I have an appt. Monday morning and Tuesday morning for the other two.
I have been trying not to think about the cyst because he said that it wasn't too big and that with girls my age they usually go away all by themselves. So I am supposed to go back in 4 to 6 weeks.
But here's the kicker: Jeff is living in Utah right now, with his parents. He moved back a couple of weeks ago to go back to school to get his teaching license. I am still living in Arizona in the house we just bought a few months ago. Our insurance is through my job so to keep going to this fertility doctor I need to keep working, and to keep working I need to live in Arizona. So after our next consult when all the lab and test results are in, we've got to figure out a way to keep coming down here to see this doc, find a doc in St. George that can work with us, or find a new doc in Salt Lake City and start traveling up there for the appts.
I feel like we've been "trying" to get pregnant for so long that it's just how it is going to be for us. Forever. I can't imagine being a mom and at the same time I can't imagine how life will be if I never am one.

1 comment:

Gwen said...

FIRST, I cannot believe you didn't tell me you have a blog! What is wrong with you???

Second, I also had to get an ultrasound once when I was having all kinds of weirdness going on. I had the same thought you did--ok, the vaseline on the belly, ok...WHAT THE HECK IS THAT??? I would not call it pleasant. I think TV just keeps using the other image b/c it seems less graphic.

Um, glad you have two ovaries, though. And your writing is hysterical.