After my last post you probably all thought I would lose my marbles before the semester was over...I am happy to report that finals are OVER and I am happily enjoying my Christmas break. Only one semester of school to go!!! Once I got all of my ducks in a row, I actually really enjoyed my classes and I feel that I learned some really good things to apply to my practice as a nurse!
I figured I should do better at journaling our journey through infertility because one day I may want to remember all that we went through to bring another child into our family. The one question that everyone always asks is if we would consider adoption. The answer is YES, however, we know it isn't the right direction for us to go right now. We actually looked into adoption a few months ago and researched quite a few avenues but we were clearly told in multiple priesthood blessings that we will be able to get pregnant to bring another child into this world so now we are left with trying to wade through medical mayhem to decide which routes we need to travel.
Since having my surgery in May, we have continued trying to conceive. This includes expensive ovulation and pregnancy tests, tracking EVERYTHING and making sure we are both in the same place at the right time =)
Back in October I was started on my second fertility drug, Femara. Femara is primarily used for breast cancer but it is also used off label to increase ovulation. Since being on the Femara, I have been seeing my gyno once a month for follicle checks to ensure that it is working. Through this, we have found that I am not ovulating every month which of course doesn't help the whole trying to get pregnant process!
Last month, we found that my right ovary was again tied down with scar tissue and endometriosis and is back behind my uterus where it was before my last surgery. At first, this news was upsetting because it has mainly been my right ovary that has been ovulating BUT then my Doctor decided it might be a good things because he is hoping my right ovary will ovulate behind everything and that my left fallopian tube will be able to grab and implant the egg BECAUSE my right fallopian tube is partially clogged with endometriomas and I am at a high risk for an ectopic pregnancy if I implant on the right side.
Clear as mud??
So this month I went back this past week for another follicle check and received more bad news. The Doctor couldn't even find my left ovary. It is completely consumed by a mass the size of an orange. He believes this mass is either a hemorrhagic ovarian cyst or ANOTHER endometrioma has formed already! We are hoping it is a cyst because, though it is painful, it can be caused by the Femora and may go away on its own without any further complications. An endometrioma being that large means we are looking at surgery yet AGAIN. I go back for another ultrasound in a couple of weeks to find out what the mass is.
So that's where we are at as of right now. One of the blessings Skylar gave me when I was sick with a horrible migraine last month from taking my Femora stated that I need to be patient and that we will get pregnant "in due time". Let's be honest, I am one of the least patient people on the face of the earth but I guess these things happen in God's time and not in ours so for now we will just keep plugging along.
Stetson has continued to grow like a weed. He is in first grade and he is doing well! We are so proud of his accomplishments! He is doing really well with reading and he is at the top of his class in math. I love to see him learn new things and the bright smile on his face when the light bulb goes off and he learns something new!
Now for some fun pictures and uplifting news! These are all from my trip to New York in October. Of course, we went to Wicked on Broadway and it was AMAZING!!
I think there were more people dressed up as characters in Time Square than at Disneyland!! Of course they attacked us tourists so we could get some fun pictures and they could get some tips! It's not secret how much I love Hello Kitty and Minnie Mouse so of course I loved this picture!
Gosh Dangit! I can't figure out how to rotate pictures with the new blog settings...can someone help me?? This is obviously the Statue of Liberty! We took a ferry out on the water and saw many sights including Lady Liberty. Unfortunately the entire thing was closed for renovation so we weren't able to go inside but just seeing it in person was pretty amazing.
Time Square! We stayed at the Penn Club which was within walking distance of anything and everything and there was always something happening in Time Square!
Yep, we saw the Naked Cowboy. Even in October he was out there singing and dancing in his tightie whities!
One of the new Freedom Towers (the new Twin Towers). I got some really amazing pictures of these but unfortunately many of them are going the other direction and will post SIDEWAYS on here so I am leaving them off.
The 9/11 Memorial. Breathtaking. Somber. Beautiful. A must see if you go to New York! There are two of these pools and they are built where the Twin towers stood.
The names of all lives lost in the 9/11 attack are written around the pools. There are not words to describe how it feels to visit these grounds.
This was the three of us goofing off after the Benefit Gala. There was a professional photographer at the Gala so I didn't take out my camera at all but hopefully I will get copies of some of those pictures and will post them if I can. After the Gala, we decided to visit the Empire State Building because it was open until 1 AM. The view from the Empire State Building is AMAZING. It makes you feel so small and insignificant.
Beautiful Katie and Kayla...
Katie and Kayla at the top of the Empire State Building.
Well, I think that's enough for now. Hopefully I will post Pine Valley and Halloween pics soon!
