Infertility - Part 2

October 2014

The soonest we could get in to see Dr. Walsh at Seattle Reproductive Medicine was in October. He has a very demanding schedule and travels a lot but Mike felt that he was the Doctor he needed to see. As we sat in his office and he was reviewing all of Mike's test results, he eventually looked up and told us that we shouldn't lose hope yet because In-Vitro might be a possibility. But, of course, this required a procedure called a Bilateral FNA. Basically, a fine needle is inserted into 12 different locations on Mike's testis in order to determine if any sperm could be found at all. Also, a very expensive procedure. And this was just to see if we could even attempt to do In-Vitro. Since we have a Health Savings Account, we decided we needed to build up some funds before we could get this done.

March 2015

My mom gave me some good advice in Spring that it was better to just know than to sit around and wait. So, I talked to Mike and we agreed to just get it done and hope for the best. Better than all this waiting and wondering. I also felt an urgency that we needed to get things moving.

Mike called in early March and asked for the Bilateral FNA appointment. The office told him that Dr. Walsh wasn't available until August 2015. Mike told me that and I was not happy. Seriously, five months away. I told him to call back and check to see if anyone else was available. The second time he called, the scheduler told him that an appointment had just become available in a week. Of course we took it and we scrambled to get Mike ready for his surgery. Then all we could do was wait for the results.

A few days later, Dr. Walsh left us a voicemail. My husband put it on speaker and we listened carefully as he said that he had actually found some sperm in some of the sites that were tested and that we could try In-Vitro. I have to admit I was kind of shocked. We had received so much bad news and finally something good. Finally. I called my mom again and cried through giving her the positive news.

Dr. Walsh told us the next step was for me to schedule an appointment to start the process on my side. I called that same day and got an appointment set up in April.

April 2015
I met Dr. Lynn Davis on April 22 for my consultation. She explained the whole IVF process. She also let me know that the timing would be tricky for us due to the fact that Dr. Walsh recommended that we do a live sperm transfer. Which means, both Mike and I will be having surgery on the same day. Usually, a partner can give a semen sample but the only way to retrieve Mike's semen is by doing a MicroTESE, biopsy of the testicular tissue. So they have to go in and surgically remove his sperm. The recovery time for this is a week. A week. Brutal. This same day they will be retrieving my eggs and will have to inject Mike's sperm into each viable egg that gets retrieved.

I met with my nurse after that and she gave me a bunch of paperwork and reviewed with me all the tests I needed to get done before Mike and I could go through an In-Vitro cycle. I got my blood tests done the next week. My thyroid levels were not where they needed to be so they started me on some medication. Did I mention that I hate taking pills.

May 2015
I completed lots of tests on my checklist. One was a hysteroscopy where they found a fibroid in my uterus. They were able to remove it, which is good because it was located close to where they implant the embryos. The doctor said he saved me surgery. I also got to experience a trial embryo transfer where they practice placing mock embryos in my uterus. Another test was an Antral Follicle Count Ultrasound where they counted the eggs in my ovaries. The nurse found 20 on one side and 15 on another. Good numbers...so I'm told. And finally, they started me on birth control pills. I haven't taken these bad boys in years and they make me kind of...well, grumpy. So I should be a real delight when I start giving myself all those hormone injections.

June 2015
And now we come to June. Mike and I met with a doctor and signed our lives away pretty much. They told us all the possible risks and then we signed on all the dotted lines. This is the first appointment I got a little nervous. I guess it finally hit me that we are about to go through the process and there are some very real problems that can occur. But I keep feeling good about it so we are moving forward.

We have injection training scheduled on June 25. Not sure how I am going to handle giving myself shots. I have never had to stick myself with anything so I might have to get some backup helpers. All I have left is what they call a suppression check ultrasound on July 7. This is the final test where they check my uterine lining and check my ovaries for any cysts prior to the start of my IVF cycle. If no cysts are found, we are good to go and are given the green light. Butterflies in my stomach as I type this.

My next update will be July 7. Here is hoping I get the all clear.