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.

Infertility Update - Part 1

How it All Began

Not sure where to start.  I guess I just want an outlet to express what is going on in my head and heart during this process to keep me sane.  I also want to keep those that have generously donated to our cause in the loop about any updates. Your contributions mean a lot and I can't thank all of you enough. Finally, I think it will be a great way to look back (whether it works or not) to recognize the Lord's hand in our lives and in the lives of others during this struggle.

Brief disclaimer:  This is not an easy thing for me. Let's be real, I grew up in a family that has dismal communication skills. And the communication gets even worse when we are trying to talk about our feelings.

As you may or may not know, we are going through the IVF process right now. To understand that, I first have to give a little background.

At the age of 29, my husband Mike was diagnosed with testicular cancer. I was 8 months pregnant with Alyssa (our only child) when we got that news. That, in itself, was horrible. Thankfully, Mike had an emergency surgery and every test he has taken after that has shown his body to be cancer free. That was 6 years ago.

Our daughter was born in 2010 and eventually I got back to normalcy and we wanted to have more children. Month after month would pass by and I was not getting pregnant.

Finally, I was able to convince Mike to go get tested. I knew there was a possibility that his cancer had affected our ability to conceive. So, in 2014, he got some tests done to check his sperm count and hormone levels.

He called me when the results came in and told me that it was Azoospermia. Azoospermia is defined as the complete lack of sperm in the ejaculate. I was devastated. I called my Mom who was at my sister's house and I bawled. You know, the kind of crying you only do a few times in your life when you are completely heartbroken. I knew something was obviously wrong, but to get this diagnosis meant that Mike and I could never have any more children without the help of a doctor.

Mike's doctor did a few more tests just to make sure and they got the same results. We were then told that a next step would be to see a male infertility specialist at a reproductive medicine clinic.

At this time, I started frantically researching adoption. I knew IVF was extremely expensive and knew it would not be covered under our health insurance plan. I also knew that it was a very painful and emotional process from a friend I knew while we lived in California. So, I called up my sister-in-law who has adopted two children to understand the adoption process better. She told me about the church's adoption website so I looked it up and decided to call them for more information. 

The very same day I called LDS Family Services is the very same day they announced they were no longer operating as an adoption agency. My heart sank again. It was the only truly affordable adoption agency since they charged a maximum fee of $10,000.  Other agencies typically charge anywhere from $30,000 to $50,000.

I took that as a sign that we should go the other route. So I contacted Seattle Reproductive Medicine and set up our consultation with Dr. Walsh. 
 

2014 Kicks Off

Just wanted to give a family update since it has been quite a while. Alyssa, Mike and I are doing well.
January was a busy month for our family. Mike and I celebrated 11-years of marriage, I am now 35-years-old and Alyssa turned 4.

Mike still works for MVP Physical Therapy as the Clinical Manager in Puyallup. This will be his fifth year with the company so Mike and I get to take a trip to Vegas later this year. He is still in the Elder's Quorum Presidency and continues to run for exercise.

I am staying at home taking care of our Alyssa girl. I enjoy doing what I call "Learning Time" to help her explore and gain more knowledge so she will be ready when she starts school in 2015. I am still the Laurel Adviser and get to teach and be involved in great activities every week. We just had a youth Temple trip and were able to have Mike's grandmother on his father's side baptized and confirmed. I continue to play indoor soccer in Tacoma and am working on my 2nd week of the Insanity workouts. I LOVE these workouts. I can't wait to see my body results after the 9-week program.

Alyssa is a happy, energetic 4-year-old now. She is a great helper. She always wants to help cook and clean which is fantastic because those two things aren't high on my favorite list. Alyssa loves to sing and act out scenes from movies. She is silly and goofy and comes packed with an attitude. And we love her to pieces!

 Here is her silly pose.

 My 4-year-old diva.

 Her zombie pose.

Classic family photo.

Summer Has Arrived in Washington!

Alyssa went to a birthday party for Rylee (our neighbor).

Alyssa and Rylee striking a pose.

Wet bums make the best kind of water slide.

She wanted to show me her wet face.

Drying off those cute legs.

Running through  the sprinkler.

Catching some rays.

Alyssa - 2 Years

Happy Birthday to my Alyssa girl. She went to the doctor today and is in the 90th percentile for her head, 70th percentile for her height, and 50th percentile for her weight. What is with our family and producing huge melon-head kids?

I now officially have a two-year old. She is awesome. Yes, the tantrums are in full effect but she is getting more and more enjoyable. Mike even told me last night after putting her to bed that "we have a fun girl." She is shy with strangers, loves the color pink and insists on watching her princess movie every day...not too much like me but they come how they come I guess. I do try to sneak some transformers in there once in awhile. We love her. We are blessed to have such a wild, crazy girl.

Loving her new Cabbage Patch doll named Taylor Ariel.

Enjoying her presents.

Snow Girl!

Here is Alyssa in her first snow ever. We built two snowmen to greet those that enter our condo. She didn't like it at first but then got into the groove.

Not too thrilled about this snow junk yet.

Maybe this stuff isn't so bad.

I think she likes it.

Yay! She loves snow and the snowman!

Mikey's car buried in the snow.

Christmas & Happy New Year

The year 2011. Boom! In many ways, Mike and I are glad it is over and we are ready to welcome 2012. We have taken our share of the good and bad this year, we have had our ups and downs but we survived. Here are some highlights:

Tina - In April, I actually got braces and feel like I am living the teenage dream. In July, we were able to take a vacation to Montana where I showed Mike all the sweet places I played as a kid.

Mike - It has been 2 years since Mike's testicular cancer was removed and we are happy that no cancer markers have been found in his blood since then. In September, Mike was promoted and is now the Clinic Manager of MVP Physical Therapy in Puyallup. He enjoys it and we are hoping to move into our first home in Puyallup this month.

Alyssa - Alyssa is still a little diva and gives us a run for our money. But we wouldn't trade her for anything. She adores Elmo, coloring, running, jumping, reading and talking all day long. She also gives the best hugs and kisses. We are excited for her to turn 2 at the end of January.

Have a great 2012!