When I scheduled my appointment to meet my new Reproductive Endocrinologist I wasn't really thinking about it being Halloween. I wasn't thinking about ALL of the cute little kids that would be trick-or-treating. I WAS thinking about the next available time slot. Halloween? -Sure I'll take it.
Unfortunately I woke up with a cold this morning. Ugh. Then it was back-to-back meetings at work. Ugh. Painful meetings. Crushing deadlines. Panic. Working this weekend. Ugh.
As I began to think about my upcoming appointment I thought "oh, great, today is miserable so far. My appointment is sure to follow suit." Boy was I pleasantly surprised :)
I left my hectic office and ventured into the city for my appointment. I managed to park, find my way through the maze of corridors, check in and settle into the waiting room without incident. Yes - A step in the right direction! I was taken to the back to get my weight, blood pressure taken and then placed BACK into the waiting room. I appreciated this because I wasn't left to sit in the sterile exam room awaiting my fate (something I realized made me uncomfortable while meeting my new OB). The waiting room here is set up much differently than the previous RE's office. It was separated by a half wall and partitioned into a smaller area where I was sitting. I came to realize that I do not dread this waiting room nearly as much as the last RE's office because of the partition wall. I think they made a conscious effort to shield people like me from the rest of the bunch. Thanks. Much appreciated. I sounds strange but it really helped.
When I met the doctor I could immediately tell he was the no nonsense type. A good thing for me-exactly what I hoped for. He started right in and began asking questions. He was unemotional during my description of my miscarriages which is nice for me because it allows to to stay unemotional as well. Making sad faces at me only makes me sad. And makes me cry which only produces more sad faces. Vicious cycle.
I felt comfortable enough to interject during his descriptions. I think I threw him a little curve ball when I said that I had already seen another RE and didn't have a good experience. He handled it well and was pleased to look over the lab work that I have already done.
Thankfully I felt vindicated when he said that my TSH levels could in fact be a contributing factor in the miscarriages. He even made a note about it being even higher than the 3.34 he had in front of him. He wants the TSH under 2.5 before getting pregnant. PLUS, he believes in treating with progesterone. JACKPOT. Someone that isn't poo-pooing everything I was concerned about.
What he wants to perform a sonohysterogram, which is to get a better look at my uterus. He said that the sonohysterogram is more focused on the uterus and not the tubes, unlike the HSG. Something new. Interesting. Happy-happy-joy-joy.
He wants to take a look at my uterus to rule out fibroids/cysts/anatomy issues. Fingers crossed all is well otherwise that would involve surgery. Boo. (See what I did there? Halloween. Boo. haha. Lame, I know.)
We have a followup appointment scheduled for Dec 3. At that time he will review the results of the sonohysterogram and talk next steps which will include clomid and progesterone (unless an issue is uncovered during the producure). Clomid for a stronger egg(s) and increased chance of conception and progestorone to help the uterine lining. Sounds great. Similar plan to the last RE but different at the same time because of the reasoning and approach.
The bad news: he doesn't want us to try to conceive before the sonohysterogram. He doesn't want to run the risk of another miscarriage (which will just delay getting pregnant again). As he said he wants the sonohysterogram results and Rx to "set us up for success." Music to my ears! The last RE was just pacifying me with progesterone and throwing clomid at me to try to get me pregnant fast. What a nice change of pace.
While I am a little disheartened that we will have to wait until late December or even early January to start trying again I am reassured by the experience I had today. I feel welcome. I feel listened to. I feel relieved that he believes that my TSH levels may be a contributing factor. I am OK with waiting because for the first time in a long time I feel that I have appropriate doctors in place and that I am being properly cared for. I am finally at peace. Really. Such a weight has been lifted over me.
I am very relieved that the appointment went well and that I can now great my trick-or-treaters with genuine smiles instead of trying to hold back the tears.
There is hope here. That I am certain of.
Rainbow: I think I love my new no-nonsense tell-it-like-it-is RE. What a difference a year makes :)
Rainshower: I have a crumby cold during a very busy time for me at work. Boo.
No comments:
Post a Comment