Say what now?

Well, the day has come and gone. The BIG surgery day. I spent all day last Wednesday (pre-op day) in an epic sprint combined with a full liquid diet. Here was my schedule that day:

9:30 AM   Pre-op at Dr. Butler's

(Signed my consent, got my post-op instructions and my very important Lortab prescription)

9:55 AM   Shopping for an Easter dress at Dress Barn

(literally standing outside before they unlock the doors in the freezing wind because I have places to be people!)

11:00 AM   Pre-op appointment at the hospital

(After waiting an HOUR, answering questions, getting blood drawn, EKG)

1:00 PM   Employee Health appointment

(Yearly physical for work, TB test)

2:15 PM   Drop-in CPR

(Yearly requirement to show I know how to save people's lives)

4:00 PM   Stop by Walmart to get my glasses adjusted

(I knew I would be wearing them for a large part of Thursday and they wouldn't stay on my face. I've always wanted the rimless glasses and I finally have them. NEVER AGAIN. They are constantly needing adjustment!)

4:30 PM   Pedicures with my Mama!

(Much-needed for the viewing pleasure of my toes for the general public and some quick relaxation)

6:00 PM   Hair appointment

(Cut and color with my fabulous Jenny!)

7:30 PM   Shopping at Target

(I needed some things for Amelia's Easter basket)

8:45 PM   FINALLY HOME

Even though I was crazy busy, it kept my mind off of being hungry (somewhat). I did have my trusty cooler in the car filled to the brim with Gatorade and Jello! I also had some chicken broth during the day which kinda sorta hit the spot because it was warm and something different. 

Dr. Butler had told me at his office to be at the hospital at 10 AM. REALLY MAN? I've got to go that much longer without eating?! Thomas dropped Amelia off at the babysitter's that morning and then we headed to the hospital. My mom and dad met us there and they called me back around 10:30. The nurse started my IV and after awhile, Drs. Hawkins and Butler and anesthesia came to see me. The same anesthesiologist put me to sleep last time and when I told him that and how I'd done this surgery before, he said, "Same song, different verse." I told him about how that was the title of my most recent blog post.

The OR nurse came to get me shortly thereafter and wheeled me back to the OR. I remember getting up on the table, them strapping my arms down and putting my SCDs (sleeves on my legs to prevent blood clots) and leads on my chest. The nurse told me she was giving me some happy juice and the next thing I knew, the recovery room nurse was asking me my pain scale (which was 7 for those of you concerned). I ended up with 3 doses of Dilaudid and some wonderful Sprite. My co-workers, Pam and Francine, came by to see me and I kinda remember what we talked about. At one point I remember being nice and relaxed and someone came by my bed and tapped my foot telling me to take some deep breaths because my oxygen was dropping (87-88%). So I did my pursed lip breathing and was on the nurse like white on rice every few minutes asking what my sat was. I'm not really sure how long I was in recovery, but the nurse eventually gave Thomas my discharge instructions and we got to leave.

But here's where the "say what now?" comes in. When I was coherent enough to ask Thomas what Dr. Butler found, he said, "Nothing. They didn't find anything. No endometriosis." Excuse me? So I've been having 60+ day cycles for no reason? Even 6 days out from surgery, I'm still dumbfounded by that. But, we have our post-op appointment next Wednesday to discuss the non-findings and what our next step is.

I dozed on the couch for the rest of the day Thursday and slept on the couch that night. I did not want a repeat of the gas pains I had last time, so I slept on an incline and didn't have any problems. Hallelujah! Thomas had to go to work on Friday, but my mom was here and took good care of me, of course. I had already planned to go down to her house in Perry on Friday and spend the weekend and go to church with them on Sunday. We had to stop by Employee Health (for 30 seconds) to have my TB test read. Nine years down and still negative! Whoo! I felt really good on Saturday, so much that I went clothes shopping. We had cooking to do Saturday evening and I felt good the whole time. Sunday was great: went to church, had lunch at Char's, and the Easter egg hunt. Then Monday came and I felt like C.R.A.P. I had no energy despite the fact that I had slept most of the day. I was supposed to go back to work Tuesday, but I had to call in because there was no way I could function for 12 hours the way I was feeling. 

The nurse at Dr. Butler's office, Cynthia, and I finally stopped playing phone tag on Tuesday morning and when I described how I was feeling and what I had done Sunday, she said it sounded like I had overdone it and my body was telling me to slow down. It made sense, but I did all those things Sunday because I felt so good! She was able to give me a work excuse through Friday, so I'm out of work until next Monday. I really did not anticipate it hitting me like that, but it did. So...I've been resting the past two days and trying not to do anything too strenuous. 

That's all for now! I'll post more after our appointment next Wednesday!

Lauren

Same Song, Different Verse

Have you missed me, world? 

I can't believe it's been almost 3 years since I've posted on this blog. I'll admit, life has gotten in my way. Between my paid job of being a Respiratory Therapist and my non-paid, but oh-so-much-more important and challenging job of being a wife and mother, there hasn't been time to do much else.

Here's a quick run-down of what we've been up to since I last posted in April 2011...

Jessica Villemain Photography

Amelia is now 3 going on 30. She is a very strong-willed and independent little girl. She keeps us on our toes and challenges us on a daily basis. She is also one of the sweetest little girls I've ever met. Yes, I may be biased, but she can be quite sweet. Especially when it comes to giving kisses and hugs and taking care of her many babies. Just when I don't think it's possible to love her any more than I already do, my heart grows even more. Some nights after she's gone to bed and we're sitting in the rarity that's known as peace and quiet, I want to go wake her up and tell her I love her. And smart? Good grief is she smart! She'll say something and I'll wonder where in the world she got it from. She's definitely a sponge and loves learning new things. She loves to read and practice her numbers, colors, and shapes. She loves to help cook and clean and just about anything else you'll let her do. She's going to First Baptist Preschool two days a week and she loves her class and teachers. She'll be going three days a week in the Fall and will hopefully love it just as much.

Thomas and I are still busy working and parenting! We celebrated our 7th anniversary back in January and we took a cruise to the Western Caribbean on Norwegian Cruise Lines. My parents kept Amelia for the week and we missed her something awful! We had a great time visiting places we've never been and enjoying each other's company--something we haven't been able to do as much of lately!

So, that brings us up to speed I think.

Many married people will tell you that as soon as they finish walking down the aisle as a newly married couple, people start asking when they're going to have children. And when they have a child, the same people are asking when they're going to have another one as soon as the first one comes out. We got the same types of questions, of course, but we were nowhere near ready to have another child probably up until about a year ago. I can't speak for Thomas on this, but I was just too selfish and didn't want to share my time with anyone else. I wanted to give Amelia my undivided parental attention and I enjoyed being with just her. Also, parenting is H.A.R.D. Kudos to those that have their kids in rapid succession. Some say it's easier if they're in diapers at the same time, going through similar milestones, etc. But I just couldn't imagine trying to parent two children when one is so challenging. About this time last year, we started talking about having another child. I was taking some medication at the time that I had to be off of for six months before trying to get pregnant. So I decided I would stop taking it at the beginning of June and I would stop my birth control at the end of December. (As you probably know, I'm a planner!) Our plan was to start trying after the first of the year.

After Amelia was born, I asked my Ob/Gyn, Dr. Harper, if he thought I would have the same trouble the next time I wanted to get pregnant. (In case you need a refresher of what we had to do last time, go here, here, here, and here) He said he didn't think we would have any trouble because I was able to get pregnant, deliver at term, and breastfeed. Those are the best treatments for endometriosis. So, I was hopeful that was going to be the case. Not so much. I ended up stopping birth control at the end of October and my first cycle was 45 days long. Then 57 days. Then 66 days. And currently 62 days. My period doesn't last that long (thank goodness!), that's just the time from the beginning of one period to the beginning of the next. When I saw Dr. Harper back in February for my yearly physical, I asked him if I could be ovulating with such irregular cycles. He said I could be, but it would be very sporadic and the eggs would be of suboptimal condition. (Thoughts from me: what the HECK does that mean?!?) He said we could try Clomid for a few months, but he could also go ahead and refer me to Dr. Butler (Reproductive Endocrinologist/Infertility Doctor) and get the ball rolling since we had success last time. I opted to go ahead with the referral since Dr. Butler may try the Clomid anyway.

We saw Dr. Butler on March 19th and while I was hoping not to have to go this route, it was nice to see the familiar faces of the nurses and doctor who helped us last time. We had to update our medical history and I had to have an always fun vaginal ultrasound. After that, we met with Dr. Butler in his office to discuss our options. He said we had 2 options:

1. Go ahead with the injections and insemination without surgery since I'm right on the cusp of my previous pregnancy being the right treatment for endometriosis (it's usually good for 2-4 years).

2. Have surgery (laparoscopy) to remove any endometriosis that may have reaccumulated. Then proceed with the injections and insemination like before.

We opted for surgery first because insurance doesn't pay for the injections and insemination procedure and we didn't want to waste our time and money if it doesn't work because of endometriosis.

So...VERY long story short, I'm having surgery next Thursday, April 17th. The plan is to wait for my next cycle to occur after that and then begin the journey of injections and insemination and hope it works the first time like it did last time. We covet your prayers that everything goes smoothly with the surgery and everything goes like it should from here on out.

I'd like to keep the blog up-to-date like I did last time, but I didn't have a 3 year old and I wasn't working 4 days a week then! And it's taken me about 3 weeks to put this post together! So, I'll do my very best!

Until then....think baby thoughts!

Lauren