Follow-Up

Dr. Lister's nurse called and left me a message that she was recommending I undergo a procedure called a hysteroscopy where they insert a scope to look more closely at my uterus and remove the polyp they found in one of my tubes.  So of course, I didn't take my own advice and googled what is involved in a hysteroscopy!  Did you really expect anything different from me?  lol!  I found out that you are usually sedated for it when it is an operative hysteroscopy, and that was very welcome information.  I'm definitely going to be one of those women that beg for drugs ASAP!  God invented bupivacaine for a reason!

I went to my follow-up appointment with Dr. Lister, and she did a transvaginal ultrasound, a.k.a. the rigid wand of torture that magically emits sound waves.  I think it's funny how they put a condom on it.  Like really, there's nothing more medically advanced to slip over it?  Anyway, after some probing, she determined both of my ovaries looked great.  So, she pulled it out and let me sit up, and we discussed the next step while I still sat there half naked.  Oh the joys of discussions in the OB/GYN office, where you're hardly ever fully dressed!  She said she didn't really think I needed a hysteroscopy to remove the polyp because it was so small and it wasn't fully blocking my tube.  She also told me Charles' second semen analysis looked better than the first, and there were no abnormalities this time.  

So, the next step would be Clomid, a drug that makes you "super-ovulate."  When I texted this to Charles, his mind went to superheroes of course!  (enter in comments about having super strength eggs that can transform into a baby at the speed of light!)  I have heard many horror stories about Clomid, and I'm glad I did because many OBs are quick to jump on the Clomid bandwagon, and some of them don't do proper monitoring.  I learned that you can only take  it for a limited number of cycles in your lifetime, you need bloodwork and ultrasounds throughout the cycle on specific days, it can become a big problem if multiple eggs end up fertilized, and it can thin your uterine lining over time which would make an embryo not be able to stick and stay in the uterus.  Scary stuff.  Not that Dr. Lister couldn't handle it and I'm positive that IHC has Clomid protocols based on recent research.  But I wanted to explore my options.  So, I told her I didn't want to do that just yet.  Then, she very willingly referred me to Dr. Swelstad at the Reproductive Care Center.  That's a sign of a good doctor, when they can refer you to someone that might be able to help you better. 

I called Dr. Swelstad's office, and they don't take our insurance, and we make more than what qualifies for their discounted program.  Boo!  But a consult is practically free (just a specialist copay), so we got an appointment for Saturday!  We went online and filled out our separate history forms because the receptionist said Dr. Swelstad likes to know his patients' backgrounds before meeting them.  I think that's awesome!  So here we go!