Friday, September 26, 2014

Meeting Dr. Mehdi Razavi: My Electrophysiologist

I had talked more in depth with my fertility doctor about everything going on in regards to my heart and he said not to be concerned.  He had previously dealt with patients who had SVT and they would probably just talk to me about taking some Beta Blockers throughout my pregnancy.

The day had come for me to finally meet with my Electrophysiologist.  His name was Dr. Mehdi Razavi.  I was shaking because I was so scared of what may come of this appointment.  I explained to him everything that had happened in my past, and with the previous doctor appointments, and what eventually led me to him.  So he had me explain to him what these episodes were like and how I can break them on my own.  I also explained to him the triggers that caused these episodes to occur.  His faced lit up with excitement as I described these things.  He said "You have textbook SVT.  Wow you are little too in tuned with your body!" 

He said that I would need to get this taken care of eventually.  Dr. Ali had said that if I would have waited until I was 50 or 60 years of age to get this checked, it could have been dangerous.  We talked about what to do from here.  They of course did an EKG and that came back normal, just as they always did.  They could have done a 30 day monitor to try to catch an episode, since one had never been recorded, but we knew what we were dealing with essentially.  So he told me that there were 3 different medications that I could take to help with the SVT.  Then..... I dropped the pregnancy bomb on him.  I told him that there was a chance that I could be pregnant and I needed to know what options were best for me at this time.  The look on his face changed instantly.  He said in his experience with SVT, it gets WORSE with pregnancy.  Most people don't even know they have SVT until they become pregnant, and I was lucky enough to catch it before pregnancy.  The pressure of the pregnancy starts to trigger the SVT episodes to occur, without me even attempting to trigger it.  The problem with this is that you cannot take the medications needed to treat the SVT while you are pregnant.  Only Beta Blockers, and that is not enough.  The other two medications needed can cause extreme deformities to the baby.  He said it would be like trying to help me with his hands tied behind his back.  The cure, and only other option, would be to have a catheter ablation done.  I had already had a feeling this would be the case, considering all I had been doing was googling the cure since I'd had left Dr. Ali's office.  He said that there would be less than a 7% chance that I would need a pacemaker and this should be the thing that cures it for good! We talked about how high the success rates were and all the benefits and risks that came along with it.  

I had to ask him the one question that I was so afraid to know... Could this kill me?  He said NO!  Oh my goodness, I couldn't be more relieved.  I would not drop dead like those basketball players and soccer players.  This would not cause cardiac arrest....but it needed to be taken care of eventually.

Here's the catch....  Since there was a chance I could be pregnant, we needed to act and we needed to act fast.  You can get a catheter ablation done while you are pregnant, but not until later in the 3rd trimester.  Who would want to put themselves in that type of situation?  He told me to think about it and let him know within a day or so.  He also offered to talk to my fertility doctor so they could discuss the situation and be in agreeance with what was going on.  

I left his office in tears of panic.  How was I going to make this type of decision in like 24 hours!?  I called my step dad and he calmed me down, as always.  My fertility doctor called me from his cell phone also to find out what was going on.  I could talk to him like a friend, so I told him how much I was freaking out and everything the doctor had said.  I must have been talking a hundred miles a minute with my voice shaking, as I fought back the tears.  He said that he would talk to Dr. Razavi, but he agreed that it would be best to get it taken care of.  He said..."You know, deep down, what you need to do." 

I knew the catheter ablation would be the best thing for me and for my body.  
It was time to get this thing scheduled and put it behind me once and for all. 

From Cardiologists to Electrophysiologists.

Let's get a little sidetracked for a bit. Ever since I was in high school I would get these really scary heart palpitations, especially when I played tennis.  It was so scary.  In highschool, my coach sent me to the ER one day after practice to get checked after I had an episode.  The ER just said that my potassium was critically low, and my sodium was low.  So from then on, I ate more bananas and didn't think too much about it.  I mean, I was young so I didn't think it could be anything too serious or something to be concerned about. After high school  I lived with this for another 10 years or so.  When I started trying to have a baby, I decided to go see a cardiologist just to make sure everything was going to be ok.  The first thing they ask you is if you drink energy drinks.  They did an EKG and that came back normal.  So then the doctor ordered me to have a stress test done, and an echo of my heart.  Everything came back just fine.  So he then ordered me to wear a halter heart monitor for 48 hours to see if we could catch an episode on there.  Nothing.  The only thing that the monitor caught was when I took a flight of stairs, my heart beat an extra beat.  The doctor said this took place in the upper chambers of my heart so it was nothing to be concerned about.  He basically told me that I was "High-Strung" and that I needed to just chill out...

As time went on, I would continue to get episodes.  Some worse than others.  Not too often, but I still got them.  I knew this wasn't just anxiety.  I just dealt with it.  I mean, I'm young and they had already run all these test on me, what else was there to do?  So it was 4 years later since I had seen the cardiologist, and I was at the gym.  I was on the treadmill and did like a 20 minute jog or so.  I was feeling a little anxious and when I was done I was just walking around to cool off and lower my heartrate.  Then BOOM, an episode happened.  Since my heart was already beating so fast from running, it was so much more intense.  I sat on the mats and just tried to breathe it out like I usually do.  I really thought I was going to die.  I can usually break the episodes and I just couldn't break it.  One of the gym employees came to check on me and brought me some ice packs to cool off.  Finally after what seemed like an eternity, it was gone.  I sat on the mats for a while and just tried to relax.  When I felt ok, I immediately left to go home.  

All I could think about was how scary that episode was.  I just had a gut feeling that I needed to see another doctor.  What if that were to happen when I was pregnant or in labor!  I just couldn't bear the thought, I was now terrified.  This was NOT anxiety.  I knew I had something wrong with me.  I decided to get a second opinion and made an appointment with another cardiologist.  It was my dad's doctor and he is suppose to be one of the best in the business.   

So I meet up with Dr. Nadir Ali.  I was soooo nervous.  I had told my fertility doctor what was going on and he agree'd that it would be best to find out what is going on, especially because I could possibly be pregnant considering we were in the midst of a cycle.  (He didn't seem too worried though.)  So I sat there and explained to Dr. Ali what was going on.  He said that he would not be repeating any of the test I had previously taken, because at my age, nothing should have changed in a 4 year time span.  He said without hesitation.... "You have a classic case of SVT".  

SVT stands for Supraventricular Tachycardia.  This means that from time to time your heart beats very fast for a reason other than exercise, high fever, or stress. For most people who have SVT, the heart still works normally to pump blood through the body.  During an episode of SVT, the heart's electrical system doesn't work right, causing the heart to beat very fast.  Most episodes of SVT are caused by faulty electrical connections in the heart. 

What did that even mean?!?!  He asked me if I had ever been pregnant, and I said no.  Then he said that pregnancy puts a lot of pressure on the heart.   I just sat there so scared.  He drew some things up on a piece a paper for me and explained to me what SVT was. I asked him if this is something that I should be really concerned about and he told me that it is something that can be cured.  At that point, he told me that he was like the "plumber" of the heart, and I needed to see an "electrician" of the heart.... so now I was off to see an Electrophysiologist.  


Cycle Day 16: Progesterone Begins

It was Cycle Day 16 and we were going to start the Progesterone suppositories to support the potential pregnancy.  We were still waiting to have our Beta done, but we were doing whatever we needed to do to support what could be happening. 




Monday, September 15, 2014

April 23, 2014: Time to Trigger!

Well, here are are!! It was Cycle Day 12, and it was Trigger time! :)  I was so excited.  This could be it!!  My dreams could finally be coming true!    This injection, formally called Ovidrel, was a breeze.  It was also done in my abdomen and did not hurt one single bit.  I mean, I didn't even feel it!  After this, it would literally be just a waiting game, with some occasional bloodwork to check my progesterone and estrogen levels.  Let's do this!!!




April 22, 2014: Follicle Ultrasound and Bloodwork

Today was the day!  I would be getting to see my follicles through ultrasound and getting some bloodwork done to check the progress of this cycle.  I was a little nervous becaue you cannot control which side ovulates during these medicated cycles.  I was praying the follicles would be on my left side.  My right side always had a cyst and some issues going on.  ALWAYS...  We were in luck!!! I ovulated on my left side, which was exactly what we needed and prayed for!  Everything was looking great and we were ready to schedule the trigger shot!  The follicles were where they needed to be and we were right on track.  :)


April 21, 2014: Menopur Injection

I had finished the Letrozole pills, and it was now time for my Menopur injection into my abdomen.  This was going to stimulate my follicles to grow.  Grow follies grow!!  Let me just say that this sucker BURNED.  For about a week after the injection I could not touch the injection site.  After this, I would have an ultrasound scheduled and some bloodwork done to see how successful the Menopur injection was. 

Infertility Awareness Week and CORM Support Group!

 Infertility Awareness Week!
This is what infertility looks like...
We are 1 in 8

During Infertility Awareness Week, I was asked to host the Support Group that the Center of Reproductive Medicine was holding!  It was such a great experience to share stories and meet others who were going through the same battle.  Thank you CORM for the experience!



Friday, September 12, 2014

Another Round!

The time had finally come.  I was about to start another round of fertility medications.  I was so nervous to begin doing shots for the first time.  

Basically the meds would be assisting in my body conceiving by doing the following...
The Letrozole is a pill that is basically used to create ovarian stimulation, which makes my body produce multiple follicles and helps them to grow.  Alot of women take this for menopause or after they have gone through surgery for breast cancer.  Weird...I know.  The second drug used in the cycle is an injection called Menopur.  Girls in the infertility community called this one the 'devil's tears'.  Because it BURRNNNSSS.  Menopur stimulates the follicles to grow.  And lastly is the "trigger" shot.  This one is called Ovidrel.  Ovidrel assists in the final maturation of the follicles and triggers the release of the mature eggs from the follicles.  This always has to be done at the perfect time.  The follicles cannot be too young, or too mature.  They have to be just right.  :)

I was so excited. I had my syringes, drugs, and sharps container, and I was ready to go!  The nurses had me watch some online videos on self injecting, and had me show them that I knew what I was doing.  I also had to learn how to mix the drugs to achieve the proper amounts needed.  It was go time.  Depending on the drug, some had to be kept refrigerated, and then taken out and brought to room temperature before administering.  

                                                          It was go time!