July 22, 2011 10:16:49AM

This day would mark my first Hysterosalpingography (HSG or Dye Study).  This was basically a test, where they inject dye into your cervix and watch it spill out into your abdomen to see if both fallopian tubes are open.  I was beyond nervous.  I got to the hospital early that morning.  My doctor told me to take 800mg of Motrin (prescription strength) an hour before my procedure because the hospital would not be giving me any type of medication for the pain or discomfort I was about to endure....But of course, I didn't remember to take them.  The nurse came out and asked me to draw blood for a pregnancy test.  I obviously knew what those results were going to be, but I knew it was just proper protocol. Once I got the negative pregnancy test results, it was time for the procedure.

My mom was with me at the time, because Miguel had to work.  I think she was more nervous than I was.   There were 3 other people in the room.  The doctor, the nurse, and an assistant.  They had me lay on this steel table.  I was shaking.  They began by using clamps to open me up in order to properly place the A6 French Catheter inside of me and attach it to my uterus.  The nurse stood over me, holding my hand and instructing me on how to breathe.  "Just focus on your breathing... Deep breaths in and out", she would tell me.  Once the catheter was attached, then they began to inject the contrast (5mL of it).  They had this machine over my abdomen in order for the doctor to watch the study on a screen.  The contrast makes your tubes swell, and you instantly feel tremendous pressure and abdominal cramping.  You are just so uncomfortable, that you want to just push everyone away from you.  They tell me to take deep breaths and keep still because the dye can make me feel like I want to faint. Oh well, that's just wonderful.  Once the study was over, I was instructed to lay there for a couple of minutes so that I wouldn't pass out from the left over contrast in my system.  When it was all said and done, I could not be happier that it was all over with!!  I told myself I would never do that test again.  Never.  Now I just wait for my doctor to call me with results....

May 24, 2011 9:15:23AM

I began to get Pelvis Transvaginal Ultrasounds every 3 months to monitor the cyst.  During this particular ultrasound there was a 2.8 cm simple right ovarian cyst, and a 3.2 cm complex left ovarian cyst containing low level echoes.  This complex cyst was more consistent with a hemorrhagic cyst (Possibly filled with blood).  In previous ultrasounds they suggested that one of my tubes could be a possible hydrosalpinx, but in this current study it was no longer being seen.  There was also mild free fluid seen adjacent to the right ovary.  Things didn't look too bad, so I kept trying to get pregnant and I continued to get my ultrasounds done every 3 months to track my progress and condition of the cysts.  

Soon after... my doctor scheduled for me to have my first Hysterosalpingography (HSG) done.

Daily Motivation #3

Let The Journey Begin

On October 30, 2010 Miguel and I got married. <3  I was beyond excited and happy.  We had been talking about having kids, which made me so excited to finally get off of my birth control once the madness of the wedding was over with.  I quickly made an appointment with my doctor to inform him that I would be getting off my birth control that I had been taking for my ovarian cysts, just to make sure it would be a safe thing to do, so that I could start trying to get pregnant.  I got the approval and my doctor was on board!  I waited for 3 months to start "trying", per my doctor's request once I completely stopped taking my birth control.  By December of 2010, we were officially "trying"!   I had read that if you don't get pregnant after a year of trying to conceive and you are under the age of 35, then it is best to seek medical help to see if there could be a potential problem.  After a year had gone by, I still had not gotten pregnant.  At this point I didn't think too much into it.  I just thought that maybe my timing was off.  I told myself that I had to be more precise.  I started to constantly track my menstrual cycles, ovulation, marked my calendar, and even bought home ovulation kits.  Another 6 months passed. Nothing. It had been a year and a half, and nothing had happened.  I started to think that maybe something could be going on that I was not aware of, and I decided to make a doctors appointment.  This is where my journey with infertility begins.  

Released from the hospital and back to normal :)

Over the course of the next 5 days in the hospital, they fed me through my IV (in case I would need sugery at any moment).  My gynecologist and I decided together that I would continue on the Morphine and antibiotics intravenously, so we could continue to avoid having to operate.  They were constantly running test and doing blood work to monitor the cyst and the infection.  The cyst was so large that the doctors could barely tell if it was located on my fallopian tube or my ovary.  They soon discovered that it was wedged in between the two, but attached to my ovary.  After a couple of days they took my off the Morphine and put me on Vicodin, as I continued my antibiotics intravenously.  Luckily, it all worked!!! My cyst was no longer infected or ginormous! Things were looking good!  I was so excited that I didn't have to get surgery and I could finally eat real food!  Later that week, I was released to go home and get on birth control to help control any future production of the cysts.  I was a happy girl...   I continued on antibiotics orally until I was told otherwise.  I was finally getting my life back to normal. 

Lucky me....   :)   my husband took me on my first trip to DisneyWorld just a couple weeks after my release from the hospital, and my Disney obsession began.    :)   

                                                         Throwback to 2008!

Daily Motivation #2

This is exactly how I feel.  Never stop pushing forward.  There may be bends in the road, but its not the end.  Things may not be going the way that I planned for them to go, but I am exactly where I need to be.  The timing is perfect.  My struggle and my past will not determine my happiness.  #KeepGoing #MoveOn #BeHappy

What was going on...

The hospital was doing all that they could to try and figure out what was causing the pain.  Blood Tests, Catheters, X-Rays, Physical Exams,  Papsmeres, MRI's, Pelvic Exams.... blah blah blah.  It turned out that I had a large ovarian cyst on my right ovary that had become infected.  The cyst was positioned sort of between my ovary and fallopian tube, which made the doctor second guess himself for a moment and made him think that there was a possibility of it being an ectopic pregnancy.  

The ovarian cyst was confirmed.  I was too young for them to consider surgery in order to get rid of it.  After all, this was my reproductive system.  If they performed surgery in such a delicate area, it could possibly mess with my fertility from that day forward.  Over the next 5 days, my IV would consist of Morphine for the excruciating pain, and strong antibiotics in hopes to fight the infection.  I had developed a fever over the next couple of days due to the infection.  The doctor decided to keep my fever and stabilize it as a defense mechanism to keep fighting against the infection.  If we couldn't get rid of the infection, we would have no choice but to perform surgery. 

My husband, who was just my boyfriend at the time, never left my side.  He slept on those horrible hospital couches in my room every night. At the time I wasn't concerned about having kids.  I wasn't trying to get pregnant, and the thought of this affecting me later in life when I wanted kids, never really crossed my mind.  It just wasn't what I really thought about at that time in my life.  I just thought, well once this goes away, I can continue on with my daily routine.