MRI Results

The preliminary results of my MRI came back today.  Report read a "couple" of endometrial invasion islets in the myometrium were noted with only one measurement of 1 cm.  What was seen is consistent with adenomyosis.  I am not sure how many a couple is (2 as seen by US?), and why the others were not measured, but my RE is going to review the films herself and give me a full report in person on August 5.

In the meantime, I am on my 3rd week of acupuncture and have noticed a big difference in my energy, back pain (caused by a previously sprained lower SI joint) and mood.  I am hoping it will have an effect on my cycle this month as well.

I've added 600 IU of vitamin E at bedtime, magnesium 300 mg/d, and vitamin B6 50 mg/d.  I am also drinking a loose chinese herbal tea twice daily that my acupuncturist created for my particular symptoms.

I plan to buy DIM this week as I have read up on it and it says that it speeds excretion of estradiol thereby increasing the metabolism of estradiol and decreasing serum (or circulation of) estradiol levels.  Recommended dose is 600-1200 mg/d.

A variety of websites recommend progesterone cream as well, but I am going to wait to discuss this with my RE as I do not want it to interfere in our pregnancy attempts.

The good news is:  It is NOT cancer (thank god!) and in the end, that we can still go through with our last IUI attempt this August and if that does not work, attempt IVF in October.

The bad news is:  My RE thought we could do the transfer before my husband leaves in October.  However, the lab is closed for most of the month.  So it looks like my husband will have to make several donations, have his sperm frozen and then I go through with the embryo transfer solo.  Not my ideal situation, but it is either that or wait 6 months and watch my age increase by one year and my fertility to decrease even more.

Nope, better to get the good eggs out now before they expire!

Friday's News - MRI

This day did not go as planned.

It all started off with me driving 50 minutes in moderately heavy traffic (read: people who leisurely drive in the left lane and prevent you from passing) two cities away to have my MRI done. Upon arriving at the facility they tell me that I must be mistaken as they do not do MRIs. They point me towards the hospital up the road and advise me to check there. I call my referring RE's office and I am on hold for 10 minutes, so I hang up and go up the road. The hospital radiology department has no record of my name. My RE's office calls back and says, "Oh sorry. Someone must have given you the wrong information. You are meant to be at the hospital here." What??? I am in the wrong city? I was so hot at this point - literally and figuratively! It was 40 C/104 F already at noon and even with the air con in my car cranked to the max, I was still sweating. I begrudgingly drove another 30 minutes to get to the correct hospital and finally had my MRI.

It took about 45 minutes in total for the pelvic MRI, which I was surprised by. I thought with only having to image a small area that it would take less time than a full body MRI. I was too hot and tired to ask any questions though, and after 45 minutes of lying flat and still on a hard table my lower back was killing me as well (due to a previous SI sprain that flares up from time to time). Luckily I was able to pass the time listening to NPR, which helped with not thinking about the teeny tiny cavity I was in.

After my MRI, I do some yoga stretches (downward dog, padangusthasana) in the changing room to ease my back pain and then side step over to the cafeteria to stock up on some nuts, water and fruit before I hit the road again. It is now 3 hours since I left home, and I have to drive another 30 minutes to my acupuncture appointment which will last another 2 hours. Days like this make me really miss the days of public transit in the EU!

I make it to my acupuncture appointment just in the nick of time. I'm all bothered and irritated, but my practitioner is calming and serene. I quickly shed some of my stress. I hop up on the table and have many needles placed in carefully selected areas all over the front of my body including my head (acupuncturist says it is to lift my mood - ha!). I lie there for 30 minutes having a hard time relaxing. My mind is racing and the halogen lamp is bothering my vision even when my eyes are closed. My acupuncturist then removes all the needles, has me lie on my stomach and then places many more needles along my back including one directly in my SI joint. I practically leap off the table on insertion, but it magically starts to feel better immediately. I lie there for another 30 minutes and this time I am able to fully relax. I can no longer see the halogen light in my eyelids and I drift off to a floating type sleep with vivid images flashing before my eyes. Before I know it my practitioner has returned to remove my needles and I am now happy and buoyant. My stress is gone. How does acupuncture do that? It really is so incredibly amazing to me. I eagerly look forward to my next week's visit.

I should hear back from RE in about a week's time. Fingers crossed for good news and that we can proceed with our last IUI, and then IVF in October if not successful.

Post script: I'm on day 9 of my juice detox and it is going well. I feel like I have heaps of energy and have even lost 4 kg/8#. These past few days I have not lost anything more, so I have been a bit worried. I hope I can lose more weight while continuing to feel great.

BFN #3

Another disappointing negative. Number 3 that is.

Luckily this time, due to not getting my hopes up, I have not been sobbing in my bed for 2 days. Instead, last night my husband and I took a midnight swim with a bottle of Pinot Noir and The Gotan Project playing in the background. It was a nice, romantic time to reconnect and discuss our dreams, hopes and fears.

Hopefully one day we will have a child, but it was not meant to begin today.

I again have had raging dysmenorrhea (cramping, nausea and vomiting) and had to take 2 percocets and 4 ibuprofen liquid caps. I rarely take medicine and tried to just get by on 1 percocet, but I was up at 0500 retching and doubled over in pain sobbing. I have never, ever in my life felt so horribly during my periods and am a bit concerned, but my RE seems to think it is solely due to the Clomid.

Today, due to the medicine and pain, I have slept most of the day away, recovering. Luckily now the pain is manageable with ibuprofen. My mind remains unfocused and cloudy though, which does not bode well for my studies that I have to do today.

On my scan this cycle, the fluid filled sac was seen again in my myometrium, so since I am not pregnant, this month will be focused on diagnosing the mass. I go for a MRI on the 15th of July, and will schedule another HSG this week, but this time it will be with saline. I heard from a nurse-midwife colleague of mine who got pregnant both times after a saline flush, so fingers crossed that will work for me as well.

And so the journey continues.