6 Week Check Up!

I went and saw the doc on Wednesday for my 6 week check up from the surgery. Can't believe it has actually be 6 weeks. The time just flew by! I haven't had any complications from the surgery, thank God for that! I've heard some nasty stories! The only thing that has really changed since the surgery is I am no longer one of the lucky ones who doesn't get cramps during their period! That sucks royally! I talked to the doc about that and apparently it is completely normal, he said they should go away and I should be back to normal once all is healed completely. Other than that, he says my cervix looks great! He says it is healing well and the results show that he was able to remove all of the abnormal cells without injuring the cervix. I should not have any problems conceiving, they only concern will be that when I do get pregnant and go into labor that my cervix may not open because of scar tissue. He doesn't think that will actually be a problem since he didn't really remove much of the cervix so the scarring should be minimal. However we will cross that bridge when we get there. As long as I am healthy and I have a healthy baby with 10 fingers and toes, I don't care how it comes out! haha
So in addition to being healthy and healing well, here's an update on life in general! Cody started his last class to finish off his degree. This will be the major one, he is currently writing a 25 page thesis paper on something do with history (the title of it sounds much more sophisticated then that, but I can't remember it haha). Once he is finished with this class, and tests out of another class, he will officially be a college graduate! I'm so excited and so proud of him! I started going to school as well, I'm taking online classes to get my Associate's Degree in history. I'm so happy to be getting this going, it's been a long time coming.  I finally got hired on permanently with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas. Not my favorite job, but the stability is reassuring, especially as we are hoping to be extending our family soon. Hopefully the next time I'm on here giving an update it will be to let all of you know the bun is in the oven! Well that is all for now! Thanks for reading! :D

LEEP and D & C Procedures

So I finally got the procedure done for my HPV. They did a LEEP (Loop Electrosurgical Exision Procedure), basically where they cut away the abnormal cells that are growing on the cervix that could cause cervical cancer. They also went ahead and did a D & C (Dilation and Curettage), where they scrape away the lining of the uterus after a miscarriage to clear away any collected tissue from the previous pregnancy. 

The whole lead up to getting these procedures done was a complete drama fest that had me so upset. I called last week to confirm my appointment for September 7th at 2:45pm for my procedure, and then was rudely informed that my appointment was for September 6th at 2:45pm for my preop consultation and labs with the doctor, and that September 7th was my actual date of surgery. None of this made any sense at all to me because I had already had a consultation with the doctor about the risks and complications and all of that jazz to go along with the surgery. I told the nurse that I really wasn't sure then if I could do the procedures this week because I will already have Labor Day off with no pay, then if I went in for the unnecessary preop consult Tuesday afternoon I would miss a half of day of work with no pay, and then all day Wednesday for the actual surgery with no pay. To which she said well that just isn't our problem and we just need to know if you are going to be here for everything, and we need to know as soon as possible. Oh and the fact that my appointment card said 2:45pm for September 7th was also not her fault or her problem and she didn't know who wrote it that way, but it was wrong! When in fact, she was the one who gave me the appointment card... but of course this was not her fault nor her problem. 

I went and ahead and kept my appointment since I knew how important this was to just hurry and get done and out of the way, especially if we still wanted to try for a baby. So I was a big girl and sucked it up and got all of the time off of work and went to the preop consult which like I said was pointless, and then found out I could have done my labs after work, that they were open until 7pm to do them. I was so not amused by this time. Until I get through my preop interview the hospital and they tell me that I cannot wear any of my jewelry! I was like uhm... it isn't possible for me to just remove my jewelry, but I can replace anything metal with plastic to which I was told no that it wasn't an option because of sterilization. I was literally crying at this point. Any of you know who know me, know that I have quite a few piercings that are still pretty fresh and new. So the thought of just taking out the jewelry and leaving my holes just completely exposed, and that just didn't seem very sterile to me at all. So I called my doctors office to see what his policy was, to which I ended up getting that rude nurse again who yelled at me yet again. I told her that if I couldn't replace my metal jewelry with plastic ones then at this time I didn't feel it worth it to get the surgery done until my piercings were healed all of the way because I didn't feel comfortable being a sterile room with 5 open and new holes. So again she yelled at me saying "yes it is worth it Heather, it is either you do this now and take out all of your jewelry or you get cervical cancer!" I was like woah... don't you think that is my choice to make, whether those odds are worth it to me; she basically told me no, it wasn't my choice, do or die! Quite dramatic. 

Now I am not an idiot, I know my health and safety is not worth a couple of piercings, but I didn't see why waiting an extra couple of weeks for my holes to heal up a little bit more so they weren't totally exposed was such a big deal. So I went and got the lab work done, and the lab tech basically told me they were all idiots and to just go get the plastic retainers and just not say anything. She told me it would bother the surgery as long as my piercings were no where near where the surgery site was. So I did just that, got the retainers, went to my surgery. My new nurse saw them, said nothing, just made sure I had none in my mouth and politely asked if I had any in the surgery site. She said as long as they aren't metal anywhere else, she didn't care and it was no big deal! Well damnit where in the hell was this woman yesterday!? haha

So now I've had the surgery, kept all of my piercings and on the road to recovery! :D Everything with the surgery went well, no complications. The general anesthesia made me a little sick to my stomach and woozy but no big deal, Cody was able to stay home with me to make sure everything was alright and I didn't fall or get sick or anything, and I've got quite a sore throat from the breathing tube, which will make for an interesting day tomorrow at work. But other than that all is well! I go back in for a check up in 6 weeks as long as nothing starts to irritate or get infected! So let's keep our fingers crossed! :D

I'll be back for another update in about 6 weeks! :))))

Rodriguez Bean Has Left The Building

So as a re-cap, Thursday I found out I was pregnant, Friday started bleeding and went to the ER. My pregnancy was confirmed at ER, was told to go home, rest and see the OB the following week. Sunday I woke up to what was basically my period, with pretty uncomfortable cramping. I was pretty panicked, but the ER told me only to come back if I was bleeding heavily. So I just tried to relax, went and kept Cody company at the laundromat and tried to keep my mind off of it. Monday morning, got up to get dressed for work, and to my surprise I no longer owned any jeans! Big shock right?! We ended up leaving an entire washer full of jeans at the laundromat! This weekend just couldn't get any worse right? So wrong! 

I called the OB that I was referred to by the ER, and luckily enough he was able to see me that afternoon. I went in and explained everything that happened, what my quantitative count was Friday at the ER and all of that jazz. He basically ended up informing us that he believed that we had already miscarried. But he would redo my blood work and do an exam just to be certain. He also informed me of some other stuff as far as my HPV, high blood pressure, and arm issues. I was scheduled to have cryosurgery done on the base to freeze 2 over active cell spots on my cervix due to my HPV, he pretty much told me cryosurgery is an outdated procedure, no one does it anymore, and it is generally unnecessary and was quite surprised to find out that I was supposed to have it done. Also my low potassium really couldn't have possibly caused my high blood pressure, and although it was good to get it back up where it needed to be just for good heart health, it wasn't going to help my blood pressure any. So he is also going to deal with that for me. And then pretty much assured me that the issues that I have with losing function with my left arm should have no impact on me getting/being pregnant. He said that since it doesn't really cause any problems other than an interference in my life, that he sees no cause for concern. So I ended up leaving, feeling very confident that I was in good hands.

So this morning I got the dreaded phone call, my labs were back. My quantitative count was 0, I had miscarried. Although he had told me, that really I should have been told that Friday at the ER when my count was 8, I was already declining then with my level being so low. I was crushed! :( He told me that it had nothing to do with anything that I did, or didn't do. That a lot of women do lose their first pregnancy, that the body just wasn't able to adjust quickly enough, or the egg was just bad, etc. That in reality only 85% of pregnancies make it past the first trimester. Somehow knowing the stats, made it a little bit easier to digest. As of right now he doesn't see any reason why having a baby would be difficult for me. Although he did say to wait until after October (two cycles) to start trying again, and that he would like redo my PAP and get me off base to a regular doctor for all of the rest of my medical issues. 

So as sad as I am that this has happened and that I am no longer a mom-to-be, in a way I am kind of glad that it all did. Had this not happened, I would have gone on to get my cryosurgery that would have been unnecessary and my high blood pressure may have still gone on unnoticed. So I guess this is kind of a blessing in disguise, if you want to call it that. I will keep everyone update through this blog on our medical journey (I guess you could call it that) to try to conceive! 

Estimated 4 Weeks

Cody and I had decided over the summer that we were going to start trying for a baby. We have been together for almost 8 years now, so since things are finally starting to fall into place, it just really only seemed right! Well it only took us one try! Shocked the crap out of us!
We found out on August 11, 2011, I took a home pregnancy test, and you could barely see the second pink line! I was running through the house trying to put it in different lights to see if I could see it better! hahaha So of course I ran upstairs and shoved it in Cody's face to see if he could see... needless to say he was not happy about having a pee stick shoved in his face! lol His first thought was, you could have just told me! I called my sister first of course, she's in nursing school right now and just got done with the reproductive systems and maternity and all of that, so I needed her confirmation! lol She told me to take another test when I got home from work, and sure enough... there was a much darker second pink line! Whoo hoo!

Unfortunately, yesterday, I had been feeling really yuck, just tired, not hungry just blah! Well when I got home from work, I noticed there was a lot of blood, and I started having terrible cramps! Cody took me to the ER right away. They drew blood and did a urine sample. Said that I am still pregnant and not to worry, that since this is my first pregnancy not to be surprised if I bleed a bit in the first trimester, and that the bleeding now is probably just a result from the egg attaching to the wall of my uterus. Unfortunately, just for precaution, I am on pelvic rest until I see the OB. Yay me! NOT! So with pelvic rest... no sex, no chores, no bending, no lifting, and no climbing the stairs... so I am essential thinking I am allowed to walk around, but other than that I am on bed rest! yay me!!! again not!!! So as soon as I can on Monday, I am making my appt with the OB! Woo hoo!!! Well that is all for now, I will keep everyone as updated as I can! :)