Okay, Pete and I had our big, scary appointment with the pelvic surgeon Dr. referred us to this afternoon.
It went much differently than we expected.
According to Dr. (who we've been seeing now since May for help in figuring out our infertility), we would, at this appointment, be scheduled for Endometriosis surgery, and would have a second ultrasound to check on the progress of the ovarian cysts- determining whether or not I would also have ovarian surgery coming up at some point.
Dr. H, the surgeon, basically told us the complete opposite of what Dr. has been telling us all along.
I am both relieved and frustrated beyond belief.
Dr. H, the pelvic surgeon, says I most likely do NOT have PCOS (poly cystic ovarian syndrome). Most women with this have periods that are extremely sporadic- as in they don't even have them for months on end- and most are very overweight. He, Dr. H, says that it is actually not uncommon to find multiple "follicles" on the ovaries when they are ultrasounded, that the "extra" follicles they found on my ovaries were actually very small, and that it is actually very inaccurate to diagnose PCOS by ultrasound.
According to Dr. H, I am ovulating because I am having fairly regular periods. Whether or not I ovulate a mature egg or not is yet to be discovered, and will possibly be looked into sometime in the future, after a few initial tests are out of the way. Dr. (our first Dr. that is- I'll start calling him Dr. T)- Dr. T told us more than once that I was probably not ovulating, which was a cause for great concern, and put me on Metformin (an extremely low dose of 250 mg) to see if it would get rid of the ovarian cysts and start me ovulating again.
Dr. H says to stop taking the Metformin, 1. because we know I'm ovulating, and 2. because, at such a low dose, it's most likely not doing anything for me- they generally start patients on it at 1500 mg (I'm on 250 mg.).
Dr. T sent us to Dr. H to have him schedule us for Endometriosis surgery and to (at the same time) do the "dye test"- injecting dye into the fallopian tubes to see if there are any blockages.
Dr. H says I don't really even fit the profile for someone with Endometriosis, and so we are going to start off with three things.
1. Pete will be "evaluated" to rule out any low count problems. Dr. H says that he has seen it happen so often that the woman is examined, poked, and prodded, when all along it was a problem on the husband's end of things that was never looked into. I feel a bit sorry for Pete, but only a bit. After all I've done and had done to me, it's his turn. ;)
2. Roughly two weeks from today, long enough to make sure that the Metformin is completely out of my system, I will be having my blood drawn to check my insulin level (I think this has something to do with ruling out PCOS for sure) and my Prolactin level. Dr. H says if my Prolactin level(the hormone used in the production of milk that sort of stifles ovulation) is slightly elevated it could be interfering with my ovulation just enough to keep us from getting pregnant. If so, it can be adjusted.
And, 3. On about the 8th day of my next menstral cycle I will have the "dye test" (actually called a Hysterosalpingogram or HSG) done to make sure there are no blockages. Dr. H says that fertility usually increases up to 60% just after having the HSG test done. The general theory behind why is that there are slight blockages, not detected in the HSG, that the dye injection flushes out. It won't be fun, but we're up for it (really we're up for almost anything at this point).
No mention of Endometrosis surgery yet, absolutely no mention of ovarian surgery (which is the one I am terrified of) anytime in the near future. And, the best part, is that Dr. H says to keep "trying" and if we get pregnant at any point it won't be necessary to do whatever else is next in the infertility plan.
So, we are both relieved and very frustrated.
Frusterated because Dr. T came well recommended to us, and we trusted him, and he has, apparently, been giving us misguided information. We thought, since the hospital put him in charge of their Fertility Care program, that he knew what he was doing. We, very possibly, have been going to a doctor since May, that does not, in actuality, know what he is doing. And, when you are trying for a baby, and have been waiting, and trying, and suffering through unexplained infertility for 3 years or more, every month counts.
So, when my family and friends have a hard time understanding my general mistrust of doctors and hospitals, THIS would be a prime example of WHY I mistrust doctors and hospitals. No two doctors ever seem to be on the same page.
When politicians talk of healthcare reform, what they really need to be addressing is the total and complete lack of COMMUNICATION between doctors in regards to their patients. Why can't they just TALK to each other, get on the same page, and treat patients correctly the first time so that those same patients can be cured, helped, fixed or whatever the first time rather than months or even years down the road?
Sigh. And now, I'll step down from my soap box.
At least we seem to have a doctor, now, who (hopefully!!!) knows what he's doing.
We meet with Dr. T again on Thursday.
Who knows how the heck that appointment is going to go.
