i had the hysterosalpingogram procedure today, and at a glance it looks like all of my parts are working right. my doctor will get a more detailed report from the folks who did the procedure once they've looked closely at the x-rays, but the doc i saw today said both of my tubes are open and everything looks fine.
right now i'm feeling pretty crappy, physically, but not so bad emotionally. i've been feeling slightly better since therapy on monday, and trying to be more optimistic and focused on the good parts of my life... of which there are many. i was super anxious all day today about having this "hystogram" thing, so i'm psyched it's over. it wasn't all that bad, either. here's how it went, in case you're curious about such things.
i went to a radiology center, you know -- a place where people get mammogams and MRIs and CT scans and all kinds of other tests that allow docs to take pictures of stuff inside you. it was a nice facility and the people were quite friendly and pleasant... a rarity in medical offices in new york. the hubby went with me (at my request), which was helpful because i was all hyped up about it beforehand, and feeling really gross afterwards. the thing i didn't expect is that he actually went into the room with me. i'd imagined him sitting in the waiting room, bored, checking work email on his phone... but he voluntarily came back with me and stayed with me throughout. there are serious perks to this marriage thing -- who knew?
so, after i'd stripped from the waist down, they took me into a room and set me up on a huge table with an x-ray machine suspended above it. it started out very much like a regular gynecological exam: legs propped up, knees covered, etc. there were two doctors (i assume one was a resident... can't imagine this was all that complicated that it required two doctors) who told me how it would work. basically they used a balloon to keep my cervix open so that they could insert a catheter and fill me up with an iodine-based dye. after they'd done that, i had to scootch up on the table and put my legs down flat so that my lower body was right under the x-ray machine. the dye moved through my tubes and uterus so that they could see how if there were any blockages or other abnormal things. the image was projected on a screen next to me (which i checked out when i could) and they snapped a couple of pictures of things. at one point i had to roll my hips to one side so that they could see the other side better. it took less than 10 minutes from start to finish.
it didn't hurt, but i could feel the pinch of the balloon being attached to my cervix (i mean, you can't really miss that) and then a lot of cramping and general discomfort. because my uterus was inflated by a balloon. definitely not something i feel every day. eventaually the balloon deflated itself and came out, which also felt weird. and since then i've just had cramps and bleeding. the bleeding has actually been heavier than i expected; the technician? nurse? said i'd probably experience some spotting, but this is clearly more than spotting. of course it could be that i left immediately after and commuted home by subway, with a husband who walks way too fast for me. probably not ideal. now that i'm stationed on the couch, where i plan to stay for the remainder of the evening, hopefully i'll feel better and the bleeding will stop.
in other news, the hubby and i have been talking about our next steps in light of our newly found knowledge that most fertility treatments aren't covered by insurance. we decided that we wouldn't spend the money to see a specialist right now, because we think we know what we want our next step to be regardless. we want to know if there's something genetically messed up with his sperm, other than the fact that they don't move or look the way they should. i did some research about this and found out that the test we want to have done is called a sperm DNA fragmentation test. i contacted the lab where he had the initial semen analysis done and they said they can do that test, so i think we're just going to schedule that appointment and then make any other decisions from there. because that information will be enough for us to know if we want to keep trying or not. period.
so that's where we're at. i plan to enjoy a night in sweatpants on the couch with takeout leftovers and TV, and see if i feel well enough to go into work in the morning. tomorrow i will call my doctor for the results and to talk to him about our decision about the sperm DNA test. i'm not thinking any further than that yet. one day at a time, right?
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