First appointment done and dusted.

[CurlySue]

...and, it actually went quite well. i was there for two hours (yes, two hours!) and did the forms, filled in all the paperwork, answered all the questions, did the weight, height and blood tests, etc.

Discussed symptoms with the doctor. She (was a she, in the end - the man who i was supposed to see was not there that day) said it sounded a lot like I had classic endometriosis symptoms (the pain in the right side, the pain being cyclic, the mad, crazy, erratic cycle lengths, the breakthrough bleeding, etc) and recommended a HSG. That was until I told her that I had an allergic reaction to the dye when I went for an IVP last year so she went and consulted somebody else. When she came back she told me that it would be safer to do a Lap and Dye instead because the dye involved is not contrast dye and it is a more thorough investigation.

That was booked for the morning of 4th September...

She looked at the results from my hormone tests (CD21) and she said that, though the doctor told me they were normal there were two hormones which are required to balance each other out. In the second part of the cycle, after ovulation, one is supposed to be higher than the other. Mine is reversed. The one that is supposed to be high is low, the one that is supposed to be low is high.

She said this might explain my erratic OPKs.

I am going for CD2-4 blood tests next month, when I get my next period, and OH has been booked in for sperm analysis on 8th August (luckily enough, I got football tickets for him for that day - it is a way of sweetening him up at least!).

She gave me all the options. If there is a blockage somewhere, she said, then fertility drugs are pointless. Insemination is pointless. The only real option then is IVF or the other one that is similar to IVF. If all is clear or there is only a minimal problem (ie endo that does not interfere with tubes) she said that the prescription of fertility drugs would probably be the best option. It would not lessen the cycle but it would at least give me more of a chance, i.e. 2 eggs in 50 days rather than 1.

Oh, another thing she said - guidelines now suggest that every day is too much even around ovulation time. Every other day is more than enough.

Getting somewhere, at least. I really had the thought that was going to be a totally hopeless appointment!!!

 

[akcher]

Sounds like you're doc is on the job with getting the ball rolling That's great to hear and keep up posted

 

[miel]

wow!
you had a lot of informations...it's good to see a good doctor
i am really happy you got some answers .

 

[CurlySue]

I had heard of so many people turning up to their first appointment only to be told "give it another six months and we'll see what we can do" - I suppose the fact that I have mad, erratic cycles helped me in that department.

 

[loopylew]

you sound like you had a really good Dr, when you say mad cycles what do you mean? mine are between 32-47 and i get pain in my right side, i do seem to ovulate each month but have a 5-8day luteal phase. My consultant just sent us away for another 3 months so were back on the 30th Sept, weren't in there more than 10minutes for our first appt. Did you go private?

 

[pixielou]

Yep, your def lucky Curly! My doc won't do me Lap op, I should have lied and said that I was allergic to the die, lol

 

[CurlySue]

you sound like you had a really good Dr, when you say mad cycles what do you mean? mine are between 32-47 and i get pain in my right side, i do seem to ovulate each month but have a 5-8day luteal phase. My consultant just sent us away for another 3 months so were back on the 30th Sept, weren't in there more than 10minutes for our first appt. Did you go private?

Looking back over my "official notes" for the past 18 months or so my shortest cycle has been around 25 days. My longest has been (I think) 51 (though I am really unsure about that one as I had breakthrough bleeding for a day in the middle of that) The last one was 43 days. The one before that was 27. The one before that was 40. The one before that 33. Sometimes its not a proper period. Its just pink. Other times it's heavy with (tmi) clots and skin. Before I was on the pill I used to have around an average of four periods per year. I would get a period then miss three, get another, then another miss another two, get another one, miss another three. You get the picture, right? I went to see the doctor about it and he put me on the pill to try to regulate them. It worked, somewhat, but the minute I was off the pill they went up the wall again.

I was referred mostly for the pain. The pain I get nowadays starts about three or four days before ovulation and more or less never stops until my period is almost over. I get pain bad enough to require painkillers more or less from the day I ovulate (eases off until about 3dpo then starts up again) It lasts until a couple of days before my period ends (one month, I counted 20 days of moderate to severe pain that did not ease up at all and have actually passed out because of it!) so the doctor actually referred me for pelvic pain rather than for infertility. And, I think, because I have a history of menstrual problems.

I don't know if I ovulate every month. Though my GP told me that my hormones were fine the Gyno told me today that they were reversed from what they should be. My luteal phase is not consistent because I don't always ovulate (I know this through temping! I can have positive OPKs and no temp shift or, indeed, can ovulate without having a positive OPK - though, this last month I know I did not ovulate yet I had two almost positives and one positive!) The times I HAVE ovulated my luteal phase has been mostly 15 days but, on occasion, it has been 9 days, 8 days, 12 days. I am thinking these are the months I do not ovulate. But it more or less averages at 15. The word 'messy' really fits me and my cycles, always has.

Did not go private, no. But, like I said, I have a history of period problems (in my clinical notes) and am suffering quite severe pain. Was NHS though.

ps appointment itself lasted about 20 minutes. Then she had to do an internal exam (swabs, etc). I then had to go to pre-op assessment unit and have some blood tests, height, weight, BP, oxygen, etc.

After that I had to go to see another women who went through all kinds of questions with me re: op. That took half an hour. It also took fifteen minutes to get blood out of me as I have shite veins.

That's why it all took so long.

 

[CurlySue]

Yep, your def lucky Curly! My doc won't do me Lap op, I should have lied and said that I was allergic to the die, lol

Was the most ridiculous allergy as well. She gave me a note saying "if you experience an itchy rash come back immediately." I got to the cubicle to get dressed and I started feeling hot. I looked down and my entire chest, my arms, my stomach, my back, it was bright red. Itchy. Hot.

Had to have an injection in my arse. Could not really see straight for awhile after it.

You should have lied, indeed...go back and say "Oh, by the way..."

Did you have HSG? I just knew I could not have one. I am too prone to infection "down there"

 

[chefamy1122]

I am glad you got a good dr who gave you such valuable information!

 

[CurlySue]

I am glad you got a good dr who gave you such valuable information!

It was a good thing.

Three times a week, she said. Every day is going to leave a vagina prone to abrasions and sperm depleted.

Every other day around ovulation as well, she said. That are the new guidelines.

 

[loopylew]

Your cycle lengths sound similar to mine but i definately dont get pain like that but i definately do get pain on the right hand side around my ovary area at no specific time of my cycle, nearer the beginning if anything and I cramp around the same time as well.

 

[Sinead]

Wow thats a lot of information. Sounds like your doc is really good and it all sounds really positive now you know what you are dealing with

 

[FJL]

I'm so glad it all went well! And wow, the universe must've been listening to you - you even got to see a woman!!!

 

[Mendy]

Just wanted to wish you luck on your journey!

 

[CurlySue]

Hehe, the universe must have been listening, you are right. When I had to go for the internal examination (which she had initially told me she would not be doing) the other nurse who came along said "You are lucky. If you'd been in on Thursday this would have been two men looking up your looby.")

She did tell me a lot of stuff. The weird thing was, I went from an initial appointment to go over history to another department where I went over things like "when you wake up in the recovery room..." etc. It took me about three hours to actually feel weird about the women looking up my bits.

The words "too much information" were actually true. But in a good way. I came home and wondered what on Earth I had just been told, really.

But, yeah. For so long I have known something was wrong. When my GP did my blood tests and I saw the results I actually thought they did not look right. My progesterone was close to SEVENTY. The normal is between 30 and 40 isn't it? She told me "that is great, it shows you ovulated REALLY well."

What the gyno told me was that the numbers were not right, that they were reversed. I only assume she meant progesterone and estrogen, as these are the hormones that balance each other up and down over the month. So...my GP tells me that my first test is fine and already I am told it was not fine.

And, one good thing is that, I didn't appear to have any cysts...

Hmm. Was kind of bittersweet really. I don't think I was ready to start talking infertility treatment options!!

 

[FJL]

It is such a hard time. You over think things (well I did) and become scared to go to an appointment for IF, then wait for ages and feel like things will never happen, then it can just happen in such a rush it feels like you aren't ready for it and you want things to slow down again!

I'm sooooooooooo happy for you that the appointment went so well, well the best it could anyway, and it sounds like you were more comfortable in there then you thought you'd be.

Well done, i'm proud of you!!!

 

[maz]

I'm so glad you got a good consultant - it makes all the difference. I'm pleased you're going to get some answers very soon.

Good luck

x

 

[hayz1981]

Great news that your appointment went so well. Sounds like they want to move on quickly. Lap sounds like it will be better than an HSG anyway as they can check for endometriosis etc. And if you'd had an HSG, they might have wanted to do a lap afterwards anyway, so you're kind of fastforwarding if you see what I mean!!

Not too long to wait for the op either. Really pleased for you xx

 

[pixielou]

Yes, I did have HSG the first one was cancelled got all gowned up then the nurse asked me if we had frerained from ladies and gentlemen for the givenperiod and I answered no cos I was under the impression that we could as we used condom. So expained this to her she walked off must have spoken to doc and then came back and said i couldn't have it! Well... I was in tears had just started a new job and was difficult to take time off etc. So waited about another two months got it done and was absoulutely fine aopart from the two trainee doctors who watched the whole proceedure! lol

 

[Beckic]

Thats brilliant news Curlysue - so glad you got to see a femaile doctor and that they were really realy helpful.

You should treat yourself to a glass of wine and some chocolate as a reward for being so brave.

bx x x