09/23/11--Surgery Postponed

I wanted to drop a quick note that MK's surgery that was scheduled for Monday has been postponed.  After the doctor who will be performing the surgery conferred with her fertility doctor, it was decided to wait for surgery. 

More to details to come!

-Bradley

Issue with Posting Comments Corrected 09/22/11

I have recently learned that several people has attempted to post comments on our blog with out success.  I just went through the "settings" page and found the ability to post "restricted".  I apologize to everyone for the issue and have not set it to allow anyone to post a comment.  I hope this works.  If not, shoot me or MK an email, text, or call and I will look further into it.  You can choose "anonymous" to avoid setting up an account or registering.

Thanks again for the interest into our journey and the support and love we feel.  We couldn't make it through this difficult journey without our Faith, family, and friends.  God Bless You All.

-Bradley

09/22/11--Surgery in the Future

Sorry it has been a few days since our last post.  MK had to meet with her doctor in order to develop a new game plan since IVF wasn't succesful for us.  As it turns out, the plan is for another laproscopic surgery on Monday.  Yes, this Monday, September 09/26.  We are set to arrive at Brookwood Hospital at around 4:30am.  Why do they insist we arrive so early?  We won't go back until 6, 7, even maybe 8am!!  At any rate, he Pelvic Pain Specialist will be performing a 3 or more hour surgery to attempt to clean out ALL the endometriosis for her entire pelvic area.  He is also planning to remove her left ovary and left tube.  We have suspected for quite some time that her left side is causing a lot of trouble getting pregnant, but mainly, it causes her a great deal of pain.  In fact, the doctor equated her level of pain to that of a cancer patient!  Due to the extensive nature of the surgery, we will have the pleasure of staying at Brookwood Monday night.  This will ensure that MK's pain and discomfort can be properly managed as well as the fact that after this surgery, it will likely be difficult for her to move around.

Thank you to everyone for their continued support, love, and prayers.  As I have with the last surgery and the one before that, I pray that this will be MK's last.  I sincerely pray that this surgery will remove all of her pain and suffering.

-Bradley

Day 10 09/17/11--Our Door Through IVF Has Closed, But We Know God Has Other Doors Open

Today was not a great day for us.  We had gone into the doctor's office at 7:30am with the hope that MK's follicles had grown to the needed size and quantities.  Well, they had grown but not large enough and not enough.  This means we no are no longer candidates for IVF.  This has been pretty devastating to us.  We always knew there was a very real chance that IVF would not be successful, we just never imagine not being able to complete the cycle.

So, what does all this mean?  Well, we actually have numerous options.  For the immediate future, option 1, would be to switch from IVF to IUI.  Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) is basically a procedure of placing sperm into the uterus.  Option 2, is to let nature take it course over the next couple of days.  We have taken all the stimulation medications we can.  Now we can attempt pregnancy with out additional help.  We also have many more options for long term success.  This requires several doctors collaborating to develop the best game plan possible.  We are really too early in the process to discuss the options with great knowledge or understanding.  Just know this, we aren't giving up!!

For whatever reason, IVF is not the method of success for us.  As the door has been closed on IVF, we look forward to turning to God for answers on which door to open next.  When we were in Birmingham Thursday, I was reminded of a scripture in the office of one of MK's doctor's "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you" (Jeremiah 1:5).  This gives me great comfort knowing that God knows our plan and already knows who our child is long before we do.

Thanks for all the prayers so far.  Please do not give up as we have not given up.  We still have a long, emotional road ahead of us and we need all the help we can get.

Again thanks,

Love,
Mary Kathryn and Bradley

Days 7 and 8 09/15/11-09/16/11

Yesterday, I went back to the doctor for more blood work and ultrasound. We didn’t get the news we were hoping for, but we are still staying positive. My blood work was good, but they only saw 2 "mature" follicles and they hoped to have seen at least 4. A follicle is a group of cells that turn into the egg while inside the ovary.When there are few mature follicles the chances of success drop. I got in a little trouble yesterday by my doctor and Bradley because my iron had dropped significantly and the reason was because I have not been taking my iron supplements. I know, I know, but those vitamins make me sick.

We will go back to the doctor in the morning (Saturday) for more blood work and another ultrasound. We need lots of prayers that they see more follicles this time. After the doctor reviews my blood work and ultrasound he will tell us what percentage we have of this round of IVF being successful. There is a chance that, if they don’t see more follicles tomorrow, we won’t qualify to continue. I understand now what people meant when they said that IVF was going to be an emotional rollercoaster. Monday was positive and high and yesterday was negative and low. I just hope that we get better news tomorrow.

On a happier note Bradley’s 32nd birthday is today. Last night we went out to eat with some wonderful friends to celebrate. We had so much fun and the meal was delicious. It was so nice to get together and laugh and take our mind off of IVF for a little while. Bradley loves strawberry cake so I got one of Edgar’s famous strawberry cakes for the birthday boy. This was the BEST strawberry cake I have ever had.

Today, Bradley got a Keurig Coffee maker for his birthday. We have decided to stay home and rest tonight since we have to be in Birmingham at 7:30 in the morning.

That’s just a little update. We hope that they see more follicles in the morning and that we are able to continue to the next step which will be egg retrieval on Monday.

Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers. I am overwhelmed with the amount of love and support that Bradley and I have received.

Day 6 09/13/11

Day 6 was pretty uneventful. . . except, MK got her results from the blood work drawn on Monday.  Good news, it looks like MK's body is responding exactly the way the doctor's had hoped it would.  It is kind of funny though when the nurse says her hormone levels are "normal" because in the world of infertility, "normal" is no where near what "normal" would be for a couple that can conceive naturally.

We have another follow-up visit for more blood work on Thursday.  If everything continues to be "normal", we still anticipate the egg retrieval to be on Monday.

MK and I can feel the prayers we are receiving from everyone.  Thank you for all the support we are getting from comments, emails, and phone calls.  God is guiding us on this amazing journey and we believe that his blessings are upon us!!

-Bradley

Day 5 09/12/11

Today MK had a check up at ART.  She had blood drawn for testing and had that enjoyable ultrasound done.  I wasn't able to attend the appointment with her but I am very glad that her mother was able to go with her.

We don't have results from the blood work yet, but everything else sounded very promissing!  If all goes well, we are looking for the egg retrieval on Monday 09/19/11!!!  Super exciting!!!  Will give more details about the egg retrieval process shortly.

On a seperate note, I would like to thank everyone for visiting our page and sharing in our adventure.  We have had nearly 400 friends, family, and other people we have yet to meet view the site since it began.  Be sure to become a "follower" to get notified about updates.  Please feel free to share this site with others.

--Bradley

Day 4 – 09/11/11

Day 4 – 09/11/11

This is MK –

Today was a wonderful day. Over the past year I have asked the question “Why me God?” As I have pushed through every surgery, ultrasound, shots, and blood drawn it has just not seemed fair. However, this morning as I sat in church and listened to the sermon I realized that God is working through me. He is telling me to go fight this fight and he will take care of the rest.

After church I spoke with two ladies – one who battled infertility herself but had her two beautiful children with her and another lady that went through IVF and she stood there holding her precious baby boy. I thought to myself that this is all going to be worth it. These two ladies were such an inspiration to me and I no longer feel sorry for myself for I realize that in the end I will be thanking God for taking Bradley and I on this journey. Instead of thinking that God is punishing us, I now know that he chose us to go through this. Each day he is teaching us patience, perseverance and love. Some people say that infertility is hard on your marriage, but it has brought Bradley and I closer together and I thank God everyday for my wonderful husband who has stood by my side.

On a funny note – I am very thankful that I have, so far, not had any side effects from the medication. However, yesterday, at the Auburn game I could really feel the hormones rising as I yelled at the referees and Mississippi State team. I have always been very vocal during Auburn football games, but yesterday was on a whole different level.

Vocabulary Lesson #1

I feel like I am well on my way to completing my first year of med school with a focus on gynecology/fertility (no disrespect to Doctors or Med Students). Here a little of what I have learned:

HSG Test--Wicked little test where dye is forced through the fallopian tubes to determine if the tubes are open, clogged, and in the correct orientation to the ovaries. No anesthesia is given.
FSH Level--Measure of the "Follicle Stimulating Hormone". The lower the number the better.
Endometriosis--The meanest, most under diagnosed disease in young women. Oh yeah, technically it is where the cells of the uterus grow on the outside of the uterus.
Follicle--A group of cells that turn into the egg while inside the ovary.
Luteinizing Hormone--A rise in this hormone is called "LH Surge" which is a trigger for ovulation.
Vaginal Ultrasound--A test that makes me glad I am a man. In layman's terms, this is when a technician inserts an instrument similar in shape to a flashlight into a woman's vagina to get a look at the ovaries, tubes, and uterus.

Days 2and 3 09/09/11-09/10/11

Sorry for the delayed posts!!

Day 2 was a good day.  MK learned how to mix and administer the injections to herself.  She gave herself the AM and PM injections.

Day 3 was uneventful.  MK handled everything again as she attended the Miss State vs Auburn game.

WAR EAGLE!!

Day 1 09/08/11

Day 1 09/08/11

6:00am--Time to rise and shine.  MK has to begin getting ready for work and Bradley needs to begin his mixology of medications.  It is a big production to give one injection.  The Gonal-F (powder) needs to be mixed using the syringe of Bacteriostatic Water.  Then the liquified Gonal-F gets 250iu drawn from the vial to be mixed with 75iu Menopur.  Once these are all mixed, it is time for the injection.  Seems easy until you consider the fact that 3 syringes are used and everything, including MK, gets wiped down with an alcohol swab.

6:15am--Bradley injects MK in the upper arm.

7:00pm--This round is easier.  Draw 300iu Gonal-F; inject.  Oh yes, don't for get the alcohol swap but only one syringe this time.  This time we add one oral dose of Dexamethasone.

-Bradley

Pharmaceuticals

This is the contents of the "special delivery" that FedEx had for us.  All these medications and syringes will be used during our IVF cycle.  Might I add that there are more than 30 syringes and various sizes of needles that we will use.  More on needle sizes later.

I will say that I can not believe that the medical profession will let some one like me mix medications!!  What if I am wrong in my measurements?  Did I mention that I get to stick my wife with all these???  All I can say is she better be nice to me or her body might become more like a dart board to me :)!!  But really, I am qualified to mix, measure and administer doses via subcutaneously and intramuscular??  So twice daily I get to "stick" MK!!  I am most nervous about air bubbles! 

I should have gone to med school!

-Bradley

The Back Story

Greetings Friends, Let me "briefly" fill you in on our "Back Story". Mary Kathryn and I were married on March 14, 2009 in Heflin, AL. Since then, we have began building a very nice and comfortable life together. Around May 2010, Mary Kathryn began experiencing great pain in her pelvic area. The pain soared off the charts during the beginning of her "cycle". It took a trip to her urologist with what was thought to be kidney stones for her to be diagnosed with endometriosis. Trust me, the pain and discomfort from this disease is as bad as trying to pronounce it. Her regular gynecologist scheduled a laproscopic surgery (microscopic surgery with 3 or 4 small incisions) towards the end of May. When he began the surgery, he was hoping to just "explore" to see the extent of the disease and hopefully clean up what he could. What he found changed our lives forever. The disease was so widespread and so aggressive that he immediately scheduled a laprotomy (wide-open abdominal surgery with approximately 8in incision) in just a few weeks. After the doctor did his best to scrap and clean out all effected areas and a l-o-n-g recovery period for MK, it was suggested that we seek help from fertility specialist or put MK on Lupron (places a 25 year old in a state of menopause) for 6-12 months! Obviously we chose to seek the help of a fertility specialist and settled on the services of ART Fertility Specialist of Alabama. After another laproscopic surgery in December 2010, we thought we were finally going to begin In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Wrong!!  Test, after test, and even more tests, it was determined MK's "levels" were not at optimal points to have a successful attempt at IVF.  So back in for laproscopic surgery again in July.  Finally in August, we had a serious discussion about IVF!!  First week of September, we were cleared to begin our 1st cycle of IVF!!!!!

-Bradley