Hallelujah!

I had the best doctor's appointment ever today. It was amazing. It turns out my new doctor is very familiar with Creighton and knows Dr. Hilgers well. Basically the doctor started off by asking us all about my situation, so we brought him up to date. I don't know how to describe it other than to say that he seemed very pumped up about tackling my situation. Very pumped up. It got us very excited! Plus he was just the nicest, most personable guy. He had me get blood work (Yay! Blood work! Every time I felt the band-aid on my arm and remembered I had bookwork this afternoon I got happy again!) and also started me on this saliva test thing that tests certain hormones. I have to spit into vials every other day! The doctor said that because they can't adhere to all of PPVI's strict standards, he has to do things a little differently (like for instance how it isn't feasible for everyone to have blood work sent to PPVI each time its taken, as I have discovered, or fly to Omaha for an ultrasound series), but that he respects PPVI and knows Dr. Hilgers is a genius. The office also has a doctor who was trained at PPVI, so he is going to go over everything with her as well.

He is going to come up with a plan for my treatment. Yay! That's what I wanted to hear! So right now, he thinks I have probably have PCOS, but I kind of got the feeling that he thought that was a good thing. Well, not necessarily good, but good in the sense that it is completely treatable. He also told us that Dr. Hilgers probably knows that I have this. He said there is a lot of evidence I have PCOS, from the fact that I produced too many follicles when I was on Clomid way back, to some ratio involving my LH being off, to the fact that I had bi-lateral endometriomas (I think he said this had to do with PCOS, but I know at least that he said they don't see bi-lateral endometriomas too often), to my testosterone being high. He thinks that we're going to find out that I have an insulin problem and he recommends me going on the G.I. diet right now (anyone have any experience with this?). He also doesn't think I have a thyroid problem, but said to just keep taking the medication for now. He is testing my prolactin to see if that has begun to lower yet, and he could tell from my charts that I'm not ovulating. He said that may be due to my high prolactin, and he definitely wasn't ready to diagnose me with LUFS. He also said I came in at the absolute perfect time - four months after my surgery and at the point where my body is just about healed, and endometriosis free - and I came in on the perfect day, because if I'd come in tomorrow it would have been too late to start the saliva test this cycle (thanks St. Gianna!).

The whole thing was completely uplifting. This doctor just seemed like he is going to tackle this. He said he's going to help me ovulate and I should be able to get pregnant. And he actually made the comment that it's not like I need to start the adoption process or anything (maybe God's way of having me put the paperwork off for a while?). And to top it all off, he prayed with us at the end of the appointment. It was amazing!

The day did take a little turn when, after we finished lunch, we noticed that our car was missing (which, I might add, is a very weird feeling). It had been towed. We had to walk several blocks to pick it up (my famous last words before we left this morning - "I can wear heels because we aren't going to be doing any walking, right?") and found a ticket on it for 50 bucks. Could have been worse (thanks again, St. Gianna!).

My next appointment is in June, but the doctor said he would call before that with my lab results. All in all, I feel great about my situation. I really do. (I'll need to come back and re-read this post when I'm feeling down). Just to hear someone tell you that this is treatable is such a breathe of fresh air! I know that some women come to the end of their treatment and still aren't able to get pregnant, but I really am starting to feel in my heart that a pregnancy is in my future. If it's not, at least I will know that we did everything we could and that it surely wasn't in God's plan for us (I know that sounds like just a thing you say to sound optimistic, but I am starting to believe it more and more each day). God is really blessing me lately with a sense of peace and I know that is because I am starting to let go. I use to think that was just another one of those things you hear about but think, 'that could never work!' Well, it does.

And I don't think it's a coincidence that this all happened on St. Gianna's feast day!