That's what we are doing- hanging in there! I've actually been hanging out in bed all day and it's been wonderful. I slept a TON today- my body must need the sleep! Getting up is a tad bit better today but I'm not really going anywhere- making my way to the bathroom is far enough for now. :) My co-workers have been WONDERFUL- last night Josh brought home spaghetti, salad, and homemade bread that our art teacher made, and tonight we had the BEST pot roast and garden veggies. I'll take Josh's word that the carrots and onions were good. :) I DO know that the garden potatoes are to die for! Our 4th grade teacher made that for us tonight. Along with that, we got a HUGE platter of brownies and muffins from one of our special ed teachers, and Brecken has already given his thumbs up on those. :) I'm a very lucky person to work with the people I do.
Brecken has been going to preschool and Amy's house still, which has been WONDERFUL for me. I can rest and recover at home without having to worry about keeping him entertained. He's home alone with me during football practice but it hasn't been too bad yet- he's pretty good at cuddling on the bed with me and watching cartoons. :)
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
home. and sore. and missing some pieces.
What a wild couple days.
While talking about surgery as it was getting closer, I had always told Josh that if an organ needed to come out, to tell the dr. to take it out. I told that to the PA during my pre-op appointment yesterday morning and she almost laughed at me and said that was not likely. I told that to Dr. B yesterday morning and he said, "It's been years and years since I've needed to do that, so no worries." And what do you know- I'm now missing organs. I must have a 6th sense about these things. :)
Yesterday morning started off with me starving and not being allwed to do anything about it. We went to my pre-op appointment at 9:30, got the low-down, and then found out my surgery, which was originally set for 1:00 that afternoon, got pushed up to noon because of a cancellation. So we had about 45 minutes to waste but was able to get our fabuloso daycare lady some gift cards to help out with their move. Then we checked into the surgery center. We found out how much this little adventure cost us and boy, am I ever grateful for health insurance. Holy moly.
I sat back in the pre-op room for FOREVER. I didn't get brought into an OR until a little after 1:00 despite there being a cancellation. The doctor using the OR at the time apologized to me but I told him I sure as heck wouldn't want anyone rushing surgery on me, so I didn't want them rushing on anyone else! Finally, the anestesiologist came for me and told me to give Josh hugs and kisses while he put stuff into my IV, because in about 30 seconds, I wasn't going to remember any of it. And man, was that true! I remember seeing the OR doors and that's the last I remember!!
I DO remember waking up- I was shaking so badly and they had to hurry to get me meds in my IV to stop that. And they kept asking me questions and I was moving my mouth but nothing would come out. I think that was due to the tube that was down my throat during the operation.
Anyway, the night wasn't bad. I had a pain med button I could push every 10 minutes, but I only pushed it about 6 times total in the night. My pain wasn't bad at all and I was very grateful for that. My night nurse was very nice, and there were only 4 of us in the surgery center last night. Me, Josh, the nurse and another nurse! That was kind of nice too. The only NOT nice thing was they didn't have a selection of things to eat- I had a choice of chicken broth, chicken noodle soup, oatmeal, Jell-o, and pudding. Big whoop. I had chicken noodle soup for breakfast. Dr. B was completely impressed. :)
They got me up and walking at 5 am this morning! I couldn't quite figure out why it had to be so early, but whatever. Dr. B came in around 9 and gave me the low-down- he said he told me yesterday but I have absolutely no recollection of him telling me anything yesterday. So here are the finer points of the conversation:
While talking about surgery as it was getting closer, I had always told Josh that if an organ needed to come out, to tell the dr. to take it out. I told that to the PA during my pre-op appointment yesterday morning and she almost laughed at me and said that was not likely. I told that to Dr. B yesterday morning and he said, "It's been years and years since I've needed to do that, so no worries." And what do you know- I'm now missing organs. I must have a 6th sense about these things. :)
Yesterday morning started off with me starving and not being allwed to do anything about it. We went to my pre-op appointment at 9:30, got the low-down, and then found out my surgery, which was originally set for 1:00 that afternoon, got pushed up to noon because of a cancellation. So we had about 45 minutes to waste but was able to get our fabuloso daycare lady some gift cards to help out with their move. Then we checked into the surgery center. We found out how much this little adventure cost us and boy, am I ever grateful for health insurance. Holy moly.
I sat back in the pre-op room for FOREVER. I didn't get brought into an OR until a little after 1:00 despite there being a cancellation. The doctor using the OR at the time apologized to me but I told him I sure as heck wouldn't want anyone rushing surgery on me, so I didn't want them rushing on anyone else! Finally, the anestesiologist came for me and told me to give Josh hugs and kisses while he put stuff into my IV, because in about 30 seconds, I wasn't going to remember any of it. And man, was that true! I remember seeing the OR doors and that's the last I remember!!
I DO remember waking up- I was shaking so badly and they had to hurry to get me meds in my IV to stop that. And they kept asking me questions and I was moving my mouth but nothing would come out. I think that was due to the tube that was down my throat during the operation.
Anyway, the night wasn't bad. I had a pain med button I could push every 10 minutes, but I only pushed it about 6 times total in the night. My pain wasn't bad at all and I was very grateful for that. My night nurse was very nice, and there were only 4 of us in the surgery center last night. Me, Josh, the nurse and another nurse! That was kind of nice too. The only NOT nice thing was they didn't have a selection of things to eat- I had a choice of chicken broth, chicken noodle soup, oatmeal, Jell-o, and pudding. Big whoop. I had chicken noodle soup for breakfast. Dr. B was completely impressed. :)
They got me up and walking at 5 am this morning! I couldn't quite figure out why it had to be so early, but whatever. Dr. B came in around 9 and gave me the low-down- he said he told me yesterday but I have absolutely no recollection of him telling me anything yesterday. So here are the finer points of the conversation:
- He went in laproscopically first and found that my left fallopian tube was blocked with scar tissue, even though my HSG test in August showed no blockage. He said that test lied.
- In addition to being blocked, it was folded up on itself.
- He was able to get the scar tissue off and unfold the tube but isn't sure it's going to stay that way.
- He got in my right ovary and found that it wasn't a dermoid tumor after all, but a huge endometrioma.
- My right fallopian tube had a ton of endometriosis on it.
- He cut me open to take out the endometrioma, and it had completely taken over my ovary. He couldn't save it, so it came out.
- The fallopian tube also came out- it doesn't do much good to have a tube without an ovary, and with all the endometriosis on it, it would just cause me pain and problems. So out it came.
- My left ovary will now take over all functions- instead of it supposedly trading off with my right ovary every other month, it will now ovulate every month. (hopefully.)
- Dr. B said this will actually help my chances of conception because we aren't wasting time with a bad ovary and tube- only a good ovary and a hopefully good tube, if it can stay straightened out!!
So there you go- a "quick" summary. We are now home and I'm in bed relaxing. We met Craig and Lennie in Cheyenne again to get Brecken (who apparently, according to all this stuff, is a total miracle baby!!!!) and eat luch with them. Brecken was very glad to see us, though he cried really hard and doesn't want me to have owies anymore and had a hard time understanding that he couldn't sit on my lap. :( He said he had fun by himself at Grandma and Papa's house but next time, he wants us to come. :)
I'm sure I left stuff out- I'm trying to write through pain in my belly so I'm not the best at concentrating right now. If I think of anything, I'll add it later. :)
my bright spot
Check out the sneak peek of Brecken's GORGEOUS pictures!!!
http://staceyjphotog.blogspot.com/2009/09/bright-spot.html
http://staceyjphotog.blogspot.com/2009/09/bright-spot.html
Saturday, September 26, 2009
off to the races
Well, here we go! Laundry is in the dryer, and as soon as it's done, it will be placed in suitcases. We're off to the races.
Tomorrow morning, we will be loading up the car and heading to Cheyenne. It's picture day! I love picture day. I never get tired of seeing my child through Stacey's eyes and cannot wait to see how his 3-year photos turn out! Hopefully he will cooperate and wear the super cute clothes we bought for the occasion- the shirt shouldn't be a problem since it has a dinosaur on it, but the shorts might be another issue.... my child lives in sweatpants.
After pictures, my sweet boy and I will be parting in different directions. Brecken will be going with his Grandma and Papa to Lingle to spend a few days, and Josh and I will be heading to Ft. Collins for my surgery on Monday morning. That's going to be hard on me. It's the longest he has ever been away from both of us. He stayed overnight by himself at my mom and dad's house last spring, but it wasn't even for 24 hours. This will be for two nights!! He adores his Grandma and Papa so hopefully it will be easy for everyone. I'm sorry in advance though, Lennie, if he cries the whole ride back to Lingle.
As I mentioned, my surgery is Monday. I'm starting to get a tad bit nervous, but will be so glad to have this stupid thing out of me. It's hurting again tonight. Not extremely painful like has happened before, but enough to be uncomfortable. So let's get the show on the road and get it out. I'll post again when I'm able to, and let y'all know how it went.
Until then...
Tomorrow morning, we will be loading up the car and heading to Cheyenne. It's picture day! I love picture day. I never get tired of seeing my child through Stacey's eyes and cannot wait to see how his 3-year photos turn out! Hopefully he will cooperate and wear the super cute clothes we bought for the occasion- the shirt shouldn't be a problem since it has a dinosaur on it, but the shorts might be another issue.... my child lives in sweatpants.
After pictures, my sweet boy and I will be parting in different directions. Brecken will be going with his Grandma and Papa to Lingle to spend a few days, and Josh and I will be heading to Ft. Collins for my surgery on Monday morning. That's going to be hard on me. It's the longest he has ever been away from both of us. He stayed overnight by himself at my mom and dad's house last spring, but it wasn't even for 24 hours. This will be for two nights!! He adores his Grandma and Papa so hopefully it will be easy for everyone. I'm sorry in advance though, Lennie, if he cries the whole ride back to Lingle.
As I mentioned, my surgery is Monday. I'm starting to get a tad bit nervous, but will be so glad to have this stupid thing out of me. It's hurting again tonight. Not extremely painful like has happened before, but enough to be uncomfortable. So let's get the show on the road and get it out. I'll post again when I'm able to, and let y'all know how it went.
Until then...
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
daycare drama
So Brecken did NOT get to stay the rest of the week at Stacy's. She left this morning to go get married in Nebraska. We knew she was getting married, just didn't know when. We called everyone we could think of last night and still had no babysitter for today, tomorrow, and Friday. I was in tears when one of our friends who we had already called, called us back and said she called one of HER friends for us who gladly volunteered to take Brecken this week. We didn't know this lady at all- but she has a little girl in B's preschool class, she's a nurse, and her husband is a highway patrolman. Can't be all bad, right? So that's where B went today. Mary's house.
Josh brought Brecken to school first and then brought him to preschool at 8:15. Josh has 1st hour prep, so he was able to leave. He had a staff meeting first though, and told me through email that Brecken had read a book during the meeting. Wanna know what book? One by Hemingway! I laughed hard. Our 3 year old prodigy. :) Josh then took him to preschool and was shocked to see B walk right over to the table with a bunch of cows on it, find the one that said "BRECKEN", and put it on the barn on the wall to show they were there today. He still doesn't know how he found the right one. (I'm going to venture a guess that they lay them out in the same order each day....) B's teacher, Melody, told Josh that we have a very bright child and is always very smart. Keep those comments coming, Miss Melody! :)
Anyway, I picked Brecken up this afternoon from Mary's house and was relieved to find that Brecken had a great time. He did not want to go with her, which is OK with me since I don't really want him wanting to leave with strangers.... but the preschool knew Mary was going to take him home so they let Brecken know it was OK. In fact, one of the teachers carried my child the two blocks to Mary's house to show him that it was fine. What great teachers he has. :) It took him about a half hour to totally warm up, but then was fine. Mary also has a little boy that will be 3 in January, so not much younger than Brecken, and they played all afternoon. Mary took them on an hour long walk, played outside, watched cartoons, just a bunch of fabulous sounding things. I loved Mary as soon as I met her this afternoon. I'm very glad Brecken will be going there the rest of the week. Maybe by Friday Mary will tell me, "You know, I'd love to have him full-time!" :)
No news today on Amy's dad. As of yesterday, his heart was still not beating on it's own. They were able to put a balloon pump into him yesterday though, so they were at least able to close up his chest. Keep on prayin' for them.
Josh brought Brecken to school first and then brought him to preschool at 8:15. Josh has 1st hour prep, so he was able to leave. He had a staff meeting first though, and told me through email that Brecken had read a book during the meeting. Wanna know what book? One by Hemingway! I laughed hard. Our 3 year old prodigy. :) Josh then took him to preschool and was shocked to see B walk right over to the table with a bunch of cows on it, find the one that said "BRECKEN", and put it on the barn on the wall to show they were there today. He still doesn't know how he found the right one. (I'm going to venture a guess that they lay them out in the same order each day....) B's teacher, Melody, told Josh that we have a very bright child and is always very smart. Keep those comments coming, Miss Melody! :)
Anyway, I picked Brecken up this afternoon from Mary's house and was relieved to find that Brecken had a great time. He did not want to go with her, which is OK with me since I don't really want him wanting to leave with strangers.... but the preschool knew Mary was going to take him home so they let Brecken know it was OK. In fact, one of the teachers carried my child the two blocks to Mary's house to show him that it was fine. What great teachers he has. :) It took him about a half hour to totally warm up, but then was fine. Mary also has a little boy that will be 3 in January, so not much younger than Brecken, and they played all afternoon. Mary took them on an hour long walk, played outside, watched cartoons, just a bunch of fabulous sounding things. I loved Mary as soon as I met her this afternoon. I'm very glad Brecken will be going there the rest of the week. Maybe by Friday Mary will tell me, "You know, I'd love to have him full-time!" :)
No news today on Amy's dad. As of yesterday, his heart was still not beating on it's own. They were able to put a balloon pump into him yesterday though, so they were at least able to close up his chest. Keep on prayin' for them.
Monday, September 21, 2009
the new lady
Brecken spent the day at the new daycare lady's house. Her name is Stacy. I was pretty positive it was going to be a disaster- B woke up in a horrible mood and it got worse after we forced him to wear socks under his Crocs (because he threw an even bigger fit when we got out the tennis-excuse me, GOLF- shoes...) due to the SNOW that was on the ground this morning! Combine that with being dropped off at a strange lady's house, I was sure we'd be getting called to come pick him up and take him home. But we didn't. And he survived. (and so did his Mommy.) His friend Riley (also from Amy's house) was there to play with today. And Stacy took Brecken to preschool which was familiar to him, so that made the transition easier too. I did get to Stacy's house to pick Brecken up this afternoon, to find Brecken in his heavy coat still. She said he refused to take it off all day long. It must have been his comfort blanket today. :) (Though I'm willing to bet he took it off at school, since that was something he felt comfortable with.)
Tomorrow, he'll go back, and this time his friend Cavin from Amy's house will be there too. I'm glad there are kids Brecken knows. It makes me feel better.
The reason Brecken was there today and will be for the rest of the week, is because Amy's dad had heart bypass surgery in Salt Lake City today. I never heard a final number but they were predicting 6-10 bypasses. Holy yikes. She planned on being back tomorrow night, but wrote to Josh tonight and said that her dad's heart would not start after the surgery. They left it open and hooked up to machines to pump it for him, and they are hoping his heart is just stunned right now and will start beating on it's own again soon. Of course, Amy and her family will be there at least the rest of this week. How very scary for Amy and her family. My heart totally goes out to them. If you have any prayers to spare, we sure would appreciate some for Amy and her family.
Tomorrow, he'll go back, and this time his friend Cavin from Amy's house will be there too. I'm glad there are kids Brecken knows. It makes me feel better.
The reason Brecken was there today and will be for the rest of the week, is because Amy's dad had heart bypass surgery in Salt Lake City today. I never heard a final number but they were predicting 6-10 bypasses. Holy yikes. She planned on being back tomorrow night, but wrote to Josh tonight and said that her dad's heart would not start after the surgery. They left it open and hooked up to machines to pump it for him, and they are hoping his heart is just stunned right now and will start beating on it's own again soon. Of course, Amy and her family will be there at least the rest of this week. How very scary for Amy and her family. My heart totally goes out to them. If you have any prayers to spare, we sure would appreciate some for Amy and her family.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
I took Dylan with me today when I picked up Brecken and the 3 of us went to the park. I took pictures of them playing and made a photobook for Brecken to give Dylan for a going away present. I ordered one for Brecken too, so they'll always have pictures of each other! Now, if I could just find something fabulous for Amy...
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
out of the mouth of "babes"
Heard from the back seat on our way home today, while talking about preschool:
"All the girls are my best friends, Mom."
3-year-old chick magnet. :)
"All the girls are my best friends, Mom."
3-year-old chick magnet. :)
Friday, September 11, 2009
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
the "me tree"
Brecken comes home with the greatest things from preschool. Today is one that I will definitely be keeping for forever and ever. It's a "me tree", with his hand as the tree stump and his fingers as the branches, full of pictures of his favorite things.
The magazine pictures are an apple, some corn-on-the-cob, and a kitty. The pictures he drew are wonderful- the two red ones are hearts, one for Mommy and one for Daddy, he said. And the one on the right is him.
I LOVE this boy. :)
The magazine pictures are an apple, some corn-on-the-cob, and a kitty. The pictures he drew are wonderful- the two red ones are hearts, one for Mommy and one for Daddy, he said. And the one on the right is him.
I LOVE this boy. :)
football, baptism, and a party
Busy weekend we just had! Josh's team was playing in Lingle, so we stayed the weekend. The game was very painful to watch. Not fun at all. We lost BIG. Darn it, because that means Josh lost to his old coach! :)
This picture of Brecken and his friend Avey (from Lingle!) was taken immediately before Brecken's fall through the bleachers, onto the cement underneath, resulting in LOTS AND LOTS of blood. I've never seen so much from one little mouth. I was sopping it up with a diaper to absorb it!
Saturday and Sunday Josh played in a golf tournament with his dad and Jeffrey. Brecken and I went into town with Grandma Saturday morning and spent Saturday afternoon taking a nap. It was fabulous! :) Saturday evening, after the tournament ended for the day, we all loaded up and went to Alliance, NE for Bryell's baptism. Beth's mom and dad were gracious enough to let us all invade their house for dinner- Carol made a FANTASTIC spread for us all to enjoy. Brecken had fun playing at their house- he had Bryell to love on (and he did plenty of loving on her!), a yard to play golf and football in, and lots of new people (Beth's dad Wayne, Grandpa, and Uncle Jeffrey!) to play with. He did GREAT during the baptism. I had told him he needed to be really quiet in the church and if he needed to talk, he needed to whisper. He took that very serious and as my camera clicked for the first time, I got a "SHHHH, Mommy! We have to be quiet!" :) He was very proud of himself for staying quiet for 30 minutes while the baptism took place. Bryell was a trouper too- she didn't cry at all!
Sunday was a busy day as well! I spent well over 5 hours baking basketball cakes and decorating them. Brecken was so excited to have his basketball birthday party, he could hardly stand it. We had it on Sunday since all the Sandlian siblings were home already. (We will have our friends over for a birthday BBQ after Josh's game on Friday night, B's actual birthday.) Brecken had a great time playing with ALL of his cousins (Kristen and David were able to come, too!!) and had a blast. He got great gifts from everyone- thank you! He got a Mickey Mouse sleeping bag, a Mickey Mouse coloring book, and a Mickey Mouse book from Grandma Pee-Wee (and his sleeping bag has been used many many times already!). A Lightening McQueen backpack for preschool, bathtub color tablets, and a water balloon game came from Kristen, David, and the kids. Grandma Lennie and Grandpa Craig got him a Bilibo, which we had given Brooke for her birthday and Brecken loved. It's a pure imagination toy to do whatever they want with it. (Teri- you should check into these for your preschool!) It has already been sat in, sat on, and jumped off of, as well as been worn on his head as a hat. Joel, Annie, and the kids got him a baby dinosaur that makes the cutest little dino sounds- it has to come everywhere with us now. Jeff, Beth, and Bryell got him football windpants (which he is SOOO excited about!) and a football shirt. Josh's Uncle Bryan and Aunt Anne got him some adorable jammies with a bear playing football on each pair. Josh and I got him a Panther sweatshirt. We also got him something else to open on his actual birthday. I hope I'm not forgetting anybody....
It was a great weekend! I love weekends like that, even if no rest was had. :)
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
so much to catch up on...
...but not tonight. Sorry. :) I have a bed to stretch out on calling my name, I'm actually in pain tonight. This stupid tumor thing hurts every once in a while and tonight is no exception.
I WILL be back soon though, to catch up on the weekend's events- lots to say! A football game, a weekend in Lingle, Bryell's baptism, and Brecken's birthday party since all the Sandlian siblings were home. Phew! It was a great weekend, but not a lot of relaxing was had. :)
So until then...
I WILL be back soon though, to catch up on the weekend's events- lots to say! A football game, a weekend in Lingle, Bryell's baptism, and Brecken's birthday party since all the Sandlian siblings were home. Phew! It was a great weekend, but not a lot of relaxing was had. :)
So until then...
Saturday, August 29, 2009
back to the doctor...
BRIGHT AND EARLY at 6:40 this morning so I could make it to Ft. Collins on time! Man, what a bummer way to spend a Saturday.
I went back today for a follow-up ultrasound. Dr. B has decided he doesn't think it's a cyst. Or an endometrioma. Or endometriosis. He now believes that it is a dermoid (a non-cancerous tumor; click on that if you don't know what it is- I didn't!). He said there are no rewards for hanging onto it, and it's best to get it out ASAP because it could grow so big it could kill my ovary. It's already causing my ovary to be 3x the size of normal. And sore. Especially tonight, after walking a lot today.
I woke up the other night with SEVERE pain in that area, and in my back too. I asked if that could be related and he said absolutely because my ovary is now so heavy that it's twisting on itself, causing severe quick onset of pain. As it twists back (he described it as like a hanging Christmas tree ornament twisting) the pain would go away. And it's true- mine did, after about 3 hours! (I almost made Josh take me to the ER- I'm glad I know what it is now!)
SO, I will be calling his surgery person on Monday to schedule surgery. He said it could be done as soon as next Monday (the 7th) but then we realized that was Labor Day. It sounded like he only does surgery on Monday, so it might be the following week. Which would be OK- I really, really don't want to miss Brecken's birthday. It will require an overnight stay in the hospital and then TWO WEEKS off work- yikes!! He said he'll go in laproscopically to make sure everything looks OK (and can take out any scar tissue and endo if he finds any), and then, if everything looks like it should (non-cancerous) he will stop laproscopy and cut me open- he prefers to do it that way so he's not yanking out good cells out of my ovary. My sister, a nurse, was with me today (Josh had a football game today) and I asked her what she thought of that approach, and she said it sounded VERY good to her, like he really cared what he took out and what he didn't, so that was nice to hear from a medical professional's point of view. :)
So anyway, there's the update. Dr. B said he'd rather me have this dermoid than endo, so I'll believe him! :)
Kristen and I were kid-less today and took the opportunity to go shopping! It was so nice to be able to do that without kids. And we were able to SIT and EAT lunch without having to rush or tell children to sit down and eat. :) It was like a mini-vacation and a lot of fun! Great sales down in Ft. Collins today...
edited to add: Dr. B did not think this was the cause of my infertility. We saw more immature eggs in that ovary, peeking out around the dermoid, than we saw in my healthy ovary! Most likely, this is just something we "came across". It's not causing it, but it's not helping the fertility issues, either. So we still don't have any answers!
I went back today for a follow-up ultrasound. Dr. B has decided he doesn't think it's a cyst. Or an endometrioma. Or endometriosis. He now believes that it is a dermoid (a non-cancerous tumor; click on that if you don't know what it is- I didn't!). He said there are no rewards for hanging onto it, and it's best to get it out ASAP because it could grow so big it could kill my ovary. It's already causing my ovary to be 3x the size of normal. And sore. Especially tonight, after walking a lot today.
I woke up the other night with SEVERE pain in that area, and in my back too. I asked if that could be related and he said absolutely because my ovary is now so heavy that it's twisting on itself, causing severe quick onset of pain. As it twists back (he described it as like a hanging Christmas tree ornament twisting) the pain would go away. And it's true- mine did, after about 3 hours! (I almost made Josh take me to the ER- I'm glad I know what it is now!)
SO, I will be calling his surgery person on Monday to schedule surgery. He said it could be done as soon as next Monday (the 7th) but then we realized that was Labor Day. It sounded like he only does surgery on Monday, so it might be the following week. Which would be OK- I really, really don't want to miss Brecken's birthday. It will require an overnight stay in the hospital and then TWO WEEKS off work- yikes!! He said he'll go in laproscopically to make sure everything looks OK (and can take out any scar tissue and endo if he finds any), and then, if everything looks like it should (non-cancerous) he will stop laproscopy and cut me open- he prefers to do it that way so he's not yanking out good cells out of my ovary. My sister, a nurse, was with me today (Josh had a football game today) and I asked her what she thought of that approach, and she said it sounded VERY good to her, like he really cared what he took out and what he didn't, so that was nice to hear from a medical professional's point of view. :)
So anyway, there's the update. Dr. B said he'd rather me have this dermoid than endo, so I'll believe him! :)
Kristen and I were kid-less today and took the opportunity to go shopping! It was so nice to be able to do that without kids. And we were able to SIT and EAT lunch without having to rush or tell children to sit down and eat. :) It was like a mini-vacation and a lot of fun! Great sales down in Ft. Collins today...
edited to add: Dr. B did not think this was the cause of my infertility. We saw more immature eggs in that ovary, peeking out around the dermoid, than we saw in my healthy ovary! Most likely, this is just something we "came across". It's not causing it, but it's not helping the fertility issues, either. So we still don't have any answers!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
preschool!
The day finally arrived! Brecken asked if he could go to bed EARLY last night so he could go to school in the morning. And when Josh brought him to Amy's first this morning, he said, "Dad. This is not preschool." HA! Here he is, the big day!
He will be going to school 4 days a week (Mon-Thurs) for 3 hours in the morning. (And no, he was not eating a popscicle so early in the morning- it was dark this morning so these pictures were taken this afternoon. :) )
Saturday, August 22, 2009
helicopter
This helicopter flew in front of our house last night, so we hurried and loaded our plane and helicopter lover into the truck and went to the airport to watch. It would land, take off, circle around, and land again. It must have been practicing!
I did NOTHING to these photos to make the colors so beautiful- this was really how it looked last night!
I did NOTHING to these photos to make the colors so beautiful- this was really how it looked last night!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
back at it
Summer is officially over. :( Josh started football practice bright and early on Monday morning (6:00 a.m. early!!) followed by a work day. He had another work day yesterday and I had meetings. Today we both had a district-wide meeting. Tomorrow he starts actual school and I have work days for the rest of the week. My students come on Monday.
Brecken started back to daycare today. I was so proud of myself- I didn't cry this year! I almost did last night while thinking about it, but I didn't- and held it together this morning, too! :) It totally helps that we LOVE Amy, as does Brecken, and he feels totally comfortable at her house. I think that's why there were no tears from Mommy this morning. :) I picked him up from Amy's this afternoon and he hardly noticed I was there... he was busy picking out a popscicle to have. :) And when he was finished with his popscicle, he STILL didn't want to come home with me- he was too busy playing golf in the yard. So, the transition for him was easy. :)
Brecken started back to daycare today. I was so proud of myself- I didn't cry this year! I almost did last night while thinking about it, but I didn't- and held it together this morning, too! :) It totally helps that we LOVE Amy, as does Brecken, and he feels totally comfortable at her house. I think that's why there were no tears from Mommy this morning. :) I picked him up from Amy's this afternoon and he hardly noticed I was there... he was busy picking out a popscicle to have. :) And when he was finished with his popscicle, he STILL didn't want to come home with me- he was too busy playing golf in the yard. So, the transition for him was easy. :)
Friday, August 14, 2009
smartie
We have a smart kid. I've always said that, but now we have proof. :) Brecken had his developmental screening today and BREEZED through it. Hooray! He scored the highest he could on everything. He flew through the puzzles, threaded beads through a pipe cleaner, stacked blocks, identified pictures, drew circles, drew a straight line, kicked and threw a ball, tapped the tip of a pencil on the table with just his finger, lots of things. Here's my favorite moment of the day: The lady gave him two mugs- one empty, one full of blocks. She asked him, "Which one is empty?" He took the full mug, emptied it out into the empty mug, held up the now-empty mug and replied, "THIS ONE!!" :) Gave us quite the chuckle.
She asked if he's speaking 4-5 word sentences, and I told her that he's actually saying 8-10 word sentences, and stringing 4 of those sentences together to form paragraphs. She said based on that, his verbal skills are WAY above normal 3-year old abilities. (and he's still 2, technically!) He has lots of practice- the kid doesn't quit talking. :) (And how many 2 year olds can tell you the difference between a putter and a pitching wedge??!!)
I noticed a HUGE difference in maturity between last year's screening and this year's screening. Last year, he wouldn't leave my lap to do anything, wouldn't let anyone touch him, etc. (Granted, last year, he had never been to the school and had never met the people, but still.) This year, he skipped right on into the preschool, went right on his way to doing everything, and hardly noticed Josh and I were there. I LOVE that. He really loves school and thrives on it. We got him all signed up for preschool for this year. He'll be going FOUR days a week, for 2.5 or 3 hours a morning (I forgot what she told me). He's so excited, he's even asked for a new backpack for preschool. (But don't buy him one- my sister did for his birthday!)
We even got a list of school supplies to bring to school, so after the screening, B and I headed to Rawlins to get those supplies. Brecken calls them "School Surprise"- supplies and surprise sound the same, so I can see where he would get confused. :) We had to get crayons, glue, a glue stick, paper towels, snacks, markers, and watercolors. He had a great time picking everything out!
Makes me a bit sad though... my baby is growing up. :(
She asked if he's speaking 4-5 word sentences, and I told her that he's actually saying 8-10 word sentences, and stringing 4 of those sentences together to form paragraphs. She said based on that, his verbal skills are WAY above normal 3-year old abilities. (and he's still 2, technically!) He has lots of practice- the kid doesn't quit talking. :) (And how many 2 year olds can tell you the difference between a putter and a pitching wedge??!!)
I noticed a HUGE difference in maturity between last year's screening and this year's screening. Last year, he wouldn't leave my lap to do anything, wouldn't let anyone touch him, etc. (Granted, last year, he had never been to the school and had never met the people, but still.) This year, he skipped right on into the preschool, went right on his way to doing everything, and hardly noticed Josh and I were there. I LOVE that. He really loves school and thrives on it. We got him all signed up for preschool for this year. He'll be going FOUR days a week, for 2.5 or 3 hours a morning (I forgot what she told me). He's so excited, he's even asked for a new backpack for preschool. (But don't buy him one- my sister did for his birthday!)
We even got a list of school supplies to bring to school, so after the screening, B and I headed to Rawlins to get those supplies. Brecken calls them "School Surprise"- supplies and surprise sound the same, so I can see where he would get confused. :) We had to get crayons, glue, a glue stick, paper towels, snacks, markers, and watercolors. He had a great time picking everything out!
Makes me a bit sad though... my baby is growing up. :(
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
scared me to death
We think Brecken went unconscious and had a tiny seizure yesterday. We were up at Josh's school and he was running up and down the ramp in the hallway. He tripped and bonked his head pretty hard. I went immediately to pick him up and thought he was holding his breath like he does when he cries hard, but he wasn't- he was kind of limp and rolled from my one arm to the other, then shook for a second and then came to. Scared the living daylights out of me and the 3 of us went immediately to the clinic to get him checked out. His eyes were OK and he was walking and talking OK (through his tears) so we came home and watched him closely. Nothing out of the ordinary last night, thank goodness. We did wake him up a couple times in the night to make sure though. SCARY! Josh thinks he may have had a teeny tiny concussion. Scared me to death though.
In other news....
Hogan got sprayed by a skunk again last night. About 2:00 am we heard him bark and yelp and then an AWFUL skunk stink in our bedroom- we think the skunk was under our window and Hogan scared it and got sprayed. UGH. Our bedroom smells but I've been doing the odor remover on the carpet and vacuuming it all day.... It's getting better. Gross. The dogs have been sleeping outside because it gets so hot in our house at night- same reason we had the bedroom window open last night. Now I never want to open the window again! :) (although it is right now with a fan going to air it out!!) I guess I should be glad it happened now, when I have time to get all my clothes deoderized... last time this skunk problem happened, I went to school smelling like a skunk for a week. YUCK.
In the infertility world...
I had an HSG test done on Monday in Ft. Collins. (click on the link to get a full explanation.) I can certainly live without ever having one of those done again!! :) The procedure itself didn't hurt, really, but was one of the most uncomfortable experiences ever. (OK, except for the numbing spray- that hurt. BAD. It stung. BAD.) I was quite sore afterwards and yesterday the soreness continued. Josh was able to be with me during pre-op and post-op, but not in the OR itself. My RE does his own HSG tests, so that he can see first-hand what is going on instead of relying on a radiologist's point of view. I like that about my RE- he's extremely hands-on and does all of his own stuff. It was really cool to see the dye move around- especially when it showed no blockages! Hooray!! (Even though that just means there's something else going on... But it's one test checked off the list.) I go in for bloodwork in a little over a week to make sure I am ovulating, and then about a week after that to check on the cyst. The bloodwork can be done in Rawlins, thank goodness; the ultrasound on the cyst will have to be in Ft. Collins again.
A great story this week from one of my fantastic infertile friends though- I don't want to be specific since it's not quite public knowledge yet, but know that a wonderful woman and her husband are well on their way to becoming parents because of great treatments and options for infertile women. I've been smiling all week about it!
In other news....
Hogan got sprayed by a skunk again last night. About 2:00 am we heard him bark and yelp and then an AWFUL skunk stink in our bedroom- we think the skunk was under our window and Hogan scared it and got sprayed. UGH. Our bedroom smells but I've been doing the odor remover on the carpet and vacuuming it all day.... It's getting better. Gross. The dogs have been sleeping outside because it gets so hot in our house at night- same reason we had the bedroom window open last night. Now I never want to open the window again! :) (although it is right now with a fan going to air it out!!) I guess I should be glad it happened now, when I have time to get all my clothes deoderized... last time this skunk problem happened, I went to school smelling like a skunk for a week. YUCK.
In the infertility world...
I had an HSG test done on Monday in Ft. Collins. (click on the link to get a full explanation.) I can certainly live without ever having one of those done again!! :) The procedure itself didn't hurt, really, but was one of the most uncomfortable experiences ever. (OK, except for the numbing spray- that hurt. BAD. It stung. BAD.) I was quite sore afterwards and yesterday the soreness continued. Josh was able to be with me during pre-op and post-op, but not in the OR itself. My RE does his own HSG tests, so that he can see first-hand what is going on instead of relying on a radiologist's point of view. I like that about my RE- he's extremely hands-on and does all of his own stuff. It was really cool to see the dye move around- especially when it showed no blockages! Hooray!! (Even though that just means there's something else going on... But it's one test checked off the list.) I go in for bloodwork in a little over a week to make sure I am ovulating, and then about a week after that to check on the cyst. The bloodwork can be done in Rawlins, thank goodness; the ultrasound on the cyst will have to be in Ft. Collins again.
A great story this week from one of my fantastic infertile friends though- I don't want to be specific since it's not quite public knowledge yet, but know that a wonderful woman and her husband are well on their way to becoming parents because of great treatments and options for infertile women. I've been smiling all week about it!
Thursday, August 06, 2009
a reproductive endocrinologist
If you haven't figured it out already, we struggle with infertility. Brecken took 17 months to get pregnant with, and there is a reason Brecken will be at LEAST 3 1/2 before he gets a sibling. We just didn't know exactly what that reason was until this past Tuesday, when we went to visit a Reproductive Endocrinologist (RE) in Fort Collins, CO.
The appointment was interesting. Josh was called a stud pretty much. :) So that ruled him out, even though a few years ago, we had been told it was his "fault" even though they never did tests on me because shortly after, we got pregnant. Apparently though, according to our RE, most doctors aren't specialized in infertility so their knowledge comes from how they were trained, and in this instance, that was a LONG LONG time ago for the doctor we had seen first! There are no REs in Wyoming. So it's worth the visit to CO to get a specialist, but too bad it's so dang far away! (3 hours one way.)
Then it was my turn. They did an internal ultrasound and found that I have a pretty large cyst inside my right ovary. Looking back, I've felt some aches there sometimes, but I couldn't tell you how long because I just assumed it was normal or gas or something! Apparently, it's not, it's the cyst. They then freaked me out by sending me to the hospital for a blood test to rule out ovarian cancer- I FREAKED all night long. I cried and cried. Luckily, I didn't have to wait long for the results because they called the next morning at 9:00 and said they aren't worried about cancer anymore. Normal ranges are between 0-21, and mine was 74, but cancer ranges are between 200-300. Phew! The raised number is pretty consistent with someone who might have endometriosis, so that's what they'll be looking for next. (They are amazed I haven'tbeen in a ton of pain- usually it's pretty painful. Like I said, mine is just achy!)
SO, I have to go back to Ft. Collins in one month so they can do another ultrasound on me and see if it's going down on it's own- if not, I'll have to have surgery to remove it. If it IS endometriosis though, it's a disease I'll have until menopause- there's not a cure for it.
In addition, I have to go back on Monday next week for an HSG test, where they put dye into your uterus and watch it go up the fallopian tubes to see if there are any blockages there. Fun, fun! After that, we'll know a little more of what we'll do as far as a game plan. So there you go- that's the issue! We certainly had everything turned upside down on us since 3 1/2 years ago- we thought it was Josh's "fault"and not mine, and as it turns out, he's been fine all along and it's ME that has the issues!! Wonder how long I've had this.
We just got back today from Lingle. I now have TWO trips to get caught up with on here. I better get cracking! :)
The appointment was interesting. Josh was called a stud pretty much. :) So that ruled him out, even though a few years ago, we had been told it was his "fault" even though they never did tests on me because shortly after, we got pregnant. Apparently though, according to our RE, most doctors aren't specialized in infertility so their knowledge comes from how they were trained, and in this instance, that was a LONG LONG time ago for the doctor we had seen first! There are no REs in Wyoming. So it's worth the visit to CO to get a specialist, but too bad it's so dang far away! (3 hours one way.)
Then it was my turn. They did an internal ultrasound and found that I have a pretty large cyst inside my right ovary. Looking back, I've felt some aches there sometimes, but I couldn't tell you how long because I just assumed it was normal or gas or something! Apparently, it's not, it's the cyst. They then freaked me out by sending me to the hospital for a blood test to rule out ovarian cancer- I FREAKED all night long. I cried and cried. Luckily, I didn't have to wait long for the results because they called the next morning at 9:00 and said they aren't worried about cancer anymore. Normal ranges are between 0-21, and mine was 74, but cancer ranges are between 200-300. Phew! The raised number is pretty consistent with someone who might have endometriosis, so that's what they'll be looking for next. (They are amazed I haven'tbeen in a ton of pain- usually it's pretty painful. Like I said, mine is just achy!)
SO, I have to go back to Ft. Collins in one month so they can do another ultrasound on me and see if it's going down on it's own- if not, I'll have to have surgery to remove it. If it IS endometriosis though, it's a disease I'll have until menopause- there's not a cure for it.
In addition, I have to go back on Monday next week for an HSG test, where they put dye into your uterus and watch it go up the fallopian tubes to see if there are any blockages there. Fun, fun! After that, we'll know a little more of what we'll do as far as a game plan. So there you go- that's the issue! We certainly had everything turned upside down on us since 3 1/2 years ago- we thought it was Josh's "fault"and not mine, and as it turns out, he's been fine all along and it's ME that has the issues!! Wonder how long I've had this.
We just got back today from Lingle. I now have TWO trips to get caught up with on here. I better get cracking! :)
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