I wanted to update you all who check in with me regularly. Since our circumstances have changed and we are going through a new journey I wanted to start a new blog. You can find me at this new address:
http://ashlieghlevesqueblog.wordpress.com
Please keep in touch with me and share our story. I would like to connect with more people who have found themselves in our situation as well!
Sincerely,
Ashliegh
I'm a normal girl living in an abnormal life. These are my crazy adventures through it all.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Thursday, July 18, 2013
CORRECTION
In my previous post on hidradenitis I talked about taking an Iron supplement for HS. It's actually Zinc! I wanted to make sure I corrected that. Thanks all! Have a wonderful weekend!
Saturday, July 13, 2013
OFF TOPIC: Discussion on Hidradenitis
I've mentioned this before in my blog posts but I also have a skin condition called Hidradenitis Suppurativa or HS for short. The disease is actually fairly common but some people don't know they have it and some are too afraid to come out about it because it's not a pretty disease. Let's answer some questions regarding what this exactly is, who it affects, and most importantly how to manage it. Please don't rely or substitute any information in this blog as medical advice. This is just what I've done, what I've learned and now what I'm doing to help my quality of life.
*All of this information can also be found on the HS foundation's webpage. Visit http://www.hs-foundation.org to learn more. Or at http://www.dermnetnz.org/acne/hidradenitis-suppurativa.html.
What is Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS)?
It is an inflammatory skin disease that causes painful and chronically recurring, deep-seated follicular nodules, abscesses, scarring, sinus tracts and discharge. It is caused by weak and poorly formed sweat glands that instead of releasing sweat, clog and burst underneath the skin causing the before mentioned issues. The HS foundation quotes only 1% of the population is affected but new research is showing as many as 1 in 300 people are affected.
The areas of the body that are usually diseased are the under arms (in my case - but just my left), groin, buttocks and under the breast. It's a disease that doesn't go away but can be managed appropriately with the right care and prevention. Patients can present with a single affected area or multiple affected areas, and in very extreme cases it can spread to larger areas of the skin.
Who does HS affect mostly?
Women are affected by HS three times as often as men. Smoking and obesity exacerbate the issue. HS mostly occurs between 20-40 years of age and coincides with a post-pubertal rise in androgen levels. It is rarely seen before puberty and after menopause.
How can you manage HS?
Well, my disease is rated Hurley State II (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hidradenitis_suppurativa for more info). There are three stages. So I will give a breakdown of what I've learned and done and you can take it for what it is. Hopefully it will help you too!!!
Well, I hope this was helpful for those of you who have this horrible disease. Please get the help you need. Also, this can be very emotionally exhausting and daunting. Please make sure you are healthy mentally as well dealing with this. I can now talk about it more openly, as I realize this disease is out of my control. I can only do so much and I didn't cause this - you didn't either. Unfortunately my next steps include surgery for scar tissue and sinus tract removal under my left arm. But with that and some lifestyle changes I'm looking pretty good for the next 20 years until menopause kicks in :). If you have any questions or just need some help please feel free to email me at ashlieghlevesque@gmail.com. I'm more than happy to help on this and infertility or multiple losses. God Bless.
*All of this information can also be found on the HS foundation's webpage. Visit http://www.hs-foundation.org to learn more. Or at http://www.dermnetnz.org/acne/hidradenitis-suppurativa.html.
What is Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS)?
It is an inflammatory skin disease that causes painful and chronically recurring, deep-seated follicular nodules, abscesses, scarring, sinus tracts and discharge. It is caused by weak and poorly formed sweat glands that instead of releasing sweat, clog and burst underneath the skin causing the before mentioned issues. The HS foundation quotes only 1% of the population is affected but new research is showing as many as 1 in 300 people are affected.
The areas of the body that are usually diseased are the under arms (in my case - but just my left), groin, buttocks and under the breast. It's a disease that doesn't go away but can be managed appropriately with the right care and prevention. Patients can present with a single affected area or multiple affected areas, and in very extreme cases it can spread to larger areas of the skin.
Who does HS affect mostly?
Women are affected by HS three times as often as men. Smoking and obesity exacerbate the issue. HS mostly occurs between 20-40 years of age and coincides with a post-pubertal rise in androgen levels. It is rarely seen before puberty and after menopause.
How can you manage HS?
Well, my disease is rated Hurley State II (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hidradenitis_suppurativa for more info). There are three stages. So I will give a breakdown of what I've learned and done and you can take it for what it is. Hopefully it will help you too!!!
*FIRST AND FOREMOST: this disease is not caused by the patient or their hygiene. Previous doctors had told patients they were not clean enough and thats what caused or made it worse. This is not true but the following are things you can do to help.
*Make sure you have a doctor who is experienced with the disease. You can find a specialist near you on the HS foundations website, that's where I found mine and she is awesome. If you are looking for a doctor in New Hampshire look up Lynette Margesson out of Manchester.
*Take Vitamin C daily!
*You can take birth control, suppressive antibiotics, Iron, and drugs like accutane to help control it. (NONE OF THESE THINGS ARE PREGNANCY SAFE SO IT WOULD BE AFTER BABY!!!!! - IF YOUR ON THAT ROAD OF COURSE)
*Wash with antibacterial, non scented soap - I use Safeguard. Don't use antiperspirants or even deodorant if its under your arms! For my unaffected underarm I use Speed Stick Regular Deodorant for men...why? because it's antiperspirant free!
*I wash the affected areas with 10% Benzoyl Peroxide acne face wash daily. It's the strongest I can find. And I also apply a 10% acne cream everyday.
*Wear loose fitting cotton clothing. Any friction will make it worse because with the disease we have is caused by ineffective and poorly formed sweat glands that clog and burst. With friction your just helping it along.
*Avoid dairy like the plague. Dairy feeds the disease. You can still have eggs.
*Paleo diet is great for us. (Carbs, refined sugar and gluten are also bad for this disease.) Avoid anything that has additives/hormones in it.
*Don't shave the area. I use a feminine hygiene clippers and cut the hair short but not against the skin.
*If you have a flare up and yours drain on their own, to help the process along, you can soak in a hot bath. When I have flare ups I wear a dressing with a little gauze with medical tape over it. I use silk tape because it irritates my skin less.
*I've heard eating Tumeric helps.
*Don't try to squeeze or pop affected areas, you'll just make it worse!
*Make sure you have a doctor who is experienced with the disease. You can find a specialist near you on the HS foundations website, that's where I found mine and she is awesome. If you are looking for a doctor in New Hampshire look up Lynette Margesson out of Manchester.
*Take Vitamin C daily!
*You can take birth control, suppressive antibiotics, Iron, and drugs like accutane to help control it. (NONE OF THESE THINGS ARE PREGNANCY SAFE SO IT WOULD BE AFTER BABY!!!!! - IF YOUR ON THAT ROAD OF COURSE)
*Wash with antibacterial, non scented soap - I use Safeguard. Don't use antiperspirants or even deodorant if its under your arms! For my unaffected underarm I use Speed Stick Regular Deodorant for men...why? because it's antiperspirant free!
*I wash the affected areas with 10% Benzoyl Peroxide acne face wash daily. It's the strongest I can find. And I also apply a 10% acne cream everyday.
*Wear loose fitting cotton clothing. Any friction will make it worse because with the disease we have is caused by ineffective and poorly formed sweat glands that clog and burst. With friction your just helping it along.
*Avoid dairy like the plague. Dairy feeds the disease. You can still have eggs.
*Paleo diet is great for us. (Carbs, refined sugar and gluten are also bad for this disease.) Avoid anything that has additives/hormones in it.
*Don't shave the area. I use a feminine hygiene clippers and cut the hair short but not against the skin.
*If you have a flare up and yours drain on their own, to help the process along, you can soak in a hot bath. When I have flare ups I wear a dressing with a little gauze with medical tape over it. I use silk tape because it irritates my skin less.
*I've heard eating Tumeric helps.
*Don't try to squeeze or pop affected areas, you'll just make it worse!
*Don't smoke.
*Avoid excessive sweating for obvious reasons. Swimming is a great exercise for HS patients.
*If your overweight (like me) or obese try swimming and diet changes like Paleo. Losing a few pounds can help you manage the disease better.
Well, I hope this was helpful for those of you who have this horrible disease. Please get the help you need. Also, this can be very emotionally exhausting and daunting. Please make sure you are healthy mentally as well dealing with this. I can now talk about it more openly, as I realize this disease is out of my control. I can only do so much and I didn't cause this - you didn't either. Unfortunately my next steps include surgery for scar tissue and sinus tract removal under my left arm. But with that and some lifestyle changes I'm looking pretty good for the next 20 years until menopause kicks in :). If you have any questions or just need some help please feel free to email me at ashlieghlevesque@gmail.com. I'm more than happy to help on this and infertility or multiple losses. God Bless.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
A Wound Never Closed
First and foremost, to our close friends we have not told yet, I'm sorry you are finding out this way. Last week on Thursday night I took a pregnancy test. To our surprise it was positive. A completely natural pregnancy! Scott had just gotten to New England two weeks prior and I knew if I was going to ovulate it would be then. And we had missed each other obviously. Well subsequently, we got pregnant and to repeat history for the 6th time I'm now miscarrying. It's not really a surprise considering my "horrible" history, as my new nurse put it. But it does bring up some serious issues. We now know that obviously there is some serious underlying issue. Every miscarriage, except our ectopic a couple months ago, has been between 4-6 weeks pregnant. We know it's an implantation issue. But we don't know where its coming from. We are blessed to have some amazing insurance through my new employer that gives us access to some of the best specialists in the country. God made no mistake by bringing us here. (For those of you who don't know the news I was suppose to share a couple months ago was that we moved back to Scott's home of Boston, MA).
So when we are ready, we will see a specialist. But it brings me to the very frightening fact that no matter what "it" is, having a child for us will not be easy at all. It hasn't obviously been, but now it's a whole new ballgame. For those of you who are thinking, well why don't you just adopt? You know, we could if we had $20,000 and we were emotionally prepared to give up our dream of bringing a child into this world biologically. Maybe its selfish to think that way, but it's not fair to the child we would adopt if we did it and we weren't ready. Which is why we ended up not adopting last year. Because I knew I wasn't ready.
So for now we are taking it one day at a time and trying to comprehend where this might lead. We are having some very challenging conversations about possible options that are now available to us and what we are okay with. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we begin to make some very difficult decisions.
So when we are ready, we will see a specialist. But it brings me to the very frightening fact that no matter what "it" is, having a child for us will not be easy at all. It hasn't obviously been, but now it's a whole new ballgame. For those of you who are thinking, well why don't you just adopt? You know, we could if we had $20,000 and we were emotionally prepared to give up our dream of bringing a child into this world biologically. Maybe its selfish to think that way, but it's not fair to the child we would adopt if we did it and we weren't ready. Which is why we ended up not adopting last year. Because I knew I wasn't ready.
So for now we are taking it one day at a time and trying to comprehend where this might lead. We are having some very challenging conversations about possible options that are now available to us and what we are okay with. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we begin to make some very difficult decisions.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
How Did I Forget THIS!?
I posted yesterday about musical therapy and I forgot my favorite one!? How, well who knows. There is this song that every time I hear it I think of my amazing husband Scott. He is such a great man who has been the bestest friend and strongest supporter during all the miscarriages and ups and downs of infertility. It reminds me that I wont give up on him, he wont give up on me and we won't give up on our dream together. Most importantly, we are already our own little family. Just the two of us and that is the most important thing. We are committed 100% to each other and our life together and I have the best person in THE UNIVERSE (no I'm not kidding - he rocks that much!) to experience it with. I am blessed and I love this crazy, fun, hilarious and seriously attractive man so much! This one's for you babe and I love you!!!!!!!! Btw, heres an updated pic of us last week celebrating an amazing Valentine's Day :) - and of course the song. (I'm gonna make it a point to post more pics). And good gracious this song is so amazing. Every time it gets to me and the video is awesome. Whatever challenge your facing - watch this video...it will encourage you! Enjoy!
Awesome huh?! Like I said, how did I forget it. Thanks for reading and heres our updated photo!
XO,
Ash
Awesome huh?! Like I said, how did I forget it. Thanks for reading and heres our updated photo!
XO,
Ash
Better Day - FINALLY!
*sigh*
So today was a better day. I woke up with less pain and little to no nausea. FINALLY, I think the Methotrexate injection from Monday is starting to wear off. I seriously hope that it's working. A lot of women have to get a second injection and I think if I do I will cry. I have never in my life wanted to see a low hcG number on that lab sheet!!!
I was also stretched to do something I wouldn't normally do today. I've been holding on to something worth monetary value that I don't have plans to put to good use in the near future. I came across a person who was in need of it and I felt I needed to step out in faith and help provide for them. It's something I didn't plan on giving away but I am glad I am. I'm so excited to bless someone else in their time of need! It's a little scary because I may have used it in the future - but I may not. I know that's extremely vague but I cannot go into detail for privacy reasons.
All in all, I'm glad to be feeling a little bit better and more like myself. I'm also excited to be helping other people and seeing the positive response from everyone reading this blog! Thank you all for reading and please share! We also have more exciting news to share at a later date - keep following and you will find out later! :)
Lastly, I read some old posts and realized a few things. Post D&C last year we never got any answers. No fetal tissue was found. I kind of left that out there without ever updating anyone. Also, we did put the adoption on hold, but we still talk about that as an option in the future. Right now, we are just focused on getting my hcG down and getting back to baseline. I also have a skin condition under my left arm called Hidradenitis. It's a horrible disease that causes my sweat glands to clog and get infected. It's totally out of my control and when they get infected often times it can cause an abscess. Since I've had multiple abscesses (3) in the past six months, definitive surgery is being recommended. And until I can get surgery, I have to be put on suppressive antibiotics. So all that to say health is the main focus for now. My hidradenitis is caused from a hormone imbalance. Another lovely side affect of PCOS. Again, thank you ovaries. Love Ash :). As a little good news, this past IVF I weighed in 16 pounds lighter than the previous IVF. I still have a ways to go but I'm on the right track as far as that's concerned. Anyone else who has PCOS knows its very difficult for us to lose weight. So you know how challenging that was! ANYWAY- in the mean time Scott and I plan on doing lots of fun stuff together. Including watching Pitch Perfect for the bajillionth time tonight over some sugar free mint chocolate chip ice cream :). In moderation of course! Again, thanks for reading.
Stay tuned,
~Ash
P.S. For those hubbies out there experiencing all this crap (infertility/miscarriages) with their wives - I've asked Scott to write an entry soon so a "guys" perspective in this whole thing is shared and known. Can't wait to see what he writes!
So today was a better day. I woke up with less pain and little to no nausea. FINALLY, I think the Methotrexate injection from Monday is starting to wear off. I seriously hope that it's working. A lot of women have to get a second injection and I think if I do I will cry. I have never in my life wanted to see a low hcG number on that lab sheet!!!
I was also stretched to do something I wouldn't normally do today. I've been holding on to something worth monetary value that I don't have plans to put to good use in the near future. I came across a person who was in need of it and I felt I needed to step out in faith and help provide for them. It's something I didn't plan on giving away but I am glad I am. I'm so excited to bless someone else in their time of need! It's a little scary because I may have used it in the future - but I may not. I know that's extremely vague but I cannot go into detail for privacy reasons.
All in all, I'm glad to be feeling a little bit better and more like myself. I'm also excited to be helping other people and seeing the positive response from everyone reading this blog! Thank you all for reading and please share! We also have more exciting news to share at a later date - keep following and you will find out later! :)
Lastly, I read some old posts and realized a few things. Post D&C last year we never got any answers. No fetal tissue was found. I kind of left that out there without ever updating anyone. Also, we did put the adoption on hold, but we still talk about that as an option in the future. Right now, we are just focused on getting my hcG down and getting back to baseline. I also have a skin condition under my left arm called Hidradenitis. It's a horrible disease that causes my sweat glands to clog and get infected. It's totally out of my control and when they get infected often times it can cause an abscess. Since I've had multiple abscesses (3) in the past six months, definitive surgery is being recommended. And until I can get surgery, I have to be put on suppressive antibiotics. So all that to say health is the main focus for now. My hidradenitis is caused from a hormone imbalance. Another lovely side affect of PCOS. Again, thank you ovaries. Love Ash :). As a little good news, this past IVF I weighed in 16 pounds lighter than the previous IVF. I still have a ways to go but I'm on the right track as far as that's concerned. Anyone else who has PCOS knows its very difficult for us to lose weight. So you know how challenging that was! ANYWAY- in the mean time Scott and I plan on doing lots of fun stuff together. Including watching Pitch Perfect for the bajillionth time tonight over some sugar free mint chocolate chip ice cream :). In moderation of course! Again, thanks for reading.
Stay tuned,
~Ash
P.S. For those hubbies out there experiencing all this crap (infertility/miscarriages) with their wives - I've asked Scott to write an entry soon so a "guys" perspective in this whole thing is shared and known. Can't wait to see what he writes!
Friday, February 22, 2013
Musical Therapy
This is for those of you out there struggling with infertility and pregnancy or infant loss. I've talked to many women online and some of these songs were recommended. I hope you find healing in The Lord and through music. I added a few of my favorites as well...enjoy. P.S. you might wanna grab a tissue or two just in case. XO, Ashliegh
Thursday, February 21, 2013
God's Power in my Weakness
It's been a couple of months since I last posted and a lot has happened. I've wanted to write for a while but I didn't know how to put it all together. I don't even know how to make it sound pretty because it's the farthest thing from it - so here goes nothing.
Right now I'm sitting and writing this with sweaty palms, nausea and abdominal pain because this week I was diagnosed with a right ovarian cyst that subsequently ruptured and an ectopic (tubal) pregnancy. To treat the tubal pregnancy I was given an anti-cancer medication that helps to evacuate the baby from the tube. Hence the horrible symptoms. This all came about because we made the courageous decision to endure IVF again. We made the decision carefully, together, and prayed a lot about it. Even though its ended so badly I still don't regret it.
We started the IVF journey in December. I knew everything that was coming with the process and every step to it since we had been there twice before. Things went smoothly with injections and my protocol until my first follicle scan. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's an ultrasound to check how your ovaries are responding to the injections and it's a good indicator of how many eggs will be retrieved. On my first scan I had three follicles that were twice the size they were suppose to be and my estrogen levels had already spiked indicating I was ready to be retrieved (have my eggs collected). To many people three may sound like a lot, to the IVF world its disaster. Rapidly growing follicles hardly ever carry any eggs and when they do they are not high quality.
Our doctor informed us we could cancel and under normal circumstances he would. But knowing us for so long and knowing our journey had been so rough - he was willing to continue in hopes of getting something. So we went ahead and retrieved two days later. By a miracle of God we retrieved 5 eggs! We were so happy! I praised God for the miracle it was. Four of our eggs fertilized and two were nearly perfect. It seemed that this was it for us! Due to my history of multiple miscarriages, and the fact that the other two embryos were lower quality, the doctor put back all four embryos. I was so excited and thought we would probably end up with twins.
Three days after he put them back I started bleeding heavily. This is something you DO NOT want to happen. I went in and had my hormone levels checked and yet again my estrogen decided to go crazy. Estrogen helps support a healthy pregnancy and mine had been well over 1000, which was great! And just two days later it was under 100 - relatively nothing. He had only seen this happen one other time and had no explanation for it. I went on estrogen supplementation and stopped bleeding. Things were looking up but let us know this cycle probably would not be successful. Two weeks later I had a blood draw and to everyones surprise it was positive. It was low but positive (story of my life).
My hcG was only 13. A number of 90-100 would be ideal but I was gonna take it! I was informed to go back in 48 hours later to make sure it doubled. HcG in early pregnancy should rise at least 60% in 48 hours. Well, 48 hours later it dropped to 12. I was so mad because we had worked so hard. I was informed to stop all my support medicine and wait to bleed. A few days following I still had not bled and was nauseated. I went home and took a pregnancy test and it was very positive. I had gotten a very faint line at 13 but this was much darker. So I went back to the hospital and my hcG had almost tripled to 35. Then 48 hours later rose by about 60% to 60. We were thrilled and thought we just had a late starter. Then again 48 hours later dropped to 51 then 48 hours later to 46. Pregnancy was definitely not viable. This would make our fifth miscarriage in a row in 3 1/2 years of infertility.
I was so mad at the roller coaster ride. If it wasn't going to work then why did God allow us to get any eggs. Why did He allow me to get pregnant in the first place? I was so mad but the worst was yet to come. Since my hcG was fluctuating there was a very small chance of an ectopic pregnancy. But if any of you know my story if its gonna go wrong it does. That small chance of an ectopic - its me! This past Sunday I began experiencing horrible right ovarian pain at church. Since Scott is a pastor at our church he couldn't take me to the hospital. Thankfully a friend of mine did.
When I got to the hospital the pain started to worsen. After an array of testing it got uncontrollable. I HATE DRUGS! HATE THEM! And I was asking for multiple doses of Morphine. I usually vomit with narcotics but I was at the point I'd rather vomit than writhe in pain. After some blood work, an ultrasound and pelvic exam the doctor informed me that my hcG was still elevated to 21. He advised me I had a ruptured cyst and there wasn't a reason to not send me home - even though I was in intense pain still. (They couldn't see the ectopic because it was too small). If he had actually looked at my labs and not misunderstood who read them to him - he would have seen my hcG went from 46 to 241 in 10 days which is an indicator for an ectopic pregnancy. But he didn't and subsequently wanted to send me home. Since I was visibly frustrated and crying when he said that he offered to call my doctor.
I said I would really appreciate that and so he did. Thankfully Dr. Anderson is awesome and told me he wanted to see me in the morning. Dr. Anderson actually read my labs and saw my hcG was elevated and treated me with an injection of Methotrexate. The drug that is now making me feel like crud. If Dr. Anderson was never called and didn't follow up I could have ruptured in the near future and if alone could have bled to death. A ruptured ectopic pregnancy is a true life threatening medical emergency. I have never been so thankful for Dr. Anderson in my life!
I know this sounds like an awful story, and it is. But the point is this: I've learned how great of a doctor I have, that my husband is BEYOND supportive (he has taken great care of me since I have been unable to work this week) and God is still faithful. I am blessed. Worst case scenario - I could have died. Best case scenario - what happened. MY doctor did his job. The ER doctor DID NOT! (And sorry if this is TMI but during my lady part exam he asked a nurse if she wanted to look without asking me! INVASION OF PRIVACY THANK YOU!) He's obviously a horrible doctor - I think you got that.
A final thought for all of this: I got a card in the mail today from my dear friend Shannon. It was very uplifting and everything I needed to hear. I'm just going to write it out for you:
Ashliegh,
After we got off the phone the other day, I did a lot of thinking about how we were talking about your "story". Although your story hasn't happened the way you expected or hoped for (yet), I believe you guys are some of the most inspiring people I've ever known. Your strength and hope you carry (no matter how small it seems at times) gives me hope that I can get through the difficult days I have here and there, because I have seen you guys go through so much and I know your strength is not your own, but the Lord's. I pray that you have a revelation of your "story" as it stands even in this moment. My deepest desire is that in every season, my life points others to Jesus. I see that firsthand in you. That, my sweet friend, is the best help you can give to others, and you have done it for me. I love you dearly.
Love,
Shannon
It gives me so much joy that even though my story is not pretty on first glance, its beautiful in it's intricacies. Our story is complicated and confusing. But in the little moments there have been great miracles and wonderful stories of love and hope. The devil thinks that if he throws life in my face that I am going to blame God or curse Him. It's funny because it's done the opposite. My faith in God, my husband, and love is so much stronger than it was when this whole thing started. And apparently God is using me to help others also - which is so amazing! My body may be failing me but God is not. My body may be broken and beaten but my spirit is not! This story will continue to be one of hope and love and endurance. When you cannot carry yourself to the next day or even hour, God will. I did have a few days where I was very crushed and sad. But God brought me through. One of these days I will be posting pictures of our earthly children and telling stories of their first milestones. One of these days. But until then God will help us endure.
2nd Corinthians 12:8-10 (NLT): Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
***Some of you may wonder why I share so much information. Just as a little reason to why: infertility is not talked about enough and miscarriage is so vaguely understood by many. If my story can break that mold and help others who are experiencing it I will continue to BOAST about it!
Much love,
Ashliegh
Right now I'm sitting and writing this with sweaty palms, nausea and abdominal pain because this week I was diagnosed with a right ovarian cyst that subsequently ruptured and an ectopic (tubal) pregnancy. To treat the tubal pregnancy I was given an anti-cancer medication that helps to evacuate the baby from the tube. Hence the horrible symptoms. This all came about because we made the courageous decision to endure IVF again. We made the decision carefully, together, and prayed a lot about it. Even though its ended so badly I still don't regret it.
We started the IVF journey in December. I knew everything that was coming with the process and every step to it since we had been there twice before. Things went smoothly with injections and my protocol until my first follicle scan. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's an ultrasound to check how your ovaries are responding to the injections and it's a good indicator of how many eggs will be retrieved. On my first scan I had three follicles that were twice the size they were suppose to be and my estrogen levels had already spiked indicating I was ready to be retrieved (have my eggs collected). To many people three may sound like a lot, to the IVF world its disaster. Rapidly growing follicles hardly ever carry any eggs and when they do they are not high quality.
Our doctor informed us we could cancel and under normal circumstances he would. But knowing us for so long and knowing our journey had been so rough - he was willing to continue in hopes of getting something. So we went ahead and retrieved two days later. By a miracle of God we retrieved 5 eggs! We were so happy! I praised God for the miracle it was. Four of our eggs fertilized and two were nearly perfect. It seemed that this was it for us! Due to my history of multiple miscarriages, and the fact that the other two embryos were lower quality, the doctor put back all four embryos. I was so excited and thought we would probably end up with twins.
Three days after he put them back I started bleeding heavily. This is something you DO NOT want to happen. I went in and had my hormone levels checked and yet again my estrogen decided to go crazy. Estrogen helps support a healthy pregnancy and mine had been well over 1000, which was great! And just two days later it was under 100 - relatively nothing. He had only seen this happen one other time and had no explanation for it. I went on estrogen supplementation and stopped bleeding. Things were looking up but let us know this cycle probably would not be successful. Two weeks later I had a blood draw and to everyones surprise it was positive. It was low but positive (story of my life).
My hcG was only 13. A number of 90-100 would be ideal but I was gonna take it! I was informed to go back in 48 hours later to make sure it doubled. HcG in early pregnancy should rise at least 60% in 48 hours. Well, 48 hours later it dropped to 12. I was so mad because we had worked so hard. I was informed to stop all my support medicine and wait to bleed. A few days following I still had not bled and was nauseated. I went home and took a pregnancy test and it was very positive. I had gotten a very faint line at 13 but this was much darker. So I went back to the hospital and my hcG had almost tripled to 35. Then 48 hours later rose by about 60% to 60. We were thrilled and thought we just had a late starter. Then again 48 hours later dropped to 51 then 48 hours later to 46. Pregnancy was definitely not viable. This would make our fifth miscarriage in a row in 3 1/2 years of infertility.
I was so mad at the roller coaster ride. If it wasn't going to work then why did God allow us to get any eggs. Why did He allow me to get pregnant in the first place? I was so mad but the worst was yet to come. Since my hcG was fluctuating there was a very small chance of an ectopic pregnancy. But if any of you know my story if its gonna go wrong it does. That small chance of an ectopic - its me! This past Sunday I began experiencing horrible right ovarian pain at church. Since Scott is a pastor at our church he couldn't take me to the hospital. Thankfully a friend of mine did.
When I got to the hospital the pain started to worsen. After an array of testing it got uncontrollable. I HATE DRUGS! HATE THEM! And I was asking for multiple doses of Morphine. I usually vomit with narcotics but I was at the point I'd rather vomit than writhe in pain. After some blood work, an ultrasound and pelvic exam the doctor informed me that my hcG was still elevated to 21. He advised me I had a ruptured cyst and there wasn't a reason to not send me home - even though I was in intense pain still. (They couldn't see the ectopic because it was too small). If he had actually looked at my labs and not misunderstood who read them to him - he would have seen my hcG went from 46 to 241 in 10 days which is an indicator for an ectopic pregnancy. But he didn't and subsequently wanted to send me home. Since I was visibly frustrated and crying when he said that he offered to call my doctor.
I said I would really appreciate that and so he did. Thankfully Dr. Anderson is awesome and told me he wanted to see me in the morning. Dr. Anderson actually read my labs and saw my hcG was elevated and treated me with an injection of Methotrexate. The drug that is now making me feel like crud. If Dr. Anderson was never called and didn't follow up I could have ruptured in the near future and if alone could have bled to death. A ruptured ectopic pregnancy is a true life threatening medical emergency. I have never been so thankful for Dr. Anderson in my life!
I know this sounds like an awful story, and it is. But the point is this: I've learned how great of a doctor I have, that my husband is BEYOND supportive (he has taken great care of me since I have been unable to work this week) and God is still faithful. I am blessed. Worst case scenario - I could have died. Best case scenario - what happened. MY doctor did his job. The ER doctor DID NOT! (And sorry if this is TMI but during my lady part exam he asked a nurse if she wanted to look without asking me! INVASION OF PRIVACY THANK YOU!) He's obviously a horrible doctor - I think you got that.
A final thought for all of this: I got a card in the mail today from my dear friend Shannon. It was very uplifting and everything I needed to hear. I'm just going to write it out for you:
Ashliegh,
After we got off the phone the other day, I did a lot of thinking about how we were talking about your "story". Although your story hasn't happened the way you expected or hoped for (yet), I believe you guys are some of the most inspiring people I've ever known. Your strength and hope you carry (no matter how small it seems at times) gives me hope that I can get through the difficult days I have here and there, because I have seen you guys go through so much and I know your strength is not your own, but the Lord's. I pray that you have a revelation of your "story" as it stands even in this moment. My deepest desire is that in every season, my life points others to Jesus. I see that firsthand in you. That, my sweet friend, is the best help you can give to others, and you have done it for me. I love you dearly.
Love,
Shannon
It gives me so much joy that even though my story is not pretty on first glance, its beautiful in it's intricacies. Our story is complicated and confusing. But in the little moments there have been great miracles and wonderful stories of love and hope. The devil thinks that if he throws life in my face that I am going to blame God or curse Him. It's funny because it's done the opposite. My faith in God, my husband, and love is so much stronger than it was when this whole thing started. And apparently God is using me to help others also - which is so amazing! My body may be failing me but God is not. My body may be broken and beaten but my spirit is not! This story will continue to be one of hope and love and endurance. When you cannot carry yourself to the next day or even hour, God will. I did have a few days where I was very crushed and sad. But God brought me through. One of these days I will be posting pictures of our earthly children and telling stories of their first milestones. One of these days. But until then God will help us endure.
2nd Corinthians 12:8-10 (NLT): Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
***Some of you may wonder why I share so much information. Just as a little reason to why: infertility is not talked about enough and miscarriage is so vaguely understood by many. If my story can break that mold and help others who are experiencing it I will continue to BOAST about it!
Much love,
Ashliegh
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