Fibroid Free!

It's official...as of last Friday, I am fibroid free!

Prior to conceiving Gavin, I was informed that I had a 2.5cm submucosal uterine fibroid (size of a golf ball-also referred to as a cyst or myoma). After getting the all-clear that it was okay to get pregnant...boom it happened 2-3 months later (which felt like an eternity back then) and luckily I didn't have any complications during pregnancy. During my Cesarean delivery, the OBGYN got a better look at the fibroid but couldn't remove it because of the risk of blood loss. He basically told me "they are usually just a nuisance and shouldn't cause any major issues" and then retired. Little did I know that this fibroid was going to hang a "home sweet home" sign in my uterus for the next 3 years and grow to 8.65cm (size of a softball) and would be the leading cause of secondary infertility, painful cramping and bloating, irregular bleeding, and an enlarged uterus (3-4 times the normal size or 15-20 weeks pregnant...thank you very much).

So, after a year and a half of trying to give Gavin a brother or sister which involved 15+ ovulation predictor kits, 6 cycles of a fertility drug called chlomid (a.k.a. the husband hating drug), 10 pregnancy tests, one false-positive, several months of charting, anticipation, and let down, 2 trans vaginal ultrasounds, a Hysterosalpingogram, a consultation with a fertility specialist, a referral to one of MN's top OBGYN surgeons, two consults with the surgeon, an MRI, a 64 oz. bottle of Gatorade and a whole bottle of Miralax (not a fun night but very effective), a da vinci robotic surgical system (you might recognize this from the the season finale of Grey's Anatomy), 4 hours of surgery(laproscopic myomectoy with robotic assistance was the official title), severe shoulder-strap pain post-surgery, and one overnight stay at the hospital, I am finally fibroid free!

It's been a stressful summer and I think my husband has witnessed more than he could ever imagine in regards to my reproductive system! For those of you that have ever had to try more than 6 months to get pregnant, you can understand how it takes over your every thought, even your life. Of course, although I am still recovering from last week's surgery, I still have "baby" on the brain!

The road of infertility (praying it's coming to an end) has taught me a lot. Here are the top 3 things you may want to avoid saying to someone who is having a difficult time getting pregnant, especially with their 2nd or 3rd child:

1. "Stop trying and then it will happen!" - not necessarily the case, especially if there is something medically wrong with one of the partners.

2. "Don't get stressed out about it, that isn't going to help" - although it doesn't help, it sure is hard to do and each month that passes by makes it much worse.

3. "At least you have one child, some people don't even get that." - yes, I am grateful for my son and feel very blessed but at the same time, I just don't feel that my family is complete and I still have the desire to raise more than one child.

Along this journey, I have gotten myself some great support...gotta love the Internet. For those mom's that visit Baby Center, you may want to check out the different groups-there are several topics. They have a fibroid group that has been really helpful to me. In fact, this was just a small little lesson on infertility...if you are hungry for more, check out this blog.

Please feel free to send "baby dust" my way :)