Laparoscopy and Endometriosis

(I apologise for not writing a blog post for the past couple of weeks. I was at the Cebrin Goodman Teen Institute without wi-fi for a week, then Gretch was recovering from surgery, and then I just forgot.)

When Gretch and I first started our journey of overcoming infertility, I don't think either one of us knew what we were getting into. In fact, when we first started, I don't think we even realised it was about infertility. This is a topic I have discussed with a few people recently. After learning that we are both infertile (at least for the time being--there is a strong possibility of correcting the infertility issues), our doctors shared their surprise that Gretch had gotten pregnant three times; it simply shouldn't have happened. And yet, if she hadn't had three successive miscarriages, I doubt either one of us would have thought to seek out advice from a reproductive medicine specialist. It simply would not have occurred to us that there was an infertility issue because people so rarely talk about infertility. We probably would have assumed poor timing on our part. And yet a couple that is trying to conceive for a year without success is strongly encouraged to seek out help because that it is a sign of possible infertility! This is yet another reason why we have chosen to be open about our problems.

I've been worried that this blog is going to be all about our infertility, but then I just looked through the recent posts and realised that only three of the twelve written this year (including this one) have been related to infertility. As I've said before, it is very much a part of our lives, but it does not dominate them. But when something happens that is another milestone, I want to share it so we can track our journey and help our family and friends to know what it happening with us.

As many of our friends and family know, Gretch had a laparoscopy a week and a half ago in order to look for endometriosis. This procedure was done at the strong suggestion of Dr. Fay when we started discussing in vitro fertilisation. Dr. Fay explained that some of Gretch's symptoms indicated a possibility of endometriosis, but the only way to confirm is by way of laparoscopy. The surgery was not necessary, per se,  but if it turned out that Gretch did have endometriosis, then it would increase the risk of a failed IVF. IVF is a rather costly procedure, so we felt it was wise to remove as many barriers to a successful pregnancy as possible beforehand. So we agreed to the procedure.

The appointment with Dr. Fay was on a Thursday. The laparoscopy was scheduled for the following Friday. We were shocked how quickly it was scheduled, but were also grateful, as every stop along the way was another delay in the actual IVF procedure. The next week was filled with Gretch preparing for surgery while I was at the teen institute. She wasn't by herself, though. My baby sister, Ariana, had been planning to come visit us for a week already, so she was able to spend quality time with Gretch while I was in Bloomington.

The laparoscopy itself was fairly routine, as far as I know. Gretch went in for pre-op, then I sat with her while we waited for the surgery time. Then I waited in the lobby with Ariana, who introduced me to some of her friends via Skype. After about an hour or so, Dr. Fay came out to speak with me about the procedure. She showed me some photographs that she took that confirmed endometriosis. Specifically, that was moderate endometriosis on the right ovary, the bladder, and the uterus. She was able to cut away the endometrial cells and cauterise the areas. My understanding is that this means Gretch is currently free of endometriosis, but it is a problem that will almost certainly arise again in the future.

I was eventually asked to come back to the recovery room to sit with Gretch, and her parents both came back, too. (Ariana and Gretch's brother stayed in the waiting room.) Gretch was groggy and in a great deal of pain from the surgery. In order to perform a laparoscopy for endometriosis, the surgeon fills her abdomen with carbon dioxide and then makes an incision near the belly button to insert the laparoscope, which is a camera with a light on a flexible tube. Then, if any endometriosis is discovered, another incision is made in the abdomen to insert the tools for cutting and cauterising. Additionally, a probe is inserted to move the organs around to increase visibility. So Gretch had been cut, poked, prodded, cut, and burnt for an hour so. The gas dissipates through the body, often rising through the abdominal and chest cavities and passing through the shoulders. This is a rather painful process.

We were able to bring Gretch home and then her mother stayed with her while Ariana and I went to get the meds from the pharmacy and ice cream from a grocery store. The next couple of days were spent keeping an eye on Gretch, watching Marvel Studios movies on Netflix, and heating up the rice pads that Ariana made with some old socks. Some folks from church brought dinner for us on Saturday and Monday, which is very greatly appreciated. (Gretch's mum provided dinner on Sunday, which was, of course, also appreciated.) Gretch was able to switch from the strong prescribed meds to over-the-counter ones like ibuprofen after a couple of days and even went to Nauvoo, Illinois, with her mother the Wednesday after the surgery.

I am very grateful that our doctor has been persistent about being thorough. A laparoscopy was not absolutely required, and there are women with endometriosis who do have children, either naturally or through assistive procedures, but we were told that the risks were fairly high and we wanted to eliminate as many possible causes for another heartbreaking failure as possible. In the process, we have been educating ourselves more on what endometriosis is and will be asking our doctor several questions to learn what this means for both the immediate and the more distant future. As we've been reading online about endometriosis, I found this excellent resource, endometriosis.org, which included a very well-done video summarising what it is:



We are still learning, as are many doctors and researchers around the world. But if there is one thing we have learned from this experience, it is this: if you, or someone you know, is struggling with infertility and either you, that person, or a doctor suspects endometriosis as a contributing factor, find out if a laparoscopy is the next probable step. It isn't fun, and the recovery does take time, but if there is something stopping a person from conceiving a child and it can be prevented, why would you not want that corrected? Please, talk to your doctor! As Gretch and I have learned about becoming advocates for ourselves and others, I cannot stress enough the importance speaking up and asking questions!

Finally, thanks again to all who were there to help during this latest stage, especially Ariana, who isn't a baby but will always be my baby sister, and Gretch's mum, who is always willing to drop everything and come over if it is needed. And to everyone who wished Gretch a speedy recovery, left a friendly note on Facebook, sent a card or a package, kept us in their prayers, or just asked how she was doing: thanks. It really does mean a lot to us.

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