The Timeline

The Timeline (Bah-bah-baaaah!)
Here is the timeline of our trying to conceive.  I know it's a little wordy, so feel free to skip.  But it's here for our own reference and for those that might want to know our story, and to encourage those who may also be having difficulty.  I put a lot of hyperlinks to explain medical jargon that has become commonplace to us, but not-so-commonplace for those who have never dealt with this issue.  If anything is still confusing and you are curious, feel free to ask!  We're pretty open about all this.

April 2010 This is where it all started.  We began "trying".  And as everyone says when they first start "trying", we weren't "trying", but we were going to "see what happens".  Whatever that means.  We didn't tell anyone because we wanted it to be a surprise. 

October 2010 6 months later, Amanda told her sister.  It was no fun to keep it secret anymore, and it was way too hard to keep a secret from her sister!

November 2010 Amanda's periods became so painful she couldn't eat or work.

December 2010 We stayed home for Christmas because Amanda's pain (both physical and emotional) had gotten worse.

January 2011 Amanda went to the GYN (gynecologist) for painful periods and to discuss concern over not being pregnant.  Doctor prescribed Progesterone cream for the pain and told her to come back after it had been a year.  Amanda went to urgent care for pain in her back that wouldn't go away.  Doctor told her to take ibuprofen.  (P.S. she HAD been taking the maximum dosage of ibuprofen for months already.  Thanks a lot, urgent care doc!)

May 2011 Amanda went to the GYN for an exam (it ended up being a different Nurse Practitioner, because apparently Amanda's doctor moved), during which something was found.  The doctor ordered an ultrasound to explore what she had found during the exam.  Doctor prescribed narcotics for pain with periods. Amanda also told the doctor about her back pain, which the doctor said should be treated by a chiropractor. (P.S. Amanda had already been doing that.  Thanks a lot, GYN!)

June 2011 First ultrasound found a 5cm cyst in left ovary (Amanda looked it up on Google; the size of a kiwi!  Amanda and her sister fondly referred to it as her "kiwi" from there on out".  Waited 6 weeks for next ultrasound.  Went to see GP (general practitioner) about digestive problems and back pain, which the GYN had said were not related to the cyst.  Doctor performed tests for parasites and kidney stones, both negative.

July 2011 Second ultrasound found that the cyst had not resolved itself (had to call the doctor for that info, since she didn't contact us).  Back pain was unbearable at this point.  Amanda had been unable to sleep for months because of it.  Boo.

August 2011 The GYN referred Amanda to a surgeon, who suspected she had endometriosis and would need surgery.  3 days later she had laparascopic surgery to remove the cyst.  The 45-minute surgery turned into 3 1/2 hours.  The doctor determined that she had Stage 4 endometriosis, and that the cyst was larger than originally thought.  She had a lot of adhesions on her organs and intestines.  He was not able to fully remove all of the endometrial lesions and adhesions. 

September 2011 Amanda was put on a 3-month long treatment of Lupron Depot to treat the rest of her endometriosis.  Due to the damage to her reproductive system, the surgeon highly recommended seeking treatment with a fertility specialist. He also emphasized that while there is no cure for endometriosis, pregnancy has been found to put it into remission in many cases.  We had our first visit with the fertility doctor to discuss options and make a plan.  Doug was tested; results came back fairly normal.

December--January 2012 Birth control to ensure that the Lupron was out of Amanda's system.

January 2012 HSG (hysterosalpingogram) that was fun.
 
February--March 2012 Used OPK (Ovulation Predictor Kit) to try naturally one more time.

April 19, 2012 First IUI (Intra-Uterine Insemination), failed

May 15, 2012 Second IUI, failed

June 6, 2012 Had a hysteroscopy and in-office HSG.  Met with doctor about IVF (In-vitro Fertilization).  Set up a schedule.

June 9, 2012 IVF medication arrived.  Amanda started her first injection of Lupron, which she will continue daily until around the end of July.

We will continue the IVF process through July.  Hopefully we can keep you updated as we go.  :)