the latter.

The sonohystogram itself was not bad. Definitely less painful than a 10-hour visit with my in-laws.

I saw my uterus on screen. Then, using the doppler ultrasound, we were able to see the saline making its way through my tubes and shooting out the ends. Apparently I have "beautiful" fimbrulae (sp?). The left tube is wide open, and the right is open as well, although not as much. The doc was satisfied with what he could see and assured me that the contrast dye wouldn't give us any additional information.

Bottom line - there's nothing wrong with my girly bits, except for how the ovaries function. No new insight. At least this means we can put off spending $10,000 on IVF... for now.

I was feeling okay, just a bit crampy, after the procedure. Two hours later I was on the couch, unable to move, with a sharp stabbing pain in my abdomen. The doc said it could be cramping, or an effect of the antibiotic, or a mix of both. I'm to call again if I develop a fever or if the pain gets even worse.

I can't help but feel that this has been a total waste of a day.

sonohysterical...

well, maybe not hysterical... but I'm starting to feel like I might maybe later get nervous about the sonohystogram tomorrow.

Wish me luck. I have no idea whether I'll spend tomorrow afternoon feeling fine and being productive, or lying on the couch moaning. Your guess is as good as - nay, better than - mine.

Passive-aggresive? Or just aggressive?

Thank you all for your comments about the SHG vs. HSG. I wasn't quite ready to confront Dr. Eyebrows about it again, since I did ask and he gave me an answer. So... I called the SHG place to confirm my appointment, and I casually asked the nurse, "this is going to give us a really clear picture of my tubes, right? because my friend said that it usually only shows the uterus..." She replied that they can sometimes see the tubes with the saline test, but that if I really wanted we can do the ultrasound with a special contrast dye so that we can see everything. It costs an extra $150, which is not covered by OHIP. I signed up for that one too.

She asked me whether she should call Dr. Eyebrows and check about the contrast dye. I think my exact words were, "it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission. It's my uterus and my money, so I say do it and just send him all the results." She laughed and agreed.

Now, the prep instructions...
- they want a full bladder for an abdominal ultrasound (boo!). I hate those "full bladder" tests... really hate them. I'd rather have a million dates with the dildo-cam.
- I should take 400 mg of Advil an hour before the test. Hmm... I'm thinking maybe 800mg instead?
- I should have a light breakfast and a light dinner the night before. (she also mentioned that I should try to "empty the bowels" right before the test too. how does she propose I do that? is this a subtle way of saying, "please do an enema?" 'cause dude, the answer to that is NO FUCKING WAY.)
- I've been given an antibiotic to be taken with food. Apparently it's very hard on the stomach. Lurvely.

So, does this sound normal? Weird? Kinky?

I just hope this actually gives us some news we can use.

(oh, and do you think it's too passive-aggressive of me to just request the contrast dye behind Dr. Eyebrows' back?)

New Plan... and yes, I've learned my lesson... edited/updated

We had a review with our RE, Dr. Eyebrows, today. Here's the rundown.

Cysts: He thinks it's just bad luck that I've had two in a row. The cyst is currently 1.5 cm and looking pretty deflated, so it should be gone soon.

Past cycles: Dr. Eyebrows is of the opinion that IUI should generally work within three cycles. Since that hasn't been the case, he wants to investigate further.

So...

We're going to do a sonohystogram. I'd prided myself on avoiding one of these, quite frankly, but he's concerned that there may have been some low grade infection during or after Kali's birth that may have mangled my tubes. So... we're doing a sono. How bad is it? Be honest...

If my tubes are perfectly clear, we'll do another IUI with injectables only (no Femara). We'll reassess our approach on a cycle-by-cycle basis.

If my tubes aren't clear, we'll just go on to IVF. Mr. December asked about our chances. If we transfer 2 embryos, our chances are about 50% in a given cycle. If I want to do a single embryo transfer, we'd take it to blast (5 days) and then transfer - the success rate of that is about 40%. If we transfer two embryos, our chance of conceiving twins is 30%. Mr. December favors transferring 2. I do not. We'll need an arbitrator, if we get that far.

And now... what lesson did I learn?

I'll admit it... I have been known to take my child to the fertility clinic. I do have a sweatshirt that says "[name of clinic] baby" on it, and I do keep her pretty quiet, but I'm guilty of taking her there. Sometimes it's just not possible to get child care at 7 a.m.

Anyhow, this time the waiting room was empty (big sigh of relief), we had books, a ball, and a sippy cup of juice, and everything was ok... for the first 15 minutes. But Dr. Eyebrows kept us waiting 45 minutes, and by that point Kali was exhausted and cranky. She proceeded to scream for the duration of our review appointment. Both Mr. December and I had questions, so neither of us could leave with her. It was awful. Kali will not be accompanying me to the clinic again unless one of us is under heavy sedation (can you guess which? I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!).

So that's it, in a nutshell. Apparently I'm more infertile than I thought. Damn.

ETA: Yes, we're talking about a SHG, aka saline test, not the dye test or HSG. I specifically asked about the difference, and Dr. Eyebrows told me the SHG would give him enough info. I'm pretty sure that's not the case, but you can't exactly stand up in the doctor's office and shout "liar liar pants on fire!". Well, not if you're holding a screaming toddler at the same time.

I couldn't help it...

Overheard yesterday in the December household:


Mother-in-law: "I really believe in doing stimulating activities with kids. I really like it."

Decemberbaby: "I don't. I like to sit them in a corner facing the wall. It builds character."



One of these days I should really exercise some self-control.