HOWEVER…THIS ENTIRE STORY IS PRETTY FUNNY…NOW.
Funny isn’t what I would have called it at 4:30 p.m. today. As anyone who reads my blog knows, Mark and I have been trying to have a baby since June 2008. I had two miscarriages: an ectopic pregnancy in August 2009 and an early miscarriage in November 2009. Mark left for deployment training, and we knew that would make trying to get pregnant again challenging at best, especially considering my irregular cycles; so, we banked some sperm. I know many of my Catholic friends will think that trying to conceive a child this way is wrong and against Church teachings, and I don’t care. Read on…
So no pregnancies…new doctor…two surgeries. And I started acupuncture. December was the first month I could try to get pregnant using Mark’s banked sperm since I lived in St. Louis. I went in for my ultrasound and follicle scan…and the doctor was pretty sure we missed. I ovulated EARLY AND ON MY OWN! We tried to salvage it just in case…I got my trigger shot and IUI the following day with the sperm Mark banked back in D.C. In my heart, I knew it didn’t work. We missed the window. I tried to calm myself by looking at the bright side: my uterine lining looked great, and my ovaries were creating follicles just like they were supposed to.
So, on Christmas day, I got the present I didn’t want. And of course, Mark’s 15 days home fell right between my windows, so we decided to have him bank some more sperm at Washington University. We figured it was cheaper and would be great to have it local. Everything went great on Mark’s part…his deposit was the best he gave yet.
I had an ultrasound and follicle scan scheduled yesterday. So, I arranged to pick up his “deposits” at Wash. U. so that my doctor from Scott AFB could do two IUIs on me this week. My doctor was in surgeries all day yesterday, and she didn’t get to see me until 5:30, an hour and half after my appointment was scheduled. Good news: uterine lining looked good. Follicle was almost ready to be triggered. We were going to get the timing right this time, darn it! She wanted to check it again today, so I trekked over to Scott AFB again. Everything was perfect. Follicle was just the right size. Uterine lining was just what she wanted. I had a super excited labor and delivery nurse excited about giving me my trigger shot because she was going to help me have a baby even though my husband was deployed. Sperm was at St. Elizabeth’s waiting for the IUIs to happen on Friday and Saturday. Doctor was thrilled. I was beyond thrilled. I even cried on my drive home. This is it, I thought! I just know it.
I got home, talked to Mark, and kicked his butt in Scrabble and decided it was time for a nap when he got off the phone to go to bed. I was going to be up early. At 4:30, my doctor called. Bad news. The sperm wasn’t prepped right for an IUI. REALLY? They knew where we were taking it and that we were using it for an IUI because my husband was DEPLOYED but no one thought to tell us that Wash U doesn’t prepare it for an IUI unless specifically asked. AAAAAAH!
So three options existed. 1. Try to get the sperm from D.C. here ASAP for an IUI on Saturday, but even then I’d probably miss my window since the doctor triggered me today. 2. See if Wash. U’s lab could talk to St. E’s lab about how to prepare the sperm for insemination and hope that St. E’s lab had the right tools and supplies to pull it off and have the IUI whenever they could get it done tomorrow or Saturday. 3…the long shot. BEG the Wash. U. doctor that I met with in June to do an IUI on me tomorrow.
So, after crazy phone calls with Fairfax Cryoboank, my doctor, and Wash U. doctor, the Wash. U. doctor saved the day. I get to go in for an IUI there tomorrow. MY SAVIOR. I feel a slight guilt not getting to do this with my doctor that has held my hand through the last six months, but only a slight guilt. I want a baby.
So tonight I went back to St. Elizabeth’s and picked up the tank of Mark’s sperm so that I could return it to Wash. U. tomorrow when I go in for my IUI. I had my mom go with me. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law got to hear the drama unfold. Part of his “deposits” sit in a tank in Amelia, my Honda Pilot. The whole day has been surreal.
I went from crying in thanks to God on the drive home from Scott AFB to being angry…why was this happening to me? EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT. So lesson learned God. I can’t control this AT ALL. Everything can seem PERFECT, but it’s only God who can make the miracles happen. So, tonight, I’m humbled, hoping that tomorrow is the day that Mark and I get our miracle. What a day!
