Doctor's Follow Up

I had my post-op appointment with the surgeon yesterday. Overall it was pretty quick. We discussed the surgery and she showed me pictures from the laparoscopy. It's pretty cool to see inside of yourself! I had one good-sized spot of endo on my right uterosacral(?) ligament. She said it was growing pretty deep, but she was able to remove all of it. She also found one smaller spot of endo growing somewhere behind my left ovary. Everything else looked healthy and fine!

It's amazing to me how much of Endometriosis is still a mystery, even to the medical world. I was inquiring about how you get it, how it actually causes infertility, etc. Dr. L said that the main theory today is that you are probably born with it... when your body is being formed, the endometrium cells didn't make it into the uterus but got stuck outside and eventually develop into endometriosis. She also said they aren't exactly sure how it causes infertility. For some people with severe endo, it physically can block ovulation, fertilization or implantation. For others with milder cases, it can cause infertility chemically by screwing up the hormones. (My words, not hers!) Does all of this sound familiar to you? Is this what you all have heard too?

Dr. L would like to keep me on Tamoxifen to help regulate my hormone levels. (She said that the majority of endo patients do have some hormonal dysfunction - so there is a connection there.) Since I'm on Day 10 of my cycle, I will have to start up again next cycle. She ordered a Peak + 7 blood test to see what my levels are like. Although she did say, "Or maybe you'll be pregnant by then!" She said that based on my age, my health and the success of the surgery we have an 80% chance of conceiving. Those numbers are pretty good! But of course she warned me that some couples get prego right away, while others still take 1-2 years. You just never know.

Of course this is wonderful news! I am so grateful to God for a successful surgery and for finding the PROBLEM!! After all this time of mystery and confusion. It's been a whirlwind since the surgery... between recovering and the holiday craziness. I haven't really had time to reflect it all. Until yesterday, it hadn't really hit me that we had truly found the problem and hopefully solved it!

I am thankful for the gift of peace that the Lord has given me recently. It's too difficult to handle the high-highs and the low-lows. So I am not "expecting" much right now. I will just continue to wait and see and put it all in His hands.