| Hi Well, I'm going no mail after today for a short while, but first I'm going to do what I've been meaning to do since I joined this wonderful list, and that's bore you all to death with a proper introduction and the full story! Seriously, though, this is a story for anyone who is going through infertility and has been told there is nothing that can be done. I was married in 1988 and we decided to try for a baby about a year later. I had always, since the start of my periods at age 11, had terrible problems with irregular bleeding (never knew when they would start, no pattern whatsoever), flooding and the most horrendous pain that nothing would relieve. I would pass huge clots. My diabetes would suffer as the bleeding was so heavy at these times and I would become hypoglaecemic. I would also faint through loss of blood. This went on until I was 19 and I asked the GP if I could go on the pill, mainly to control the periods but also for contraception. The pill did regulate things but the bleeding and the pain was still horrendous. I was too embarassed to seek help about this and thought it must be 'normal'Anyhow, I stopped the pill when we decided to start trying for a baby. I knew that periods could be delayed when the pill was stopped, but after not having a period for 18 months or more and not becoming pregnant I thought it was best to say something! The GP I saw then was the most male chauvanistic pig! He told me that I was perfectly OK (didn't do a single test, exam, nothing) and all I needed was to go on a good, long, foreign holiday and everything would sort itself out. He then went on to say that the periods would also settle if I did have the miracle cure, a baby! Needless to say, I didn't leave it at this. I changed GP's and saw a lady doc who was great. She ordered lots of tests and exams and referred me to the gynae consultant. The blood tests showed hormone irregularities and an underactive thyroid. I had a laparoscopy which showed ovarian cysts. The cons started me on Clomiphene as a fertility drug. All this did was again, regulate things, and make me seriously hungry! The doc saw me another few times and I was also checked for cervical problems around this time due to bleeding after intercourse. That was all fine and was put down to an erosion which went on to heal itself. Another doc replaced the original cons and he took me in to do a laparoscopy and look at the state of my tubes. I woke up with a laparotomy and a wedge resection of my ovaries. An old fashioned and technically out of date op, I know, but when he had looked at my ovaries they were the size of large oranges and were on the point of rupturing. I had had steroid treatment for the enlarged ovaries prior to this, but I guess it hadn't worked. He said had I not come in for the lap, I would have been seriously ill or even dead within a week! Nice! Another cons replaced him soon after. He was more experienced in infertility, plus a bit of a whizz on endometriosis. He gave me various drugs to try and get things moving but felt the problems could be due to endo, which no one else had suggested, as well as the cysts. I was offered IVF but felt, especially as it was not available here and I would have had to travel, I could not cope with any more intervention. We decided to go along the adoption road instead. In December 1992 we adopted a beautiful baby boy, aged 7 weeks. We were so lucky. The problems with the periods and the pain had got worse though, and my health was really suffering. The cons took me in to do a laparoscopy to try and burn and laser out as much of the endo as he could, but he said it was an awful mess in there with the endo and the previous surgeries adhesions and my tubes were blocked. More tests were done and he told me that, even if I did become pregnant, the chances of having a successful outcome were nil. And actually becoming pregnant were virtually nil, too. Eventually, I became so ill and with so many hospital admissions for pain and bleeding, he suggested a hysterectomy and removal of my ovaries. Although in one sense this was a relief, I was still very upset. I was 28 and still hadn't had that elusive pregnancy. I was booked to go in in February 1994. Two weeks before going in I was packing my bag ready and decided I needed new bras. I had lost so much weight through being ill. But I had also had a horrid chest infection and flu and still felt ill. My blood sugars were awful, as happens in infections and my glands were aching. The bras came and I tried them on. They wouldn't fasten! Too tight! But I had lost nearly a stone! They should be too loose! Then the alarm bells started to ring......I couldn't be, could I? After all this time? This close to a hyst? And we had only had sex about twice in the last three months as I was so ill. Well, to cut a long story short I was! Pregnant! I was terrified! And delighted! And in shock! I went straight to my GP as I had been having terrible pain all the time and had been on all sorts of pain relief, most of it contraindicated in pregnancy. He oredered a date scan as I had no idea how far on I was. I was 7 and a half weeks pregnant and things looked fine. A week later I was admitted to hospital as I was having continuous pain and cramps. Another scan was done, still fine! The cons came in to see me (it was his day off...but he had heard about the pregnancy...he was delighted)! He told me that this pain was due to the adhesions stretching and would most likely ease around 16 weeks. It did! But I was told so many times that I had to take each day as it came, not to get my hopes up too much and not look to far ahead. But, I did relax after the 16 week mark. And got very fat! I was underweight at 81/2 stones when I started and was 141/2 when I finished! I was scanned two weekly then weekly in the last six weeks and put on steroids to mature the baby's lungs etc. I had a c/s in August 1994, at around 37 weeks, and my daughter was born! A miracle in herself! So, I had wo beautiful, miraculous children! Oh, and horrendous post natal depression! The problems with the periods started again soon after but I was bleeding every two weeks now! So, the hsyt went ahead in the November. It took ovr 5 hours as things were such a mess in there. I needed blood transfusions and was quite ill for a while afterwards. The HRT was left off for a while to let any remaining endo 'burn out'. The cons told me it was all down to the cystic ovaries and endo. I saw the reg at my 6 week check and he refused to examine me and told me (he was a temporary reg and was horrible) that it was all due to an STD I must have caught when I was younger and 'naughty'! I told him I was 11 when these problems started and his answer? 'Well, snigger snigger, it does happen my dear. Some people start younger than others snigger nigger'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I left in tears and went to my own GP who was horrified. She showed me my notes and pointed out it clearly stated endo and previous ops and the cysts as a cause. That was 7 years ago and I have had no follow ups since or smears. The only thing was some bleeding six weeks after, which my GP treated and said it was due to an incompletely healed area in the vault. If the reg had examined me this could have been picked up. Well, that's it until now. And I have this lesion! So, it's back to the gynae ward for me! Thanks for listening... Helen McC |
| Helen's Story |
