Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Rainbow-spotted Unicorns

In my utter dismay last week over the need for another operative hysteroscopy and stent, I overlooked something really important that happened. Something that makes me breathe a sigh of relief for the first time in months.

What could that be, you ask? Winning lotto tickets? Calorie-free chocolate? A more functional uterus? The ability to write a post without at least one egregious typo? Alas, none of those. Rather, the MFM called me back. She left me a voicemail and told me she'd try me at home that night if I wasn't able to reach her during the day.

When I got in touch with her, she told me she'd gone back and done a lit search on chronic endometritis (CE). She wanted to find the most up to date info. She noted it was mostly associated with early losses (like my first miscarriages), but that it was also associated with losses up to 20 weeks. She said that she'd recommend we add a few other things to the biopsy being done, and noted that the literature reflects the use of hysteroscopy for CE diagnosis. She wasn't sure it was worthwhile to do the hysteroscopy, but wanted to discuss that option with me.

I told her I was getting the biopsy done later that day, and unless I got really lucky, there was a good chance we'd see adhesions and need a hysteroscopy anyway. Further, even if we didn't see adhesions, my RE encouraged a diagnostic hysteroscopy before a COH cycle, so I was likely to proceed with one. Dr. N told me she'd call my OB right away and let her know what other tests needed to be done on the biopsy sample, and that she'd provide her with information/images on what to look for during the hystreroscopy, to detect CE.

I ended that call with such a feeling of relief. What I have hoped for, what I have felt I needed since the beginning, was a doctor who would take me seriously. A doctor who would be willing to look into the newest research on relevant topics, rather than dismissing me based on previous knowledge or assumptions. A doctor who might normally practice "when you hear hoof beats, think horses," but who would acknowledge that give my history, thinking rainbow-spotted unicorns might be necessary. I will always wonder if things might have been different for Quinn had I found a rainbow-spotted unicorn doctor before getting pregnant with her, or during those first 12 weeks when I asked about cervical monitoring, but at least I'll know that any future pregnancy has the best shot possible.

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