Surgery Bound!

A quick update on what’s going on with us.  We were able to get in to see the urologist who specialized in male infertility today.  I was very anxious for this appointment and hoped it would bring us some more answers as to why Kevin has such a high level of DNA fragmentation and oxidative stress- which may be adding to the reasons we keep miscarrying.  This doctor is supposed to be top notch in this area, and I’ve heard good reviews about him from many people. 

I was most afraid of him saying nothing was wrong.  Fortunately, he did find a Grade I varicocele when examining Kevin.  Grade I means that it is small- not yet visible just by looking.  However, they typically don’t resolve themselves and continue to slowly grow.  Even though it’s small, it is a big possibility that the varicocele is causing the fragmentation and oxidation.  Because of our history and meeting certain specifications, Kevin will be undergoing a varicocelectomy to remove it.  I'll spare you and avoid posting any pictures of the surgery ;)  After three months recovery time we will retest his fragmentation rate and hope against hope that it has resolved the problem.  If the fragmentation rate drops significantly, we will be able to try for a baby on our own again.  There is very good scientific data backing this up.  Couples who suffered from repeated pregnancy loss had a much greater chance of carrying a child full term after a varicocelectomy.  We wonder if perhaps Kevin hadn’t started to develop this varicocele when Jack was conceived.

 

There is a chance that the surgery won’t correct the problem.  If that is the case our only option left will be IVF.  Doing IVF can improve our chances, even with DNA fragmentation, because the embryos are monitored for proper growth (and sometimes tested for viable DNA) before ever being inserted into the uterus.  Also, doctors are careful with the quality of sperm they use to fertilize the eggs.  It is hard for me to wrap my mind around undergoing such a difficult procedure and paying 20,000 dollars to do so, when we have conceived seven times on our own.  I think of all the dozens of injections and the egg harvesting and my blood risks with multiples, etc.  I think of some of the ethical issues that may come up with “leftover babies” and all that other complicated stuff with embryo adoption.  It gets overwhelming quickly- but we will cross that bridge when we get there.  IVF is not a possibility for us at this time, so we will start with the conservative approach and see if the surgery corrects the problem.  If the varicocele is really the biggest issue, maybe we could have many more children without medical intervention (not that I’m getting my hopes up).

All of that being said, the surgery is 3800 dollars and nothing is covered by insurance.  Between the two of us we’re already paying between 200-300 dollars a month for medications and supplements.  I don’t have that kind of disposable income… But I have faith it will work out somehow.  I can’t imagine waiting a year and a half until Kevin is a practicing DPT to pay for this surgery…and just letting this thing grow inside him in the meantime.  We will try our best and I feel the Lord will help us a little at a time to pay for the help we need.

If all goes well we would be able to try again by the start of 2016.  I’m hoping to have another baby when Jack is 5…but that would be best case scenario.  He may be older by the time another miracle comes our way.  It’s hard to deal with an age gap for me emotionally because it’s not what I wanted for my children.  It gets harder every birthday and every month that you’re still not pregnant.  Every loss you think of the recovery time and trying again, and then that ten months it takes to have a baby.  But- God knows better than me, and long term it will be ok.  Our family may not be what we had in mind, but it will still be our family. 

I’m excited to finally have a more tangible problem with a straight forward solution.  Although, I have been giving Kevin a hard time because he gets to be asleep during the procedure and then go home on pain meds.  I think of all the painful procedures I’ve been through since we first got pregnant with Jack and I think “Are you kidding me!? You get to be asleep!”  haha.  I mean I’m happy for his sake, but man…all the injections, even the ones straight into the lady parts, the incisions in my arm, the daily shots in the belly, the pain of miscarrying, or even hearing “try to breathe through the pain of this cervical clamp.” And they put the men out. Hahaha- that’s why women are mothers right? J

We still don’t know how much of a contributor I am to the losses for sure.  So even if we can fix the fragmentation rate we aren’t positive of my ability to carry.  It’s a scary thing.  However, I carried Jack full term so I feel that it’s possible if the baby has healthy DNA.  We will be holding our breath for 9 months but I still think some hope is there.  We are skeptical naturally after going through six losses in a row, but we are trying to pull some hope out of our hearts that have been hardened a bit. 

We have some pre-op labs to do and such, and the surgery will probably be scheduled for late July or sometime in August.  Sometime between now and then I’d better figure out a way to pay for it…Perhaps we'll start a fundraiser called "Aw nuts, his nuts are broken" or "testicle festival" (his idea).

All in all. I’m just so glad that this is what I thought was happening, and then he actually has a varicocele.  Yay for not being crazy.

Thanks for all your love and support!!