The HSG

Well, it would seem that something went wrong with that last cycle of Clomid. Not only was it very late, but I ended up having to have a cycle "jump started" (what I like to call starting a cycle with medicine). What a bumpy ride it ended up being! Losing hope with infertility is one of the worst things that can happen during treatment, but sometimes I wonder if being hopeful doesn't make things just as hard. Of course, I'm getting off topic so here we go!

To start off for those who don't know, and HSG is an X-ray procedure where they inject dye through your cervix to examine the shape of your cervix and uterus as well as to see if your fallopian tubes are open. I was also informed by a friend that this procedure was done for her to help in the diagnosis of her eptomic pregnancy.

The HSG just sounded painful after reading the information pamphlet they gave us. The nurse who scheduled our first one (we had to do three reschedules due to the delayed cycle) also talked about how terrible it was. I'd never had one before, so I was pretty nervous going in today. Instead of going to our office, we headed to the main hospital and to the radiology lab downstairs. We were really lucky! There wasn't much of a wait at all before I was brought back to change and before I was even out of the changing room they were ready for me.

We headed down the hall to the lab where we met the doctor who would be doing our procedure. (Dr. C has been out of the office a lot here lately due to working on grant work. I'm guessing that means raising money for the study the hospital is currently working on.) My DH got to put on an apron to protect him from the radiation and they began. (For those of you who are not curious about this procedure, I'll separate my description so it is easily skipped. Going in as nervous as I did, I feel it is important, even if it is embarrassing for me, to prevent others from going in blind!)

The procedure did begin just like any other pelvic exam although the stirrups they used held my legs instead of my feet. It was easier to relax and I'm sure some of those uncontrollable movements were minimized as well. Once they located the cervix, he took (I'm guessing at some of the details of this since I couldn't see, but the doctor was very nice and explained everything he was doing before he did it) one of those long sticks that have the cotton on top and cleaned my cervix with Iodine. The cleaning wasn't painful, but it did feel very weird. The best I can describe it as would be to compare it to thrumming a guitar string and putting your finger on the string lightly to feel the vibrations. It was a very unique feeling. Next however, came the dreaded part. I won't lie and say the threading of the catheter through the cervix wasn't painful. It started off as a light period cramp and increased as he continued, but he was able to adjust the pressure of the balloon sack (they use it to keep the dye flowing in the correct direction) to ease it a little. The worst of the pain was towards the end of the threading and it was less of a cramp but more of a very strong ache. After they had finished threading, the ache subsided into a light ache. It went from spraining your ankle to being sore after a hard day's work. The light ache remained with me through the procedure, but it wasn't really distracting just more of a reminder. Next, they repositioned me (I continued to lie down of course) and moved the X-ray machine over me. They turned the machine on and began pumping the dye into my uterus. That was another weird feeling because I could feel the dye hitting the top and the liquid level rising and it flowing out. That feeling is something I won't try to accurately describe. I'll just say that in some ways it felt very similar to a muscle twitch. Seeing what my uterus looked like on the monitor was really neat. When they pulled the sack down so they could see the shape of my cervix, I didn't even feel it. The removing of the tube was much easier then the inserting. Once the tube was out, I experienced some light period aches, but nothing too painful. Sitting up was embarrassing. As soon as I was up in a sitting position, I felt a gush and felt like I'd wet myself. Of course, they led me to a restroom so I could clean up a bit. There was a little spot bleeding and that was it. The doctor was nice enough to tell my DH that he owed me a very nice dinner (he specifically said no Mc. Donald's) and we were on our way back so I could redress. The actual procedure from the entering of the room to the leaving the room was probably somewhere around 15 minutes. Since the procedure, I have had occasional cramping and spotting, but nothing like what I feared. So, overall, this is not a procedure I'd recommend just having to have, but if you need it, it shouldn't be feared.

Our results were good which leaves me even more confused. There was no blockage, strange growths, or odd shapes. In the end, it leaves us back where we were before. Our struggling is a hormone issue not a physical (and by physical I am referring to the organs involved) one. That is assuming that my DH's first count test was correct and no problems will show up during the next. The doctor who did our procedure said that things looked very good and that if we were directly under his care (he is one of the senior doctors at the clinic we visit) he would just work towards finding the right medicine combination to make our ovaries work.

Now, to veer off again for a bit. I know it's been a long bit in between posts. We're moving this weekend to the other side of town and there's just been a million things going on between the treatments and packing. I'll be back as soon as we here back from Dr. C about the results and our next step.