Well, as I'm sure many of you have noticed I haven't updated our blog in quite a while. We have had a crazy few months and I thought I would pick up where we left off since Kyle and I are finally ready to talk about it and put it out in the open.
Last time we talked Kyle was getting ready to deploy. My my, what a crazy time that was. To fully update you there is somethings you should know about my health. I have two conditions that I battle regularly:
1. Chronic Migraines: I do not have a migraine here or there. I have multiple migraines a week. I seem to only have them in Okinawa since I only had one while in Texas. These are not your usual I need some peace and quiet migraines. They hit usually between 6 and 10pm, I close the door to our bedroom and the blinds. I turn off every light in our bedroom, turn off the central a/c, turn off the fans in our bedroom and Kyle is not allowed in because hearing him breathe is so magnified it sounds like a freight train. I then put an ice pack on the back of my head (same spot every time) I take a prescription migraine medicine and I take melatonin. I don't consume a lot of caffeine so I usually take these medicines with a highly caffeinated beverage. Then comes the waiting game. I wait for the melatonin to kick in while there is a screeching noise piercing through my ears. As I wait if I even look at my phone, iPad, computer or anything back lit I will be sent running to the bathroom to vomit. Fun right?!? We've been to the doctor three times about them and I have had IV cocktails three times to stop them because they went on for 8 hours. Luckily they hit evening time so I am not one of many people whose life is drastically altered by them. I'm also praying this is temporary for as long as we live in Okinawa. Please join me in this prayer. Kyle would like to not sleep on the couch every now and then because I can't bear his breathing.
2. Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrom (PCOS): Many of you may remember a few years ago I started having cysts rupture on my ovaries. Since 2010, I have had somewhere between 13-18 cysts rupture. You lose count eventually. I was told in 2010 that I will not be able to bear children. I have learned to have a very high tolerance for pain so I do not use the vicodin and ibuprofen that is provided for me regularly (we have flushed ALOT of pain meds because I don't use them YAY!). I also have extremely horrible menstrual cycles because I do not ovulate correctly (the reason I may not be able to bear children). PCOS is a syndrome that manifests itself in many many different ways. My hormone levels are off. Without going into too many details. I have low progesterone, high testosterone, and random estrogen. I am very very blessed in that I do not struggle with some of the more embarrassing side effects of PCOS. I do battle my weight, because my hormones are off. Since diagnoses I have gained over 40lbs. This seems like a lot but I have one cute butt that carries the majority! HA! I also have very painful cycles, that last double to triple the average length, and I have these awesome pains that shoot through my sides. If you ever see me clutching my side it's ok! It will pass in a few minutes or I will look at you and you will know a cyst is rupturing.
I needed to explain these to ya'll to update you completely on our past few months. Kyle and I were not planning to have kids until we met a few goals we had set for ourselves. Well in the end of January/beginning of February we conceived a child. In the end of February/beginning of March we found out we were expecting. We were shocked! I was about to leave for dragon boat practice when I had this sudden feeling I was pregnant. I didn't tell Kyle because I regularly take pregnancy tests since my cycle is so irregular I never want to start the new month of birth control(bc) without either having a cycle or taking a test. Usually I have to take a test because my cycle appears when it wants even on BC. After taking a home pregnancy test (HPT) and it came out positive, I had a mild heart attack (just kidding). I walked in the kitchen and handed Kyle the test he responded with, "What does this mean?". I barely got the words out but said, "We are having a...child!" Of course both of us were shocked, now I'm not the best at medicine so I was lucky to take my BC 4 times a week much less daily but when you've been told for three years that you can't conceive what's the big deal?
The next day we took a blood test and that evening our doctor called us to tell us we were definitely pregnant. Based on my very irregular cycle I was estimated to be 10 weeks. We later found out that I was two weeks when we found out we were expecting. After a very difficult few weeks of keeping our secret (sorry Mom, Amie, Gran-gran and Oma). We had our first ultrasound. At the first ultrasound we were told it's pretty amazing I conceived and that I had at least 4 cysts on my ovaries at the time. Other than that everything was going swimmingly I was estimated at 5.5-6.5 weeks. The baby was growing perfectly and we were thrilled. Then began the amazing phone calls to family and select very close friends.
The next Monday Kyle was working from 3pm- 11am. Of course not even an hour after he left I noticed spotting. I frantically showed up at my friend Lori's house and asked her to accompany me to the ER.
This entire time we were also preparing Kyle for deployment. He had received a small pox vaccine which is a live virus and was not allowed to be around pregnant women or babies. If only he'd waited two weeks to get the vaccine. So we were stuck washing all of our clothes separate, sleeping with our own blankets and washing those separate, and he had to sleep with a shirt on every night plus keep the sight completely covered. Some nights, he slept on the couch just because he was so nervous about accidentally laying his arm over in the night which he does almost every night. We also found out Kyle was due to arrive about two weeks before my estimated delivery date of November 20, 2013. We were praying that I made it to full term and that He made it home a few days early, but were also preparing for a labor without my husband. I luckily have an amazing boss who I know without a doubt would have helped me get through labor (and volunteered to go to all the classes with me). She and two other women have truly become lifetime friends I have made while being here in Okinawa.
I went to the ER, they first tried to get a heart beat but were unable. At 6.5-7.5 weeks this is not uncommon but not common in average pregnancies. They also took scans of my entire uterus and ovaries, where they once again pointed out I have some weird ovaries! After doing an ultra sound where they still couldn't get a heart beat they told me I had a sub-chorianic hematoma, a blood clot between the placenta and uterus. I was told I would have to wait and see what happens. Most the time these heal themselves and everything goes ok. They happen in approximately 4% of pregnancies and of those 4%, 10% end in a miscarriage. What they didn't tell me was that the blood clot surrounded over half of the babies placenta, leaving almost no room to grow.
Over the next week we went through the emotional roller coaster of getting Kyle's stuff organized, packing lists made and all those other organization things you go through before a deployment. This was all happening while I was consistently bleeding. On Friday I was so emotionally exhausted, I had to know what was going on. I knew I was going to be getting off work early so I called at 6:45 in the morning and asked them to work me in. A wonderful doctor named Dr. Jennifer Klimpel worked me into her lunch break. How awesome do such a nice thing! When I showed up for my appointment she told me the baby had not grown since my last ultra sound and was still measuring 6 weeks when it should be 8 weeks and that I was indeed going to have a miscarriage from the blood clot. Unfortunately everything was fine with our baby (which we called ALIEN because I was VERY sick all the time), it was just my body had a random error in conceiving. This was nothing we could prevent or control and over time I have accepted that it's not my fault. After receiving this devastating news she verified it with another doctor who confirmed her diagnosis and we proceeded from there. I called Kyle and asked him to come to the hospital and see if he could get off work while we went through everything. That afternoon we got a phone call saying Kyle's deployment with him and a few other guys was cancelled and that he would not be leaving the next week.
I choose to have a D&C which is a surgery where the doctors go in and remove the tissue and clean out your uterus. This was the best choice for me for a few reasons: I was EMOTIONALLY exhausted, I had already been through so much bleeding that wasn't even miscarrying yet that I didn't think I could handle any more, and because for me I didn't like the idea of having to flush my baby. Kyle agreed with me that this was the best option for our situation and overall I am very pleased with our choice. Monday morning April 8th I had surgery and everything went very well.
Fast forward to May 13 (yes I had this appointment on my birthday because I was so excited). I went to meet with the amazing Dr. Klimpel again as we discussed my options. She estimated that I probably only ovulate about twice a year and asked if we were interested in beginning fertility treatments to treat the PCOS, and help us to conceive a child. After a whole lot of prayer and sought counsel Kyle and I decided we want to try and conceive. We went through a whirlwind of tests, I can not count how many times I have had blood drawn and iv's done since we have been in Okinawa. I am also a pro at the old peeing in a cup. On June 14th I officially began fertility treatments. We have until approximately December before we will need to take a break from the treatments. Hopefully in the near future you will all hear about our family expanding.
With Love,
Kyle and Amber
