Officially on Workup

Hello TTC World.

It has been a very long time since I posted in here. We made it here in the maple leaf country. The reason for moving here is discussed on my last post and I am happy to share that we finally landed here in Fredericton, New Brunswick (a maritime province of Canada) on 3 May 2016 after less than a year of waiting for our application for permanent residency to be approved.

I waited for everything to be in order before finally deciding to blog again. Why? Because in here, we cannot just go in an OBs clinic and tell the doctor we are infertile and we want to do workup. No. We need to have a family doctor first then said doctor will endorse us to a specialist, an OB and urologist for our case. We only found a family doctor on the 20th of September 2016 after more than 4 months of landing.

I bought with me all our lab tests, results, etc. of our workups from the Philippines but our family doctor wanted to check on us their way. She does not like to refer us instantly to a specialist because she wanted to check on us first before ruling out that we are an infertile couple. We are really back to zero in all our infertility workups. Read on my other blog post regarding our Meeting The Family Doctor.

During that time when we meet our family doctor, I am already a month delayed. At first, I ignored it because I know I have PCOS so sometimes, but not often because I regularly do my exercise (my medicine for PCOS), I have irregularities on my cycle but last year was a different story. However, I did a blood test to check if I am pregnant and it comes out negative. Oh well, the usual negative sign.

We did a blood lab tests on my part plus the Beta HCG and sperm analysis for my husband and the results are posted below. What I like in here is that all the tests that we did are all free and covered by New Brunswick healthcard. What I don't like is the additional waiting game for the doctor/s. We already received our tests but no one can explain us what the results says. Adding to the dilemma is that the family doctor went on vacation and I was scheduled to meet her again only on the 29th of October 2016. See, a very big difference from the day we first met. At that time, I am already on panic and paranoia mode because AF is nowhere to be found. It was the longest time AF did not visit me and adding to the emotions I am feeling that time were the twinges and unusual physical activities within me. Of course, we were also so excited about it. Who does not want to get pregnant naturally and unexpectedly? So, I was growing impatient about it and was calling our family doctor's secretary to ask what we should do next. What she did is to just schedule me on the 29th of October, amp.

Then came the next check up. You know what our family doctor just told us after waiting for more than a month, "I will refer you both now to a specialist but you will have to wait for them to call you." We are in queue once again for our respective specialists, amp. I told our doctor that I am already delayed and I wanted to at least have an ultrasound. Why ultrasound? Because I tested my urine test and it also comes negative and I have read through google that some women can be pregnant even if they tested negative on their blood and urine tests through ultrasound result. Sad thing is that our family doctor rejected my request. She told me she is not a specialist and she cannot do ultrasound. Oh my goodness, she can do pap smear and I have read that she do also labor thing but she cannot do ultrasound or at least request it for me, amp. The feeling of anxiety during that time is at its highest level. I just literally cried at the clinic and can't do anything. I am really a cry baby especially when it comes to TTC, I don't know but the tears just rolled on my cheeks. But that helps because I win the heart of our family doctor. She even hug and comforted me and told me, she'll personally ask the OB to see on my papers. The family doctor just instructed me to do a Beta HCG once again but then again it comes out negative and I am down to 3 months without a no show AF. 

Afterward, I received a letter from the hospital with an instruction from my OB on the 23rd of November 2016. At first I was really so happy because I finally have an OB but still I cannot face her yet. She instructed me to do another blood test on the 5th of December 2016. I am now delayed for 4 months. During those times, I am so bloated and gained so much weight. I just really cannot help myself so I really feel so down. I even stop believing I am pregnant and I just wanted for AF to come because it makes me paranoid when it is not showing up. I even thought maybe I am now on menopause at a very young age. I am so sad really on the waiting game. I just cry to God all night begging for AF to come. Huh, TTC is really a pain in the heart. It will eat you emotionally.

So, I did the needle work again for the 4th time here in Fredericton but I have not met yet my OB face to face. In the Philippines, I can always schedule and visit my OB RE anytime I want. In here, amp. Anyway, my OB is not an infertility specialist based on my research. The specialists are in Moncton, New Brunswick (worst case scenario, we will do IVF here). A 3-4 hours drive from where we live. Then again, I am thankful I still have an OB. I waited for 8 years and there is no way infertility will come depressing me again and again and again. Never again. I need to pick up the pieces of me and see on the bright side. I do not want my infertility to eat me again. Then the answered prayer came. I finally had a talked with my OB over the phone on the 13th of December 2016. She told me the results of my blood lab tests. I actually have a thyroid hormonal imbalance. What??? As in what??? Yes, because in the Philippines it was ruled out that I have no problem with my thyroid. I actually told all my OBs that my parents thought I have a goiter when I was younger. I have read that having one will add up to infertility so I asked all my OBs to check on it. I even had a doppler ultrasound on my thyroid and they all rule out that my thyroid is okay. Oh well, another case to me being infertile. Thus, my OB told me to pick up my medicine prescribed to me on a drug mart of my choice then after 6 weeks I will do my lab tests again. How cute my medicine is. This is refillable 3 times only and it has 90 tablets on it.

I finally can breathe now. I know now I am not pregnant although AF is still a no show but at least I know I am safe, my little R is safe. I can now also do my exercises. I quit doing it for fear that I am pregnant and will have miscarriage, but now, I can now help myself, my PCOS, by doing exercises again. I feel so bloated. I gained so much weight from 55 kgs. to 62 kgs. I feel so ... ah, I just do not want TTC to overpower me again physically, mentally and most of all emotionally. I just wanted to see the bright side of us moving here, doing our TTC once again less the financial burden of being infertile. Why? Because with all the tests that we all have for the past months, all of which are free and covered by our NB healthcard. Also, the infertility drug that I am taking now, 80% of which is covered by our medical card from our company where my husband and I are both working. 

Financially, we are now okay because of Canada's health insurances and this is the reason why we migrated after all. The help we can get from the government is just overwhelming. Like in the case of my husband, who already meet his urologist back in November 2016. He was in fact scheduled for a surgery on his varicocele supposedly after Christmas but failed to go for another lab test so the surgery were moved this year. He is now scheduled for surgery tomorrow, 17 January 2017.

Just a backgrounder, my husband have a varicocele which is causing his infertility. Back in the Philippines, we were quoted by 2 urologist of Php100,000.00 for his varicocelectomy. The procedure is an open surgery and there is no assurance of the cure of his varicocele so he needs to be admitted in the hospital. We decided not to go with it because first it is very expensive for us and the assurance is not promising. The great news is that my husband can now do the surgery because the procedure is free and is all covered by his NB healthcard. It is not an open surgery but the urologist will use a laser procedure for the repair of his varicocele through his stomach. It is a 20-30 minutes procedure and he was advised to go home after the surgery. He can actually work after because his work here is very light and he is only sitting but we decided that he go on leave after his varicocelectomy so he can rest well. I am not yet aware of the procedure but I'll keep you posted about.

We actually have so many schedules this year for our workups. Tomorrow is the big day for my husband. We are really excited about it and at the same time very positive that everything will fall into places. We are also scheduled for our respective blood lab tests on 24 January for him and 25 January for me. I also received a call from my OBs clinic that I am finally meeting her in her clinic on the 2nd of February and I am scheduled for a pelvic ultrasound on the 24th of March. Oh, and I forgot to tell that AF finally came last 3 January 2017 after being on hiatus for 150 days. I am so happy it finally showed up.  

See, that is the bright side of our infertility journey. Everything is going smoothly now. We cannot really thank Father God enough for everything He is blessing us right now. God is really so good. He will really make a way just like when He put us here in the maple leaf country. I am in tears once again while writing this because after all the pain caused about by infertility, God never abandoned us. He was always there for us despite the agony, tears and pain. The waiting is really a pain in the heart but for as long as we keep on believing and we keep our faith, we know that in God's most precious perfect time, all of these pain will go away when our little R comes.  A little more our little R. A little more.