A Possible Move

When I was 25, I got married and came to this country with my husband, and it feels like home in so many ways. Thanks to our Catholic Faith! We have been blessed in many ways.
Four and half years later,  God is preparing us for a big move. The only question that remains unanswered is "Where"? Yes, it all depends on my husband's job. It can be to either Canada or India. And a very, very, very slight possibility that we will continue here for a few more months if God wills. I cannot even imagine how we are going to dispose everything and make a big move but I know God will take care of everything.

My sister is getting married the beginning of 2013. We were planning for our Vacation to India around Christmas. We were so excited and ready to book our tickets but this uncertainty about the relocation has put us on a hold. Yes, it is an uncertain period and we have stepped up our prayers. We are praying to St. Jude and St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (Patron Saint of Immigrants). We will go wherever God is leading us.
As I type this, I have tears in my eyes. I am so so grateful that God brought us here and gave us an opportunity to meet life-affirming NaPro doctors. And again it wouldn't have been possible if I hadn't found all your blogs! Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.

And please pray for us that this stressful period will be over & that the path will become clear and that we can attend my sister's wedding.

Bleeding after Lap *Updated*

Ladies, I have a question.


It's been more than 2 weeks since my laparoscopy. I had my surgery on CD 11. The first few days after surgery, I had very light bleeding more like spotting. It then changed to a full fledged period on CD 16 with heavy bleeding and clots. What??? I have never had a 15 day cycle in my life!!! The bleeding tapered off last weekend and I thought it was all over. And we resumed (I) as there was no red. Unfortunately, the spotting/light bleeding returned after 2 days.

I am tired of seeing red each time I use the restroom. I thought I would ask you folks before I call PPVI and play the waiting game. I was thinking that a new cycle had begun last week but now I am confused..

Update
Thank You so much for your comments!

I called PPVI and the nurse told me that some people go on to have light bleeding for "several days" after the lap. They told me to get back to them if the spotting changes to heavy bleeding. I haven't seen any spotting today. I hope it stays that way!
And yeah, the biopsy/culture could have disrupted the uterine lining causing irregular bleeding. And they also cauterized my cervix and maybe the Intercourse could have caused the spotting.

Home feels Good & Emotions

It feels so good to be home after a long week in Omaha. It was freezing cold the last few days we stayed in Omaha and we were all bundled up. As soon as the flight reached Charlotte on Saturday, warm weather and beautiful fall colors greeted us.

We stayed at Ha.w.thorn.e Suites while in Omaha. Nice, comfy suites with a full kitchen and full breakfast. Really close to PPVI. The day after the surgery, I woke up feeling incredibly hungry. Scrambled eggs, hashbrown and sausages never felt so good! We shopped at Trader Joe's while in Omaha but I quickly got bored of their frozen meals.

My appetite has increased after the surgery and I feel I need to do something before the pounds begin to add on. Yes, it happened after my last surgery. I gained 10-15 lbs in a month. Now that I am back home, I feel guilty for having conveniently forgotten my Low-Carb Diet. The diet and Metformin along with moderate exercise helped me lose 20 lbs in the last 6 months. I avoided Sugar, Dairy & Coffee though I didn't completely eliminate it.

I was so hooked onto White Rice and had a difficult time switching to Brown Rice and Quinoa. Not to mention how heavy Indian Cuisine is when it comes to carbs. You probably have an idea if you have been to an Indian Buffet. You have White Rice, Basmathi Rice, Biryani, Pulav/Pilaf, Cumin Rice, Naan and what not. Growing up, white rice and/or wheat rotis were a must for lunch and dinner. I don't think my Mom & Dad can imagine what it is like not to have Rice & Curry for a meal ! :)

Now that I have to do the Anti-Inflammatory diet, I don't even know where to begin. I need some suggestions as to what can be eaten and what needs to be avoided.  Dr. P told me to stay away from Red Meat, Dairy, Coffee and Processed Foods. Are eggs ok? Is Pork red meat?

The recovery has been going well. The bloating has subsided though I don't think I can fit into my jeans. DH is the best gift God has given me so far. He has such unwavering faith no matter what. BTW, Dh found Leila's blog from another blog and he went onto read all the blogger faith stories. He has become a fan of Leila' Blog. I hope he doesn't find my blog! He knows about my blog but I don't want him to read all that I write here :)

On the spiritual front, I have been experiencing a void. Though we went for Mass most of the days, I couldn't focus and was feeling emotional. I feel so empty inside and I am struggling to trust our Lord. He has been so good and I know I need to be thankful for leading me to such good doctors. Had I been in India, I wouldn't have had the blessing of NaPro treatments.

Now that I have met Dr. KK and that the surgery is over, I feel my "To Do" List is Over. I know I should be feeling hopeful but the "What Ifs" are weighing down on my heart. I feel I have reached the end of a bridge, yet what lies ahead makes me even more anxious. Not that I would want to go back to the starting point. I know God has given me this cross for a reason. I would not have been the same person if not for IF. I would have been another Lukewarm Catholic. God was working on my soul through IF. And I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I am praying for peace that I will be able to accept God's Will and that I can love him unconditionally whether I am blessed with a child or not.

Post Surgery & Recovery

Ladies, thank you for all your prayers!!! The surgery is history and I am so glad... Thanks be to God! We made the right decision with our trip to Omaha and seeking out treatment with PPVI. The recovery has been difficult with all the pain but I know I need to be patient.

The experience at Creighton St. Joseph's hospital was wonderful in every way. It was so different from the emergency laparoscopy I had for the ectopic. The doctors and staff were so so kind and helpful. Need I say more. I was completely at peace before the surgery and didn't feel anxious at all. We reached the hospital around 10 am. After being prepped for the surgery, DH came in to see me and we prayed for a while. One of the surgery nurses came and gave us a rosary which Dr. H had brought from Rome during his annual trip. Just before heading for surgery, the Priest came to our room, anointed me and prayed for us. I knew I was in the right place and in the best hands. Dr. P came and explained everything one last time. They gave me some medicine to relax and I said goodbye to DH and that's all I remember.

The next thing I remember was waking up in the recovery room and I was in pain. So they gave me some pain medication and I drifted back to sleep and woke a few hours later and DH was there in the room. I wanted to use the restroom immediately and one of the nurses helped me. I was surprised that I could walk to the restroom without much difficulty. It was such a relief to empty the bladder and the nurse was happy and said I had already done the most difficult part. I took a few sips of water and I felt nauseous. I went back to sleep and felt much better when I woke up again. I immediately asked DH about the surgery. He said Dr. P gave him the pics from the surgery and told him that I had lot of adhesions and tiny spots of endo. It took about 3 hours to clear up everything. The good news is that everything has been taken care of and I don't have to come back for any major surgery. Thank you Jesus !!! Thank you Mama Mary!!!

I felt ok to leave and woke up to get dressed. Immediately after getting dressed, I felt severely nauseous and they gave me more zofran. We left the hospital around 8pm. After reaching the hotel, I tried drinking soup but could barely take a few spoons. I immediately took my antibiotic and went to sleep. Had to wake up a few times to use the restroom.

The next morning I woke up feeling better but the shoulder pain kicked in and it hurt really bad. I couldn't lie down on the bed. It hurt so much with all the gas. Ibuprofen & icepacks helped. We had the post-lap review with Dr. P where she showed us the Lap video and discussed the findings.

• Lot of adhesions behind the uterus which could have been caused by the first lap for the ectopic. She managed to remove everything.
• Tiny spots of endo which were lasered out. The endo was minimal and couldn't be staged.
• Lot of inflammation both inside and outside the uterus - Known as Chronic Endometritis
• My cervical ectropion has been treated and that will take care of the excess mucus.

 And the good news:

• My ovaries looked completely normal and healthy with no signs of PCOS.  I was worried since Dr. KK felt one of my ovaries appeared poly-cystic on ultrasound.
• My remaining fallopian tube is completely normal with no blockages and the fimbriae look very healthy.
• I had a follicle on my left ovary but we don't have to stay for the ovulation series. It might take some time before I ovulate.

The plan is to abstain for 2 cycles so that I can be treated with antibiotics for all the inflammation. We are waiting for the culture results so that we know which antibiotics to begin. Dr. P believes that as long as I om on Progesterone, it is highly unlikely that I will have another ectopic since my fallopian tube is healthy. That was my worry all the time.As my uterine lining was all inflamed, that could have caused all the early miscarriages. I might need some help with Ovulation based on my Estrogen levels.

She feels that I am in the best hands with Dr. KK and told me that I could go on with her treatments for the immune issues. She doesn't see any reason why we can't go onto have a healthy pregnancy once the inflammation has been taken care of.

I am so so thankful that the surgery has given me some idea as to what is going on inside. Thank you Ladies for all your prayers. I have pain near the incisions but the shoulder pain is the worst. I am hoping that it will subside in a few days. We will be home on Saturday!

Surgery Day

Thought I would update you all before leaving for the hospital. The surgery is scheduled for 11:30 AM Central Time. I am up and awake and feeling at complete peace after a good night's sleep.

We reached Omaha on Saturday and I already like this city so much. So many beautiful Catholic Churches unlike the "Queen City". We attended mass at 3 different churches and all the Churches felt "Catholic". We couldn't attend the Tridentine Mass but hoping to do so sometime this week.

We made the trip to Omaha Zoo on Sunday. It was worth seeing and we spent the full day there. Lots of walking, pretty fall colors and it was a warm, sunny day. The beautiful thing I noticed at the zoo was that almost every family had 4 or 5 children which is something I have never seen in Charlotte.

Yesterday morning, we had the pre-op appt at St. Joseph's Hospital. After the appt, we decided to visit the Chapel and we were right on time for the 11am Mass. The Chapel is really small for such a big hospital which was a disappointment and there were only 5 or 6 of us for Mass.

In the afternoon, we had the appts at PPVI. The ultrasound was uneventful. Saw a cyst on the left ovary which could be endometrioma. Other than that things looked good. Then we met with the doctors. Most likely, I have endo because of the TEBB. Will know for sure in a few hours.

 Please keep me in your prayers. God Bless!