Hydro What?

When I sat down with the first RE I worked with after my HSG I already knew something was wrong.  Not only did I see it on the x-ray monitor, I FELT it.  Even know I cringe when I think of the pain and shock that single day brought.

As I was saying, when I sat down with my RE I knew there was an issue and I had a general idea that it was treatable.  Terrifying, but treatable.  The consult consisted of lots of medical terms, statistics, and the like.  Most of which I never actually “heard” or have long forgotten.  But the meat of the diagnostic rang loud and clear – My tube was blocked.

Possibly filled with fluid.

Possibly worth saving, or maybe not.

But the only way to find out was through laparoscopic surgery.

We scheduled the outpatient surgery for the beginning of June.  And the numerically short period of time between schedule and surgery lasted an eternity.

My husband and mother accompanied me to the hospital.  We waited in a small room for pre-op logistics.  And it was here that I reluctantly told the RE that she could remove my tube if she was unable to repair it.  I looked to my husband, but what could he have said.  In the weeks leading up to the surgery there was plenty of time for me to realize that the tube was a lifeline for the precious little eggs released from my ovary.  How could I justify slicing it from my body?  One tube would mean another shove pushing my fertility down the stairs.

I remember lying on a table in the operating room, very brightly lit, and the anesthesiologist telling me he was going to inject the sleeping medication into my IV.  And then it went dark, immediately.  The next thing I remember was hearing nurses or doctors talking to me.  Like what was being said would be remembered…it wasn’t.  I vaguely remember conversations, but not of details.

Before leaving the hospital I was informed (probably for a second or third time) that the RE was unable to save my right tube.  It was hydrosalpinx, split in two, and the RE performed a salpingectomy.

Nice.

Score – One for Infertility, Zero for Me.

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I discovered that despite the fact that I would now only have one tube to work with, it was best my tube was removed. Hydrosalpinx means fluid filled tube; filled with a fluid that is hostile to potential embryos.  Even those undergoing IVF who have hydrosalpinx should have the tube removed or repaired in order to increase the odds of successful implantation.  Many times individuals with hydrosalpinx can have the tube repaired.  In cases like mine, a salpingectomy was the only option.  My right fallopian tube was twisted.  The half attached to my uterus was so filled with fluid that it was swollen and irreparable, the other half had broken way from the other and was floating around shriveled and dead.

I would allow myself the month to heal and begin ovulation induction and IUIs.  I finally had my answer, or so I thought.

-R