An Answer

When I met last time with my brand new OB (Dr G), he was great. He listened patiently, and was proactive. He had some actual theories for what was going on with me.  When I was there, he pulled out a piece of paper and started two columns. I instantly had flashbacks to Dr Asshat and his "list", but tried not to panic.

Instead, I found him to be intelligent and knowledgeable. He was not concerned a bit about our fertility. Fertility is not the issue. He was willing to explore what was really going on with me.  One of the things on his list was a clotting disorder. He said it doesn't happen often, but can be a cause for early losses. He said I could go down to the lab after the appointment and get checked. I did. 7 vials later, I waited with anticipation because he said it could take up to a week for results to come back. 

My followup phone call with the results of that test brought instant tears. But not tears of sadness, at all. Tears of joy and relief. One test, one week, and we had an answer. An answer, people!! A real honest-to-goodness answer.
He found that I have something fairly rare called Antiphospholipid Syndrome, or APS.  The bottom line is that I have sludge for blood. It is prone to clotting and could cause some serious health issues down the line like a heart attack or stroke, along with miscarriages.  I have known for quite some time that getting blood from me is not easy. In all of the vials of blood I've had taken over the years, it's a struggle for them and frequently the flow will just stop. Then they poke me again. Sometimes they've just given up completely.  They have always blamed it on crappy veins or that I didn't drink enough water. I lived with that and always warned whoever was taking my blood that they might have a difficult time.

So while absorbing that news and making a follow up appointment for our plan, I was trying very hard not to be bitter...thinking about the things that could have been. Instead, I decided to move forward focusing on the fact that we had someone helping us and knowing we have a diagnosis.

My next appointment was scheduled a few days later. I was nervous and excited. He told me I'd need to start blood thinners as soon as I got another positive test, and to stay on my daily baby aspirin (which I had been less than consistent with taking over the months). The blood thinners would be an injection I'd have to give myself every day called Lovenox. Combined with my Metformin, Progesterone 2/day, Baby Aspirin, and prenatals, I had quite a cocktail of things I needed to remember every day.

Then, the name of the game became "Waiting".  But for once, it was a happy wait. An "I have an answer" wait.  And little did I know, I sure wouldn't have to wait very long.