The Journey Towards Today. . .

Robert and I married in November of 2003. Life was grand! We bought our first house and in the Summer of 2004, I became pregnant with our first child. Robert III was born in April of 2005 via emergency c-section due to a velementous cord and a placental abruption. All of my doctors agreed that one abruption with no risk factors (drug use, elevated blood pressure, etc) is a fluke and the cord issues were just by chance. So, there were to be no concerns for future pregnancies. . .

In the summer of 2006, I was pregnant with baby #2 and we knew that things would be great. I was seeing the Maternal / Fetal Specialist just in case. The pregnancy was quite eventful with pre-term labor, but absolutely no signs of abruption. Hannah was born in March of 2007 again via emergency c-section because of another placental abruption. At this point we knew something was not right. . .

By the summer of 2008, I again, became pregnant. This time, my doctors ordered an entire lab workup. I was told that it would take close to a month for all of the results and I was completely shocked when I received a phone call after just 8 days. They told me to come in right away. At this appointment, I was told that I have Factor V Leiden, MTHFR Mutation, and Protein S Deficiency. From this point until the end of the pregnancy, I was to take twice daily heparin injections, baby aspirin, and many B vitamins to prevent blood clots. At 33 weeks, labor began and the doctors were not able to stop it. Fearing that I might abrupt, the decision was made for another emergency c-section. Wesley was born in March of 2009. He went straight to NICU and spent the first part of his life there. At this point, we were told by all doctors that another pregnancy would most likely end with my life, our babies life, or both. . .

After his birth, my complications began. While I had always had certain issues, I never knew that they were not normal or a sign that anything was wrong. By the time that Wesley was 8 weeks old, I had been to the OR two more times. I also spent many weeks in the care of home health. At 12 weeks, I went into Physical Therapy to try and rebuild by core muscles as they had suffered a lot of damage from the surgeries. I was also suffering from a lot of pain in my lower abdomen.

All of this continued for about a year. When Wesley turned one, things went from bad to worse. I finally had the courage to talk to my doctor about all of my personal issues and he referred me to a surgeon. Upon exam and ultrasound, this doctor diagnosed me with severe endometriosis, adenomyosis, and bilateral inguinal hernias. I was so excited to have names for what has plagued me since I was a teenager and after nearly 15 years, these issues would dissipate. . . Or so we hoped. He was ready to schedule a hysterectomy at this appointment as things were that intense, but I was no where near ready. So on a dreary Tuesday, I was rolled into the OR to repair the hernias and remove as much of the endometriosis that he could. What was supposed to be a 90 surgery, lasted over 3 1/2 hours. I woke from the surgery in incredible pain that was not typical post-op pain. Within a few days it was so bad that I had to return to him and the ER and it was there that we realized that a nerve was caught in the hernia graft and I had developed a large hematoma.

After a few months, I realized that this surgery had not helped. The issues that I was having prior were still there. I went back to my primary doctor where he referred me to another surgeon. After speaking with this surgeon, we decided to try one more thing ~ progesterone. This caused its own issues, so that had to be discontinued and this surgeon, not feeling qualified enough, referred me to a GYN Oncologist for consultation. Our first appointment lasted over an hour. He spent the time and answered all of the questions Robert and I had. He comforted us and told us to come back in a few weeks to discuss further. After 2 weeks, I developed a uterine infection and was told by this doctor that now, the surgery has to be done. . .

On Thursday, March 3, the day after my baby turns 2, I will be rolled into the operating room and my doctor will perform a total hysterectomy. Please pray with me that this will be the end of it. That after this, the issues and pain that I have dealt with for 15 years will be alleviated. That life will be great and I can be the wife and mother that my husband and children so desperately need.