The Good News & The Bad News

We had our doctor appointment this morning. This appointment was to go over all of the test results. We found out that both of Max's test turned out extra good. And that my clomid challenge was excellent...my ovaries both function normally. And as we had learned the week before both of my tubes are now open. It was AMAZING news...and we were super excited to talk about what to try next.
Then came the bad news...we noticed on the ultra-sound that there was a spot on each of my ovaries. This means that the endometriosis has already come back since the laproscopy we did last February. Hopefully it has only came back a little but since it came back so quickly it could mean there is lots of it again already. So although even with all the good news the endo is once again a problem and I need another laproscopy. The only other choice would be to skip right to Invitro which is not recommended at this stage.
Those of you who know me the best know that I hate surgery...it absolutely terrifies me. My surgery last year went well and I am sure this once will go just as well. I had a rough morning...but I have gotten over my pity-party and am ready to move forward with this process. I am just so ready to be done with tests and surgeries and start trying things. But I know that this needs to happen first.
Of course if I am already pregnant this month then I wouldn't have to worry about any of this. So say a few extra prayers for us! We are hoping that with the dye test opening my tubes I will be pregnant and not need to try anything else. But if that is not the case we are ready to move forward with the surgery just trusting that God take care of us.
This has been a trying day so far...I am praying for calmness and strength as we move along with this process! As much as I just want to be upset and hate the endometriosis I know that things could be so much worse and we have so much to be thankful for. Instead I am going to see what God will teach me through this situation. Thanks again for all of your prayers. The mean more than we could ever say.

Our Future Home

This is the land where we will be building our new home...hopefully very soon. The second picture is looking down the road where the end of the cul de sac will be. The others are looking at the lot from up the road.

We had a BIG set-back right after we moved to Parker. We were told by Wells Fargo long before we sold our home in Spearfish that once our home sold we should put a down payment on our new house from Design Homes. At that point we would give them the blue prints and they would start the process with us putting 5% down. We had planned on putting 10% down.

A couple weeks ago I called to tell them that we had the blue prints and were ready to move forward with bids. At this point I was told I now needed 30% to put down on the loan or we couldn't continue!!! YIKES! That would be literally impossible for us! And we had already put 5% down on our new house with Design Homes!

So we have now restarted the entire loan process with a local bank here in Parker. We have been very lucky to work with Max's cousin Lisa who has been wonderful to us. So everyone say a prayer that this time goes A LOT smoother and that we can get this process moving again. My faith has kept me calm and I know that God is in control so I haven't freaked out yet!

The Dye Test

We went in today to finish my blood work for the chlomid challenge test and to do the dye test. The only painful part of the dye test was the shot before it...YIKES! But I know the shot was also the reason I felt so good after it was over so I guess I am thankful! :)
Last year during my surgery we had found out that my left tube was blocked but my right was working. So I was really hoping to hear that the right tube was still okay. Instead I was VERY surprised to hear the doctor and Max so excited that the dye was in both tubes!! So we found out my uterus and tubes are now both very normal! God is so good to us!! It was a small miracle that I was not expecting AT ALL!
We are very excited that things turned out so good this morning. We are going in on Monday the 30th to go over all of the tests we have done and discuss where to go next. Thanks for all of your prayers and encouragement!!
We are also SO excited that little Lucca Elizabeth Chao has arrived! Congrats Kelsey and Rustin! She is so beautiful and we are so happy for you guys! You are going to be amazing parents!

Testing 1,2,3...

Today we went in to start the clomid challenge test. This starts with a blood test to check the levels of two different hormones and then we did an ultra-sound. I ended up having 1 small cyst on each of my ovaries. Usually these go away so they are nothing to worry about for now. If they decide to stay permanently they would have to be removed by surgery. So everyone say a prayer that they will disappear on their own and make things A LOT less stressful. Next I will take clomid for 5 days and go back in next Wednesday for the last blood draw and another ultra-sound. So that is the clomid challenge test. I look forward to the crazy hot flashes and pointless worrying that I usually experience when taking clomid!
Also next Wednesday I will do the HSG which is the dye test. This will show how my uterus and tubes are working. It only takes about 15 minutes and we know the results immediately which is really great. Hopefully once all that is done we will go over the results of all of the tests we have done so far and make a decision on where to go from here. I am so happy to have begun this journey even though I feel like I have been poked enough for one lifetime already!
We really like everyone at our clinic and feel very comfortable there. The building we enter each time we go to the clinic is ALWAYS packed full of new babies leaving to go home or coming in for check-ups. We love seeing all of the babies...especially on the way in! It is such a great reminder of why we are there...especially on those days where I am less than excited to be poked again!
More doctor updates next week after all the tests. Hopefully when the weather gets a little better here I will take some pictures of our lot where we are going to be building and post them. I am definitely thinking spring and ready for warmer weather!!
We are still anxiously awaitng the arrival of little Lucca Chao and hoping to hear good news from San Francisco any day now! I know her cousins and Aunt and Unlce Swisher in Seattle can't wait for her to join the family! We are all so excited for the 3rd little "L" to come into this world!

A New Direction

We made the move to Parker on February 7th and are still trying to get settled into our rental house while we are patiently getting things moving on the building of our new home! We had our first appointment with Dr. Hansen at Sanford Women's Health on Tuesday morning. We really liked our doctor and feel like things are finally moving in the right direction for us.
After being diagnosed with Endometriosis our attempts to get pregnant have been non-existent. We have been trying for about 3 and a half years and finally feel like we are getting to a point where we might figure something out that could make a difference. We did a bunch of blood work and a few other tests at our first appointment and another test on Thursday this week. Next week I will go in for a clomid challenge test and a dye test. Hopefully all this will give us a much better idea of what is and isn't working and where we need to go from here!
We are excited and nervous to see where the future will take us. We have been praying and have a real peace about the new doctor and the direction we are headed. We hope to use this blog to keep everyone updated on our journey to expand our family and anything else that is going on in our lives!