I passed the CPA part 2!!

Hi ladies!!!

Just wanted to share that I passed the second part of the CPA exam!! The audit portion!! I passed the first part - Business on Feb !! So next part is regulations/tax on August and then Financial Accounting on Nov... hopefully I will pass them all and finally be a CPA!!

About TTC... not trying not preventing... I have 1 panel of immune disorders on Friday at Quest... the other 2 panels have to be done at Millenova in Chicago and my insurance doesnt cover it, so we are looking at about $600 for those... that might be at the end of the month if we save up! Treatments are on hold until we have all the results back. I will also be having an SIS at my previous RE on Thursday it is a standard procedure after a D&C and my new RE wants me to have it too, so I will be bringing him the pictures. Im doing it at my previous RE since they take my insurance and I just need to pay a co-pay.

I will be going to Marco Island for the weekend!!!!!!!!! Sooo excited about that!!!!! Happy 4th of July everyone!!!!!!!!!!!

Dr E... second opinion...

Let me start by saying that Dr E was my first pick when we decided we wanted to see an RE. Unfortunately he does not take my insurance. My OB, which I love, works in the 2nd floor and Dr E is in the 4th floor, so of course they referred me to him. As I said, they didn't take my insurance so we went ahead with our second pick, Dr O. I do love my RE, but it got to a point were he didn't want to try anything new, nor do more testings ... he wanted to go straight to IVF, which for us it isn't an option yet.

A friend of mine goes to Dr E. and she had told me about an IVF trial coming, so she suggested to at least have a consultation with them so that I would be in their records once the trial opens up. (They expect the trial to open late 2009 or beginning of 2010). So I gave them a call, and the cost for the consultation was $295, too much for us now. So I went ahead and explained her my situation, and she said "OH for second opinions its free! "

We had our consultation yesterday, we went over all my history and he reviewed all my results except for the NKA results since I was having a hard time collecting them from SIRM. I actually got my results from the lab today and fax them over.

Here is a summary of the appointment:

Positive:
- He said my ovaries, uterus, tubes, everything looks healthy
- I stimulate great with the meds, he said I had a high chance of multiples and that he would have cancelled some of my cycles!
- My estrogen, progesterone, fsh, etc looks great
- I'm still young and lots of chances of being a mommy

Negative:
- We still don't have an answer to why I keep m/c.

He said he disagreed on why we used injectables to soon, it was not worth it and more a risk of multiples. He said why not try Femara first. He believes I have an immune problem and he would like me to do some more testing on that. He will decide what as soon as he reviews my NKA results. He thinks if IUI worked, why try IVF, he said I shouldn't go on that route yet, there are still other options before that.

I had an u/s done, where he said everything looked perfect and guess what... I OED FROM BOTH OVARIES WITHOUT MEDS! He was surprised !!! Definitely ovulating is not a problem! My lining looked great, and everything else was perfect. I do have a cyst from one of the eggies, he wants to see me on CD3 to make sure is gone.

After we do the testing on the immune problems, he wants us to do a FEMARA+IUI cycle. My DH is so ready for all this but I'm certainly not.

I was already set to the idea of no more treatments for a while, I'm just not ready to do this again, at least not yet. Not ready for a BFN, not ready for another m/c. But the Dr believes we shouldn't loose more time... what to do?

Any advise is more than welcome!! I don't know what to do!! What would you do if you were me?? Keep in mind its about 1,200 per cycle for which I will need to empty my 401K (I have about 2,500 though since the rest I took it as a loan last year).

NKA cell results...

Are NEGATIVE!! I don't know if I'm happy or if I want to cry, so many mixed emotions at this time!! I'm glad I don't have it, but I'm back to limbo!!

So I talked to the SIRM Dr... Dr W. and he said we have one last test to do, even though there is only a 5% chance of us having it. The test is called DQ alpha match, and he said it has to do with the similarities between my husband and I... genetic similarities. He said that if we do test positive, we will most likely need a surrogate, of course this is devastating news, but I feel that we don't have that. I'm not sure about the cost yet, but we most likely don't do it... I just can't afford any more testing at this point. I will call his nurse tomorrow and ask about the details on the testing and the cost.

He also thinks I might have an egg quality problem, even though my FSH level is great and everything has reveal I have normal eggs. My RE believes the same, so maybe that is what our problem is.

We are having our third opinion with Dr E next week, on June 16th... we will see what he has to say.

TTC might be on hold even longer... I'm just not ready to do anything and fail again... I guess the results hit me harder than I thought... but as usual we need to move forward...

I hope a trial opens up, then we can try without the financial issues involved, and then if it doesn't work... we can make a wiser decision on what to do.

Please pray that God leads us to the path we need to follow and to keep giving us the strength that we need during this journey.

Memorial Day trip...

I was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador and move to Miami when I finished high school at 17 in 2001. The first years after I moved I traveled a lot to Ecuador, I just missed it so much. Well 2006 was the last time I went! Now every time I got back, I just want to come back!!! I just cant imagine myself living there anymore...

On May 23rd was my SIL's daughter baptism and I'm her Godmother!! So a great excuse to go back go Guayaquil. My best friends in high school were 7 (I had different groups from different schools, but this was my main group). Well 3 live here in Miami, 1 in LA, and 3 in Guayaquil. So I had a great time talking and hanging out with them; its incredible how years pass and our friendship is still the same!!

I went to the dentist, I did my hair, went to a spa; I basically had a beauty day! I also went to the best RE in Guayaquil, Dr B. Dr B works with Dr E here in Miami, not the one I go to since he doesn't take my insurance, but a great Dr! He went through my history and told me I suffer from secondary infertility, basically my main problem is not to get pregnant but to maintain the pregnancy. He run some FSH, estrogen, progesterone, etc b/w and everything came back perfect.

The first thing Dr B asked me was about the NKA b/w, he couldn't understand why my RE didn't do it, he said it was a main thing and most likely my problem. So now I have 2 Drs, the SIRM Dr and Dr B thinking that NKA is the reason for my losses. I'm kind of upset that I didn't look for all of this before... I could have used my last medicated cycle differently... but past cannot be change so I need to look forward. I had the b/w done on Tuesday and I should get the results next week.

I'm feeling great during this TTC break.... for some reason NOW I don't want any kids... not sure if it is a self defense mechanism from all the suffering or if I'm starting to realize that it might not happen... anyhow I'm good with what I'm doing right now and not ready to be pregnant! How weird is that after all the trying? Of course if God grants us a miracle he/she will be more than welcome!! But I'm not ready for any treatment or trying... I want to continue studying, exercising, saving and paying off all my debt, I will like to be almost debt free before getting preggo.

I feel happy, its incredible how time heals everything!! I have no regrets, no guilty feelings, no more sadness for not having a baby, I feel happy with all that I have! God has definitely given me more than I deserve!

I can't thank everyone enough for all the support you have given me! It is definitely God, DH, family and friends that helped me get through this journey and help me keep my sanity!

Love you!

Post-op appointment....

I had my post op appointment today! I can't believe it has been almost 4 weeks since the D&C... I'm expecting AF to arrive by the end of next week!

Bad news is.... there was not enough tissue to test the baby :( I was so excited thinking I was going to know the sex of the baby and any chromosomal abnormalities he might have had... but I guess that wasn't Gods plan...

He basically said I have an unexplained case and that my next step is IVF, which I knew already. He said before that I need an SIS and DH will need a new S/A... and we are ready to go! Price is 9K for the basic plus meds. He thinks I might not need ICSI, PGD, nor assisted hatching but we will know about that after the retrieval.

I mentioned him about the natural killer cells and he said that there is inconclusive studies on it so that is why he doesn't do it... but I will do it anyways! :)

I asked him why if my main problem is to maintain a pregnancy, why I cant get preggo on my own?? He said, well very good question... there is no reason why!! So we have both unexplained infertility and unexplained m/cs....

I will be traveling to Ecuador for Memorial weekend and seeing the best Dr there... just for another opinion. Its way cheaper... about 3,500 for the whole thing... and he has great success rates.

So the plan is.... if I DO have the natural killer cells... IVF will be done at SIRM, if I dont have it maybe the option will be Ecuador. If I win the lotto it will be done at my RE! LOL We are planning on doing it on November.

I will keep searching for IVF trials in Miami, since those are my first options, but if not we have a plan.

I feel great not ttcing for a while and focusing on other things... Nov will be here in no time!!!

Thanks for everyone's support!! And thanks for all my blog comments, I feel so blessed to have such good friends!

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!

SIRM appointment...

I finally had the telephone appointment with the SIRM institute. They had some special testing in immune disorders that most RE's don't have. I read a lot on their website and had a great feeling that they might be able to have an answer to my recurrent losses.

The Dr was really nice, we went over each of my cycles and through all the testing I have had done. He said my RE has basically tested for EVERYTHING except for what he thinks I have! He said there are just 2 tests that I haven't had done and in 1 I have all the characteristics, the other test he doubts I need it. He said most REs don't test these.

So what he thinks I have is .................. Nka - Natural Killer Cells...!! So, what's this? Basically those cells attack invading trophoblasts cells (root system of the embryo) as soon as it tries to gain attachment to the uterine wall. The attack the baby.

So what is the treatment?? Basically I will need to do IVF, and as soon as the eggs are retrieved he will do a Intralipid Infusion (composed of soybean oil, egg yolk phospholipis, glycerin and water). Before the only option was IVIG ( Intravenous gamma globulin) but now they have the infusion as an option, is 90% cheaper and as effective, plus I'm scared of blood transfusions. If I do get pregnant, he will need to do another infusion when I'm about 5-6 weeks (the infusion lasts 3-4 weeks). He said that when the baby is about 8 weeks he will be able to defend himself. How horrible is that I might have been attacking my own baby!! Of course is not my fault... but still..

The test costs $305, I will do it here but send the b/w through FedEx to Chicago, that is where the lab is. And it will be between 7-10 days to get the results. I will having this test done on June 1st, since that is when my Flex Plan kicks in because my insurance doesn't cover this.

He did say that all my and DH testing looks wonderful. My hormones are perfect, my uterus, ovaries, tubes, everything looks great. He also said that its great that the baby had no chromosomal abnormalities (2ND m/c) that means we have less chances of that happening. So I guess good news all in all.

I'm so happy to "probably" have an answer to this nightmare, but sad that I might never be able to conceive on my own. I'm scared of the results, if they are positive I will have this forever and if they are negative then I will be left with no answers. I guess only God knows why and what I have, and I just have to keep praying that he shows us the road he wants us to follow.

I have my post D&C appointment on Monday, we will hopefully get some results from the baby and I really want to hear what the RE thinks about all this.

Appt change..

I got a call from my RE this morning, my appointment has been changed to May 11th at 3:30, no biggie is just a day difference and the time is way better....

The nurse also mentioned that my RE wants me to have another SIS and a physical, so I have to call on CD1 to schedule that. I don't know why I'm having another SIS, but I guess I will know on my next appointment. Since my #s are not back to zero yet, well maybe today they are... she said it would be another 3-4 weeks... I already stopped spotting so I'm hoping I get it soon.

In the meantime I'm having a telephone appointment with SIRM (a fertility clinic in Dallas specialized in immune disorders, endometriosis, and multiple miscarriages) on May 5th at 2:45, its always good to have a second opinion.