AC's Eye and More Crazy Planning

Ac had his surgery yesterday, and is now at home in Little Rock recuperating on Percocet, which unfortunately makes him very nauseous and dizzy. He'd like to not take it, but I told him the pain would probably soon convince him otherwise. Can you believe AC was awake during the surgery! They numbed his eye, used some kind of device to keep his eye open, and then the doctor scraped away at it. She removed 75% of his epithelium, which shows just how damaged his cornea was. According to the doctor, a normal, healthy epithelium would remain intact. This just goes to show those stupid military docs that they were wrong--it wasn't going to heal on it's own. They really make me so mad sometimes!

But, anyway, the surgery's done, and supposedly there's a 95% success rate, so I really hope this does the trick for his eye. He goes back on Monday for a follow-up appointment. The healing process should take about two weeks, after which point I guess AC will join another class and get back to his training.

I can't wait to join him in Little Rock! Our crazy tentative plan for getting me there is as follows. AC's cousin is getting married in Maryland on April 4 (the day before my birthday :) and we both plan on attending. Since I should be released from Dr. M's care on March 31, the plan is that on Friday, April 3, I'll drive AC's car down to Maryland with all my stuff in it, pick AC up at the airport (he'll fly in from Little Rock), and then go check in at the Navy lodge where we'll be staying. On Sunday, after all the wedding festivities are over, we'll drive to the Philadelphia area to drop off the car with some military friends who really need a second car (okay, this part of the plan hasn't been confirmed yet--AC really needs to get in touch with said military friend to see if he still wants/needs the car and if that weekend would be a good time to drop it off). We'll then fly out of Philadelphia to Little Rock. Of course, if said military friend doesn't want/need the car, then I'll probably have to fly to Maryland and just leave AC's car here in CT. Honestly, I think I prefer the driving plan at this point. Air travel never does my sinuses, lungs, and ears any good, and it will be difficult to get all my stuff on to the plane, etc. with my bum wrist and the fact that I'm not supposed to lift anything too heavy, being pregnant and all. If I drive, I can have my grandparents help me load my stuff into the car and then AC can unload it on the other end. Anyway, I'll keep updating as I know more about the details.

More Good News

The cast is off! But more importantly the blood work today showed my progesterone level at 33.3 and my hCG at 6933! And best of all, I got to see the yolk sac on the ultrasound. It didn't look like much (just a black oval), but it was exactly where it's supposed to be in my uterus. Because of my increased risk of ectopic pregnancy (due to my PCD), Dr. M placed the embryo low in my uterus when he did the transfer so it wouldn't float back into the tubes. And it worked! Little Ziggy (that's what AC wants to call the baby until we know the gender :) is right where s/he's supposed to be! I return next Tuesday when we should be able to see the baby and hear the heartbeat! Dr. M says he'll release me in 3 weeks, maybe even sooner if everything looks good. The sonographer was surprised that my ovaries had already returned to their normal size, but I guess they bounced back fast because I didn't hyper-stimulate at all.

Even though originally I had planned on staying on the East Coast during the pregnancy because of the highly recommended MFM in New Haven, AC and I have decided that it's just too hard to be apart for so long, especially when I'm pregnant. So the new plan is for me join AC in Little Rock once Dr. M releases me and be followed by an MFM there. I've already started looking into some doctors there. Since AC's training has been delayed so much due to his eye, it looks like he'll be in Little Rock until July or August. Most likely I'll go with him to Albuquerque as well, where I'll deliver the baby in early November.

As for AC's eye, it's been acting up again (basically he's been on medical leave for over a month now), but at least the military doctors finally started to take it seriously and referred him to a corneal specialist. He's having eye surgery on Thursday and will be in pain (the same severity as when he first injured his eye) for about 5 days. At least he'll be given prescription pain killers. I wish I could be there to take care of him but Dr. M said definitely no flying until we see a good strong heartbeat.

Anyway, that's all the news for now. It's hard to believe I'm almost 6 weeks pregnant! Crazy!

Good and Bad News

This morning I took the bus to Dr. M's office (no more walking through central park for me after what happened last week!). The staff drew some blood, did an ultrasound, and then I met briefly with Dr. M, who reassured me that everything is looking good. When I asked him how many eggs he thinks we'll retrieve, he said it was too early to tell for certain, but thinks it should be more than ten (yay!). I'll continue the same dose of Follistim and Lupron tonight and tomorrow and then return on Saturday for another blood test and ultrasound. I also met briefly with the financial advisor, who informed me that the only thing we have to pay for is the $500.00 fee for the anesthesiologist on the day of the retrieval, which is nothing considering a normal IVF cycle is 10-20 grand!! So everything is going well in terms of the IVF. That's the good news.

Now for the bad news. Unfortunately I can't say everything is going well in terms of AC's eye. His recurrent corneal erosion has, well...recurred. He's been DNFed (placed on Do Not Fly status) for two weeks to allow the cornea to heal, but it may very well recurr again. He will automatically be dropped back a class, which in and of itself isn't a big deal, but if this turns into a chronic condition, AC may not be able to fly at all! He is pretty upset right now, as you can well imagine. :( I'm sorry to say we kind of had a fight on the phone just now about his eye and the quality of care he's receiving from the military doctors. I wont go into detail, but suffice it to say that a lot of our arguments about health and doctors is a direct result of our completely different upbringingings, attitudes, and experiences regarding the health care system. AC has another appointment with the doctors tomorrow, so hopefully there will be some good news to report. Until then, I'll try to sort out my conflicting feelings and make amends with my dear husband!

The Eyes Have It

Although AC managed to avoid his annual winter break respiratory infection, he still ended up in the ER twice during this vacation! The culprit was his right eye, which sustained a corneal abrasion from a wayward tree branch during the evasion portion of his survival training in November. Although the eye appeared to be healing well for the most part (he did have a sty on the right eyelid for a few days which may have been related), on New Year's AC experienced a flare up that consisted of stinging pain, extreme watering/tearing of the eye, photophobia (sensitivity to light), redness, swelling, and the unpleasant, irritating sensation that a foreign body was in his eye. The situation didn't improve with rest and hypertonic eye drops (prescribed to him by a military doctor) so SH took us to the ER at Beth Israel.

After a surprisingly short wait, AC had his eye examined by a physician's assistant, who proclaimed that there was no abrasion or foreign body, that his symptoms were consistent with an allergy flareup, and that all he needed to do was rinse his eye with saline and take Benadryl. Hmmm, an allergic response in only one eye, the eye that just happened to have been recently injured? Seemed a little too coincidental, but his symptoms were improving, so we accepted the explanation and went home with a referral to the Ear and Eye Infirmary in case things got worse. Unfortunately, they did.

Two days later, on Jan. 2nd, the symptoms returned with full force. AC (stubborn and suspicious of doctors as always) spent most of the day in bed, insisting he didn't need to see anyone. Finally, after much yelling on my dad's part and some gentle cajoling on mine, he conceded, so we hopped in a taxi and headed for Eye and Ear. After a five hour wait (yes, apparently everyone in NYC had an eye emergency on the second day of the new year when only one resident was on call--poor guy!), during which AC was seen three times by the same overworked resident, we finally made it out of there with a diagnosis of recurrent corneal errosion, a prescription for antibiotic eye drops, and a treatment plan that included reinstating all of the drops/ointments AC had initially been prescribed but which the military docs told him to stop after five days of treatment (I'll save my rant on the ineptitude of the military health care system for another day!), and a referral to follow up with an Opthalmologist. Apparently it was the right treatment, because his eye immediately began to improve.

Unfortunately this may end up being a lifelong problem that eventually requires surgery if it keeps recurring. Now AC is being seen by the military docs in Little Rock, and I sincerely hope they keep an eye on the situation (sorry, lame pun very much intended :) !

A Tentative Timeline of Our Travels

Nov. 21st: AC returns from SERE, only a little worse for the wear (nursing a scratched cornea that is supposed to heal cleanly, I hope!).

Nov. 22nd: A fun day of eating, hiking, and walking around our Alma Mater (there's so much new construction going on, it's crazy!).

Nov. 23: AC and I fly back to Corpus Christi.

Nov. 24-Dec. 1st: A frantic week of packing, cleaning the apartment, finishing my web site for my class, etc. Sadly I don't think we'll have a real Thanksgiving this year :(

Dec. 1st: Movers come pack up our stuff and put it in storage. We clean the apartment, turn in our keys, and check into lodging on base for the night.

Dec. 2nd: I go to Family Practice to have my overseas medical clearance form signed (which basically means that my health needs can be met by the facilities in Okinawa), we drive both cars (packed with all the stuff we'll need in Little Rock plus for our month long trip to the East Coast) to Austin for the night (~3.5 hrs.), I get online for my mandatory 3 hour final class meeting to present my final website to the class, and we collapse exhausted into bed.

Dec. 3rd: Drive both cars to LR (~8 hrs.), have dinner with AC's friend who's stationed there, and find a place to safely stow my car for the month it will be sitting there unattended (note to self: make sure jumper cables are in car in case it's completely dead upon AC's return).

Dec. 4th: Drive to Urbana, IL (~8 hrs., but in one car, thank goodness!) to spend the night and have dinner with my two cousins, J & M.

Dec. 5th: Drive to South Bend, IN (only ~3.5 hrs.) to spend the night at AC's aunt's place (his cousin from Chicago will also be there).

Dec. 6th: Drive to Cleveland, OH (~4 hrs., but the end is almost in sight!) to spend the weekend with AC's aunt, uncle, and two cousins, and drop off his car to leave with them for at least the next 4 years (I wonder if AC will experience separation anxiety from his beloved Neo?).

Dec. 8th: AC's aunt drives us to the airport, we fly into Manchester and rent a car to drive to Hanscomb, AFB where we finally get to see the Guimess!

Dec. 8-14th: Spending time with the Guimess and various other friends in the Boston area.

Dec. 14th or 15th: Either drive (NOOOOO!!! No more driving, I can't stand it!) or take the train (Yes, yes, more expensive, but oh so worth it, especially if the roads are icy!) or Chinese bus (hmmm, a possibility...) to NYC.

Dec. 15th on...:Seeing friends in NYC, spending time with my dad and his girlfriend, staying in their small but cozy (isn't that just a nice way of saying cramped?) 1-bedroom, nearly half-a-million dollar apartment that's just a block from Central Park.

Dec. 17th: Celebrate my dad's birthday (meanwhile my mom and step-dad arrive from CA and Moscow respectively).

Dec. 18th-26th: More time in NYC, but also in Stamford preparing for and then celebrating Christmas (although there's not much to prepare this year since we've decided on no tree or presents, just food), spending time with relatives, reconnecting with old friends from high school.

Dec. 27th: Mom and step-dad fly to CA for conference, AC and I return to NYC.

Dec. 28th-Jan 1st.: More frolicking in the big apple, celebrating New Year's, etc.

Jan. 2nd: Drive or preferably take the train to Philadelphia, spend time with friends in Philly/NJ.

Jan. 5th: AC flies to LR, I return to NYC via train.

Jan 5th-?: I spend time in NYC with dad, etc.

Jan. 13th: First appointment with REI to discuss IVF.

Apr. 4th: AC's cousin gets married in Maryland, we'll try to attend if possible.

May 20th: AC's school in LR ends.

May 21st-Jul 20th: AC returns to CC.

Jun. 27th: AC's friend gets married in MD; AC will definitely attend, while I'll attend if possible.

Jul. 21st: AC must report to New Mexico for additional training (he'll most likely drive my car to NM from CC).

Nov. 6th: AC graduates from NM training, drives my car to CA where it will be stored for three years while we're in Okinawa.

Nov. 30th: AC must report to Okinawa, and I'll join him as soon as I (and hopefully the baby) can.

Whew! What a year! A good deal of what happens this year and where I'll be will depend on whether the IVF works, how long it takes, whether I can fly and join AC, where I end up delivering (most likely at Yale New Haven in the very same hospital where I was born!), etc. This will no doubt be an exciting, but exhausting, year for us both. Looking at this schedule makes me feel a bit overwhelmed at times. It will be especially difficult for me to be separated from AC for so long if the worst case scenario is that I get pregnant but have to remain in NYC the whole time due to my health. AC is going to try to fly and visit me as much as possible if I can't travel. It seems crazy to try to accomplish IVF during this hectic time when AC will be in 4 different locations over the course of the year. However, if we were to delay IVF until later when we're in Okinawa and AC is deployable, there's no guarantee he'd be around for much of the pregnancy or birth either. If I undergo IVF in NYC, at least I'll be surrounded by family, many of whom are/were doctors (my dad's girlfriend is and my grandmother was an OB/GYN) who can take care of me and look after me in case anything goes wrong. In the end, if the result is a healthy, happy baby, it will all be worth it!