Remember about two years ago when we started talking about IVF as an option? Well, since then it has been the only thing on our minds, but never felt like it was actually going to happen. Here’s the good news: It’s happening.
Last week, I went into the doctor for another PESA/TESE. (Read about halfway down in that link to hear all about the awesomeness of that procedure.) This time was different. For one thing, I opted for the anesthesia. Oh heavens, am I glad I did… What I did not know is that the anesthesia also allows the doctor to be a little more… “aggressive” with the procedure. For example, the first TESE involved 1 “hit” on one teste, and two on the other. They do this in different areas of the teste in order to determine where things are happening. This time, he was able to do three hits on each side, as I was sleeping soundly instead of jumping off the table. The recovery was a tad longer, but the results were worth it. Three times on each side allowed him to pinpoint exactly where the best production was taking place so that they know where to target the TESE next time. Yeah, that’s right. One more TESE.
As you may recall, the first time, they originally found two sperm but both were unusable. We continued to prepare for the IVF anyway, assuming the medication they put me on would work. We were hoping and praying that it would increase my production enough to find something alive next time. Well this time, we found them! Two dead and two living. The medication had made my results double. While it’s not exactly the number we were hoping for, it is definitely something. It is also enough for our doctor to suggest that we move forward. All it takes is one, right?
This means that Katie is taking her meds and I am continuing with mine. We are scheduled for the extraction in the first week of December. The extraction is timed perfectly to get as many of Katie’s eggs as possible. At the same time, they will do my final TESE to find as many sperm as possible. This time, since they know where to look, I will have the privilege of being repeatedly hit up to 6 or 7 times in the exact same spot on the same teste. They correctly said I would be a bit sore after this procedure. Yeah… “sore” is not the word I was looking for. The potential for them to find enough sperm to fertilize multiple embryos is great, and this is wonderful news for us. I told the doctor that he is to do whatever it takes. If he has to shred them to pieces, then so be it. Let’s do this.
What a horrible request to make, you may say? Talk to me in a few weeks and I’ll let you know.