Consult with Dr. Coussons
The nerves and anxiety made sleeping almost impossible the night before our appointment. Our alarms were set for 4:15am, 4:30am, and 4:45am. (Yes I am that person who sets multiple back up alarms). Of course knowing that I didn’t want to over sleep, I was wide awake at 3:30am.
We left our home around 6:15 that morning to make the trip to Green Bay, WI. It was a beautiful drive, the sun was coming up and had this light pink, baby blue and orange hue to it. Kory and I chatted about so many random things, it made the time pass quickly and helped to ease the anxiety.
We got to Green Bay around 7:45am, our appointment was at 8. We checked in, and got sent back right away with the nurse. It felt like an actual doctor appointment, they checked my weight, height, and blood pressure. We answered the typical check in questions from the nurse and we then waited to meet the doctor.
Dr. Coussons walks in and I could tell from the get go, I was going to like this guy. He sits down and in this concerned voice says, “We need to talk about a few things.”. I’m pretty sure my heart dropped in to my stomach and my face got super warm. Kory told me he felt the same way. As a couple who has gone through years of infertility, you really don’t like to hear, “We need to talk about some things.” Our minds instantly went to the worst place. We thought this was it, he was going to tell us that he couldn’t help us and we shouldn’t continue our journey.
We were definitely both wrong. He said that he had read over my records the day before, and was trying to get things figured out. He said it showed in my records that I had a bicornuate uterus, arcuate uterus and then a septum. I shook my head and smiled, because I knew he was just as confused as we were. He started to draw pictures for us of the uterus and what it would look like with the 3 different shapes. I had asked him if he had a chance to look at my MRI images. He said MRI’s are good but not always the most helpful either. He mentioned that to be able to fully tell if I have a uterine septum, he would have to do a hysteroscopy. A hysteroscopy is where you are able to take a scope and insert it into the uterus and get better images. It is a procedure that is done like a pap. I actually had that done a few times before we did our IVF procedures.
When I was pregnant with Beau, I was diagnosed with an incompetent cervix. From 13 weeks on I was seeing maternal fetal medicine to have my cervix length checked. At 20 weeks and 4 days pregnant, they found out my cervix had shortened more and I was sent to labor and delivery to have a cerclage placed in my cervix. I was given what is called a mcdonald stitch. That stitch was placed at the bottom of my cervix.
Dr. Coussons brought up my cervix issues. Nobody knows for sure why my water started leaking with Beau at 24 weeks and 5 days, but the couple of doctors we have talked to believe it was more because of my cervix then my uterus. Dr. C suggested that I have what is called a transabdominal cerclage (TAC) placed at the top of my cervix. This type of cerclage can be done with a laparoscopic surgery. A small band is placed at the top of the cervix, but leaves a very small opening into the cervix. This type of cerclage prevents the cervix from opening and losing a future pregnancy. They leave the small opening for instances if you were to have an early miscarriage, the tissue could still pass through naturally. With this type of cerclage, you can only have c-section births. The cerclage does not get removed and can stay in for all future pregnancies. We have heard of this type of cerclage from after we had Beau. It was just always put on the back burner because of fear of not being able to get pregnant again. Dr. C changed our mind and we are on board for getting this cerclage put in.
Alright so at this point we know that he wants to check the inside of my uterus for the septum, and he wants to put in a TAC. We talked about my cycles and if they were normal. I know for me they have been all over the place after I had Beau, but he told me a normal cycle ranges from 21-35 days, or even better 24-33 days. We are good there and he said it was also good that I am tracking my ovulation and getting positive ovulation tests every month. We talked about that I have only one fallopian tube as my left one was removed March of 2017. He asked me if I have had my right tube checked since I had Beau. We have not had any tests done to make sure that tube is still open and working correctly. Dr. C decided that the best option for us would be to do all 3 of these surgeries at one time. He would be able to go in laparoscopically and check my right fallopian tube, check for any endometriosis again, and check for any scar tissue. They would then check inside of my uterus for the septum and remove what they can, with out damaging the uterus. Lastly the transabdominal cerclage would be placed.
Kory and I both were feeling very hopeful as he was talking to us. He was very knowledgable and to the point, but he also listened to us and our concerns. I made the comment that I was nervous that he was going to tell us that we needed to do IVF and get a surrogate, and that I shouldn’t continue this journey on my own. He told me, “No way, you are not there yet, there is still more we can do.” I am pretty sure I shouted and said, “THANK YOU”, because we have heard the opposite from a few other doctors and in our hearts we are not there yet either. He also mentioned that he has worked with other couples who have struggled with infertility, loss and septums. He said he was going to send me an email with a couple videos from these couples who had success stories after working with Dr. Coussons.
Lastly, before we move forward with surgery and get the ball rolling, Dr. C wanted Kory to have another semen analysis done. The last time Kory had this test done was back in 2015. We just want to make sure he still has good semen and numbers. Kory actually went and had that test done on Friday. We should hear back the results next week. Once I get those results, I will send them over to the doctor and then we will figure out our next step.
Our consult in total was probably in and out of the clinic in 35-40 minutes and we were headed back home. Kory and I left the clinic and felt very hopeful and relieved. We believe that there are good things in store for us. We have such a good feeling about this doctor and already trust him. I received an email from Dr. C later that afternoon with the 4 videos that he had promised to send. He did say, “No promises, but I do believe we can accomplish a lot.”. He also let me know that I could email him any time with any questions and he will reply back to me. Honestly, that is huge for me. Usually you are having to send questions through to the nurses and wait for replies. Such a personal feeling and you can tell he really cares and puts in all his time to his patients.
The journey continues. We continue praying that God will lead us in the right direction. We trust his plan for us. It sure has not been easy, but we will never stop fighting.
Thank you over and over again for all the prayers, support, messages, and love we continue to receive. It means more to us then you know and keeps us going. We will update soon, when we have a plan set for what is next.
All our love,
Haylee and Kory