Diagnostic Laproscopy and Hysteroscopy

When I had my ectopic pregnancy surgery last year, the Dr. that performed the surgery had put in my operative report that he removed my right fallopian tube, and that my left tube was "dilated and torturous" and not a normal tube. Brandon and I took 8 months off from TTC, and this past January I went to see a fertility specialist by the name of Dr. Mark Bidwell. 

Based on my operative report, Dr. Bidwell said that my left tube was more than likely damaged beyond use. He said that IVF would most likely be our only option to get pregnant. He said I had good chances of IVF success because of how young I am, I've had an ectopic pregnancy which showed I can get pregnant, and also Brandon already has children, so that shows that he doesn't have any issues.He said based on all of that information, my chances of getting pregnant on the first try were about 80+%. However, if I kept my left tube, and it wasn't fully closed off, my success rate would go down to 40% because of the risk that the left tube could absorb the fertilized egg and it would result into another ectopic pregnancy. Seeing that my insurance doesn't cover IVF treatments, Brandon and I didn't want to place a $13,000+ bet on just a 40% chance of success.

So I decided to be proactive and have my left tube removed. I was praying that the tube wouldn't be damaged, but Dr. Bidwell said that based on the operative report, he was 95% sure he would need to remove my left tube. So obviously, Brandon and I were very emotional about this surgery. I knew once I had this procedure, I would officially be done trying to get pregnant. At least in the sense of getting pregnant naturally. 

Last Thursday, May 29th, I had the surgery. Brandon and I got to Kettering Medical Center at 1030am. When we checked in, they handed brandon a 6 digit code number that showed up on a big screen tv on one of the walls. That number represented me, and would show Brandon where I was in all stages of the surgery. He would know when I was in pre-op, surgery, recovery, etc. 

Once I was in my room with my gown on, the nurse came in to put in my IV. Brandon immediately stepped in and told her she had one shot at it so she better pick a good vein. Reason being....

*FLASHBACK* My last surgery, the nurse tried to put in an IV on my forearm by my elbow. When she put it in, she didn't secure it and the needle popped back out. Not exaggerating when I say blood flew all over the bed. Looked like a murder scene. She ended up putting it on the side of my wrist which is the WORST PAIN EVER! You could see the needle right under my skin and it felt like it would pop out of my skin.

So anyways, the nurse said no problem and pulled out a little hand held machine that looks like a barcode scanner. She waved it over my arms and it showed us every vein. Brandon thought this was the coolest thing ever and afterwards I looked up and the nurse is standing over him waving it all over his arms and neck showing him all of his veins LOL. 

Two hours later, Dr. Bidwell came in to discuss the surgery and to make sure I hadn't changed my mind about anything. Here's what decision we made. If he found that the tube was 100% blocked and would NOT interfere with IVF in the future, he would leave the tube in place. (Reason being is that blood flow to the ovary's is important in IVF, and that comes from the fallopian tubes. So by leaving it in, it would benefit my chances).

If the tube was partially blocked, he would try to fix it. I knew that there was a chance that it wouldn't work, and I was fine with that. If he was able to repair the tube, I ran the risk of having another ectopic pregnancy, but I told him I'd cross that bridge if we came to it. 

If the tube was partially blocked and NOT repairable, I instructed him to go ahead and remove the tube. I wanted the best percent chance for IVF as possible. 

So with that being understood, they wheeled me in for surgery. I spent about an hour in recovery before I was able to see Brandon. When they moved me from the bed to the chair, my knees almost gave out. I became so nauseous, I thought I was going to die. They gave me graham crackers and apple juice, which made it so much worse. When the nurse left the room, I made Brandon hand me the trashcan and I made myself throw up. INSTANTLY BETTER!!!

When I felt better, Brandon asked if I wanted the news on how the surgery went. With shaking hands, I told him to lay it on me. Brandon said Dr. Bidwell got in there and said he was "extremely happy" with what he found. He said my tube is FINE! He said it's slightly swollen, but is otherwise fine. When he put the dye in my uterus, it flew right out of my tube! NO BLOCKAGE!!! Plus the hysteroscopy showed that my uterus is fine as well! He told us that IVF is no longer our 1st option and that any money we saved already for IVF, we can go ahead and use on a crib! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?! It gives me chills just thinking about it!!!

I asked him that since he said my tube is slightly swollen, would I run a high chance of having another ectopic. He said most women only have a couple percent chance of having an ectopic, and with my tube, I only go up to about a 5% chance. So we went from there being a 95% chance he'd remove my fallopian tube, to a 95% chance of having a normal pregnancy!

So next Wednesday, I go to see Dr. Bidwell for my post-op appointment and he said that we'll discuss new treatment options for getting pregnant!! I'm so excited! I will update when I get more information! GOD IS GOOD!

My Ectopic Pregnancy

This entry is to tell the story of my past ectopic pregnancy experience last year. 
This story begins on a Saturday. I was in the middle of cooking dinner for my husband. I was so proud of it because everything was homemade and I had put a lot of time and prep work into it. All of a sudden I start getting really sharp pains in my right side. It hurt too much to stand so I thought I would go and try to use the restroom. I never imagined that I would spend the next 7 hours back and forth between the bathroom and couch. I thought I was just severely constipated or had really bad gas pains because of the type of pain I was having. I want to say that my husband was super supportive and helped me but he didn't. He thought I was over exaggerating and was just a complete jerk the whole time, plain and simple. 

I ended up driving myself to the store and bought a jug of apple juice and stool softeners hoping to fix my problem. On the way back home, the pain hurt so bad, that I was screaming and crying at the same time. I even used an enema for the first time. Bless the people who invented that thing. I know it sounds super gross, but by the time your pain level gets from "Man, this really hurts." to "Give me the freaking enema!!" You don't care how gross it is, or how dumb it sounds. You only care about if it will work. Now I forgot to mention that this entire time was also filled with lots and lots of throwing up. And I don't mean I leaned over the toilet and threw up and felt better. I'm talking about hanging over the bathtub and throwing up at least 8 different times. By the time I was finished, I was throwing up something that was black and tasted like acid.

Fast forward to Sunday, I was feeling somewhat better, but not completely. My husband drives semi trucks for a living and he was making a trip to Brookville, Ohio and wanted me to go with him so he could keep an eye on me. I figured it was a 2hr round trip, so I would be fine. Wrong. Not even 30 min into the trip, my stomach started acting up again. We had to find a truck stop where I spent the next 45 min with really bad diarrhea. We finished the trip and headed home. I spent the rest of the night curled up with a water bottle.

Monday, I wasn't feeling too terrible, but I was exhausted from everything so I called off of work. By this point I thought I might be getting some type of flu bug, and I didn't want to pass it around. But overall, it went by pretty uneventful.

Now Tuesday is where things really start happening. I wake up and get ready for work like usual. I make it through the morning meeting, and go to my desk. Out of nowhere, the pain in my right side comes back, and with a vengeance. I realize that I'm literally sitting at my desk, rocking back and forth, and crying my eyes out and just praying nobody would walk by my office and see me. I finally went in to my boss's office and asked if I could go to Urgent Care. The only reason I was going is because you can't take off 2 days in a row without a Dr.'s excuse, and there was no way I could wait to see my regular Dr. So 20min and $75 later, I'm sitting in the waiting room literally bawling my eyes out. By this point, I can't stand straight, walk straight, and I can't take a deep breath. All I can do is hunch over with my fist jammed in my side trying to stem some of the pain.

The Dr. finally calls me back and I explain my problem. She thinks it might be kidney stones and asks me to give a urine sample. A few minutes later she comes back in and says "Well your urine came back fine with no problems. But the pregnancy test is positive" I can remember her exact words and I remember sitting there afterwards and feeling absolutely nothing but shock. I didn't even have time to get excited because her next words were " You need to go get bloodwork and an ultrasound done asap because it is more than likely ectopic".

Ectopic pregnancy is where the baby develops and grows inside a woman's fallopian tube instead of her uterus. There is no hope for the baby, and if it goes too long, can be very life threatening for the mother. Oh how true those words are.

Even though I was supposed to go get bloodwork done, I left Urgent Care and went home. I was in so much pain that the thought of sitting in another waiting room was unbearable. I went home, curled up with a hot water bottle, and called my BFF Sarah in Ft. Wayne. After talking with her, I decided to use the restroom before I went for bloodwork. I remember standing in front of the bathroom mirror, and leaning over the sink, and just praying. I didn't beg God to let me keep my baby, I only prayed that if I was MEANT to keep the baby, would he please take care of us and make it possible. Looking back, I think subconsciously I knew what the outcome was going to be. But nevertheless, I prayed.

After my bloodwork, I went to get my ultrasound. Beforehand, the nurse at Urgent Care told me to drink 2 full water bottles, and not to pee until my appt because the ultrasound required a completely full bladder. The word MISERABLE doesn't even BEGIN to cover it. I was in excrutiating pain from my side, and now an overly full bladder. I couldn't sit still, and was just rolling back and forth in my chair while crying. I looked ridiculous but at the time, I could care less. Once I got called back, the nurse tells me they changed the type of ultrasound they'd be doing, and I didn't need a full bladder after all. I FLEW to the bathroom! During the ultrasound, it was extremely uncomfortable because of the amount of pain I was in. Afterwards, a radiologist comes in and tells me that not only is it an ectopic pregnancy, but that it has ruptured and my entire right side is filled with fluid and blood clots and I need to go straight to the E.R. The nurse walks me to the door and asks if I have anybody to go with me and I told her that no, my husband is a truck driver and he won't be home until Friday. She starts crying for me. Actually crying. Which makes me start crying. So I rush out to my car and just put my head against the steering wheel and cry like I've never cried before. I cried so loud that if someone were walking by my car, they would have heard me. I finally call my mom and explain the situation and ask if she'll go with me.

I check in at the ER and i'm admitted and in a room within 15min. Thankfully my Dr. called ahead of time and told them I was coming. Next thing I know, my sister shows up. So it's me, my mom, and sister, inside a cramped ER cubicle with all kinds of people coming in and out wanting information, insurance, signatures, bloodwork, etc. At one point, I was answering questions to a nurse, when another nurse comes up behind me and literally whips my shirt and bra off. HELLO?!?! I could have done that myself!

A little later, they gave me morphine which completely took the pain away. Unfortunately, I didn't like the way it made the rest of my body feel, but I was just thankful for the pain relief. Next they wheel me in for another ultrasound because the previous one never got transferred to the ER. (I loved this part when the medical bills started rolling in....)

When I get back to my room, my dad shows up. I was doing fine up until that point. I look at him and he's crying. Which of course makes me want to cry as well. Not to mention that my husband on the other side of the U.S. at this point. A lady comes in and says she needs more blood because she didn't take enough the last time. She gets so far as to put the needle in, and 2 other people rush in and say "You need to stop. They need her in surgery NOW" Which of course freaks all of us out, even the lady drawing my blood. So next thing I know, i'm being rushed down a hallway, into an elevator, and into a room on the 2nd floor where I meet the Dr performing the surgery and the anesthesiologist. They go over what they're going to do, and off I go! My surgery nurse Jason was really nice. We were making conversation and he told me his wife was 10 weeks pregnant. I could tell he was nervous about telling me, but I told him congratulations. So i'm laying on the table and the anesthesiologist puts an oxygen mask over my face and says "Sweet dreams. Think of the biggest, bluest ocean you can and picture yourself there." Instead, I remember thinking of Brandon hugging me, and then I was out.

I woke up in the recovery room and could instantly remember everything that had happened. What was irritating was that I still had the breathing tube thing up my nose which kind of burnt when I breathed. I had sticky residue around my mouth, and found out it was from the tape that had held the breathing tube in my throat. The only other people in the room were two nurses. They came over to help cover me up and I remember saying "Excuse my legs. I've been in extreme pain the last few days, and the last thing on my mind was shaving" And one of the nurses said "Oh honey what are you talking about? It's winter, you should see my legs!" It felt pretty good to have something to smile about for once that day. Then the other lady tells me that I have a whole fan club waiting for me upstairs. I remember saying "Let me guess....2 parents, one sister, 2 grandparents, an aunt, an uncle, and 2 cousins?" The lady laughed and said "Yeah pretty much!" I knew who was here because that's how my family is. We show up for everything with each other.

So they wheel me out of recovery and head to a private room on a different floor. Once I was in my room, my whole family comes in and starts filling me in on the surgery. My fallopian tube was actually larger than my uterus. The Dr. said that it was the worst ectopic rupture he'd ever seen. Most ectopic's rupture at around 8 weeks, so we think I was probably past 9 weeks. Plus I had massive scar tissue and adhesions throughout the area. The Dr. removed my right fallopian tube completely, and tried to salvage the left one. According to the operative report, the Dr. said it was "swollen and torturous" and not a normal tube. I had 3 incisions. One in my belly button, one on the left side of my stomach, and one about 6 inches below my belly button. I still have all 3 scars, but I don't mind. It helps me remember this experience and what I've made it through.

Around 1130pm they discharge me and I went to my parents house. I immediately call  Brandon who starts crying his eyes out and keeps saying that he did this to me and how it was all his fault. It took forever to calm him down. Then the next day, I'm about to fall asleep, and I hear a really familiar voice. I look up at my sister and said "Did I just hear who I think I did?" And then in walks Brandon. He arranged it with his job to come home the rest of the week to take care of me. I've never been so happy to see someone in my entire life.

So he took me home and pampered me like you wouldn't believe. I didn't have to reach for anything, do anything, dress myself, nothing. It was great. Well, except that I was in major pain the whole time. They gave me 800mg Ibuprofen, and percocet which helped but I hated the way it made me feel. I felt really heavy and dizzy and felt like I could fall over at any moment. And I was already laying down! I don't see how people get addicted to them. I really don't.

So that's my story. Emotionally, I'm ok. I guess it was a blessing that I didn't know about the pregnancy ahead of time. I didn't have the chance to bond. I try not to think about it, because regardless of how little or far along I was, I still lost a baby. A baby that I'd worked almost a year to have. And it was taken from me within hours. I know it's not the same as a mother who has a stillborn, or a long term miscarriage, but it was still a baby. My baby. And it's gone. R.I.P. Baby Cavitt 02/26/2013


There are 2 songs that come to mind whenever I think back on this event. One if fact was playing when I got in the car after finding out I needed to go to the E.R. Here's a sample of the lyrics that really hit home for me.

Held-Natalie Grant
Two months is too little
They let him go.
They had no sudden healing.
To think that providence
Would take a child from his mother
While she prays, is appalling.
We're asking why this happens to us,
Who have died to live, it's unfair.
This is what it means to be held,
How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life,
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was that when everything fell,
We'd be held.


Blessings-Laura Story
What if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise?

Welcome To Our Journey!

The sole purpose of this blog is to discuss my struggles with infertility. My posts will range from past experiences, current struggles, informational pieces, vents, rants, and hopes for the future. 

My name is Ashlee Cavitt. My husband Brandon and I have been married for almost 3 years, together almost 7 years. We have full sole custody of my 13 year old stepson Donovan. We took custody 1 year ago.

We are currently trying to conceive our first child. We've been trying for about 26 months. We got lucky one time, but it was an ectopic pregnancy. 

For the last 6 months, we were under the impression we'd need to save money to undergo the IVF process. The reason being is that my right fallopian tube was removed due to the ectopic pregnancy, and my left tube was said to be "damaged and torturous".
However, I recently had laproscopic surgery to determine the structure of my tube, and it was found to be FINE!!! So now we are gearing up to explore different and cheaper methods to get pregnant.

Hope everyone that visits this page will be able to take away something from my stories and experiences. Feel free to comment on anything you'd like, or just read if you'd like. 

Stay tuned....