6 weeks!!!

This is how i look at 6 weeks and 3 days. I had my 1st ever ultrasound on Friday at 5 weeks and 6 days. Everything is fine. Thank God. It felt so real when i saw the little heart flickering on the screen. I am just grateful to God for everything. If it had not been for the Lord who was on my side...

I have been spotting for almost 2 weeks now, mostly brown stuff. The Dr said he is not worried about that because everything looks fine- my blood work, ultrasound and that it is mostly the old blood just coming out. The ultrasound technician said my uterus is a bit bigger than the average size uterus. She wasn't surprised after she read my records and saw that i had a good number of fibroids taken out in May. She said she saw a little fibroid during the scan and she said it was far away from where the baby is located. That was the only downer for me, but given how far i have come i am still thankful to God for everything. I know God is in control since i have committed everything before him.

Symptoms: 

1. I feel extremely TIRED all the time. Even after getting a full night's rest, within an hour to two i feel sleepy again and don't feel like doing anything. I take a nap, and force myself to get work done afterwards.

2. I can smell EVERYTHING. My sense of smell has become extremely sensitive to even the slightest smell. I have felt nauseous at some point these past 3 days, but i have not vomitted. That's good. I hope it stays that way.

As far as symptoms, that's it for now.

We finally told our parents last week and they were so excited. We are waiting until after the 1st trimester to tell our siblings and friends.

Dissertation update:
I finished transcribing all my interviews from my work in Nigeria this past summer and i already started on my data analysis (coding my transcripts). Hopefully, i can get done with that before the end of this month so that i can start writing my 2nd paper. I am not sure if i mentioned this, but 2 of my papers finally got published, after all the ups and downs. Thank God. I am waiting on a 3rd paper under review and i pray for favor with that.

Job update:
I applied to some jobs, spoke to potential mentors and sent my CV out for potential postdoctoral fellowship opportunities. Let's see how that goes. I am praying for favor and God's will.

Whatever the circumstance, there's still hope

The title of this post is my testimony. One word that describes how i feel today is GRATEFUL!!! After taking 2 pregnancy tests on Sunday and Wednesday, I am pregnant. I was told to try to conceive 3 months after my abdominal myomectomy in May. Just our first month of trying and this is what we get:

2 double lines. I am immensely grateful to God almighty. So my encouragement to you is that whatever you are going through, just play your role and know that there is hope. My husband and I are beyond excited and we are just grateful to God for this wonderful gift he has blessed us with. Words are not enough to express the extent of our gratitude. I am awed by God's mercy and faithfulness to us.

Surgery update

I haven't been on this blog in a very long time. A lot has happened since the last time i was here. So i ended up having the surgery. I was referred to Dr. B at this OBGYN practice in town. I had been seeing him for about 2 years from 2010- 2012 since these fibroid aliens were discovered. I decided at the last minute not to have him perform the surgery. After seeing him for 2 years, I did not feel comfortable with him, neither did i feel like he knew what he was going to do. In addition, i did not like his communication skills or his approach. He's so much of a matter-of-fact guy with no compassion. My last appointment with him was in March and he put so much pressure on me to have those aliens removed that i was literally forced to schedule a date for surgery. My spirit was troubled with this decision and I knew deep inside me that he definitely was not the right guy for the job. All along from the very first day the aliens were discovered my prayer to God was that he should order my steps and teach me what to do.

Immediately, I got home that day i started my research on doctors specializing in fibroids. I searched deep and wide and read everything there was on fibroids. I took it like a school assignment and read medical journal articles, books, blogs and everything i could lay my hands on. Eventually i found this wonderful Dr. Gerald Harkins at Milton Hershey Medical center. In just a few words, he is simply the best, hands down. From his gentle smile that keeps you at ease to how he speaks softly and confidently, I was sold. I read up all i could on him (even the medical schools he attended and when he graduated) prior to getting in touch with him and I was satisfied. He related with me like an individual, and not just as a fibroid patient. He seemed genuinely interested in me as a person, as an individual.

The first time i contacted him via email, he personally called me to ask some questions. I was stunned!!! How many doctors do that? Anyway, when i met him, i was convinced that he was the one that would perform the surgery. I felt this peace in my spirit and I knew that was God at work. In a matter of 2 weeks, God had directed me to the right surgeon that would perform the job, something i had been hesitant on for 2 years. I truly know without a shadow of doubt that God ordained everything that happened, right down to the timing!

I scheduled my surgery on May 31st and it lasted for about 3 hours, which was longer than expected. I was in the hospital for 2 nights. After the anesthesia wore off the 1st night, the pain was hell. I was on Toradol given through IV. That was my life saver that night. I could barely eat. Even finding the right position to sleep was a problem. My parents and husband were there with me at the hospital. By the 2nd day, the pain was bearable and i was given oxycodone orally. I was also forced to get out of bed to walk for blood circulation. That was hard. I had to struggle to take baby steps and with the support of my darling husband i was able to walk the hallway of the hospital. My catheter was removed the following day. I did not pass gas for a day or so, and i was told that contributed to the pain i was experiencing. I no longer take passing gas for granted. Gas pain is serious business. The fatigue for the 1st two weeks was something else. I found myself napping all the time.

I was discharged after the 2nd day with strict instructions not to lift anything heavy for about 6 weeks and not do anything strenuous. I strictly obeyed because i was not ready for any mishap. I was glad that i took out those aliens 'cos within 4 weeks i could see my belly shrinking. The recovery was so smooth and every prayer i offered was answered. All in all, i think that was one of the best decisions i ever made with God's help.