Our Journey Has a New Perspective

The weekend before Kenny was supposed to go pick Kason up from Texas we made a trip to Idaho to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday with the family. While we were on our way up we made an appointment to meet with Dr. Russell Foulk at Utah Fertility Center. When we were chosen by Pound the Pavement for Parenthood to be one of the couples sponsored, we kept hearing amazing things about Dr. Foulk. Everyone that had gone through him had had such a great experience. Kenny and I were instantly eager to meet him and see if we could have the great experience that everyone else had had.

Meeting with infertility doctor's has not always been a  positive experience for Kenny and I. There have been times that we have left a Doctor's office feeling completely hopeless and confused. Infertility sucks. A lot. It's even harder when you go to a Doctor who is supposed to help you understand what is going on with your body and help you come up with a solution... only to leave feeling more lost and unsure of what to do. All we had been told by Doctor's was that we would need to do IVF in order to have children. No real in-depth explanation of the why... just that the test results said so.

When we got to Dr. Foulk's office I was super nervous. I have been through the drill of meeting with Doctor's for the last 2 years, so I shouldn't have been at all... but I was. The office at Utah Fertility Center is beautiful inside though and the staff really makes you feel so comfortable. Everyone was incredibly friendly.

 

Waiting to meet Dr. Foulk for the first time.

When Dr. Foulk came in to meet us I instantly felt at ease. I just knew we were in the right place for us to do IVF. Dr. Foulk sat down and had already reviewed our prior test results and knew exactly where we were at. He even had done some research on Myotonic Dystrophy before we came in so he could better explain to us why we had to do IVF to start a family. It was the first time that Kenny and I have had a doctor explain why exactly we needed to do IVF... not why most people need it, but why WE need it. He asked questions about us... not just about our infertility journey, but about US. He genuinely CARED about who we were. He explained the whole process of IVF in great detail and answered every single question we had. At no time did I ever feel like we were rushed so he could move on to the next patient. Dr. Foulk took his time with us. When we left it is the first time in 2 years that I have left an infertility office feeling HOPEFUL and POSITIVE about what was to come. We met with him again a week ago for a quick ultrasound and now are in the waiting period to start our first IVF cycle.

We are doing something called Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)  to ensure that Kenny's Mytonic Dystrophy is not passed on to any of our children. This process takes some time and costs a little more but is SO worth it to us. Kenny is really concerned about passing on MMD to our children. It is a progressive disease so has the potential be worse with each generation. We are in the works of  starting PGD so that we can hopefully do our first IVF cycle sometime soon after the 5K.

Right now is the first time in awhile that I have felt great about where we are going with this whole journey. Infertility has it's up's and downs. Some days you feel anger, some days you feel intense sadness, sometimes you try to stop caring and just let it be... rarely are there moments where you feel what both Kenny and I feel now...  Hopeful and excited for the future. I am so grateful to be where we are at in life right now. No matter what happens I know that we are here at this place because that's how Heavenly Father wants it. I know there's a good chance we will still have some down's on our journey, but I can honestly say that I think I can take it all in with a new perspective.

I have met some incredible people and had the opportunity to hear amazing stories that have given me the outlook that all of this happens for a reason... because it is what is best for us.  I am so excited to get moving on this part of the journey. There are SO many good things to come!

I love this man SO much! I wouldn't want to go
on this journey with anyone else.



Oh, and have I told you the BEST news about our race? Dr. Foulk has donated ONE FREE IVF CYCLE to be won at a raffle that will be held at the end of our race. Also, Reproductive Care Center has donated two chances for 50% off an IVF CYCLE for the raffle as well! SO if you or anyone you know is going through a similar struggle as us you can enter their name to help them win. They don't have to be there... just the individuals who are entering their name do. We are so excited that we are going to get to see someone else have a great opportunity like us through PPP. You can register for the race here: https://poundthepavementforparent.webconnex.com/PPPSU2013 If you can't actually be there for the race you can always just donate. Every little bit helps us get one step closer to starting our family!