Last week after a great day on Capitol Hill advocating for infertility, we headed to Norfolk to visit Nicole and to attend our big 12-week doctor’s appointment with the Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist (MFM).  The MFM is sometimes called a perinatologist and is basically a high-risk doctor.  We are seeing him because of the twin pregnancy.  We had a wonderful visit with Nicole and her family and can’t wait to go back again.

Nicole at 12 weeks

—

The doctor comes into the room with a swish of his white coat. He introduces himself and I immediately like him.

He says, “I love questions. I hope you have lots of them.”

To which, I reply, “Oh yea, I have my Google doc right here.”

He was wonderful.  Very interested and engaged.  He didn’t rush us at all.  I told him about my history and therefore my anxiousness and fear.

Nicole has already seen an OB/GYN and we couldn’t attend that appointment.  They were treating us as “normal” and only scheduling appointments 4 weeks apart, which for me at 8 weeks, was an eternity.  I called to talk to them about it and they just wouldn’t listen to me.  I was quite unimpressed. We ended up going to one of those ultrasound places at 10 weeks, which was great.

However, he said we could come in for an ultrasound whenever we wanted.  Yep, love this guy. We asked if we could only be seen by his practice or if we had to go to him and the OB in tandem.  He said it’s up to us, so I think all three of us, without even having to discuss it, decided the OB was fired.

Then, just to further cement my excitement over finding such a great doctor, he gave us his email and cell phone number and said to call him any time.  He took out his iPhone and asked me to add myself.

We all just really connected with him.  We had a break before our ultrasound, so he suggested we walk next door to the hospital and have lunch there.

—

I am very happy to say that for this ultrasound, I wasn’t imagining what kind of horrible outcome it could have.  I was happy and excited to see the babies, with a little nervousness thrown in.

Our ultrasound tech was really nice and was very vocal throughout the entire process, explaining exactly what she saw and what she was doing.  Thank goodness, because otherwise, I would have thought something was wrong.

Both babies

One of the babies giving us a thumbs-up and look at that little belly!

The babies looked great and were wiggling all around.  The NT scan was good and everything else that they checked was good.

Such a relief.  Again, someone pinch me!

Resources + Connect

• Subscribe to my blog | Subscribe to everything but pregnancy posts
• Like my infertility advocacy page on Facebook.
• Follow me on Twitter.

I’m happy and still a little scared.  I will be until the babies are here in my arms.

I am just feeling like a fish out of water.  Content and grateful, but unsure of my new surroundings.  It’s like I’ve been on the treadmill for so long, and I have just kept going, hoping not to fall off.  But then, suddenly, I’m thrust onto to solid ground and my legs are still shaky.

I don’t know anything about pregnancy.  I don’t know how to be expecting.  I don’t know how to deal with talks of car seats and cribs.

I feel like an imposter.

I just don’t know what to do.  Mother’s Day just passed and I received my first Mother’s Day cards and gifts — baby stuff. The very first baby stuff I have ever owned.  I felt happy getting it, but it was strange at the same time. One gift was a locket from Nicole. ♥  And another was from my parents. I also got a very sweet gift in the mail from an old fertility forum friend. So sweet of her! I feel like I’m living someone else’s life for a day and I’m going to wake up soon.

Also, I am feeling some survivor’s guilt.  Mainly for those that have been fighting for a really long time and and are running out of hope.  We went through hell to get here and I know I shouldn’t feel guilty. I know that I can be happy for us and sad for others at the same time.

I have said previously that I do plan to blog about our babies and Nicole’s pregnancy, but I have had a hard time doing that and haven’t said much.  I don’t want to offend any of you.  But, this website is about my life, not infertility only.  At times, it has seemed like solely an infertility website though because that’s what my life was.  But, now, my life is changing and I want to embrace that.

So, if you’d like to still hang around, but prefer not to see baby stuff, just subscribe to this RSS feed, which excludes pregnancy posts.

Resources + Connect

• Subscribe to my blog | Subscribe to everything but pregnancy posts
• Like my infertility advocacy page on Facebook.
• Follow me on Twitter.

“There is only one thing more powerful than all the armies of the world, that is an idea whose time has come.” – Victor Hugo

Guess what? It’s time!  You wouldn’t think that reproductive rights and access to healthcare would be such a novel idea, but it’s not obvious to everyone.  It’s time to change the conversation about infertility.  It’s time to tear down the walls of taboo associated with it.  It’s time that insurance companies and our government treat infertility as it should, as a disease.  It’s time for those suffering to know they’re not alone.  It’s time for financial relief.  It’s time to speak up.

If you’ve never taken the opportunity “to petition the government for a redress of grievances,” then you are missing out a basic American liberty.  One granted to us in the first amendment of the Bill of Rights.   On May 8th, 115 women and men from around the country gathered in Washington, D.C. to do just that — air our grievances regarding infertility.

Just being in our nation’s capital, walking in the shadows of great monuments and through the marble halls of the congressional buildings was exhilarating.

Even more so, was knowing that we held a meritorious cause in our hearts that we were there to give voice to and to fight for.  There’s really nothing like standing up for something you truly believe in. There’s nothing like feeling a deep passion inside of you and being able to release it in a positive and actionable way.

Advocacy Day did that for me.  This year, last year and the year before that.  I can’t imagine not coming after having experienced such a transformative event.  This year, we were honored to have Senator Patty Murray address our group.  Her remarks were very touching regarding military families dealing with infertility due to injuries sustained in battle.

One of things that I most enjoyed this year was seeing other women and men quietly gaining confidence and learning that they, too,  have a powerful voice.  I thoroughly enjoyed working on Advocacy Day behind the scenes as the vice co-chair and can’t wait to co-chair the event next year!

The Virginia group

Inside the Russell Senate building

Giving my remarks and going over logistics

Using the underground tunnels to get from building to building

Meeting & visiting with friends

I was able to meet (in person) some long-time and brand new friends that I had previously only conversed with by phone, email, Facebook or Twitter.  What a remarkable group of people and an uplifting way to meet!

At the welcome reception, a girl approached me that I have never met and said that she came because I had inspired her to do so.  What?? Amazing. I’m inspired by her that she came all the way from California.

I got to meet my longtime friend Aprill, finally, in person.  Same for my friend Katie.  I got to meet a girl that came from Canada!  I got to meet an wonderful couple from Texas that I had just recently been emailing with and we discovered we are practically infertility twins with our stories.  She is chairing the Walk of Hope in Houston and has 500 people registered! Go Angelica!

I got to meet a brave military wife.  I got to meet so many amazing people, all with sad stories, but some with happy endings.

Me with my friend, Aprill, from Boston

Me with the chair of Advocacy Day, the wonderful Risa Levine

My new friend, Angelica, from Texas

With my friend, Katie, from Florida

With my lovely vice co-chair, Jen Rutner

What we wanted to meet with Congress about

This year we informed Congress about the disease of infertility and we advocated for both The Family Act and The Womens Veterans and Other Healthcare Improvements Act.

The Family Act essentially provides a tax credit for IVF with cost sharing, similar to the Adoption Tax Credit.  It would go a long way towards helping couples afford the treatment they so badly need.

The Womens Veterans and Other Healthcare Improvements Act would provide increased benefits, specifically including IVF, to military families and veterans who experience a loss of their fertility directly related to their service to our country.  Can you imagine fighting for our country, being injured in battle and losing your fertility in the process, coming home and facing not being able to have children?

I can’t.  This is deplorable. That is a sacrifice that doesn’t need to be added to the list of the many sacrifices already made.  Let’s support our brave men and women and fight for them, just like they fight for us!

Your Letters

I was absolutely overjoyed to have in my possession over 100 letters from friends, family and strangers representing 11 states!  Thank you so much to every one of you who wrote a letter and sent it to me.  We divided up the letters to be delivered by advocates that were present from the respective states.  I, of course, personally delivered almost all of the Virginia letters.  I was so proud to lay a stack of letters in front of our congressional representatives and say that infertility is important to your constituents.  Here are their letters.

Also, beware, I will be on a huge letter offensive next year.  I want to paper Congress with our letters!

Our meetings

The Virginia contingent met with Senator Kaine and Senator Warner’s legislative assistants in separate meetings.  Our group was so large that we had to meet in the hallway for the first one and in a stairwell for the second one. Our meetings went great, but we didn’t get any promises, which is typical.  We have to keep working and keep following up.

Our meeting with Congressman Morgan Griffith’s office was scheduled with his legislative aide, but the Congressman was there to meet with us himself. (yay!)  I have to say that going into the meeting, I didn’t expect much support from him for some reason.  I started to tell him our story, and he stopped me and said, “Yea, I know.  I read the article,” referring to the article about Erick and I that ran on the front page of The Roanoke Times the previous week.  I was shocked.  I couldn’t believe he had read it.

Erick, me, Congressman Griffith and Leigh

We talked about The Family Act and how expensive treatment is.  He was supportive in a very genuine way.  He indicated that he would be inclined to support the legislation, as long as something that he didn’t support didn’t get thrown into the bill.  I left the meeting feeling very pleasantly surprised.  His office even tweeted me after it was over.

Oh yea…

And, we met a few celebrities! We met Bryan Cranston from Breaking Bad, Argo, etc.  We got a photo with him and talked to him about The Family Act.  He was in front of us in line for the Senate Dirksen Building and then on the way out, we saw Val Kilmer in the same line!  Whoa!

With Bryan Cranston

Val Kilmer

What you can do

1. Plan to come next year!  I know it takes a substantial effort to be there, but you won’t regret it!
2. Make an appointment with your House representative for your local office if possible.  (I did this two years ago on my own.)
3. Call!
4. Send a letter!

Just because you didn’t come to advocacy day doesn’t mean you can’t play an important role NOW!  Every phone call, every letter and every email will help!

Write a letter –keep it simple. Just tell them how infertility has impacted your life or someone you know and how the The Family Act could help.  Ask them to please co-sponsor it!  (This is the important ask!)

More Information:
The Family Act (S 881 |  HR 1851)
The Womens Veterans and Other Healthcare Improvements Act (S 131)

Who are your elected officials?
U.S. Senate  |  U.S. House of Representatives

Resources + Connect

• View all of my Advocacy Day photos
• Subscribe to my blog.
• Like my infertility advocacy page on Facebook.
• Follow me on Twitter.

Where are you in your infertility journey right now? In one sentence!

We are beyond blessed to be pregnant with twins via a gestational carrier on our 7th IVF after a 7 year battle with infertility and five losses.

What inspired you to go to RESOLVE Advocacy Day 2013?

Fighting back against infertility is my way of taking back some of the control I have lost due to this disease.  It’s my way of coping and turning something negative into something positive.  I got involved with Advocacy Day two years ago by setting up an appointment on my own to meet with my Congressman himself in my home state.  He was willing to listen and he wanted to help.  I knew then how important it was to make my voice heard.

And, last year on Capitol Hill was an unforgettable experience for me.  I will advocate for this cause for the rest of my life.

What do you want Congress to understand about infertility?

I want them to know that if affects many more people than they might think, especially because it’s largely a silent disease.  I want them to know that their own children could be facing this.

What are you most looking forward to about Advocacy Day?

Seeing other women and men have that “a-ha!” moment and learning that they, too,  have a powerful voice.

What is one thing other advocates will be surprised to learn about you when they meet you?

That I’m really tall. I’m 6’0″ .

Read some of my other posts about Advocacy Day

• Advocate for Life
• Meet me at Advocacy Day

Meet some of the advocates who will be at Advocacy Day this year.

• Jen Rutner
• Aprill
• Fran Meadows
• Casey
• Miss Ohkay
• Lauren
• Holly
• Carrie
• Katie
• Kelley

Resources + Connect

• Subscribe to my blog.
• Like my infertility advocacy page on Facebook.
• Follow me on Twitter.

I woke up Thursday morning just as shocked as my family and friends to see Erick and I smack dab in the middle of the front page of The Roanoke Times.

View the entire front page here.

Go here to read the story.

Earlier in the week, I had pitched a story to the paper about infertility for National Infertility Awareness Week.  Much to my surprise, they were interested. I couldn’t believe it.  Dan Casey, who writes a column in the paper, wanted to meet me for coffee to talk.  We met — I talked a lot and he wrote a lot.  He was a really nice guy and it went really well.  He told me it was one of the best pitches he had read in a long time.  I, again, was shocked.

The next day, the sent a staff photographer to come and photograph us.

Then, later that day I heard from Dan several times with questions.  He told me it was slated for the front page for the next day, but I figured it would get bumped or if it made it, it would be below the fold.  So imagine my delighted tears of joy to see it as the top story on the front page!  I felt so validated.  This disease matters.  We matter.  Everyone going through this matters. The Roanoke Times gets it.

Also, imagine my overwhelming sense of holy crap, all of our business is on the front page of the paper.  I had sort of a mini meltdown the day before because I was worried about sharing our good news.  I have no qualms about talking about infertility or about sharing our past, but it freaks me out to share good news as it’s unfolding.  I know that seems strange.

I guess I felt like I would be jinxing us somehow.  But, in the end, I gave God my fears and left them at the cross.  God doesn’t do jinxes.  God has given us a spirit of power, not of fear. So, I pushed my fear aside and decided to rejoice with everyone in our good news and in the amazing opportunity that The Roanoke Times gave to us to get the word out about support for this disease.

I am just so happy that The Roanoke Times chose to highlight this disease in such a prominent way at such an opportune time.  I can’t even begin to thank them enough.  It ended up being the most read story online that day, too.  Wow!

We received hundreds of messages from friends and strangers alike, all with very sweet and supportive messages.  Of course, there were a few trolls commenting online, but the community came to our defense in a big way. A handful of women contacted me about joining the support group, which is amazing!

Overall, we are just humbled from the amazing response that we got.

Score for infertility!

Read the story

Go here to read the story.

Laura

Laura was my IVF angel.  My clinic put me in touch with her because she had unused medications and wanted to donate them to a new patient.  I was so grateful for that financial relief and even more so for a new friend who had already been through IVF.  I can still remember meeting her for coffee to talk about IVF.  It seems so very long ago that I was just getting started and had no idea what this new chapter of my life would be like. She was there for me when I had no idea what I was doing and before I ever planted roots in this community.  She became my first cheerleader.  I have never forgotten what she did for me and I promised myself that I would pay it forward.

My support groups

I have several support groups and they are each special to me in different ways.  I can’t thank all of these ladies enough.  They are my daily source of support and encouragement. I recently got to meet up with some of the women in one of my groups and what an amazing time that was!  There is one special girl, Jess, who was one of my closest friends during my darkest days, and I met her in a Repeat Pregnancy Loss support group.  She inspired me to do my own research and delve into the medical side of things. And, even though we met online, we discovered that she lives down the street from my brother in Philadelphia — yes, this friendship was meant to be!

I will be meeting a few others (Aprill, Kelley) in person this year at Advocacy Day!  What an amazing way to meet up for the first time!

I also have some amazing friends that have been one-woman support groups for me throughout the years.

RESOLVE

When I first met the fierce and fabulous ladies of RESOLVE, I was blown away.  This is a group of people that are smart, driven and passionate. I was instantly smitten with them! I am so grateful that these are the people that are out there day after day fighting for us! Romans 8:31 says: “If God is for us, who could be against us?”  Well, in the infertility arena, if RESOLVE is for us, then, seriously, who could be against us?

They gave me the confidence I needed to stand up for myself in ways that I didn’t know I could.  I couldn’t possibly be more inspired by them.  Their passion and enthusiasm is contagious and I’m thrilled to work with them.  I’m also inspired by my fellow RESOLVE advocates.  I am privileged to work alongside some amazing ladies. (Love you, Jen, Katie, Vicki, Randi, Keiko, Angelica, Julie and others!)

Avery

Avery is my 20-month-old niece.  What could such a young little thing teach me?  She helped mend my broken heart and spirit after several years of despair.  I wrote a whole post about it.  She also has inspired me to keep fighting even when hope seemed like a four-letter-word.  When I used to think, “What are we doing?”  and “Why are we putting ourselves through this?” and “Will this ever be worth it?,”  all I had to do was hold her tight to know it was worth it to keep trying.

My surrogate, Nicole

What could possibly be more admirable than offering to carry someone else’s baby to help them create their family? It’s the most amazing and precious gift.  Nicole is such a kind and selfless person. She has sacrificed so much for us.  She’s a huge inspiration!  She inspires me to be kind to others. She reminds me that there are GOOD people in this world.

My family and closest friends

My family and friends have never stopped cheering us on.  They have been supportive from day one.  They have held my hand and dried our tears. They have driven me to appointments, they have cooked for us, they have donated money, they have written letters to Congress, they have cried with us, they have sent flowers.  I can’t imagine it was easy to have a family member or friend going through this, so I am thankful.  They have been an inspiration to never give up.

My infertility brothers and sisters

Every person that I know that is suffering from infertility inspires me to dream bigger, work harder and speak louder.  Each person and each story inspires me to want something better for all of us. I have to mention one special person, Sarah, that I will not leave behind.

God and my church

I couldn’t possibly neglect to say that God is my ultimate inspiration.  And, with my eyes on him, I have been able to keep hope alive and push the fear back.  My church family has been instrumental in helping me, teaching me and supporting me.

Isaiah 40:31
Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength .  They will soar on wings like eagles.

Learn More

I wrote this in honor of this year’s theme of “Join the Movement” for National Infertility Awareness Week (April 21-27,2013).   Learn more about infertility by checking out Infertility 101.

Resources + Connect

• Subscribe to my blog.
• Like my infertility advocacy page on Facebook.
• Follow me on Twitter.

I couldn’t have gotten through all of these years of infertility without a support group. Without other women just like me, struggling and anguishing over the same thing.

Most of my support groups are online groups and I have become really close friends with these women. We share with another and we support one another. As the years went by, I found it helpful to find more specific groups of women to share with. So, I became part of a repeat pregnancy loss group. And, now I am a part of a surrogacy group.

There are plenty of places online to find forums and others to talk to. Also, there are groups in many cities across the country. You can check here to see if there’s one in your area.

And, if there isn’t one, you can start your own.

I live in Southwest Virginia and I knew that there wasn’t a group in our area and I knew there was a need for it. So, I took a leap of faith and started one with help from my church and under the auspices of RESOLVE. I’m so glad I did because some of the women that came didn’t really have anyone to talk to about their infertility journey. I just couldn’t imagine. I was blessed to meet these women and have enjoyed getting to know them.

Start your own group

I would really encourage you to start a support group if there isn’t one in your area. Don’t be intimidated by “starting” or “leading” a support group. Think of yourself as more of a facilitator. I found that you don’t have to do much leading. When you get together, it’s just an informal chat and everyone is so excited to have someone to talk to that conversation is never lacking.

Also, RESOLVE will provide you with support, training and resources.

You can do it! You can make a difference in your area. You can help others not feel so alone.

To start a RESOLVE peer-led group, just go to their website and follow the instructions. Basically you listen to a training call and then fill out an application. You find a place to meet and pick a date and time.

Ideas for promoting your group

• Make a flyer – ask a local infertility clinic if they would display it in their office, ask local OB/GYN clinics to do the same, post them around town at various places
• If you have a website, promote it there
• If you are comfortable, post it to Facebook, Twitter, etc.
• Some websites allow you to post information on local events, so submit a listing

Learn More

I wrote this in honor of this year’s theme of “Join the Movement” for National Infertility Awareness Week (April 21-27,2013).   Learn more about infertility by checking out Infertility 101 and learn more about legislative issues affecting infertility.

Resources + Connect

• Subscribe to my blog with RSS  or by email.
• Like my infertility advocacy page on Facebook.
• Follow me on Twitter.

We had our 8-week ultrasound on April 12th.  Unfortunately, we were not able to go to this appointment, which was the first one with her OB.   So, we planned to be there via Facetime.  Except that the doctor wouldn’t allow it, but instead allowed us to call in and be on speaker phone.  It turned out to be very nerve-wracking this way.

I was really nervous and not being able to see what was going on was driving me crazy.  Have they not started the ultrasound yet or can they not find the babies?  I felt like I was going to be sick.  Finally, we hear them saying, here’s baby number one.  Thank God!  And, then baby number 2!  We couldn’t hear much of what the doctor was saying, but what we did get to hear was absolutely amazing.

Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump…

The baby’s heartbeat, loud and clear.  I just started crying uncontrollably and put the phone on mute.  What a relief.  This was our first time hearing the heartbeats, as the last place didn’t have that capability.

What an amazing and glorious sound.

Eight weeks was a huge milestone for us.  It marked the farthest that we have made it with IVF.  Previously, my last miscarriage was at 7 weeks and 6 days, just one day shy of 8 weeks.  So, the week leading up to this ultrasound was hard for me.

We are thrilled for this milestone and for the good reports.  Both babies are measuring right on track and have strong heartbeats.  We are so unbelievably shocked and grateful.

We have now passed 9 weeks and count each and every day as a huge blessing and a major hurdle that’s been overcome.  The farthest we have ever made it was around 11 weeks around 6 years ago, so I can’t wait to get past that point.

Our next appointment is at 12 weeks with the MFM (Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist).  We will be seeing the MFM, since a twin pregnancy carries more risks.  We can’t wait for this appointment, but truly I don’t know if I can make it that long.  For someone who has experienced multiple loss, 4 weeks is a ridiculous amount of time to wait.

It got me thinking that this is what we, the infertility community, have to do as well.  Change doesn’t come easy and not only should we all consider contributing in some way, but we have to be in it for the long haul.  We are going to have to advocate for life.

Join the movement to bring infertility support groups to every community, increase and protect access to all family building options and  help change the conversation about infertility.

I have been fervent about advocating for infertility issues, but that work can’t be an isolated moment in time. It’s going to require real work in a sustainable way to make real change.  I don’t want to waste my infertility.  I don’t want to let it use me.  I want to use it. I want to harness all of the tears and heartache and try to cobble something good out of it.

This will require endurance. Well, guess what?  If infertility has given me anything, it’s endurance.  If anyone can fight this fight, it’s us! We have all waited and struggled for so long to become parents with so much despair and loss.  We are so strong!  YOU are stronger then you ever imagined for going through this.

This will also require passion.  Are you kidding me? We have passion in spades. We are passionate about affordable healthcare, passionate about dispelling myths, passionate about rights we deserve to have. And, most of all, we are passionate about becoming parents.

Even though it would be nice to have legislation that could help us passed quickly, sometimes it just doesn’t work that way. History has shown that it can take many years for a bill to finally be passed. We just have to do the work and not give up. We will outlast Congress.

Every time we speak, we are bringing awareness to infertility. Every time we write, we are dispelling a myth. Every time we tell our story, we are giving a face and a name to infertility. Every time we explain what IVF is or how painful a miscarriage is, we are educating others. Everything we do right now is making a positive impact and paving the way for major change later.

We just have to endure. No problem.

I invite you to find your voice.  I invite you to stand up to the disease that has taken so much from you. I invite you to turn your personal struggle into something more.

Trust me, if I can do this, then anyone can.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
- Margaret Mead

Learn More

I wrote this in honor of this year’s theme of “Join the Movement” for National Infertility Awareness Week (April 21-27,2013).   Learn more about infertility by checking out Infertility 101 and learn more about legislative issues affecting infertility.

Also, see my post “Don’t ignore the opportunity to share your infertility story.”

Resources + Connect

• Subscribe to my blog.
• Like my infertility advocacy page on Facebook.
• Follow me on Twitter.

So, I went to see the surgeon, thinking we would set a date for the surgery and I could be done with all of this.   I went to see him and he had very bad news for me.  He told me that I have a very severe, degenerative, congenital hip deformity in my socket called acetabular dsyplasia.  Basically the ball of my femur doesn’t fit properly in the socket.  Interesting.  At first, I was thinking, Ok…more answers.

Then, he told me that the surgery I need to fix it is very serious.  It’s called a periacetabular osteotomy. It would entail breaking my pelvis and then rebuilding  it to be like it should.  It is a very serious surgery with a long recovery period. They would make a huge incision, pull my muscles back, saw my pelvis apart, reset it an insert long screws to hold it in place until it fuses back together.  WHAT???????

I have torn and worn down cartilage that puts me into the beginning stages of osteoarthritis and I have torn tendons, all resulting from the hip dsyplasia. What we found on the MRI were only the results of the underlying problem. He said that mine was one of the worst cases he had ever seen.  Not something you want to hear from your doctor.  Also, he gleaned this from my X-ray.  Yea, the one that the PA said looked fine.  Ugh! Months of physical therapy for nothing.

If I don’t have the osteotomy surgery, then my condition will continue to degrade to the point where I won’t be mobile any more.  The alternative is to wait it out and then have a full hip replacement at whatever point in time that the pain becomes unbearable or I can’t walk properly.  The problem with a hip replacement is that it won’t last that long and I’m only 35, but the benefit is that recovery isn’t so bad.   The benefit of the osteotomy is that it would potentially last longer than a hip replacement, if I’m a candidate for the surgery.

I left his office in tears and in shock.  I just couldn’t believe it.  It’s disheartening to think that I could struggle to be mobile for the rest of my life.  Also…running…never going to happen again.  I know most people think that’s probably a bonus and truthfully I haven’t been running nearly as much in the last several years.  But, as a former cross country runner, I do love to run and it’s a release for me, so it’s sad to think I’ll never run again.

I have been doing lots of research.  I have an appointment with two different surgeons who specialize in this area next month, one in Richmond and another in Philadelphia.  This is such a serious matter that I felt it would be worth it to get two opinions from leading surgeons.

The other thing to worry about is that we have the babies on the way and I don’t really want to be recovering from surgery when they are born.  Their due date is around the end of October!  (By the way, just talking about this like it’s actually going to happen is a huge leap of faith for me.  I believe, but I’m also scared as hell.)

It’s always something, right?  Anyone know of anyone that has this condition or has had this surgery?