No, not at all, I just didn't want to bore anyone :) I understand my case might be a bit different as our problems seem to be almost completely down to the 100% DQa match between me and OH, but there might be something of some use/interest to others in what's come out of it.
For a start, Penny and her staff were wonderful, they all really seem to genuinely care about you as a person and about getting you a baby. Penny is also very willing to discuss options - rather than the standard consultant approach of 'my word is law' that seems to be the case over here, she asks how you feel about things as she suggests options and is very willing to explain and consider anything you might query or suggest yourself.
Anyway. She did an aquascan and immediately said that I definitely did need an hysteroscopy - and she showed me why, my uterus was full of scar tissue/dead cells. She said the lining was 'nice and thick' but that it appeared to be quite a lot of scar tissue (and I could see it on the screen), and that if I didn't have it all cut away nothing would be able to implant. She also said that this is almost certainly why my AF bleeding has changed - she doesn't for a second consider it's an age/perimenopausal thing as has been suggested elsewhere. She also scanned my ovaries and said they are 'very productive'. Not that that matters in this case, as we're using DE, but it does mean that I wasn't entirely on the fertility scrapheap as I'd thought!
She's said we are an 'interesting case' due to the 100% DQa match, which is apparently quite rare, and brought in her head of immunology to meet us as we will also be working with him. It is apparent that due to this match we had virtually no chance of having a baby that is my eggs & OH's sperm, as even with medication my immune system would just respond too strongly to kill it off - which explains why, after my first MC on Mr Shehata's protocol and even while still taking 40mg pred, the NK cell retest Mr S did showed my total NK cell count sky-high.
Penny wants to throw everything possible at this, as her aim is for this to be our final attempt (which is just as well, as no way we could afford another!). She apparently works with Dr Gorgy at times, although she feels he can be quite negative! She has prescribed neupogen for us as per Dr Braverman's successes in using this in DQ matches, along with intralipids (starting before egg transfer, not from BFP), 10mg pred, clexane, and LIT. We started with paternal LIT as she wants to see if that provokes any kind of antibody response, but we're not expecting it will, at which point we will use either pool LIT (paternal plus white blood cells from my donor) or just LIT from my donor. She has told me I am going to have to have several LIT transfusions - sigh, more £ on airfare - although how I'm going to get the days off work to go out there several times I really don't know yet! So I had the first LIT transfusion (ouch!) while still at Serum on Saturday, and will have the next when I go out for ET.
Penny wants to start this straighaway but we have to wait for AF to show following the hysteroscopy last Fri. I'm due my AF on Wed, but don't know if the hysto will delay things. Penny did a downreg shot on me on Friday, so I assume she doesn't think it will be long.
As for the hysto itself - well apart from the fact that the Greek hospital was efficiency itself; the staff all very friendly and helpful, the procedure quick - I was in at 7am and out by 10:30am, had absolutely no aching or cramping (I did after my hysto at NLC last August) and stopped bleeding within 2 days (took 6 days last Aug). You get a DVD of your procedure (yes, really!) which I then took to Serum for Penny to watch. She showed me the scar tissue as they were cutting it away and the cuts they make to the endometrium. Not something I ever wanted to see, but still! She also showed me clear indication that the 'hidden' chlamydia we were treated for last July is still there, and OH and I are now going through the 25-day course of anti-bs again (nice :( ). What I want to know is, how come my hysto at NLC didn't see this scar tissue? Although I have read many ladies say that their various UK clinics have missed this - Penny said very often they just don't know what they're looking at. Which is a bit worrying in itself!
So ... we have a plan, and a much, much emptier bank account :( ... will it work? Who knows, but we have to give it a try for closure, if nothing else. Not sure about exact timings, although when I told Penny we were away the second week of July for two weeks she calmly stated 'you'll be pregnant by then' .. ! Wish I could share her optimism, but we'll see what happens.
Hope I haven't bored you all too much!