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My Cross of Secondary Infertility
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This page is dedicated to all of the women that have lost their fertility due to someone else's hand.  There is a pain and suffering that can never be recovered.  May God bless you as you carry this cross.

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** This is only part of the letter that we are sending to the State of Texas in hopes that they will investigate this matter.  I have also included links within this, to help you learn more about the conditions that I now have. **
 
I should probably change names or at least *** them out, but I am not going to.  We have decided to file a grievance with the State of Texas regarding this doctor, Dr. Lori Gore-Green, who first got a hold of me and started all of this mess.  Not only are we giving the State permission to investigate this doctor, and permission to have the necessary records released, we are also sending in our version of what has happened since Aidan's birth so that the State of Texas might actually investigate it. 
 
To help cut down on investigative time, we have tried to get as many medical records as possible to send in with our complaint, but surprisingly we just cannot seem to get them from this particular doctor.  However we are still waiting for the ER records to be retrieved out of the hospital archives to see the full reports of what was fully documented on that day.
 
At first, we were just thinking that a grievance may be fine, however, we are now thinking of filing an actually suit against her for emotional damages.  To be honest, I don't think we have a prayer in the world... maybe if we had no kids, or maybe just one, but not 6.  Anyway, here is my "story."  It begins the night of Aidan's delivery and ends with my RE appointment on Wednesday morning, February 2, 2005; I will be updating it after my HSG and after I receive its results.
(which was originally scheduled for 2/9/05, but cancelled due to an extra-long period.)
 
*****************************************************************
 
My pregnancy and delivery was the best it could be.  It was something that I never imagined.  A complete dream come true.  All of my previous pregnancies had complications... preterm labor, partial placenta abruptio, placenta previa, and unexplained bleeding.  Needless to say, bedrest was a necessity for each of them.  However, during this pregnancy bedrest was never required, as there was no need because a complication never arose.
 
As I was leaning over the birthing ball, I started feeling the need to push... transition was coming.  I told Roger that I wanted to go the restroom just one more time; I didn't want to pee on Becky Burpo (Allen, Texas) during the delivery.  So I crawled to the bathroom and got upon the toilet.  And as I had done throughout the entire pregnancy, I checked to see what was going on inside as the need to push was getting stronger and stronger.  After I checked myself, I told Roger that I was feeling something that I never felt before.  With the next pushing sensation, I went with it, and my water broke as I sat on the toilet; that's what I was feeling... my bag of water!  Becky came running in and she checked me... Aidan's head was right there; he was coming.  She said that she would get everything ready for me to deliver, but started bringing it into the bathroom.  I promised her that I could make it to the bed!  And to the bed I went.  Throughout Aidan's pregnancy I had listened to gospel music, and I continued to listen to it while I labored.  Even as we were preparing the bed for his delivery, I heard it in the background, it was wonderful!  And somehow through the contractions, I heard one of my favorite songs starting; I asked Roger to start it again as I needed the strength those songs brought to me during the pregnancy to help me through this final stage.  And after it came on, I was determined that Aidan would be delivered during the second song; and even though it hurt like hell, he was.  He came out as I listened to Jesus being my rock and my foundation.  My midwife started laughing as she said I was her first patient to ever call the time of birth.  Aidan Pierce Dunlap Moore was born at 1:02am on Tuesday, April 22, 2003.
 
Everything was wonderful!  Becky examined me and Aidan.   Surprisingly, he weighed 8lbs, 10oz.  And as we were enthralled with this new baby that we had created, I told her that I thought my placenta had just delivered itself... and it had.  There is was and along with it was the empty feeling... the pregnancy was over.  Becky examined it thoroughly and reassured us that it was fully intact.  There was no need for concern; no need for worry.  I had just successfully delivered my 6th baby.  And both he and I were perfect!  Becky left a few hours later saying that she would see me first thing Thursday morning.  Roger and I then went to sleep with our new baby sleeping between us. 
 
Becky came over Thursday morning.  Everything appeared fine.  Aidan looked great.  And I did too... my uterus was surprisingly already very small and firm; she actually had a hard time finding it.  She asked me if I had any concerns and I told her that the only thing that concerned me was that for some reason my bleeding wasn't normally like it was postpartum.  It was a lot lighter; I am usually a heavy post-partum bleeder.
 
On the morning of Friday, April 25, 2003 (3 days postpartum), Roger and I were talking when all of a sudden, I knew something wasn't right.  I felt it.  I was expelling a gigantic clot.  I put Aidan down onto the bed and ran to the bathroom.  My underwear was soaked in blood and when I looked into the toilet, it was full of blood and clots.  I could feel them; the clots were just pouring out with one being the size of a lemon.  I told Roger to call Becky immediately as it looked like I was hemorrhaging.  He called her and after I spoke with her, she prescribed me 5 days worth of Methergine to stop the bleeding.  I was told to stay in bed and rest as much as possible.  Even though I was on the Methergine, I continued these bleeding episodes... I would NOT bleed for 2-3 days, and then it would just pour out; however, while I was on the Methergine it was just a lighter pouring. 
 
On May 3, 2003 (10 days postpartum), it happened again, but full force as it did the first time on April 25.  We called Becky and she said that she wanted me to immediately get to a hospital.  She said that her doctor was about 45 minutes away and she didn't want us to wait that long; I needed to be seen immediately; she felt that my life was in danger.  We had a hospital in Denton, but we didn't know which doctor to go to as I had delivered with a midwife.  However, we called my mother as she is a local ob-gyn, Dr. Milinda Morris-Busey (Denton, Texas).  After explaining what was continuing to happen, she said that she would call the doctor she uses as her doctor-on-call, explain to her what was happening, and tell her we were heading straight to the hospital.  My mother then said that she would be calling Denton Community Hospital to tell them that I was coming in and to expect me.  Before leaving, Roger and I made sure that we had someone watching the kids, and we left to the hospital with Aidan as I was breastfeeding.  After waiting in the ER waiting room for at least 45 minutes to an hour, we were finally taken to the back.  The ER doctor, Dr. David Bert Hall (Denton Community Hospital), came in to treat me but after telling him that Dr. Lori Gore-Green (Denton, Texas) was expecting me as a patient he said that even though he would order blood work and an ultrasound, he did not want to do anything else as he did not want to do anything that would hinder her treatment of me.
 
We waited over 3 hours for Dr. Gore-Green to finally come to the hospital.  With no one else in the room, she listened to me as I explained to her what had been occurring in the past week.  She then manually examined my uterus; she said that it was small and firm and appeared normal, but she wanted to make sure that my cervix had not closed prematurely.  As a result, she said that she wanted to stick a tool into my cervix to if it was still open, or if it had indeed closed.  She looked around in the emergency room that I was in and said that she could not find the tool that she was looking for.  She then told us that she would be right back as she was just going to run and get what she was looking for.  We waited for over an hour and a half for her to come back; and I know it was that long, because not only had we looked at the clock, but I had to feed Aidan one more time.  Jokingly I told Roger that this is why I chose to use a midwife during my pregnancy and delivery.
 
She finally came in with a handful of tools that were wrapped up in a cloth.  And she asked me to lie down and move to the end of the table.  She told me to relax and that she would talk me through the procedure; once again, no one else was present; it was only me, my husband, Dr. Gore-Green, and Aidan in his carseat in the corner of the room.  I asked her if it would hurt and she joked that it wouldn't hurt anymore than childbirth.  Yes, but this time the baby was out and my parts were a lot more tender!  She started telling me that she was inserting the tool, and I just about jumped off the table.  This was NOT like childbirth.  I asked her to stop and to give me something for the pain because it hurt too much.  She was no longer telling me what was going on or what she was doing; she was no longer responding to me.  Tears were streaming down my face, and then even my husband asked her to stop and give me something for the pain; she ignored him as well.  From his point of view all he could see was that she was continually inserting some sort of tongs into my vagina and uterus with a gauze pad on the end of it for which she would twist around; and needless to say I was feeling every bit of it.  Roger said that she would pull the tongs out, the gauze pad would be covered in blood, she would put on a new gauze pad, and then she would do it again.  It took all I had to lie there, and to stay silent.  I just remember the tears streaming down my face as there was nothing I could do; she wasn't listening to me, or to my husband, and there was no one else in the room to stop her.  After she was done, she said that even though she would rather not do it, she was going to prescribe for me another round of Methergin. She then told me to get dressed, as I was now discharged to go home, and to call her if I had any bleeding again.
 
On the way to the car, I told Roger that NEVER would I call her again.  I told him that I felt raped on that table that day. 
 
The operative report from May 9, 2003 states...
 
... The midwife who delivered her last child prescribed Methergine which seemed to decrease the bleeding episodes.  However she presented to the emergency room on May 3, 2003 secondary to a recurrence of intermittent uterine bleeding.  I examined her and performed a sterile uterine exploration with the use of a sterile ring forceps.  No retained tissue was retrieved at that time.  The patient was given another prescription for Methergine...
 
Which makes her examination consistant with the ultrasound report from the same day, May 3, as it concluded:

1. Hertogeneous fluid within the endometrial cavity without evidence of soft tissue mass or vascularity.  2. Prominent uterus consistent with post partum state.  Additionally the report stated that "the left ovary was unremarkable and measured... in size."
 
I finished the round of Methergine she prescribed and once again I had the same result.  I happened to call Roger 6 days later, May 9, 2003 around noon.  I told him that I needed him to come home, but he was needed at work and couldn't come.  I wasn't feeling well.  I felt very weak, but I knew that I had to go on.  I somehow made it up the stairs to get my daughter a diaper.  However, I could barely make it; I had to hold onto the railing, and to the walls.  By the time I made it to her room, I couldn't stand any longer, and I remember falling to the ground.  Roger said that he just had a feeling that he needed to come home immediately.  After he came home, he noticed that Jillian was naked, William was running around, and Aidan was screaming in his swing.  He knew something wasn't right and he couldn't find me.  The scary thing was that I could hear him as he came in the door, but I couldn't move, I couldn't talk.  I wanted to call out to him and tell him where I was, that I was upstairs, but I couldn't; I was too weak; I could barely breathe, much less talk.  I just prayed that he would come upstairs and find me and eventually he did; he finally found me in Jillian's room.  He shook me to see if I was still alive, as I was completely white and cold.  He was screaming at me, and all I could do was mumble.  He called my mother, who told him to call an ambulance immediately.  The ambulance came, and I didn't want to go.  I knew that I had no choice other than to see that doctor again.  I told the EMTs that I knew that all she would do was hurt me; I told my husband that she would hurt me.  That I just didn't want to go back to her.  They assured me that that would not be the result; that I was being taken to the hospital for help.  And being in the state that I was, I had no choice, I was going back.  I was going back to the hospital to have this rapist treat me again.  I was not going to come out whole; I knew it.
 
I arrived at the hospital and my head was hurting so badly that I was given a couple of shots of Demerol.  My mother met us at the hospital, and obviously so did Roger.  He carried Aidan in his carseat, and William and Jillian were in their stroller.  Finally Dr. Gore-Green showed up.  She told me that there was NO reason for this to be happening, but since she hadn't done one yet, she wanted to perform a D&C as it was the last thing she knew to do.  I asked Roger to read over the forms as I knew that I couldn't fully understand them as I was on the Demerol for my headache.  He said they were fine, and I signed them.  I was then wheeled into surgery.  In this time my mother and Roger went to get something to eat and came back.  They were actually surprised when they came back as they couldn't find me.  And much to my mother's surprise (as stated she is an ob-gyn), I was still in surgery... a procedure that should have only taken 30 minutes apparently took about 1.5 hours.
 
The same medical report, from May 9, 2003, states...

A physical examination was performed and the patient was found to have a firm, small, uterus with minimal blood inside of her vagina.  The assumption based upon her history (gravida-6, para-6) is the high assumption of retained products within her uterus.  The patient was informed of the need for a dilatation and curettage with the intent to remove any possible products of conception that are not allowing her uterus to completely contract to avoid episodes of bleeding...
 
The patient underwent a bimanual examination while under anesthesia and her uterus was noted to be small, firm, and anteverted.  Her ovaries were palpated and were of normal size... Next, a sharp curet was used to perform a curettage of the entire endometrium.  The sharp curettage was alternated with a suction curettage.  A mild flow of blood was seen oozing from the uterus druing the curettage procedures...
 
The patient continued to experience a mild flow of uterine bleeding after the procedure.  The patient's uterus was examined manually and felt to be boggy in consistancy.  Therefore, a bimanual uterine massage was performed.  The uterine massage was continued until the uterus felt firm and the bleeding decreased in flow... After the dilatation and curettage was completed, the patient was found to have uteruine atony, and a moderate amount of uterine bleeding which responded to Pitocin and uterine massage...
 
The intrauterine specimen will be taken to pathology for histological analysis...
 
(we are still waiting to receive the pathology report... WE FOUND IT, SEE BELOW!)
 
I was just glad that no matter what had happened, that I still had my uterus.  However, even though I had it, something just never felt right.  I noticed that my uterus had blown right back up to just below my belly-button and was very tender whereas just hours before the D&C my uterus was already back down to almost pre-pregnancy size.  I asked Dr. Gore-Green about this and she said that my left ovary and uterus were horribly infected and that was the cause of the newly inflamed state of my uterus.  I had a lot of trouble with my blood work as it continued dropping; apparently the blood counts taken  before my D&C were wrong due me being dehydrated, and after getting hydrated my normal levels were exhibited.  On Sunday, May 11, 2003 (Mother's Day), Dr. Gore-Green said that if my blood work didn't stop falling and didn't start to stabilize that she would have to take my uterus, as she couldn't figure out why my blood count kept dropping and apparently, it had to be from my uterus.
 
She discharged me from the hospital on Monday, May 12, 2003.  She stated that there was nothing more to do as my blood levels were supposedly stabilized.  But looking at my blood work, it stated that my RBC was considered low as it was 2.16 E12/L with the normal range being between 4.30-5.90 E12/L; my HGB was considered critical at a level of 6.9 g/dL with normal being between 11.7-15.7 g/dL; and my HCT level was also at a critical state as it was 20.6 %, with normal being between 35.0-47.0 %.  However, not having a choice and knowing I was not feeling as if I should be discharged, I left the hospital because she told me to with prescriptions in hand for antibiotics and iron supplements.  After I got home, I was so weak.  My face was white, as were my gums for over 2 weeks.  I had no color at all.  We had to hire someone to help me with the kids throughout the summer as I couldn't get out of bed, and if I did, I was only able to for a few hours.  
 
I went to my 1-week follow-up appointment with Dr. Gore-Green.  After waiting for over an hour in her office (with only 1 other person waiting), and once again without another person in the room (this now being the third time), she checked me and according to her everything was fine.  I told her that I was very concerned as my uterus was still horribly tender and that it hadn't not gone down at all; it was still right below my belly-button. I told her that there was more of a noticeable difference after I had delivered Aidan than within the week after this surgery.  She said that as inflamed and infected as my uterus and ovary were that she was not surprised that my uterus had not made a change by this date.  However, once again something didn't feel right with her, and once again as we left, I told Roger that I was done with her.  I would not be going back to her for another appointment.  After I passed out I had no choice, but this time I did, and I would not go back.
 
For some reason, my grandmother had called me this particular day, and I had explained what had been going on with me physically since Aidan's birth.  She had delivered 7 children and even though I told her that everyone around me (except my midwife) was telling me this was normal, my grandmother said that this was NOT normal.  She told me that she would find me a competent doctor as she and my grandfather are on the board of a hospital.  Surprisingly within hours Dr. A. Thomas Hyslop (Dallas, Texas), was calling me regarding my situation.  I explained everything that had happened up until that point, and then I told him that so far I had not had another bleeding episode, but that if I did, I would call him.  I just didn't want to make something out of nothing.
 
I did not go to my 2-week follow-up appointment with Dr. Gore-Green as my uterus still felt the same and I did not feel safe with her; I did not want her to touch my body again. But by the end of that week, once again my mini-hemorrhages had started over; granted this time the bleeding was not as dark or as profuse, but it was still the same pattern and that was enough to cause concern.
 
I decided to go to my mother's office and I saw her Nurse Practitioner, JoAnna Henscheid, on May 29, 2003 for a check-up.  She told me that this bleeding I was expelling was NOT normal.  She told me that I was bleeding just as much as I should be doing 2-3 days postpartum, not 5 weeks post-partum.  She wanted me to go straight to the hospital.  She was very worried about me driving, or even going back home.  As a result, I told her that I would call Roger, but I was not going back to that hospital, or any other doctor in Denton, Texas.  I happened to have the doctor's name with me that my grandmother had found for me (Dr. A. Thomas Hyslop), and the Nurse Practitioner called him updating him with my condition and how I needed to get to a hospital as soon as possible.  But before I left the office, she had all the hospital records concerning my past surgery and visits transferred over to him as quickly as she was able.  And once we got all the kids watched, we headed off to the hospital, with Aidan, not knowing once again if I would be returning home with my uterus. 
 
After I arrived at St. Paul Hospital in Dallas, I had an ultrasound.  The sonographer got very quiet, and all he said was that my uterus was full of clots.  Dr. Hyslop said that I needed another D&C.  He admitted me into the hospital with my D&C scheduled for the next morning.  Additionally, he started me on a strong pitocin drip and oral Cytotec.  His hope was that the pitocin would get my uterus contracting enough to push out all of the clots, therefore maybe making the D&C unnecessary.   I woke up about 2am feeling that the bleeding was coming.  I barely made it to the toilet when the clots started pouring out.  I told Roger to call the nurse and when she came in she just about fell over after seeing how much blood was coming out of me.  After making sure I was back in bed safely, she ran to call Dr. Hyslop who told her that this is what he wanted to happen.  The next morning, we discussed whether or not to even proceed with the D&C on the assumption that everything was expelled during the night.  I told him to let’s go ahead with it and just make sure everything was cleaned-out; plus, we already had the OR room and time and what would it hurt to just make sure?  After the D&C, Dr. Hyslop told me that it was a good thing that we had done it as there were still some clots that needed to be removed.  However, he said that my uterus was horrible raw when he went in, therefore, he chose to use only a very light suction to remove the clotting to avoid any additional trauma to my uterus.  Additionally he said that before he removed me from the OR he gave me a strong dose of Pitocin to make sure my uterus was clamped down tight. He also took the time to reassure me that he tried to be as gentle as possible in order to save my uterus and my ability to have future children as he knew that is what we strongly desired.  As I left the hospital a few hours later, he gave me a prescription for 10 days worth of Cytotec to make sure that my uterus stayed "clamped down" therefore preventing it from filling up with clots once again.
 
Surprisingly, there was no more bleeding.  And I say surprisingly as I am a bleeder postpartum... obviously not like the above, but I usually get my postpartum period 4 weeks after delivery, and then every month thereafter.  Well, my postpartum period never came. 
 
Being Catholic, my husband and I are always open to life.  At the beginning of October 2003, we discovered that we were pregnant.  However, within days, we miscarried.  I called Dr. Hyslop's office and after I explained my miscarriage, I was told that early miscarriages like this were completely normal and all too common.  Ironically I only had a lot of cramping, but I didn't bleed; I spotted brown for about a day, and that was it... where was this heavy bleeding that I had always heard came with miscarriage? 
 
On November 22, 2003, we discovered I was pregnant once again, and sadly we lost it again just as quickly.  This time we didn't call Dr. Hyslop as I could bear being told once again that this was normal.  However, on November 26, I started experiencing a lot of cramping.  I told Roger that it felt like I was in labor and that my cervix felt like it was dilating.  Unfortunately, the next day, November 27, 2003, Thanksgiving, we had to call the doctor on call; not only was the pain unbearable, but I started having a lot of cramping on my left side.  His doctor-on-call wanted me to come to the hospital to rule out an ectopic pregnancy.  So, once again after making sure the children were taken care of, we left for the hospital.  Not surprisingly, my pregnancy blood test came out negative.  Thankfully, my ultrasound showed no pregnancy within the tube, but it did show an empty sac in the uterine cavity.  I asked the doctor if something might be wrong as once again, I had only cramping, but no bleeding; even during her exam she mentioned that it was only "old" blood (dark brown).  After having done some research since the miscarriage in October 2003, we mentioned if Asherman's Syndrome could be a possibility.  She said with everything that my uterus had been through in the previous months she agreed that it could be a possible cause for the lack of bleeding and the miscarriages.  Before discharging me, she told us that as soon as he was back from Thanksgiving holiday, she would be reporting everything to Dr. Hyslop.
 
On Monday morning, December 1, 2003, we called Dr. Hyslop to set up an appointment in order to get the Asherman's Syndrome ruled-out; and surprisingly we were seen within days. He said that he would perform a vaginal ultrasound, but that it may be pointless as Asherman's Syndrome is something that most likely cannot be diagnosed through an ultrasound.  He started looking, and this time it was him that became quiet.  He said that my uterus was "horrible junky" and that he needed to perform a hysteroscopy to get a better look, and to be able to remove any scarring that may be present.  However, he reassured us that he thought that there wouldn't be any; this was just more of a precautionary measure. 
 
On December 9, 2003, I had my first hysteroscopy.  I honestly don't remember his call after the surgery as I was still drugged up from the surgery.  But, at my follow-up appointment Dr. Hyslop told me that my uterus was about 50% covered in scar tissue; with about 30% of it covering my cervix; there was no doubting, I had Asherman's Syndrome.  He said that just by dilating my cervix he could see the strings of scar tissue hanging down.  Which I have to add made a lot of sense, because every time I would ovulate, try to have a period, or experience a miscarriage in the previous months, I felt as though my cervix was ripping apart; and come to find out, it was.  He also said that besides the scar tissue, he removed the remnants of the pregnancies that were unable to be expelled through my cervix due to the scarring.  As I have said, we are Catholic, and he choose afterwards to put in a pediatric follie, instead of an IUD, to avoid additional scarring from forming, and he also gave mea prescription for  antibiotics and a 2-week supply of estrogen pill supplements.
 
At the next follow-up appointment, he took out the follie, and showed us the pictures of all of the scarring that was covering the inside my uterus.  However, afterwards, he told me that I was fixed; that I shouldn't experience any additional problems, no more scarring, no more problems miscarrying, etc.
 
 
Somehow, we got pregnant right after the surgery in January 2004, but once again we miscarried.  However, it was so close to the surgery that we figured that was the reason why we lost yet another baby, and so we continued on... we were buying a business which caused us to move across the state of Texas and we knew that we needed to focus on those changes.
 
In February 2004, as a result of the move we had to leave all of those doctors behind and we prayed that we would be leaving all of this mess behind us as well.  However, in March we once again miscarried; and once again it was just as quickly as the others.  We didn't know what to do or to whom to turn, but we knew we needed to see if either the scarring was back, or if something else going on.  As a result, we humbly sought the help of a Reproductive Endocrinologist, Dr. Sandra Bello (Odessa, Texas).   After explaining everything to her, she said that it would be very easy to assume that the miscarriages that were occuring was due to my Asherman's Syndrome returning as she has had some patients that have had the scarring return 2-3 times meaning 2-3 additional surgeries before the condition was resolved.  But, she then said that being the scientist that she was she just didn't want to look at the obvious, she wanted to research further.  Therefore she ran a thrombophilia panel on me, especially since we were losing our babies so very early. I told her that I couldn't even make it to a blood test to get a pregnancy confirmed; we are only able to rely on home pregnancy tests... to see the positives on them, and then watch them turn negative.  However, she told us that she expected the panel to return back normal as obviously I have not had a problem getting and staying pregnant in the past.   Additionally, women that normally have positive returns on the thrombophilia panel normally are not able to carry a pregnancy at all unless they have some type of medical intervention, and it is only after years of trying and miscarrying that the panel was even normally run as it is normally used as a screening for infertility.
 
A few weeks later I went back for my results and was told that she honestly didn't know how I have been able to have children at all as I have a blood clotting disorder... compound MTHFR (A1298C and C677T)Compound MTHFR
 
She said that I should not have any of my children as either I should have continued miscarrying as I have been in the past months, or all of my living children should have had severe NTDs (neural tube defects); she also added that she could guarantee that I have miscarried more than I know about.  Dr. Bello additionally told me that it was because of this blood disorder that I had experienced all of the previous pregnancy complications… the placenta previa, the preterm labor, the partial placenta abrutio, and the unexplained bleeding.  I was told at that time that as long as I am able to reproduce I must stay on 4mg of folic acid and take aspirin once a day, as not only do I have folic acid disorder, but my blood clots as well; and after I am done reproducing, I must stay on 1mg of folic acid a day, and continue the aspirin as this disorder puts me at life-threatening risks.  At that appointment, Dr. Bello also performed an ultrasound and found that my uterus did not look right.   She tried to put an IUI tube through my cervix to feel around inside of my uterus in order to feel any new scar tissue, but she was not able to get it into my cervix; I needed to be knocked out as the pain was too much to bear.  On April 30, 2004, she performed my second hysteroscopy.
 
She went into my uterus not expecting to find anything, but instead, she had to call in another doctor, Dr. Mendez (Odessa, Texas), to assist.  She said that my uterus was so disrupted that she was afraid that she would puncture it as she still comments that it had/has the consistency of butter.  She said that the top-right side of my uterus was just about missing.  Therefore, Dr. Mendez performed a laparoscopy and would tell Dr. Bello when she needed to back off with the scope so she wouldn't puncture straight through my uterus.  She also informed us that some of the scarring had actually returned and it was on the left side of my uterus covering my tube for which she was able to remove pretty easily with scissors.
 
At my surgical follow-up, ironically one-year to the day of Aidan's due date, May 6, 2004, she told me that she highly recommend that I never get pregnant again.  She said that my uterus was so torn up that it would never be able to carry full-term again and that so much was removed from the previous procedures that it would never grow back.  She still recommends a hysterectomy; or she will discuss how if we do get pregnant again that most likely I will experience placenta accreta, as depending on where a baby implants inside of my uterus, she feels that the placenta will grow straight into the muscle of my uterus due to its current condition, and the only way to get my placenta out would be through a hysterectomy.  And I state "if I get pregnant again" because my lining is somehow, by the grace of God, improving. 
 
At the time of my hysteroscopy on April 30, 2004, Dr. Bello informed me that my lining was barely measuring 4mm (with 8-9mm being good and possible for pregnancy, while 9-11mm is optimal).  However, for the past two cycles it has measured 8.5mm and surprisingly, 11.2mm!   And with this 11.2mm lining, it was also the first time since Aidan's birth, that a light triple-stripe endometrium was seen.  After my surgery in April 2004, in order to aid my uterus, I was told to use Estrace cream, as due to my blood disorder, Dr. Bello did not want to take the chance of my blood clotting on estrogen pills or the estrogen patch.  However, at the end of November 2004 we started using Gonal-F injections with the hopes that maybe with the extra eggs that would be created would thereby increase my natural estrogen, therefore laying a new layer of lining on top of the cobblestone lining that has currently been the result of the initial trauma from May 3 and May 9, 2003.  However surprisingly, this treatment (the injections) seems to be exhibiting some hope.
 
I was scheduled for an HSG so that Dr. Bello could try to see exactly how the lining itself has improved; however, it was cancelled due to an extra-long bleeding cycle.  She sees it on the ultrasound a few times each cycle, but wants to get a better prognosis.  I asked her about another hysteroscopy, and she said that she knows that my muscle is destroyed, but also does not want to perform any additional invasive surgeries on my uterus as she feels that my uterus will not be able to handle it.  And as for my uterine muscle, she feels that what was removed in May 2003 by Dr. Lori Gore-Green will never grow back, evermore increasing my risk of placenta abruptio, placenta accreta, and uterine hemorrhage if I do get pregnant again.  And she finally informed me that if we do get pregnant again, I will only be able to deliver through a cesarean section before I go into labor; as she does not want my uterus to experience through the trauma of labor.
 
There is no amount of money set with this filing against Dr. Lori Gore-Green, as there is no amount of money to make my body return to normal.  There is no amount of money to bring back the 7 babies I have lost as a result of her hand... Therese Clare in October 2003, Flora Cecilia in November 2003, Francis Anthony lost in January 2004, Patrick Joseph in March 2004, Rita Philomena in June 2004, and our latest little lost one Martin Leo in November 2004.  There is no amount of money that can explain to my children who beg everyday for additional siblings why mommy can't have anymore babies as I know that ability was stolen from me.  There is no amount of money that can bring back the joy to my life in knowing that my body is capable of producing and carrying life.  There is no amount of money in knowing that I am only 30 years old and because of a careless hand I am now sterile.
 
If we can just have it known to other women by having this put onto her medical what this woman's hand has done to me, i.e., an unmedicated manual D&C on my 10-day postpartum uterus in a little ER room with no one else present; ignoring both me and my husband as we begged her to stop the procedure and give me something for the pain as tears streamed down my face; an over-zealous scraping of my uterus during a D&C for which not only caused excessive bleeding, but permanent removal of my uterine muscle which she only did as a last resort; her sending me home from the hospital with severely critical blood levels after being told I was stable; and finally not taking the time to find the true diagnosis which was discovered almost a year later that I actually have a blood disorder which predisposes me to blood clotting which only compounded the problem in her diagnosis and treatment of me which could have actually made sense of her wondering why this was happening as by her own words it shouldn't be; then that is all that I want.  
 
I want to have this matter investigated and I want to have this negligence put onto her medical license as a warning to other women of what this doctor has done to one of the patients that was in her recommended care.  As I do not want any woman, from one woman that has zero children, to a woman that has 20 children, to have to experience this much pain, suffering, and loss all due to the careless hand of this particular doctor.
 
***  WE FOUND IT!!!!  ***
 
As I said we have been trying to get all of my reports from the doctors and hospitals regarding my surgeries.  Needless, to say the doctor that performed this surgery on me the first time will not respond to us, and the hospital is taking its time digging everything out of storage. 
 
For some reason I started thinking that the OB that performed my 2nd, or 3rd, D&C (depending on how you look at the first uterine "examination") that he should have ALL of my medical reports and records regarding this matter, as he needed them for the D&C that he performed on May 30.  Well, he had them!!!  I got the packet of ALL the medical records from him.  I can't tell you how fast my blood was running through my veins as I shuffled through all of these copies.  I looked and looked and couldn't find what I was looking for... and then there it was, the last page, the "lost" pathology report from my D&C that was done on May 9.  It was like a the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!
 
The pathology diagnosis for my D&C, May 9, 2003 (this is me, 17 days postpartum)...
 
Specimens: Uterine Contents
 
Clinical history: Uterine bleeding (post partum)
 
Operative Findings: Retained products of conception
 
Tissue type: Contents of uterus
 
Gross Description: The specimen, labelled "contents of uterus" and consists of multiple irregular, gray-tan tissue fragments admixed with blood clot receive in a gauze bad measuring in aggregate, 7.2 x 6.5 x 1.5 cm
 
Microscopic Description: Sections show uterine stroma with extensive chronic inflammation, fibrinous debris, and degenerating endometrial fragments.
 
Pathological Diagnosis:
 
Uterine Contents: Degenerating endometrium with fragments of smooth muscle and endometrial stroma showing hemorrhage and degernative changes. NO TROPHOBLASTIC ELEMENTS OR INTACT CHORIONIC VILLI ARE IDENTIFIED.
 
For definition sake... Trophoblast - initially the outer layer of the blastocyst, composed of mitotically active mononucleated cells called cytotrophoblast cells.  Cytotrophoblast cells can fuse to form large multinucleated masses called syncytial trophoblast. Both types of cells contribute to the formation of the placenta.
 
There were never any "products of conception."  We have my discharge summary here; the one that she wrote up as I left the hospital after the D&C that she performed...  and that last sentence, the one all in caps is NOT included on it!  The summary includes everything per the pathological diagnosis, EXCEPT that there was NO product of conception, there was NEVER any left over amniotic membranes... NOTHING!
 
Her operative report on May 9, 2003 states...
 
A physcial examination was performed, and the patient was found to have a small firm uterus with minimal bleeding inside her uterus.   The assumption based upon her history and physical examination is the high assumption of retained products within her uterus, although she had a previous negative uterine exploration...  A dilatation and curettage was successfully performed with the removal of amniotic membranes.  According to the pathology report, degenerating endometrium with fragments of smooth muscle and endometrial stroma showed hemmrrhage and degerative changes were also identified among the pathology specimen after the dilatation and curettage.   After the dilatatation and curettage the was completed, the patient was found to have uterine atony, and a moderate amount of uterine bleeding which responded to Pitocin and uterine massage.
 
No where in there does she state that there were NO amniotic membranes, or if you prefer "products of conception," ever found.  It only states that what she removed was my endometrial lining and my "smooth muscle"... which is code for the chunk of actual uterus that is now missing which my new RE, Dr. Bello, has told us so many times that will not regenerate itself!
 
And then I looked at the pathology report from my D&C on May 30; I won't make you sit through all of that again! 
 
Final Pathologic Diagnosis: Clots, Suction Dilation and curettage:  NO DILATED EDEMATOUS VILLI OR FETAL PARTS ARE IDENTIFIED.
 
Needless to say, I will be adding/changing my letter to the State Department, and the Texas Board of Medical Examiners.  I have also contacted Becky Burpo, my midwife during Aidan's pregnancy, and she is mailing me all of my pregnancy/delivery/postpartum records to show that there was never any "history" for which Dr. Gore-Green's assumption was made.  As soon as I get her documentation, I will be mailing it off with copies of these reports. 
   
Dr. Lori Gore-Green removed my endometrial lining and a chuck of my uterine muscle on the assumption that I must have had retained "products of conception" based solely on the fact that I had delivered 6 children; she never explored any further which could have prevented all of this suffering, and loss from happening..  And all this proves is that my blood disorder was in full swing and no one did anything to check to see if maybe I had a blood clotting disorder, which we found out about 1 year later.
 
********
 
Just as an update, I have tried to contact attorneys regarding this matter.  No one will take my case.  I am being told that if I didn't have my 6 kids that this malpractice might actually be considered "winnable" but since I already have children, and that number being 6, that "no jury is going to care that I lost my fertility, and as a result of our Catholic faith and the fact that we do not believe in me having a hysterectomy, then I will be perceived as continuing all of this loss and suffering upon myself."  Additionally, and what makes this so ironic, is that what has occured in my body is something that can clearly happen as a result ANYONE getting an abortion, especially multiple abortions.  I actually contacted an attorney today for which I didn't realize soley tries abortion malpractice cases.  Therefore, if what has happened to me had resulted from an abortion he would have taken the case, but since it happened as a result of malpractice after childbirth he would not.  How ironic... because I am open to life and my fertility was taken from me, no one will take my case; but if I had had an abortion, I could have had representation.  I am slowly learning that in the "political" (and legal) circle that pro-life only means anti-abortion... that is NOT what prolife means!
 
** As of February 18, 2005...
 
A wonderful lady called me from the National Right to Life Committee and she was practically in tears after reading what had happened to me.  After speaking for some time, she gave me the number to the Texas Right to Life Committee.  And after speaking with them and emailing my case, the president of the Texas Right to Life has since given me some names and phone numbers to contact for my legal matters.  Additionally, the American Life League has given me some new names as well, as the first attorney I spoke with said the above.
 
I have also spoken with another local malpractice attorney (we talked for over 3 hours on Thursday), and he said that honestly, our case has too many holes... there are just too many factors that could keep it from being won.  He did say that he would take it, but that he would take it on an hourly pay basis.  He said that the first thing we would have to do is get together all of my medical records and send them off to an expert to look at.  It would be after that analysis that we would be told that either "yes," we have at least enough evidence of malpractice to have a case to go to court, or "no," we do not.  And after I told him that my main purpose was to just notify other women of what this doctor has done versus winning $$, he said that it really wouldn't be worth our $$ to waste on this case as either will not even make it to court, or we will most likely lose (because of the holes).  I know that he is right.  But a part of me just wants to know if another doctor, an expert, would see that what she has done to me is actually malpractice, and honestly, even if he came back saying that we would not be able to go to court, I feel that would at least provide some sense of closure.
 
This actually applies... I finally took the kids to a pediatrician here; I know after a year of living here!  I explained that I have this blood clotting disorder, and I knew that at some point I would need to get them tested.  He said that he would talk to a friend of his that is a pediatric hematologist about it and whether or not there is an emergency to get them tested as in all of the documentation he has read, genetic blood clotting disorders normally do not show themselves until the 2nd or 3rd decade of life!  This makes complete sense as to why I had NO sign of it until I had delivered Aidan... at 28 years old!
 
Anyway, I am going to contact these last few attorneys that these wonderful organizations gave to me, and if the attorneys say "no," then that is where it will stop.  Granted, I will still be sending everything into the Tx Medical Board, but as far as a lawsuit, it will stop; especially since $$ is not my primary motivator.

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