Melissa & Nick Al-Eisa 

 Physician's Assistant

December  2003

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Tubal reversal  Dec 12, 2003

Pregnancy #1 edd

August 2004

Hi everyone, I am writing this letter through tears of joy. I just had a positive pregnancy test this week, and I can't tell you the wonderful feelings it has brought back to me with regard to my experience in Rio Bravo! 

Nick and I got married on Feb 15, 2004, and immediately started trying. I am extremely regular and nothing happened the first five months. I was definitely ovulating, so I kind of assumed that the TR was unsuccessful.  I had just decided to call to schedule an HSG, and realized that I felt a little funny.  Hadn't missed a period yet, but got a home test to just "see", and there it was, that faint fine line.  I still can't believe it. I've now done six tests, and that little pink line keeps getting darker.  I can't stop grinning.  I know that I have the risk of ectopic, but I for some reason am really optimistic, which is fairly unusual for me :)

Melissa (Nasser) Al-Eisa

(wonderful testimony from a 43 yr old Physician's Assistant with special medical needs)

December 2003

First of all, I, like most of the other found Dr. Perez on the internet, through this wonderful website (RBR). I am 43 years old now, and have a significant medical problem, which is a bleeding disorder called von Willebrands' Disease.  I have had three healthy children (all boys) with my first husband, but hemorrhaged horribly with each. I wasn't diagnosed with WD until after the birth of my third child. I had to have some reconstructive surgery after my last child, and my doctor at the time talked me into having a tubal. Big Mistake. I knew, though, that I was going to get a divorce, and I never thought I would meet/marry a wonderful man who was a widower. His first wife died in childbirth, so now I'm the mother of a wonderful little girl named Nora, who is 3.

When I decided to pursue a TR, I called several different centers around the country. Most were just too expensive, but nearly every one turned me down flat, over the phone, because of the WD, although NONE of the people I spoke to, including the doctors and nurses, even knew what it was. When I called Levi, he knew right off what it was, and immediately told me that they would do the surgery, but that I would have to take special medication, and even knew what it was, right off the top of his head. Because I'm a PA myself, I felt comfortable with his knowledge base. I immediately scheduled my surgery, which was Dec. 12, 2003.

I went to Rio Bravo with a friend who speaks Spanish. The only mishap we had was that we got lost on the way to the hospital, because I had left the directions in the hotel room. We stopped a police car, and they led us directly to the hospital. (we tipped them $20 - not sure how we were supposed to handle that, but everything seemed ok). When we got to the hospital, I have to admit that I almost turned around. It was small, and looked more like a small community health clinic in than a hospital. I swallowed hard, and went inside. Everything was clean and neat.

I was immediately taken into a room, changed into a gown, and a nurse came to start my IV. She was sweet and kind, but like most of the nurses, she spoke very little English. I tried to tell her where to start my IV, but she had picked her own vein, in my hand. I tried to tell her that I had had chemotherapy for Hodgkin's in my 20's, and most of my veins in my hands are ruined....by the time it was out of my mouth, my IV was started. I was SHOCKED! I shut up then. Had I had to wait, I might have gotten nervous, but within 15 minutes of getting there, I was in the OR. (Probably because we were late from getting lost). The anesthesiologist was incredible - I think my epidural was in in about 30 seconds (I'm sure it just seemed that way). The surgery was fine - they said it took longer, because I had two clips on each tube, and I therefore needed two re-anastamoses on each side. I started to feel things toward the end, and they knocked me out with IV sedation. I came too as I was being transferred to my room, and Levi was telling me that my tubes looked great, that I had 8 cm on each side. I remember crying like a baby. How embarrassing.

There was some pain involved, I won't lie, but it wasn't what I expected that day or the next. The nurses were flipping fantastic. Not until I was being discharged did I realize that there was no call button in my room - never needed it. The food was good, the room was clean, and my friend was well cared for as well. We had taken a cooler with bottled water, pop, and some snacks. That was a great idea.

At one point, a nurse came in with three syringes to give me in the IV. I started panicking because I couldn't get an answer from her as to what they were - there are some meds I simply can't take because of the bleeding disorder, and others I can't take because of allergies. I was sort of emotional and irrational, and scared for some reason. When she saw my reaction, she went and found a physician (not a gyn- not sure who he was) who could speak English. He checked my chart and started laughing at me, and told me "Melissa dear, we're Mexican, we're not stupid". I laughed so hard at that, and it KILLED my abdomen. Darn him, although I deserved it. He made me feel sort of foolish, because he told me something to the effect that yes, they didn't have the same level of technology there that we have in the states, but that therefore they do things like actually read the patient's chart before administering meds. He's right. I've been in big fancy expensive hospitals, and have never had the pleasure of having such good care. And yes, the reason I was scared is that I WAS given meds I was allergic to in one of those big fancy hospitals.

I was charged $2025, which I guess is more than average, because of the two re-anastamoses on each side. I thought it was a bargain.  The next morning we left, and Levi showed us how to get back to the bridge - must have thought we were dummies since we got lost on the way there. The trip back to Detroit was uneventful, although I vomited once on the plane. No biggie. I had had the surgery on Friday, traveled on Saturday, and therefore was pretty whipped on Sunday. However, a friend came over and took care of me that day, and I was fine. I was back to work on Monday (3 days post-op), although I worked a shorter day and moved slowly.  By Wednesday (5 d post), I flew to Las Vegas to work for three days - not necessarily a great idea, but it was a prior commitment that I couldn't break). I made it.

I can't tell you how lucky I feel to have found this website, and to have been a patient of Dr. Perez. I wish it were feasible to go there to be delivered.  Wonder how he would feel about inducing me if I go over my due date??? Good excuse to visit Mexico, don't cha think? For a multitude of reasons, I just felt really comfortable there, felt well cared for. Obviously thrilled with my outcome, although I know I have to wait and see.

Will definitely keep you all updated.

Give my best to Dr. Perez and Levi!

Hugs to all,

Melissa Al-Eisa