Susan & Steven Shepherd

October 2008

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Tubal ligation

02/01/02

Tubal reversal 

Oct 10, 2008

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6 cm on each side

February 2009

My husband and I have been married for 15 years. After our 3rd child, he made it clear he did not want anymore. I reluctantly had them tied at his request on 02/01/02. When our 3rd child entered the world, he would not breastfeed. This in turn crushed me. I ended up exclusively pumping for 28 months.  The years went on, and that void in my heart of never being able to accomplish directly breastfeeding at the breast continued to haunt me.  It hurt me so badly; I had even authored a publication about it.  Then as the kids grew older, I started to miss having a young one in the house again. For many years I yearned for another child, but I never thought a reversal was an option. Even if it were, my husband had made it clear that we were done. Many times throughout my late 30’s, I would just shrug off the feeling of wanting to be a mom again.

But then when I turned 40, I came across a forum of other women who had reversals. It was a God thing that led me there. I at first started to explore two prominent doctors in the US.  It was then I realized that a reversal could actually be possible. But at the time, I didn’t know what type of ligation I had done, or even if I was too old. After contemplating over it for many months, I got the nerve to call my OB/GYN back from when I had my son in Florida. I later found out that I would be good candidate for a tubal reversal, and that my FSH levels for my age were good at 6.0.   But there were a few problems. First, my husband did not want another child. Second, even if he did, coming up with the funds (one doctor was $6,200 alone) would have been a challenge for us. I spoke to my husband, and he said, “No way”. I gave up on the idea of ever getting it done.
A few months went by, and I just couldn’t shake the idea. God led me to Dr. Perez’s site in Mexico. His charge was much less. I calculated that even with the flight tickets from Indiana and because of my age along with medication restrictions, it would cost us around $4,800. It was a stretch but more doable for us. My husband eventually and reluctantly agreed to the reversal, but he told me that it was only because of health reasons and not because he wanted another child. Many times we fought over the reversal, and I would always end up in tears, crying myself to sleep. I continued to pray that God would change his heart. We are not rich by any means, but God heard my cries and provided the money in the most miraculous ways.

I met a friend online and we decided we would have the surgery together. I was very nervous because I was traveling for the first time internationally, and I am also an Interstitial Cystitis patient, but everything worked out fine. Marcus picked us up at the airport. It was a short ride from there with no hold up at the border. I did run into complications with vomiting a lot after the surgery, but I had no complications from my interstitial Cystitis symptoms itself. The catheter did not even flare my condition up, amazingly. The hospital was clean and the nurses were nice. I did not feel the IV or the epidural. The nurses still spoke choppy English – enough to be understood. The doctors spoke very good English. The food was good and the care was excellent. Dr. Levi said my surgery was a success with 6 cm on each side. The only thing I would have changed was to have brought a international cell phone. My cell carrier did not work there, but the staff made a call to the USA for me so I could reach my husband.

Now that I am back and recovered, I find that some days I am ready to give up on trying to conceive (getting the reversal is just one part of the journey). I am not able to get an HSG due to having an impossible cervix that no doctor can reach. So now I have only faith and God to rely on. The most miraculous thing about all this, is that through my bouts of discouragement over not being able to conceive lately, God has changed my husband’s heart. On the days that I am weak, he is now my biggest supporter. His words to me now are, “I’m not giving up until we get another child. I haven’t given up in faith.” He even has plans to purchase a DVD camcorder “just in case” a miracle happens.

I will send an update should we become pregnant.