Today I am officially a week into my two week wait post IUI. I had IUIs on Friday 6/22 and Saturday 6/23 and I am happy to report that the wait is going quite fast. It may or may not have anything to do with me running around all day long with my 5 year old crazy boy. Its been doctor appointment after doctor appointment for my poor little man. He has allergies you would not ever believe! He is allergic to most foods, all pollens and molds and a few pets here and there. He has Celiac disease as well, so that makes for a great combination of what he can and cannot eat. And due to his severe pollen allergy he has now started to react to fresh/raw fruits and vegetables. He gets bad hives all over his mouth and throat when he eats any fresh produce. His allergist and pediatrician has thrown their hands up and given up and I am now waiting to get in with the leading allergist in the county at Johns Hopkins Childrens.
Then when things started to calm down again as if on cue my crazy boy goes and yells in my sleeping dogs face. My dog did what any dog would do; bit him. So off we rushed to the hospital. Thankfully it was not that deep and he only needed to get a good deep cleaning, a steri strip and some antibiotics. He almost gave me a heart attack and gave himself a life lesson about sleeping dogs.
Then again after things started to calm down we got pummeled by a nasty storm that took out power-lines and rendered us without power for about 12 hours. During the storm both me and my boy nestled up in our "safe" closet and read a book until it passed. We have several trees down on the farm and the sounds of chain saws has been buzzing in my head all day as our neighborhood gets cleaned up. We are having a 100F day today and I am so freaking happy to have my AC running. :)
I have one more week of waiting and I cross my fingers it will be a boring week with not much action so I have time to get some much needed organizing done. My office is a wreck and my sons room is in need of a toy extraction and book shelf clean up. That should take care of the next 5 days at least. The rest of the days I will be sitting here wondering if my body feels any different or will I get my AF any day now?
One more week until the big test!
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
Wham Bam Thank you ma'am and the two week wait
This weekend has been very busy filled with driving for hours every day and IUIs. It started Friday morning waking up at 5am to get ready and drive in rush hour traffic. I had to call in 2 hours prior to my IUI appointment to authorize the little swimmers to be dethawed and processed. And then it was all about the big long drive! Let me just say that traffic around Washington DC is not pretty at any time during the day and rush hour is basically a stand still all around.
I got to the fertility clinic in time and everyone was really nice. They all kept asking me where my husband serves with the military and got pretty caught off guard when I told them my husband is a commercial diver who works offshore most of the year. Guess they have not met a Diver Wife before. You see, my husband and I only manage to time it perfect about once a year and every time we have miscarried over the past 4 years. Not a statistic I wanted to be a part of. But at least we now have a chance to get pregnant every month with IUIs. But I tend to digress...
The nurse took me to the room where the magic was going to happen. Let's just say the room was less than cozy. A typical appointment room with a OBGYN bench and a sonogram machine. She asked me an ungodly amount of questions about both my husband and I. Birthdays, social security numbers, is this your husbands handwriting, is this your hand writing etc etc. I can really appreciate the length Shady Grove go to ensure that the correct sperm is used. And it really put my husband at ease. Once the interrogation was over it was time to get the party started.
The vial containing the sperm was so small that I had to ask the doctor if it was enough. She started snickering and told me that was one of the most common questions she got with every patient. She explained to me that with an IUI they bypass the one big hurdle sperm has, the Cervix. The sperm is released in the uterus and with the high sperm count my husband has it is no worries at all. Many people come in here with very low sperm count and get pregnant in their first IUI cycle. I guess I should listen to her, but I cant help myself think that my body is used to a MUCH bigger amount than it received this weekend. lol
It was all over in the matter of 30 seconds! Really! Then I was reclined for about 5 minutes and was told to just relax today and come back tomorrow morning for the second IUI. All I would think was Wham bam thank you ma'am! That was a no frills, no time to mess around, no time to chit chat kinda of deed. And out the door I went.
Then on Saturday is was a complete repeat of the first IUI; interrogations, 30 seconds in heaven and a 5 minute recline. Then both the doctor and the nurse went over my instructions for the next two weeks and wished me the best of luck. They were all very very nice! And I really feel like I have a full Shady Grove team behind me cheering me on. And that is a great feeling.
For the next two weeks all I need to do is remember to take my Prometrium every 12 hours and not stress about the next two weeks. The medicine part is easy to do, but the not worrying part is a little bit harder. These next two weeks will be filled with anticipation, worry, hope, prayers, and what ifs. All I can do is get thru every day and get one day closer to that Beta test day. Let's hope the time goes quick.
I got to the fertility clinic in time and everyone was really nice. They all kept asking me where my husband serves with the military and got pretty caught off guard when I told them my husband is a commercial diver who works offshore most of the year. Guess they have not met a Diver Wife before. You see, my husband and I only manage to time it perfect about once a year and every time we have miscarried over the past 4 years. Not a statistic I wanted to be a part of. But at least we now have a chance to get pregnant every month with IUIs. But I tend to digress...
The nurse took me to the room where the magic was going to happen. Let's just say the room was less than cozy. A typical appointment room with a OBGYN bench and a sonogram machine. She asked me an ungodly amount of questions about both my husband and I. Birthdays, social security numbers, is this your husbands handwriting, is this your hand writing etc etc. I can really appreciate the length Shady Grove go to ensure that the correct sperm is used. And it really put my husband at ease. Once the interrogation was over it was time to get the party started.
The vial containing the sperm was so small that I had to ask the doctor if it was enough. She started snickering and told me that was one of the most common questions she got with every patient. She explained to me that with an IUI they bypass the one big hurdle sperm has, the Cervix. The sperm is released in the uterus and with the high sperm count my husband has it is no worries at all. Many people come in here with very low sperm count and get pregnant in their first IUI cycle. I guess I should listen to her, but I cant help myself think that my body is used to a MUCH bigger amount than it received this weekend. lol
It was all over in the matter of 30 seconds! Really! Then I was reclined for about 5 minutes and was told to just relax today and come back tomorrow morning for the second IUI. All I would think was Wham bam thank you ma'am! That was a no frills, no time to mess around, no time to chit chat kinda of deed. And out the door I went.
Then on Saturday is was a complete repeat of the first IUI; interrogations, 30 seconds in heaven and a 5 minute recline. Then both the doctor and the nurse went over my instructions for the next two weeks and wished me the best of luck. They were all very very nice! And I really feel like I have a full Shady Grove team behind me cheering me on. And that is a great feeling.
For the next two weeks all I need to do is remember to take my Prometrium every 12 hours and not stress about the next two weeks. The medicine part is easy to do, but the not worrying part is a little bit harder. These next two weeks will be filled with anticipation, worry, hope, prayers, and what ifs. All I can do is get thru every day and get one day closer to that Beta test day. Let's hope the time goes quick.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Pregnitude, I don't mind if I do
Three weeks ago I started a new supplement my reproductive endocrinologist recommended me to try out as I can no longer take Metformin. My poor GI track is thanking me in tenfolds right now. Due to my diagnosis of PCOS and have been on Metformin for almost 3 years. It has helped regulated my cycles, but with more side effects than benefits (for me at least) it was time to quit. Since I have been diagnosed I have been very careful with what I put in my body, I work out every day, and eat my weight in leafy greens. So now I can only hope my body will continue to stay in-sync.
Pregnitude contains 2000mg Myo-Inositol per dose and
various forms of inositol have long been recognized as important to
hormone and reproductive function. Much of the early attention in this
line of research was focused on d-chiro-inositol. While
d-chiro-inositol does improve many important clinical markers of PCOS,
especially insulin function, researchers have found that its supplementation does not improve ovarian function as effectively as does supplementation with myo-inositol.
Women with PCOS may be particularly prone to myo-inositol deficiency. Tissue levels of d-chiro-inositol, which is made from myo-inositol in the body, have been found to be depleted after a simple three day fast. Women with PCOS are prone to using overexercising, fasting, extended detoxing, raw foodism, veganism, crash dieting, and eating disorders for weight management, all of which hold potential to chip away at muscle mass and drain the body of d-chiro-inositol. If told to lose weight to enhance fertility, these practices may intensify, and only worsen reproductive function. Much of the body's myo-inositol is manufactured in muscle tissue, which is often compromised in PCOS due to lack of physical activity, insulin resistance, and insufficient protein intake.
Because myo-inositol, which appears to be needed for the ovaries to create their own d-chiro-inositol, is not easily replenished with food, Pregnitude may be an important tool in helping women to restore good nutritional balance that food choices alone cannot achieve.
Myo-inositol has been available as an over-the-counter supplement in the United States, but recent analyses showed that many of these supplements do not contain the amount of myo-inositol indicated on the label, making it challenging to dose for effective results. The myo-inositol used in Pregnitude is quality controlled and clinically tested, providing a more accurate dose that until now was not available to American women.
Pregnitude also contains 200 mcg of Folic Acid per dose and we all know how important Folic Acid is for women in their reproductive years. And it does not contain gluten, sugar, artificial preservatives, flavors or sweeteners. So this just added to my excitement to buy this supplement. I bought a box of 60 packets on the Pregnitude website and checked out using my secure Amazon account. Super easy and quick, three clicks really. I paid $34.99 USD with no shipping and I received the package in 3 days.
It's even easier to use than most suppliments; you empty the white powder from the packet in 8oz of water, stir and drink once in the morning and once in the evening. THATS IT! The water will have a slight citrus flavor. And the best part: NO side effects (at least for me)
So Pregnitude, I don't mind if I do!
UPDATE 5 Weeks into taking Pregnitude;
I have found that my severe cravings for sweets and carbohydrates are almost gone! I have been battling these cravings for YEARS and I can get thru a day with not even thinking about it. Lost weigh without even trying to loose weight due to the lack of sugar and carbs. This product is really worth a try girls!
Pregnitude contains 2000mg Myo-Inositol per dose and
Women with PCOS may be particularly prone to myo-inositol deficiency. Tissue levels of d-chiro-inositol, which is made from myo-inositol in the body, have been found to be depleted after a simple three day fast. Women with PCOS are prone to using overexercising, fasting, extended detoxing, raw foodism, veganism, crash dieting, and eating disorders for weight management, all of which hold potential to chip away at muscle mass and drain the body of d-chiro-inositol. If told to lose weight to enhance fertility, these practices may intensify, and only worsen reproductive function. Much of the body's myo-inositol is manufactured in muscle tissue, which is often compromised in PCOS due to lack of physical activity, insulin resistance, and insufficient protein intake.
Because myo-inositol, which appears to be needed for the ovaries to create their own d-chiro-inositol, is not easily replenished with food, Pregnitude may be an important tool in helping women to restore good nutritional balance that food choices alone cannot achieve.
Myo-inositol has been available as an over-the-counter supplement in the United States, but recent analyses showed that many of these supplements do not contain the amount of myo-inositol indicated on the label, making it challenging to dose for effective results. The myo-inositol used in Pregnitude is quality controlled and clinically tested, providing a more accurate dose that until now was not available to American women.
Pregnitude also contains 200 mcg of Folic Acid per dose and we all know how important Folic Acid is for women in their reproductive years. And it does not contain gluten, sugar, artificial preservatives, flavors or sweeteners. So this just added to my excitement to buy this supplement. I bought a box of 60 packets on the Pregnitude website and checked out using my secure Amazon account. Super easy and quick, three clicks really. I paid $34.99 USD with no shipping and I received the package in 3 days.
It's even easier to use than most suppliments; you empty the white powder from the packet in 8oz of water, stir and drink once in the morning and once in the evening. THATS IT! The water will have a slight citrus flavor. And the best part: NO side effects (at least for me)
So Pregnitude, I don't mind if I do!
UPDATE 5 Weeks into taking Pregnitude;
I have found that my severe cravings for sweets and carbohydrates are almost gone! I have been battling these cravings for YEARS and I can get thru a day with not even thinking about it. Lost weigh without even trying to loose weight due to the lack of sugar and carbs. This product is really worth a try girls!
On my 14th Cycle Day
So here we are, the day before the big day. The biggest day since I had my precious little boy, the biggest day since my wedding day, the biggest day since sliced bread in my opinion. I am going in for my first IUI tomorrow! YAY me... It been a long road of lots of ups and downs, lots of tears and lots of sadness. This first round of IUI will probably not take as it is a frozen cycle and my first time using Clomid and Ovridel. But this is a huge step in the right direction for us.
Let's back up to day 12; My numbers were OK, but not great. I had two follicles on my right side; 17mm and 14mm. My left side had two follicle 17mm and 16mm. My E2 levels were 331 and my LH was 7,54. I was told to come back in 2 days for more monitoring, so this morning I went in as told and was not expecting much. I had my blood taken and the nurse managed to blow out my vein and I told myself; "This is just the beginning of a bad doctors appointment" I got into the ultrasound room and placed myself in the fun position we all know too well. The doctor came in and started small talk while ever so gently inserting the advise. (not my favorite part at all) He started to measure my lining and said; great lining! Over to the follicles; There we go, exactly what we have been waiting for. This one looks perfect at 21mm, the other one is right behind at 20mm. Over to the left we have another one that looks great at 22mm. Then he said the words I never thought I would hear: You are ready to trigger tonight! Was he talking to me? Was I hearing him correctly? Apparently I was! On my way out the very sweet nurse smiled at me and wished me good luck as she handed me a sheet with instructions for IUI trigger instructions with frozen sperm. It looked very official with the well known Shady Grove Fertility Reproductive Science Center logo in the top left hand corner. Day 1, 2, 3, and 4 of this next step. Let's just say its going to be lots of phone calls, lots of driving, and lots of signing papers in the next 4 days. But I am up for it! I can do this! I can't wait!
So here I am... Waiting for the clock to turn 6pm so I can inject the Ovridel and get ready for tomorrows big adventures. I must say I am feel a little weird thinking I am about to receive my husbands sperm with him being over 10 000 miles away at work. I wish he was home to go thru this first cycle with me, but that was obviously not in our cards. I am thinking I need to take some pictures and make a nice pictorial for him so he can feel like he was there even if he was all the way in Brunei at the time. We had it all perfectly times last month while he was home, but my AF never came. I kept going to the doctor for blood tests to see what the reason was. After 3 weeks of no AF, the doctor decided to give me Progesterone to force it come, and I still did not get my ever so lovely visitor. I was heart broken knowing an entire cycle was gone due to my stupid body going on some sort of strike. But it all worked out in the end or at least I hope.
In 16-18 days from now I should find out if I am pregnant or not. What do I do for the ever dreaded two week wait? The only thing I know is that I need to stay busy in order to stay somewhat sane. 4th of July should keep me busy for a few days, then prepping for my dear husbands home coming, then the usual keeping up with a 5 year old busy body.
Let the fun begin! Or at least let the wait begin...
Let's back up to day 12; My numbers were OK, but not great. I had two follicles on my right side; 17mm and 14mm. My left side had two follicle 17mm and 16mm. My E2 levels were 331 and my LH was 7,54. I was told to come back in 2 days for more monitoring, so this morning I went in as told and was not expecting much. I had my blood taken and the nurse managed to blow out my vein and I told myself; "This is just the beginning of a bad doctors appointment" I got into the ultrasound room and placed myself in the fun position we all know too well. The doctor came in and started small talk while ever so gently inserting the advise. (not my favorite part at all) He started to measure my lining and said; great lining! Over to the follicles; There we go, exactly what we have been waiting for. This one looks perfect at 21mm, the other one is right behind at 20mm. Over to the left we have another one that looks great at 22mm. Then he said the words I never thought I would hear: You are ready to trigger tonight! Was he talking to me? Was I hearing him correctly? Apparently I was! On my way out the very sweet nurse smiled at me and wished me good luck as she handed me a sheet with instructions for IUI trigger instructions with frozen sperm. It looked very official with the well known Shady Grove Fertility Reproductive Science Center logo in the top left hand corner. Day 1, 2, 3, and 4 of this next step. Let's just say its going to be lots of phone calls, lots of driving, and lots of signing papers in the next 4 days. But I am up for it! I can do this! I can't wait!
So here I am... Waiting for the clock to turn 6pm so I can inject the Ovridel and get ready for tomorrows big adventures. I must say I am feel a little weird thinking I am about to receive my husbands sperm with him being over 10 000 miles away at work. I wish he was home to go thru this first cycle with me, but that was obviously not in our cards. I am thinking I need to take some pictures and make a nice pictorial for him so he can feel like he was there even if he was all the way in Brunei at the time. We had it all perfectly times last month while he was home, but my AF never came. I kept going to the doctor for blood tests to see what the reason was. After 3 weeks of no AF, the doctor decided to give me Progesterone to force it come, and I still did not get my ever so lovely visitor. I was heart broken knowing an entire cycle was gone due to my stupid body going on some sort of strike. But it all worked out in the end or at least I hope.
In 16-18 days from now I should find out if I am pregnant or not. What do I do for the ever dreaded two week wait? The only thing I know is that I need to stay busy in order to stay somewhat sane. 4th of July should keep me busy for a few days, then prepping for my dear husbands home coming, then the usual keeping up with a 5 year old busy body.
Let the fun begin! Or at least let the wait begin...
Saturday, June 16, 2012
"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain"
"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain"is a quote I am trying to live by. What a wonderful way to live, don't you think? If I could only remember this everyday. At times it is hard and all I can say is F... THIS... But at the end of the day we need to live for today or tomorrow will be lost.
Just a thought...
Just a thought...
Friday, June 15, 2012
Last day of Clomid... I am scared...
Today is my last day of taking Clomid for our first round of IUI and I am happy to inform that I did not have any side effects. I only took 50mg this time around, so that might have something to do with it. But I am counting my super lucky starts as my dear husband is offshore for another month and I am here caring for our 5 year old boy, two cats, two dogs, and 4 hooligan donkeys.Yeah, needless to say my days are go go go from the time the sun comes up until sometimes in the middle of the night when my body finally agrees to rest. I have probably forgotten to tell you guys that I suffer from severe insomnia. My body can function on 2 hours of sleep for weeks and weeks at the time. And that used to come in handy when my boy was a baby as I never felt too tired to care for him even if he nursed every hour on the hour. Now when the sun goes down and the house gets quiet, my mind starts working on the virtual chore list and does not stop until I force a shut down. Guess it comes in handy with parents with several kids, but with my small family it tends to get boring and too much. I wish I could put my head on the pillow and be asleep 10 minutes later.
But I digress...
In 4 days I will have my 12th day hormone blood test and a scan to measure my follicles to see if this cycle is a go or a no go for the IUI. After 4 miscarriages in a row I must say I am feeling a bit scared and nervous about loosing another little angel. It's hard to explain a miscarriage for anyone who has never experienced one. I always saw myself as a woman who would never have any problems having kids. My sister seems to pop a kid out every few years, my mother had 4 children, my aunt had two children etc etc etc. I have a huge family back home in Norway, and they always question me if I think it's because I live in the US, or the food I eat, or the water I drink or even worse, maybe you are not meant to have more children. And to that I have one thing to say; My heart feel empty and I know we are supposed to have more children and the food and water is just about as safe ad the food and water in Norway. HA
So the way I feel each time I experience a miscarriage you ask? I loose a little bit of my heart each time, I cry and mourn in silence after night falls, I am at times angry at God for putting me thru these peaks and valleys, I feel like I want to give up along with seeing all my friends whom I love have their 2nd and 3rd babies. It is hard not to get angry and jealous, but everyday I remind myself that God has a plan with my life and if God has plans for me to have more babies it will eventually happen. It's just my job not to leave any stone unturned! We built a big house knowing we wanted children to fill every bedroom, and My dear husband and I have tried to grow our family since our little boy was only a few months old. But with me having PCOS and MTHFR on top of my husband working for months at the time offshore it was difficult to time everything perfectly. Now since we have taken the timing part out of the equation, I can only pray and hope that 2012 will be our year to be blessed and STAY blessed. :)
So in 4 more days I will know if this lazy body of mine produced some good looking follicles.
All I can say is... come on baby number 2, we have been very patient and would love meet you in about 9 months. IF God allows...
If not... There is always next month, its not like I am new at this waiting game. lol
God bless
But I digress...
In 4 days I will have my 12th day hormone blood test and a scan to measure my follicles to see if this cycle is a go or a no go for the IUI. After 4 miscarriages in a row I must say I am feeling a bit scared and nervous about loosing another little angel. It's hard to explain a miscarriage for anyone who has never experienced one. I always saw myself as a woman who would never have any problems having kids. My sister seems to pop a kid out every few years, my mother had 4 children, my aunt had two children etc etc etc. I have a huge family back home in Norway, and they always question me if I think it's because I live in the US, or the food I eat, or the water I drink or even worse, maybe you are not meant to have more children. And to that I have one thing to say; My heart feel empty and I know we are supposed to have more children and the food and water is just about as safe ad the food and water in Norway. HA
So the way I feel each time I experience a miscarriage you ask? I loose a little bit of my heart each time, I cry and mourn in silence after night falls, I am at times angry at God for putting me thru these peaks and valleys, I feel like I want to give up along with seeing all my friends whom I love have their 2nd and 3rd babies. It is hard not to get angry and jealous, but everyday I remind myself that God has a plan with my life and if God has plans for me to have more babies it will eventually happen. It's just my job not to leave any stone unturned! We built a big house knowing we wanted children to fill every bedroom, and My dear husband and I have tried to grow our family since our little boy was only a few months old. But with me having PCOS and MTHFR on top of my husband working for months at the time offshore it was difficult to time everything perfectly. Now since we have taken the timing part out of the equation, I can only pray and hope that 2012 will be our year to be blessed and STAY blessed. :)
So in 4 more days I will know if this lazy body of mine produced some good looking follicles.
All I can say is... come on baby number 2, we have been very patient and would love meet you in about 9 months. IF God allows...
If not... There is always next month, its not like I am new at this waiting game. lol
God bless
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Long time no see...
So my blog has been grossly neglected in the past 6 months. One of the reasons I must say is due to the lack of progress in our infertility journey. My dear husband was offshore from Thanksgiving until the end of April and as we all know with the lack of a man there is no chance of "preggo the eggo".What a long 5 months that was! several of my friends announced they were expecting and every time my jealousy crawled out a little bit more. Was my chance ever going to come? Is my fertility story now written in concrete? Am I not going to have the big family I have always dreamed of? Am I going to grow old with only one son coming to dinners during the holidays? Or even worst, am I failing as a wife for not being able to carry our gifts from God? All these thoughts plague me every single day, and even though I am doing the best to hide my feelings they tend to come pouring out at nighttime when the house is completely quiet.
But I am happy to say that our swimmers bank is all filled up with enough for 3 IUIs. I had to drag him kicking and screaming only a few days after he came back home to ensure that we had a backup in case he left before we had a chance to "Baby Dance". ;) Not that he did not want to make any deposits, but who really looks forward to sitting in a strange room doing the most private act known to a man? I think I would have failed miserably!
My dear diver man was home for 3 weeks, and all looked good until my body refused to work with us and AF never showed up. I was so frustrated, sad and angry all at the same time. I went to see my doctor at Shady Grove Fertility center and they did a sonogram, and blood work to check my hormone levels. The answers was not what I was looking for; I was told that my lining was triple thick, I had a cyst on my left ovary, it basically looked like I had not had a period for about 3-4 months. Bummer scalore!!!!
I was given Progesterone to bring on my AF, which did not work. And once again I had to go in for a scan and blood work. This time it showed that I was about to ovulate and was told to go home and "get it on" with my husband. (too bad he was not home). Talk about bad timing once AGAIN, and due to circumstances the IUI was not an option for this cycle. Oh well I though... At least I have little swimmers frozen for the next cycle. 12 days later AF FINALLY came to visit and I was actually happy about all the painful cramping, craving of chocolate and my moodiness as I knew I was one step closer to an IUI.
Day 4 of my cycle (yesterday) at 7am I drove the one hour drive to my local Shady Grove office and went in for my baseline scan and blood work and everything looked PERFECT. I was not pregnant (which would be a true miracle since my husband has been offshore for over a month now), and I got the go ahead to start my 5 day course of Clomid. YAAAY One step closer to my dream of becoming a mom again.
The next step is to go back to Shady Grove Fertility Center for my 12 day scan and blood work to see if I have any good sized follicles to trigger for ovulation. So I am praying to every God out there in the universe and crossing my fingers that this cycle will be it for me even thought I am expecting to do at least 3-4 more cycles.
So send some 17-19mm follicles dust my way and pray with me :)
Happy June for everyone out there
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)