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Friday, February 19, 2010
Still waiting...
We have been trying to keep our chins up and focus on
other parts of our life while we've been waiting for a baby, but so far nothing has come to pass, so we decided with our tax
return we would go ahead and see the RE again and have some tests done on me just to be sure. We should have our money
by the 26th of this month if child support doesn't screw us over again. This time I told Paul that if they don't take
what is owed we will walk into the office and MAKE them take it and give us something in writing that shows a zero balance.
So... when the money is in the account I will go ahead and call the RE's office and schedule the HSG test and talk to them
about what day of my cycle I need to come in for bloodwork. I am nervous but excited at the same time to find out if
there's any reason that we aren't getting pregnant. I think that even if we get bad news it will be a relief to me just
to have a reason... and if there isn't anything wrong, we will keep trying and possibly start doing medicated IUI's to increase
our odds. Statistics show a high percentage of women get pregnant shortly after having the HSG test simply because it
"flushes" their fallopian tubes, so that's a little extra bonus. I will post more when we have some results.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Delayed update
It's been a while since I posted,
trying to relax about the whole situation before I lose my marbles. I have absolutely wonderful news to share, no we're
not pregnant.... Our last 2 SA's have been phenomenal. Paul started taking clomid awhile back and we were under
the impression (as were ICVR) that it had no impact on his counts, but we went for a SA on May 12th just hoping his numbers
were around 20 mill motile and we got a huge shock.. 108 million total, of that 57.24 million were MOTILE!!!! That's
double what it's EVER been!!! So... we were pretty happy about that one, so happy in fact that yesterday Paul looked
at me and asked when he was due for another SA and I said "Oh shit! I totally forgot to schedule it!"
So I called ICVR and they told us to come on in! On one hand that was cool because it didn't give us time to stress about
it, but on the other hand we hadn't BD'ed in 2 weeks because we were both sick and then I got AF....you are not supposed to
abstain longer than 5 days for a SA because the sperm will die and you'll end up getting low motility that isn't the true
result... so when we got there I told them that we had 2 wks of abstinance and I wasn't expecting a good result. When
Amy walked in and I read the paper I about fell out of my chair. It was 192 million total and of that 99 million were
MOTILE!!! We are both over the moon with these results and have a renewed sense of hope. We don't have to go in
for another SA for 2 months now and in the meantime we are taking a camping vacation and relaxing for a bit. I hope
next time I have even better news to post, like a BFP!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Break
So far, the break is doing my psyche some good, I have not been as obsessed with everything and I'm
able to focus on other aspects of life. I am however very worried about our upcoming s/a as the last total motile was
8.61 million and that's low. Our motility was 82% which is extremely high, so I'm trying to keep that in mind
and I'm hoping it's just some inflammation that has been reversed by the prednisone and aleve, but after seeing our
friend's scar tissue after their redo surgery I can't get the thought out of my head "What if he's scarring
over??" I realize that our situation is NOTHING like theirs and we are probably fine, but that picture is in my
head and I can't help but worry. The other part that bothers me is that I can't go with him to this s/a because
I will be working my nanny job that day, and god forbid it's bad news I will have my "breakdown" on the job
which is never good. I think I will just talk to them about what's happening and explain that I might have to cry
alittle but I'll be ok. UGH! I'm so tired of this whole thing!!! Why does it have to be so damn hard!
I just want a baby of my own.. is that too much to ask??? Ok.. rant over.
Monday, March 9, 2009
It's always something
As usual things change from day to day and it looks like we won't be able to proceed as quickly
as I thought we would. Mo got sick and that threw a wrench into things. Our focus right now is to pay off the
loan and get back on our feet, then we can start saving for the necessary tests and IUI should we still need it. At
first I was really upset about waiting AGAIN... but I have been so busy lately that I couldn't obsess about it and now
that I can think clearly it's really ok... I think it will be nice to take an emotional break from the whole thing and
try naturally for a bit. My plan is to just rely on my CM to know when I'm O'ing this next cycle instead of using
OPK's, BBT or my FM. Of course I hope that I don't get AF this time around and there is no next cycle, but if
I do, then I'm taking a break.
Monday, March 2, 2009
In the meantime...
After looking at my schedule for nannying and jewelry shows coming up, it looks like I should have
enough money saved for the labwork by around mid-March, of course there's more to save for before we can do another IUI,
but we are trying naturally in the meantime. I am due to O in the next couple of days and this month we are following
the "Sperm meets egg plan". It would be wonderful if we could save all
that money and get our BFP naturally. Wish us luck!
Friday, February 27, 2009
RE visit
We went to Dr. Hutchison today and I feel like it went very well. Basically
what it boils down to is money... we will start by doing the labwork the dr. ordered ($240) as soon as I save the money up,
then we will work toward saving for the HSG test  ($500) and if everything comes back ok with all of that we will be ready to start a medicated IUI cycle with clomid ($20 clomid, $125 u/s, $150 sperm wash and $150 insemination). I'm sure it will take a couple of months at least
to get to that point, but at least I know where we are headed and I can let go of some of my worries. The dr said that
my uterus is "perfect" so that made me feel very good, I do have a cyst on my ovary but he said it's nothing
to worry about. He also said that usually if the tubes are blocked they will be full of fluid and he didn't see
anything on my u/s so he really doesn't think there's an issue, but the HSG is a good idea either way just to be sure
before proceeding with expensive procedures. The other part of the visit was of course the things we can be doing
on our own to improve our fertility. I will now be taking prescription folic acid rather than the OTC that I currently
have, a calcium suppliment and doing some exercising (walking), cutting way back on my redbulls and following the fertility
diet (below). I am not too excited about this change as it will be very hard to get used to, but I am clinging to the
hope that it will all be worth it in the end. Here are the basic "do's" and "don'ts" of
it.
 Don'ts:
Don't eat fast food EVER. (exception, veggie only salad where you bring your own olive
oil/vinegar dressing)
Don't consume alcohol
Don't drink soda, sports drinks or energy drinks
in any form (even diet)
Don't eat any item with high fructose corn syrup or modified corn starch.
Don't eat processed meats (Bacon, lunchmeats and bologna)
Don't drink caffeine (coffee, tea, etc..)
Don't eat fried foods
 Do's:
Eat a diet that is primarily from vegetable sources. Fresh veggies and fruit should comprise
the bulk of your diet, with weight given to the veggies, less fruit. White potatoes and corn are not considered veggies in
this diet plan.
8 oz. whole organic milk or whole fat yogurt or cottage cheese should be consumed daily.
Eat only whole grains (wheat, oats, flax seed, rice barley, etc.) Do not eat white bread, white rice, tortillas, cookies,
cakes or anything made with refined flour. A serving of pasta is not larger than your fist.
Eat foods rich in omega
3 oils (salmon, sardines, walnuts, free range eggs, grass fed meats, flax seed, etc.) 3 x daily. Remember a serving of meat
or fish should not be larger than a standard deck of cards. Stay away from deep water fish like tuna as they are too high
in mercury to eat on a regular basis.
Use high quality oils in cooking (olive oil, butter, avacado oil, walnut
oil, peanut butter, almond butter, avacados, mayonnaise made with olive oil, eggs and vinegar). Do not use margarine in any
form. The portion size is one tablespoon.
Sweet sources can include fresh fruits like frozen blueberries in plain
yogurt and small quantities (one teaspoon) of honey, maple syrup or molasses. Do not consume artificial sweeteners, sugar
or corn syrup.
When you dine out, eat simple things from the menu and choose a portion size that is appetizer size
or child portion. Good choices are poached fish, dinner salad, steamed veggies and fresh fruit platters. Do not eat the bread
and avoid starchy sides. (No potatoes or rice) Sparkling water with lemon or lime is a nice treat and you can have refills.
I'm
sure this will be more expensive and more work, but we'll figure it out as we go. Not only will this be good for
our fertility, it will also positively affect our overall health. I really think that as long as I take the time to
find recipes and fun ways to mix it up it won't be too painful.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
The difference one day can make...
Yesterday when I woke up at 4:30 a.m. I had to pee really badly, so I took my temp, ran in the rr
and collected some for a hpt since I was a day late, the test came back negative and AF still hadn't arrived.. I went
back to bed and woke again around 10 a.m. Shortly after getting up (AF still not there) The scheduling person called
from Scot Hutchison's (correct spelling) office and asked if I would like to take a cancellation they had for Monday...
Sadly I declined as there was no way I could pay for it yet. I still had hope that I wouldn't need it anyway.
I think I started spotting around noon and I called Paul to let him know... he was crushed. About an hour later he called
me and suggested we get a payday loan to go ahead and get into the next cancellation sooner and then I could use my money
to pay for the actual IUI so we don't have to wait between... I was alittle hesitant as I've seen payday loans turn
very ugly in the past, but after discussing it further we decided that we could handle it and roll it over a few times
just paying the interest if we needed to and still be ok. I then wished that I had known that before turning down the
Monday opening, so when we went to pick Tashi up from school I phoned them up and asked if there was any chance they hadn't
filled the opening, of course they had, but then they said "We do have a Thursday at 2 p.m. though." Yay!
So we went and got the loan and we are going to see them on Thursday! I am so excited and nervous.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Not so hopeful
Well today I am 11 dpo and I think AF is on her way... I feel achy down low like the cramps will
soon begin and I'm starting to break out. These signs usually indicate the witch is right around the corner.
I wish this whole thing wasn't so heartbreaking, but I know it will all be worth it in the end. I called Scott Hutchison's
office (local reproductive endocrinologist) and made a new patient appointment for a consultation. I couldn't get
in until March 31st but they put me on a list to call if there is a cancellation and hopefully get in earlier than that.
The appointment will cost $325 and that includes a consultation with the Dr., a pelvic exam, ultrasound and cultures.
I am hoping to be able to get started on a medicated IUI as soon as possible after the appointment but I should ovulate
twice before getting to that point and I figure we won't be able to afford any more natural IUI's in between, so I'm
alittle sad but you never know. The effects of Paul taking clomid should be apparent on his next S/A which should be
around March 9th and if we're lucky we will have caught my egg that releases on March 4th. I hope I am totally wrong
and AF doesn't arrive, but I have that feeling I'm "out", so I'm staying as realistic as I can to protect
my feelings somewhat.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Our first IUI
Well, we just returned home from having our first I.U.I. done. This morning I got a + opk and
a "peak" on my monitor so I called ICVR to let them know and they scheduled our IUI for 4 pm.
We collected the sample at about 3:15 and drove it over to them. The sample was 21 million total, of those there were
16 million motile then after spinning/washing them we ended up with 11.6 million motile to put in. When Dr. Burrows
started the procedure he told me that I had very healthy ovulation quality cervical mucous and my cervix looked healthy.
He injected the sperm and withdrew the catheter and speculum and had me lay on the table with my hips propped for 20 minutes
before I could go home. Paul and I stopped and grabbed food on the way home so we could relax and I cramped all the
way. When we got home and used the restroom there was a good amount of blood w/ clots. The bleeding has subsided
but I'm still cramping now (2 hours since IUI) and probably will for a couple of days. All of this is normal and
I was warned about it by Dr. Burrows and I intend to take it easy tonight and maybe tomorrow. I hope and pray this works.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Turning a corner
Well, we had our 7th S/A on the 21st, the total count was 22 million and the motility was 85.5% which
is RIDICULOUS... So it was 19 million motile which is still low but Paulie's got some serious motility goin' on.
He is still on the clomid and it won't show any results until new sperm can be produced which takes around 74 days or
so. We also did our taxes yesterday and we should get the money just in time for our first IUI to be next cycle (around
Feb. 8). I am totally excited, nervous and scared, but really hopeful. We can afford to do 2 tries for now and
I'm of course hoping it only takes one, but statistically it takes between 3-5 tries. I am going to be very focused
on my temping and will be doing opk's for five days leading up to my anticipated ovulation date (using my charting software)
so that we can be sure to catch my O properly. I have been relaxing lately and not too anxious about temping and it's
been nice but now it's time to crack down. I will update as things progress along.
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