Saturday, October 29, 2011

Holy sore ( . ) ( . ) batman!

So I gave myself the trigger shot last night, maybe last IUI cycle I didn't realize quite how sore it made my boobs but darn do they hurt!

I was late for my insemination this morning, had a rough start to the morning and wasn't able to get out of the house on time. I called and they said it was fine, so I got there as quickly as I could.

Either way, the RE said Chris provided an awesome sample of "rockets." He had 8.9 million good sperm left after they spun them for 45 minutes. I go back again tomorrow and although I know the sample won't be as good since he gave one today and his body won't have the time to recover and the morph will most likely be off but lets hope there is 1 or 2 swimmers in there going to the egg!

I am having some twinges and little cramping here and there but don't think I have actually released either egg yet. I am thinking tomorrow morning I'll have some more cramping pick up and will mark tomorrow as O day.

My mom took me to get a mani/pedi today, we had a wonderful time. I got a dark red/pink on my toes and I got clear on my nails. We also went shopping, she bought me a cute sweater, a mini nail kit for my purse and mini tweezers for my purse. She also gave me a cute pair of slippers and a little make up bag from Clinique! We went to dinner after then came home and walked the dog. It was such a nice day! Thanks mom :)

I think I'm just going to kick back and relax the rest of the night. I feel like I could go to bed right now but I need to try to stay up a little bit longer.

I think Chris and I are going to pick up season 5 of Dexter tomorrow, it's ready at the library for us. I am excited to start it and see what happens! I am also meeting a good friend tomorrow for tea, I am definitely looking forward to seeing her.

Friday, October 28, 2011

And then there were two....

I went yesterday (Thursday) and again today for ultrasounds and lab work. I am so tired of getting my arm poked, I can't imagine going through IVF and having more monitoring.

I actually got poked twice today, again! They tried in my right hand first and she was digging around and I finally said I had enough. She went to my wrist and dug around minimally but finally got the vein and blood.

The waiting room was packed today for some reason, it was the usual time I go too.

Yesterday I had 3 follicles, two at 16mm and one at 14mm. My lining was at 9mm yesterday.

Today I have 2 mature follicles, one at 19mm and one at 18mm. My lining is 11mm now. The RE said my lining and follicles were beautiful. I am so so thankful that they have monitored me so well and tweaked my medications each day so that I didn't over respond. I am definitely okay with two mature follicles, an extra target for the swimmers to aim for. I have one on each ovary as well....so no matter what tube the sperm swim up, they will be an egg waiting for them!

I trigger tonight between 8:30-9:00pm. I hope this one doesn't hurt too bad. The other ones haven't hurt but boy am I bruised!

I have to post a funny too. Pooping isn't really a talked about subject but my stomach has been so off and on this past week while on meds. This morning I got up and got ready for my appointment. I drove to the office and about a mile away I felt like I had to go poop. I was hoping to get into the building at the opposite end so I could sneak into the bathroom before my labs and ultrasound but the door was locked!! So I just went into the office and hoped the urge would go away until I got back home. The urge did indeed go away but here is the funny part (at least I think it was funny.) When the RE did the ultrasound, you could see that my bowels were full. I totally recognized on the screen and I know the RE did too. I'm sure it's not the first time they have seen this but it still made me laugh a little.

I ended up telling my husband this story and he told me he was disgusted and never wanted to hear about my full bowels ever again. HAHAHAHAH

So anyways, tomorrow my husband gets to visit the "spank room" as he calls it and then go to work. Shortly after I will arrive and they will do the IUI. Sunday he gets another visit to his special room and we'll do another IUI.

Four days later, I'll go for a p4 check. Hoping that is good and that I don't need progesterone this time again.

Eleven days after that I'll go for a beta. I do plan on testing out my trigger and will post some pictures. Rinse and repeat unless the beta is positive....which I am not too hopeful for. I hate to be negative but I don't want to get my hopes up to have them crash down if it doesn't work.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

CD9 update

So I went in again yesterday morning, things are still looking good but the decreased dose of FSH didn't help my follicles grow as much as they had hoped. I still have 5 lead follies (thankfully more didn't grow!) that are measuring 14mm, 13mm, 12mm and two 11mm. My lining is at 10mm, which is awesome. My previous cycle on Clomid my lining on day of trigger was 6mm (which was CD14.) So my lining is thicker now, 5 days earlier than it was our previous IUI.

All my hormone levels looked good.

The plan:

Increase FSH to 75IU's for 2 nights
Continue 15cc low dose HCG for 2 nights

Come back in Thursday 10/27 morning for another scan and labs. They're also going to check my prolactin levels again. So after 10pm tonight, I need to fast so that I can have that blood work done as well.

Tuesday they had to poke me twice since my vein didn't cooperate the first time. She started digging around trying to find the vein and I ended up telling her to just try again on my other arm. I don't mind needles or being poked and can generally take pretty much anything but I really get a little sick to my stomach when someone is digging for a vein.

We took the dog to the bark park today, he flew around like a maniac. I ended up walking around the perimeter of the park to walk a full mile, I actually ran/jogged a loop of it but then remembered that the RE doesn't like workouts except for walking during stims. We were there maybe an hour or so and I gave pup a bath when we got home.

Chris and I actually took a nap today, I think it was a 2.5-3 hour nap. It was wonderful but I am still feeling like I could go to bed right now. Chris is gone to a union meeting so pup and I are just hanging out on the couch. I've gotta be up early tomorrow for my appointment so I will probably go to bed in the next hour or two.

I didn't get a chance to talk about it but I went to a Resolve meeting for the first time last week. I think I like the idea but I am not sure if that specific meeting is for me. I may try out a different one that's a little bit closer to home for me. That one is the first Friday of each month, so it's coming up.

Monday, October 24, 2011

A day late....

I'm a day late at updating yesterdays (Sundays 10/19) ultrasound and lab check.

Things looked good, my lining has thickened and was 6mm, there are 5 lead follies (13mm, 12mm and three 11mm) with about 25 more under 10mm between the two ovaries that the RE said will start to grow as well. I kind of started freaking out a little bit about having too many mature follies at trigger time. I asked the RE (it wasn't my usual doctor, it's the other one in the practice) when they would cancel the cycle. She said they wouldn't cancel it. I panicked a little more and said...."Well, I don't want multiples." Then I back-tracked and said I'd be okay with twins but really would rather just have one baby at a time. She looked at my chart and then realized that we're doing IUI. She thought we were doing IVF!!! OMG. Total freak out. She then said we'd back my injects down but wanted to see how my labs looked. So...the plan for last night and tonight is....

50IU Follistim
15cc Low Dose HCG

I go back tomorrow morning for another ultrasound and more labs. We'll see what things are looking like and have a better plan for when the IUI's will be. I'm thinking trigger Weds night and IUI's on Thurs and Fri morning.

The injections are going well. I had a little freak out when I gave myself my 4th injection, the vial should have been empty since it was a 300IU vial and I had given myself four 75IU injections out of it. There is a good amount left, I wasn't sure if I forgot to dial the inject up one evening or what. I found out that they overfill them and I can use up the rest of what's in there. If my dose is higher than what is left, it'll just stop at whatever is in there and the dial won't go completely down. Then I can re-load the new vial and begin again. Whew!

I have lost 5 pounds in the last 5 days. I haven't had much of an appetite and have been a little nauseated on top of fatigue. My stomach has been a little iffy after eating as well. I was walking the dog this afternoon and had a thought. I think the low dose HCG is making me feel this way. After all, it's the pregnancy hormone. I actually almost feel a little bit like I'm early in a pregnancy. I have to think that this is the cause. I am not complaining about the weight loss, I'm a little chunky right now but I am glad I kind of have an idea as to the cause of feeling crappy.

That's all for now...gonna relax for a bit and take it easy.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Houses, stress and needles...oh my!!

Yes, I realize it's been a while. We have had a busy few weeks that included finishing up a few big projects on our house, buying a new house and the usual daily routine added in.

So as long as everything goes through as it should, we'll be moving to a new house. It's smaller (a ranch) but has a full basement that walks out and we're on 5 acres. We are more in the country and look forward to not hearing traffic, living in a subdivision and having a lot more privacy. One thing I really look forward to is having a big garden, a chicken coop and bringing up kids with some land--teaching them to enjoy the outdoors and appreciate nature.

Our current house went on the market yesterday and it's definitely bittersweet. We have been here almost 5 years and have worked hard on the house the entire time (give or take a few months off.) We have put in so much time and effort and it looks so nice now but it's definitely a move we still want to make. I'll work on trying to get some pictures of the new house up.

So it's been a little stressful to say the least.

I was glad I had something to keep me busy for the last few weeks waiting for AF to show so we could begin another cycle. Well, she finally showed and we are on!

Last night I gave myself my first injections. I was really nervous, not to give myself a shot but more because I have a medication I have to draw out of a vial (measure correct dose, get air bubbles out and then inject) and wasn't sure how comfortable I was doing that. I am glad Chris was home to help as he did it and I watched. I am confident I can do it myself from here on out. My other medication I just dial to the dose and then put a new needle on and push the pen, it's an auto-injector so it's pretty simple.

I have quite a bit to do today and work tonight so that's all for now!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

work-out....fail

So I haven't worked out yet and I said that yesterday (Monday 10/3) was going to be the day. I did walk the dog, I did eat okay--not super healthy by any means but not terrible either. Chris will be home tomorrow and I hope he can kick my butt in gear. We have some things to take care of outside, I hope it doesn't drain my energy. Maybe I'll try to do zumba right when I wake up. So far, I have not been accountable for working out but at least I'm being honest.

I have my knitting class tomorrow. I haven't worked much on knitting at all this week, partially because my back has been hurting so much.

I went to the chiropractor for the first time yesterday in probably 4 or 5 months. I am really frustrated. I often find myself torn between Eastern and Western medicine. I would rather do things are natural as possible but I also realize that I need certain medications for things......

One thing that really bothers me with the chiropractor is he tries to tell me things that I honestly think is a bunch of bull. For starters he is trying to tell me that my lupus and other auto-immune issues and the miscarriages are all from stress. I understand the fight or flight situation and how it can offset things in the body but I don't believe I am THAT stressed that it is causing my blood to thicken and clot and miscarry. I also don't believe that it is causing my lupus.

He also pushes harder on one side than the other when testing the arms for strength to try to prove I need the adjustment. I know I need the adjustment, I don't need proof and I don't need you to push triple as hard on one arm and lighter on the other.

The second thing that really bothers me is he pushes supplements. Yesterday he pushed pretty hard on 3 different spots on my stomach/abdomen. Because it was slightly painful when he did this, he came up with the conclusion that:

I don't have enough stomach acid and need a supplement
That my liver isn't working properly because of all the medications I am on
That my gall bladder isn't working properly because my stomach isn't digesting properly

He wanted me to come back on Friday and he would have some suggestions for supplements (that I can buy from his office) that will help me and possibly get me off the fertility meds, lupus meds and not needing lovenox while pregnant next time.

I understand that chiro's are more natural and streamline more with eastern medicine but I don't want this crap shoved down my throat when I come for an adjustment. It actually makes me want to not get adjustments and just deal with the back pain.

I got about 90% of the wallpaper down today. I couldn't finish a few areas because there are lights mounted on the wall and I didn't want to mess with the electrical aspect of it. So tomorrow Chris can hopefully get them off the walls so I can finish the wallpaper and then sand on Thursday. It really came up pretty easy, there are a few spots that have been patched and will need to be patched again before sanding since the steamer softens them up and I scraped a bunch off.

I have about 2 weeks to get the bathroom finished, get the basement floor painted and get the upstairs hallway ceiling painted. The rest of the stuff I can do while stimming but I want the super smelling painting done before we even begin meds.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Mostly Rambling

I haven't been that busy the last few days but I haven't really had much to say about anything important. I've been working on things around the house to avoid the big projects we have that need to be finished like painting the ceiling in the upstairs hallway, painting the basement floor (which means moving a bunch of crap from one side, painting, then moving it all and painting that side...A LOT of work!) and well, the master bathroom.

I think on Tuesday I will work on the master bathroom. I need to pull the wallpaper down, sand, clean up then I can prime and paint. I should be able to get the first 3 parts done and then prime and first coat of paint on Thursday. I don't enjoy working on the house but when I do something like this, I'd rather do it myself. Tuesday and Thursday Chris will be at work so I can work at my own pace and get it done.

Last night I made the best dinner I think I have ever made. It was short ribs in a wine and cream sauce served over roasted mushrooms. We had a side of sweet potato which was okay, it didn't have a ton of flavor. I have to credit Pioneer Woman for the recipe!

I have been working on getting my sewing room organized. I am converting the den/library to my sewing room. I have many ideas and can't wait for it to be finished. I was previously sewing in our "dining room" with all my cutting tools and material upstairs. Before that I was sewing on the hardwood floor upstairs with one hand on the foot pedal and one hand to hold the material. I seriously am so thrilled to have a room with all my material, tools and machines in one place! I've taken some pictures but once it's finished, I'll post before and after pictures.

I need to get out and plant my bulbs and do some fall yard cleanup in the next week or so as well. It rained the last 4 days pretty much all day, I walked the dog every day in the rain but Friday I had to take a break. It was so windy, cold and raining! I definitely love fall and spring, the extremes kill me in either way.

I also wanted to touch on some major problems I have with accountability. I am awful at working out and my eating has been pretty crappy lately (besides planning dinners.) I think I am going to use this blog to also hold myself accountable for working out and eating better. Yesterday, I told Chris that today I was going to begin working out and eating better. I have this way of procrastinating and wasting time (like blogging! hah!!) instead of working out or doing something good for me. So, I will update in here how I'm doing as well. I hope that by having somewhere to update (other than my husband) will help me work harder. Right now I'm aiming to do Zumba for 30 min or more every day, along with walking the dog and making better choices for eating snacks.

So I decided not to start eating better today because in about 90 minutes, my parents are picking me up and taking me to dinner. We are going for Mexican...I am salivating thinking about it and am not sure what I will get. I have been craving some Mexican for probably close to a month. I've made things at home but it never is as tasty as authentic Mexican.

I also started knitting a second Christmas stocking. This one is from the same pattern but I'm using a heavier yarn and larger needle than what the pattern calls for. So far it's working out fine but we'll see when I get to the heel part. I'll post some pictures as I work on that too.