Still Confused

I'm on CD 13. I went to Savannah for my third u/s. My lining was at 8. That's good news! My right ovary had one large follicle at 14 or 15 (didn't grow much in 2 days). My left ovary had one large follicle at 13 or 14 (didn't grow much either). My E2 levels went up (not sure about the number). I'm still confused. Why aren't my follicles growing at the normal 1 - 2 mm a day?

My nurse called this afternoon. She said to continue the same dose of Follistim and come to Charleston for our fourth u/s tomorrow morning. She said my RE wants to measure the follicles himself. Interesting!

I'll keep you updated.

CD 11 - Ultrasound Results

My day was like this roller coaster ride.

Morning Highs and Lows:

I was pumped about my u/s this morning. I couldn't wait to see how many dominant follicles were in my little ovaries! Q went with me because DH had to work. The nurse practitioner gave Q a note pad to write down the numbers. She reminded us that follicles usually grow 1-2 mm a day. She said I could have 17s or so. Well the u/s began but the np wasn't calling out any 17s. I think I heard 10, 11, 6, 12 x 13 and I can't remember the rest. Actually I do remember my lining: 6. I was in shock. Q and I just looked at each other. I was trying not to cry. The np said "I'm sorry honey." I asked her if we would be cancelling this cycle. She said "I'm not sure what your RE will want to do." BTW, I wasn't at my RE's office. I was in Savannah. So I responded with "Q! We are going to Starbucks right away. This cycle's a bust! Screw my 'no caffeine' IUI cycle!" We went to the lab for my b/w and then we drove straight to Starbucks. Q treated me to a VENTE skinny latte! It was heaven. We shared a few tears, talked about what's next: more IUIs, IVF or adoption. Q told me about our dentist and his wife. They had unexplained infertility. They tried countless IUIs and IVF and didn't have any success. They adopted two little girls and then got pregnant on their own with a little boy. Now they are pregnant again. So it was an interesting morning! I went from having lots of hope to having no hope.

Afternoon Highs and Lows:

My nurse coordinator called and said everything looked fantastic. She said "Honey, you're only on CD 11." She said to continue Follistim at the same dose and go back on Friday for another u/s. I was confused! I thought things weren't looking fantastic. I called her back and told her I thought my follicles hadn't grown much. She said "Yes, they have grown since Sunday. We think you are going to have 3 or 4 dominant follicles. Your E2 went from 120 on Sunday to 215 today." I continued to tell her some of the other comments the np made to me. She said "Hold on a minute!" And omg, my RE got on the phone. He talked my head off for 10 minutes straight. He explained everything and said I was perfectly on track. So it was an interesting afternoon. I went from having no hope to having lots of hope.

What do you think? Is anyone surprised my follicles didn't grow much? Does anyone know anything about E2 levels?

I guess I just need to trust my RE. DH and I are going back on Friday morning for another u/s.

Blow Fish

I feel like a blow fish. My stomach is bloated like never before.

I'm losing patience this time around. I'm so ready to know the results of my u/s on Wednesday. I'm so ready to know if this IUI is going to work. This round's 2WW is going to be torture. I think I'm just ready to move on with something more successful. But hey, let's hope this IUI is successful!

DH and I watched Fireproof last night. I heard it was a good movie a few months ago. I knew it had something to do with marriage but I wasn't exactly sure what it was about. As soon as we started watching it we both said "This has got to be a Lifetime or Hallmark movie!" We enjoyed it. It reminded us of how precious our marriage is and how much we love each other. I would recommend it even though it is a little cheesy at times.

www.fireproofmymarriage.com

CD 8 - Ultrasound Results

I wish I had more exciting news to share. The u/s went well because I have several follicles. It's still a little early to tell which will be dominant. Lefty, as usual, isn't really participating. She only had one growing follicle at 11. My right ovary, as usual, had several growing follicles at 12, 11, and a couple 9s and 10s. My lining was at 5.5. I was expecting to be further along so I was a little disappointed with the news. I asked the RE what he thought (not my RE - I went to Savannah to avoid the Charleston drive). He said my lining was in line with the growth of my follicles. He said it was "nice and multi-layered," what does that mean? Ha! If he had to guess he would say I will have about 3 dominant follicles. I had an E2? blood test done afterwards. My nurse in Charleston called me a few minutes ago. We are moving my Follistim up "one click" past 75 IU. That doesn't seem like much but I'll be following my RE's orders. I'm going back for another u/s on Wednesday (CD 11).

Skinny Latte, Please!

I really wanted a skinny latte from Starbucks on Friday morning. It's one of my usual Friday morning treats. It perks me up and helps me get through the last day of the school week. I resisted. I really wanted to order Diet Coke at dinner last night. I resisted. I really wanted a cup of DH's coffee this morning. I love a cup of coffee on Saturday morning. I resisted. I'm trying to be strong! I'm going through caffeine withdraws. It sucks. But it's the one thing I'm trying to do differently for this IUI cycle: no caffeine, only water. Help!

My u/s (CD 8) is tomorrow at 8:30 AM. It's going to reveal how my body handles a higher dose of Follistim from CD 3 on. Here's what we could possibly find out: 1 dominant follicle (good news), 2-4 dominant follicles (awesome news), 5+ dominant follicles (bad news). I'll post the results tomorrow.

Hour of Bliss

(not me..ha!)

I've been craving a massage lately. DH tries but just doesn't compare to a real masseuse. I gave in and made an appointment for a "Stress Relieving Massage." It was this afternoon. I enjoyed every second of it. I'm willing to dish out money for ONE more before my IUI next week. DH doesn't know this yet.

The masseuse that I used does acupuncture too. I asked her about it this afternoon. It's $100 for the first session and then $85 for following sessions. I wish we had the money. All of our extra money goes straight to Sou.theas.tern Ferti.lity Center. By the way, I asked the receptionist for a list of everything after my u/s on Tuesday. Since the end of November 2008 we've paid around $1,100 and our insurance company has paid around $2,000. It shocked me. That's only with an initial consultation, an HSG and two IUI cycles with numerous office visits, blood tests and ultrasounds. Oh and that total doesn't include the meds we've purchased.

Like I said we were shocked. DH was even a little disgusted. But we are NOT complaining. If we are blessed with a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby EVERY penny will be worth it.

Infertility Bump

Don't you just love people that know your trying and constantly stare at your stomach during a conversation? I know what they are thinking "Ummm, is that a baby bump?" Yesterday I wore a cute little dress that's a size too big. I bought it thinking "Oh, I can wear this when I'm pregnant." That was a year ago and damn it I'm still not pregnant. Anyway, someone at school just kept staring. I wanted to scream out "No! That's not a baby bump! Please just STOP cutting your eyes down at my stomach every other second."

Laughing at myself...

...because DH had just walked in and asked "Why are you taking a picture of yourself?" I had to explain it was for a blog post. He admitted there was a little bit of a bump effect. I think it's just due to the style and size of the dress.

CD 3 - All Clear!

My day 3 u/s went very well this morning. I have 13 little follicles on my right ovary and 10 little follicles on my left ovary. My lining looks great. Oh and the best news of all -- the cyst is gone!

When the u/s tech started she went straight to my left ovary to check for the cyst. Right away I saw a big black circle. I thought "Shit! There's that cyst!" but I said "Oooh, is that the cyst?" She said "No, that's your left ovary." I laughed at myself. But how was I suppose to know? Last month my cyst was so big it looked like an ovary on the screen.

My next u/s is on Sunday (CD 8). I'm hoping for the best.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

CD 1

It's CD 1. AF arrived this morning. I'm SO ready for a successful IUI cycle. My day 3 u/s will be on Tuesday morning. Let's hope the cyst has disappeared! If so, I'll start my Follistim shots on Tuesday night. My RE didn't prescribe Letrazole/Femara for this cycle, which I usually take on CD 3 through CD 7 -- then I start Follistim. Instead he prescribed a higher dose of Follistim (75 IU) starting on CD 3. I'm not nervous or stressed about the shots anymore. I know they aren't painful or difficult to administer. I'm actually really excited about the shots. They will bring me closer to a possible pregnancy. Hopefully this relaxed attitude will help the process.

St. Patrick's Celebration on River Street

Last night was a wild and crazy party in downtown Savannah. We went to check it out for a couple hours.

Costocho...what?

My doctor's appointment went well this morning. After describing my weird chest pains she pressed on the spot they were coming from. She asked "Is that painful or sore?" I couldn't get "YES!" out fast enough. She said "You have Costochondritis!" I said "What is that?" Here's what she told me, which I just copied from mayoclinic.com:

Costochondritis is an inflammation of the cartilage that connects a rib to the breastbone (sternum). It causes sharp pain in the costosternal joint — where your ribs and breastbone are joined by rubbery cartilage. Pain caused by costochondritis may mimic that of a heart attack or other heart conditions.

Most cases of costochondritis have no apparent cause. In these cases, treatment focuses on easing your pain while you wait for costochondritis to resolve on its own.

She said to take 3 ibuprofen 2 times a day for 7 - 10 days. I've started it this morning since I know I'm not pregnant. I started spotting again today.

I'm just glad I'm not getting ready to have a heart attack or anything. I can rest in peace now.

Have a wonderful weekend!