Monday I went in to our friendly housing office to once again complain about the cigarette smoke from the neighbors. For awhile, it was actually getting better, but lately it has escalated once again. I blame the cold weather and the fact that our neighbors don't like to go outside and smoke when it's cold (okay...just to clarify, Colorado's version of cold is nowhere near what we had in NoDak.) And I was thoroughly upset when we came home from a Bible study on Sunday night and found our entire house smelling as though someone was in there smoking while we were away. So Monday I met with the lady again to find out what could be done.
In a nutshell, here's what we were told: They called the neighbors and asked what their timeline was for getting a house off-base. Apparently they told the housing office that they'd be out in 3 months (yeah right. They've already had 4 months and haven't moved an inch.) Well, the housing office (HO from now on) told them they could move into a different house here on base. They refused. So the HO called us. They told us about the 3 month timeline from the neighbors and said that we had 2 choices: we could either stick it out in our current house for the 3 months until the neighbors move, or we could move into a different house here on base. The only catch is that our 1-year lease would restart.
Yesterday, Hubby and I went to check out the new house. It's slightly bigger than the one we have now, and all on one level. The backyard is all jacked up and does need some work (typical for us it seems), but we don't have any wall-sharing neighbors. From the sound of things, we can either take the house now or wait almost a year for another house to open up and have the military move us. AKA I'd have to move all by myself again. We'll be taking the house now and moving shortly (very shortly) after the holidays. So, unlike Christina, who's neighbors are getting evicted, we're actually moving to escape our all-ready evicted, but can't find a place to live neighbors.
As for other news...I didn't realize it would be such a pain in the tushy to get my medical records for Dr. K!! I didn't get complete records from Dr. M's office, so I visited them today. I got a couple more things from them, but still isn't everything I need. So I've received my records from my HSG, and my stuff from Dr. M. The only thing I'm missing right now are my surgery pictures which Dr. M's office isn't allowed to give me (yeah...tell me how that works.) So I've contacted the facility where I had the surgery and am waiting on a call from them. Pretty sure I'm going to send the papers to Dr. K's office overnight. I've already waited too long for this stuff.
As far as Christmas goes, I'm completely done shopping (I think). Wait...nope. I have one friend to buy for, then I'll be done. The Christmas cards are in the mail; our one package has been shipped, and our baking list is done and the ingredients are bought. Christmas dinner's menu is still up in the air, but I really should work on that some since we're having a few people over for that night. Oh the joys (and stresses) of this time of year!
Oh yeah, and I found out yesterday that I didn't get the job I had the 3 interviews for. Guess it's back to the job boards once again for me (but maybe I'll wait until after this move).
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
Catch-Up
So I'll try to make this short and sweet. Key word - try. No guarantees though.
Thanksgiving was fun. We went to my parents and spent the weekend there. My best friend from high school also got married during that time, so we celebrated with them too. Amazingly, we decided to do Black Friday shopping and it was completely manageable! I was shocked! Not to mention we got almost all of our shopping done that day. In fact as of now, I think we're completely done with Christmas shopping! It's odd...I've never been done this early before.
So for Thanksgiving, my brother drove to Texas to bring his ex-fiance back to SoDak. She's actually a lot nicer than my brother depicted her back when they were dating/engaged. We got some quality bonding time in while we scrubbed the walls at my brother's new place (which is a complete dump).
So the job that I had a phone interview and real interview for, I ended up having a third interview last week. This time I met with the recruiter who actually makes the decision for the office I think. At the end of that interview, I was told they'd have an answer in the next couple of days. That was last Wednesday. Here it is over a week later, and I still haven't heard anything from them. *sigh* I'm beginning to really dislike job hunting.
This past week, Hubby and I traveled to Texas for our Orientation meeting to start IVF. Aside from crappy weather, our GPS taking us to the completely wrong area, and an extra couple of hours of driving time, we made it there safely. I was pretty excited for the orientation because I thought that meant we'd really get the ball rolling and be well on our way to starting IVF soon. Yeah, that so wasn't the case.
One of the doctors did the meeting and basically went over everything that I already knew when pertaining to IF. I was a little bored, but then I realized that not everyone in that room was to the point that we are. A lot of couples were, but not everyone. I did learn that they are not able to do FET or PGD screening. I also learned that the meeting was basically an introduction to their abilities and limits as a facility. Then we got the wonderful news - we'd have to do an initial consult with a doctor before they'd even put us on the waiting list for IVF. Say what!?!?!!? Hubby and I weren't pleased. Here we had traveled over 15 hours to find out that the 20 minute meeting was nothing. And we were told we had to attend before we'd even get on the waiting list. During Q&A time, I asked Dr. K. if there was a possibility that we could do monitoring closer to home or if we had to stay there. Yeah, that was a big fat no. However, that did help.
As most of the couples were filling out the questionaires to get started with the whole initial appointment stuff, Hubby and I discussed what doing things there really meant. Basically it meant we'd have to make another piddly trip down there to meet with an RE just to see if we could do IVF. Then, we'd have to wait another 6-8 months before we could start any treatments. So we'd probably be twiddling our thumbs for a year before anything would get done. We debated if we just wanted to spend the extra money (okay, it's like 5x higher) to see an RE closer to home. We also discussed trying to meet with a co-worker of Hubby's and his wife to see how their IF treatments are and if they like the facility/doctor where they go. Meanwhile, Dr. K. came over to us and asked where we lived. We told him Col.o.ra.do and he seemed pretty surprised that we'd drive that far. He was super nice though. He stood and talked to us for awhile and, come to find out, he actually knows my doctor that referred me to him - they applied for residencies together.
But anyways...Dr. K asked us if we had come all the way down there just for the meeting and we replied "Yeah." He then asked if we had anything planned for the rest of the day, which we didn't. Then, to our shock and surprise, he asked us if we wanted to do our initial consultation that afternoon so we didn't have to come all the way back down for another short trip - we'd be all set and ready for IVF. I looked at Hubby and we instantly agreed - heck yeah!!
I didn't have any med records with me, so we basically went off the questionaire and the discussion with Dr. K. He did an ultrasound and everything looked good. (What's funny about that is the other RE walked in while Dr. K. was doing the scan. Great way to meet a doctor while your naked as a jay-bird and laying on a table with your legs spread and the love wand shoved up your hoo-ha. haha!)
So now the ball's in my court. I have to get all my records, surgery pictures, and HSG films and send them to them. I'm hoping that I'll be able to scan everything and e-mail it to Dr. K. He said once they get all the records, the team will review them and see if opening my tubes would be a possibility or if there was another treatment plan they could do before they jump straight to IVF. However, he was also going to put us on the IVF list for August 2010. (Hubby is supposed to be deploying for most of 2010 once again. Hence the long wait. Otherwise, it would have been in March or April when we could have started.) He said that most of our stuff should be able to be taken care of via e-mail and then the next time we go down there, we'll be all set to start IVF. I'm so excited!!
So that's been the majority of what I haven't blogged about lately. It seems like I've been running all over the place and not getting too much accomplished. This time of year always seems to make me feel that way.
Until next time...
Thanksgiving was fun. We went to my parents and spent the weekend there. My best friend from high school also got married during that time, so we celebrated with them too. Amazingly, we decided to do Black Friday shopping and it was completely manageable! I was shocked! Not to mention we got almost all of our shopping done that day. In fact as of now, I think we're completely done with Christmas shopping! It's odd...I've never been done this early before.
So for Thanksgiving, my brother drove to Texas to bring his ex-fiance back to SoDak. She's actually a lot nicer than my brother depicted her back when they were dating/engaged. We got some quality bonding time in while we scrubbed the walls at my brother's new place (which is a complete dump).
So the job that I had a phone interview and real interview for, I ended up having a third interview last week. This time I met with the recruiter who actually makes the decision for the office I think. At the end of that interview, I was told they'd have an answer in the next couple of days. That was last Wednesday. Here it is over a week later, and I still haven't heard anything from them. *sigh* I'm beginning to really dislike job hunting.
This past week, Hubby and I traveled to Texas for our Orientation meeting to start IVF. Aside from crappy weather, our GPS taking us to the completely wrong area, and an extra couple of hours of driving time, we made it there safely. I was pretty excited for the orientation because I thought that meant we'd really get the ball rolling and be well on our way to starting IVF soon. Yeah, that so wasn't the case.
One of the doctors did the meeting and basically went over everything that I already knew when pertaining to IF. I was a little bored, but then I realized that not everyone in that room was to the point that we are. A lot of couples were, but not everyone. I did learn that they are not able to do FET or PGD screening. I also learned that the meeting was basically an introduction to their abilities and limits as a facility. Then we got the wonderful news - we'd have to do an initial consult with a doctor before they'd even put us on the waiting list for IVF. Say what!?!?!!? Hubby and I weren't pleased. Here we had traveled over 15 hours to find out that the 20 minute meeting was nothing. And we were told we had to attend before we'd even get on the waiting list. During Q&A time, I asked Dr. K. if there was a possibility that we could do monitoring closer to home or if we had to stay there. Yeah, that was a big fat no. However, that did help.
As most of the couples were filling out the questionaires to get started with the whole initial appointment stuff, Hubby and I discussed what doing things there really meant. Basically it meant we'd have to make another piddly trip down there to meet with an RE just to see if we could do IVF. Then, we'd have to wait another 6-8 months before we could start any treatments. So we'd probably be twiddling our thumbs for a year before anything would get done. We debated if we just wanted to spend the extra money (okay, it's like 5x higher) to see an RE closer to home. We also discussed trying to meet with a co-worker of Hubby's and his wife to see how their IF treatments are and if they like the facility/doctor where they go. Meanwhile, Dr. K. came over to us and asked where we lived. We told him Col.o.ra.do and he seemed pretty surprised that we'd drive that far. He was super nice though. He stood and talked to us for awhile and, come to find out, he actually knows my doctor that referred me to him - they applied for residencies together.
But anyways...Dr. K asked us if we had come all the way down there just for the meeting and we replied "Yeah." He then asked if we had anything planned for the rest of the day, which we didn't. Then, to our shock and surprise, he asked us if we wanted to do our initial consultation that afternoon so we didn't have to come all the way back down for another short trip - we'd be all set and ready for IVF. I looked at Hubby and we instantly agreed - heck yeah!!
I didn't have any med records with me, so we basically went off the questionaire and the discussion with Dr. K. He did an ultrasound and everything looked good. (What's funny about that is the other RE walked in while Dr. K. was doing the scan. Great way to meet a doctor while your naked as a jay-bird and laying on a table with your legs spread and the love wand shoved up your hoo-ha. haha!)
So now the ball's in my court. I have to get all my records, surgery pictures, and HSG films and send them to them. I'm hoping that I'll be able to scan everything and e-mail it to Dr. K. He said once they get all the records, the team will review them and see if opening my tubes would be a possibility or if there was another treatment plan they could do before they jump straight to IVF. However, he was also going to put us on the IVF list for August 2010. (Hubby is supposed to be deploying for most of 2010 once again. Hence the long wait. Otherwise, it would have been in March or April when we could have started.) He said that most of our stuff should be able to be taken care of via e-mail and then the next time we go down there, we'll be all set to start IVF. I'm so excited!!
So that's been the majority of what I haven't blogged about lately. It seems like I've been running all over the place and not getting too much accomplished. This time of year always seems to make me feel that way.
Until next time...
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
I have an interview! (updated)
Just thought I'd drop a super quick note...I have a phone interview today!! Or at least that's what I think it is. A lady called me regarding one of my applications that I submitted a little over a week ago. She wants to talk to me for a few minutes about the position! Yay!! I'm going to call her in a few hours (there's a little bit of a time difference), but I'll try to post an update once the convo is done!
It's a great day!!
It's a great day!!
~*~*~*~ Update ~*~*~*~
So I just got off the phone a few minutes ago. Bascially, it was a prelim interview, which is what I figured it probably would be. I now have an official interview and test on Friday. Whodathunk there would be a test for a receptionist position?? Interesting... But yeah, so I have my offiicial interview on Friday and we'll go from there!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
I have totally been absent.
But not from blog-world. I haven't posted on here (despite me having a lot to write about), but I've certainly tried to keep up with everyone else's blogs.
So here's yet another bulleted updated version:
Sorry this post got so long!!
Kate, for some odd reason I can't leave comments on your blog, but I had something I wanted to share with you in response to your last post. Could you possibly email me or leave your email in a comment? I won't publish it. TIA!!
So here's yet another bulleted updated version:
- On Halloween, I celebrated my 25th. The big 2-5. On Friday, hubby invited the neighbors over and we made homemade pizza. Granted since it was my b-day dinner (a little early), I wasn't supposed to help. But Hubby's time-management skills in the kitchen leave something to be desired. On Saturday, I thought I would relax and just enjoy my day. Yeah, that didn't happen. That night, a bunch of young couples/young people from church were getting together for a Halloween party. I know that a couple of people in our circle have food allergies and their choices of food would be limited for that night. So I decided to make a graveyard cake using stuff they can eat. Here's how it turned out:
From the front
A side view
An overhead shot (don't ask me why it's yellow...Hubby took this pic)
- For our costumes, Hubby was a Redneck (for like 10 minutes - the hat, hair, and teeth were bugging him) and I went as a more conservative school girl. We didn't get a very good picture of the two of us, but here's a not so great pic anyway:
I had the white stockings and black shoes to go with it all too.
And that's not a beer in Hubby's hand. He was drinking IBC rootbeer all night.
- Last week, we got a phone call from the IVF clinic. Our referral was approved!! I was so excited to hear that, and hear that shortly after being told it would take probably a month to hear back from them. Either way, the next step for us is to attend an orientation meeting at their office. We have to do that before we can even be put on the waiting list for a consult. That's okay though. I'll drive the 18 hours to go see Texas. It's not quite as beautiful as Colorado, but maybe I'll be able to wear shorts again! haha Oh yeah, and the waiting list isn't 6-8 months as they state on their recording...it's only 4 months!! Granted, Hubby may be deployed at that time, but maybe he won't be. Either way, I was excited for that call and the great news it brought!
- I decided to quit waiting on that other job that I interviewed for. Even though it would pay excellent and from what I've been told the staff are a great bunch of people to work with, I'm getting tired of sitting around day after day doing nothing. I applied for a couple of different jobs, so it's once again a waiting game (the story of my life). I'm just hoping to have a job soon. With the holidays coming up and now the IVF thing, that extra paycheck would come in handy.
- Our dryer decided to quit working. It's nearly brand new (we've had it for a little under 4 years), but it just decided to stop in the middle of a cycle. I wasn't impressed. Our laundry has piled up over the past few days. Thank goodness we bought an extended warranty/repair plan. The repair guy came today and we found out that the thermostat fuse was blown which is why it wouldn't start at all. The nearly $140 bill didn't come out of pockets at all, and the warranty repair plan paid for itself, with just this one little thing! So the rest of my day will probably be spent doing the 18 piles of laundry we've accumulated. Lucky me!
- I have officially joined the worship team at our church. Singing has always been something I've truly enjoyed, and it's been a few years since I've been on a worship team. I've missed it, and since we have a great team at our current church, I decided to join up! After a month of 7:30am practices on Sunday morning, I will finally have a chance to actually perform on Sunday. Then, I'm gonna sleep in and enjoy it! haha
- I've gone back to temping. I think Hubby's not to happy with me on it all, but I figured that since my cycles are so messed up, it's nice to at least have somewhat of an idea when AF is going to show. This month though, I think FF is wrong. According to my chart, I O'd on my own on CD13 which puts me at 10 DPO today. My body is saying something completely different. I have absolutely no post-O symptoms, which I haven't had since I actually had the HCG trigger. My boobs don't hurt, I'm not bloated, I'm not all that moody, nothing. It's very odd. I guess I'll have to see if AF comes on either Monday or Thursday next week. I'll keep temping until then, but I really don't have a lot of faith in FF right now.
Sorry this post got so long!!
Kate, for some odd reason I can't leave comments on your blog, but I had something I wanted to share with you in response to your last post. Could you possibly email me or leave your email in a comment? I won't publish it. TIA!!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Costumes, Phone Calls, and other randoms
Hubby and I officially decided to go down the IVF path. I called the facility last Thursday and left a message (that's how they do things there). Expecting to wait an entire week before I heard back from them, I was completely surprised to have my phone ring yesterday. It wasn't the call I was hoping to have, but it was another step in the direction of getting an appointment. Basically I learned that my Doctor here needs to submit a referral to them. Once they receive that, a team of doctors reviews the referral to see if I am a good candidate and they make a decision. Based on that decision, I'll get another phone call to either set up an appointment or learn that they think I'm a hopeless case. From what I gathered, this whole process could take about a month or so (I'm hoping it doesn't), so another month in limbo. TTC is a huge rollercoaster.
In other news...
With Halloween right around the corner, Hubby and I tried so hard to figure out what we wanted to dress up as. I had no idea - I figured I'd hit up Sal.va.tio.n Ar.m.y and Go.od.wil.l and be inspired by whatever I found. Hubby had a pretty good idea for his Redneck costume. Finding stuff for him was a completely different story. He kept pulling stuff off the racks that was no where near being Redneck-ish. He's now changed his mind and decided to dress as a construction worker or something along those lines. I don't think he really knows for sure. Me? Well, I found a super cute plaid skirt (for $2.00!!) and things went from there. My costume will be a not-quite-so-revealing/slutty Catholic school girl. I thought about going all out for the slutty version, but I figured since we'll be with a bunch of church people, it wouldn't be smart to go all out. So I've toned it down a little. The best part - my entire costume cost less than $12, and I had to get everything - the white shirt, shoes, skirt, and stockings. I love second-hand stores.
My brother will finally be moving out of my parent's place! He's 26 and finally getting out. It's been a year since he moved back home, but he's been mooching off my parents for that entire year. Well, he's probably helped out with like $200 in groceries, but that's about it. But he finally found a house of his own, so I'm excited for him and my parents. Before he can move in, he'll need to do a lot of cleaning and some minor cosmetic things (it sounds like the previous people did a horrible job to the house). It's all stuff he can do though, and over the Thanksgiving weekend, Hubby and I will be back home so I figured that we could help him a little.
Other than that, things are pretty normal around here. We're gearing up for the Halloween party, and my hubby is planning something on Friday night for my b-day. Saturday is technically my b-day, but with the party, he had to adjust his plans. That's fine, except he tells me that I have to help make dinner! Say what??!?! Yeah...it's my b-day dinner - I shouldn't have to help make it. It's supposed to be a day that I get to take it easy, not make my own b-day dinner. I tell ya... We'll see what he has up his sleeves though. He's good with surprises and getting even better at keeping them.
For other randoms...
Christina, good luck! Get as much sleep as you can now because once that girl's here, sleep becomes a very rare and precious thing!
E and Kristin for some odd reason, I have major issues posting comments on your blogs. I don't know what it is, but instead of posting the comment, it just erases everything and basically reloads the page, no matter what method I choose for posting it (Google Account, Anonymous, etc.). Very strange stuff.
....TRIGS....
An old college friend/co-worker just found out that her and her hubby are expecting their first...just weeks after they celebrated their first anniversary. Thanks to FB, I get to read about every little complaint she has. This morning was something about how she did too much moving and how it wasn't good for the pregnancy because now she's exhausted. I was so tempted to write something evil back to her about how she should be happy that she's experiencing that because there are some people who may never get to enjoy that. I didn't though. I suppressed evil Gabsy and decided to keep that to myself (and now you guys). I've got to double check my emotions/feelings. Granted I am happy for her, but honestly when she complains about every little thing, I almost want to scream, "You got yourself into this! Enjoy it!!"
In other news...
With Halloween right around the corner, Hubby and I tried so hard to figure out what we wanted to dress up as. I had no idea - I figured I'd hit up Sal.va.tio.n Ar.m.y and Go.od.wil.l and be inspired by whatever I found. Hubby had a pretty good idea for his Redneck costume. Finding stuff for him was a completely different story. He kept pulling stuff off the racks that was no where near being Redneck-ish. He's now changed his mind and decided to dress as a construction worker or something along those lines. I don't think he really knows for sure. Me? Well, I found a super cute plaid skirt (for $2.00!!) and things went from there. My costume will be a not-quite-so-revealing/slutty Catholic school girl. I thought about going all out for the slutty version, but I figured since we'll be with a bunch of church people, it wouldn't be smart to go all out. So I've toned it down a little. The best part - my entire costume cost less than $12, and I had to get everything - the white shirt, shoes, skirt, and stockings. I love second-hand stores.
My brother will finally be moving out of my parent's place! He's 26 and finally getting out. It's been a year since he moved back home, but he's been mooching off my parents for that entire year. Well, he's probably helped out with like $200 in groceries, but that's about it. But he finally found a house of his own, so I'm excited for him and my parents. Before he can move in, he'll need to do a lot of cleaning and some minor cosmetic things (it sounds like the previous people did a horrible job to the house). It's all stuff he can do though, and over the Thanksgiving weekend, Hubby and I will be back home so I figured that we could help him a little.
Other than that, things are pretty normal around here. We're gearing up for the Halloween party, and my hubby is planning something on Friday night for my b-day. Saturday is technically my b-day, but with the party, he had to adjust his plans. That's fine, except he tells me that I have to help make dinner! Say what??!?! Yeah...it's my b-day dinner - I shouldn't have to help make it. It's supposed to be a day that I get to take it easy, not make my own b-day dinner. I tell ya... We'll see what he has up his sleeves though. He's good with surprises and getting even better at keeping them.
For other randoms...
Christina, good luck! Get as much sleep as you can now because once that girl's here, sleep becomes a very rare and precious thing!
E and Kristin for some odd reason, I have major issues posting comments on your blogs. I don't know what it is, but instead of posting the comment, it just erases everything and basically reloads the page, no matter what method I choose for posting it (Google Account, Anonymous, etc.). Very strange stuff.
....TRIGS....
An old college friend/co-worker just found out that her and her hubby are expecting their first...just weeks after they celebrated their first anniversary. Thanks to FB, I get to read about every little complaint she has. This morning was something about how she did too much moving and how it wasn't good for the pregnancy because now she's exhausted. I was so tempted to write something evil back to her about how she should be happy that she's experiencing that because there are some people who may never get to enjoy that. I didn't though. I suppressed evil Gabsy and decided to keep that to myself (and now you guys). I've got to double check my emotions/feelings. Granted I am happy for her, but honestly when she complains about every little thing, I almost want to scream, "You got yourself into this! Enjoy it!!"
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Post-Op Report
Today was my official post-op appointment. Dr. M took a look at my incisions and said they are looking great. I must agree. Aside from them being a little red still, you wouldn't be able to tell I had surgery a little over 3 weeks ago.
As for the appointment itself, she showed us the 8 pages of pictures she took during surgery. I had to laugh at a couple of them. She had to take pictures of both the left and right sides round ligaments because I have no fat surrounding them. She told us that the surgery staff had never seen something like that before because they'd never worked on a patient with such little body fat as myself. Heart disease will never be a problem for me, she joked.
As we progressed through the pictures, we got to the ones she had taken of my tubes and ovaries. From the outside, they look perfect - no scarring or anything that would indicate any kind of infection or endometriosis. However, when she injected the dye, it pooled in one area on the right side. She said that she had a hard time trying to get it to spill like it should. Getting it to spill into the left was impossible. She moved things around and still no luck. She's somewhat at a loss as to how they got the dye to get through my left tube during the HSG.
So, she came to the conclusion that it's most likely inside the tubes. Hence, the diagnosis of Tubal Factor IF. She said that they could have removed the diseased tubes, but since I'm so young, didn't really see much of a benefit of doing so. Because of the possible diseased tubes, she also doesn't recommend us doing an O-inducing medications (Clomid, Femara, etc.) because there is such a heightened risk of having an ectopic pregnancy if we do get pregnant. Our final choice: IVF.
I'm fine moving on with it. Hubby has his reservations now. He's looking at the financial aspect of it all. Paying for transportation, lodging, and the embryologist (I believe it is) currently wouldn't be feasible on our one-income right now. My thoughts are that we won't be able to get an appointment with the RE for at least 6-8 months, which would give us a lot of time to get things in line financially so we could do it. And who knows, I could have a job by that time and it wouldn't be such an issue.
We're going to discuss it more and go from there. I know I don't want to waste too much time cuz this girl isn't getting younger (as my 25th rapidly approaches next week - not that I'm old, but being a military spouse puts a litttle damper on some aspects of life). Plus, if at all possible, I want to utilize whatever routes we can to try to have a baby before we get to the point that we have to decide about living CF or adopting.
Now what to tell the families...that's an entirely different post, especially since they don't know we're TTC.
As for the appointment itself, she showed us the 8 pages of pictures she took during surgery. I had to laugh at a couple of them. She had to take pictures of both the left and right sides round ligaments because I have no fat surrounding them. She told us that the surgery staff had never seen something like that before because they'd never worked on a patient with such little body fat as myself. Heart disease will never be a problem for me, she joked.
As we progressed through the pictures, we got to the ones she had taken of my tubes and ovaries. From the outside, they look perfect - no scarring or anything that would indicate any kind of infection or endometriosis. However, when she injected the dye, it pooled in one area on the right side. She said that she had a hard time trying to get it to spill like it should. Getting it to spill into the left was impossible. She moved things around and still no luck. She's somewhat at a loss as to how they got the dye to get through my left tube during the HSG.
So, she came to the conclusion that it's most likely inside the tubes. Hence, the diagnosis of Tubal Factor IF. She said that they could have removed the diseased tubes, but since I'm so young, didn't really see much of a benefit of doing so. Because of the possible diseased tubes, she also doesn't recommend us doing an O-inducing medications (Clomid, Femara, etc.) because there is such a heightened risk of having an ectopic pregnancy if we do get pregnant. Our final choice: IVF.
I'm fine moving on with it. Hubby has his reservations now. He's looking at the financial aspect of it all. Paying for transportation, lodging, and the embryologist (I believe it is) currently wouldn't be feasible on our one-income right now. My thoughts are that we won't be able to get an appointment with the RE for at least 6-8 months, which would give us a lot of time to get things in line financially so we could do it. And who knows, I could have a job by that time and it wouldn't be such an issue.
We're going to discuss it more and go from there. I know I don't want to waste too much time cuz this girl isn't getting younger (as my 25th rapidly approaches next week - not that I'm old, but being a military spouse puts a litttle damper on some aspects of life). Plus, if at all possible, I want to utilize whatever routes we can to try to have a baby before we get to the point that we have to decide about living CF or adopting.
Now what to tell the families...that's an entirely different post, especially since they don't know we're TTC.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Weekend Romp
Monday already!?!?!? What happened to the weekend? The past few days flew by so fast and now it's already Monday! I think weekends should be Friday-Sunday - 3 full days to relax.
So here's how we spent our weekend:
Friday, Hubby had off work, but he was busy studying for an upcoming test that he has to take. I spent nearly the entire day raking the yard, pulling our dead or near-dead flowers, and bagging it all. No so fun either. But the weather was gorgeous, so I won't complain.
Saturday morning, Hubby and I volunteered to help rake leaves at our church (yeah, as if I didn't already get enough of that on Friday...). I ended up with a blister on my thumb (which did pop), but we had a good time with some of the people from church. Needless to say, the yard and parking lot looked good for at least a few hours. The wind decided to pick up a little, so more leaves fell off the trees, leaving our green grass littered with brown and red leaves once again. Oh the joys of Fall.
Saturday afternoon was much more enjoyable. A bunch of young couples from our church got together and drove to Cañon City to visit a Corn Maze/Pumpkin Patch. Despite a wrong turn and getting a little lost on the way there, it was an amazing time. The weather was perfect and the company was a lot of fun. We went in little groups through the maze (with the exception of one husband who conquered it all by himself). Most of us finished in about 20 minutes. One group took about 45 minutes. Either way, it was fun racing through the corn stalks and getting "lost". At the end of the day, we all got to pick a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch. Lucky for us, they had just opened a new field that morning, so there were plenty of good sized pumpkins to pick from. Here's a few pictures from that day:
The 2 entrances to the maze. The theme this year was "Go Green with John Deere."
A photo-op place they had set up. We never did take a group photo there.
A peek into the new pumpkin patch they had opened that morning.
The older, not-quite-as-good-pickin' pumpkin patch.
Then there's Sunday. I'm joining the worship team at church, so I had to go to their 7:30am practice. Wow, that was early. Then, I had Christmas Choir practice, and finally the actual church service. It made for a long long morning, that's for sure. The sermon was somewhat heavy, but then to top it all off, one of the ladies in the church (who is around our age), gave up and told about 2 different stories/struggles that she has faced in her life. One was about the loss of her father when she was 7. The second one hit home a little bit harder.
(TRIGS to follow)
Her husband and she wanted to start a family right after they got married. 2 1/2 years later, they finally got pregnant with their son. When he was a year old, they decided to try for a second child. Now, their son is 3 1/2. So another 2 1/2 years later, and they still don't have a second child. She told us that they have been trying the whole time and actually got pregnant. They were so excited. However, when they went for an ultrasound, she was told that she was miscarrying. She was devastated. She went on to tell how heartbreaking it was for them to have waited that long to get pregnant, then find out they were miscarrying. As you looked around the sanctuary, you could almost tell who has gone through a similar situation or known someone who has. So many ladies where crying and some men even got choked up over it all. I'm getting misty-eyed once again just typing this.
While some people could identify with her miscarriage story, what really hit me most is that they have been trying for 2 1/2 years with no luck. Hubby and I are officially at our 24-month mark this month. October 2009. Two years of trying to have a baby and we haven't had any luck either. It's hard. It's hard to hear other people's stories of their struggle with IF. I don't know if they have done IF treatments, or just tried every month or what. I don't know if I would feel comfortable adressing that with her either. I just know what it's like to want something so much but can't have it. It's heart wrenching.
But enough of the sad stuff.
On Wednesday, I meet with Dr. M for my post-op. Hubby is going to join me and we're both excited to discuss our situation with her and take another step in the direction towards getting pregnant. She's an amazing doctor and super-supportive of her patients. She's basically already told us what our next step will be, and I know I'm looking forward to talking things over and making progress with this whole IF thing. As the saying goes, "We don't know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future."
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Over the Top!
Thanks for the nomination ladies! You guys are the bestest!
The ever wonderful rules of this award:
- You can only use one word.
- Pass this along to six of your favorite bloggers.
- Alert them that you have given them this award.
- Most important - Have fun!!
- Where is your cell phone? pocket
- Your hair? straight
- Your mother? vocal
- Your father? workaholic
- Your favorite food? Italian
- Your dream last night? unremarkable
- Your favorite drink? water
- Your dream/goal? contentment
- What room are you in? office
- Your hobby? baking
- Your fear? failure
- Where do you want to be in six years? home
- Where were you last night? church
- Something that you aren't? messy
- Muffins? blueberry
- Wish list item? job
- Where did you grow up? D.ol.an.d
- Last thing you did? type
- What are you wearing? PJs
- Your TV? beast
- Your pets? entertaining
- Friends? unforgetable
- Your life? monotonous
- Your mood? positive
- Missing someone? families
- Vehicle? fixed!
- Something you're not wearing? pants (I'm wearing shorts, just to clarify. I don't stroll around the house naked...I promise!)
- Your favorite store? BestBuy
- Your favorite color? blue
- Last time you laughed? yesterday
- Last time you cried? forever
- Your best friend? M
- One place that you go over and over? church
- One person who emails you regularly? Rae
- Favorite place to eat? B-dubbs
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
boring...
That's been the story of my life the past couple of weeks. Having surgery severely limited me to what I can and can't do and it's driving me bonkers! I hate the fact that we have a yard full of leaves, but I can't rake them. I can't pull my near-dead flowers out of the flower gardens. I can't take the laundry up or down the stairs. I can't clean the aquariums by myself. There's not too much I can do. It's ridiculous!!
My poor little car was the chew toy for our local squirrels. Thank goodness I was referred to an amazing transmission shop. Long story short, they had to replace a wiring harness and the oxygen sensor. The great part: I got it all taken care of in just a few short days and for a fraction of what F.ire.st.on.e would have charged me. Plus, the guys at the place are just a great group to deal with. They're thorough and fast, but provide quality service at a fraction of the price. They'll definitely be my go-to place if we have any other car problems.
This past weekend we have insanely crazy Colorado weather. Granted, I should be used to it after living in NoDak, but honestly, it was still a shocker. Last week, we had mid-70s. By the weekend, we were lucky to see highs in the upper 20s. Not to mention the crazy freezing fog, snow, and poor visibility. There were so many accidents on the interstate and surrounding roads. They even had to close part of the interstate due to super icy conditions! Now today, we're expecting highs in the 50s! I thought the Dakota's had rapid weather changes. I think Colorado tops it.
As for the TTC front...yeah that's been non-existant. According to my temps, I've already O'd and AF should be arriving next week sometime. I guess that's a good thing in a way. I have my post-op appointment next week and then will most likely be starting Fe.mar.a. The more I think about the left tube issues, the more I almost wonder if she had the same issue that the doctor had when I had my HSG. The first time, he didn't get the balloon in far enough and only my right tube filled and spilled. The second time around, he got it in far enough and then the left filled up just fine. I almost wonder if she didn't get the balloon in far enough or whatnot. I plan on bringing it up with her then.
The more Hubby and I discussed doing IVF, the more at peace I feel with it. Yeah, that's going to mean a lot of time on the roads driving to Texas, but I really don't feel depressed or upset with it. It's almost like I somehow knew it would come down to that. Almost like I expected it, even though I held out hope that the Lap would magically make me super-fertile myrtle. This whole TTC/IF journey has changed me, but I think it's in a good way. I'm not bitter; I'm not angry; I'm not in denial. I'm comfortable with the choice we've made. It's another step in the right direction, and I'm actually excited for it.
My poor little car was the chew toy for our local squirrels. Thank goodness I was referred to an amazing transmission shop. Long story short, they had to replace a wiring harness and the oxygen sensor. The great part: I got it all taken care of in just a few short days and for a fraction of what F.ire.st.on.e would have charged me. Plus, the guys at the place are just a great group to deal with. They're thorough and fast, but provide quality service at a fraction of the price. They'll definitely be my go-to place if we have any other car problems.
This past weekend we have insanely crazy Colorado weather. Granted, I should be used to it after living in NoDak, but honestly, it was still a shocker. Last week, we had mid-70s. By the weekend, we were lucky to see highs in the upper 20s. Not to mention the crazy freezing fog, snow, and poor visibility. There were so many accidents on the interstate and surrounding roads. They even had to close part of the interstate due to super icy conditions! Now today, we're expecting highs in the 50s! I thought the Dakota's had rapid weather changes. I think Colorado tops it.
As for the TTC front...yeah that's been non-existant. According to my temps, I've already O'd and AF should be arriving next week sometime. I guess that's a good thing in a way. I have my post-op appointment next week and then will most likely be starting Fe.mar.a. The more I think about the left tube issues, the more I almost wonder if she had the same issue that the doctor had when I had my HSG. The first time, he didn't get the balloon in far enough and only my right tube filled and spilled. The second time around, he got it in far enough and then the left filled up just fine. I almost wonder if she didn't get the balloon in far enough or whatnot. I plan on bringing it up with her then.
The more Hubby and I discussed doing IVF, the more at peace I feel with it. Yeah, that's going to mean a lot of time on the roads driving to Texas, but I really don't feel depressed or upset with it. It's almost like I somehow knew it would come down to that. Almost like I expected it, even though I held out hope that the Lap would magically make me super-fertile myrtle. This whole TTC/IF journey has changed me, but I think it's in a good way. I'm not bitter; I'm not angry; I'm not in denial. I'm comfortable with the choice we've made. It's another step in the right direction, and I'm actually excited for it.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
slight correction
In my last post, I listed that our tentative diagnosis is Tubal IF. It's actually Tubal Factor IF. Either way, it means that my tubes don't work properly which is a cause for IF. Sorry if I confused anyone.
And I do plan to ask Dr. M about the left tube blockage/open thing. Hopefully she can explain it to us cuz I'm a little confused by it all.
For now though, Hubby and I are weighing our options and seeing if we can financially do a military-clinic IVF program. I'd love to get started on one right away, but with me not working at the moment, finances are a little tighter around the place. Hubby made a suggestion to set up a separate "baby-stuff" savings account. I'm sure by the time we could see the doctor, the fund would have at least a good start to it.
So many decisions...
And I do plan to ask Dr. M about the left tube blockage/open thing. Hopefully she can explain it to us cuz I'm a little confused by it all.
For now though, Hubby and I are weighing our options and seeing if we can financially do a military-clinic IVF program. I'd love to get started on one right away, but with me not working at the moment, finances are a little tighter around the place. Hubby made a suggestion to set up a separate "baby-stuff" savings account. I'm sure by the time we could see the doctor, the fund would have at least a good start to it.
So many decisions...
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
And now for the much, much longer Lap update
Monday was Lap day and I wasn't nervous or scared or anything (completely unlike me). I guess part of me hoped that by having the surgery, it would mean that maybe, just maybe, this road of IF would get a little easier for Hubby and I for the next few months. I figured that Dr. M would go in, remove any and all possible spots of what she thought was Endo, and then bam! Magic fairy dust would sprinkle over Hubs and I and in a few months we'd have our much-waited for BFP.
Yeah...completely different story.
The facility where I had my surgery was completely across town and our GPS didn't quite get us there. She (our GPS) got confused or something. Of course it didn't help that the office was on the opposite side of another office building. Nevertheless, we got there on time and got registered and all that good stuff. I won't go on and on about the office, but I must say that that is probably one of the best patient-oriented staff that I have ever encountered. If I have to have surgery again, I'd definitely choose that place.
As for the surgery, I don't remember a dang thing. Which is good. I'd hate to have woken up in the middle of it! Recovery was shaky. I don't do well with anesthesia. I had bouts of pretty bad shaking and nausea. All I wanted to do was sleep. Once we got home, that's about all I did. I crashed on the couch and slept the day away. (I had to stay up for House though...can't miss my show! haha) That night, I wasn't in too much pain, so I didn't take any pain pills. I didn't sleep that well because the gas "bubbles" decided to make me achy.
Yesterday was better. I took a couple of pain pills, but they don't really help with gas pains, which is the majority of my aches at the moment. I was up and walking around and trying to eat a little here and there. Overall, not too bad of a day. Last night, I slept pretty good too, despite the fact that the gas pains were seriously horrible right before I went to bed.
As for surgery prelim results...Dr. M came out and talked to Hubby and let him know what she discovered during surgery. He somewhat filled me in, but I know he's not the best when it comes to medical terms, especially when it pertains to the female body. He did mention that the pictures she took and showed him were pretty cool.
She did give me a call yesterday to see how I was doing. She also filled me in on what she discovered, and I'll do a somewhat bulleted version:
But she's leaving the final decision up to us. She said if we want to try Let.ro.zole (Fe.mar.a) for awhile, then that's okay too. We'll discuss it more at my post-op appointment. I'm kinda leaning towards just doing the IVF route, especially if she knows a doctor at the base. I know it's going to be a wait before we can get an appointment down there, but maybe in the meantime, we could try Fe.mar.a for a few months and see how that goes. I'm not sure. We'll get Dr. M's honest opinion and thoughts about it all and make an informed decision.
Plus, that will give us time to figure out how we're going to still keep this from our families. That alone is going to be a task in and of itself.
Yeah...completely different story.
The facility where I had my surgery was completely across town and our GPS didn't quite get us there. She (our GPS) got confused or something. Of course it didn't help that the office was on the opposite side of another office building. Nevertheless, we got there on time and got registered and all that good stuff. I won't go on and on about the office, but I must say that that is probably one of the best patient-oriented staff that I have ever encountered. If I have to have surgery again, I'd definitely choose that place.
As for the surgery, I don't remember a dang thing. Which is good. I'd hate to have woken up in the middle of it! Recovery was shaky. I don't do well with anesthesia. I had bouts of pretty bad shaking and nausea. All I wanted to do was sleep. Once we got home, that's about all I did. I crashed on the couch and slept the day away. (I had to stay up for House though...can't miss my show! haha) That night, I wasn't in too much pain, so I didn't take any pain pills. I didn't sleep that well because the gas "bubbles" decided to make me achy.
Yesterday was better. I took a couple of pain pills, but they don't really help with gas pains, which is the majority of my aches at the moment. I was up and walking around and trying to eat a little here and there. Overall, not too bad of a day. Last night, I slept pretty good too, despite the fact that the gas pains were seriously horrible right before I went to bed.
As for surgery prelim results...Dr. M came out and talked to Hubby and let him know what she discovered during surgery. He somewhat filled me in, but I know he's not the best when it comes to medical terms, especially when it pertains to the female body. He did mention that the pictures she took and showed him were pretty cool.
She did give me a call yesterday to see how I was doing. She also filled me in on what she discovered, and I'll do a somewhat bulleted version:
- Pre-surgery HSG showed the left tube blocked for some reason, and the right tube was spilling fast.
- During surgery -
- Left tube appears normal. She thinks it could be blocked at the distal end (by the ovary), but since during my first HSG they got the dye through the tube with no problem, she's not quite sure why it would appear to be blocked during surgery though.
- Right tube had some adhesions on it. She removed those as best as she could.
- Based on what she saw, she thinks my tubes may be diseased, which she said is usually caused by an STD or PID. Since I've had neither and she didn't see any inflammation, it's pretty skeptical that either could be the reason for my tube issues.
- She didn't notice any endo or any obvious lesions, which is a good thing I guess.
- She saw lots of good healthy eggs just waiting to be fertilized.
- The final diagnosis: Tubal IF
But she's leaving the final decision up to us. She said if we want to try Let.ro.zole (Fe.mar.a) for awhile, then that's okay too. We'll discuss it more at my post-op appointment. I'm kinda leaning towards just doing the IVF route, especially if she knows a doctor at the base. I know it's going to be a wait before we can get an appointment down there, but maybe in the meantime, we could try Fe.mar.a for a few months and see how that goes. I'm not sure. We'll get Dr. M's honest opinion and thoughts about it all and make an informed decision.
Plus, that will give us time to figure out how we're going to still keep this from our families. That alone is going to be a task in and of itself.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Quick Lap update
I survived my lap yesterday and I'm a little achy today. My abdomen has 3 nice little incisions in it and it's bruised in some areas too (not sure if it's normal or not...my guess is that it is). The gas pains in my shoulders/neck are bearable, but I think I may have to take some pain meds to help with them. Overall though, I'm doing pretty good I think!
The Lap revealed some stuff that I'll post more about later. Of course we won't know full details until we have the post-op appointment in a few weeks. For now though, I just thought I'd let ya know that everything went smoothly and now I'm in super-lazy recovery mode!
The Lap revealed some stuff that I'll post more about later. Of course we won't know full details until we have the post-op appointment in a few weeks. For now though, I just thought I'd let ya know that everything went smoothly and now I'm in super-lazy recovery mode!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Why did I bother even telling her?
My mother and I weren't really all that close when I was growing up. As time continues on, our relationship has strengthened (I think it's cuz I'm the only normal kid in my family! haha). But anyways, I decided I should probably tell her about my upcoming Lap. I know she'd be mad if she found out afterwards, so I chose to share it. However, none of our families know we are TTC, so she only knows part of the story. Basically, I told her that I had to have surgery because my doctor thinks I have endo (part true). I told her it was based on my irregular, heavy cycles and painful periods (part true as well). She knows nothing about the real true IF reason for me having the Lap.
Ever since I told her that last Tuesday, she's called a few times to ask us if we need her to come out and help after my surgery. Her main concern is me taking care of our two fur-babies. I've informed her that I'll most likely be out only a couple of days and we really won't need her help too much. I told her that most likely the worst pain will be the gas pains in my shoulder (moreso than normal since I'm such a tiny person). I've also told her that Hubby will be home during that time and will be able to help out. We'll be fine without her. Not to mention that her spending gas money and driving 12 hours one way just to come help out with a few minor things doesn't make a lot of sense. Besides, my dogs spend most of their days sprawled out on the floor sleeping the day away (they're pretty lazy). So I think now the count is up to at least 3-4 times that I've assured her we'll be fine and she doesn't need to come out to help. It's an outpatient procedure and I'll be doped up on Darvocet. Hubby and I will be fine. He has a few days off (perfect work schedule timing) and we will manage. I love her to death and appreciate her willingness to come out and help, but I don't see the point in spending over $100 in gas (they have a gas guzzler) just to come help for a day. Not to mention, she'd have to make arrangements for her jobs, and they could really use that money.
Now I'm wishing I didn't even mention a thing to her. Hubby's family doesn't know about the surgery, and I'm thinking maybe we'll keep it that way. His sister is a nurse and also thinking (if not currently) about TTC soon. I'm fairly certain that she could put 2 and 2 together and our secret wouldn't be a secret much longer.
As for other stuff, the HSG really messed up my already messed up cycles. My last two (since the HSG) have been 18 and 19 days, respectfully. I'm hoping the Lap helps to straighten things out a little. Short cycles = no O = no chance at a BFP = super discouraged/frustrated gabsy.
But I'm all set for Monday. I've got my "pharmacy" stocked with pain meds and other goodies to hopefully help me heal quickly and with no problems. I've contacted the surgery center and answered a bunch of questions for the anesthesiologist and feel like I'm mentally prepared for it as well. Hubby's ready for it too. Last night, he was preparing his lunch for work today and he said, "Guess what? Tomorrow's Saturday! Do you know what that means?" I replied, "Only 2 more days until my surgery!" to which he responded, "And that means that our chances of fertility go through the roof!"
I love my Hubby.
Ever since I told her that last Tuesday, she's called a few times to ask us if we need her to come out and help after my surgery. Her main concern is me taking care of our two fur-babies. I've informed her that I'll most likely be out only a couple of days and we really won't need her help too much. I told her that most likely the worst pain will be the gas pains in my shoulder (moreso than normal since I'm such a tiny person). I've also told her that Hubby will be home during that time and will be able to help out. We'll be fine without her. Not to mention that her spending gas money and driving 12 hours one way just to come help out with a few minor things doesn't make a lot of sense. Besides, my dogs spend most of their days sprawled out on the floor sleeping the day away (they're pretty lazy). So I think now the count is up to at least 3-4 times that I've assured her we'll be fine and she doesn't need to come out to help. It's an outpatient procedure and I'll be doped up on Darvocet. Hubby and I will be fine. He has a few days off (perfect work schedule timing) and we will manage. I love her to death and appreciate her willingness to come out and help, but I don't see the point in spending over $100 in gas (they have a gas guzzler) just to come help for a day. Not to mention, she'd have to make arrangements for her jobs, and they could really use that money.
Now I'm wishing I didn't even mention a thing to her. Hubby's family doesn't know about the surgery, and I'm thinking maybe we'll keep it that way. His sister is a nurse and also thinking (if not currently) about TTC soon. I'm fairly certain that she could put 2 and 2 together and our secret wouldn't be a secret much longer.
As for other stuff, the HSG really messed up my already messed up cycles. My last two (since the HSG) have been 18 and 19 days, respectfully. I'm hoping the Lap helps to straighten things out a little. Short cycles = no O = no chance at a BFP = super discouraged/frustrated gabsy.
But I'm all set for Monday. I've got my "pharmacy" stocked with pain meds and other goodies to hopefully help me heal quickly and with no problems. I've contacted the surgery center and answered a bunch of questions for the anesthesiologist and feel like I'm mentally prepared for it as well. Hubby's ready for it too. Last night, he was preparing his lunch for work today and he said, "Guess what? Tomorrow's Saturday! Do you know what that means?" I replied, "Only 2 more days until my surgery!" to which he responded, "And that means that our chances of fertility go through the roof!"
I love my Hubby.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
For all my fellow Grey's fans...
I'm sending virtual kleenexes!!
Thoughts on the season opener anyone?
Thoughts on the season opener anyone?
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Pre-op sum-up
Yesterday was my pre-op. Basically I went in, discussed the surgery and possible risks/complications, signed the papers, peed in a cup, and was on my way! Short and simple. The nurse gave me another list of post-surgery do's and do not's. I noticed that one very important thing was different compared to the list I received in the mail from the surgery center. The one from the surgery center said nothing in the vagina for 6 weeks (including tampons). The one my doctor's office gave me said 2 weeks. Knowing my Hubby's dissappointment with the 6 week guideline, I questioned Dr. M about it all. She informed me that it was only 2 weeks since they won't be doing anything to my cervix. She also went on to say that she wants me to have sex! (Umm...insert a look of shock on my face. I never pictured her to be one to say stuff like that!) She told me that she wants me to get pregnant, and you have to have sex in order for that to be a possibility. I just laughed. I truly like my doctor. Her attitude and personality make this whole IF thing a little bit easier. Plus, she's such a go-get-em person and doesn't want to waste any time with treatments and whatnot.
Now I'm one step closer. I have to get my pain med prescription filled and pick up a few things from Wal-Mart, but other than that, I'm all ready to go! Let the countdown begin! A little over 4 days to go!
Now I'm one step closer. I have to get my pain med prescription filled and pick up a few things from Wal-Mart, but other than that, I'm all ready to go! Let the countdown begin! A little over 4 days to go!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Updates: Long post...
I've been so crazy busy lately, I've completely neglected blog-world!! So here's another bulleted update list from gabsy:
I told you this was a long one!! :)
- The HSG was a breeze and shortly after, AF came for another visit. It was completely unexpected, but that's okay.
- I have my Lap scheduled for next Monday! Tomorrow I go for my pre-op and I have no idea what (if any) questions to ask. Maybe I should think about that some...
- Not temping is driving me bonkers. I'm such a control freak at times, and not knowing what my body is or isn't doing is making me go mad. I know Hubby likes it better when I don't temp, but since my cycles are so erratic and unpredictable, temping makes me feel a little more in control. *sigh* decisions...decisions...
- Hubby was supposed to go out of town for a few weeks for his job. We had to buy him almost completely new wardrobe. So, about $700 later, he was all set to go. He had his bags packed and everything. Two days before he was supposed to leave (actually, it was less than 36 hours), he was informed that he didn't have to go anymore. Boy was I not happy. I can think of a heck of a lot more ways to spend $700 than on clothes for my hubby. Granted, we shouldn't have to get him any clothes for a long time, but still...with having only a single income at the moment, $700 is a lot.
- My sister and her new boyfriend (of 3 months) came out to visit us. We enjoyed Sev.en F.alls and the Den.ver Zoo while they were here. The weather was crappy, icky, rainy, cold, but we all survived somehow. We surprised my sister with a birthday cake too. She's now the big 2-8! Her boyfriend is something...I'm not quite sure what to say. Ideally, he's not the kind of guy I can see her with, but apparently, they've already discussed possibly getting married and whatnot. Talk about moving fast!! Jeepers!! Not to mention, he's fresh out of a divorce, and the custody situation isn't even finalized yet. It's her life, I keep having to tell myself. Personally, he's not my #1 pick by any means.
- Farm.Ville on Face.book has become my new addiction. Thanks to Hubby, I'm so obsessed, it's ridiculous! I plant crops according to what my schedule will be for the day, and I'll wait until a certain time to do something because I have to harvest a crop! I think there should be a support group.
- I've started to check up less and less on the Web.MD boards. I used to be super addicted to that too. Lately though, there's so many new people on there. It's sometimes hard to keep up with what everyone is going through, and I just lost a little bit of interest. Plus, I feel that I'm in a little different place than some of them, so it just feel awkward at times.
- I had a job interview a couple weeks ago. Since I hadn't heard anything back on it as of yet, I emailed the lady. Come to find out, they're still waiting for the requisition for the position. She's hoping to hear something in the next week or two. Realisitically, it may take a bit longer than that.
- The bad neighbors are finally on their way out. Last week, they had a moving truck at their place, and I see their trash heap is growing by the hour. Yee-haw!!
- For those who watch UFC, this new season of the Ultimate Fighter is going to be amazing! I just know it. Plus, one of the contestants went to the same school as me, so he's definitely my pick for this year. He needs some work on his stand-up, but his ground game is pretty decent. Guess that will happen when you've been wrestling from a very young age.
- Yesterday, we took Hubby's car in to have an oil change, tire rotation, brake check, and check out the check engine light that has been on for a few days. Our appointment was at 2:00. At 3:00, the car was still sitting in the parking lot, waiting to be serviced. Around 4:45, the guy said we were done, and he was reviewing the charges with us. He didn't mention an oil change at all, so we asked him about it. He seemed a little shocked and said he'd get the car back right away and do that quick for us. Shortly before 5:00, the car was finally done. (Yeah...3 hours at an auto service place is not a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon...). He took $20 off the total since it was such a long wait. I was less than impressed. Especially since we also found out that a stupid squirrel chewed through one of the connections for the oxygen sensor (hence the check engine light), and now that needs to be replaced. Also to add to that list, the brake rotors need to be replaced and the rack and pinion is leaking. The car is only 4 years old and the list of things to be fixed on it are horrible! It seems like every time we take it in for a simple oil change, our bill also includes some pretty expensive other fixes. Needless to say, we will most likely be getting a different vehicle towards the end of the year. At least our vehicles are paid off right now...
I told you this was a long one!! :)
Thursday, September 17, 2009
major reno
So I got sick of the other picture/layout, so I'm in the process of remodeling around here. Hopefully I will be able to get it all done soon so it will be easier to read!
I'll also post some updates/news from gabsy's life sometime too. Can't quite say for sure when though...
I'll also post some updates/news from gabsy's life sometime too. Can't quite say for sure when though...
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Another doc appointment....
Yesterday I met with Dr. M again to go over all the results from the lab work, repeat SA, and my HSG. Hubby decided to join me this time so he could see how his swimmers were. I kinda wanted him there so we could meet with the doc and discuss the next steps in our treatment.
Once we got there and got called back to a room, the nurse started to ask me what results we were going to be following up on. Come to find out, only Hubby's SA results were faxed to my doctor's office. My lab work was never sent to them nor was my HSG report. I did the lab work at the hospital where my GYN's office is, so it was easy for them to get the results. My HSG report...well, since I had to do that at the military base, I called them to have them fax it ASAP (like it should have been done) and questioned why it wasn't done earlier. The person I spoke to said she would get to it later that night if she had a chance. But she was the only one there and blah blah blah. I wasn't impressed. Apparently my doctor wasn't either because she called the office too. Supposedly it was faxed like 2-3 times and for some odd reason, my doctor's office never received it. But we went on with the appointment anyways.
Dr. M told me that our labs were superb. She also asked me if I was told anything from the HSG. I mentioned my dilated right tube. We began to discuss that, and we came to the conclusion that a Lap is next on the to-do list. She kept mentioning endo, but I'm not so sure it's that. I don't have the pain or heavy bleeding that is usually associated with it. Aside from the fact that occasionally I put up with AF for far too long, my AF visits are usually very tolerable. But she seemed pretty sure about it all. Without the HSG report though, it's a little hard to tell for sure what the HSG showed as far as my dilated tube goes. But anyways...next to do is a Lap to figure out what exactly is going on in there. They're going to push things through my insurance and hopefully, my doctor will be able to do the surgery. If not, I'll have to deal with a doctor at the military base. Dr. M recommended someone whom she said is really good if in fact I do have to go there. I'm leary about going there because I personally haven't had too many good experiences dealing with people there. But if she says they're good, I'll take her word for it. She hasn't steered me wrong yet.
So next up is the Lap. The nurse is supposed to call me sometime this next week and we'll schedule surgery then. Once that's done, Dr. M wants to get aggressive with the treatments right away. She said that a couple weeks after the Lap, I will be able to start the Letrozole and take advantage of the 6 month fertility-increased window that the Lap will hopefully provide. Only time and surgery will tell what we're up against.
Once we got there and got called back to a room, the nurse started to ask me what results we were going to be following up on. Come to find out, only Hubby's SA results were faxed to my doctor's office. My lab work was never sent to them nor was my HSG report. I did the lab work at the hospital where my GYN's office is, so it was easy for them to get the results. My HSG report...well, since I had to do that at the military base, I called them to have them fax it ASAP (like it should have been done) and questioned why it wasn't done earlier. The person I spoke to said she would get to it later that night if she had a chance. But she was the only one there and blah blah blah. I wasn't impressed. Apparently my doctor wasn't either because she called the office too. Supposedly it was faxed like 2-3 times and for some odd reason, my doctor's office never received it. But we went on with the appointment anyways.
Dr. M told me that our labs were superb. She also asked me if I was told anything from the HSG. I mentioned my dilated right tube. We began to discuss that, and we came to the conclusion that a Lap is next on the to-do list. She kept mentioning endo, but I'm not so sure it's that. I don't have the pain or heavy bleeding that is usually associated with it. Aside from the fact that occasionally I put up with AF for far too long, my AF visits are usually very tolerable. But she seemed pretty sure about it all. Without the HSG report though, it's a little hard to tell for sure what the HSG showed as far as my dilated tube goes. But anyways...next to do is a Lap to figure out what exactly is going on in there. They're going to push things through my insurance and hopefully, my doctor will be able to do the surgery. If not, I'll have to deal with a doctor at the military base. Dr. M recommended someone whom she said is really good if in fact I do have to go there. I'm leary about going there because I personally haven't had too many good experiences dealing with people there. But if she says they're good, I'll take her word for it. She hasn't steered me wrong yet.
So next up is the Lap. The nurse is supposed to call me sometime this next week and we'll schedule surgery then. Once that's done, Dr. M wants to get aggressive with the treatments right away. She said that a couple weeks after the Lap, I will be able to start the Letrozole and take advantage of the 6 month fertility-increased window that the Lap will hopefully provide. Only time and surgery will tell what we're up against.
***********************************************************************************
For non-TTC news... I had yet another interview this past Monday. The job is a front office position, and actually came recommended to me by the former employeer who held that position. She recommended me to her boss and the ball started rolling. I think the interview went really well, but I'm still waiting to hear back from them. I was told that it would be either Friday (yesterday) or Monday at the latest. Since I didn't hear anything yesterday, I guess I'll have to wait until next week. With Monday being a holiday though, I'm thinking (and hoping!) that I'll hear something Tuesday.
For non-TTC news... I had yet another interview this past Monday. The job is a front office position, and actually came recommended to me by the former employeer who held that position. She recommended me to her boss and the ball started rolling. I think the interview went really well, but I'm still waiting to hear back from them. I was told that it would be either Friday (yesterday) or Monday at the latest. Since I didn't hear anything yesterday, I guess I'll have to wait until next week. With Monday being a holiday though, I'm thinking (and hoping!) that I'll hear something Tuesday.
Friday, August 28, 2009
HSG prelim report
Today was finally HSG day. I spent my entire afternoon at the darned hospital because I couldn't see driving all the way across town to do a urine pregnancy test, then going back 2 hours later for the HSG. So I peed in a cup, set Hubby up for his repeat SA, grabbed lunch, and returned to the hospital. I checked in and 45 minutes later, finally got called back.
The nurse I had was amazing. She explained everything to me (even though I basically knew what would happen) and went over all the risks and whatnot. The doctor that did the test was pretty cool too. He reiterated what she had gone over with me and then we got started. I was nearly expecting the worse since I rarely have cramps with AF and most people I know have had some serious cramping/discomfort issues with and after their HSGs. Mine was easy. Both of them.
This may be a little TMI, but I'm gonna share it anyways.
The doc inserted the speculum and wiped down my cervix. Painless. He then inserted the catheter with the balloon on the end. He inflated the balloon and I was all set for the dye. Completely painless and cramp free. He started injecting the dye and my uterus filled up nicely as well as my right tube. Pretty amazing sight to see that stuff on the screen. Then, the unexpected happened. The balloon came out. The doc said he'd never had that happen before. So, in order to actually be able to finish the procedure, he had to start all over again. The second time around, I had a little cramping/pressure. Nothing too unmanageable by any means. As strange as it may sound, it just felt as though I had a little bit of gas. The dye was injected again and the left tube illuminated quite perfectly. Apparently there was a little bit of an angle once the catheter got into my uterus, which is why the first one came out - it wasn't in far enough. The second time around, the right tube wasn't filling up, so he pushed a little bit more. Within a few seconds, it finally filled once again. I could tell something didn't look quite right as I watched the dye spill into my tube. I saw what looked like air bubbles being forced through the engorged ("dialated" as the doc said it) right tube.
Once my second tube finally showed up on the screen, we were done. The doc did a prelim report and mentioned that my right tube was dialiated which could be caused from a possible ectopic pregnancy. He said that since it's dialated, it doesn't mean that I won't get pregnant, but it just means that it will take us longer (yeah...like 22 cycles isn't long enough...). Of course, this is just a prelim report, and I won't know anything for sure until I meet with Dr. M. probably next week sometime.
So that's the story from today. I got 2 HSGs for the price of 1. How nice. Plus, I'll probably have a little more spotting and draining than normal since he had to do everything twice.
And now I'm off to nap before I go to an all-nighter at our church. Tomorrow I sleep!
The nurse I had was amazing. She explained everything to me (even though I basically knew what would happen) and went over all the risks and whatnot. The doctor that did the test was pretty cool too. He reiterated what she had gone over with me and then we got started. I was nearly expecting the worse since I rarely have cramps with AF and most people I know have had some serious cramping/discomfort issues with and after their HSGs. Mine was easy. Both of them.
This may be a little TMI, but I'm gonna share it anyways.
The doc inserted the speculum and wiped down my cervix. Painless. He then inserted the catheter with the balloon on the end. He inflated the balloon and I was all set for the dye. Completely painless and cramp free. He started injecting the dye and my uterus filled up nicely as well as my right tube. Pretty amazing sight to see that stuff on the screen. Then, the unexpected happened. The balloon came out. The doc said he'd never had that happen before. So, in order to actually be able to finish the procedure, he had to start all over again. The second time around, I had a little cramping/pressure. Nothing too unmanageable by any means. As strange as it may sound, it just felt as though I had a little bit of gas. The dye was injected again and the left tube illuminated quite perfectly. Apparently there was a little bit of an angle once the catheter got into my uterus, which is why the first one came out - it wasn't in far enough. The second time around, the right tube wasn't filling up, so he pushed a little bit more. Within a few seconds, it finally filled once again. I could tell something didn't look quite right as I watched the dye spill into my tube. I saw what looked like air bubbles being forced through the engorged ("dialated" as the doc said it) right tube.
Once my second tube finally showed up on the screen, we were done. The doc did a prelim report and mentioned that my right tube was dialiated which could be caused from a possible ectopic pregnancy. He said that since it's dialated, it doesn't mean that I won't get pregnant, but it just means that it will take us longer (yeah...like 22 cycles isn't long enough...). Of course, this is just a prelim report, and I won't know anything for sure until I meet with Dr. M. probably next week sometime.
So that's the story from today. I got 2 HSGs for the price of 1. How nice. Plus, I'll probably have a little more spotting and draining than normal since he had to do everything twice.
And now I'm off to nap before I go to an all-nighter at our church. Tomorrow I sleep!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
You know your cycles are messed up when...
you sign in to FF and get the wonderful "We're giving you a free trial of VIP benefits" screen. Then, you go to your chart and FF marks your fertile days as CD 12-29 with AF possibly showing on CD31.
And I'm sure my HSG won't mess with this at all! haha (yeah right)
And I'm sure my HSG won't mess with this at all! haha (yeah right)
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
What a week!
So it's only Wednesday, but honestly to me it feels more like a Thursday or Friday! This week has been kinda crazy already, but in a somewhat good way.
Hubby and I have decided to start working with the youth group at our church. It's something that's always been a passion of ours, and now we finally have a church that not only needs adult help but also has an amazing youth group as well. The youth pastor is super excited about having us help out too. We've even agreed to help out with an all-nighter event on Friday night/Saturday morning. It's such a great opportunity for us to finally do what we've always wanted to. And I kinda let it slip that I've been involved in worship teams before (never a leader), and the youth pastor was asking me about that as well. Seems they need a new worship leader for the youth group. He told me that the band they have is pretty awesome, they just need someone to guide them. I told him I've never done any worship leading, but we'll see how things turn out.
At church on Sunday, one of my friends approached me and asked how my job search was going (she's always checking up on me to see how things are). She asked how desperate I was getting because her job is opening very soon. [She's changing professions.] I found out the job is literally across town from where we live, but the starting pay is around 32k/year (a pretty large step up from what I made at my last job), which I'm perfectly happy with. It is a desk job (which I'm okay with), and she said that she would talk to her boss about me and put in a good word for me. Well yesterday, after facebooking back and forth, I finally got a little more info about the position and I emailed my resume to the boss lady. Even her boss was hoping that I'd at least meet with her to discuss the job. Now I sit and wait once again, but I'm feeling pretty good about this one.
As for TTC, I'm on CD7 today and I'm not so sure AF plans on ever stopping completely!! I'm scheduled for my HSG on Friday, but if AF is still hanging around, I'll have to push that to next week. Hubby is going to do his SA next week (the lab only does it Monday/Tuesday between 7:30-9:00am). I've already done my CD3 bloodwork (that was a hassle). So now it's just another waiting game to see what happens. Depending on what the tests show will determine what we do next. I'm okay with trying a few months of Femara and IUIs. I think Hubby would rather just skip to adoption if something comes back abnormal. He's so ready to be a daddy, and even said so the other day. If only I could give him that news. Someday I will though.
Hubby and I have decided to start working with the youth group at our church. It's something that's always been a passion of ours, and now we finally have a church that not only needs adult help but also has an amazing youth group as well. The youth pastor is super excited about having us help out too. We've even agreed to help out with an all-nighter event on Friday night/Saturday morning. It's such a great opportunity for us to finally do what we've always wanted to. And I kinda let it slip that I've been involved in worship teams before (never a leader), and the youth pastor was asking me about that as well. Seems they need a new worship leader for the youth group. He told me that the band they have is pretty awesome, they just need someone to guide them. I told him I've never done any worship leading, but we'll see how things turn out.
At church on Sunday, one of my friends approached me and asked how my job search was going (she's always checking up on me to see how things are). She asked how desperate I was getting because her job is opening very soon. [She's changing professions.] I found out the job is literally across town from where we live, but the starting pay is around 32k/year (a pretty large step up from what I made at my last job), which I'm perfectly happy with. It is a desk job (which I'm okay with), and she said that she would talk to her boss about me and put in a good word for me. Well yesterday, after facebooking back and forth, I finally got a little more info about the position and I emailed my resume to the boss lady. Even her boss was hoping that I'd at least meet with her to discuss the job. Now I sit and wait once again, but I'm feeling pretty good about this one.
As for TTC, I'm on CD7 today and I'm not so sure AF plans on ever stopping completely!! I'm scheduled for my HSG on Friday, but if AF is still hanging around, I'll have to push that to next week. Hubby is going to do his SA next week (the lab only does it Monday/Tuesday between 7:30-9:00am). I've already done my CD3 bloodwork (that was a hassle). So now it's just another waiting game to see what happens. Depending on what the tests show will determine what we do next. I'm okay with trying a few months of Femara and IUIs. I think Hubby would rather just skip to adoption if something comes back abnormal. He's so ready to be a daddy, and even said so the other day. If only I could give him that news. Someday I will though.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Neighbors Update
About 2 minutes ago, my neighbor's husband comes over to our house. (Just to clarify, I've never met the guy in my life and I had no idea who he was at first.) He asked if my husband was home to which I replied no. He then asked what time he would be home and I said 4:30 or 5. He wasn't too happy about that answer, but there's nothing I can do about his work schedule.
He then asked me if I had said something to housing about the smoke and pet urine smell. I wasn't going to lie to the guy and say no. Heck I complained in the first place because A) they're not the nicest nor most respectful neighbors, B) we've put up with their stench for way too long and C) I just don't care for them at all. I told him that yes I did tell housing about it because the odors irritated my husband's allergies really bad. He then got all defensive and said "Well, why didn't you come talk to us about it?"
Me: "I never see anyone over there." (Which is honest. They're basically hermits and I don't want to deal with them anyway. When you introduce yourself as "my dogs are going to bark and you just have to deal with it" and "don't tell housing about the cats," it leaves a very sour taste in my mouth.)
Him: "My wife is always home, you could have just come over." [Yeah, I probably could have gone over there and talked to her, but seriously, would they have done anything about it? No. Plus, I would have gotten even more bombarded with their stink. eww...]
Me: "But I never see anyone home or around at all."
**insert more of this type of stuff**
Him (as he walks away): "Well, you don't have to worry about it for too much longer because we're moving."
Me (internally): Seriously?!?!?! What was that all about? But heck! They are going to be gone and maybe we'll get some nicer people in here!! Hallelujah!!
So alas, our crappy, smoking, over pet-populated, smelly neighbors will be leaving our building. I'm not sad to see them go. I'm also not sad that we won't be hearing her stupid car alarm go off at all hours of the day and night. I'm also not sad at all that we won't be getting chewed out by our motorcycles setting off that stupid car alarm anymore.
This day just got incredibly better!
Oh, and completely off topic, but spot showed up. C22 here we come!
The neighbors are moving! The neighbors are moving! The neighbors are moving! The neighbors are moving! No more cigarette smelling clothes or cat urine smelling house!! The neighbors are MOVING!!!
He then asked me if I had said something to housing about the smoke and pet urine smell. I wasn't going to lie to the guy and say no. Heck I complained in the first place because A) they're not the nicest nor most respectful neighbors, B) we've put up with their stench for way too long and C) I just don't care for them at all. I told him that yes I did tell housing about it because the odors irritated my husband's allergies really bad. He then got all defensive and said "Well, why didn't you come talk to us about it?"
Me: "I never see anyone over there." (Which is honest. They're basically hermits and I don't want to deal with them anyway. When you introduce yourself as "my dogs are going to bark and you just have to deal with it" and "don't tell housing about the cats," it leaves a very sour taste in my mouth.)
Him: "My wife is always home, you could have just come over." [Yeah, I probably could have gone over there and talked to her, but seriously, would they have done anything about it? No. Plus, I would have gotten even more bombarded with their stink. eww...]
Me: "But I never see anyone home or around at all."
**insert more of this type of stuff**
Him (as he walks away): "Well, you don't have to worry about it for too much longer because we're moving."
Me (internally): Seriously?!?!?! What was that all about? But heck! They are going to be gone and maybe we'll get some nicer people in here!! Hallelujah!!
So alas, our crappy, smoking, over pet-populated, smelly neighbors will be leaving our building. I'm not sad to see them go. I'm also not sad that we won't be hearing her stupid car alarm go off at all hours of the day and night. I'm also not sad at all that we won't be getting chewed out by our motorcycles setting off that stupid car alarm anymore.
This day just got incredibly better!
Oh, and completely off topic, but spot showed up. C22 here we come!
The neighbors are moving! The neighbors are moving! The neighbors are moving! The neighbors are moving! No more cigarette smelling clothes or cat urine smelling house!! The neighbors are MOVING!!!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Post #58
What an exciting post number! haha j/k
I can't believe I haven't posted on here in over 10 days!! And to think I was doing so well!! So now it's catch-up time once again.
On the TTC front - according to FF, I'm 13 DPO. I've temped the past few days just so I can see what's going on as far as when AF will show. If my calculations are right, she'll be making her grand appearance on Monday. Lucky me. At least this next round will consist of my slough of CD3 bloodwork as well as my HSG finally. Then back to Dr. M's office to meet with her and decide the next step. The more I think about it (depending on the test results of course), the more I'm almost wanting to do a few months of Femara with IUIs. For one, our insurance actually covers it, and two, we don't really have extra money lying around to go to an RE. That's what I'm thinking...we'll see what the tests say and what Dr. M thinks about it all.
On the non-TTC front - I have become "that neighbor." Living on a military base usually means 4-plexes. I have absolutely no problem sharing walls with the neighbors as long as their respectful and whatnot. Well, yesterday I'd had enough of our wall-neighbors. They're both smokers (which I'm okay with. What they do with their health is their own problem). Add to that 4 kids, 3 dogs, and 3 ferrel cats in a 3 bedroom house. Ever since we moved in here back in April, we've had to deal with our adjoining wall areas smelling like their cigarette smoke and their house. It's absolutely disgusting. We have to keep our bathroom doors closed to keep the smell from completely permeating our house. I also avoid the laundry area if I don't have to be there because 99% of the time it smells like cigarette smoke. The sad part - Hubby and I don't even smoke nor do we let people smoke in our house ever.
So yesterday, I called my mom to get a second opinion on it all. I asked her if she thought I should go file a complaint or what. She agreed with me that it needs to be dealt with because we shouldn't have to change our lifestyle because our neighbors are inconsiderate. I trekked over to the housing office and had a nice little chit-chat with one of the ladies there regarding it all. She wrote down everything that I told her. She made notes about the cat urine and the fact that Hubby has severe allergies to cats. She told me that she would have to discuss the situation with her manager and see what can be done about it all. She told us that one option we may be given is to move to another house, if we are open to it. I told her we just moved here in April, but I'm sure we'd be okay with it. She took my phone number and told me she'd call me back and let me know what they decide. Now I wait for her phone call. If I don't hear anything by this coming Friday, I'm going to go visit her again because I've already put up with cigarette/cat urine smells for way too long and I'm tired of it all.
Other news -
Happy Weekend everyone!
I can't believe I haven't posted on here in over 10 days!! And to think I was doing so well!! So now it's catch-up time once again.
On the TTC front - according to FF, I'm 13 DPO. I've temped the past few days just so I can see what's going on as far as when AF will show. If my calculations are right, she'll be making her grand appearance on Monday. Lucky me. At least this next round will consist of my slough of CD3 bloodwork as well as my HSG finally. Then back to Dr. M's office to meet with her and decide the next step. The more I think about it (depending on the test results of course), the more I'm almost wanting to do a few months of Femara with IUIs. For one, our insurance actually covers it, and two, we don't really have extra money lying around to go to an RE. That's what I'm thinking...we'll see what the tests say and what Dr. M thinks about it all.
On the non-TTC front - I have become "that neighbor." Living on a military base usually means 4-plexes. I have absolutely no problem sharing walls with the neighbors as long as their respectful and whatnot. Well, yesterday I'd had enough of our wall-neighbors. They're both smokers (which I'm okay with. What they do with their health is their own problem). Add to that 4 kids, 3 dogs, and 3 ferrel cats in a 3 bedroom house. Ever since we moved in here back in April, we've had to deal with our adjoining wall areas smelling like their cigarette smoke and their house. It's absolutely disgusting. We have to keep our bathroom doors closed to keep the smell from completely permeating our house. I also avoid the laundry area if I don't have to be there because 99% of the time it smells like cigarette smoke. The sad part - Hubby and I don't even smoke nor do we let people smoke in our house ever.
So yesterday, I called my mom to get a second opinion on it all. I asked her if she thought I should go file a complaint or what. She agreed with me that it needs to be dealt with because we shouldn't have to change our lifestyle because our neighbors are inconsiderate. I trekked over to the housing office and had a nice little chit-chat with one of the ladies there regarding it all. She wrote down everything that I told her. She made notes about the cat urine and the fact that Hubby has severe allergies to cats. She told me that she would have to discuss the situation with her manager and see what can be done about it all. She told us that one option we may be given is to move to another house, if we are open to it. I told her we just moved here in April, but I'm sure we'd be okay with it. She took my phone number and told me she'd call me back and let me know what they decide. Now I wait for her phone call. If I don't hear anything by this coming Friday, I'm going to go visit her again because I've already put up with cigarette/cat urine smells for way too long and I'm tired of it all.
Other news -
- I applied for a couple more jobs, so it's once again a waiting game.
- I've also decided to do some volunteering stuff at our church. It's only 1 day a week, but heck, it gets me out of the house!
- My sister and her new boyfriend are finally coming out here to visit us in September. I hope the weather is still halfway decent then so we can go explore new places outside.
- My uncle was in a pretty bad motorcycle accident this past week. He's doing fine amazingly. His helmet was on the back of his motorcycle instead of on his head. When will people ever learn?!?!
- I made 3 cookbooks for Hubby and I using the bagillion recipes that we've accumulated over the past 4 years. I typed them all up (using Excel and Word), and put them in page protectors then in a binder. They're pretty schnazzy and very functional, if Hubby will put the recipes back in the book when he's done with them. It took me almost 4 days to get it all done, but alas, they're beautiful and now it's so much easier to find our favorite recipes. I plan on doing the same for my mom for Christmas this year. Her recipe box is a disaster and she really liked the way I did mine. So, what's a few hours for a super cool home-made Christmas gift?
Happy Weekend everyone!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
We have a plan (somewhat...)
Today I got to meet with Dr. M, the other GYN doctor. I had my list of questions to ask her and I was ready for the appointment. I printed off all my charts and was mentally ready for everything. I didn't need any of it.
My wait was a lot shorter than the first time I was at the office. In less than 10 minutes I was back in a room, waiting for the doc. She came in and wasn't really what I expected (but in a good way). In the past, I've only had older male physicians, but she was a newer doctor. She didn't waste anytime getting into things. We discussed the past treatments that I had done as well as mine and hubby's health history. She basically told me that taking anymore Clomid wasn't going to help me much - in fact it would probably hurt me more than help me. She discussed the possibility of changing my O-induction meds, but told me flat out that the increased chances of us getting KU on them wasn't much better than the Clomid. They were merely not as damaging to the lining as Clomid. She also told me that we could try IUIs, but there really isn't a huge increase in our chances either. We discussed an HSG and further options for us. She basically developed a series of next steps for us to take and we'll go from there.
Here's what we get to do with the next cycle:
*additional stuff...*
She also made the question/statement that I should throw away my temp charts if I haven't already because all they do is lead to stress (yup...been there done that a lot). Hubby was happy about it. I'm not quite so sure how I feel about it, especially since that's the only way sometimes that I know AF is coming.
My wait was a lot shorter than the first time I was at the office. In less than 10 minutes I was back in a room, waiting for the doc. She came in and wasn't really what I expected (but in a good way). In the past, I've only had older male physicians, but she was a newer doctor. She didn't waste anytime getting into things. We discussed the past treatments that I had done as well as mine and hubby's health history. She basically told me that taking anymore Clomid wasn't going to help me much - in fact it would probably hurt me more than help me. She discussed the possibility of changing my O-induction meds, but told me flat out that the increased chances of us getting KU on them wasn't much better than the Clomid. They were merely not as damaging to the lining as Clomid. She also told me that we could try IUIs, but there really isn't a huge increase in our chances either. We discussed an HSG and further options for us. She basically developed a series of next steps for us to take and we'll go from there.
Here's what we get to do with the next cycle:
- CD3 bloodwork - FSH, LH, estradiol, TSH, FT4, prolacting, fasting glucose, and fasting lipids
- HSG - complete with anti-infection meds and motrin
- Repeat SA - it's been a long time since Hubby got checked out, so she wants to make sure things are still good with him
- Follow up with her after all of this so we can decide what to do next
- try the other O-induction meds (letrizole or something like that)
- do a lap to make sure I don't have endo or any other abnormalities
- see an RE
- TAB for awhile (she mentioned a couple of years) then TTC again [her reasoning - we are young and military insurance doesn't cover anything past an OB/GYN for IF treatment (aka it's really expensive and it will all be out of pocket for us)]
*additional stuff...*
She also made the question/statement that I should throw away my temp charts if I haven't already because all they do is lead to stress (yup...been there done that a lot). Hubby was happy about it. I'm not quite so sure how I feel about it, especially since that's the only way sometimes that I know AF is coming.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Major trigs ahead, for those who care.
I'm beginning to join the "why not me" group. In the past, it honestly hasn't bothered me that much when I hear my friends announce BFPs. I was happy for them and excited to see baby bump and pregnancy updates. Lately though, it's starting to bother me a little. Last month, my cousin and his fiance welcomed a new baby - I didn't even know they were expecting until a month before they were due. One of my coworkers from high school recently had a baby as well. Another former coworker is expecting a baby any day now. I also just found out a couple of weeks ago (courtesy of facebook) that a good friend/classmate from my high school and her husband are now expecting a little one as well.
As if that alone wasn't enough, for the past couple of nights, I've had strange pregnancy dreams!! One night, I dreamt that our bottom feeder fish gave birth to a bunch of little ones (like 15-20). Last night, I dreamt that my former classmate was wearing a white strapless sundress over her bulging baby bump and for some odd reason, twins kept coming into the conversation. It was very odd. It's like I had a third sense that I just knew she was having twin boys and it was so realistic.
I'm just so ready to join that group. I'm ready for all the ladies on the Web.MD 12+ months boards to join that group. We deserve to become mothers to more than just furry kids and fishies.
On a brighter note, I finally meet with Dr. M tomorrow to hopefully establish a plan and get the ball rolling once again. Maybe she can shed some light on my + OPK but no temp rise. I'm just ready to get off the TTC train and get on the KU train.
One day our time will come. I just pray it comes soon for us all.
I'm beginning to join the "why not me" group. In the past, it honestly hasn't bothered me that much when I hear my friends announce BFPs. I was happy for them and excited to see baby bump and pregnancy updates. Lately though, it's starting to bother me a little. Last month, my cousin and his fiance welcomed a new baby - I didn't even know they were expecting until a month before they were due. One of my coworkers from high school recently had a baby as well. Another former coworker is expecting a baby any day now. I also just found out a couple of weeks ago (courtesy of facebook) that a good friend/classmate from my high school and her husband are now expecting a little one as well.
As if that alone wasn't enough, for the past couple of nights, I've had strange pregnancy dreams!! One night, I dreamt that our bottom feeder fish gave birth to a bunch of little ones (like 15-20). Last night, I dreamt that my former classmate was wearing a white strapless sundress over her bulging baby bump and for some odd reason, twins kept coming into the conversation. It was very odd. It's like I had a third sense that I just knew she was having twin boys and it was so realistic.
I'm just so ready to join that group. I'm ready for all the ladies on the Web.MD 12+ months boards to join that group. We deserve to become mothers to more than just furry kids and fishies.
On a brighter note, I finally meet with Dr. M tomorrow to hopefully establish a plan and get the ball rolling once again. Maybe she can shed some light on my + OPK but no temp rise. I'm just ready to get off the TTC train and get on the KU train.
One day our time will come. I just pray it comes soon for us all.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
It lied
I was so excited that I got a + OPK last week and Hubby and I got in some good BD'ing. All I was waiting for was FF to confirm my O through a temp rise. That hasn't happened. In fact, my temps went up for a couple of days, and now decided to go back down again. I'm thinking either the OPK was defective or my body is just really messed up. How frustrating!!
On a better note, Hubby and I got to experience something new yesterday. We took on the white water rapids of the Royal Gorge with a group from our church. That was an absolutely amazing time! Our group split into 2 groups - a wilder, crazier bunch, and the mellower ones. I must say I was a little nervous at first because we were hitting Class III-IV rapids and it was my first time going rafting. Once we got down river though, I had an awesome time! I wasn't getting very wet though, which somewhat surprised me. I thought that going through Class III-IV rapids meant a little wetter and a little better. Hubby on the other hand, got drenched. We were in the middle of a Class IV rapid and his feet weren't planted good enough. He toppled over the side of the raft, leaving our boat in a little bit of a panic. Our guide grabbed him and helped pull him in and he was fine. He got a little freaked the first few seconds that he was out of the raft, but I think he enjoyed the rush of adrenaline. I personally wasn't all that worried about him. Hubby tends to end up in situations like that a lot, so it's part of our lives. Plus, our guide was a really great guide and he grabbed Hubby right away and got him back in the boat. Quite the story to tell, that's for sure!
The rest of the trip went very smoothly. No more man overboards or super extreme rapids. Once we passed all of the major rapids, our guide let us slowly drift down the river. The other group met up with us and the nice easy day of rafting soon turned into an all-out splash war! Their guide goaded them on, and our guide made sure our boat was in line with theirs so we'd have a fair fight! I ended up completely drenched as did many of the others on the rafts. It was so much fun though and definitely worth the water! Hubby and I have already decided that we're going to go again sometime. We had such a great time!
On a better note, Hubby and I got to experience something new yesterday. We took on the white water rapids of the Royal Gorge with a group from our church. That was an absolutely amazing time! Our group split into 2 groups - a wilder, crazier bunch, and the mellower ones. I must say I was a little nervous at first because we were hitting Class III-IV rapids and it was my first time going rafting. Once we got down river though, I had an awesome time! I wasn't getting very wet though, which somewhat surprised me. I thought that going through Class III-IV rapids meant a little wetter and a little better. Hubby on the other hand, got drenched. We were in the middle of a Class IV rapid and his feet weren't planted good enough. He toppled over the side of the raft, leaving our boat in a little bit of a panic. Our guide grabbed him and helped pull him in and he was fine. He got a little freaked the first few seconds that he was out of the raft, but I think he enjoyed the rush of adrenaline. I personally wasn't all that worried about him. Hubby tends to end up in situations like that a lot, so it's part of our lives. Plus, our guide was a really great guide and he grabbed Hubby right away and got him back in the boat. Quite the story to tell, that's for sure!
The rest of the trip went very smoothly. No more man overboards or super extreme rapids. Once we passed all of the major rapids, our guide let us slowly drift down the river. The other group met up with us and the nice easy day of rafting soon turned into an all-out splash war! Their guide goaded them on, and our guide made sure our boat was in line with theirs so we'd have a fair fight! I ended up completely drenched as did many of the others on the rafts. It was so much fun though and definitely worth the water! Hubby and I have already decided that we're going to go again sometime. We had such a great time!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
2 pink lines!
Possibly TMI, but I have to share!
This morning my temp plummeted like a rock in the Grand Canyon. I took my morning doses of Tussin and realized that my CM was super thin and watery! I forgot to buy some OPKs on my last shopping adventure, so I had to make a run to Walmart to get OPKs as well as more Tussin. Well, I just POA-OPK and got 2 pretty bold pink lines!! Not to mention that my CM is watery and my cervix is nice and high and open!
I am so attacking Hubby tonight, tommorrow morning and tomorrow night! BDing here we come!!
This morning my temp plummeted like a rock in the Grand Canyon. I took my morning doses of Tussin and realized that my CM was super thin and watery! I forgot to buy some OPKs on my last shopping adventure, so I had to make a run to Walmart to get OPKs as well as more Tussin. Well, I just POA-OPK and got 2 pretty bold pink lines!! Not to mention that my CM is watery and my cervix is nice and high and open!
I am so attacking Hubby tonight, tommorrow morning and tomorrow night! BDing here we come!!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Quick update
My life has been pretty boring lately. I don't sleep in (can't cuz the Hubby has to get up at 6am for work). I sit around in my pj's and robe until 8 or 10 watching LMN (I'm addicted). I know there's things that need to be done around the house (little things here and there), but I can never seem to find enough ambition to do them. I've made myself look a little harder for a job, but other than that, I've turned into a lazy bum. And it's so not like me!!!
As for the TTC front, I took my Clomid last week. At first I thought the side effects were going to be super mild since I had a very mild headache for 2 days and just the very rare and occasional hot flash. Yeah, I was completely wrong. I've had so many hot flashes, I feel like I'm in menopause!! It's really rediculous. We have gorgeous weather here now, and I'm sitting in the house with the AC on and the fans blowing on me cuz this dang Clomid is giving me hot flashes like crazy! The things we put ourselves through...
I also have an upcoming appointment with Dr. M next week. If my clomid does what it's supposed to, I should be Oing around that date, so maybe we can squeeze in some morning BDing and she can do a post-coital test that day! We'll see though... a lot can happen between now and then.
And honestly...why did Jillian choose Ed? My mother is an Ed supporter, but my sister and I are more on Kiptyn's side. But then again, why did she get rid of Jake before Wes? I think reality TV has issues some times.
As for the TTC front, I took my Clomid last week. At first I thought the side effects were going to be super mild since I had a very mild headache for 2 days and just the very rare and occasional hot flash. Yeah, I was completely wrong. I've had so many hot flashes, I feel like I'm in menopause!! It's really rediculous. We have gorgeous weather here now, and I'm sitting in the house with the AC on and the fans blowing on me cuz this dang Clomid is giving me hot flashes like crazy! The things we put ourselves through...
I also have an upcoming appointment with Dr. M next week. If my clomid does what it's supposed to, I should be Oing around that date, so maybe we can squeeze in some morning BDing and she can do a post-coital test that day! We'll see though... a lot can happen between now and then.
And honestly...why did Jillian choose Ed? My mother is an Ed supporter, but my sister and I are more on Kiptyn's side. But then again, why did she get rid of Jake before Wes? I think reality TV has issues some times.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Seriously?!?!?!?
It's been over 3 weeks since I interviewed for that job. It took them 3 weeks AFTER the job closed to contact me for an interview. Three weeks after the interview and I was still waiting to hear back from them - either yay or nay.
Today I got my answer.
I went to the mailbox to see if the mail had even come yet (long story for another day). The only piece of mail was an envelope that had a return address of the place I interviewed for. I opened the envelope expecting something along the lines of "We apologize to inform you that the position has been filled. Try again next time." Yeah, that's so not what I got. Here's an excerpt:
"[insert business name] insituted a hiring freeze effective 7-1-09 and therefore we are not able to hire for this position at this time. ... Congratulations, we are pleased to inform you that your name is on our eligibility list. Your name will remain on the eligibility list for 6 months. ..." blah blah blah
Granted, I was grateful to finally hear something back on the position, but honestly, when I read the fact about the hiring freeze I was completely shocked. I interviewed only 2 days before that and I'm not stupid. Things like that typically don't drop out of the sky unannounced. It really makes me wonder if they knew about the hiring freeze coming down but wanted to still do the interviews just in case the economy makes a huge recovery and a position opens up in the next few months. I just can't believe that I've waited and wasted all of this time waiting to hear back from them. I could have been in another position already. ugh....
Today I got my answer.
I went to the mailbox to see if the mail had even come yet (long story for another day). The only piece of mail was an envelope that had a return address of the place I interviewed for. I opened the envelope expecting something along the lines of "We apologize to inform you that the position has been filled. Try again next time." Yeah, that's so not what I got. Here's an excerpt:
"[insert business name] insituted a hiring freeze effective 7-1-09 and therefore we are not able to hire for this position at this time. ... Congratulations, we are pleased to inform you that your name is on our eligibility list. Your name will remain on the eligibility list for 6 months. ..." blah blah blah
Granted, I was grateful to finally hear something back on the position, but honestly, when I read the fact about the hiring freeze I was completely shocked. I interviewed only 2 days before that and I'm not stupid. Things like that typically don't drop out of the sky unannounced. It really makes me wonder if they knew about the hiring freeze coming down but wanted to still do the interviews just in case the economy makes a huge recovery and a position opens up in the next few months. I just can't believe that I've waited and wasted all of this time waiting to hear back from them. I could have been in another position already. ugh....
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Is anyone else
having issues when you try to post a comment? In the past couple of days, I've tried to leave comments on blogs, but when I click Post/Submit (or whatever the heck it is...), the whole screen refreshes and my comment is not posted. Granted, I know some people have comment approval required, but most of us don't, so I have no clue what's going on. It's a little frustrating though.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
I'm going to rebel
I called my GYN's office today to set up the appointment with the other doctor, Dr. M. The receptionist I spoke with seemed to be a little surprised that Dr. S would suggest I see Dr. M, but in her words "Guess we'll do whatever the good doctor says!" I just laughed. After working with my previous OB/GYN doctor and his crazy antics that he sometimes pulled, I got quite a kick out of it. It's somewhat sad that I have to switch because I actually liked Dr. S and his staff. They were amazing people for the one visit I got to spend with them. *sigh* On a better note though, I only have to wait another 2 weeks to see Dr. M which is a huge plus! We won't have to wait another month (or more!) to get a more definite plan figured out.
Ok, so I know I'm not making the smartest decision of my lifetime, but honestly, I'm sick of her (hence the title of this post)! Today marks CD18 for me and honestly fake-AF is not showing any signs of stopping whatsoever. [She's been bouncing back and forth between spotting and light for the past 26 days.] I've had an issue with this previously, and my first OB/GYN doctor suggested that I go ahead and take the Clomid because having AF hang around for such a long time means no chance of getting KU. So, against my better judgement, I've decided to put that Clomid prescription that I have in my nightstand to good use. At least then I know fake-AF should cease and in about 14 days or so, I'll O. So tomorrow I'm gonna go buy some OPKs, restock my Tussin stash, and wait for the hot flashes and mood swings to hit. Oh not so lucky me. But heck, if it makes her stop and gives us a chance to get KU, I guess I will put up with it. I'm just so sick of her and want her to be gone! Besides, OPKs and occasional blood draws are about as much monitoring as the GYN does (from what I gathered. Dr. M may be a little different with it all).
And now I wait for the scoldings... Go ahead. Let me read 'em...
Ok, so I know I'm not making the smartest decision of my lifetime, but honestly, I'm sick of her (hence the title of this post)! Today marks CD18 for me and honestly fake-AF is not showing any signs of stopping whatsoever. [She's been bouncing back and forth between spotting and light for the past 26 days.] I've had an issue with this previously, and my first OB/GYN doctor suggested that I go ahead and take the Clomid because having AF hang around for such a long time means no chance of getting KU. So, against my better judgement, I've decided to put that Clomid prescription that I have in my nightstand to good use. At least then I know fake-AF should cease and in about 14 days or so, I'll O. So tomorrow I'm gonna go buy some OPKs, restock my Tussin stash, and wait for the hot flashes and mood swings to hit. Oh not so lucky me. But heck, if it makes her stop and gives us a chance to get KU, I guess I will put up with it. I'm just so sick of her and want her to be gone! Besides, OPKs and occasional blood draws are about as much monitoring as the GYN does (from what I gathered. Dr. M may be a little different with it all).
And now I wait for the scoldings... Go ahead. Let me read 'em...
Saturday, July 18, 2009
CD15...
and AF won't leave me alone!! I mean seriously... I did a little calculating and realized that (including my pre-AF spotting), I've been dealing with her for 23 days as of today. Although technically, since I didn't O last cycle, it's not a real AF, but either way, (possible TMI) I'm sick of this old brown blood! I honestly think that July is the month for AF to be her worst.
Why do our bodies decide to rebel against us all the time?? I'm so tired of it all...
Why do our bodies decide to rebel against us all the time?? I'm so tired of it all...
Friday, July 17, 2009
Take a moment...
For those of you who remember Kristin (a.k.a. MrsNealsWheels) from the Web.MD boards, she needs some love and support. From reading things on the boards, it sounds like she'll be having her D&C tomorrow. Take a few minutes to go visit her blog and send her some hugs, prayers, thoughts, and tissues.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Dr. Appt Update
This is gonna be a long one, so just a forewarning!!
Since the Dr's office is across town from where we live, I left with plenty of time for red lights, construction, or the occasional accident which results in backed up traffic and detours through side streets. Lucky for me, I didn't have any problems with any of those! Once I arrived at the hospital, I stopped at the registration desk because I wasn't sure what exactly I needed to do or where to go. The lady pointed me towards the elevators and gave me the office number. Boy did I get a strange look from her when I asked if there were stairs I could take! Most people probably would take the elevators going to the 4th floor, but honestly, stairs are an amazing leg workout and as odd as it sounds, I miss walking the stairs at my old job.
But anyways...I arrived at the office 20 minutes early. I got signed in, handed in all the new patient paperwork and grabbed a seat in the waiting room. Thank goodness I brought a book because it was nearly an hour and 20 minutes after my appointment time that I got called back. The receptionist didn't bother to let me know the doctor was running behind or anything (thanks lady). Needless to say, I got through about 1/4 of my book that I just started reading this morning. I mean I understand that doctors get behind and that offices can run late. But for no one to tell me anything seemed a little strange. I mean seriously...it was past lunch time and I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast at 6:30 this morning. Over 6 hours with no food is a long time for this little girl! I need my calories!!!
But I digress once again. Sharp turn back towards the real subject matter....
The nurse finally called me back and apologized a bagillion times about the long wait. Her and I got to talking about "those patients" that always seem to want to sit and talk about every little thing and how the internet is doing some horrible damage to the healthcare system. How many times do we hear people say things like "well, I was looking this up on the internet and..." or "I checked my symptoms on Web.MD and I think I could be dying." [Nothing bad about WebMD. In fact, I'm a very avid user and visitor to the website. I just don't think I'm going to die just because it says my abdominal cramping could be appendicitis.] So yeah...she got my weight (104.0!!! honestly...), height, blood pressure and all that other stuff. We sat and did a brief overview of my health history and all the usual nurse things that they have to do. A few minutes later the doctor joined me and we got to talking about everything too.
Dr. S is an older gentleman, but he definitely knows his stuff and cares about the patients he sees. I could tell that just from the first few moments with him (big difference from Dr. W). We basically went over my complete health history (my GI issues, my IF problems, etc.). He even took the time to go over the copies of my FF charts from the past 2 years and basically came to the same conclusion - we need medical intervention to help us have a baby. We discussed doing an HSG and a post-coital test and continuing on with the Clomid. He suggested doing OPKs (still not quite sure if I want to spend the money on them yet again) to help us time BDing better. He gave me a script for 3 months of Clomid and he said we'd probably evaulate things again after that time period to see what would be best for us. He did make the comment, however, that I was a perfect patient. Not only was I intelligent, prepared, and organized, but I also had a little bit of a medical background and understood and knew what my past healthcare has entailed. I think he was quite suprised at my understanding of all the medical things we discussed.
He also basically is pushing me on to another physician in the practice because she loves working with couples dealing with IF. I was a little bummed about that because he was a really great doctor and I can tell he wants to be there and help the patient as best as he possibly can. Now to basically go through things again with a new physician isn't all that great. I questioned him as far as when he wanted me to do the Post-coital test and HSG and he told me to wait until I see that other doctor and she can decide what to do next. So once again...in limbo.
So once again it's going to be another month or so before we can do anything IF treatment related. I'm hoping that I O on my own this cycle though. I know that if I do, once FF confirms my O date, I'm going to call the office and set up an appointment to see the other doctor so we can get the ball rolling as far as the PCT, HSG and anything else she wants to do. It's such a headache. And to think that IF is hard enough...now to add switching doctors (not at my request) to it all doesn't make it any easier.
Maybe I should have just taken the Clomid on my own. At least then these past few months wouldn't have been wasted...
Since the Dr's office is across town from where we live, I left with plenty of time for red lights, construction, or the occasional accident which results in backed up traffic and detours through side streets. Lucky for me, I didn't have any problems with any of those! Once I arrived at the hospital, I stopped at the registration desk because I wasn't sure what exactly I needed to do or where to go. The lady pointed me towards the elevators and gave me the office number. Boy did I get a strange look from her when I asked if there were stairs I could take! Most people probably would take the elevators going to the 4th floor, but honestly, stairs are an amazing leg workout and as odd as it sounds, I miss walking the stairs at my old job.
But anyways...I arrived at the office 20 minutes early. I got signed in, handed in all the new patient paperwork and grabbed a seat in the waiting room. Thank goodness I brought a book because it was nearly an hour and 20 minutes after my appointment time that I got called back. The receptionist didn't bother to let me know the doctor was running behind or anything (thanks lady). Needless to say, I got through about 1/4 of my book that I just started reading this morning. I mean I understand that doctors get behind and that offices can run late. But for no one to tell me anything seemed a little strange. I mean seriously...it was past lunch time and I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast at 6:30 this morning. Over 6 hours with no food is a long time for this little girl! I need my calories!!!
But I digress once again. Sharp turn back towards the real subject matter....
The nurse finally called me back and apologized a bagillion times about the long wait. Her and I got to talking about "those patients" that always seem to want to sit and talk about every little thing and how the internet is doing some horrible damage to the healthcare system. How many times do we hear people say things like "well, I was looking this up on the internet and..." or "I checked my symptoms on Web.MD and I think I could be dying." [Nothing bad about WebMD. In fact, I'm a very avid user and visitor to the website. I just don't think I'm going to die just because it says my abdominal cramping could be appendicitis.] So yeah...she got my weight (104.0!!! honestly...), height, blood pressure and all that other stuff. We sat and did a brief overview of my health history and all the usual nurse things that they have to do. A few minutes later the doctor joined me and we got to talking about everything too.
Dr. S is an older gentleman, but he definitely knows his stuff and cares about the patients he sees. I could tell that just from the first few moments with him (big difference from Dr. W). We basically went over my complete health history (my GI issues, my IF problems, etc.). He even took the time to go over the copies of my FF charts from the past 2 years and basically came to the same conclusion - we need medical intervention to help us have a baby. We discussed doing an HSG and a post-coital test and continuing on with the Clomid. He suggested doing OPKs (still not quite sure if I want to spend the money on them yet again) to help us time BDing better. He gave me a script for 3 months of Clomid and he said we'd probably evaulate things again after that time period to see what would be best for us. He did make the comment, however, that I was a perfect patient. Not only was I intelligent, prepared, and organized, but I also had a little bit of a medical background and understood and knew what my past healthcare has entailed. I think he was quite suprised at my understanding of all the medical things we discussed.
He also basically is pushing me on to another physician in the practice because she loves working with couples dealing with IF. I was a little bummed about that because he was a really great doctor and I can tell he wants to be there and help the patient as best as he possibly can. Now to basically go through things again with a new physician isn't all that great. I questioned him as far as when he wanted me to do the Post-coital test and HSG and he told me to wait until I see that other doctor and she can decide what to do next. So once again...in limbo.
So once again it's going to be another month or so before we can do anything IF treatment related. I'm hoping that I O on my own this cycle though. I know that if I do, once FF confirms my O date, I'm going to call the office and set up an appointment to see the other doctor so we can get the ball rolling as far as the PCT, HSG and anything else she wants to do. It's such a headache. And to think that IF is hard enough...now to add switching doctors (not at my request) to it all doesn't make it any easier.
Maybe I should have just taken the Clomid on my own. At least then these past few months wouldn't have been wasted...
The day has come!
In approximately 3 hours, I'll finally be meeting with the new OB/GYN doctor. It's rather exciting for me, and I'm praying that this physician will be more personable and have a better bedside manner than the military OB/GYN that I saw last month. I'm just so ready to get the ball rolling with a physician that I actually like. Hubby is hoping that Dr. S will review my history, then send us on our way to an RE. I think he's just as anxious to get things going again as I am. I'll try to post more after the appointment.
I'm also still waiting to hear back on the interview I had 2 weeks ago. I've honestly never had to wait this long to hear back on a position. It's been almost 5 weeks since the job posting closed! I'm going insane!!!
I'm also still waiting to hear back on the interview I had 2 weeks ago. I've honestly never had to wait this long to hear back on a position. It's been almost 5 weeks since the job posting closed! I'm going insane!!!
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