Disappointed

CD 13 mid-cycle check was not good. I had lots and lots of follies but none big enough. Dr. S said that they were going to give me a shot in their office that day and then I’d have to have another shot (all of Bravelle) the next evening. And to come back on Thursday (Thanksgiving) to get checked again.

We did the shots. Went back on Thursday. My 2 follies with the most potential, they measured 10mm on CD 13, actually shrunk! Now one was 8mm and the other 9mm. IUI#4 is now officially canceled.

Dr. S prescribed me Provera 10mg for 7 days so I can shed all of my lining. Apparently my ovaries don’t like the Clomid and Bravelle combo. They’re high maintenance and can only have one or the other, not both at the same time.

New Game Plan:
Take Provera 10mg for 7 days. AF comes 2-4 days after last pill. Start injects on CD3-7. CD 8 have bloodwork and ovary check and we’ll go on from there. Bravelle is costing us an arm and a leg, even with my insurances help. But we can only do a couple more rounds of Clomid because of the lifetime max, IF we decide to go back to Clomid because we know it works and my ovaries LOVE it.

Ugh! I’m disappointed to say the least. Northern Starr has been really sympathetic. He knows there’s nothing he could do to help me with it. I’m more disappointed now because of canceling the IUI than I was when I found out IUI#3 didn’t work. All that medicine and time, wasted. Come on uterus, get pregnant!

IUI #4 - Game Plan

So my check up with Dr. S yesterday… I have an ovulatory cyst that she says is small and is nothing to worry about, but they’ll keep a close eye on it. And we came up with a new game plan. Dr. B’s nurse Glenna was there and I love her. She had paperwork filled out for us because she just knew we wanted to be more aggressive now. Glenna came and got us from the waiting room and took us to examination room and said, “What am I going to do with you? I was so sure it was going to work this time! Everything was lining up!”

“Me too, Glenna… Me too”

And then Dr. S comes in once I got undressed and even she was telling us that she thought IUI #3 was it for us. We didn’t tell all of our friends and family that we were doing treatments again, but for the few that did know, even they were shocked it didn’t work out.

GAME PLAN:
150mg Clomid CD 3-7. Ovidrel (forgot the mgs) on CD 9. Mid cycle check on CD 13. IUI on either CD 15 or 16.

Side note, this is the worse boobs and back ache from AF that I’ve ever had!!

CD 7 of IUI#3

My hot flashes have begun.  I started taking Clomid on CD 3, I'm surprised its taken this long.  My last day on Clomid is this Saturday.

I really hope and pray that my follies will be really mature, I want at least 3 "good" ones.  At the end of July, Dr. S saw around 50 follices in my left ovary.  And now that my right ovary should be visible, I'm more optimistic that everything will work out!  I know, I know.... I shouldn't set myself up and jinx it.  I will be devastated if this isn't "THE ONE." 

I wish infertility didn't exsist!  Next month will mark our 3 years of trying to get pregnant.  Lets hope we won't have to mark it ;)

Post Operation Check-Up

Overdue again, I blame myself for being lazy.

We got to our REs on the 27^th, waited in the waiting room for a few minutes and Glenna (Dr. B’s nurse) called us back.  She took us straight to the exam room.  Northern Starr said, “Wow, no choice for you, it’s straight to the exam room!”  So we get in there and Glenna tells me to just unbutton my pants and lay down so Dr. B can inspect my incision scar.  Then she left the room.

I just looked at Northern Starr… “They’re not going to look at my ovary?  I want to see it.  I shaved my legs for this!”  Insert Northern Starr’s uncontrollable laughing here. LOL!

Dr. B comes in and checks my scar.  He said that I’m healing just perfectly!!!  I told him that I’m still numb from under my belly button to the top of my scar.  He said that I may never get feeling back there.  It’s all about the way my nerves heal and come together.  Dr. B said that if I do get feeling back, it will come and go a lot.  Insert my shocked face here, and Northern Starr’s “I told you so.”  Hate that he knows a lot of medical stuff.  I’m never right in these situations.  All because he’s a certified EMT.  BLAH!

Afterwards, Dr. B said for me to get dressed and for us to meet him in his office and we’ll go over a few things.  He left; I sat up, got off the table and buttoned back up.  We headed over to his office, down the hallway.  We talked about Provera, which I told him that I wanted because even though I started when I was supposed to after my surgery, it was only for 2 days and really light, so I didn’t have much of a period.  He agreed and wrote the prescription.  Then he asked what we wanted to do as far as treatment.  I said that we want to do Clomid plus injectables.  Dr. B said, “let’s compromise.”  He feels that it’s too soon to jump into something that will over stimulate my ovaries, so we are just going to do Clomid this cycle with the IUI.  Should this cycle not work, we can do Clomid plus the injections.  And possibly back to back IUIs. 

Game plan set.

I started taking the Provera and 5 days after AF came.  I’m on CD 3 now, day 1 of Clomid.  And our mid cycle check is on the 23^rd.

Provera made me more grumpier than usual.  And now, with the Clomid, here comes more moodiness and the hot flashes.  Bring it on!!  It will all be worth it in the end when we are holding our little bundle(s) of joy!

Bad News...

My ultrasound was yesterday.  We left feeling confident.  The tech said that she thinks she caught my right ovary on camera; she just needs the radiologist to confirm.  My Dr should have the results Tuesday or Wednesday.

Dr. S called me this morning.  The results are in.  I have (what they think is) a dermoid cyst either in front of, or ON my right ovary and this is the reason why no doctor has ever seen it.  The next step is to have an MRI, which is scheduled for August 15^th.  The MRI will confirm what type of cyst it is.  Dr. S said that dermoid cyst are benign, and that I will need to have surgery to remove it since they can’t “go away” on its own, and since it’s pretty big.

I’m scared.  I’m heartbroken too.  Dr. S said that this cycle is out of the question now.  I can still take the Provera to shed all the lining I still have.  But I cannot take the Clomid.  I’ve never spent the night in the hospital before.  I mean, I have for other people, but never for myself.  I’ve heard different stories though.  The surgery could be a simple outpatient procedure, or I might have to spend the night there.  I guess we’ll learn more about this as we go.

I’m trying to remember… But I think an ex-coworkers daughter had a dermoid cyst.  And once she had it removed, she and her husband had a baby… NATURALLY!  Let’s hope this is the case for us too!

So we’re OUT.  Literally. L

Back at the REs

So we had our first RE appointment of this year!!!  Good news and bad news.  I’d like to end this post on a good note, so I’ll start with the bad news first.

*Note:  Our REs office has 3 different doctors.  And they all see each others patients if the clients primary doctor isn’t available.  There’s Dr. S (the only female in the practice), Dr. W, and Dr. B (our RE).*

BAD NEWS:  I asked Dr. S at our visit if we could talk about doing injectables or a combination of clomid and injectables, and if there’s a possibility of doings 2 IUI procedures in the same cycle.  She “checked me” (so uncomfortable, I had to practice my deep breathing to help me from not tensing up).  She still wasn’t able to see my right ovary.  None of the doctors in the practice can see my right ovary.  All possibilities of me doing any medicated cycle with injectables goes out the window.  Our doctors would prefer us to not have anything more than twins.  My left ovary was full!  50+ follicles!!  Oh Mylanta!  So even more so Dr. S doesn’t want to take the chance of giving me injectables L.  She did recommend that I make an appointment with Radiology to have an ultrasound to make sure my right ovary is okay.  Just because no one has ever seen it.  But even if Radiology can see it, if my REs can’t see it, we can’t do injectables.

GOOD NEWS:  My 50+ follicles!  Of course they weren’t mature, but I have A LOT of possible babies in there!  Hooray!  AND Dr. S prescribed me Provera because she saw a lot of lining in my uterus that needs to be shed. Greaaaat…. Can’t you just hear all that sarcasm in my tone?  And then I start the Clomid.  I’ll get monitored on CD14, where they’ll see if my follicles are mature enough and how many of them there are.  Looks like we’re going to have to just go off of what is seen in my left ovary.  If IUI is a go, they’ll give me the trigger shot to take home and take whenever they tell me, and then go in to do my IUI.  We’ve decided that we’re not going to do the 2 IUIs back to back this cycle.  Because Northern Star doesn’t need to do another SA, we want to see what his count will be this time around.  And if it doesn’t look good we’ll do the 2 back to back in the next round.

So happy we’re starting up again.  But we are keeping things to ourselves.  Our parents don’t even know!  A few close friends of ours are the only ones who know.  And of course all of you lovely people.

Lots of love!

Sabrina Starr

It's Been Awhile...

This cycle was a fail.  Let me tell you, it’s pretty hard to keep positive.  I know last post I said that if this cycle failed then we’d call our RE and start having medicated cycles.  I was pretty confident then about this last cycle working.  I’m dreading going back to Dr B.  Don’t get me wrong, we LOVE him.  He’s so sweet and encouraging and doesn’t make me feel like all he wants is our money LOL! 

Dr B’s office is an hour and a half drive from our town.  The town we live in is pretty big and has RE’s, but Northern Starr and I tried out Dr. B because the center he works for is well known, has excellent reviews… plus their website has a little “get to know us” section.  I know that shouldn’t really count, but I liked that everyone who works in that office (even the receptionist) had their picture up with a little biography.  Not like most medical center websites where they only list things about the Drs.  Knowing more about the lady who always answers when I call there, who checks me in, who takes my co-pay… makes me feel more at ease and I kinda feel like I can talk to her about anything.  I know it’s weird but that’s just me ha-ha!

So back to me being unsure about going back to Dr B’s.  I haven’t told Northern Starr yet but I think I want to wait another month and start going back in August.  And I think when we go back; I want to try the inject ables.  I’m scared of needles, but I’ve read some stuff about it and I think it would help us more than just being on Clomid.  He’ll be understanding, but also a little disappointed about waiting another month.  Ugh, maybe I should just do it already, make the call.

Have any of you tried the inject ables?