Monday, June 30, 2014

cycle day 1 (IVF #1)


Day 1 and counting . . . I've scheduled my labs for Day 3 this upcoming Wednesday. All I can do now is hope and pray that everything is normal. I'm more than ready to start this next phase of treatments. My husband and I were at an info session for IVF at our clinic last month and the nurse asked a woman seated next to her husband when she hoped to start IVF treatment.

"Yesterday." The woman answered.

I think every woman (and man) in that room felt the same way. Why didn't we start this yesterday?

No time for regrets now I know as we move forward. Trying to stay hopeful - as well as keep my feet firmly planted beneath me. There are so many things that could go wrong. So many disappointments.

It's all the things that will go right - all of the JOYS - that are keeping me going. 

Sunday, June 29, 2014

waiting for auntie


Waiting for AF today . . . or hints that she's on her way . . . tomorrow really is more likely. I'm only on cycle day 27, but usually I start spotting and cramping at around this time. Could be that the acupuncture I've been pursuing on a weekly basis is finally bringing my hormones back in line and I'll start my period with none of the familiar spotting that I've been used to in recent years.

I just want to get to cycle day one!

Looking back now I wish I had never done that clomid cycle in May - it really messed me up and now we're still waiting to start . . . waiting to start everything! I've been pretty patient, because I feel that it was my choice to do the last cycle and therefore my fault for the resulting cysts and hormonal f**k up. But now, please body, please please come back to center.

My husband is home from his training and we've spent the weekend in bed. (I wish we could pull up that kind of enthusiasm in the middle of my cycle instead of at the end - but it is nice to snuggle and cuddle with my husband when we're not trying to make a baby.) Less stress, more bonding.

We'll need that for the days ahead. Yesterday we walked to a coffee shop and sat for hours talking about our next steps and our families. We've had struggles with both sides during these 2 infertile years that we've been through together.

We are basically at the point where we rarely see his side of the family, because of some pretty brutal and inconsiderate comments made by his mom and sister, as well as some brutal gossiping done by his mother to the entire family regarding our infertility treatments.

Boy, people are so clueless and self-righteous when they haven't had to struggle with infertility. So full of condescending advice. My husband and I really struggled this past fall with infertility and his mother took that as a sign to attack our marriage and our faith and whether or not we were good enough people to even raise children.

That pissed me off.

She had the nerve to tell me that children are not the most important thing. She even boldly claims that she could have lived without children, though I don't know what she would be doing with her time if she couldn't interfere and gossip about the lives of her four children. My mother-in-law (MILly) is a work of pure art. She truly thinks we should be treating our infertility with herbs and prayer.

To each their own. If you are reading this blog and that is your treatment choice and you are at peace with that, I respect your right to make that choice and wish you all the best of luck. I know babies are a gift from God, so are advanced medical treatments. My husband and I are going to need them in order to conceive.

We just need to get to cycle day one - with steady day three labs.

We have some family events that are coming up on my husband's side and I'm carefully preparing myself and my husband. We are trying to create a support system of communication and awareness so that we can survive these stressful encounters. My husband is so used to his mother's manipulative ways that they don't annoy him like they do me.

One of the most important things in my life now is becoming a mother, I just keep telling myself to ignore any background noise that will cause me stress and to listen to my heart and be guided by my faith.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

hidden daggers

What sucks the most about infertility is having opposite reactions to what in normal circumstances would be good news. What sucks is instead of feeling happy for another woman's pregnancy all I feel is depression and anxiety.

Will I ever be pregnant?

Today a co-worker came over to my desk to chat. She recently returned from maternity leave and has been supportive of me when I told her about our struggles with infertility last fall. Back in October she sent me an email telling me how hard she knew this was for me and how good of a mom she thought I would be when our baby finally arrived.

So...it's very important for me that I remain on good terms with this woman, because I know her heart is in the right place. When I talk to her I ask about her kids and family and she sometimes asks about our adoption. Today she wanted to tell me about a trip that she has planned to Hawaii to visit her sister. I remembered that her sister had been married last August.

I knew what was coming next - the other shoe would drop.

She finally said that the reason she's going to Hawaii is that her sister is pregnant and due soon and she wants to help out. This is great news, but I wanted to just crawl under my desk and curl into a ball and rock until the work day was over.

This story is so normal and great . . . but it made me feel like shit.

I got through it okay. Wished her well and told her to have fun. I'm hoping that there will come a time when I can share stories about my kids with this woman. I can't burn all of my bridges with the real world just because I'm struggling with infertility.

I wish I lived in Hawaii. I wish I was pregnant. I hope we can get there.

I want to be normal. I just want to feel happy again.

Monday, June 23, 2014

raise your smoothies in a toast!


It's so good to hear good news! Today one of my fellow bloggers announced that she was pregnant after her first IVF. (You can find her near the top of my blog roll.) That's so great. I truly wish her a healthy and safe pregnancy and I can't wait to follow along through her blog. You girls (and guys) keep me going.

I've never come across a more positive and problem-solving inventive group of people in my life. Yes, I'm standing by positive as a description of the IF community, because even though we do get knocked down - even though we have some legit things to gripe about - many of us find ways to cope and stagger back to our feet. Every time one of you stumbles and pulls yourself back up and returns to the blogger-sphere to tell your story it gives me courage to keep going.

Of course I wish it was me who got to post a BFP . . . I know my day will come. It's either a BFP or a call from our facilitator saying they have a match with a birth mother for us.

I had to readjust my expectations this afternoon after I got off the phone with our clinic. It looks like the earliest time we can schedule our egg retrieval and fertilization is early September. Darn, in my head I was like: "We are doing IVF this summer." September feels so far away. I'm just gonna roll with it. September is a good month. It's gonna be our month.

Back to the main reason for this post - some infertility recipe goodness.

Cinnamon Avocado Smoothie

1 Banana 
1 Avocado
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup organic ground flaxseed
1/2 t. organic cinnamon
Whip it up and serve!
So, we've probably all heard how good avocados are for preparing for IVF, but my research also shows how beneficial ground flaxseed and cinnamon are - just for everyone. Watch how much cinnamon you consume, though - there is a daily limit. 

I'm not a doctor or anything - I'm just trying to find ways to improve my health and increase the odds that our fertility treatments will work. I would love your feedback and suggestions for ways to boost my diet to improve my fertility. 

Happy Monday Y'all!

Sunday, June 22, 2014

holiday

I know Dr.'s need vacations too. Mine is taking his for two weeks in the middle of July - the hard thing about this is that this is the same time that my first IVF cycle is scheduled to start. Let me make this clear, the clinic hasn't scheduled me in yet, that's just when I wanted to get the ball rolling on this next phase of our baby-making journey. The past few months have been agonizing hell for me as I've been waiting for my body to "return to normal" after our 6th and final failed IUI cycle. My hormones seem to be settling down, if all goes well my period should arrive on Saturday or Sunday.

Ha ha ha. Yes I am laughing at myself, because I know how things that we expect to happen don't happen the way we want them to when we are traveling down the road of infertility. Usually my period is very regular, I hope it doesn't fail me in seven days.

I also have to jump through several other hoops before we can start this cycle. I have to have good day 3 labs and I have to have a clear sono. These seem like big things to me now. Last year my attitude would have been "I'm sure everything will be great on me." Now my attitude is "okay, what are we dealing with now, and how much further am I from a positive pregnancy test?"

The journey if infertility has turned me into a different person. 

My days feel so blah. Here it is already almost July. The 4th used to be a really fun holiday for me, but now I don't really care. All I care about is when my name gets slotted on my IVF clinic's calendar and when I can start taking the meds. I know one of the main things that women say when they look back on their struggle with infertility is that they wish they hadn't stress so much, that they had enjoyed the beautiful moments in front of them, but I just can't. I just can't.

I'm sorry that I can't.

This holiday means nothing to me if I can't celebrate it one day with a child. I feel like I'm being childish, that I should just get over it, but again I can't. I am going to have a good day on the 4th. My husband will be home, I'm sure we'll do something fun and distracting. But I'm focused on one thing here - for better or worse.

Hopefully for the better.

Thursday, June 19, 2014

uplifting thoughts



Just love the dog flying sideways through the air after the frisbree. My dog loves to catch frisbees. Everyday I get home from work and she's waiting for me. She really lifts me up. My husband and I just adopted her three weeks ago. It took us a while to get a dog. We were back and forth.

In 2011 we said:

"Should we get a dog? We'll be having a baby soon, there will be no time for a dog.

In 2012 we said:

"The baby is just around the corner, it wouldn't be fair to the dog if we got one."

Then came 2013:

"We can't even think about a dog, we're too busy running back and forth between work and fertility appointments."

Finally 2014:

I said "Honey, we're going to adopt a dog. Let's make a positive step forward in our life and take this leap."

And our dog has been the best thing we've done in the last two years. Funny, but now that we have her, I feel like there's this positive energy in our life now . . . things are going to start to happen for us.

Ever hopeful:

Jillian

(Source: handmadebycharlotte.com; blogg.amelia.se,magicinbatureblog; lifespotting.tumbler.com; claudia.d.k)

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

wednesdays

Wednesdays are hard.

It's on Wednesdays that my mom, my sister and my cousin gather at my parent's house (my sister with her two little girls ages three and one and my cousin with her two month old son) to hang out. I can't be a part of this - I'm not a mother. (Nor can we afford for me to take a day off in the middle of the week - plus it's a 180 mile round trip.) I feel left out. Usually I'm too busy at work to imagine what they are doing - but it hurts.

I'm never invited to these gatherings. There's never been the "hey, I know you're usually working, but just this one time would you like to join us?" comment extended by any of the participating parties. In fact, if I do complain I'm made to feel like I'm a whiner. Anyway, Wednesdays suck.

That's just how I feel.

Someday I know I'm going to be a mother, but from where I'm sitting now I can't ever imagine wanting to hang out with the women who have basically ignored me this entire struggle. Yes, my mother, my sister, my closest cousin - they have very much ignored me. And I know why - they feel bad, they do - momentarily - but then they are so busy with their lives and their young families that they just can't stay trapped in the problems of someone else for very long. We all have to live our own lives.

I know there are worse things than infertility. But the idea of having to live a childless life just kills me. I'm not choosing to live this way. I'm doing everything I can to get us out of this.

Today I had a lot of ovulation pain and all of the other classic signs of ovulation, it's too bad my husband is on active duty down in Kansas. Last year I would have thrown a fit about this - him missing my fertile days, but after 6 failed IUIs I've learned patience.

It is what it is. He can't be here. Making myself upset would only be making myself upset and I need to gather calmness, equanimity and peace around me like a healing cloak, so that my body can be prepared to carry a child this autumn.

I want to believe I'm one Wednesday closer to being a mom . . . so that's what I'm going to do.

Monday, June 16, 2014

kicking off a new cycle (IVF #1)

I started to reschedule appointments for our first round of IVF today. Our last treatment cycle was in April when I was put on a 100 mg dose of Clomid days 3-7 of my cycle. It was during that cycle that things started to go really haywire with my body. My brain did not like Clomid at all. We're still not sure if I ovulated with the Ovidrel trigger, or if my body released a few eggs (I had three) and not all of them - and one hung around for ten days before releasing late - screwing my hormones up. Or if the cysts that ultimately developed were releasing hormones as well - which also subsequently screwed my hormones up.

I'm guessing a little of both.

I know some women have had success with clomid and can pop it like candy while their body chugs happily away developing eggs, but I am not one of them. Clomid completely messed me up and also made me angry, emotional and really, really depressed while I was on it.

Phew, I'm glad I'm off of it - and so is my husband. Keep that stuff away from me. On that flip side, Clomid is one of the cheapest fertility drugs out there and since our insurance doesn't cover anything involving assisted reproduction we are now moving up to platinum level fertility treatments.

This sucks, ladies!

So I've been waiting 60 days from my cycle to start to level out. I've been drinking detox tea and visiting my acupuncturist 2 days a week. Finally, I can tell my cycle is coming back on track, so I started to schedule appointments a month out.

I have my sonohysterogram scheduled for July 10th and if my hormones are on track after my day 3 labs we should be good to go with the protocol Dr. P. decides will work for me. My hopes are that we can have our transfer mid-to-late August. Our clinic doesn't run their IVF program the first two weeks of August. The positive side to this is that my RE and Embryologist will be fresh and relaxed from their summer vacations. 

I am certain I will be one hot hormonal mess . . . 

In the weeks leading up to our IVF I'm really being careful about what I eat and the suppliments I'm taking in preparation. 

So far I'm on:


  • prenatal vitamins
  • royal jelly
  • brazil nuts
  • avocados
  • detox tea
  • no caffine
  • limiting my red meat consumption to 1 meal a week
  • lots of fresh fruits and veggies
  • pineapple according to where I'm at in my cycle
  • no booze 
  • wheat grass smoothies
  • bi-weekly acupuncture
  • daily yoga and meditation
  • daily walks with my dog
  • daily prayer and reflection
If anyone has any suggestions for further food choices or suppliments that have worked for them please let me know. 

Thanks for your support, I truly appreciate it!

Jillian

Sunday, June 15, 2014

the hard road of infertility

Here we are: stuck in the rut of infertility.

Some days I am optimistic (the days that I'm not reminded about what I know I'm missing out on) and other days - other days are hard days to get through.

Where to start? First of all, if you are reading this post thank you for stopping by. I have been blogging for years (I have had a creative living blog since 2009) but the need for complete animosity to just spill my guts and be open to the pain of infertility has made me come here - to this new space - to talk about the pain and the joys of my life.

Here' our infertility timeline:

  •  November 2009 - My first date with (soon to be) husband. After years of searching for that special someone we felt truly blessed to have found one another. My husband had just signed up for the National Guard, so the first few years we had to navigate his training schedule and our developing relationship. 

  •  January 2012 - Our Wedding! One of our main priorities was a family, we knew we were going to start trying soon. I landed a new job, he landed a new job, we refinanced our house and then started trying for a family in the late Summer of 2012. 

  •  Holidays 2012 - Still caught up in baby-making bliss . . . no worries at this point. 

  • January 2013 - we both turn 34 this year . . . starting to get a bit worried about our fertility. My identical twin sister and her husband have announced they are pregnant with their second child. My cycles have always been on track and I feel that everything should be okay with me. 

  • My husband finds out his unit is going to be deployed to Kuwait in April 2014.

  • March 2013 - a high school friend of mine who struggled with infertility (PCOS - second child born after two clomid cycles) told me to get our butts to the doctor and not to wait any longer. On average most healthy couples will get pregnant after 5 months of trying, and if you're in your 30's and have been trying for over 6 months with no luck go and see a doctor.

  • April 2013 - Our first visit with an OB/Gyn fertility specialist. At this point my husband confesses that he has had struggles with his bladder in the past. We discover after several appointments with an Urologist that he has a bladder neck issue. (Uncomfortable to live with, but this shouldn't be effecting our fertility.)

  • My husband's sister announces she is pregnant.

  • May 2013 - Full range of fertility tests on my husband and myself. My results are encouraging, nothing major seems to be wrong and I have a strong ovarian reserve. The results for my husband are more negative. We are looking at Male Factor Infertility - low sperm count (20 million) motility (50%) and morphology (2%). Our doctor suggests that if we want to get pregnant within the next year to go with injectable drugs for me and a sperm donor. We want a second opinion.

  • June 2013 - I decided (after a bunch of reading) that we need to be seeing a Reproductive Endocrinologist. We switch clinics to the U of MN Reproductive Medicine Center. Our doctor recommends IUI. 

  • June 2013 - Failed IUI #1

  • July 2013 - Failed IUI #2

  • My husband finds out he's being transferred to a new unit - thank God - no deployment.

  • July 2013 - We visit a Urologist who specializes in Male Factor Infertility and discover that my husband has mild/moderate varicose veins on his testicles. Suggested treatment: surgery to remove.

  • September 2013 - Failed IUI #3

  • My cousin announces she is pregnant. 

  • October 2013 - We start looking into adoption.

  • November 2013 - Varicocele Surgery for my husband - a tough week for him. We now have a 3 month freeze on any fertility treatments while we wait to see if the surgery will help with his numbers, etc.

  • December 2013 - Our nephew is born. My husband's sister and brother-in-law are not sympathetic to our infertility and are very hurt that we are not celebrating with them as they think we should be. On top of the holidays this is a lot of stress and sorrow (for us) to take. 

  • Holidays 2013 - Complete hell. Cousins pregnant on all sides - can't stand their pity and complete ignorance about infertility. We will later learn that another one of my cousins is pregnant at that time, but they don't want to say anything because we are there.

  • February 2014 - Failed IUI #4

  • Another nephew is born - I get my period that day.

  • March 2014 - Failed IUI #5 - Donor sperm and 50mg dose of clomid on days 3 - 7. I felt that I ovulated early on this cycle. One huge egg, ready to burst on day 10. We were too late for the insemination. 

  • April 2014 - Failed IUI #6 - Donor sperm and 100mg dose of clomid on days 3 -7. Three good-sized eggs (early again) insemination on day 12, all blood work good. My period was late this month, but all pregnancy tests negative. What in the heck is going on? After another appointment with blood work we discover that I didn't ovulate with the clomid, ovidrel trigger shot etc. I ovulated ten days after the day of the insemination. This is a strange reaction to clomid and ovidrel - they give you this schpeel that it's 99.9% proven that you will ovulate. Not me! Three huge cysts are found on my right ovary and now I'm out of the "game" until my cycle levels out. 

  • May - June 2014 Acupuncture and Detox tea to bring my cycle back to normal. We are completing the steps to start IVF in August or early September. 
  • September Egg Retrieval - only 4 eggs. 3 immature - none fertilized normally. Nothing to work with. 
  • December 2014 - First visit at the NEDC in Tennessee. Approved to move forward with program.
  • December 2014 - We put our domestic adoption on hold.
  • January 2015 birthday number 36.
  • February 2015 - we adopt our embryos - five beautiful blasts. 
  • March 2015 - FET in Tennessee.  God is good!
  •  Healthy baby boy born November 2015.
  • Summer/Fall 2016 start the embryo adoption process again/adopt more embryos 
  • November 2016 FET# in Tennessee. Successful!
  •  
  • Baby girl due late July 2017
We have been blessed with hope and a family.

Prayers to you all struggling to walk down this path. Please pray for us too!

XOXO

Jillian