Half way there!

Hey everyone. 

Life has been really crazy the last 6 weeks. 

I'm currently crashing on my Aunt's couch in Colorado doing some family stuff. 

Let's recap the last 6 weeks. 

Weeks 15-17 were pretty mild. Still felt great, no puking!! 

Week17 we found out we are having a boy. It was such a wonderful experience. We invited both sets of parents Jordan's grandparents and my grandma and well as our siblings. We have to face time a few people so they could be there because of illness but it worked out fabulously. 

Kid would not cooperate though he had his hand covering is crotch and his but was all the way at the top of my belly. Took us a while to get a good look! 

Weeks 18-20 weeks and 1day (aka today) have been great as well. I've had a lot a lot of sciatica pain and am now on work sitting restrictions. I still am below my pregnancy weight it amazing what happens when you eat less junk. 

We went and registered for some stuff, totally overwhelming!! Hopefully we got everything, if not we will figure it out along the way. 

We're still working on the nursery too. We will share some picture soon. 

Rounding out the first trimester

Yesterday day was the start of week 14. Hellooooo second trimester! 

I have been so lucky not to have been nauseous, I also have not thrown up. 

I've had what seems like a ton of doctors appointments, but I'm okay with that, it's nice to check up on baby. 

During the first trimester I was very tired. A lot of things around the house got neglected. 

Overall I am feeling great, I am starting to have more energy. So far we have picked out names and painted the nursery.We will be going with a travel theme for the nursery so it has been painted a light blue.  Keep your eye out for hot air balloons maps and globes! 

We will be posting more now that we are "out of the woods" so to say. 

Here are some pictures you may have missed on Facebook. 

11 weeks 6 days.

11weeks 3 days. Holy baby bloat.

14 weeks and 1 day. 

I don't know what to say.

When I took a test on a Tuesday morning 4 days early than I was supposed to. I didn't believe it. I sent this picture to a couple of friends who I knew were awake. 

They agreed they could see a light line. 

The next morning I took another test. It was definitely darker. I sent a picture of this test to Dr. Park asking if it was too early and if it could be the trigger shot still in my system. 

Her response was "No, it is not too early. =) I will have the nurse contact you regarding blood confirmation testing." I could barely contain my excitement, my coworkers probably thought I was nuts. Smiling to myself staring at her response at break.   I decided I would share the news with Jordan as soon as o got home. 

I bought him a Father's Day card, Father's Day was only a few days away. He read the card and said "aw how sweet let me give you a hug" clearly he didn't get it, I pulled out a pair of baby shoes from my purse and gave them to him. He said "those are cute, hopefully they get used soon. When do you get to test?" My response was "you're not getting it I'm pregnant!!!!" Celebrating in our kitchen ensued with Thor in our kitchen. Poor dog didn't know what the hell was going on but he loved the love. 

I had blood work done Thursday anything higher than a 4 mIU  is positive, mine came back at 124mIU.

A second blood test was done on Saturday to make sure the pregnancy was progressing my hcg level was 317 mIU it had more than doubled. (Enter dancing emoji here!) 

Sharing with our families was so special. We got to see my parents in person and were able to FaceTime his parents. Yay for modern technology! 

Friday we visited my grandpa and got to tell him the good news. He seemed to understand what we were saying and managed a "oh that's good". This was really special since he passed away only a few days later. 

As of today I am 7 weeks and the baby is the size of a blueberry.  I am so blown away that it worked on the first try. The odd of it working on the first time are low. We are so thankful for everyone's thoughts, prayers and support. 

The big day

IUI DAY

Cycle day 14 Jordan and I made the drive to Fontana again we had to be there super early.

Jordan needed to bet there at 8:30 to do his part because we live too far away he has to give his sample there.  Dr. Park said Jordan’s sample was the best she had seen all day. He was happy.

Jordan took some picture of the room for you guys. There were also some playboy's from 1991. 

VHS TAPES after some googling I found this movie was filmed in 2001. 

Yes this is a slide of "there was an old woman who lived in a shoe"

When Jordan was done we went to breakfast since we had a few hours to kill before the insemination. Parking at Fontana Kaiser is horrible so we walked across the street to a breakfast place. It was pretty good!

We got called back around 11:30. The procedure took about 5 minutes, the insert a catheter and then they use a long syringe like tool to inject the semen. It felt like a pap smear uncomfortable but not horrible. I had to lie on the table for 10 minutes after the procedure.

All done! 

At check out I was given MORE INSTRUCTIONS, making a baby is so complicated.

On cycle day 17 I  was told to start Endometrin  a form of  progesterone that is a vaginal suppository. (Wait, excuse me?) research shows that it both helps and does nothing so Kaiser has decided to prescribe it to everyone. If I get a negative pregnancy test I am supposed to stop the endometrin and if I get a positive test I will have to continue it for 10 weeks. this stuff is expensive, it was $130 for 42 capsules which is only 3 weeks of medication. 

Now we wait....... someone has asked me how much we have spent as of this day our grand total was $1,313.00. 

Follicle Scan and HCG trigger shot

Cycle day 12 I went in for a follicle scan.  I was so excited to see what the clomid did. I had one follicle. ONE REALLY? Okay one is way better than none. The PA did comment on my uterine lining, hey I'll take my compliments where I can get them. 

This appointment was super quick so not too much to report.

I was told to give myself the HCG trigger shot at 10pm that night and to come back on CD 14 for the insemination.

This video is long but I made a video of the HCG injection. *warning its long, you get to see my fat, and I didn't know if it was recording in the beginning.* 

My experience with Clomid

My experience with clomid was rather mild.  I chose to take the medication at night thinking that any side effects I had I would experience at night., turns out the half-life of the medication is long so the medication builds up in your system.

On a daily basis I did not have many side effects.  I was mostly exhausted and anxious.  Come cycle day 8 24 hours after I stopped the medication my anxiety was through the roof.

We were at a party with some friends and we were playing “One night ultimate werewolf” I could not handle the yelling lying and accusations involved in this game.  I ended up playing two rounds and watching another five. 

I mindlessly chewed the inside of my mouth good.

By the time we left I was so done I just passed out in the car on the way home.

This feeling continued for another 24 hours, by sunday cycle day 10 I was feeling much better. 

I had very few hot flashes and no mood swings however I was a little more emotional than normal.

Jordan was at work most of the time I was on this medication so he can't really comment on my state of mind. ;)

Here goes nothing....

This will be our first medicated cycle. How are we feeling? Nervous excited, and hopeful.

Day one was a Friday, this made cycle day 3 (aka baseline ultrasound day) a Sunday. On the weekends the infertility department is open on a first come first serve basis and only for a few hours. I had to be in Fontana at 7:30 am! 

This time I saw the same Dr. I saw for the horrible HSG test. She remembered me! She said everything looked great for day 3 of a cycle and I should start my clomid the same day and end on day 7.

Wow! I was not expecting to start the same day! I thought I had a couple more days to be synthetic hormone free. 

I was given specific instructions to return on cycle day 12 for a follicle scan and to bring with me my hcg trigger shot.

Once again hurry up and wait. 

Helpful terms

CD- cycle day

DPO-days past ovulation

Clomid- This medication is used to treat infertility in women. It works by stimulating an increase in the amount of hormones that support the growth and release of a mature egg (ovulation). Here is some more information about clomid. 

Follicle-An ovarian follicle is the basic unit of female reproductive biology and is composed of roughly spherical aggregations of cells. It contains a single oocyte aka egg. 

HCG trigger shot- assists the follicles in maturing, but it also triggers mature eggs so they release from the follicles. 

Oligo-ovulation- (ol-I-go-ov-u-LA-shun) is a disorder in which ovulation doesn't occur on a regular basis, and your menstrual cycle may be longer than the normal cycle of 21 to 35 days. This is what my official diagnosis is. 

2ww- two week wait the time after ovulation before your period is due or you can test. 

While We Wait

While we wait I thought I would share a few projects we have done to our new house.

Our house was built in 1988 and we are the second owners. The house was previously a rental and had no updates to the house. We have 4 bedrooms and 3 baths.  We have a lot of big dreams for this house. Were thankful for gift card rewards and gifts for our birthdays and christmas. 

We replaced the light in our dining room with the help of my dad. Who knew that there would be three sets of wires and we would need wire cutters?

Jordan also replaced the outside light. This only took a few minutes and looks so much nicer.

This project led to the removal of the security door.  We didn’t measure and the door just slammed into the light.

Also whoever painted the house last didn’t remove the light before they painted the house. Luckily we have some paint in the garage that is labeled house outside. It just needs a touch up.  We also hope to buy a fancy new front door and install a retractable screen door. We get such a nice breeze in the afternoons the screen would be beneficial.

Positive news at today’s appointment

9 am appointment we drove to the “shadow realms” as Jordan calls it. It took us an hour and a half to get to our appointment.

 We met again today with Dr. Park. She is very happy with my hormone levels. Everything came back great. My Anti-Mullerian Hormone came back right in the middle of the normal range she was especially happy with this as it reflects my ovarian reserve. My estrodial level came back higher because we had forced my cycle and my body was more at the ovulation phase.

Dr. Park was a little concerned that my “fibroid” was gone and or not seen in the ultra sound. This will remain under observation. Dr. Park also explained to me that my left tube may still be blocked because they could not see the spillage of dye where it went completely through my fallopian tube.

 So, I am good to go. I have all 3 things needed to make a baby uterus, tubes, and ovaries. 

Down side, my cycle is just abnormal making it hard to conceive and if in a few months the clomid and IUIs do not seem to be working I will have to repeat the HSG dye test.

Jordan also got his test results today. The main thing Dr. Park was looking for was motility. Normal is anything over 40 million. Jordan has 315 million. No that is not a typo. Jordan has super sperm.

As a result of forcing my period by taking the provera last month I may have another cycle soon. If I do not have a cycle I will start the provera again. I hope this is not the case as it made me feel crappy.

 At the time my cycle starts I have to call the office and schedule a baseline ultra sound. At this appointment I would find out what my dosage of Clomid will be and when to comeback for another ultra sound. At the second ultrasound if there are less than four follicles maturing we will go ahead with the IUI.

 Some people might be wondering why we are going to do an IUI.  We get six cycles to try the clomid with or with out the IUI. We are sticking with the might as well do as much as we can for six months before we have to move on.

So we are back to hurry up and wait!

Blood test HSG and SIS

I got my blood drawn early this week and got most of the results back.  I’m definitely not a doctor but my estradiol level seems HIGH, and my testosterone and FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) seem normal.

They wouldn't let me take a picture of al of my viles of blood. HIPPA violation? Its my blood!

Today was my saline infused sonogram (SIS) and hysterosalpingogram (HSG). We fought traffic up to Fontana and checked in right on time. Our first stop was the reproductive endocrinologist for my SIS. This test/procedure took about 5 minutes. I laid down on the table they inserted a catheter and pushed saline into my uterus. NOTHING WAS THERE!!!! The doctor performing the test said that I could have passed whatever was there with my cycle. FANTASTIC. 

Our next test the HSG was in the radiology department. We checked in and I was given a hospital bracelet.

yup that's me!

We waited in the waiting room for about 5 minutes when we were called back. I was given 2 hospital gowns one to wear open in the front and one to wear open in the back.

Its way too early and I have no idea whats about to happen. 

 I waited again for about 10 minutes. Best part I got to watch Kelly and Michael and saw Robert Downey Jr. talk about avengers of ultron.

Finally they called my name and told me they would once again be inserting a catheter into my cervix and pushing dye through my uterus to see if my fallopian tubes were blocked.  They started the procedure and I had a screen where I could see what was happening. They pushed the first bit of dye through and I experienced horrible pain but my right fallopian tube lit up beautifully, the doctor came and asked me if I had my left tube. I of course said yes because why would I be missing a body part? She told me she was going to push more dye and try again. Once again horrible pain, I actually cried out in pain this time. She came and told me that my left tube was blocked and she could try again or she could just call it as blocked. I told her why not just try one more time. They gave me a 2-minute break to give my uterus a break from all of the cramping. She pushed one more time and my thought was dear sweet baby Jesus why did I tell her to do that, a second later I had significantly less pain and I felt her push more dye. The doctor came out of her little room to tell me that she could see my tube!!!! The last bit of dye pushed the blockage out.  Finally they let me up off the table and I was free to go. I was still in horrible pain, Jordan stopped and bought me Tylenol on the way home and I slept most of the hour car ride home.

 The HSG should not have hurt as much as it did the only reason I was in so much pain was because my fallopian tube was blocked. I should have taken Tylenol before hand like they suggest.  As of now most of the cramping has stopped and I am off to work like any other Friday. I can not wait until Wednesday when we get some more solid answers.

We have the best support system

Since sharing my blog I have received an outpouring of love from our family and friends. Thank you we love, appreciate and cherish you all. 

On the suggestion of a friend I am going to share this crowd funding page. 

http://www.youcaring.com/family-fundraiser/merle-baby-making-fund/336715

We have our first follow up appointment at the end of the month! 

Waiting on aunt flow

I don't think I've ever waited so impatiently for a cycle to start. I am anxious to get my blood work and tests done to see where we stand. 

For those who have asked what our plan is and the cost of each cycle here is the hand out kaiser gave us at our appointment. 

Since we only get six cycles to try and make a baby we hope to do the combination cycles. These cycles would consist of some type of pills and injections. Specifications on the medications would be discussed with our doctor later. 

So far preliminary testing (his and her blood tests, semen analysis, HSG and SIS) has cost about  $500.

For now we wait. Enjoy this picture of our dog Thor and foster dog Bane.

 

Our story so far

 In August I visited my OBGYN (Doctor B. at Kaiser in Riverside) and was asked “you are up to date on your PAP test why are you here?”  I told her I was ready to start a family and just wanted to know what I should be doing to help my chances and to make sure I was good to go.  I was told to “just have fun”, “don’t stress” She was never asked about my previous cycles, or anything pertaining to my life, stress levels, nothing. Basically I was rushed out of the office and I left feeling angry and belittled.

In December 2014 we began trying. Early January 2015 I was late with a negative test. Mid January I was still late with a negative test. I emailed my OBGYN and I was instructed to go into the clinic exactly two weeks apart for two urine pregnancy tests and when both were negative I could be seen by my Doctor. The last week of January I saw my Doctor she told I was probably just stressing and should just relax. (I cannot tell you how aggravating this statement is) I tried to explain to her how I thought something was wrong how I just don’t feel right some days, she told me she would order blood work for my thyroid and my glucose. I got an email back telling me I was fine.

Fast forward to March 2015 I was late again with negative tests. At this point I was very concerned. I emailed my Doctor once again and a nurse responded that she would forward my email to my Doctor SEVERAL days later I heard back from my Doctor. She prescribed me Provera (this will increase progesterone levels causing them to drop when the medication is stopped triggering your cycle to start) to take on the 1^st through the 10^th of each month and ordered a pelvic ultrasound, which was scheduled for March 25^th.  At this point I went back and counted all of my cycle lengths that I could access on my app. They ranged in length from 29 to 68 days.

On March 25^th I drank my twenty-some-odd-ounces of water and waited and waited for my name to be called. Apparently I had consumed too much water. Have you ever emptied half of your bladder? That is not an easy task. After the ultrasound I went home feeling like something was off. I had caught a glimpse of my ultrasound and it looked scary!!!

March 29^th I got an email from a Doctor was not my OBGYN. It read “Your recent pelvic ultrasound was normal. Your uterus and ovaries are all normal appearing. No evidence of fibroids or worrisome ovarian cysts. ” This was fantastic news. Although now I was just beating myself up for being such a stress freak. 

Thursday April 2^nd I received a follow up phone call from Doctor B. she started out once again just telling me to relax.  I interrupted her and told her I was concerned because my cycle lengths varied so much. She told me she couldn’t previously access my scans so she would pull them up and look at them again. After a long pause she told me I do have cysts on my ovaries that are consistent with Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and that I would have to go to Infertility in Fontana, which may or may not be covered by my insurance. She managed to find the contact information for me and told me to call her when I am pregnant.  

I am beyond disappointed in this Doctor and will not be returning to her.

Our first Infertility appointment was Friday April 10^th.  We met with Doctor Park who is AMAZING. She was so professional and positive. She went over our options with us as well as some of the tests that need to be completed so we have a better understanding of the situation.  Kaiser gives you six cycles to try for a baby and that’s it! She reviewed my ultra sound and said she wanted to do her own.  After the ultra sound she told me she found what she thinks is a fibroid if she is correct it will need to be removed (how the heck she saw a fibroid I have no idea  because all I saw was fuzzy gray coloring). She also said she found my ovaries to be poly cystic in nature but wants to review my blood work to know for sure. She instructed us to check out with her assistant who would give us specific instructions for our testing.

She was not joking!! I have never been given such specific instructions for blood work and when to call and schedule appointments. We then checked out with the receptionists who explained to us that we may want to start a binder for all of our receipts. Since the insurance company will only cover 50% of the costs we need to hang on to all of our paper work to keep track of what has and has not been paid for. 

Here are the tests that need to be completed for more information.

Day one of my next menstrual cycle I am to contact Kaiser Fontana Infertility and schedule a Hysterosalpingogram (HSG) and Saline Infused Sonohysterography (SIS). Day 3 of my cycle I am to have my blood work done.

At our next appointment will be scheduled after all of the testing is completed. At this appointment we will go over all of our test results and choose an option that works best for us.

The last few weeks have been a roller coaster of emotion. I am lucky enough to have an incredibly supportive husband, family and close circle of friends making this experience more bearable. 

Below are some links to some of the medical terms and procedure talked about above.

HSG 

SIS

PCOS