CD 21 & Hubby Love

Well it seems as if the trigger is finally coming out of my system... I did an OPK yesterday and today and they were both negative. I've been doing pretty good lately, although these past two days I've been dealing with allergies and loose stools (TMI, sorry). I'm not reading too much into that, however. I've also been surprisingly calm these last few days, like no worries. What a nice change of pace. :) I woke up from a late nap a few hours ago, and I feel a little feverish, though my temp is normal. I hope I'm not coming down with anything. I made a promise to myself not to consume any alcohol while in this 2WW (if I can even call it that, since my chart still has no spike), but funny how I've been craving coffee recently. I've had it pretty much every day this week. I told hubby how ironic that I've sworn off alcohol, yet I'm still drinking coffee. I'm going to try and stop that too. (But this cold weather makes me want to enjoy a nice hot cup.) I haven't had any today, YAY! I am excited that next week I will be able to test. I am counting down the days.

In other news, DH has been seriously stressing about our future. I have to admit, we have had to deal with alot on our plate recently. But it's weird because it's usually me that's stressed out and here I am trying to reassure hubby that all is going to be okay. He started his spring semester in school this week and he's taking three classes plus working full time. Also, I still haven't found steady work. I mean, I've picked up two extra days of PT work, but we are still trying to recover, financially, from my recent lay-off. And now, we just found out that our house needs a little work on it too. Plus on top of everything we are dealing with IF. After his first two days of class, he came home pretty overwhelmed with all the expectations of his courses. I told him that now that I have more time on my hands I can help him out. After all, I've been in school pretty much most of my life, so I know what and what not to do. I don't like seeing him stressed like this, especially when I'm trying to be positive and optimistic about this cycle. But I think with the pressure of perhaps bringing a baby into the picture he feels very overwhelmed. I understand it's a lot to deal with at one time, but like I explained to hubby, we just need to take one thing at a time. I used a metaphor with him last night when trying to explain things. I said...

It's like putting mayo in your sandwich... If you scoop a spoonful of mayo and plop it on a slice of bread, you're not expected to eat it like that. Yes, of course it seems like alot... but that's if your planning on biting into it like that. And who would do that, certainly not you and me. You have to spread it out the bread slice. Right? That way what seemed like alot at first is now spread out evenly in each bite. I told him that's how we have to approach our issues right now. Yes, we've had a lot to deal with in these past few weeks, but you'd be insane to try and tackle it all at once. You need to deal with these things slowly and with care, making sure to spread it out over time. Yes, I'm not making nearly as much money as I was with my FT job, but I'm still working... I'm still bringing in money. I've got three jobs. I work 3 days a week and I just found out I may be picking up another job (more about that later). Yes, your classes may seem hard at first, but remember, you have your weekends free to study. Plus I will help you out. I'm a pro at these classes. They are what I live through everyday (he's taking Human Anatomy & Physiology and Medical Terminology), I can help you with studying. I can make it seem less difficult. Work, unfortunately can't change. Yes, they are stressing you out over there. But you are only human, you can't be expected to do EVERYTHING. I know you usually try to and that's what makes you such a good, hard working man. But remember, you are not dedicated to this place and you may be soon leaving in a few months if our plans stay on track. Just grin and bear it. Sometimes that's all you can do. The house needs a little work, yes, but we can tackle that gradually. It doesn't all need to be fixed in one day. Slow and steady wins the race. And finally IF... who knows if this cycle will be successful. Yes, this is the farthest we've come and yes, there is chance this may finally be the start of a new chapter. But again it's one day at a time. Babies early on don't require alot of spending. Thank goodness we've decided to cloth diaper and we've already purchased a bassinett. I'm an avid supporter of breastfeeding for the first year, and hopefully I won't have any problems with it. That also will save us money. We both have very supportive families and if it ever comes down to it, I'm sure they can lend a helping hand if need be. I somehow have this feeling that things will turn out okay. I think that's why I've been so calm lately. Maybe it's pregnancy hormones, who knows! (Wishful thinking) But we are here and surviving just fine. Carpe diem. Tomorrow will bring different opportunities, so you just have to take it one day at a time. Times like this will only strengthen our bond and bring us closer together. I love you forever and always.

Did I O?

So the trigger is supposed to make me ovulate, right? Well my temps show no sign of it yet. It's making me a little nuts. I'm trying not to put too much thought into it. My temperatures have pretty much stayed consistently flat since the trigger, and I'm worried because I haven't seen the spike as of today. It's been 3 days since my trigger, and the trigger usually works within 36 hours from what I've read. I really haven't read anything online of someone NOT ovulating with a trigger... considering it's supposed to MAKE you ovulate.  The HCG is still showing up on my OPKs, so I know it's definitely still in my system. I'm just hoping the meds are what's affecting my temps. We BDed over the weekend and now I'm wondering if we should continue until I see the spike.



My Ovulation Chart

That's what's going on in my head today. No new symptoms... same old, same old. Food for thought...

I'm Officially Fertile!

Let the BD commence!  DH and I are so stoked to see where this month takes us.  OPK was positive last night, but of course this is due to the trigger.  That was the first time I got two definate lines.  It was so amazing to see, I've never seen the test line so dark.  LOL.  EWCM is still present and I even showed it to DH, which may have been TMI, but he needs to know what's going on in my body.  Now that I know I have 2 follies, it makes this even more exciting!

I was on the PAIF boards last night, and I saw one of the gals is pregnant with twins after going through her second medicated cycle.  Her BFP resulted from Clomid + Trigger + TI.  The same protocol we're on now.  That made my night :)  To make it even better, I found out she was team purple... pink + blue  = purple.  Get it?  I told DH about it and that made him super happy.  So our TI schedule is as follow:  24, 32 and 38 hrs after injection.  Yep, hubby will be wore out.  LOL.

I did notice some side effect symptoms from the trigger last night.  Weird sensations in my pelvic area and a little pain (ovulation pain?).  I was reading that sometimes women experience pregnancy-like symptoms after getting the trigger, so maybe that was what I was feeling.  BBTs are still low, but I'm hoping for a spike and high temps afterwards ;)  Until then, I will begin the prometrium on Monday, and can't test until the 26th.

That's all for today.  I'm wearing my lucky socks again.  Stick babies, stick.

Update - CD 15

2:30 pm
So here I am sitting in the waiting room, waiting on them to call me in for the u/s.  DH is here with me playing games on his phone or something like that.  I'm nervous and my plantar fascitis is giving me problems today.  I hope this right now is the pit of my day.
Last night and this morning I have had EWCM.  So now I have my hopes up.  Still no positive OPK, but this afternoon's test was the darkest I've seen it.  Today is CD 15 and fifteen is my lucky number.  I'm wearing "lucky" socks and I feel good.  Are my hopes too high?  I hope not.

2:40pm
There's another pt here, sitting next to me, with a newborn in a stroller.  Stay calm, Mely.  I guess that's the price u pay coming to an OB/Gyn.  What's taking so long? My appt was at 2pm.

3:00 pm
Just got done with u/s.  Waiting on doc to follow-up.  DH was there to hold my hand.  Measurements looked good, but then again I may be mistaken like last time.  She measured my endometrium, my uterus, my ovaries and my follicles.  "Numbers look promising don't they?" I ask DH.  He tells me he didn't know what the heck he was even looking at.  LOL.  I'm hoping for 2 good follies, but one would do just fine.

3:30 pm
Just got called in for my appt with doc.  Waiting in exam room.  Will post a quick video in a bit. FX!

(sorry video is sideways)

4:00 pm
Still waiting on doc..... I'm going stir crazy and I'm starving :(

4:30 pm
It's a go! Doc just walked in not even spending FIVE minutes with us. "We're gonna go ahead and release it. Then u and ur husband are going to do ur business tomorrow night and the following night. Ur gonna wear him out. But he's a lucky man to be married to such a beautiful woman." Then walks out. No other info.

4:35 pm
Injection done :)  In my right hip.  It stings a little.  They want me to wait 10 min more to make sure I don't have an allergic reaction to the meds. I ask nurse if I can get a little more information on my measurments so that I can journal about it.  She says the other nurse will come in a bit to answer my questions.

 

4:55 pm

Doc comes in instead.  I ask him about my measurments.  He says "2".  Umm, hello?  Two what?  Turns out I actually have 2 mature follicles!  They both measure 2 cm (20 mm) which is awesome!  One on the left AND one on the right!  My endometrium lining is 8 mm, also great!  "What about the prometrium?  When do I start taking that?"  I ask him.  "Monday" he says.  Again I ask him about TI.  Yes, tomorrow and the day after.  Don't do anything tonight.  "Put it in the bank.  Save it for tomorrow," he says.  That was pretty much all for our visit today.  As I was checking out, I saw my superbill had ICD 9 code 626.4, which I looked up.

 

2012 ICD-9-CM Diagnosis Code 626.4

Irregular menstrual cycle

• Deviations from the normal process; e.g. delayed, difficult, profuse, scanty, unusual bleeding, etc.
• Short description: Irregular menstruation.

Okay, so I guess they were using that to bill when I had insurance.  Either way, hubby and I are on cloud 9! We can't wait to see what this year will bring us.  And to think, my birthday is coming up in a few weeks.  Hopefully I will have even better things to celebrate.  BFP, BFP, BFP!!! Go Team ***! (Thanks L for helping me to coin the phrase) :)

Work Update and FX for Tomorrow

I know I said I wouldn't update until Friday, but alas, here I am.  I had a late lunch with a good friend of mine who is preggers and was updating her on all that's been going on these past few weeks.  Thinking about it, made me kind of want to post my thoughts about today and my anticipation of tomorrow's appt.  I got a phone call a couple of hours ago confirming my appt tomorrow.  I really hadn't thought about it all day (until I happened to mention it to my friend earlier) and that is mainly due to the fact that I started my first day at my new job today. 

I kind of started off on the wrong foot considering I was 20 minutes late for work... my first day... geeze what an impression that makes.   And I know there's really no good excuse when you're trying to make a good impression, but I honestly underestimated traffic.  Then there was this huge traffic jam on one of the main roads leading out of my subdivision.  And I was so pissed sitting there, twiddling my thumbs, moving 5 feet every 5 minutes.  After nearly 20 minutes sitting there hardly moving, I decided to veer off the main road and drive further out of the area just so I could hop on the tollway hoping the traffic was a little lighter.  Well, the 10 minute drive to get to the damn tollway didn't help and just set me further back from the city, which in turn made me drive farther.... ughhh!  Then there was traffic on the tollway to top it off.  I tell ya, when it rain, it pours.  Needless to say, as soon as I got a chance (waiting at a red light), I texted my boss and told him I was gonna be late and apologized in advanced.  I was not a happy camper :(  Luckily, the patient ended up cancelling their appt so I didn't have them waiting on me when I arrived at the office.  But still... great 1st impression I made on the boss.  Other than that little mess this morning, the rest of the day at the office pretty much ran smoothly.  We had a little hiccup with our medical equipment, but were able to work through it.  I need to mention this is a brand new medical office that just opened up a month ago, so they are still trying to work out the kinks.  Anyways, I'm still trying to pick up some extra work and so I had a meeting scheduled with one of my previous employer's after finishing today's clinic.  I knew she would welcome me back, but she made it pretty clear that she did not enjoy my little hiatuses of going back and forth working for her (I have quit there twice before due to a better job opportunities).  Third time's a charm, eh?  I wish I could make her see that.  LOL... But either way I'm done with that other type of work.  Though they pay really well and have good benefits, it is quite unstable, and I cannot afford to take another work risk.  I need a steadier job and something that will work for me long-term especially when LO comes.  I had to make her understand that and basically asked for my old job back (a little short of groveling, I might add).  We ended up agreeing on a one-year contract to put her mind to ease so that she knows I'm serious.  I don't like contracts but what can I do?  I need my job back.  So with that, I now have 3 jobs = 3 days a week.  I start next week.

On to other thoughts... my 2nd follicle search is scheduled for tomorrow and I'm getting nervous.  I just took an OPK and it was negative.  I have a bit of watery CM but I'm not trying to read much into it.  BBTs are still a little wonky and I haven't seen a definate O yet.  I've been massaging and touching my left side hoping to bring positive energy to Lefty, though I don't know how much it will help.  This may be our last chance for a medicated cycle this season due to our financial situation and it makes me a little sad.  Of course we are not giving up TTC.  We are just going back to doing it the "old-fashioned" way, so that means I will definately need to start on my WL.  Perhaps in the summer, we can reasess our situation, see where we are at in terms of finances, school, work, weight loss and then maybe pay a visit to the doctor again.  I'm seriously considering transferring to an RE (I know some may think I should've done this long, long ago but I had faith in my OB/GYN).  I don't know if that would cost more considering I may be doing more monitoring.  I am still hanging on to the script that Trudy wrote for me yesterday.  In case this cycle was unsuccessful, she wrote me one for 100mg Clomid.  I don't know if I will fill it, but will keep it tucked safely anyway.  I feel sad ending today's entry on this note, but it is what it is.  I'm just keeping my FX that cycle #2 is our cycle.  Pretty please, with a cherry on top?  ;)

Update Cycle #2

Today is CD13 and I just had a date with the vag cam.  DH was with me today, but the procedure was still uncomfortable.  Hubby is coming down with a cold of some sort, but I hope this doesn't inhibit our TI.  So I got the scan, then we had to wait nearly 45 min for my appt with Trudy.  She finally came to get us and tell us the news.  Basically, I don't have any mature follicles as of yet, but one has the potential to grow in the next couple of days.  On my right ovary, I only have one little bitty tiny follicle that measured 5mm.  Too small to do anything for this cycle.  On the left ovary, however, I have one that measured 14mm and that's the one she says can possibly grow bigger in the next few days.  So she wants me to schedule another u/s for Friday, which is in 2 days, to see if it has grown any bigger.  That will determine whether we trigger or wait until the next cycle.  I'm keeping my fingers and toes tightly crossed that it's the first.  This is the closest I've come so far.  We still discussed what our next step will be should I not get my BFP this cycle :(  I don't really want to think about it though.  Essentially, she will increase the Clomid to 100mg for five days and run the follicle search again.  I don't want to even think about moving forward with a 3rd cycle, because 1: that's already halfway to being done with using Clomid (it really only works within the first 6 cycles), 2: that's more money coming out of our pockets (we decided not to go with COBRA and so we're paying cash for everything), 3: that's waiting one more month (given I get AF on time) again.  So that is that.  I scheduled my scan for Friday afternoon, but this time I'm going to follow-up with the doc instead.  Hubby and I were talking about the appt afterwards and he's really hopeful this cycle.  I guess I'm just trying to be a realist and maybe I've been on the boards too long, but 14mm doesn't seem like that big a deal to me.  But I'm trying to stay optimistic.  DH says he's going to refer to it as "Lefty" in hopes of bringing some positive vibes to the situation.  If anything, he made me smile.

In other news, I start my new job tomorrow.  I'm excited about that.  Weather has been kinda crappy and I hate driving when it's ugly outside.  This new job is on the other side of town and I'm not looking forward to the drive.  That just means I'll have to leave extra early tomorrow morning.  Also, one of my old employers called me today.  She's having issues with the tech she has now and more than likely gonna let him go.  Guess who's coming to the rescue?  We haven't discussed employment details yet, but I'm pretty sure whatever happens, it'll be in my favor. This doctor and I have a very close comraderie and I'm sure she'll be happy to have me back on her staff.  So that's three PT jobs total and I'm working on getting 2 more, so hopefully that will keep us pretty comfortable, financially, in the meantime.  It's still not FT, but it's close and that's fine with me.  That's all for now.  I'll update on Friday.

My, AF... What a Pleasant Surprise!

CD1, we meet again!

Although AF came this evening, I technically can't count her until tomorrow.  I kind of knew she was up to something when I started spotting yesterday and all day today.  I even told hubby that I think she was going to be visiting soon, although I was a little surprised considering it's only CD24 today.  She's early this time, but I'm grateful.  That just means we will get an earlier start this 2nd time around.  I will call my doctor's office tomorrow to schedule a follicle search for day 13 or 14.  Hopefully this time I will have at least one, if not a couple of mature follicles so that I can trigger with the Novarel injection.  Last time I was heartbroken to learn the clomid didn't work the first time.  So Trudy upped the dosage to 75 mg of Serophene.  I'm hoping with all my fingers and toes crossed that this will be the one... and what a lovely birthday surprise it will be for me!

I've already put all important dates and activities in my phone for this cycle including when to start taking meds, BDing, and testing.  Hubby is excited that it's time to start cycle #2 as well :)

On another note, baby prepping is still steady chugging along.  I took advantage of some more Christmas deals online a couple of weeks ago and purchased more cloth diapers.  I now have a colorful stash that includes a dozen or so diapers.  I have showed JC and all he can do is shrug his shoulders.  I guess it's pointless to complain about it, lol.  Also, I've been browsing various resale shops in hopes that I'll find some hidden goodies for the baby.  Today I stopped at one place by my work and found a baby carrier/harness for under $2!  How awesome is that?!  I've also been working on a little sewing project that will keep me occupied in the coming weeks.  I am making cloth wipes out of bath towels, and prefold diapers out of old t-shirts.  It's kind of fun and I'm learning how to sew in the process.  I borrowed my mom's sewing machine for the project and it's exciting learning how to use it.  Finally, and I've probably mentioned this before, I'm slowly working on painting the nursery.  I've started to paint the walls yellow now and slowly my vision is coming into play.  I've been scouting ebay to see if there are any cute circus/carnival themed decor for the nursery and I've come across a couple of things that I'm interested in and putting them on my watch list.

Once again my hope is revived and I'm excited.  My Christmas was okay, but I was kinda in a slump because of the news of the failed cycle.  But now I'm looking forward to next month and really celebrating the New Year.  2013 it's time!  Cheers!