Cold Rainy Sunday

So much for my productive day... It is cold and rainy and the gloom just sucks up all of my motivation. First thing to go was the trip to the gym (still feeling guilty about that....) I'm hoping I can manage to get laundry finished and vacuum the living room. DH is out playing with friends so I'm watching Devil Wears Prada and Bring It On will be next - I guess it will be a good day for procrastinating!

ugh - I think it just started sleeting now :-(

so what you're saying is....

no hanky panky before the next blood test? hehe I have been giggling all afternoon (or at least since I got my bloodwork results) and I figure that is proof that I have the sense of humor of a 12 year old.

I guess everything looked good but my prolactin is a little high (24 and they like to see 20 or less...no clue what units that's supposed to be in). Doesn't sound like there is really anything to worry about, I just need to go in and get retested on Tues morning, this time I just need fasting levels. Darn, nothing to eat or drink after midnight....I totally am in bed by then anyway and skipping bfast just means I get Starbucks on my way to work, right?

So anyway, the fun part of the conversation was when the nurse tried to delicately go over one of the causes of elevated prolactin - nipple stimulation. So apparently that won't be allowed before the retest either. LOL. (or course here I am trying my hardest to remember if anything was going on in our house that may be to blame..... but I guess my memory is going). According to the internet, emotional stress can also elevate your prolactin level -- but I wouldn't have been stressed the other day would I? Um yea... so possible cause number 2!

I have spent a lot of time consulting Dr Google this evening and want to propose new instructions for the test sheet we got from the Dr.

Current instructions read something like: On CD 1 call to schedule CD 3 bloodwork.

New instructions should read : On CD 1 call to schedule CD 3 bloodwork. Patient should refrain from nipple/sexual stimulation and emotional stress for 24 hours before blood draw. :-)

I think this is hilarious - DH not so much - he just isn't seeing the humor! I figure it's my test results, so if I want to find something humorous it is totally my choice. There is so much about this process that is uncomfortable (discussing sex with dr you're meeting for the first time, having dr look at lady parts when meeting him for the 2nd time... I could go on) that it is nice to laugh at what I can. I feel like I am in a good place with this whole process right now - for sure a better place than I was 6 months ago. Some of it is just the realization that as much as I'd like to control it I can't. As much as I'd give up to have a baby, I have to admit that it will happen when it's the right time, and there are probably some reasons why DH and I will be better off with this extra time to prepare. I don't like thinking this way, because I sometimes start to go down the "why me" or "why us" path, and there just isn't a reason. It is what it is, and hopefully it just means that we'll have gained an understanding and patience that will help us to be better parents.

That was painless!

I don't know why I was so anxious about the cd 3 u/s! It was completely painless and over in a flash. The worst part was the 15 minutes I had to sit on the examination table with no pants on - wondering who was going to be doing the u/s (have I mentioned yet that I'm extremely uncomfortable with having a male dr?).

Anyway, it was a female staff member and she was very nice! She showed me my ovaries and the egg sacs and said that there are a good number there (she counted 8 on each ovary, and I guess they look for at least 5). She reminded me to take some motrin or advil before the HSG (Monday!) and said that I could call for my blood work results tomorrow. She asked about what other tests I was going to be having and when we should touch base with the Dr again to go over the game plan.

I am so glad I took today off work! It is super nice out :-) I'm sitting here with the windows open and I think I'm going to eat lunch outside today. The puppy will be glad to get outside, too! All in all, a good day (I even have girls night tonight!)

It's going to be a busy month!

So, I called and scheduled all my testing today. Thurs is bloodwork and u/s, next Monday is the HSG, and then another 2 weeks after that more bloodwork. Plus, I have a dentist appointment at the end of the month. Since I really don't want to explain why I'd need to leave for a couple hours Thursday morning and then leave early again Monday, I've just decided to take a vacation day on Thurs. I am so excited! I've been feeling burnt out the last couple weeks and really need a day off. Then hopefully I can come back and be focused! (I think once the HSG is done I'll be able to concentrate a bit better - I've spent a lot of work time preoccupied). Now I just have to get over my irrational fear of the male dr.

so exercise makes you feel better?

It's one of those things that I know, but I have a hard time getting it to sink in. Even when I know I'll feel better after a jog, I still come hope hoping DH won't want to go. I think it's my innate laziness ;-) But it did make me feel better today, and I pushed myself -- so I have no excuses the next time (maybe I should have thought about that before....) My original goal was to jog 1.25 miles then walk/jog on and off for the rest of the hour. Instead, I ended up pushing to jog the first half hour (2.5 miles) and then alternated. 5 miles in just over an hour, so if we actually make it to the gym 2 or 3 times a week I might not die during Dam to Dam. (I am seriously -kind of- afraid of that....last year I watched a few of the people finishing before the 5K started and saw at least 3 people pass out and even more throw up right at the finish line!)

Have I whined about how FF is on crack yet? I normally use charting for informational purposes - learned a long time ago that 'pretty' doesn't mean anything and I try not to read to much into it. It's just that it keeps moving my crosshairs and I had a temp dip today. I'm just ready to start the next cycle. I've been stressing about the HSG since our consult and want to get it overwith! This process is really starting to wear on DH and I hate that there isn't anything I can do. Maybe we'll be one of those couples that gets lucky after the HSG?!?

Ah well - off to bed and a relaxing episode of scrubs. I'll need to be well rested to make it through the rest of the week :-) I definately need a random day off this month - just have to pick a day (maybe next week?) to take it!

getting better

Well I actually got back on the treadmill this afternoon. I am glad I did, because now I know my ankle can handle it (at least for a quarter mile at a time) and I needed the outlet for my pissy feelings today. For some reason I've been feeling whiney the last couple days. Maybe it's the cold that's been hanging on for a week and a half or it could just be the weather or annoyances at work.
Either way, I feel much better after my walk/jog and I can't wait for my ankle to be 100%! Now I just need to get back up to speed for Dam to Dam....15min miles won't cut it.

Progress?

So far I've lost just over 4 pounds on WW - I'm happy about that, I just wish it was a little bit more, since I joined in Nov. lol. However, today started week 3 of being back at the gym. I've been sticking to the elliptical so I don't strain my ankle too much, but I think I'll be back on the treadmill either Tues or Thurs.

DH and I had our consult appointment with Dr this past Monday. He was very nice and I didn't get the feeling like he thought it was too early for us to be there. I'll admit I was a little afraid he was going to tell us to keep trying for a couple more months. He gave us a spiel about humans being inefficient reproducers and some other background info in a very basic and pretty humorous way. Then he outlined the testing plan and some "what if" scenarios. Pretty much what I expected - and I finally (kind of) understand the whole "quality of ovulation" thing.
He even offered to squeeze me in for an HSG the next day! (I almost wish I'd taken him up on it since I've been kind of stressing about it since then anyway).

So, DH gets to take a sample in when he's ready and at the start of my next cycle I can call for appointment for my CD 3 b/w and u/s and also schedule the HSG. Now I just have to get over my aversion to a male Dr being all up in my girly bits. I have no doubt that it's an every day occurance for him and that he'll be 100% professional --- but I still don't want to! I guess I'll deal. I knew what I was getting myself into when we decided to skip over testing with my ob/gyn and go straight to the RE.

DH is a lot less stressed out, I guess even though it helps me to talk about the worst case so I can prepare myself, he assumes the worst and was relieved when Dr C said in a lot of cases an IUI will take care of things.

And now a tip he gave us that I thought I'd pass along to the Nesties out there.... he said we could save our money on PreSeed and just use Canola oil. Can't remember the scientific reason behind it (other than that it is sperm friendly) because it caught me off guard. Some of me still wonders if he was just messing with us - like some sort of social experiment to see how gullible people are and if they'll listen to Drs without question. LOL.

I guess now we just wait and see if cycle 15 was a bust or not (still hoping we can bypass all the testing with a BFP!)