A "Little" Cyst

I had an ultrasound today so that they could make sure that the lining of my uterus and ovaries were cooperating. There was a "little" cyst on my left ovary, and I was told that I probably ovulated while on the birth control pills...hah! Imagine that. They said that hopefully it will resolve on its own, but there is a chance my cycle can take longer than anticipated if the cyst chooses to be stubborn. Fingers crossed!

I was expecting to be extremely late for work today, but surprised at how fast they called me back into a room. They must have heard my credit card vomiting inside of my wallet. I'm lucky to be able to have my ultrasounds/labwork done in Augusta and the results transmitted to Charleston. However, we have to pay for ultrasounds and labwork on top of the fee we paid to our Charleston doctor...so the less I have to go, the better!

We're so excited to be heading to the beach with our family next week...this will give us a chance to relax before things get really busy around here! I probably won't post any updates until afterwards because this next week should be pretty uneventful.

Hopefully the sun, saltwater, and fun times with my family will make that "little" cyst deflate! Love to all!

A Spoonful of Menopause...

I received my first shipment of medication today!!! It's called Lupron, and it's a medication that I give on a daily basis to men who have prostate cancer. Last time I checked, I didn't have a prostate...so I was a bit concerned as to why I have to take this drug. Apparently, Lupron "shuts down" the female hormone system in preparation for the stimulation drugs I will have to begin in a few weeks. Let's give an applause to early menopause! Beginning Sunday, I will be injecting myself daily with this medication for a majority of the cycle. It's a small injection that I will be administering in the fatty tissue around my belly button...got plenty of that to go around. In the latter part of my cycle, it will prevent my ovaries from prematurely releasing my eggs before they are ready to collect them.

So, being the nurse that I am, I had the ingenious idea to look up the side effects that I may experience. Let's begin. Hot flashes...Okay, I can deal with that. Clomid made me wake up in a pool of sweat every night. No biggie. Headaches...Awesome. Nothing a Tylenol can't fix. Mood Swings...Whoa. Too bad I'll be at the beach next week for our first family vacation in over 10 years. Lucky them. Mix that with the hormones from my pregnant sister and we may not be going on a vacation together for another 10 years. I have a feeling that the male counterparts of the family will be fleeing to the golf course on a regular basis.

On another note, we would like to extend our sincere appreciation for the overwhelming support we have received since starting this blog. We have realized that we cannot do this alone, and we are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends in our lives. Thanks for all of the prayers and the words of encouragement. You guys are the best and we love you all!

A sign?

I know in my heart that God has a way of telling you things, even if he has to send it via junk mail. I found this coupon for infant formula in the middle of my front yard when I got home from work today.

A sign? I would like to think so.

So far, the pills have not affected me in the least bit. I'll be taking them for 2 more weeks, so that buys me more time with my sanity...sweet!

Here we go!!!

It's finally time for my first, and hopefully last, IVF cycle! If all goes according to plan, a cycle should take about 6 weeks. For the next few weeks I will be taking birth control pills. This is to suppress my system so that they can time everything just perfectly. Wow, birth control pills....didn't I get off of those things for a reason? I haven't taken one in over 4 years, so I'm a little anxious as to how they will affect me. From the looks of all of the injectable medication side effects, the pills should be the least of my worries. So, we'll see!

In a few weeks I will start incorporating different injections, but for now I will just concentrate on this part. One day at a time, right? I will keep you all updated!

For Sh*ts and Giggles...

A little glimpse into an evening with Jessica and Andy...

Me: WTH is this?

Andy: An avacado core.

Me: Um...what are you doing with it?

Andy: Just trying to see if it will sprout.

Me: Okay...um, why?

Andy: Just for sh*its and giggles.

Me: Um. Okay.

Andy: Yeah, you laugh when you see me eating fresh avocados from my tree and you have none.

My IVF calendar is booked!

Since I started my cycle earlier this week, I had to contact my nurse at our fertility center to let her know. We received a message earlier today with our tentative dates for this IVF cycle!!! If all goes according to plan, my egg retrieval will be on August 19 and the actual transfer will occur on either August 22 or 24.

Keep in mind that these dates all depend on how I respond to the stimulation medications. If I recall correctly, my ovaries were about to explode with eggs when I was going through IUI with the lowest dose of Clomid. They will be monitoring me VERY closely throughout this cycle to ensure that everything goes as planned.

I will do my best to keep you all updated through each step. In the future, I think it will be fun to go back and compare my current mood to the moods I will be having over the next 6 weeks. Aweshome! I apologize in advance.

The Secret of Infertility...

RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association has been an awesome resource for us...this one particular article helped with the decision in starting this blog. Check it out!

http://www.resolve.org/site/PageServer?pagename=cop_tainf_tsoi


The following link is also good...It's a link for family and friends to learn how to help and support a couple dealing with infertility:

http://www.resolve.org/site/PageServer?pagename=cop_tainf_jffaf