The Little Cyst That Could...

I went in for another ultrasound/labwork this morning. As it turns out, the "Little" cyst is still hanging around. My nurse called me this afternoon to inform me that my estrogen was still elevated and that the Lupron had not suppressed it. From what I understand, I probably ovulated through the birth control pills. Because of this, the ovulation left a cyst on my ovary which is producing estrogen. This probably explains why I have yet to start my period...the estrogen level has to drop in order for it to occur. Also, if I were to begin the stimulation meds without my estrogen being low, then that would put me at risk for OHSS (ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome). You can read about it here:
http://www.ivf-infertility.com/ivf/standard/complications/ovarian_stimulation/ohss.php


Hey, atleast we're dealing with elevated estrogen instead of elevated testosterone! I don't need anything else to shave:)

Instead of beginning my new medications tomorrow, I will continue the Lupron injections to try to suppress my system. I have to go back Tuesday morning for another ultrasound and more labwork to see if we've made any progress. If so, I will begin my stimulation meds next week. If not, I will probably continue Lupron until the cyst is gone and my hormones are null and void.

So far, I am feeling good. We are a little disappointed that this cycle is being delayed, but there is a reason for everything! I was so scared that they were going to cancel it, which means a lot of moolah and emotional investment would have been flushed down the toilet. We have been through a lot thus far, so it is easier to mentally prepare for setbacks. We have learned that this entire journey is about playing the waiting game. God doesn't give us more than we can handle, and patience is extremely hard but definitely a virtue when it comes down to it. As you may have guessed, our original dates for egg retrieval and transfer will be changed. Hopefully, we will have a better idea next week!

We would also like to give a shout out to Andy's sister, who will be having a little girl any day now!!! This is her first baby, as well as the first niece in the family. We love her and wish her the best of luck with delivery!

I think I can...I think I can....choo choo!

Back To Reality...

Annnnd...we're back from the beach! It was sooo good to get away, but I feel like I need to sleep a week to recover! I was able to "let loose" for the last time to get everything out of my system. Our vacation was filled with lots of bike rides, beach time, beer, sunsets, beer, excruciating sunburn, beer, good food, beer, and the obligatory Hucko drama. Speaking of excruciating sunburn...my mother, father, brother, Andy, and myself were confined to the beach canopy, a.k.a. "Burn Unit", for the last half of the week because of our irresponsiblity with sunblock. Must have been the beer. We arrived each day donned with SPF 50 and packed ourselves in like sardines underneath the canopy. I must say it was pretty humorous. Note to self: reapply sunscreen after 2 hours.

I stopped my birth control on 7/23 and began my Lupron injections on Sunday 7/26. My belly is a little bruised and sore, but not too bad. As suspected, I have had the hot flashes, irritability, and a little nausea. One thing that I have noticed is I am extremely anxious and having trouble sleeping. I'm not sure if it is the medicine or if I'm just nervous about the rest of the month in general. Today, I called my mail order pharmacy to request that the next round of medications be shipped. The pharmacist says, "Oh wow, your doctor called in quite a few medications this time." She then proceeded to spout out a list of about 7 medications that I couldn't even pronounce if I tried! They'll be calling me back tomorrow with the final price and to collect payment before they ship them out. Do you think my insurance company will not recognize them as infertility medications and cover them by accident?!? Fat chance, but it would be pretty entertaining to rip them off for once:)

I go back to the doctor on Friday for more labwork and another ultrasound. They also told me that I would have another menstrual cycle this week as well, so I'm waiting on that to happen. I'm praying that the cyst has disappeared, but we will know for sure on Friday! They are also supposed to counsel me on how to give myself those other medications. If all goes well, I should start those on Saturday.

After much persuasion, we were able to get a few family pics on the beach! These are our first family pics in over 10 years as well! I've posted all of them on facebook, but here are a few of my faves. Enjoy:)

With momma...

The Aunts and Grammy lovin' on my sister's baby bump


With our sweet daddy:)

Annnndddd....The Burn Unit:)

We are Andy and Jessica...

So...I signed up for this blog over 2 months ago, and I'm still staring at a blank page! Sure have had fun decorating it though:) I've been told by many people over the past several years that I need to keep a journal about recent issues that we've dealt with, a form of therapy if you will. Under careful consideration, I have come to the realization that it is probably a good idea. So here we go...


My name is Jessica, and I'm an alcoholic. No, I'm just kidding:) Let's try this again...


My name is Jessica, and I'm married to a wonderful man named Andy. We have been together for 11 years and married for 8 years now! Wow! Crazy how time flies. We married with the same goals as most people have:


1. Have fun on the honeymoon.

2. Have fun after the honeymoon.

3. Get the education and careers in line.

4. Get comfortable in the careers.

5. Save money.

6. Buy a car or two.

7. Buy a house.

8. Have fun in the house.

9. Save more money.

10. Have fun with the money and start saving again.

11. Attend as many Gamecock and Auburn football games as possible.
12. Make a baby or two. Or three.
13. Raise the baby(ies).
14. Save for retirement.
15. Spend the retirement investments and start saving again.
16. Get the baby(ies) educated and married off.

17. Retire with whatever money we have left.

18. Play with grandchildren.

19. Get put in the nursing home, courtesy of the baby(ies).

20. Let the baby(ies) finish off the retirement savings.


I would say we've done pretty good with goals one through eleven. We're stuck on twelve, and have been for a little over 4 years now. I guess it goes to show that no matter how much you plan your life out, God has his own plans in mind.

Please don't get me wrong. I'm not writing this blog to make people feel sorry for us. I'm not trying to throw a pity party. The way I look at it, everyone has their own journey and challenges in life, and everyone's challenges are equally important. Life is all about each of us sharing our unique experiences...and about supporting each other through the struggles that we all face. I'm not sure if anyone other than myself is going to keep up with this blog, but I wanted a way to better verbalize my feelings and frustrations throughout this journey. Who knows, maybe I can be an inspiration and help someone else who is going through the same thing!

This blog is probably going to be very difficult, as I tend to bottle EVERYTHING up inside. Many friends and family members have asked me questions throughout our treatments, and I have a hard time answering them without getting extremely frustrated and emotional. It's hard for a "fertile" person to understand how it impacts our life. The same goes with anyone trying to comprehend something they've never been through. Think about it...you may try to sympathize with someone diagnosed with a certain disease, but what if it was you who was diagnosed? How scared would you be? How would it change your life? How would it impact your quality of life and finances? Wouldn't you want to confide in your family and friends and have them support you along the way? I feel that this is a good way for me to keep our family and friends updated on our progress, and hopefully help them to understand what runs through my mind on what seems like a constant basis now.


I am not sure if Andy will actually add posts on here, but he has given me permission to transcribe his daily thoughts. He says, "What's up." Maybe I can get him to open up a little more later:)


So, cheers. Here's to a happy and healthy journey of achieving goal #12 with the help of fertility treatments. Feel free to ask me any questions and leave comments...I will be injecting myself with many hormones, but I can't bite your head off through the internet:)

We are Andy and Jessica...and we want to make test tube babies.