November Surprise!

I haven't been on anything besides metformin for about3 months now and I got a random, super crampy, period! I can tell it's going to be pretty light, and more than likely anovulatory, but still...

We are talking about starting the shots soon. I am still nervous though!

Endometrial Shenanigans...

So...the nurse called.

According to my progesterone test, I did NOT ovulate.

Ummm...excuse me? I am pretty sure the spotting and the cramps beg to differ!

I was too surprised to protest, so she then told me the next thing was a Hysterosalpingogram (HSG) to see if I have blocked tubes or scarring or anything. For this to happen, I have to take antibiotics beforehand, and take ibuprofen for the cramping. Why cramping? Frankly, because they are putting things up your hoo ha that don't belong.

Anyways, after scheduling my HSG, I realized I still hadn't told her that I was spotting. So I called and left a message.

Why is my body so friggin complicated?

CD21

It's day 21 of this cycle, and I am pretty sure its a dud. I can't get the progesterone test today, thanks to it being a saturday, so I will LH test tomorrow and go for the blood test first thing Monday.

Here is what scares me about TTC: the next step is injectables. We can try another cycle with monitoring on Femara, but I am on the max dosage, so I don't know what that would do. The issue with injectables is the cost. Without insurance, the cost of one cycle is around $2000 usually. I am super concerned that my insurance isn't going to cover it. I guess a phone call is in order. If our insurance doesn't cover it, we will have to stop fertility treatments, at least for the time being. I'm not super worried about that, since my heart isn't set on this anyways. I also don't know if ivf is something I am willing to consider, since again, the cost is so high and there is no guarantee that you will get pregnant, plus there are a lot of risks. I understand why some women will do it, but I don't know if it's for me.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Ok, so first of all, my titles get lamer every post. Sorry.

I have decided to not be anonymous. Not that I am going to give out all my personal info, but for posterity I think I need to be able to say where I am, names, etc. I spoke to DH (Greg) about it, and he said it was fine with him.

I had to drive to Tampa at 7am in a tropical storm, on a Sunday, to have another ultrasound. Not. Fun. Luckily, Greg came with me and we had a lot of fun, but I always have fun with him. It was even more fun when I was having the ultrasound and the guy said "It looks like you've ovulated!" I can't even convey how happy I was to hear those words. Greg smiled at me from his chair. Neither of the follicles were there anymore! Then, the doctor confused the heck outta me! He said I should have my progesterone test on CD21 as planned to make sure I ovulated.

So here is my question; If I had TWO maturing follicles, at 12 and 10mm 2 days ago, and now I have ZERO follicles, if I didn't ovulate, what happened to them?

ANYWAYS...Greg and I excitedly made the treck through the storm home because we had very specific orders from the doctor to have sex asap! You have to obey your doctors orders!

Also, I didn't see a positive LH test, even though I tested EVERY day. So did I miss it? Or did I not ovulate? Gah! So confusing!

ALSO; is a follicle that was approximately 14mm (at 2mm a day) viable?

Steady as she goes!

Went back to the clinic today for another ultrasound. Before I get to the results, let me just say how fantastic this tech was. I absolutely adore her. She was helpful, made sure to tell me exactly what she saw, made sure I understood everything...I just loved her. She even gave me a hug and wished me good luck. LOVED HER. She even went over my results from last time, and I learned that my lining was only 4.5mm last time, which is at least .5mm too thin.

The results; I now have TWO follicles on my right ovary, and my lining is now 8mm (w00t). The one that was 5mm is now 12mm (!), and the other guy is 10mm. This is GOOD news! I am a late bloomer! I knew that could happen, but according to Super Ultrasound Tech, it isn't that uncommon, and she has had women who had 38 day cycles who got pregnant. The tech said that the nurse will call me today after the doctor looks at the results to see if I will have another ultrasound this weekend or Monday. 

Here is the thing; knowing that my cycle is a little longer is a good thing, because now we know to test a little later than we were originally for progesterone. It doesn't mean that I will definitely get pregnant this month, or that the follicles will continue growing. It means that we are making progress. I need to stay grounded to stay in this.

I am staying positive, and I am definitely going to keep doing yoga and meditation to keep myself relaxed and centered. Here is my favorite meditation video so far. I hope it helps you ladies!

a laugh

Saw this on Pinterest and it made me giggle. I hope it brightens someone up on a bad day. HUG YOUR HUSBANDS when you aren't crazy! Remember they are fighting the war too!

Last day of Clomid

Today is my last day of 200mg Clomid.

If I don't ovulate this time, I don't know that I can handle doing the Provera again. The side effects; pain, bloating, sleepiness, MOODINESS, etc. are too much to bare if I am not making any progress.

I want to talk to the doctor about taking something different. There are other drugs out there, or maybe there are some other options.

I just know that I, and my marriage, can't take a whole lot more of that.

I think I should have another ultrasound anyways, to see if anything at all is happening in there.

A Brighter Day

Today is the first day I woke up without feeling like I was in a fog. Also, my period is starting to lighten up a bit...thank goodness!

I am on day two of 200mg of Clomid. I definitely had the lightheadedness yesterday, but today, so far so good.

I still feel like this is the cycle. This is the one that I will get pregnant. I hope I am right. After the last few days, I am not sure I can go through another round of Provera. Maybe I need to talk to my doctor about Prometrium finally, or other alternatives.

No news is good news

So far so good on the new medicines. I seem less moody this time around, but we are only a couple days in. I think the glucophage is messing with my appetite. I am almost never hungry, and when I eat I feel sick almost immediately afterwards. Maybe I just still have a little tummy bug.

Sorry my posts are so sporadic lately! We moved and I STILL haven't gotten the internet hooked up so I have to do this on my phone or if I can steal internet from a neighbor for a second. It will be back up this week.

Adios cycle one!

So Thursday was CD21, and I diligently had my blood work done. I was waiting for a call from my doctor, but it didn't come the same day, so I was definitely hoping it would today, before the long weekend.

Instead, I got a call from my pharmacy telling me that my prescriptions were ready for pickup. I asked her what they were, and she said clomid, provera, and metformin. Now, I know it's a long weekend, and maybe that's all I should attribute it to, but I am more than a little peeved that the nurse wouldn't call and discuss my results really quickly with me, and maybe let me know that they wanted to try me on metformin. I have discussed the drug metformin before, and I talked about it with the doctor, but he seemed to think it wasn't necessary, so I would love to know why he thought it was now. Also, I didn't get a chance to ask about my weirdo LH tests.

So, I called the office and left a message. Hopefully, they will call back in the next couple hours so I have some answers.

Also, I think I was wrong when I said that both appointments cost me $175. They cost me $175 each I think. I will check and get back to you *mental note to change the info in previous blog posts when I verify this*.

Right now, DH and I are getting a little concerned about money, because we are signing on our house, which was a planned expense, and my 1st car payment on my new car, which was an UNPLANNED expense, is coming up. We knew we were going to get another car because his is on its way out. However, we planned on having about 6 months of no car payments and cheaper insurance to save for a downpayment. Instead, my car was in accident and is no more. We got some money for it, but not enough to compensate for having to get another car at the slowest part of the year for me. And his car is still old enough to vote. Anyways, the point is money is tight, and I know babies are expensive, but I didn't know MAKING a baby was going to be expensive.

We are moving in to our new house this week. And I will possibly be on Provera. Pray for my husband.

No ovulation yet, and Pre-Seed

So I did an OPK at 6:10pm, because for the first time in two weeks I didn't have to pee nine billion times. It was negative...boo. I am starting to get nervous about that...I know I shouldn't be. I technically shouldn't ovulate for 3 more days if I have a "perfect" (28 day) cycle.

SO...any girls ttc know about Pre-Seed, or will soon. Since you have to have sex so frequently, lube can really ease the process. Here is my personal, and incredibly embarrassing to share, experience;

Yesterday was day three of "Sex Every Other Day" week. So...ya know. Anyways, we were getting handsy and things are getting hot and heavy, and I remembered that I need to use the Pre-Seed. Of course I have it conveniently placed on my nightstand....sans instructions. If you haven't used this product yet, you get a tube of gel, and plungers that have measurements on the side. It seems I threw out the instructions with the box like an idiot.

So...butt naked, I get out of bed and tell my husband that I now need to use google....butt naked. This isn't the worst part.

The instructions I found online say to fill the plunger as needed, insert, plunge, and then....WAIT TEN TO FIFTEEN MINUTES. It's so the lube reaches your cervix and stuff. Yeah...remember how I left my husband in bed? He was NOT excited to wait ten to fifteen minutes while things get "situated".

Anyways...like a half an episode of Psych later, things were back in action, but just so you know...you have to use the Pre-Seed 10-15 minutes in advance.

Clomiphene begins tomorrow

Hubby and I made up. He understands that I am not normally a crazy person, and also acknowledged that he has dropped the ball a little lately. All is well :-D

So the bottle of Clomid says take twice a day, at the same times each day.

I am trying to figure out the best times to do it. I really don't want to get up early, and I don't want to have to stay up too late either. So maybe I will just keep it in my purse so I always have it with me.

Here is some Clomiphene Citrate (Clomid) info:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000752/

http://www.webmd.com/infertility-and-reproduction/clomiphene-citrate-for-infertility

I start on Sunday (CD3), and take it for 5 days. CD11 I start LH testing, and when I am ovulating, hubby and I are supposed to have intercourse (the fun part) at least every other day, and hopefully we will be preggo in the next couple weeks.

I bought Preseed, just in case, because it's hard to have sex on demand! Especially with our wacky schedules.
I am excited and scared all at the same time. I can't believe how close we are to being pregnant! I know I may have to go through the cycle more than once, but I feel like it's finally within reach. I can't tell you how scary and out of reach it has felt until this point (although any of you who are going through this know).

Also, I know that once I am pregnant, I am going to be worried about miscarrying. And I am going to worry about worrying too much and that causing miscarriages. Maybe some yoga or meditation classes are a good idea. I don't know how I will get through 3 months of worry in that first trimester without some help!

DH and I are starting a walking plan, just to encourage a healthy pregnancy. Nothing huge, just an hour a night. Our pooches will love the extra sniffing time!

Still nothing...

Well it is day seven after having finished the Provera. No period, but my boobs hurt, and I am still kind of cranky. What gives? After doing a little internet reading (never a good idea), I am wondering if I don't get a period in the next three days, I should request to try prometrium instead? Why wouldn't you get a period after taking it? I couldn't find any explanation as to why, except that I might be pregnant. I highly doubt that's the reason it isn't working. Do I just try it again? What happens? I sincerely hope I get my period in the next 3 days, or I am going to freak out!

Waiting game...

Well, it's been four days since my last Provera. I always feel like I am going to have my period the next day, and I am running back and forth to the bathroom to make sure. I also can tell I am still cranky, and my boobs are achy, and obviously, I am still whiny. I have never before been so excited to get my period!

I also got bills from the doctors office and the labwork. My insurance covered a LOT of it, but I still owe a bunch. For the labwork, before insurance, cost was like $6,000 dollars. I only have to pay $256. I don't remember the original costs of the doctor, but I have to pay about $175. That includes two vaginal ultrasounds, visits, full pelvic exam, etc. Not too shabby. Also, I forgot to say that the Provera (generic) was about $4.00. I tried to find out costs before I started this process, and couldn't find info anywhere. I can't guarantee that your costs will be the same, but at least it may help someone!

Bad Information

I think every woman with PCOS knows the feeling of trying to find information on the syndrome. There is not enough good information out there, and no one source answers all of our questions. A friend of mine who was recently diagnosed shared some misinformation she had originally thought to be fact from the following website (her tip off was the person who wrote the sites inability to spell "physical").
http://www.child-wish.com/

Please, PLEASE be careful about the information that you find, or that you put out there. Be sure you are beiung accurate and truthful, because you can unintentionally make someone elses journey so much worse. Read more than one source, talk to more than one doctor, and take everything with a grain of salt.

Please feel free to post other misinformation you have heard or come across, so we can compile a list!