Good Bye

This last year has been a little crazy for me. This time last year I was going through my surgery and learning about HPV. Since then we bought a house, I got accepted to graduate school (I start this fall),went off birth control, decided to try for a baby and got diagnosed with PCOS. Being diagnosed has given me a sense of relief because now we have options. My RE recommend starting with clomid. We have given it some thought and then decided since we have a Vegas trip coming up in June and we are not going to make any decisions until after the trip. We are self pay since our insurance wont cover anything. They aren't even covering the diagnostics tests like they said they would.

Anyways, my cycles are just a little too crazy and I am not even sure what is going on with my ovulation this time around. Not knowing makes it hard to blog about because every week has been the same thing, the unknown. Normally I can pinpoint my ovulation but this cycle is different. I gave up caffeine and alcohol for lent and my body is adjusting by giving me all sorts of twinges in uterus and ovary area so I am not sure if I have ovulated yet.

Mr. Relaxasaur and I are just baby dancing when we feel like and are trying to not put more pressure on ourselves. This whole process has taken a lot of the romance out and has made it sort of mechanical like. We want to shy away from that and just learn to appreciate our life the way it is, not the way we wish it were. It is not that we are taking a break we are just not in a rush. Because of all this I am not going to be blogging on Pregosaur anymore. I will come here everyday to check for updates and I wish everyone trying or KU a healthy pregnancy, delivery, and baby.

Ovulation Time I Think?

Being diagnosed with PCOS makes sense. My cycles jump all over the place. Last time I went from 63 days to 28 days and today is day 29. I was supposed to go to the RE's office last Monday to see if I had ovulated but I wanted to wait and see if AF came on her own. I was getting the right CM around day 14 which would be on par for course for a 28 day cycle. My CM even dried up for a few days but then it started getting creamy. Monday the Mister and I went and saw a movie at lunch time and when I went to the bathroom I checked the t.p. (because that is what people who are trying do) and saw EWCM. I thought maybe it was a fluke. After the movie I of course had to go again and there it was again. So I told the hubs to get ready for baby dancing tonight.

Although I thought I may have ovulated earlier I never felt ovulation pains which is weird for me. This time I felt it last night so I am pretty sure I ovulated last night plus my EWCM continued big time yesterday, it was the most I have seen yet. So hopefully that is a great sign and we have been baby dancing every day since Monday and will continue until Friday.

Mr. Relaxasaur and I have been talking about fertility treatments or the possibility of just waiting. Some people say to just wait because our insurance wont cover fertility treatments. Humana said they would cover diagnosing but now I am getting billed $764 because they are denying the claims. We have been torn but sitting and waiting for my ovulation is exhausting because you never know when its going to come. We decided that we were going to wait this cycle and if it doesn't happen then we will go in for the clomid treatment.

The C Word

I had my consultation with Dr. F my reproductive endocrinologist this morning. I went in to get the results of all our testing. She started off with the hubs. He got an A+. She mention that his motility is a little bit lower than she would like to see but no where near a bad level so he didn't get any marks taken off. Then she got to me. I on the other hand didn't do so well.

She starts off my asking if I know what polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is. I tell her I am familiar with it and she thinks I may have it because when I had my ultrasound they saw I had more than the normal amount of follicles. Also, I guess my insulin is high not diabetes high but higher than it should be. That combined with my irregular cycles I have PCOS. I wasn't really too surprised given my track record with menstruation. She thinks it will be fairly easy for me to become pregnant using *gasp* clomid. Yes that is the C word I am talking about.

Dr. F went on to give me the side effects of clomid and even gave me its nickname which is apparently clomonster which I thought was funny. I probably wont think it is so funny when I am on it. I mentioned that my last cycle shorted to 28 days and she said that it was great and wants me to come in next Monday which will be cycle day 20 to test me to see if I have ovulated. If I did then we wait for Aunt Flo to show up and if not then they give me some pill to take for 10 days to bring it on. On cycle day 3 I will go back for an ultrasound to make sure my follicles are developing on track. Then take clomid for 5 days and then I go back in for blood work near cycle day 12 and then I get the green light to inject myself and then baby dance for two days followed by a progesterone level check. Finally, wait to see if it worked and if not repeat.

Next came the multiple babies talk. Apparently, with the amount of follicles I have my risk for multiples is higher and with clomid there is always a risk of multiple so that is a little scary but better to have two than none right? If clomid doesn't get us pregnant in 3 months then the next step would be a IUI where they inject my husbands sperm into my uterus.

After my appointment I came home and talked to the hubby about all this. I thought for sure he would say lets try on our own for a while and see what happens. But he is on board, self pay and all. Becoming pregnant is looking more and more like a reality for us. It is exciting and a little scary but I am finally 100% emotionally ready for this. In the past few months I have done a bit a teetering back and forth about becoming pregnant and what kind of changes it would mean for not only me but for us as a couple. I have come to the point where I say bring it on.

Weird Symptoms

Monday marks day 13 of my cycle. I am not sure if I am having a 28 day cycle or longer so everyday I have been taking ovulation tests and so far no positive but it is still early and if it is a 28 day cycle then ovulation should be coming somewhere around Tuesday. I was at work all day today so I haven't tested yet so I may have missed my surge. We started baby dancing on Friday we decided on every other day but have been doing everyday since then. It shouldn't be a problem because Mr. Relaxasaur doesn't have any issues with sperm count.

Source

This cycle has brought some different symptoms or at least brought them early and harder. Warning these nexts paragraphs will contain too much TMI. For example, my left ovary has felt fuller since I ovulated last cycle. Me being able to feel it never really went away. For the last couple of days I have also felt twinges near my right ovary as well so I think ovulation is near. I have been feeling lower back pains, and tenderness in my breasts. Sometimes it hurts to lay on them or even touch them and then other times they are fine but for the last couple of days they have been tender the whole time. Then today at work I was feeling "wet" down there but I am on my feet moving for 11 hours so its not abnormal to feel that way at work. On my first trip to the bathroom I wiped before I even went to the bathroom to check my CM and there way traces of blood. I looked in my underwear and saw spots of blood. It wasn't heavy and every trip to the bathroom after that it was ever so lightly present. I have never had mid-cycle bleeding so I was wondering what was up. I took a pregnancy test a few days ago and it came up negative so I don't think its that.

I consulted Dr. Google tonight and found that ovulation can cause light spotting so I am leaning towards that. I don't know if it had anything to do with this but last night I did drink quite a bit and did have sex so it could be from that but our sex wasn't rough. It is probably just me over analyzing but I don't have any friends TTC so its hard to talk to my friends about this because they don't get the way I feel. I do have one pregnant friend but she got pregnant by accident and doesn't enjoy it so we don't talk about our trying. So thanks for reading and never making me feel crazy for all my over analyzing. If you have any comments I would love to read them.

Cycle Number ?

I am not sure if this counts as cycle one or what because we officially haven't been able to try for a baby. Every month something comes up. This month it was because my cycle went from 63 days to 28 days. I wasn't even supposed to have ovulated yet. But what are you going to do. I just take it to mean that it wasn't our time yet. This month I am prepared. I am taking an ovulation test everyday starting today. We are also going to have sex either every other day or I like Bibliosaurs way of two days on one day off. So we will see what works for us. This cycle was also different because I had a more normal period. It lasted more than two days, in fact it was 5 days!

Yesterday was the hubby's 31st birthday. I stayed home and baked him his favorite pie and planned to surprise him. I was the one to get surprised. He called me about 10pm and said he is on his way to the ER. He plays in a Monday night basketball league and got hit in the face. Actually someone scratched right near his eyeball and took a big chunk of skin. We got to the ER about 10:10 and didn't leave until 5:15 this morning. Thankfully he didn't need stitches they glued his wound but the part that is right near the corner of his eye couldn't be glued or stitched because it would leave a funny scar and the glue couldn't be that close to his eye. So he needs to keep an antibiotic on it and go back tomorrow for a check up. It is not what I had planned but at least we got to spend some time together.

A Change of Name?

So I am thinking of changing my name from Relaxasaur to Worryasaur. I have no clue what is happening this cycle. First off I ovulated extremely early this cycle. I thought I had ovulated last Tuesday and I thought well if I am wrong Mr. Relaxasaur had some fun and practice for later this month. This past week I had been feeling pains and twinges near my left ovary and I thought I was one week in to my 2WW. Then this morning I woke up and there was blood on the toilet paper when I wiped. It wasn't fresh it was more brown so I am thinking my period is starting, which is weird because I didn't see or feel any signs. But, maybe I was too preoccupied with wondering if I had ovulated. If this is my period it may mean I ovulated two weeks ago because my leutal phase is 14 days it would have been around cycle day 15. This whole process is so new and frustrating. I thought I could be one of those people who can just try and see what happens with out a lot of worrying but it turns out not to so much. So now I wait to see if my period develops.

****UPDATE****

As the day went on I developed cramps and when I got home tonight I got fresh blood so it is my period. I am over being upset about it and on to looking foward to starting a fresh cycle. I am not sure what next cycle brings because I went from 63 days to 28 days. So I think on cycle day 6 I will start testing using my OPK's since I still have a crap load of them. Also, the hubby and I decided to have sex every other day as soon as lovely Aunt Flo leaves.

I think I might document my OPK journey and take a picture each day to see how the tests look when it leads up to a positive because they were so weird this cycle with always having two lines on them for the last week or so. I will post the picts after each week. Did anyone else have crazy cycles after coming off birth control? Today marks 9 months off the ring.

Question for everyone

Since my last post I have been feeling some twinges here and there and normally I can pinpoint the moment I have ovulated but I have yet to feel that moment. Again I was a little thrown off because my OPK turned positive on day 21 instead of day 40 something. So today I thought I should take another OPK test to see what it said. This is what I saw.

It still looks positive 3 days later. This line is darker than other first but I have taken these tests before and haven't seen a line on them at all so I know its not a defect. That isn't normal is it? I took the first OPK on Tuesday and saw this.

Has anybody ever heard of this before? I am dumbfounded.

What is going on?

Today was a weird but great day. It started off with me waking up at 5:50 am with the worse gas pains I have ever felt. I spent the next hour in the bathroom. I knew you wanted to know that but I wanted to show you how my morning started off crappy. I barely slept and the hubby and I were supposed to wake up early and go grocery shopping and then see Legion before we both had to work today. When 10:30 rolled around I was not in the mood to open my eyes, especially since I haven't really been sleeping. Finally at 11:30 Mr. Relaxasaur said we can still make it if we leave soon. I wasn't excited but I got my butt out of bed and threw on jeans and a hoodie because I knew he really wanted to go.

While sitting in the theater I had a "wet" feeling down there followed by a few cramps near my ovaries. I thought there is no way I am near ovulation. Today marks day 21 of my cycle I still have about 31 more days before I am supposed to ovulate. So I brush off the feeling. When we got home I wanted to jump in the shower but the idea of taking an ovualtion test keep creeping up on me. I still have 75 left so I thought whats the big deal if I waste one. So I dip the stick and lay it down while I jump in the shower. At this point Mr. Relaxasaur made his way upstairs and I asked him to show me the test so I could see if there were two lines. This is what I saw.

I couldn't believe my eyes. WTF? It's day 21. So immediately I jump out of the shower and we baby danced. It was great and wonderful and for the first time we were full of hope. On a side note I joined the pledge to complete 101 tasks in 1001 days and one of my tasks was to make a list of 101 things I love about Mr. R. So as we layed there I read the list out loud and by the end we both had tears in our eyes. So what started off as a crappy day ended up being one of my favorites thus far. The test line isn't as dark as the control line but its close which means I may still have one or more days of baby dancing left.

Please wish us luck!

Flying on Cloud Nine

As of my last post I left off waiting for all the tests results. Today I called my fertility clinic to see if they were all in. I talked to my nurse and she told me that all Mr. Relaxasaur's blood work came back negative so that is great. She also told me his sperm analysis was in and I thought I would have to wait to hear the results in the consultation I have to schedule. But she was able to tell me over the phone. So I took a deep breath and waited. I honestly thought I would hear bad news, I want to stay positive but after the last test I was skeptical. She started by telling me the count which is 100 million which is good, and then the motility which is 54%, and then his morphology which was the problem before and but this time it was 18%!!!!!!!! on the Kruger Strict Morphology and anything higher than 14% is good. I also asked about my varicella test because my first blood tested showed I was on the border of not being immune to chicken pox which means I would have to get the vaccine and wait 3 months before we could TTC. That too came back showing I am immune. So after I hung the phone I was all smiles, I was on cloud nine.

Source

The nurse said that I still have to test for cystic fibrosis or sign the waver saying I don't want the test. If my insurance wont cover it we would have to pay $430 to take it. If we have to pay out of pocket I don't want the test. She said that they charge the insurance $6000 for it. That is just insane. So after I call the insurance I have to either call and schedule the test or schedule what is hopefully my final consultation.

Test Complete

All of our initial testing is done. After all the results come in I have to call and schedule and apt. for us to go and hear our plan of action. Since Dec 24th I have had 3 blood tests, 2 trans vaginal ultrasound (including one with saline) the hubby has had 2 sperm analysis and one blood test. He just completed the blood work yesterday so we should have our news by next Wed.

source

As of last post I had talked about having to possibly get the chicken pox vaccine. I have not heard back yet but have decided to get the vaccine if need be which would put us out of baby trying for three months. This is not a huge deal as it would only put me out one cycle and enter back in real close to ovulation for the cycle after that. It would be worth it, why risk the babies health.

I also left off with having to get my saline ultrasound. It really wasn't that bad. They had me empty my bladder and lay on the table naked from the waist down. The tech (who I really like) explained everything and then went and got the doctor. It is a two person deal. The Dr. inserts the speculum which really is the worst part. I was told to take 2 ibuprofen and hour before to help with the cramping. After the speculum was in she fed the catheter which was a small tube kinda like spaghetti into my uterus and then speculum was removed which was good because I really hate that tool. Then the tech inserted the ultrasound camera. At this point the catheter came out and had to be reinserted which meant the speculum came back in. This time I felt the cramping. Nothing terrible it was like period cramps.

Source

After everything was inserted properly the doctor fed saline solution through the catheter while the camera was in to check for blockages in my tubes. Apparently last time they thought they saw a blockage in my left fallopian tube so they were shocked to see the solution pass through with ease. The think it may be a heavy vessel, nothing to worry about they said it may just give me a heavy pulling feeling during my period. At this point they were both smiling and said the whole area looked textbook, the doc even said my uterus was gorgeous which was weirdly flattering. The whole process took less than 10 minutes. Like I said the speculum was the worst part, although feeling the solution come back out was a little weird. They told me to wear a pantyliner that I may leak for a couple of hours and may spot for a day or two. After I left I did feel wet down there but nothing terrible. I did experience some cramping on and off but no spotting. I am relieved to know everything is working properly for me even if my period is irregular. Hopefully the same comes back for Mr. Relaxasaur and if not we take it one day at a time.

Tonight we went to a friends house who has a 7 month old baby. She is the cutest little girl. As soon as we got there my sister handed the baby off to Mr. R and she took to him immediately. She was burrowing in his chest and he played with her for about 15 minutes until she fell asleep on him. Instead of giving her back he went to the couch and sat down with her for about 45 minutes. It was so cute and he looked like a natural. It made my heart melt and I can't wait to see him like that with our child, whenever that may be.

Chickenpox

Yes, that is right chicken pox. I don't have them and that is the problem. My RE's office called today and said that I failed the varicella virus test. Apparently when I was younger I had chicken pox but I only had a few pox. I knew that I could catch them again so on account of my sisters both having a severe case they were sent to my Grandma's house because my dad (even with 4 brothers) never had chicken pox. So I have never been exposed to them and now that is creating a problem.

Source

The nurse said that I have to retake the test when I go back in on Thursday. If it comes back and still says that I am not immune I will need to get the varicella vaccine. This would set our TTC efforts back three months because I would have to get a shot and then thirty days later get another shot and then retest to make sure my body has built up an immunity. I know that they use the live virus so hopefully this wont lead me to develop chicken pox I don't think I could afford the time off work. However, she explained that I could not have any of this done but if I were to catch chicken pox while in my first trimester (ya know if were to become pregnant) there is a great chance the baby would develop birth defects. I know the likely hood of me coming down with the pox is rare but it is something I would not like to risk especially with my husband working with children all day. So lets hope this test was a fluke and I wouldn't even have to worry about it.

I would love to hear your opinions.

Good News

Happy New Year to all! I hope everyone had a great time during their celebrations. As of last post I left off by describing my consultation with the RE. They drew blood to check to see if I had ovulated. I got the call a few days later and sure enough I am ovulating!! I figured I was because I can feel the pain and pinpoint my exact time of ovulation but it was nice to get it confirmed. This past Wednesday morning marked two weeks since I ovulated and my period came. I never thought this would excite me but because I have to get more testing on cycle day three I was ready to get the show on the road so to speak. Aunt Flo surprised me by being a regular period and not just spotting. This is the first "real" period I have had since coming off birth control seven months ago. More good news is this cycle lasted 63 days instead of the normal 75-77 days. I wonder if it is because acupuncture or if I am getting back to a more regular cycle, I know that 63 days isn't regular but for me it is closer. Before I was on birth control my cycles came about every other month.

Source

I go in the RE tomorrow for more blood work and then next week for a saline ultrasound which I hear is a good time. Mr. Relaxasaur has to repeat his sperm analysis next week as well as go in for blood work. This cycle is the first time we will actually TTC so our plan is to have sex every other day so we don't miss my ovulation. All of this is based on the all the tests coming back with positive results. So we are keeping our fingers crossed!


***Update***

I just got back from my appointment and I thought I was just getting blood work done but they also surprised me an ultrasound. I have never had one and heard about the "dildo cam" from other blogs. It wasn't bad at first but then she had to keep applying pressure to different regions of my pelvis. It felt like period cramps but went away as soon as she was done. During the ultrasound the tech did ask if I have regular periods which made me wonder if she always asks that question or if she saw something. I don't know why I didn't ask but I am guessing they will tell me if I have anything wrong after they collect all the data. My next appointment is for next Thursday which is when Mr. Relaxasaur will repeating his sperm analysis.

RE Appointment

Happy Holidays to all! I just wanted to send a quick update of my reproductive endocrinologist (RE) appointment I had today. I went in and had my consultation and I like everyone who works there. Dr F sat down with me and talked about my history and what is currently happening (my long cycles). They took blood from me to find out if I ovulated (more on that later) and I will get the results on Monday. They also will let me know if I have to pick up a prescription to make my period come so I can get more testing because my period was just brown spotting and they want to see full flow.

They want me to come in on my 3rd day of my cycle to get more blood work and then sometime on cycle day 6-10 for a saline ultrasound which involves a catheter so that sounds a little scary. Dr. F also went over my husbands sperm analysis. She explained that teratospermia means sperm are deformed which I knew. She said that 100% of the sperm were deformed but that could just be the sample they took from and it doesn't mean that we cannot conceive on our own but 70% of them are mobile so that is good. She wants Josh to bring a new sample in as well as get a blood test for HIV, hepatitis, and syphilis. She did say that she has seen samples in men that are very similar to Mr. Relaxasaur and they have conceived on their own. So right now we are keeping hope.

Source

As to my ovulation I was due to ovulate on or around New Years but Monday I felt a few pains near my left ovary they didn't last long so I brushed them off because it was too early and I didn't see any signs pointing to ovulation. Then on Tuesday I had a crazy amount of egg white cervical mucus and more ovulation pains. Of course I was already at work and didn't get home until 2 am after the hubby was already sleeping. I did take an OPK just to know and it was positive. Awesome. We also had not had sex since Thursday because we didn't see each other this past weekend. I took another test Wednesday morning just to be sure and yep it turned positive again. I had to work that day and didn't get home until 11 that night and we baby danced because you never know and also because it had been a while. This is a good thing and a bad thing. Good because I ovulated a week to 10 days earlier so my cycle is getting shorter, but bad because we had not been intimate on my supposed fertile days. Oh well there is always February.

I will post my results when I find out if in fact I have been ovulating or not.

Again Happy Holidays to all!!!!!!!!!

I Hate my Doctor and Bad News

I am so mad right now and apologies ahead of time but this post is going to be long. But before I get into that I want to say thank you for everyone who had good things to say about my last post and how the doctor was treating me. Today it wasn't any better infact it was worse. I went in for a supposed consultation but that is not what I got. My appointment was scheduled for 3:00 and I arrived about ten minutes early and I sat for 45 minutes before I was even called back. I was the only one there so it wasn't like she had a busy room full of people.

Then I get taken back and she comes in to tell me she can't tell me the results of my husbands sperm analysis because she doesn't know what they mean. WHAT! Then why in the hell did she tell me to come in, why didn't she just say that a week and a half ago. She tells me I need to see a specialist that she can't help me out with my long menstrual cycles. Again, I could have heard this on the phone. So as I am collecting all my paperwork I ask about my last pap. She said it was negative and when I asked about the HPV she said it was negative. Good news but then I wanted to know if that meant the cells that have already changed on my cervix are still bad and need to be monitored or when I should come in for my next pap and she said with a raised voice and an attitude that they were negative. She wouldn't even answer any of my questions about what the HPV had done to my body. With that comment she stood up and said come see me when you get pregnant. At this point I want to tell her she is a raving lunatic if she thinks I will ever see her again.

Don't get me wrong I will forever be grateful that she helped me understand that HPV needs to be taken seriously, and for taking care of my body from that first appointment but since the surgery she has done nothing for me. I do have a fertility center which is located across the street from me so I called my insurance one more time to get a better understanding of what they cover. A very helpful and polite person answered and did a wonderful job explaining that the fertility center is in my network and that I can get tests and a diagnosis covered by insurance. However, once myself or my husband gets diagnosed infertile they will no longer cover any of the procedures or furter testing. So my goal is to get an appointment before the new year because I have already covered my deductible for this year. But it was too late to call after the doctors because they kept me there so long so I'll call in the morning.

I want to at least go in and make sure I am ovulating and see what they think about my long cycles ( I am on day 40) and I am not scheduled to ovulate until New Years. Now for the bad news I was able to read the results from the sperm analysis and they don't look good for us conceiving naturally. According to the results Mr. Relaxasaur has good count and motility but it says he has severe teratospermia which is what my doctor had no clue about. I of course came home and googled it. It means that he has a low percentage of normal shaped sperm. That is what teratospermia is defined as I have no clue how little severe means. Sperm which are abnormally shaped do not swim well, nor do they penetrate the egg well when they do reach it. One site said that is also means they are degenerative.

I don't know how bad his is because they did not put a percentage down on the result sheet for the Kruger Strict Morphology test - it just says severe. According to Dr. Google it looks like intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is the most common way to help couples become pregnant. I'm not taking this to mean that is what we have to do - I wont jump to any conclusions until I hear it come from a doctor I trust. Now here is the other problem: I can't tell the reproductive endocrinologist about it until all my tests are run because if the insurance company finds out about it I am afraid my tests wont be covered. Or I could wait until I meet my doctor and then tell her about the results and ask they not write it down or let it get to the insurance company. What do you guys think I should do bring it up right away or wait until my results are in?

I like to end on good news so here is the good news I got today. My husband is not sterile and as of today there is a possiblity of us having kids (even if we need help) and my good friend who is pregnant found out she is having a girl. I love shopping for baby girl clothes. Thanks ahead of time for everyones opinions and thoughts. I really do appreciate them.

Riding the Emotional Roller Coaster

That's right. I am riding this crazy roller coaster of emotions. Last week I was feeling great about where I am at in life. Mr. Relaxasaur and I had a "check in" talk. We like to keep our lines of communication open and every now and then we like to make sure we are both good and happy with our relationship. We went out to a nice dinner and talked about the what ifs of TTC. We said that if we didn't have any kids in the next five years we would move the city and try city life for a while and then consider adoption. I try to tell myself that for me children aren't everything. But I don't think I will know for sure until we are faced with the real possiblity of never.

Source

As we wait for our results from my hubby's sperm analysis I started to worry a little that we can't have kids. The longer we have to wait the more my mind freaks me out. The other day for no reason whatsoever I cried four times about nothing. It was a tough day and then I tell myself not to try to not worry until we get the results. We took the test almost 3 weeks ago and the results have been sitting in my doctor's office for a week and I have been calling everyday and she will not call me back. Her secretary called and asked me to call the place where we got the testing done and get the results from them. So I called them and they said they only conduct the tests and they don't keep the results in the office and to call my doctor for them. So I call my doctor back and of course her assistant said the same thing she has been saying all week that the doctor will call me when she gets a chance. Then last night her assistant calls and says my Dr. wants me to get the results from the lab and I again explain they don't have them and it is really starting to piss me off. So I told her to fax me the results and she said she would tomorrow after the doctor comes in.

I knew this wouldn't happen so I called today and talked to a different woman and asked her to get my file together including the sperm test results because I would be picking them up and switching to a new doctor. I explained that I also have been wanting come in and get tested for PCOS and the other assistant kept telling me to talk to the doctor about it when she called me back, which I didn't understand why she wouldn't just set me up and appointment, plus I wasn't getting called back so how can I talk to the doctor. So this woman asked me when my appointment was with the other doctor and I told her Dec. 31st. She asked me if I wanted to come in on Monday for a consultation for my irregular cycle and get my husbands lab results at the same time. I figure I have nothing to loose. Then she tells me she can't really tell me the results without the doctor signing off but she say that it states Mr. Relaxasaur is advised to see a urologist.

So I am assuming something is wrong. My heart sank. Not for me but for my husband. See he loves children, he works with kids for a living and does want to be a father someday. We don't know what is wrong yet I will find out Monday so until then we are trying to stay positive but it is hard to not wonder about our future. I do know that this is going to be a long weekend. On top of all that I stopped acupuncture. I wasn't seeing any changes in my cycle, my energy is better but I didn't want to continue spending the money until we know for sure that we can have children of our own. I am currently on cycle day 43. Plus, I found someone who specializes in fertility acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, and is also an obgyn so when and if I continue I will switch practitioners. That is about all that has been happening my household and I will post an update after I get the results back.

Thanks for reading and have a nice weekend.

Feeling Emotional

It seems this week I have hit all the emotions, happy, hopeful, frustrated, worried, angry, and impatient. I was happy because this last week was supposed to be the end of my acupuncture treatments. I am feeling twinges in my uterus and ovary area and was hopeful it was moving my cycle along. I went in on Thursday in a great mood because Mr. Relaxasaur and I had bought our first real Christmas tree and decorated the house. I was feeling very jolly. Then Dr. Frank tells me he still wants to see me twice a week for the next four weeks. He said I should be getting my period any day now, which is something he has said a few times. He said if not this weekend then definitely next week. He wants me to spend another 600 dollars on top of the money I have already spent for the previous 13 treatments. I made the appointments but I have yet to pay and I don't think I want to; at least not with him. I am not sure he has treated anyone else for fertility. His wife usually does the fertility treatments and she is out on maternity leave. I also thought about seeing him for chiropractic care but I found out he is going out of network after the new year. I will keep my appointment for Monday because its too late to cancel it and then I want to find other options. Don't get me wrong I feel better, I have more energy, and I am sleeping better, but I don't think it has done anything for my long cycles. I am on day 31 with no signs of ovulation. I am thinking of finding an acupuncturist who specializes in fertility.

Source

With that said I am also thinking of finding a new obgyn again. I really like the one I have now but she doesn't know how to help my cycles. When I told her my cycles were 77 days she didn't even blink. Josh went and got his "boys" tested two weeks ago and the results have been in her office since wed and she wont call me back with the results despite me calling her everyday. The same thing happened when I wanted to get the results from my last pap which was back in August and I still don't know them. I think she is better with std's than fertility. I also want to get a second opinion on my HPV. She told me if I were older she would take my cervix out and it makes me wonder what another doctor would do. I want to find someone who can do some tests to test me for PCOS because my insurance wont cover a reproductive endocrinologist. Finding two new people to help me are at the top of my list and is something I plan to take care of on Monday since it is the weekend and offices are closed.

I have been reading The Infertility Cure and it has helped me figure out what kind of foods can help my body balanced. It shows where I should apply acupressure, and breathing techniques. I have been using a warming pad on my pelvic area. I would really like to do things as natural as possible before I have to rely on any prescriptions, or medical intervention. I am trying to give up caffeine, and sugars, and processed foods. It is not easy but I am taking it one step at a time.

Cycle 2 Update

I'm cruising along in my second cycle and continuing with the acupuncture treatments. I have 4 left and it has been wonderful. I feel so great when I am done like I am floating on a cloud. I heard the euphoric/relaxed feeling has been compared to a runners high. If this is true I am seriously thinking of taking up running. I also have so much more energy. Or I should say I actually have energy. I would normally feel sluggish all day but now I can just go, go, go. I also feel twinges of sorts from my uterus and my ovaries. My energy being stirred up makes me so thirsty. I have been drinking much more water than normal. I swear I go through at least a gallon a day which makes me go to the bathroom a million times a day.

This is how I feel during acupuncture (Source)

The other day we went over to our friends house and I went to bathroom about 4 times in the two hours we were over there and she was joking that I go much more than her and she is the one that is pregnant. It is funny because all of her symptoms are a part of my everyday life. She was telling me that she hates being pregnant. She doesn't like all the sickness and tired feeling that comes along with it. Normally I might be upset about her statement but she doesn't really know that we are going through acupuncture, or what we are going through to try to have a baby. I didn't want to tell her because I didn't want her to have any feelings of guilt because she got knocked up on accident. I just finally told my mom that we were doing this and that we would be starting to try real soon. We were also finally able to get Mr. Relaxasaur a referral to get his sperm checked out. We got up early last Friday so we should have the results this week sometime so cross your fingers for good swimmers.

I do have a question for all you lovely women out there. My last period was just a couple days of light brown spotting it started November 4th and ended on the 6th and if my cycles don't change it looks like my next ovulation will come on New Years Eve. I am not sure if this will effect this our chances of conceiving this cycle. I am wondering if we should not even try until I get a solid period. Does anybody have any advice? I would appreciate it.

Feeling Great

Who thought I would look forward to having needles stuck in my skin. But I do. I see Dr. Frank three times a week and I just finished my first week and I feel great. I have so much more energy or I should say I actually have energy. Through out the week I can feel twinges in my uterus and near my ovaries. I feel happy and rested and I am wondering why I haven't done this sooner. Even as I type this I can feel the energy flowing in my pelvic region.

Here is how my appointments go:

I walk in and fill out a progress report. Then they take me back to a dimly lit room with a massage table. They heat the table as I roll my pants to above my knee and roll my sleeves to the elbow. Then Dr. Frank comes and in and we talk about how I have been feeling and how I should be feeling. We talk about my stress levels (low), my job, my eating habits (getting better). We also just talk about everyday normal things like how the Bears suck right now. While we are talking we inserts the needles in my legs, stomach, arms, face, and head. He attaches an electric current to 4 of the points in my legs and ankles. Then he points a heat lamp towards my pelvis, puts on soothing music and leaves me be. I lay there for about 20 minutes and its great. I leave flying on a cloud. He also gave me 3 vitamins to take 3 times a day with food. I am taking a multi-vitamin called catalyn, a vitamin B supplement called cataplex B, and finally symplex F for healthy functioning of multi organs including my ovaries. I still have 8 more treatments left until we talk about our next move.


Also, in my last post I mentioned Mr. Relaxasaur was going to get his sperm tested but that was a bust. We did like we were supposed to; have sex 3-5 days prior and then abstain from sexual activity for 48 hours prior. We woke up at 6:30 am which is nowhere near the time I normally wake up. We arrive at the office and they have no record of our appointment. Plus, they tell us even if we did have our apt they would not see us with out a referral. I told the receptionist that I when I made the appointment I told the woman we didn't have a referral and she said it wouldn't be a problem. Turns out she was wrong. So we were sent home only to receive a phone call saying they found our apt and they made it for the wrong day but without a Dr.'s order they weren't going to see us. It was too early for all that crap and I was a little crabby. Today, I called my gyno and she will send over an order tonight so I will call tomorrow and reschedule.


Has anybody heard from legalosaur? I think about her and keep her in my prayers.

Needles, and Electric Current, and Medical Tape, Oh My!

At the beginning of trying for a baby I thought how hard can it be. You just have sex at the right time of the month and voila you are pregnant. I am not entirely ignorant when it comes to procreating. I was aware that some unlucky women have problems. I just never thought it would be me. I was thinking maybe it would take me two or three cycles. I have since learned for most women it is not that easy, and congrats to all those who were able to conceive right away. There are so many different factors that affect us. For me, it is my unusually long cycles which are followed with a very, very light period. It is all opposite of what I need in order to become pregnant and even stay pregnant.

If you have read my last post then you know my insurance won't cover any fertility treatments. I was pretty bummed and thought I should just wait and continue doing nothing until my cycles regulate themselves. I think this cycle just ended after 78 days with 1 to 2 days of light brown spotting. Then with a some help from Chocosaur (thank you!) I decided I needed a new plan other than sitting around waiting for my body to fix itself. I need to be proactive. Your probably wondering what do needles, electric currents, and heat lamps have to do with this post. Well, I have decided to proceed with acupuncture. I found this wonderful Chiropractor (Dr. Frank) who specialized in Tradition Chinese Medicine (TCM) - his practice is 5 minutes from my house. The best part is after I meet the deductible, my insurance will cover acupuncture. I probably should have waited until after the new year so I wont have to pay my deductible again, but like I said earlier I am really impatient.

Source

I started my first treatment last Thursday. Dr. Frank started off by feeling my uterus, fallopian tubes, and my ovaries - don't worry, he did it through my stomach no clothes came off. He said that he couldn't feel any scarring so that is good. He also looked at my tongue. Then he got started with the needles and instead of doing a full body he did a initial treatment to get my body ready for the full treatments. It didn't really hurt but I did feel a couple of the needles go in. Then he attached an electric current to three of the needles in my foot and leg. Turn down the lights and let me relax for 20-30 minutes.


After the needles came out he put medical tape around the middle of my feet and told me to leave it on until my next treatment which was today. So I had that tape on my feet all weekend which was really annoying, especially when I spent about 14 hours on my feet yesterday. Today, when he took it off I asked him why he taped them in the first place and he told me there was a pressure point on the foot he couldn't stick a needle in. Anyway, after my first visit I felt so relaxed and then came a burst of energy and it felt good. Even Mr. Relaxasaur noticed a change in my moods over the phone. Dr Frank sent me home with a 250 questionnaire in which he will use to analyze my habits and health so tomorrow we can talk about exercise, and nutrition, and vitamins. I have my third treatment tomorrow so I will tell you about today's treatment after tomorrow's appt. Also, Mr Relaxasaur goes tomorrow morning to get his sperm tested, so cross your fingers all is good.


Thanks for reading! Good Luck to all the ladies TTC.

A little Bummed

Today I looked into fertility clinics in my area and made two appointments at two locations to deal with my long cycles. I am currently on day 77 and I think I might actually be close to ending this cycle. I have been so tired lately and today I woke up with tender breasts. I have also been a little nauseous but I think I am just worn down from a long weekend. I took a pregnancy test with my FMU and I got a negative. Anyway, I thought I should call my insurance and see what is covered and it turns out infertility is not covered under my husbands insurance. It goes with out saying that I was disappointed.

At first I felt like this

Source

I haven't canceled my appointments yet but I will before the end of the day so someone else can use them. I think right now it is just in our best interest to keep TTC with out any intervention. I don't want to put a limit on the length of time we try before we do pay out of pocket because that would make it a little more stressful. So we will just have fun and enjoy all the extra baby dancing when it comes time and like I said before I just bought a crap load of ovulation tests so when it becomes time I will start using those. Speaking of ovulation tests do any of you awesome ladies out there have any advice on when I should start testing? I am pretty sure my luteal phase is 14 days so should I start testing after day 35?