Nausea is here to stay...

Well, yesterday I woke up feeling pretty nauseous and it hasn't gone away yet. In fact, it's gotten worse. Thanks to the progesterone I'm taking, no doubt. The cramping hasn't gone away either. This round has been pretty rough. It almost makes me miss the daily injections...at least with those it was a prick, a few minutes of stinging, and then just a sore abdomen for a few days, followed by bruising. This is constant dull pain in the abdomen and lower back, with a side of sore boobs, and nausea on top! Not to mention bloating and tiredness. I really pray there is a baby at the end of this 2 week torture. I promised my friends I wouldn't complain about pregnancy since it has been something I've wanted for so long...but, I don't know if I'm pregnant yet...so I get to complain for now! :-) No, I'm not really mad about it. I am actually really hopeful. Like I said before, I've got the luck of the Irish behind me and from what I hear, Irish people aren't ones you want to mess with! So, if my body knows what's best it will not go against the Irish! That's all I'm saying. But, for now, just know I feel awful and I still have until March 31 before I know if it's all worth it or not! Here's my little counter to keep us updated:

2 Days down...12 more to go

Okay so today is Day 2 Post IUI or (2dpiui) for short. Now, I looked back at my trusty infertility log from last cycle and realized that on this same day last cycle the only symptom I had was bloating. That is NOT the case this cycle. I have not stopped cramping since my IUI and I'm pretty sure I ovulated from both the left and right ovary because it was none too pleasant. I had sharp "ovulation" pains from both sides! Does that mean all 8 follicles ovulated? Oh, dear Lord, please don't answer my prayer to be a mother...by giving me 8 babies!!! I mean, I know beggers can't be choosers...but 8 is a little extreme. I am not going to complain on the number I would just like 1 healthy baby. If we get more, I will consider them all blessings. I am just praying like crazy that this cramping is a good sign. I am not kidding about the cramping though. I was laid up on the couch all day yesterday. It was so bad I text messaged my friend Sherri to loan me a heating pad. She's awesome, so she did. I'm using it as I type this too! But, anyway, going back to last month's cycle. I am thinking that this cramping business is a good thing since last month I didn't have it and I wasn't pregnant either. This month I do...so am I? Unfortunately, we won't know anything until March 31. That's 12 days from now, and yes, I'm keeping count! So, I guess I am going to stop rambling on and relax...it's still really EARLY!

Happy St. Patrick's Day...Hoping for all the luck!

Well, I went in this morning to have my IUI and it was going pretty well. Then, I started having really bad cramps in the waiting room before my I even had my IUI so I was a little worried that it was going to hurt. I requested some Tylenol but only took it about 15 minutes before my IUI. It still hurt really bad. I have had 2 IUI's in the past and none of them felt like that before. My cervix was "hiding" so they had to dig for it. I thought I was going to come off that table. At least Dr. Kaufmann kept me entertained while my nurse was doing the procedure. Dr. Kaufmann walked over and looked at Josh's counts and then said, "Wow, way to hit the target in all measurable areas." and then he actually fist bumped Josh. It was really funny and helped to distract me from the extremely uncomfortable IUI I was having. Then it was all over and I got to go home, only after Dr. Kaufmann hovered his hands over my abdomen saying "swim" to the sperm. Since then, I've been having seriously sharp pains I am hoping they will subside soon. Here's to hoping St. Patrick's Day brought us luck!

If nothing else, at least we looked cute in our matching St. Patrick's Day shirts!


Even the dogs joined in the festivity!

Can you tell the neighbor's came outside and the dogs were not too happy about this?

Best video ever

I was on my infertility forum and someone had posted the link to this video. It is perfectly done to describe what couples who are going through infertility feel like. I hope this sheds some light on the situation for some and comforts others. Personally, it was all to real for me and made me cry. I hope you enjoy.

http://www.tearsandhope.com/

Camping

Josh and I went camping last night with our friends the Brawley's. We had a blast but it was very cold and muddy. None-the-less, we managed to have a really good time. Plus, it helped keep my mind off of infertility. Here are a few pictures that captured the events!

That's Josh and Me

Brooke was making signs for her Volleyball team

Josh and Clint hanging out

Sherri the Chef made all this food! It was yummy!

It was cold so I tried to stay warm

Clint got the fire going so we could make smores, yum yum.

Josh, what are you doing in the background?

It's not a camping trip without the kiddos: Snicker and Sugar

Scrappy made a new friend, Shiloh...but wasn't happy about the play pen.

and she let out a squeal of excitement...

This morning, Josh and I went in for our appointment with Dr. K and it went better than I could have ever imagined. My follicles were clearly growing. My right side had 5 follies all around 14mm and my left side had 3 follies all about 16mm. RE thinks there is a possibility of them all being ready, but given my track record, he's not overly concerned. He suspects the 3 on the left will be the winners. I am trilled to death that after all the set backs this cycle
1. I am finally stimulated
2. I have multiple follies and
3. I get to have my IUI on St. Patrick's Day! That should bring me luck! :-)
Here's a recap of this month's cycle:
Day 1 of cycle 2/22
Baseline u/s 2/24 all clear to start injections
2/24-3/1 Follistim 125iu injections
3/2 u/s (3/2-3/4 Follistim 75iu injections dropped because E2 levels were strong)
3/5 u/s (3/5-3/8 Follistim 150iu injections raised because E2 levels showed no change)
3/9 u/s (3/9-3/11 Follistim 225iu injections raised again because no significant growth had occurred, E2 levels had dropped, abnormal bleeding)
3/12 u/s 7 follies! 5 (9.5mm) right & 2 (12.5mm & 13.5mm) left (3/12-3/13 continue Follistim 225iu injections)
3/14 u/s 8 follies! 5 (14mm) right & 3 (16mm) left (3/14 last Follistim 225iu injection)
3/15 trigger FINALLY after 19 days of injections!
3/17 IUI HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

So tonight, Josh will me my last injection of Follistim (hopefully for good) and tomorrow I will have my Ovidrel trigger shot. The next step happens on Tuesday morning with our IUI. I am just thrilled to death that we are finally having our IUI. There were so many doubts about this cycle and it feels so awesome to be ending it so strongly. I just hope and pray that it ends in a pregnancy. Just in case you have ever been curious about what a follicle looks like I have posted a picture of my left ovary.

The dark black spots are measured both horizontally and vertically and that is how they come up with an average of 16mm. You can see smaller black spots but only the 3 large ones were measured.

Relieved

I am so relieved...I went to the RE this morning and I have 5 follies around 9.5mm on my right ovary and 2 follies about 12mm and 13mm on my left. I have never been so happy to see black spots on an ultrasound! Plus, they were able to get blood on the first stick so I got leave without a bunch of track marks! How exciting is that? I am waiting to hear back from the doctor's office about my blood results and E2 to find out what my new dosage is going to be. He figures he will have to drop it down a little bit so all 5 on my right side don't go crazy and mature. Even still, I'm so excited. Michelle, my regular nurse, was not in the room today so when I left the exam room and walked over to the blood draw area, I stopped by Michelle's office to tell her the good news and I couldn't contain myself. I actually jumped up and down a few times with a huge smile on my face screaming, "I grew! I actually grew! My ovaries do work!!!" Josh, Michelle, and I all laughed and then hugged. It was a very funny sight for spectators.

I am scheduled to go back in on Saturday morning and then we will go from there but Dr. Kaufmann suspects either Monday or Tuesday for our IUI! I'm beyond thrilled. When I left the office I actually squealed with excitement and at that point, Josh let out a heartfelt chuckle. You know, one of those deep down in the belly area chuckles. He was so excited too. He looked at me and said, "Your follicles were HUGE! Baby, that's awesome." :-) Thank you ovaries! And thank you everyone else who has been praying for us. Our prayers have been answered so far, and for that we are eternally grateful. What a great day!