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Ruh-Ro!

February 2, 2007 by chezperky

This morning's monitoring appointment was a little less happy than it could have been. I've got too many follicles trying to peak out all at once. Not so fabulous. I owned up to the fact that I'd accidentally (again) increased my dosage by 8 IUs, but also noted that I'd accidentally done the same thing last month. The doctor didn't think that the 8 IUs were really signficant, particularly in light of the fact that I didn't have the same response last month to the same dosage. I think my second cycle (could have been the third, I can't remember) I had a similar response (super-perky ovaries, that is) with only 33 IUs but I still only ended up with 1 mature follicle at trigger time, so I'm not too worried. But look take a look for yourself:

Right Ovary: 8.5, 8.9, 9.2, 10.3, 11.9 (and about 7 smaller ones)
Left Ovary: 7.0, 7.1, 9.0
Lining: 9.6

Maybe I'll have quintuplets! JUST KIDDING! Seriously!

Even my beloved Margaret (sonographer extraordinaire) asked if I could please tell my ovaries to tone it down. I told her it was all her fault since she's the one who dubbed my ovaries "perky" oh so long ago. She has promised never to refer to my ovaries as perky again. Until, you know, the next time she does. At any rate, I'll be going back on Sunday. No dosage change unless my bloodwork comes back all wonky. It's all good. I mean, after all, why would I want to be anywhere but the clinic at 7am on a Sunday morning?

While I'm disappointed at my ovaries' blatant disregard for my wishes, my biggest disappointment wasn't seeing them rebel most annoyingly… Rather, it was that I was put into Room 1 for my ultrasound (I'm not actually serious). The problem with Room 1 is that it doesn't have a mobile hanging from the ceiling. All the other rooms do. Dr. S. (hereafter known as Dr. Can't-Follow-Through-With-Mobile-Hanging) once told me that he personally hung the mobiles in the exam rooms and I was quite impressed. I mean, really, what else is a girl supposed to look at during an ultrasound? But Room 1 has no mobile, so every time I'm there I harass the staff about the fact that I'm stuck in the boring room. Margaret offered up a Garfield poster, but refused to accept my suggestion of putting comics on the ceiling above the table. "In a fertility clinic? Nah!" Why not? There are bound to be some funny infertility comics, right? Now I must scour the internet for funny infertility comics and I'm asking you, my faithful readers, to help me. I have made it my mission to bring a collection of infertility comics to Margaret before this cycle is done for. So give it your best shot!

Edited to Add: Okay, sure, I COULD be looking at my ovaries during the ultrasound, but really, they're kinda boring after a while. Plus, what about the 2 IUIs I've had in that room? Laying there bored for five minutes afterward with nothing to do but count the ceiling tiles isn't so fun. Fortunately, the other 3 IUIs I've had were in rooms with mobiles! End of Edit

Anywhozit, Dr. Can't-Follow-Through-With-Mobile-Hanging (Dr. CFTWMH) wasn't the doctor covering monitoring today, so I didn't get to harass him directly. Instead, Dr. C. was covering monitoring. He's an extremely good doctor and very well-respected in the Washington Area (named one of Washington's Top Doctors), but he makes me edgy. He's very nice and personable, so that isn't it. It's that I tend to see him when things aren't going QUITE as expected in my cycle and he gets this worried look on his face every time. I mean, he didn't freak out or anything, but he sort of gave this worried sigh-like sound and that worried look flashed across his face briefly. Maybe I'm reading too much into it.

In other news, the Follistim is really getting to me this cycle. I'm moodier than I've ever been on Follistim (though maybe it's just me and I can't blame the drug) and I'm having a tremendous amount of nausea. If I didn't know better, I'd be wondering if I was pregnant. But I do know better, and I'm definitely not pregnant. Last cycle I didn't have nearly as much moodiness, nor nearly as much nausea. But last cycle the Follistim REALLY STUNG every time I used it, and this time I've barely felt the injections, so I guess I should count my blessings.

That's all for now. I'll keep you posted if anything changes (since I know you're all just on the edge of your seats waiting to hear my E2 and LH levels!).

Posted in IUI #6, my stupid body | Leave a Comment »

Perky!

February 1, 2007 by chezperky

I am so smart. Seriously, I don’t need no stinking doctors! I can practically predict my treatment plan for just about every cycle at this point. Right. So stay on the same dosage and come back on Saturday, which means Friday, since I can’t go in on Saturday (I’m Jewish, if some of the newer readers here didn’t realize that). So I’ll go back in on Friday. If things work the same way as last cycle, I’ll be back there again on Sunday as well, but it could be Monday. Maybe I should start a betting pool. 😀

By the way, I again screwed up and have been taking 75 IUs instead of 66, but I finally figured out why… I was reading the numbers on the pen incorrectly. I’ve decided that it hasn’t messed anything up so severely and I’m not going to disclose my mistake to my doctor, I’m just going to keep at it. 8 IUs really doesn’t make a huge difference at this point, as my nurse once pointed out to me, so it shouldn’t be a big deal. At any rate, I didn’t realize the mistake (or the reason) until tonight, so it’s a bit late to rectify anyway. *shrug*

Posted in IUI #6 | 6 Comments »

Perky!

February 1, 2007 by chezperky

I am so smart. Seriously, I don't need no stinking doctors! I can practically predict my treatment plan for just about every cycle at this point. Right. So stay on the same dosage and come back on Saturday, which means Friday, since I can't go in on Saturday (I'm Jewish, if some of the newer readers here didn't realize that). So I'll go back in on Friday. If things work the same way as last cycle, I'll be back there again on Sunday as well, but it could be Monday. Maybe I should start a betting pool. 😀

By the way, I again screwed up and have been taking 75 IUs instead of 66, but I finally figured out why… I was reading the numbers on the pen incorrectly. I've decided that it hasn't messed anything up so severely and I'm not going to disclose my mistake to my doctor, I'm just going to keep at it. 8 IUs really doesn't make a huge difference at this point, as my nurse once pointed out to me, so it shouldn't be a big deal. At any rate, I didn't realize the mistake (or the reason) until tonight, so it's a bit late to rectify anyway. *shrug*

Posted in IUI #6 | 10 Comments »

CD 8

January 31, 2007 by chezperky

I’ve never been good at coming up with snappy or witty titles for my posts. So there you have it. Today is CD 8, which meant a return visit to Shady Hell. I didn’t get a doctor today, just the sonographer. I find this far preferable to the times that I get a doctor and no sonographer, because frankly… Margaret’s better at this than they are. She’s been wanding patients for 17 years. Seriously!

Anywhozit, nothing terribly exciting today, except Dracula managed to draw blood with only one stick. Hooray for her! Still early, so nothing terribly interesting. Two follicles on the right ovary measuring 9.6 and 10.2. Another 10 or 12 follicles smaller than that. 14 on the left ovary, all under 10mm. Lining was 9.6, so at least I know there’s some estrogen floating around somewhere.

They’ll call me later today after they review my bloodwork to let me know when to schedule my next appointment (and whether my dosage needs to change). I’m anticipating a Friday appointment, but who knows. I suspect Saturday would be preferable, which is why I’m betting on Friday, but I suppose it could be Sunday. Either way, I’ve made an appointment for Friday morning just in case. Gotta snag that 6:45am slot!

Posted in IUI #6 | 5 Comments »

CD 8

January 31, 2007 by chezperky

I've never been good at coming up with snappy or witty titles for my posts. So there you have it. Today is CD 8, which meant a return visit to Shady Hell. I didn't get a doctor today, just the sonographer. I find this far preferable to the times that I get a doctor and no sonographer, because frankly… Margaret's better at this than they are. She's been wanding patients for 17 years. Seriously!

Anywhozit, nothing terribly exciting today, except Dracula managed to draw blood with only one stick. Hooray for her! Still early, so nothing terribly interesting. Two follicles on the right ovary measuring 9.6 and 10.2. Another 10 or 12 follicles smaller than that. 14 on the left ovary, all under 10mm. Lining was 9.6, so at least I know there's some estrogen floating around somewhere.

They'll call me later today after they review my bloodwork to let me know when to schedule my next appointment (and whether my dosage needs to change). I'm anticipating a Friday appointment, but who knows. I suspect Saturday would be preferable, which is why I'm betting on Friday, but I suppose it could be Sunday. Either way, I've made an appointment for Friday morning just in case. Gotta snag that 6:45am slot!

Posted in IUI #6 | 6 Comments »

Housekeeping

January 29, 2007 by chezperky

I recently updated my list of blogs in the sidebar. I think I might have missed a couple, and I do occasionally look at Julie’s Big List O’ Blogs to see if there’s anyone new. But I was wondering if there are any infertility bloggers you all recommend. Are there any you’re particularly enjoying these days that I don’t have listed (or even if I do have them listed, I suppose). Or, even though De-Lurking Week is over… perhaps you’re reading this blog and I don’t have you listed. Could you let me know? Also, if you’d prefer your blog NOT be listed (or be listed differently), please let me know. It won’t keep me from reading your blog, but I do know some people prefer not to have links directly to their blogs.

That’s about it. Everything else is normal.
Nightly Follistim injections? Check.
Accompanying nausea? Check.
Worst migraines I’ve had in close to a decade? Check.
Two funerals a week apart, neither local, each involving a 5 to 9 hour drive? Check.
31st Birthday? Check.
Wondermous husband who surprised me by telling me he’s taking me out to dinner tonight to celebrate the aforementioned birthday? Check.

What more could a girl ask for? Next update probably Wednesday after my CD8 bloodwork and ultrasound. Anticipate increasing Follistim dosage slightly and returning Friday. We’ll see if I’m correct.

Posted in blogarama, life | 4 Comments »

Housekeeping

January 29, 2007 by chezperky

I recently updated my list of blogs in the sidebar. I think I might have missed a couple, and I do occasionally look at Julie's Big List O' Blogs to see if there's anyone new. But I was wondering if there are any infertility bloggers you all recommend. Are there any you're particularly enjoying these days that I don't have listed (or even if I do have them listed, I suppose). Or, even though De-Lurking Week is over… perhaps you're reading this blog and I don't have you listed. Could you let me know? Also, if you'd prefer your blog NOT be listed (or be listed differently), please let me know. It won't keep me from reading your blog, but I do know some people prefer not to have links directly to their blogs.

That's about it. Everything else is normal.
Nightly Follistim injections? Check.
Accompanying nausea? Check.
Worst migraines I've had in close to a decade? Check.
Two funerals a week apart, neither local, each involving a 5 to 9 hour drive? Check.
31st Birthday? Check.
Wondermous husband who surprised me by telling me he's taking me out to dinner tonight to celebrate the aforementioned birthday? Check.

What more could a girl ask for? Next update probably Wednesday after my CD8 bloodwork and ultrasound. Anticipate increasing Follistim dosage slightly and returning Friday. We'll see if I'm correct.

Posted in blogarama, life | 5 Comments »

the beta that wasn’t

January 26, 2007 by chezperky

Today was supposed to be Beta Day. My google calendar agenda (emailed to me every morning at 5am) even told me so because I’d forgotten to change it. Anyway, CD3 marks a new beginning, of course (vs. CD1 which marks another end). Every new cycle has the potential to work, even though I know it won’t. Still, in the interest of new beginnings, my new google spreadsheet is up and running for IUI #6 (it’s really just a new tab in the same old spreadsheet).

I got to see my beloved Margaret, sonographer extraordinaire, this morning. “Gosh it’s been a while,” she said. Yep, a whole two weeks. But you know, if I’d made it all the way to beta day, it would have been even longer before I got to see Margaret again, so at least I have that going for me, right? This morning she declared that not only are my ovaries “perky” as per usual (Margaret is the person who inadvertently named my blog) but that I am the poster child for PCOS. Er, I’m not sure that’s something to be proud of. Apparently in the two weeks I was twiddling my thumbs at home intead of having thrice-weekly dates with an ultrasound wand, I missed the Shady Hell Holiday Party. Margaret, apparently, wore a stunning black pants suit and looked very skinny (she IS very skinny, so that isn’t a shock). I’m curious what Dr. T. wore, but I didn’t ask.

I realized, when I noticed that the same doctor I had for Day 3 monitoring last cycle was the doctor doing monitoring today for my Day 3 appointment, that I had exactly a 28 day cycle. No wonder the time seemed to fly right by. My last period started December 27th, this one started January 24th. How’s that for perfect timing? I’ve never had a cycle last exactly 28 days. EVER.

The good news is that if I have a similar cycle to IUI #5, it won’t interfere with my plans to be in Florida visiting my father in February (18th-20th). I’ll be at the tail end of the 2ww. I thought that could be a problem, because if my period came earlier, I’d miss my CD3 monitoring appointment, but NO! I forgot! This is my very last IUI cycle! So I’ll just make sure to fill my script for BCPs before I leave for Florida so that I can start taking them in preparation for IVF#1 if I need to. I mean, not that I’ll need them. Because, after all, the 6th time’s a charm, right? Or, um, not?

Anyway, this is it, folks! Last IUI. The very last one. Soon it’s on to the fun of, um, injections? Oh wait, I’ve already done that. Dates with an ultrasound wand? Nope, been there, done that one, too. Um. Oh! right! Egg Retrieval! Haven’t done that one before, and boy am I looking forward to that one… oh, wait. No I’m not! Well, at least I don’t have to keep taking my temperature every morning. There was no greater torture, in my opinion, than taking basal temperatures every day.

By the way, you’d think having two periods so close together (yes, 28 days is a short cycle for me these days), I’d be in less pain … but HOLY COW THIS FREAKING HURTS! I think I almost prefer when my period was a twice a year event. Except in as much as it interferes with baby-making.

Well, let the games begin! (hah! I had to create a new label for this post. IUI #6. Sheesh. You’d think I’d have learned my lesson by now, wouldn’t you?)

Posted in IUI #6 | 6 Comments »

the beta that wasn’t

January 26, 2007 by chezperky

Today was supposed to be Beta Day. My google calendar agenda (emailed to me every morning at 5am) even told me so because I'd forgotten to change it. Anyway, CD3 marks a new beginning, of course (vs. CD1 which marks another end). Every new cycle has the potential to work, even though I know it won't. Still, in the interest of new beginnings, my new google spreadsheet is up and running for IUI #6 (it's really just a new tab in the same old spreadsheet).

I got to see my beloved Margaret, sonographer extraordinaire, this morning. "Gosh it's been a while," she said. Yep, a whole two weeks. But you know, if I'd made it all the way to beta day, it would have been even longer before I got to see Margaret again, so at least I have that going for me, right? This morning she declared that not only are my ovaries "perky" as per usual (Margaret is the person who inadvertently named my blog) but that I am the poster child for PCOS. Er, I'm not sure that's something to be proud of. Apparently in the two weeks I was twiddling my thumbs at home intead of having thrice-weekly dates with an ultrasound wand, I missed the Shady Hell Holiday Party. Margaret, apparently, wore a stunning black pants suit and looked very skinny (she IS very skinny, so that isn't a shock). I'm curious what Dr. T. wore, but I didn't ask.

I realized, when I noticed that the same doctor I had for Day 3 monitoring last cycle was the doctor doing monitoring today for my Day 3 appointment, that I had exactly a 28 day cycle. No wonder the time seemed to fly right by. My last period started December 27th, this one started January 24th. How's that for perfect timing? I've never had a cycle last exactly 28 days. EVER.

The good news is that if I have a similar cycle to IUI #5, it won't interfere with my plans to be in Florida visiting my father in February (18th-20th). I'll be at the tail end of the 2ww. I thought that could be a problem, because if my period came earlier, I'd miss my CD3 monitoring appointment, but NO! I forgot! This is my very last IUI cycle! So I'll just make sure to fill my script for BCPs before I leave for Florida so that I can start taking them in preparation for IVF#1 if I need to. I mean, not that I'll need them. Because, after all, the 6th time's a charm, right? Or, um, not?

Anyway, this is it, folks! Last IUI. The very last one. Soon it's on to the fun of, um, injections? Oh wait, I've already done that. Dates with an ultrasound wand? Nope, been there, done that one, too. Um. Oh! right! Egg Retrieval! Haven't done that one before, and boy am I looking forward to that one… oh, wait. No I'm not! Well, at least I don't have to keep taking my temperature every morning. There was no greater torture, in my opinion, than taking basal temperatures every day.

By the way, you'd think having two periods so close together (yes, 28 days is a short cycle for me these days), I'd be in less pain … but HOLY COW THIS FREAKING HURTS! I think I almost prefer when my period was a twice a year event. Except in as much as it interferes with baby-making.

Well, let the games begin! (hah! I had to create a new label for this post. IUI #6. Sheesh. You'd think I'd have learned my lesson by now, wouldn't you?)

Posted in IUI #6 | 3 Comments »

the beta that wasn’t

January 26, 2007 by chezperky

Today was supposed to be Beta Day. My google calendar agenda (emailed to me every morning at 5am) even told me so because I'd forgotten to change it. Anyway, CD3 marks a new beginning, of course (vs. CD1 which marks another end). Every new cycle has the potential to work, even though I know it won't. Still, in the interest of new beginnings, my new google spreadsheet is up and running for IUI #6 (it's really just a new tab in the same old spreadsheet).

I got to see my beloved Margaret, sonographer extraordinaire, this morning. "Gosh it's been a while," she said. Yep, a whole two weeks. But you know, if I'd made it all the way to beta day, it would have been even longer before I got to see Margaret again, so at least I have that going for me, right? This morning she declared that not only are my ovaries "perky" as per usual (Margaret is the person who inadvertently named my blog) but that I am the poster child for PCOS. Er, I'm not sure that's something to be proud of. Apparently in the two weeks I was twiddling my thumbs at home intead of having thrice-weekly dates with an ultrasound wand, I missed the Shady Hell Holiday Party. Margaret, apparently, wore a stunning black pants suit and looked very skinny (she IS very skinny, so that isn't a shock). I'm curious what Dr. T. wore, but I didn't ask.

I realized, when I noticed that the same doctor I had for Day 3 monitoring last cycle was the doctor doing monitoring today for my Day 3 appointment, that I had exactly a 28 day cycle. No wonder the time seemed to fly right by. My last period started December 27th, this one started January 24th. How's that for perfect timing? I've never had a cycle last exactly 28 days. EVER.

The good news is that if I have a similar cycle to IUI #5, it won't interfere with my plans to be in Florida visiting my father in February (18th-20th). I'll be at the tail end of the 2ww. I thought that could be a problem, because if my period came earlier, I'd miss my CD3 monitoring appointment, but NO! I forgot! This is my very last IUI cycle! So I'll just make sure to fill my script for BCPs before I leave for Florida so that I can start taking them in preparation for IVF#1 if I need to. I mean, not that I'll need them. Because, after all, the 6th time's a charm, right? Or, um, not?

Anyway, this is it, folks! Last IUI. The very last one. Soon it's on to the fun of, um, injections? Oh wait, I've already done that. Dates with an ultrasound wand? Nope, been there, done that one, too. Um. Oh! right! Egg Retrieval! Haven't done that one before, and boy am I looking forward to that one… oh, wait. No I'm not! Well, at least I don't have to keep taking my temperature every morning. There was no greater torture, in my opinion, than taking basal temperatures every day.

By the way, you'd think having two periods so close together (yes, 28 days is a short cycle for me these days), I'd be in less pain … but HOLY COW THIS FREAKING HURTS! I think I almost prefer when my period was a twice a year event. Except in as much as it interferes with baby-making.

Well, let the games begin! (hah! I had to create a new label for this post. IUI #6. Sheesh. You'd think I'd have learned my lesson by now, wouldn't you?)

Posted in IUI #6 | 5 Comments »

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