Sorry

I have had a rough couple of weeks having to do with fertility which I will post about shortly.  However, I just noticed that people are actually reading this blog so now I feel bad for just dropping off all of a sudden.  I promise I will get you all caught up this weekend!  Thanks for reading and please feel free to post a comment if you have any questions or, um, comments.  

Clomid Day 4

I had my HSG today.  Not at all painful.  It was uncomfortable and I felt a little pressure, but overall, it was nothing.  Until I stood up.  Then iodine came gushing out and down my legs.  So I cleaned myself up and walked cross-legged out of there.  I felt a little bit of cramping later, but nothing I needed even motrin for.

The good news is my tubes are clear and wide open!  It is nice for a change to not have anything wrong with me.

The other good news is my doctor's office said they got my medications to go through the insurance today.  So the pharmacy is rushing them through and I paid $20 each ($40 total) and I get them tomorrow.  Yes, Saturday.

Tuesday is my ultrasound and then my trigger shot.  Almost there!

Clomid Day 3

I think they call it the Clomid Challenge Test because everything magically turns into a challenge.

Earlier in the week, I went to pick up the Clomid and it was not covered by my insurance without a Prior Authorization.  So my doctor's office called my prescription benefits to get it to go through.  They also got Prior Auths for my other fertility meds.

Yesterday the specialty pharmacy called me about filling my Ovidrel (HCG) trigger shot and Progesterone vaginal suppositories.  They said the claim was rejected because I had to use my prescription benefits administrator directly.

After several calls over the last 24 hours, I think they might be filling it and I think I might get them in time.  What a challenge alright.

Side affects I am feeling lately have been tiredness.  A little foggy brained.  But, heck, that could just be me.  

Clomid Day 2

Yesterday wasn't bad at all.  I didn't have any side effects.  That was a nice change.

Later in the day, my RE office called and asked if we could change my HSG appointment on Friday to an earlier time because the doctor was scheduled for surgery later.  I thought for a split second how that could be me waiting for surgery and immediately agreed to change the time even though I will have to leave work early.  Oh well.  Not a big deal.

I explained all of this fertility stuff to my son.  As much as a preteen should know at least.  He can't wait to be a big brother and has been begging me for years to have more children.  Of course, he would prefer a brother, but little does he know, I am secretly hoping our first together will be a girl.

Clomid Day 1

Drama already.  At about 7:30 last night, my husband called to see how I was doing.  He asked how I was feeling on the Clomid.  Doh!  I forgot to pick it up.  I wasn't scheduled to take it until today anyway, but that was a close one!  So I hoped in the car and drove down to the pharmacy.

They couldn't find the script.

After much searching, the pharmacist found the medication under a similar, but very different name.  He changed it after some long processing.  Then told me it wasn't covered by my insurance.  What?!?!  This was a huge surprise because I have great insurance and because I work for a drug company, they cover just about everything under the sun!  He explained the med would need a prior auth.  Great.  My insurance changes at the begining of the year, so if there is a need for a second cycle, I will have to go through all of this again next year.  Ugh.

I paid the $31.09 out of pocket and will submit for reimbursement today.  I hate dealing with the insurance.  Ugh.  I guess I should just be glad it wasn't one of the 1000 something dollar medications.

Taking my clomid now.  Wish me luck.

Newbie

I am fairly certain any woman in the waiting room at the clinic yesterday that was not on her first cycle HATED me.

I was all smiles, cheery, silly, giddy, stupid.  I couldn't help it.  I was so excited to be beginning the process of getting us a baby.  I greeted the doctor like he was the president- an over excited handshake and "glad to meet you" (we had previously met with his colleague) while my feet were in stirrups and a barely there paper sheet covered my nether regions.

I know I would have hated me if I was on cycle 12.  Hell, I would have hated me if I was on cycle 2.

Cycle one

And hopefully the last until baby two!

Yes, we will go through this twice.  Unless of course we get multiples out of this, then we are done.  Button down the hatches, sew up my hole, snip his nuts off, DONE.

Yesterday was our first real appointment.  Who knew these clinics were open at 8 something on a Sunday morning.  And who knew it was a requirement to bring an iPad?  We were the only couple without one.  So we both whipped out our trusty older model iPhones so we could be the cool kids too.

If you have never gone through infertility treatment, let me explain to you what our process leading up to IUI is with our clinic.

Starting cycle day 3, for the first time only, I go in for an ultrasound of my uterus and ovaries to verify everything is there and in working order.  Doctor said that my uterus looks great.  My ovaries are great, 7 eggs in one which is a normal number and 9 in the other which is a fantastic number.  Then they drew blood for a Clomid Challenge Test looking at my FSH and Estradiol.  And we are on doctors orders to have sex, sex, sex. Happy Hubby.  Ugh.

Cycle day 5, I start 100mg Clomid.

Cycle day 6, I take 100mg Clomid, quit Metformin (which in my case is being used for several purposes, one being infertility, but no, I do not have PCOS).

Cycle day 7, I take 100mg Clomid.

Cycle day 8, I take 100mg Clomid and get an HSG.  Take pregnancy test before procedure and bring stick in to prove we didn't get lucky and don't have to spend lots of money.

Cycle day 9, I take 100mg Clomid.

Cycle day 10, Stop Clomid, start Metformin, FSH lab test (another 830AM test half an hour away on a Sunday???), NO MORE INTERCOURSE!!!  Ever!  Well, that's how my husband feels about it.  I'll be happy for the hiatus.

Cycle day 11, Nothing.

Cycle day 12, Ultrasound to verify egg(s) matured and popped out (as I understand it).

Cycle day 13, Nothing

Cycle day 14, Party in my Uterus!  Get HCG shot, Hubby provides sample, doctor shoots sample up there.  We get pregnant and live happily ever after, well after we do all this one more time for a second baby.

Cycle day something or another we go for pregnancy blood test.  It's going to be positive of course because I am an optimistic fool.

Introduction

So this post is the start of something different.  This will either turn out to be a journal of infertility or a journal of our new baby.  *I didn't want this blog attached to our normal blog for privacy reasons.  Yet.*

Let me explain.  I have a preteen son from a previous relationship and hubby has children, 11 & 7 from a previous relationship.  I have always known I wanted more kids, just wanted to wait until the time was right.  We have been together since June 2006, met in March of 2006.  Spare you the details.  For nearly the last 3 years, we have had unprotected sex (with a break for birth control so I could move my period for the wedding and honeymoon and in the hopes of getting a little more regular) and never gotten pregnant.  When we got married, we really started trying.  REALLY.

Still no baby.  I have several health problems (RA, hypothyroid, and a few others) and so we didn't want to waste any more time if it wasn't going to work.  The decision was made pretty quick to find out if something was wrong.

First we saw my OBGYN and she ran some basic blood work and sent my hubby for semen analysis.  Blood work came back fine.  Semen analysis, not so much.  Low motility, low volume, low concentration, low morphology, low hopes.  The test was run again a couple of months later after some ah hem, lifestyle changes (no more laptop in the lap, no riding a motorcycle, no jerking off every five minutes).  Same results.  So my Dr referred us to an RE (Reproductive Endocrinologist) at a fertility clinic in town.

So far, we really like this clinic.  They wasted no time in trying to help us achieve pregnancy.  The doctor said we could start next month (December).

Well, that's our background.