You may have noticed the password protection is off the blog now. I also created a new, better themed website www.babydh.com. If you’d like to continue following our journey, bookmark our new page. Also, feel free to leave comments now!
Lesa is pregnant! It’s official! Since we found out at the butt crack early in the morning, I didn’t get a chance to video tape the event, so I got Ellen and Sharon Stone to reenact the moment for you (this is pretty much exactly what we looked like; my arms look exactly like Ellens):
J/K this is my favorite part in If these walls could talk 2. And we were just about as happy. But it went something like, Lesa peed on the stick but didn’t look at it yet. She sat it down and I looked and there was a pregnancy line, I knew right away. I said “you’re pregnant.” And she said “but the line’s not very dark.” And I said “you’re pregnant.” And she said “but the line’s not very dark.” And this went on for several more times and finally kissed her really big and gave her a hug. The line got darker and I told her she was getting more pregnant.
I was so happy I couldn’t hardly go back to sleep. We got the results of the blood test back that afternoon, and Lesa’s levels looked great. Yup, she’s definitely pregnant. We spent the weekend telling all our family and close friends, which was so much fun. I think nearly everybody was surprised, excited and happy for us. Lesa’s mom and dad ran out into the street and yelled that they were going to be grandparents.
It took me about one whole day to develop a stress rash, and Lesa about 3 whole days to develop morning sickness. We are scared, nervous, excited, anxious, and so very happy. I can’t say I’m ready for Bean to get here just yet, but I’m certainly glad she’s decided to stick around. If for no other reason so I can move on from boring trying to get pregnant blogs to less boring being pregnant blogs.
Lesa’s lining looked great, and we ended up doing a frozen embryo transfer (FET) this month on the 1st. The embryo thawed excellently, and Lesa was a trooper through the transfer. We’ve been in the TTW for 8 days now, and this time I did not pressure Lesa into doing a pregnancy test, after we had such a rollercoaster last month. We’ve agreed to do one tomorrow before her blood test, so we should know in about 8 hours if she’s pregnant or not.
Hopefully my next blog will be super exciting!
This one is hard to write, so I’ve been putting it off.
Without going into a lot of detail, the 9 days we had to wait virtually killed me. I *may have* gone little crazy, as you might be able to tell based on the above picture, and Lesa was doing her best to quell my need for instant gratification.
Every day, especially toward the end of the wait, was a roller coaster of emotion. I would think, “She’s pregnant. She has to be.” And then an hour later “Nope, probably not pregnant.” I was able to talk Lesa into taking a few pregnancy tests and we got inconclusive results on several of them. The one she took on day 13 showed a *slight* positive result, which again, had me convinced she was and then wasn’t.
On day 14 (HCG blood test day) I was pretty convinced yes, until a few hours after the test, while we were waiting for the result, Lesa started bleeding. Some bleeding in early pregnancy is normal, but of course as the day continued it got heavier. So then, before we got the results, we were both pretty convinced that no, indeed she wasn’t pregnant.
What happened was the one thing I didn’t expect to happen. We find out from the nurse that, actually Lesa is pregnant, but her numbers indicate that she’s losing the pregnancy. The clinical term for this is a chemical pregnancy. I suspect this sounds better than miscarriage to most people, and to be fair, I don’t think what happened with this cycle is anything compared to, say, a 2nd trimester miscarriage. But, I wasn’t expecting the nurse to say, you’re pregnant but… It was supposed to be cut and dry: pregnant or not pregnant.
My first emotion was anger followed by immediate concern for how Lesa was feeling. Chemical pregnancies are very common. It can happen as much as 50% of all pregnancies. The thing is, while most people would never know they were pregnant, just thinking they were having an abnormally heavy period; since we’re going through fertility treatments, we have the misfortune of knowing for sure. And somehow, just knowing makes it worse. I read a blog where this woman had a chemical pregnancy at 5 weeks (one week after Lesa), and went all crazy, crying all the time and named the embryo and had a service for it. Now fortunately, Lesa and I are way more pragmatic. Of course the embryo had the potential to be a baby, but we saw it just a few short days before, and it is literally a sack of cells at this point.
Don’t get me wrong, we were both pretty upset. But, at least for me, and I suspect for Lesa too, I was more upset at what could have been; what would have been, had this little guy stuck around. For nine days I went to sleep dreaming about parenthood, and our little bean tucked away in Lesa’s belly. And we got so close to realizing that dream, it was hard to let it go.
I take solace in knowing that we were spared a great heartache if the embryo wasn’t normal and Lesa had to carry it for longer. And, almost always, in the case of chemical pregnancies, it’s due to an embryo that’s not developing normally. So, I guess we came out lucky.
The good news is that we have 6 good looking frozen embryos (bloggers call them frosties) to try, try again. Even better news is that we know that Lesa can get pregnant. Her uterine lining is good and she is perfectly suited to carrying one of the little boogers for the better part of this year. When we found out for sure that the pregnancy was lost, neither one of us hesitated in starting another cycle. And, the great thing about doing FET (frozen embryo transfers) is that Lesa only has to take one medicine (and it doesn’t make her crazy!) for the majority of the month. This means that, at least for a little while, we can pretend like our life is normal, without all these crazy emotions that are involved with fertility treatment. And, I don’t know about you, but I sure as hell need a break.
We’re set to do a lining check on the 24th, and if everything looks good we’re looking at a transfer date of May 1st. This time around I am trying to be calmer about the whole experience. My excitement level has waned, and I’m just taking things as they come.
And this is where I get to try my hand at technical writing!
2.22 Lesa’s follicles didn’t respond to Clomid this cycle and we decide to do IVF. We are given a choice to take progesterone this cycle to start a new cycle (IVF), or wait until a period, do 28 days of birth control pills and then start an IVF cycle. Obviously we choose the shorter option, since there is no compelling reason not to.
2.25 Lesa starts round of progesterone.
2.27 Lesa picks up a sack full (picture a shopping bag from Macys) of drugs and drug paraphernalia. It is by far our most expensive drug store purchase to date (see approximate costs below). The list includes: 1 2.8ml vial of Leuprolide Acetate and 24 1/2cc syringes, 1200IU of Follistim AQ in cartridges and 1 Follistim pen kit, 90 tablets of 2mg Estradiol, 20 tables of Norco 5, 8 tablets of 100mg Doxycycline, 16 tablets of 4mg Medrol, 1 prefilled syring of 250mcg Ovidrel, 54 prefilled applicators of 8% Crinone Gel, and a “Sharps Package” including alcohol swabs, gauze, and one of those red biohazard containers. Let’s just say, if our house was suddenly in a drug raid, there would probably be enough evidence to take us both to jail. Or at least put us in handcuffs until we could prove why we had all the syringes.
2.28 We meet with our IVF nurse. She gives us a thick packet of information, including a drug schedule, estimated fee sheet, handouts about the process, and tons of lab slips. We sign a bunch of consent forms, and Lesa averts her eyes at most of the pages explaining all the risks. We have to decide as a couple what to do with the embryos in case of all the different scenarios. Then IVF nurse goes through the entire process with us, which is completely overwhelming. I resolve to try and remember only the next two things we have to do, instead of trying to wrap my head around all of it. Then she shows me how to do all the different injections. I should get some kind of nursing degree before this is over, with all the different medicines and syringes I have to all the sudden know how to administer.
3.1 Lesa starts 10IU (or cc) of Lupron. This is the drug that inhibits ovulation. It is an injectable drug that has to be taken at 6:50am every day to accommodate Lesa’s work schedule. Since Lesa prefers for me to give her injections, this is the part where I get to wake up insanely early in the morning, stumble into the kitchen, and, squinting from the lights, poke my wife. I’ve decided this is more or less the equivalent to me slamming a few shots of maker’s mark and playing darts. Except the bulls eye is me filling a syringe of medicine that may very well decide if and when we have children.
3.6 We go in for a baseline ultrasound. No cysts, and we’re good to go for an IVF cycle. BD does a “mock transfer” which measures Lesa’s uterus. She predicts Lesa’s period starting on the 10th, and instructs us to start 150IU of Follistim on the 11th and half the Lupron dose to 5IU. I ask BD what happens if Lesa doesn’t get her period and she responds “she will.”
3.11 Lesa hasn’t started her period, so she has to get her blood drawn at lunchtime to check estrogen and progestin levels. That night we hear that the levels are good, and she should start anytime, and to go ahead and start the Follistim. Now, in addition to getting her blood drawn every 2 or 3 days, Lesa is getting poked in the morning and at night. She is a trooper. Also, thanks to daylight savings time, we have to wake up an extra hour early to do the Lupron shot.
3.14 Lesa is bloated, perpetually sleepy, and cranky. We have to get her blood drawn for estradiol levels before 8:00am and then head to BD for a status ultrasound. The follicles are progressing nicely, but it’s too soon to tell how many we’ll end up having. The nurse calls that evening to let us know to continue 150IU of Follistim for tonight and tomorrow, and Saturday drop it to 100IU.
3.17 Lesa is more bloated, still perpetually sleepy, and possibly the most cranky she’s ever been (keep in mind I was away for 200mg Clomid Lesa). A blood test in the morning reveals good Estradiol levels and the ultrasound reveals nice looking follicles. The biggest one measures a 21mm, and the smallest that is detectable measures 6mm. BD lets us know we should expect to do the retrieval on Thursday, about one day ahead of schedule, and we are instructed to continue 150IU of Follistim.
3.19 We’re back for a blood test and ultrasound. The ultrasound confirms the retrieval for Thursday. The biggest follicle measures 24mm, the biggest we’ve seen yet. BD thinks we will get 12 follicles. We are both elated. With all the bad news we’ve gotten over the past year, everything seems to be going as best as could be hoped for. We’re instructed to stop the Follistim and Lupron. The last injection is the trigger shot (Ovidrel) which Lesa takes promptly at 6:00pm.
3.21 Retrieval day. The retrieval is scheduled for 8:30am, so we have to arrive at 7:30. Lesa puts on the surgery gown and socks and hair net. I took a pretty flattering picture, but I’ve been instructed I’m never to show anybody. We meet with the nurse, anesthesiologist, and embryologist. Lesa signs several consent forms, and is given an IV and taken to surgery. This is where, in general, I freak out. Fortunately, the whole procedure takes less than 10 minutes, and Lesa is back in the recovery room with me. She is still asleep when they bring her in and is pretty funny until the anesthesia wears off. Then she starts hurting, and gets pretty nauseous from the drugs. They give her more drugs to combat the nausea and pain, and about an hour later she’s discharged. She takes easy the rest of the day, and manages her pain with just Tylenol. Again, she’s such a trooper. Before we leave, BD comes in to tell us the retrieval went very well, and we were able to get 11 eggs. Now for the waiting.
3.22 The embryologist calls to tell us out of the 11 eggs we retrieved, 7 of them were mature, and all 7 of them successfully fertilized doing ICSI. Lesa and I are thrilled and are anxiously waiting to find out if we’re going to transfer on day 3 or day 5. Although neither of us anticipated it, we both have started to feel attached to our lonely little embryos sitting in a petri dish at the lab. It is surreal to think that one of them will most likely be our first born.
3.23 Lesa starts the hatching meds which include Doxycycline and Medrol, as well as 81mg of Aspirin (in case of blood clots) and the Crinone Gel. The nurse calls to give us a transfer time for Sunday, pending the embryologist report in the morning.
3.24 The nurse calls at 8:30am to let us know we have a lot of good looking embryos, so we’re going to do a day 5 transfer. This is where I start looking up transfer rates for blastocyst embryos until I freak myself out sufficiently enough to stop. Lesa stops the hatching meds, since they’re not needed. She’s feeling much better, still bloated but not too sore, and we decide to celebrate a probably pending pregnancy with a last sushi supper.
3.26 Transfer day. We’re back at the surgery center, but this time they just give Lesa a Valum, and I get to dress up like a doctor and go into the room too. The embryologist brings us a picture of the blastocyst they’re going to transfer, and lets us know that all of the 6 remaining embryos are looking great and they will probably be able to freeze at least 4 of them. I’m ecstatic. Not only do we have great odds of getting a baby out of the one we’re transferring, but we’ll have at least 2 more tries if this one doesn’t work. They make Lesa have a full bladder for the transfer so she starts dancing around the recovery room. We go into the surgery room and I take a seat beside Lesa. The whole thing is a just like an IUI except we’re all wearing surgical masks. They have a camera on the lab next door where the embryos live, and we get to see them scoop up the little guy into a catheter and bring it into the surgery. The transfer is guided by a sonogram on Lesa’s stomach, so we can see the embryo go into her uterus. Then, since Lesa has to lay still for 45 minutes afterward, they use a catheter to empty her bladder. She said it hurt, but not nearly as much as her having to pee so bad. The whole thing was so exciting I thought for a few days I might want to become an embryologist. Everything turned out great. Now for the horrible two week wait (which is really only 9 days at this point, but still horrible).
3.27 The embryologist calls to inform us that they were able to freeze the 6 remaining embryos! All of them made it to blastocyst stage and looked great. For those of you who know what this means they were graded as follow: BB, CB (frozen on day 5) BB, CB, CB, BC (frozen on day 6). It is nearly unheard of for all of the mature eggs retrieved to survive to blastocyst stage, so I told Lesa it was a very very good sign that her eggs were all strong and healthy.
Cost Estimates
In case you’re wondering if you have to sign away your first born (ha ha), or just have to take out a second mortgage to go through an IVF cycle, here are our approximate costs:
IVF drugs: $3005.00
4 Sonograms @ $196.00ea: $784.00
Mock Transfer: $77.00
Oocyte Retrieval: $1313.00
Embryo Transfer: $525.00
4 Estradiol Blood tests: $240.00 (These are covered under Lesa’s insurance so we don’t have to pay them…I hope; we haven’t gotten a bill yet.)
Culture and Identification of Oocytes, including sperm thaw, preps for transfers, assisted hatching, ICSI, and sperm isolation: $5840.00
Cryopresrvation of embryos and storage for 1 year: $695.00
Surgery fee at the hospital for the retrieval and transfer: $2257.00
Anesthesia: $400.00 (much more if paid post-surgery)
Total: $14,896.00 (or first born, your choice)
You probably guessed from my lack of posts, that the last try didn’t work. Either that or you guessed that it did work, and Lesa is pregnant, and I got so caught up in the frenzy of pregnancy that I forgot about the blog. (Yes, I realize that you are reading this post-pregnancy and you probably didn’t notice the date stamp at the top, but I’m writing this in real time and it’s been awhile.) You’re right if you guessed the former; Lesa is STILL not pregnant.
Having spent the majority of this year out of town, this last cycle kind of sneaked up on me. BD upped Lesa’s Clomid to 200mg for seven days in February, after we learned in January the 150mg of Clomid for five days didn’t work again. Fortunately, I was on a business trip for the seven days of Clomid Lesa, and escaped practically unscathed. Lesa, on the other hand, had a pretty rough time of it. I think we had both decided we were done with Clomid by last week, when the ultrasound revealed it hadn’t worked.
BD suggested we switch to injectables. No more sissy fertility meds for us! There are a few problems with injectables though. A) They’re really expensive ($1500.00 for a course vs. $100.00 for Clomid). B) They will most likely work too well on Lesa. Given her health and all the little follicles waiting to grow that show up on the ultrasounds, the odds of growing more than 1 or 2 follicles to maturity for any given cycle are very good using the various injectable fertility drugs. Having tons of mature follicles would put us in the position of having to choose between skipping the cycles (after paying all the money for the drugs,) or risking the chance of starting our own Jon and Kate Plus Eight- Lesbian Version.
So, instead of moving along to injectables, Lesa and I, with BD’s blessing, decided to skip ahead and try in vitro fertilization (IVF). For those of you who have never heard of this, or thought that’s what we’ve been doing all along, here’s a nifty little article that explains the different conception methods for lesbians (and straight couples with male-factor infertility): http://itsconceivablenow.com/2011/06/02/insemination-decision-3-ici-iui-or-ivf/.
The short of it is that Lesa is still doing injectables, but now, instead of hoping for no more than 2 mature follicles, we’re going to be hoping for at least 10. And since they get removed before fertilization, we won’t be put in a position of having to cancel a cycle or risk multiples. I know what you’re thinking, “Robin, doesn’t IVF carry with it the highest possibility of multiples? Isn’t that exactly how Jon and Kate got eight?” Why yes, reader, it is how they got eight. There is a high risk of multiples if you go against the guidelines of American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and inject 6 embryos into your uterus. It’s not technically illegal to do that, but even in the worst infertility circumstances the max the ASRM recommends is 4 embryos in any one cycle. For Lesa and I, since there technically isn’t any infertility problems, BD recommends we start with one embryo per cycle. So essentially, we’ll have no higher risk of multiples than an unaided conception.
Doing IVF also means that instead of an almost 20% chance of getting pregnant with each IUI, we have over a 50% chance with IVF, so most likely Lesa will be pregnant by springtime. Finally, it means that we’ll be spending the down payment on our next house on a 50% chance of having a baby. Are we crazy? I just reread that last sentence, and yes, I think we might be crazy.
In addition to injectables, there are mouth pills, vagina pills, blood tests, ultrasounds, and surgeries that have to be performed for a successful IVF cycle. If everything goes as planned (that’s just funny at this point) we should be doing an embryo transfer at the end of March, which gives us, regrettably, a Christmas Baby. But, I’ve decided a xmas baby is better than no baby. And getting a baby for xmas has to be better than when Santa brought me a “What’s Happening to My Body, Book for Girls.”
A few nights ago I was trying to research up on the process (I know, so typical), and found literally zero blogs that specifically talk about the IVF process. So, I decided in case anyone browsing the internet for gritty details of an IVF cycle stumbles on this blog one day, they’d be able to get a first-hand (really second-hand since it’s Lesa’s body) account of somebody who’s been through it. In an effort not to bore my typical readers, the entire next blog will be devoted to our IVF process. Please skip it if you don’t care to know, I will summarize the findings on the subsequent blog.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with pregnancy tests, this is a big fat negative. The two week wait is, I’ve decided, torture. Two weeks is just long enough to start imagining your life with a new little person. We’re both disappointed, but if anything I’m more energized. We’re on a roll. Lesa started her period right on time which means we’re back in the fertility weeds tomorrow for our next round.
Since I already have my two front teeth…
My apologies for having let almost two months lapse without an update. I could tell you I was in the middle of writing a blog when my computer decided to do an antivirus update and restarted itself, and when I reopened Word I clicked the “no, I don’t need to save the unsaved temp files” button, and then got discouraged because I lost half of the blog. Which is true, but not really the reason I haven’t written in so long. I could also tell you I’ve been really busy with work and the holidays, which is also true, but also, not really the reason I haven’t written. The reason is, I’m afraid there will be blog upon blog about the same damn thing: We’re trying, and haven’t yet successfully gotten pregnant.
The reason I’m writing now is, I have to stick to my initial goals. I want this written down. I want the world (or maybe just a few involved friends and family) to be able to follow our journey, boring as it may be. I want to be able to look back at this years from now, and remember how much we wanted to have this child (when I’m about to ring her neck and thinking “why in the hell did I ever want to have this child?”) And in fact, since it’s been so long there are quite a few updates.
Lesa and I really like our new BD. She’s funny and personable, and really seems to know what she’s doing. The new clinic is great too. It’s totally worth the extra $20 we pay for ultrasounds to have a nurse that actually answers the phone when you call, and they’re open on the weekends! When I asked her what happens if we end up needing to come in on Christmas, BD replied “Oh, no problem, we have a Jew”. As in, they employ a Jewish doctor so holidays generally aren’t a problem.
November was good and bad. Good news was, Lesa had the iodine test and everything was completely normal; tubes are open and uterus is perfect for baby-growing. Also, after she got her Thyroid dose upped (and presumably at the correct level) she responded to the Clomid and ovulated right on schedule. The bad news was, on schedule was on Thanksgiving or maybe the day after, and we were in Dallas with my family so we missed it. After a minor freak out and a resolve to never leave town again, we decided we should be happy we have proof the Clomid was working, and not be too disappointed we missed another opportunity.
This brings us to December. Lesa started her period right as scheduled, despite my strong belief BD didn’t read the ultrasound right and Lesa didn’t actually ovulate and therefore wasn’t actually going to start her period. I almost slept through our Clomid check appointment, which didn’t win me any favors with the wife, but I made it in time and everything looked ready to start another cycle. Then commenced five days of Clomid Lesa during which I thought I might be murdered in my sleep for not having turned the light off correctly. (Actually she wasn’t that bad. Or maybe I’m just getting good at ignoring her).
We went in for a follicle check on CD 13 and she had one follicle that measured 21mm, and one that measured 15mm, both (hopefully) big enough to ovulate a mature egg. After the BD appointment, we spent that day sitting in pre-Christmas traffic getting ready for our 2nd insemination. I had to pick up 3 vials of sperm from the sperm bank and take them to the IVF clinic that partners with our clinic for handling the specimens. I later found out that they charge a premium ($90) for thawing the sperm and walking it over to the clinic (which seems pretty unnecessary), but I didn’t have time to look into if that was mandatory at this clinic. And, since it was Friday before Christmas we had to rush the vials out of storage, and of course there was an extra fee for that. One day I’m going to add up how much this is costing, but right now I just keep my credit card out for the doctors.
We were told to do an OPK check every day. If there was no smiley by Christmas eve we were to do a trigger shot and schedule the insemination for Wednesday. Lesa did two OPK’s a day just to be safe, and we ended up going to two different pharmacies on Christmas eve to get the trigger shot. Since I’m not exactly an expert on giving shots (read I’ve never given an injection in my life) Lesa was a bit apprehensive about me giving her the trigger shot, but I guess I did ok since A) I didn’t end up killing her and B) she ovulated today so I guess it worked. We scheduled the insemination for 11am. Lesa took a pain killer before we headed out this morning, and said the actual insemination didn’t hurt nearly as bad this time. She’s crampy now, but she said it’s nothing like last time, which is good.
We will know by January 9th if there’s a proverbial bun. I am trying to stay pragmatic, but it is so hard. We had to go into Babies-R-Us today to get a pack n play for my niece, since Morgan and Garett forgot theirs and they’re coming to stay tomorrow. I couldn’t help but smile, thinking about the hours I’ll spend in there ushering a fat and waddling Lesa around as she decorates the nursery. I am going to be one proud Papa (Mama? Mom?… that’s the topic for another blog).
After being disappointed so many times, when BD told us we were going to inseminate, I finally allowed myself to get excited. The first thing on my Christmas list was just a second attempt at having a baby, and regardless of the outcome, I’m happy we were able to try. It is a wonderful Christmas present. After nearly a year, I feel like we’re on the right track. It won’t be long now.
Today is a big day. Amid tax audits, birthdays, meetings to decided Lesa’s professional fate, presidential elections, and the ever looming holidays, Lesa and I find ourselves, yet again, sitting in a doctor’s office waiting to hear if the universe will deem us fit for parenting. We had our consultation with our new BD (baby doctor) this morning. I’m not sure why, but I assumed this consultation would be pretty much the same as every other BD appointment we’ve had, just with a different doctor. In actuality, this consultation was very similar to what you would envision in a movie. Or rather, what I expected our first appointment (way back in January, remember?) to be like.
I’d been hesitant about the cost of new BD ever since Lesa asked them for a fee chart and they told her “they didn’t have just one fee chart.” And the waiting room, with its Dora-from-Nemo fish tank, and a wide array of cushy leather chairs, did nothing to quell my worries. We were called into the doctor’s actual office, with a desk and everything, to discuss Lesa’s medical history. Then BD did the quickest ultrasound ever, and we were shuffled off to what I can only describe as the “paperwork nurse.”
The paperwork nurse is my responsibility. Lesa has the baby; I do the paperwork. And I take my charge very seriously. So, this is when I was thinking, “Oh yeah, been there, done that. I’ve got this in the bag. Give me the fee chart, the prescription, dust my hands off and we’re outta here. Surely after nine months of this I know what’s going on.” It started out okay. “Here’s a pamphlet for genetic testing, which lab do you prefer for blood tests…” says Paperwork Nurse. Thirty minutes later I have a stack of papers, including four requests for tests and five prescriptions, and Paperwork Nurse is sticky noting things with the correct cycle day (Lesa’s cycle being much more accurate than the Roman calendar).
At one point she handed me a prescription and a request for blood tests… in my name. I asked her why I had to get tested, and Paperwork Nurse turned bright red and murmured something about Lesa and me being intimate. Considering monogamous lesbians have essentially a zero occurrence of STDs, I suspect this is the BD’s way of keeping the partner involved in the process. I don’t feel like sticking me with a needle helps me be involved, but the prescription is for a Z-pack, and I’ve been fighting off a sinus infection for a few weeks now, so it’s like a freebie.
After we sorted out the next 18.5 steps to making a baby, we met our new nurse. She, surprisingly, seemed to be please to talk to us and knew what was going on, which was a stark contrast with our last BD nurse (I’m still thinking about the nasty email her boss is going to get from me when this is all over with). We paid, a measly specialty doctor fee, and I left with a feeling similar to buyer’s remorse but more accomplished. I like the service I’m buying, but am I paying way too much for it? Over lunch I looked over the fee chart, and although it’s still completely outrageous, the fees seem reasonable and are just a bit more than the last BD.
The upshot: BD thinks last BD didn’t do everything quite right, so she’s having more tests run, including a test I can’t pronounce that involves iodine and an x-ray machine. BD wants to try again with the 150mg Clomid, so I’m going to start looking for a temporary place to stay (just kidding, maybe). And, like always, we’re waiting on good ol’ aunt flo to grace us with her bloody presence.
I got the title of this post from a funny T-shirt I saw that said “Strike the Empire’s Back.” No, it has nothing to do with this post or the post title. I just thought you should know where I’m coming from.
It’s been a stressful few weeks. We went to see Baby Doctor and find out if the birth control worked on the cyst with fingers crossed. I wasn’t too optimistic given our record of bad baby news lately, but as soon as the sonogram started up I could tell the cyst was gone. We were relieved, and ended up waiting 45min for Baby Doctor to give Lesa a script for Clomid. Apparently she was at the hospital delivering a baby. The nurse asked us if we wanted to wait, and we declined. Wait for a baby to be born?! How long does that take? Baby Doctor ended up calling in the script for us.
Then commenced five horrible days of 150mg Clomid Lesa. We both decided on day four that we shouldn’t go through a 200mg cycle if the 150mg didn’t work. I survived…barely.
We’ve established the OPKs do not work on Lesa, so on day cycle day 13 we went in for a follicle check, fingers crossed again. And again, I wasn’t very optimistic. Baby Doctor confirmed that Lesa’s follicles did not respond to the Clomid, but of course we saw it right away in the ultrasound. And, with Baby Doctor being only an OBGYN and not an endocrinologist she has treated Lesa as far as she can. She referred us to a fertility specialist, and we have an appointment at the beginning of November. And although the news is super disappointing, I’m looking at switching doctors as a good new beginning. After trying this baby making thing for 2 months short of a year, I think it’s definitely time we reevaluate. And I think a new baby doctor will just do the trick.
This is all super boring, I know. That’s why I haven’t written in a while. Well, that and really I just feel discouraged. I don’t take well to not getting my way. Two days after we got the news we were switching doctors, Lesa and I went out and bought a rocker/recliner. I keep calling it my man chair. But really, it’s my baby chair. You can’t have a baby without a rocking chair! I’m looking at it as a good omen. See universe? We have a chair! Give us a baby!