Tuesday, April 29, 2014

7DPIUI, Progesterone level check, the plan from here...

I am late getting a recent post up, but severe storms and strong tornadoes tore through our area yesterday and last night.  There have been deaths reported and lots of widespread damage.  Please pray for our area, areas in Mississippi and Arkansas that have all been hit so hard by these storms just 3 years to the day from the super outbreak on 4/27/2011.

I had my blood drawn yesterday morning to do a progesterone check (another hormone!).  I've been doing progesterone suppositories (sorry, TMI) since this past Friday, so I was hoping for good levels.  And they were!  Progesterone was a 21, which is great!  If you're just really curious and want to know more about this hormone and it's importance, you can read about it here.

Most importantly, we had a video conference with Dr. Honea on where we are in this cycle, and how we will proceed based on various different outcomes from the beta pregnancy test on Monday, 5/5.
I voiced to her some concerns I had in that I have been experiencing some "pinching" type pains on my left side in my pelvic area.  This has me worried because the left tube is where our ectopic occurred, and this is the side we ovulated from this cycle.  The chance of having another ectopic is 1 in 10 - high risk.  She isn't too worried about that yet as it could be coming from several different other things too, all of which were in medical terms that I can't remember.  So our plan is this:

Positive betaHCG test - YEA!  Baby on the way!!!

Negative betaHCG test - Proceed with another natural cycle (non-medicated) with my right ovary

Ectopic (tubal) pregnancy - Surgery around the 2nd or 3rd week of May to remove my left tube.  This scares me, but it also is OK.  Because it means I won't have to take another dost of Methotrexate, which means you have to wait 3 months before trying to become pregnant again.  With the surgery, we can start trying again as soon as my cycle starts.

So this is where we are.  I continue to pray that if it is not in God's will for us to become pregnant this month, that we don't experience complications like we did before. 

Please remember our area from the storms last night and the severe storms yet to come through today and tonight in your prayers today.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

The Struggle

Sometimes I feel hopeless.  Jealous.  Frustrated.  This is one of those days.  I'm human, and I'm weak, and I need God's strength more than ever right now.  It seems every time I turn around, someone is announcing a pregnancy.  Someone else is pregnant.  Someone else is getting to experience our dream.  And they SHOULD!  They should get to experience God's miracles!  But it gets me asking...why not us?  Why can't it happen for us that easy?  Why do WE have to experience struggle, then heartbreak and devastation, then more struggle?

But it's not for us to question.  Jay and I are on our own journey that God has laid out for us.  Our own path.  God NEVER promised it would be easy and he NEVER EVER promised us he wouldn't give us more than we can handle.  He is allowed to test us and try us, but we cannot question Him.  Our sinful nature causes us to question - but we are supposed to just trust.  And let's just call it like it is - that's HARD!

I'm having one of those negative days...one of those days where I just don't feel confident that the procedure worked.  I'm doubting and I'm just an all around hot mess.  But that's OK.  There are going to be days like this.  We just have to work through them.  We get to have the comfort of knowing we aren't alone.  That God has promised he will never leave or forsake us.  Today more than ever I feel like I need prayer.

I lean today on Joshua 1:9, which reads "Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

1 DPIUI

The post title stands for 1 Day Past IUI.  That's how I'll title most of them until we know something.

The procedure was yesterday morning and I just tried to have more of a peace about it than last time.  Jay and I prayed together before going in.

The NP (Nurse Practitioner) still thinks I've ovulated on the left side and that side had the most mature follicle and egg.  We knew Monday that there was a little one on the right, but we can't tell if it did anything.  I'm still petrified of another ectopic, but we just have to continue to pray for God's will in this and for no complications. 

I got up yesterday morning and went ahead and did an ovulation test (I've been doing them since Friday).  When you are doing fertility treatments, you do your OV test at night instead of the morning, but since we knew we were doing it, I went ahead and tested to see if the trigger shot had boosted my LH surge.  As you can see in the pic below, it was very light - same as the night before.  The top test was Monday night and middle was yesterday morning.  I was a little discouraged, but they know what they're doing at the doctor's office and my blood work revealed a surge.  Blood testing is always more accurate than a POAS test.  Yesterday evening, though, was another story.  The test had a resounding positive!  YEA!!!  It is the bottom test in the picture below.


I am having some mild "dull pinching" type cramping right now on my right side.  This could be one of three things:
1.   It is the opposite effect meaning sensations are felt on the opposite side of the body from where they are occurring.  If this is the case, my mind is wandering toward I hope the egg is not implanting in my tube. 

2.   The right ovary is a little behind and is actually releasing an egg, which just doubles our changes of it working.

3.   Absolutely nothing and my brain is playing tricks on me.

I'm hoping for Option 2!!!

Other than being tired from the HCG trigger shot and staying in bed all day yesterday, nothing else feels out of the norm.  I will start the Progesterone supplements by Friday.

Next round of blood work is Monday, 4/28.  This will just be to check hormone levels, particularly progesterone.  Until then, prayers are always appreciated!

Monday, April 21, 2014

CD 14 Update

Good afternoon!

I went for my CD 14 Ultra Sound today (that's Cycle Day 14) to check for a follicle and ovulation.  Since our first ectopic occurred on my left side, I was really hoping to be ovulating from my right this time.  Alas, that was not the case.  A good size follicle was on my left ovary.  But we are not in charge - GOD is - and we have to trust that everything will work out according to His plan.  Not our own.

I have another appointment tomorrow morning to check the follicle again.  If it has grown beyond the 1.7mm it was this morning, we will proceed with taking Pregnyl, which is an HCG trigger shot.  Basically, this hormone will force the egg out of follicle at the right time so when we do the IUI procedure on Wednesday, the wheels will be in motion!

UPDATE - the office called this afternoon with my blood results and the IUI has been bumped up to tomorrow - Tuesday!  I'm a little nervous, but trying to be excited and hopeful.  We're so gun shy right now with all that has happened. But GOD is in control!  We know this!!

Please pray for us this week for God's perfect plan and also pray with us that we do not have another ectopic pregnancy.  That is the one thing that scares me to death in all of this.  I'm not sure I can go through that emotional pain again.

We've yet to really publicize this blog, it has been more of a diary for me to get my thoughts and feelings out as we start the adventure again.  But if you have happened upon it and prayed for us at any time during this, we appreciate it so much!

I'll update again tomorrow!

E

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

POAS Starts Soon!

It is six days until the ultra sound that will determine if I am about to ovulate.  Which means I have to start the POAS process tomorrow.  That's Pee On A Stick for those not in the fertility world! 

So tomorrow I will start doing an ovulation test every evening about 6:00 or 7:00.  Once we notice significant color on the second line, we will schedule a "surge" appointment.  The test will indicate an LH surge, which is the hormone that indicates ovulation.  If this hasn't happened by Monday, we will proceed with our regularly scheduled ultra sound appointment to see if there is a follicle on my ovary.  We're praying there is!  Follicle = egg.  So we're possibly a week away from the IUI procedure.

I am feeling a range of emotions on this cycle.  Back in December for our first one, I was so naively optimistic.  We hadn't been through a lot yet and I just felt confident.  I was cautious, didn't drink a drop of alcohol once we were on Day 1 of the cycle, avoided all the foods you can't have (soft cheese, deli meat, etc.). 

This cycle feels different.  I feel weathered and beaten down by the world.  I know God has a plan in this, but I can't help but be pessimistic this time around.  It's what tragedy does to you, I guess.  It's my own way of protecting my emotions and guarding my delicate heart this time.  I allowed myself some wine last night, I ate a salad with bleu cheese today, had a hotdog last weekend. 

I don't know what will happen this cycle.  What I do know, is I don't think I can go through another ectopic.  I can handle this cycle not working over another ectopic.  I'm praying and trying desperately to stay cautiously optimistic.  To rely on the strength of the Lord and not my own understanding.  To know that Christ is wish us.  God never promised that he wouldn't give us more than we can handle.  That's not in the Bible.  God DOES give us more than we can handle.  He tests us, strengthens us, and I know He wept with us over our loss in January.  We have a sweet, precious life waiting for us in Heaven when we get there.  Christ died for our sins, but we're still a fallen creation.  There is still sin in the world.

Prayers are felt when we feel our weakest.  And we appreciate it so much!  Our future is bright, but unknown.  And for now, we have to be OK with that...

Friday, April 11, 2014

A New Cycle Starts...

Yesterday started a new cycle for us on our quest for a precious babe.  You know, it's funny, I used to care so much if it was a boy or girl; now I just want a healthy baby.  I used to care that it had blonde curly hair; now I just want a healthy baby.  I could go on-and-on. 

My estrogen and FSH hormones were right on track, which is good.  We're going to proceed with a natural cycle again this time, which means no drugs.  The most common is Clomid, which most people have heard of.  I ovulate well on my own, but it never hurts to stimulate egg production a little.

I'm not sure how many cysts were on my ovaries because I forgot to ask during the Ultrasound.  My cycle in December I think I had 10-11 per ovary, which is borderline PCOS.  If you aren't familiar with PCOS, it is EXTREMELY common and hereditary.  My little sister is already exhibiting signs of it and she's only 24.  You can read more about it here

My emotions are wavering...right now I feel like it's a fresh start and we're on the path, the next minute I'm emotional and feeling hopeless like this will never happen for us.  I know there are plenty of people out there who have struggled longer or had more losses, but I've learned in all this not to compare your situation with someone else's.  The pain and exasperation we feel now is ours and it's real.

SIDE NOTE:  I'm going to give you a piece of advice right now!  If you've never struggled with the embarrassment and anxiety of infertility then you have no idea how a woman going through it feels.  The WORST thing in the world you can say to her is, "Just relax!  It will happen when you just relax!"  Really?  Because I'm going to relax my foot right up your @$$ if you say that again!  If it would happen when I was just "relaxed", it would have happened during the two years before we actively started trying when we were off birth control and not even really thinking about it.  It is seriously so offensive.

My prayers today have been for peace and calmness about everything.  To just go along and be happy for the opportunities we have in front of us.  And to let this serve as my journal throughout this emotional adventure!

-E

Our Story...

In April of 2006, an outgoing girl (me) met a tall, quiet, really cute blonde boy (J) at the rest of history.  After 2 years of dating, traveling, and fun, he finally asked me to be his wife on February 21, 2008.  A whirlwind 6 months later and we were married!

Life was wonderful, and time marched on.  In the course of the next 5 years, time marched on and we loved our little life together - Alabama (the good side)/Auburn (his side) rivalry aside!

In early 2013, we decided it was time to expand our family and we were excited, anxious and ready to start this journey into parenthood.  The months passed with negative test after negative test each month.  With age not on our side anymore (I was 30, he was 33), we decided to seek help.  At the recommendation of many people we knew, we decided on Dr. Honea at ART of Alabama.  We knew she was a great choice the instant we met her!  She's a Christian first and foremost, but she also has the knowledge of fertility issues.  She performed the first successful IVF procedure in Alabama, after all!  They're aggressive with women over 30, which is what we wanted.

So our first visit in November 2013 went well...our physical exams were healthy, our blood work came back good, and the genetic screening came back with no genetic issues.  We were moving forward as soon as my next cycle started!

On December 5, 2013, we did our first IUI!  This stands for Intrauterine Insemination and without getting too detailed, a small, thin catheter is inserted through the cervix into the uterus and the sperm is then deposited directly into the uterus instead of having to travel through the cervix, where a majority of them die in everyone.

December 18, 2013 I went for my beta test (this is beta-HCG, which is the blood pregnancy test).  I wasn't expecting this to be positive because what I thought was my period had started that morning - right on time!  The results of this came back at 5.1, which was confusing.  A negative result is less than 5, but it isn't a positive test unless it is greater than 10.  So it was neither positive or negative.  They instructed me to proceed as if it were negative and we'll start a new baseline blood test for a new cycle on Monday, December 23.

On December 23, 2013, I went in for my "baseline" appointment.  This means they take blood and check your estrogen and FSH numbers - these are the hormone levels they use to determine when you ovulate.  They also did a trans vaginal ultra sound, which is standard - I had had MANY of these by this point.  She noticed my uterine lining hadn't shed quite like it should, but assumed I just wasn't done menstruating and we moved on.  Imagine my shock when they called me later that afternoon and congratulated me on being pregnant!  My beta level was 122!  Holy cow!  They were very concerned that my progesterone level (this is the hormone that keeps you pregnant) was very low, so they started me immediately on progesterone supplements and sent me off to enjoy Christmas.

We decided to only tell our parents and sisters about it since it was 1) so early and 2) we were already dealing with complications.  They were excited for sure, but we were all cautiously optimistic.

Unfortunately, on my next appointment on December 26, my beta levels had dropped to 106.  They weren't ready to throw in the towel just yet...but on my December 30 lab, they had dropped even lower to the 80's.  They confirmed a miscarriage, but instructed me that I would still come in for twice weekly blood tests to follow that level all the way to negative.

After seeing a huge spike in my beta levels at the following blood draw, it was confirmed that I had an ectopic pregnancy.  An ectopic pregnancy is when an egg is fertilized by the sperm and an embryo is created.  As Christian, we believe life is conceived at this time.  However, due to reasons that are never known, the embryo implanted itself outside of the uterus.  It doesn't always happen in the tube - it can occur outside the uterus, on the bladder, anywhere in the pelvic region.  We are fairly confident mine happened in my tube since I presented with the symptoms of that (pinching on the side from which I had ovulated, sharp shoulder pain on the the side I had ovulated from, and heavier than normal bleeding).

They recommended a high dose of methotrexate, which is a chemotherapy drug, to dissolve the pregnancy.  This was the best option in their eyes because it avoided surgery and guaranteed preservation of my left ovary and tube.  But this also meant we had to go 3 months with absolutely no getting pregnant due to the harmful effects of the drug.

April 8, 2014 I finally had my third cycle start and we are back to the grind of trying.

We have gone through every range of emotion since that first appointment in November.  We have felt extreme optimism and hope, excitement, anxiety, JOY, loss, grief, patience, and now fear.  Fear of what is to come with this new cycle.  In my darkest days, I found myself covered in grief and crying out to God asking why.  Why me?  Why this?  Why had he forsaken me?  I found myself angry and doubting His direction in my life.  Then I would get angry at myself for doubting God.  We know He has an infinite plan for our lives.  And we hope and pray that plan includes a precious babe (or two!), but we also will accept whatever He has in store.  We only ask that as you read our entries and follow our story, that you will pray with us and for us in this journey.

We continue to pray, "Lord, light our path..."