Update on the weekend happenings...

So here I am writing about the weekend again. I would have written earlier, I have a lot to say, but I was exhausted after the busy weekend. I will give the basic day to day breakdown of what has happened since I wrote last.

Thursday: Took my last shot of Follistem for this cycle and went shopping with my neighbor for all the things we would need to start the BOO's in our neighborhood. (I had never seen this before we moved into this neighborhood-but it is so cute-you put together a litte gift bag/basket of fall/halloween stuff and drop it off at a neighbor's house w/o letting them see you. In it is also instructions to do the same thing and a sign to put on their door that they have been BOO'd. The goal is to hopefully have everyone in the neighborhood get a gift before Halloween.

Friday: I took my HCG shot (which is what is supposed to make me ovulate) on Friday morning around 11AM at work. I ended up with an allergic reaction to something in the shot and a fairly large area around where I took the shot was red and really sore and eventually it itched. It is doing much better this morning and so all is well that ends well. (I hope I do get pregnant on this one so that I don't have to take it again, but I did ask the Dr. about it and she said that they could give me a different one so that hopefully it wouldn't give me that reaction again next time if we have to try this again.) Honestly I don't really remember what else I did on Friday, besides I did watch the season finale of Monk & Psych.

Saturday: We had an early start this morning with a trip over to the Perimeter office for our Dr. and Kevin had his appointment at 8:45 to give his sample. (He had a high count last time, but was record breaking this time with 101 million, they need at least 5 million-surely this is going to work!!!) Then we went over to the mall to get Kevin some Chick-fil-a for breakfast and walk around a bit because I was due back at 10:45. We went back a little early and they were actually able to get me right in and do the IUI. After we were finished (around 11AM) we drove back home and got ready for Shannon and Nick's Wedding (Kevin's cousin). We got the the ceremony site around 1:30 and Kevin & I sat upstairs in the choir loft so he could get some good pictures. After the ceremony we got yelled at by someone in the church because I guess you aren't supposed to take pictures from up there or something. Aren't we rebels!! The reception was at another Catholic church in Marietta that also has a school. I think we were in the school part or youth bldg or something. The wedding was beautiful and I got to dance to YMCA, The Chicken Dance, and The Electric Slide so all the main things were covered! On the way home from the wedding we stopped at a car show that was at the corner of Barrett Pkwy & Dallas Hwy to visit with Doyle & Cecile (Kevin's grandma Micki's good friends) and their daughter & her husband & son because they have cars that they put in the show and we got to look at some really neat old cars.

Sunday: We got some work done around the house, but it is still like a war zone it is such a mess, and I worked on the BOO baskets with my neighbor-we start out with 12 baskets that they neighborhood social committee does so that hopefully enough people participate and everyone gets boo'd. I did some paint touch-up in the living room while Kevin started building a base to go at the bottom of our fireplace to cover up all the wires that are running through the wall most of the way through the house, but we couldn't run through the fireplace. Currently it is just flat-we are building up a box and I think we will tile it with slate and also use slate when we finally get to the kitchen floors and backsplash it will all work well together!!

Well, my weekend doesn't seem as busy when you type it all out as it felt while it was happening, but I was tired as well, I guess because even though I know I am feeling everyone's prayers I am still a little stressed about the whole situation. I am REALLY REALLY hoping that this works this time!! Thanks to everyone who did pray & please don't forget about me over the next two weeks. I start taking some progesterone tonight (I will take it every night) and then go in to check my levels on Friday morning, if it is high enough that will be a good sign and I will go in again the next Saturday (9/27) to take the pregnancy test!!

Got the call

So I think I had some prayers coming my way because I was able to get out of my "funk" and get some work done today and not be too depressed. I finally got the call from the Dr. office a few minutes ago and they said that my Progesterone level is still low (good thing) and my Estrogen level is over 200 (good thing) so I am supposed to take the Follistim shot one more time tonight (in the hopes that the egg will grow) and then take the HCG shot (the one that will make me ovulate) tomorrow around 11AM. Saturday we will go in at 8:45 & 10:45AM to do the IUI and then if I remember correctly from last time they will start me on another hormone or something to take for a few weeks (something that is supposed to help with the lining or something like that) and tell me to take a pregnancy test in two weeks.
So here we are....I could REALLY use everyone's prayers for the next few days-and probably weeks because I will be going crazy-wondering if it worked, yet trying not to get my hopes up too high incase it doesn't!!

Latest Dr. appt.

I am amazed at the difference a few moments can make. A few words, a little picture and from that you can moved to excitement like never before-or crushed and sent into a depression that you can't really control or explain. Sadly, at this exact moment I am in the later category. At the Dr this morning they said my lining looked good, but the follicles are not where they wanted them to be (one at 16 the other at 18), so until I hear back this afternoon about what the blood work determined I am afraid I am a bit depressed. I wanted good news, and now I am just feeling like this isn't going to work again! I will try to distract myself with work and post again after I get the word from the Dr. about my blood work.

This mornings Dr. Appt...

So I spoke to mom, Kevin, my boss, pretty much everyone about how I think these drugs are getting to me because all I really want to do is curl up in bed with a good book and not think about anything else. Every little thing seems to upset me, or frustrate me and I am used to being a go with the flow, "whatever," it's all good kind of gal. Kevin thinks it is all in my head-his usual response to anything I say is wrong with me, mom believed me, David (my boss) said it sounds like I am already pregnant to him and he feels sorry for Kevin if that is how I will be for 9 months, and Scott (a co-worker) said he would just stay out of my way! The joys of the journey to motherhood!
However, today I am all smiles (although I still get frustrated VERY easily) I am so happy today after my Dr. appt because my lining has improved since Sunday and two follicles (eggs) have grown. One is at 13 and another at 15 and I need one at around 24 I think before it is ready, so after they get my blood work back they are supposed to call me this afternoon and let me know if I need to keep the same dosage or not, and when I need to come back in to see if we are ready for the shot that will make me ovulate or not! (O.K. so I got the call and they said my estrogen level went up to 172, still not where it needs to be, but improving, so I am due back Thursday morning to check it all again!) I am really feeling SOOOOOO encouraged today! I really believe this is going to work! Of course I don't want to get on too much of a high in case it doesn't work again, but this cycle is going so much better than the one I did with the specialist with Clomed, and the three I did with my regular OBGYN using Clomed.
I actually got the pictures from the ultrasound when I was at the Dr. of my lining and follicles so I think I will try to post them, it is kinda cool! The human body is such an amazing thing and the process that our bodies go through each month is mind blowing. You start you cycle in your teens and live with it for ten years without ever really understanding it all! I don't know if I am the only one or not, but before this happened to me (infertility) I never really put a lot of thought into how the whole process works, and I got to tell you it is a miracle when everything works out perfectly to create a baby!
(Note: I couldn't figure out how to get the picture posted because the scanner at work is a pdf file and you can't upload that to this blog so sorry, no picture unless I figure out another way to get it posted!)

Shots update & overview of our weekend

So I guess I spoke(blogged) too soon. Every shot since that very first one has hurt and almost all have bled. So there goes the idea of this being super easy. Betsy, really, you are an amazing woman to have been able to do this several times a day for years!!! I will be glad when I finally get pregnant and don't have to do it anymore!!
Now for the update: I went to the Doctor on Sunday morning and they did an ultrasound and took my blood to check my Estrogen levels. The u/s didn't look very promising, but when they got my blood work back they said my estrogen levels had risen, so I am due back in tomorrow (Tuesday) morning to do the u/s and blood work again and see if we need to raise the dosage I am taking, or if we are good! I am really excited!!
Now for the rest of my weekend...We didn't have any plans and I was talking to mom about maybe trying to get to the Yellow Daisy Festival, but really the main thing I wanted to do was clean the house and get to my Dr. appt. However, Kev & I ended up spending most of the weekend up at mom & dad's installing their hardwood floor. (I guess Kev & I now have a side job of installing hardwood floors!! Actually, I don't know how people do that sort of manual labor all the time. I hurt all over!!) Dad was supposed to have someone installing the wood for them, which is why we didn't get started on the job when we were up at my parents house visiting with Betsy and the boys last weekend, but they couldn't figure out how to make it work so they gave up. They were some young kids who I guess only ever installed regular nail down style hardwood floors and not the floating style. So my house is still dirty and I didn't go shopping-most likely a good thing-I don't have the money to shop or the space to put anything!- but all we have left to do at mom and dad's house is putting down the quarter round and transition boards. Dad has them on order, so I guess we will try to do that when they get back from Uganda depending on when the boards come in. We actually still need a few transition boards for our living room and I desperately need to clean and then I really will try to get pictures up! I think both rooms turned out great!
Sunday really turned out to be a great day. I got to talk to all my sisters at one point or another on Sunday and I also spoke to Grandma & Grandpa B. I got the good news from the Dr. that something is working right since at least my Estrogen level is going up, and got to spend the afternoon/evening with some of my favorite people in the world! So even though I was tired, sore, and a little grumpy from lack of sleep, I think it was a great day! (We got home from mom & dad's close to 1AM on Sat night/Sun morning and I had to get up to go to the Dr. at 6:30-o.k. I realize all you parents out there will think that I am a bit of a baby and what am I thinking since that sounds like over 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep-but we are not parents yet and I am used to getting 7 hours a night or more if possible-Am I really ready for this whole becoming a parent thing is yet to be determined, but I think I am!?!)

I took my first shot last night!!

So.....I will be honest, I was a little nervous about taking my first shot. Growing up with a diabetic in the house I am used to being around needles, but I never had to give MYSELF the shot so I knew this was going to be different. In fact, I have always hated having my finger pricked and blood taken at the Dr. (However-I am constantly getting my blood drawn now-so I think I am over that!!) So leading up to the event I was confidant (or at felt that I was) about the entire process. As it got closer I began to get worried that when I went to actually stick myself with this needle I might loose the nerve. (By the way, Kevin said he would in NO WAY be able to help me with this-he HATES needles.)
So after yesterday's Dr. appointment I tried to ignore the thought that I will eventually have to go home and give myself the shot. Since you are supposed to try to take the shot around the same time every evening I went ahead and did the shot at 8PM when I got home, because that is a common time-frame for me to make it home in the evenings. After putting the little pen together (The shot I have to take everyday is in this cool pen that holds the cartridge of medicine and you just stick in a needle at the top for each shot and twist the bottom of the pen to move the scale to the desired amount that you need and then stick yourself and push in the bottom of the pen until it is back to zero!-The shot I have to take later is a bit more complicated, but I only do that one once!) I had to clean a little area of skin with an alcohol swab (I think Betsy only did that the first few years, later she got really laid back about the whole thing and now she is on the pump) pinch up some fat (I take the shot on my stomach-so no problems finding fat there, a few years ago it would have been hard to find any fat there, but now there is plenty!) and stick myself.
At that moment, right before contact between the needle and my skin I panicked just a little-What am I doing? Why am I intentionally poking myself with a needle? AHHHHHH!-but then I relaxed, stuck it in and pushed in the medicine. I am on the lowest dose they give right now, so it only took a second and I pulled it out. I don't think I even really felt it. WHAT A RELIEF!! A little while after the injection site was a little red and I was sore, but overall a SUPER EASY process and I felt silly for worrying about it at all!
Now, it is the next afternoon and I still feel a little sore in that area of my stomach so I guess I will just kinda choose a new little spot everyday and work my way across my stomach so that one area doesn't get too sore. The actual taking of the shot wasn't hard or painful, but now that I know I will be sore afterward I am still a little nervous about doing this for a long period of time. (Betsy I have a whole new respect for you!!) Hopefully I only have to do this one cycle!!

Went to the Dr. this morning...

So I finally started my cycle over the weekend and went to the Dr. for an Ultra Sound and blood work this morning. They said I am good to go to start the shots today...well actually they have to call me later today after the blood work gets back to let me know for sure, but it looks like all is good! I am so excited about this, I really hope it works, especially since I have already seen a HUGE increase in the amount of everything that they are doing this time. The meds, the tests, everything seems to have gone up in price, so please pray that this works this time, and although I am not sure if I really mean this, in a way I am hoping for twins-you know us Binkley's we like to get our money's worth!!
We had a great weekend, got to visit with Betsy and the boys, Kevin's family, talk to Mary in TX, and talk to Kelsey twice on Skype! We also finally got the floors finished (well actually we still need two transition boards) so all I need to do now is clean and find something to hold all our dvd's (We have over 500-I know I have a problem-I need a DVD buyer's annonymous group). As soon as that is done I will get a picture of our new and improved living room and post it!!