7 Quick Takes

1.  I made an appointment with an RE....again.  A different one this time, so we'll see how it goes.  I'm mostly going to use him to get what I want. :)  My Napro doc wants ultrasounds, etc and hopefully he'll deliver.  We'll see.

2.  I filled out an application to volunteer at our local hospital.  I love seeing all these posts on RR, but it breaks my heart that I can't do more.  So I'm going to help where I can.  The hospital is where I will start.  I requested infants/toddlers, but will do anything they need of course :)

3.  I can't believe Easter is almost here!  I would love to say I'm glad to be without Face.book...and I am to a degree, but boy I miss it!!  I feel like I'm missing out on lots of news.  I love watching kids I used to babysit grow up and start their own life, with their own spouses and babies.  I feel so left out :(

4.  I'm headed to my parents this weekend.  Gonna spend the week in the country.  My husband says its almost as good as camping! ha ha ha

5.  I have to go to a birthday part for a 5 year old boy on Sunday.  Any gift ideas?!

6.  I've taken the gluten free plunge again.  I did it for a few months last year and quit.  I'm back on the bandwagon not only because I hope it helps my IF, but I'm also hoping it helps me lose some weight.  I'm stuck in my weight loss big time.  Even gained a little....shhhh don't tell my doctor!

7.  And because I LOVE this picture....here's an updated picture of my (step)grandson.  He is 6.5 months old now!

Another Catholic in My Family

No, no, its not the happy news I wanted, but its happy nonetheless.

My sister and her husband are being baptized and received into the Catholic church!  Like this Saturday!!  OMG I cannot believe it.  I had no idea.  She called me today and asked me what I was doing for Easter.  I told her I didn't know, we have a friend with a birthday party and of course Easter at our parents.  I asked her what she was doing and her first words were "Well its funny you should ask".  My heart starts racing because of course my first though...OMG she's pregnant* (because that's what I do)!   But no, she tells me they are getting baptized and asked us if we would come.  She's been going to RCIA with her husband (he only has to do confession and receive first communion as he was baptized Greek Orthodox.  she like me was raised mor.mon and has to do everything.) and hadn't told me or my parents or ANYONE!

My parents still don't know.  I believe they may have a coronary.  Two daughters have up and left the Mor.mon church for the Catholic church.  Who would've ever thought?!?!  My mom tried her hardest to drill in the "Catholic church is the great and abominable".  I guess it didn't sink in!

This is where I get a little disappointed and frustrated, but try to reign it in for the bigger picture.  She has an IUD with no plans to remove it.  *Her and her DH do not want children.at.all.  I told her "you know the Catholic church doesn't do birth control, right?"  She said something snarky, which I won't post, needless to say they are no where close to changing their contraceptive ways.  I have thought about starting a Novena to St. Jude as I think this is a hopeless case, but I want to pray for her anyway.

Any ideas on how to handle that situation, or should I shut up and let them handle it with God?

Why does Infertility have to be so HARD?

I love the fact that I’ve chosen NaPro to treat infertility.  I love that it abides by Church teachings.  I love that it has brought my husband and I closer.  Really, I love it.

However, I HATE that it’s so hard and not well known.  My NaPro doc wants me to have an ultrasound to confirm ovulation.  Well I can’t find one.  So there!  I want to go to an OB/GYN or even an imagining facility, but NONE of them do it.  I’ve called about 5 offices and all refer you out to an RE.  You have to go to an RE here in this city to do anything.  The closest one (like 2 miles from my house) pissed me off and I refuse to go back.  There are two more RE offices in the city (both about 15 miles away).  Every OB/GYNs office I called today referred me to one RE.  So I called to schedule an appointment, thinking, just go ahead and get it over with.  They were closed, so I started looking at their website.  Under services, I saw: GENDER SELECTION.  I felt sick to my stomach.  I get an RE does IVF, but seriously GENDER SELECTION?!?!?  WTH!  I haven’t called to schedule that appointment.  But now I’m stuck.

I’m running out of options here.  Compared to where I grew up, Jack.sonville, FL is huge!  Where are all the bloody doctors?!

Do you girls go to REs?  Am I missing something completely obvious?  Something I haven’t thought of.  Should I suck it up and go back to the doctor that tried to push birth control pills onto me because its closer and they have pretty good RNs and PAs and great equipment?

I’m sure most of my frustration is because CD1 should be today or tomorrow and once it comes, everything will fall back into perspective.

Update: Before I even had time to publish, CD1 appeared.

Yuck!

I went to the doctor today thinking I had a UTI, I don't, I have a yeast infection.  I don't think I've ever had a yeast infection in my entire life.  A whole 32 years!  Two week of Biaxin did me in!  She asked me if I had any yeasty discharge, I don't think I have.

It got me thinking though, would a yeast infection mess with your mucus?  Also, does it make sex painful?  Can you even have sex with a yeast infection?  Does it get passed to your DH?

She put me on two weeks of Diflucan and told me to find a probiotic.

Fun times!!!

Baby Dreams Are Making Me Crazy

I have had two baby dreams over the last week.

The first one, I was pregnant and admitted to the hospital for delivery.  I remember having a fight with the nurse about being trapped in the bed by monitors, and that I wasn't going to do it.  I told her no way.  Then we bargained down to 5 minutes of monitoring every hour.  I remember being told I was having a girl and my husband and I agreed on Elizabeth Shayna as a name. I remember being excited, but also not "feeling" pregnant.  Apparently, I was pregnant, but not in labor because they sent me on my way.  My husband was having a fight with the billing department while I was wondering around the hospital.  Then I woke up...weird!

The second one was Saturday night.  I was in the hospital, in labor this time.  My husband, parents and sisters were there.  The longer my dream went on, I think the hospital morphed into a home.  I remember squatting or being on my knees because it was the only comfortable position.  Then I remember telling my dad "I used to think mom was being a wuss when she said standing up was painful because it felt the baby was going to fall out, but now I know she was right".  I remember it being painful and my mom commenting I must be getting close because I sounded like I was in pain.  The only person in the room with me was my dad and he was just hanging out on the couch.  I had the baby, then yelled at my mom (in the other room) to get the doctor.  Then I started hollering at my husband to come in.  He was outside walking the dog.  Who does that/!?!?!?!?  OMG LOL!  The baby was a girl and she was big. We named her the name we want to use for any future girl we actually have.  I remember being instantly in love.  My DH was holding her and my mom and sister come into the room holding bottles of sugar water (they used to give it to babies all the time).  I had a complete melt down and yelled at them not to put any kind of nipple into the babies mouth, I was going to breastfeed.  I was not successful.  So 30 minutes after giving birth, I went to the store to get a nipple shield, thinking that would fix my problems.  I ended up at my aunts house who had a pharmacy in her living room (who knew?!).  Got what I needed and then woke up.

I would like to think these are signs of good things to come, but I think its just obsession.  Oh, I would love for either one of those to be real (except for the part of giving birth in front of my dad, while my husband is walking the dog).

Help! Have I Ovulated...

Can someone pretty please take a look at my chart and let me know if you think I've ovulated?  This is the weirdest cycle I have ever had.  I cannot make heads or tails of it.

I'm thinking no.  I always have at least 5-7 days of peak type mucus (usually in a row).  The only thing I did different was biaxin last cycle for 14 days.  I wouldn't think that would affect this though and I was done with taking them either during the last days of my last cycle of the first days of this one.

Any help is appreciated!!!  Thanks guys!!

Blood Test Results

So I'm posting all this information so I can find it again and so I can get opinions.  I am always curious about other people's blood work and test results, so I'm going to assume everyone else is as crazy as I am too :)

February P+7 (took HCG on P+3, 5, 7, 9)
TSH    1.52
Progesterone    21.4
Estradiol     130

January P+7  (took HCG on P+3, 5, 7, 9)
Progesterone      19.8
Estradiol      172

December - didn't take HCG so didn't have P+7 blood test

November P+7 (took HCG on P+5, 7, 9, 11)
Vitamin B      299
Progesterone     20.0
Estradiol      88

I think I was reading on another blog that you can tell if you ovulated or not by the progesterone levels.  Is that true?  And does taking HCG throw that off?

I'm contemplating having a lap.  I would really like to know for sure is I have endo before I start packing my bags and heading to Omaha.  I am thinking about having a lap local just to be sure. Has anyone ever done that?

I was looking at my chart today and it is the saddest looking chart ever.  I don't think I've ovulated.  I wonder, if I did or if I will.  Guess we'll find out in 9-10 days, because without HCG that's how short my LP is.