The irony of this does not escape me in the least.
My BFF who is unsure of "the whole shebang" is getting ready to swallow a hand full of Clomid pills prescribed to her by her ob/gyn. An ob/gyn who is already self proclaimed to not be "a fertility specialist with more expertise treating infertility". I am telling BFF to run. Run away from this dr who may or may not be able to help. But will almost surely screw up her reproductive system. Run to a RE.
Where as I, on the other hand, know an oby/gyn will never be able to help me. A queen of the stirrups already with a RE on speed dial. I am being told to go back to my ob/gyn for a pap smear as a prerequisite to IVF. {Hangs head and sighs.} I don't have an ob/gyn. I have been seeing you, hallowed RE, for the last 8 months and the 11 months before that trying to get pregnant. You don't suppose one of those dozens of times that I was in the stirrups or one of the dozens of times I will soon be in the stirrups again, you could help me out and do this simple swab yourself? Would that be asking too much? Hum, cupcake?
Nevertheless, I have scheduled blood work for myself and hubby. Another semen analysis for him (his prior one is not "within the past 6 months"). And of course the treasured pap smear with an ob/gyn that I pulled out of the phone book and chose because they could fit me in when I wanted to be seen. I confess, I giggled when the lady on the phone asked me all gentle like if I would prefer a male or female doctor. I wanted to say "Lady, I am infertile. I am under the care of a RE. I am shocked that there are any doctors that haven't seen that part of my body. I am a Stirrup Queen!"
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A journey through infertility.
"My story is important not because it is mine, God knows, but because if I tell it anything like right, the chances are you will recognize that in many ways it is also yours. Maybe nothing is more important than that we keep track, you and I, of these stories of who we are and where we have come from and the people that we have met along the way because it is precisely through these stories, in all their particularity, as I have long believed and often said, that God makes himself known to each of us most powerfully and personally."
-Frederick Buechner
-Frederick Buechner
Our History:
June 01: Hubby and I got married.
June 04: Had emergency surgery to remove hole in small intestine. Diagnosed with Crohn's disease.
Sept 07: We stopped BCP and started TTC.
Sept 07-Jul 08: Off and on TTC.
Aug 08: Met with GP and had the "I think there is something wrong discussion." Referred to RE.
Sept 08: First visit with RE (Dr. Cupcake). Ultrasound showed that I was naturally producing an egg from each ovary. So much hope.
Sept 08: Hubby has SA. He is superman!
Oct 08: I have 1st HSG. Done at an outside diagnostic center. Uncomfortable and unclear. 1 tube blocked, the other "marginally functional" ????
Oct 08-Jan 09: Timed intercourse with monitering, Ferma and trigger shot. (I think 5 cycles.)
Jan 09: Met with RE (Dr. Cupcake) and IVF was recommended.
Feb 09: Went for 2nd opinion with different RE (Dr. Niceguy). Question was raised of removing the tubes before IVF.
Mar 09: Went back to 1st RE (Dr. Cupcake) and requested redo of HSG to answer question on whether tubes should be removed before IVF.
Mar 09: HSG redone by RE (Dr. Cupcake). Much more expensively but also much more clearly. The final answer, both tubes are blocked and neither needs to be removed before IVF.
May 09: Started and completed prerequisites for IVF.
May 23, 2009: First acupuncture appointment.
June 1, 2009: Cycle day 1 of IVF.
June 3, 2009: IVF cycle day 3, started birth control.
June 8, 2009: IVF cycle day 8, hubby and I, both started antiboditics.
June 12, 2009: IVF cycle day 12, last day of antiboitics for hubby and myself.
June 17, 2009: IVF cycle day 17, first Lupron injection.
June 23, 2009: IVF cycle day 23, last day of birth control.
June 25, 2009: IVF cycle day 25, suppression check. E2 level 14. Lining 5.1.
June 26, 2009: IVF cycle day 26, started a very light period.
June 27, 2009: IVF cycle day 27, begin FSH, Bravelle, injections and decreased Lupron doseage.
June 29, 2009: IVF cycle day 29, ended a very light period.
July 1, 2009: IVF cycle day 31, (day 5 of stimulation) follicle check. 16 Follicles. E2 level 364.
July 3, 2009: IVF cycle day 33, (day 7 of stimulation) follicle check. 16 Follicles. E2 level 1361.
July 6, 2009: IVF cycle day 36, (day 10 of stimulation) follicle check. 19 Follicles. E2 level 4826.
July 7, 2009: IVF cycle day 37, E2 level 6698, mild, grade 1 Ovarian Hyperstimulation.
July 8, 2009: IVF cycle day 38, retrieved 16 eggs. Started Medrol and Tetracycline. First progesterone in oil injection.
July 9, 2009: IVF cycle day 39, 15 eggs matured. 10 matured.
July 11, 2009: IVF cycle day 41, last day of Medrol.
July 12, 2009: IVF cycle day 42, last day of Tetracycline.
July 13, 2009: IVF cycle day 43, learned that 11 actually fertilized, but only 10 survived. Transfered 2.
July 14, 2009: IVF cycle day 44, 3 embryos frozen.
July 15, 2009: IVF cycle day 45, progesterone level check 52.8.
June 04: Had emergency surgery to remove hole in small intestine. Diagnosed with Crohn's disease.
Sept 07: We stopped BCP and started TTC.
Sept 07-Jul 08: Off and on TTC.
Aug 08: Met with GP and had the "I think there is something wrong discussion." Referred to RE.
Sept 08: First visit with RE (Dr. Cupcake). Ultrasound showed that I was naturally producing an egg from each ovary. So much hope.
Sept 08: Hubby has SA. He is superman!
Oct 08: I have 1st HSG. Done at an outside diagnostic center. Uncomfortable and unclear. 1 tube blocked, the other "marginally functional" ????
Oct 08-Jan 09: Timed intercourse with monitering, Ferma and trigger shot. (I think 5 cycles.)
Jan 09: Met with RE (Dr. Cupcake) and IVF was recommended.
Feb 09: Went for 2nd opinion with different RE (Dr. Niceguy). Question was raised of removing the tubes before IVF.
Mar 09: Went back to 1st RE (Dr. Cupcake) and requested redo of HSG to answer question on whether tubes should be removed before IVF.
Mar 09: HSG redone by RE (Dr. Cupcake). Much more expensively but also much more clearly. The final answer, both tubes are blocked and neither needs to be removed before IVF.
May 09: Started and completed prerequisites for IVF.
May 23, 2009: First acupuncture appointment.
June 1, 2009: Cycle day 1 of IVF.
June 3, 2009: IVF cycle day 3, started birth control.
June 8, 2009: IVF cycle day 8, hubby and I, both started antiboditics.
June 12, 2009: IVF cycle day 12, last day of antiboitics for hubby and myself.
June 17, 2009: IVF cycle day 17, first Lupron injection.
June 23, 2009: IVF cycle day 23, last day of birth control.
June 25, 2009: IVF cycle day 25, suppression check. E2 level 14. Lining 5.1.
June 26, 2009: IVF cycle day 26, started a very light period.
June 27, 2009: IVF cycle day 27, begin FSH, Bravelle, injections and decreased Lupron doseage.
June 29, 2009: IVF cycle day 29, ended a very light period.
July 1, 2009: IVF cycle day 31, (day 5 of stimulation) follicle check. 16 Follicles. E2 level 364.
July 3, 2009: IVF cycle day 33, (day 7 of stimulation) follicle check. 16 Follicles. E2 level 1361.
July 6, 2009: IVF cycle day 36, (day 10 of stimulation) follicle check. 19 Follicles. E2 level 4826.
July 7, 2009: IVF cycle day 37, E2 level 6698, mild, grade 1 Ovarian Hyperstimulation.
July 8, 2009: IVF cycle day 38, retrieved 16 eggs. Started Medrol and Tetracycline. First progesterone in oil injection.
July 9, 2009: IVF cycle day 39, 15 eggs matured. 10 matured.
July 11, 2009: IVF cycle day 41, last day of Medrol.
July 12, 2009: IVF cycle day 42, last day of Tetracycline.
July 13, 2009: IVF cycle day 43, learned that 11 actually fertilized, but only 10 survived. Transfered 2.
July 14, 2009: IVF cycle day 44, 3 embryos frozen.
July 15, 2009: IVF cycle day 45, progesterone level check 52.8.
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