Preparing to jump... revisitied

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about the possibility of going off birth control in an effort to put in our 'one year of trying' so we'd line up with when we'd like to do an FET likely in early 2015.

There is big news on that front- our insurance requires no referral, or registering for infertility services. Our previous insurance required both a referral to an RE and we had to register as infertile with a specific branch of the company. At which time they asked and recorded all that we'd tried and we were cleared to see an RE. This is not the case with our new insurance. So, I am able to stay on birth control right up until we are ready to jump back in.

I am so glad it is working our this way for us. I was really worried about what my body would do without birth control. I'm not convinced met.formin would make me cycle regularly and I cannot imagine taking progesterone every couple of months with two one year olds at home- that stuff makes me SO TIRED!

So, now we don't really have to plan ahead. When we're ready, we make the appointment, and its GO TIME! If we keep with our current plan, that will be in about a year- crazy- and really exciting!

Metformin... the saga continues.

So, I had an appointment with my OB the other day for just the usual annual exam. We got to talking about birth control, future pregnancies and the likelihood of us getting pregnant with out medical intervention. Then came PCOS and metformin.

The back story is my PCP prescribed met.formin a few months ago and I've been horrible about taking it. When the fiasco happened with her a few weeks ago, I decided to not start taking it again and talk with my OB about it. I figured it was a bit more of his area of expertise than hers.

So we talked at length about PCOS, metformin and birth control. Since I am not really insulin resistant, and am on birth control he said it really wasn't necessary for me to be taking it. He agreed that it could potentially help me lose a little weight, but he said it likely wouldn't  be anymore than I'd lose if I just watched my diet.

He was insistent that if/when I go off birth control I will need it again. It will help my body stay hormonally balanced, or at least closer. Going off birth control... that is a post for another day-- maybe tomorrow!

So for the time being, I am back off met.formin. And my stomach thanks me!

Updates!

It has been so long since I've written much other than a monthly update for the boys. So here are a few bullet point to get things caught up!

• Insurance is still lame. I was denied by another company for a private policy, so we've decided for the moment to have Hubs continue working where he is. On the plus side, the infertility coverage remains, and depending on how long he stays at this job we may be able to use the remainder of our IVF benefits.
• Depending on the above, baby number three may be thought about sooner than originally planned. Likely closer to a year from now instead of two this is both exciting and terrifying at the moment!
• We went on a family vacation a couple of weeks ago. Nothing too grand, we just rented a great big house and hung out for five days! Relaxing and fun!
• I am still taking met.formin... on the days I actually remember. I was SO good about it when I was on it and trying to get pregnant. Now? Not as much. I'm hoping to get better about it, because I know it will help.
• My lack of summer clothing is somewhat comical. I was hugely pregnant last summer and the summer before I didn't buy many new things because I was doing IVF and hopeful I'd be pregnant and expanding soon. So, that leaves me with things that are a few years old, a little dated and worn out! Its time to go shopping I guess!
• Over the weekend hubs and I removed some furniture from our living room and rearranged it so we could add a large-ish gated area for the boys. They are both crawling and climbing now and we had to do something before I went INSANE!
• 9 month sleep regression... not my favorite. 9 month sleep regression coupled with two babies with a cold... a little slice of hell. 
• The boys HATE finger food. H will try a few things, A turns his head and clinches his lips. Any tips tricks, food ideas?!?
• We're in the market for convertible car seats and a side by side smallish (reclining) double stroller.... any recommendations?
• I'm so excited for summer! Farmer's markets, festivals and fun outing with my little family on the weekends- pure joy!
• We finally put both cribs back in the nursery- I love the way it looks!
• I currently have one child napping in the swing that I need to return to a friend- They haven't been in it in months because I was trying to wean them from it. Buuuut, mama would do anything for a little nap time with two cranky stuffy babies
• It seems insane that we are already starting to semi-plan the boys' birthday party! We are really excited and want it to be plenty special for our little guys-- I have approximately one million craft project to complete in the next three months.
• My husband asked me the other day what I wanted to be when I grew up. I responded first with 'am I not grown up?' and second with 'I'm doing exactly what I've always dreamed about. Being a mom and taking care of my family.' It is not always (or ever really!) a glamorous job, but it is pretty close to perfection in my book!

Met.formin Round Two...

I went in Saturday morning to have my blood levels tested as a preliminary assessment for the met.formin therapy I've been considering. It appears that met.formin is certainly an option and shouldn't have my levels swinging too far in the wrong direction provided it is taken correctly. For my own record- my fasting level was exactly the same as it was 2010, just a couple points above the 'normal' range, and far from the diabetic range.

I've decided to give it a try with the thought that I don't have to continue taking it if at some point it just doesn't feel right anymore. I do have a few PCOS-esque symptoms floating around and I'd love to nip them now rather than try to reverse things later when we are ready for an FET. Since I'm not trying to get pregnant, and I'm not hugely IR my doctor suggested cautiously treating. I'm starting with 500 mg once a day and then once I'm ready I've move to twice a day and remain there.

I've been here before. I took met.formin for about a year and a half while we were going through treatments with our RE (500mg 3x/day) and while the stomach upset did bother me at first, it completely corrected some of my poor eating habits- which isn't a horrible side effect! After the first bit on the medication the side effects started to dwindle (partially because I'd realized what I COULD NOT eat) and the PCOS symptoms did the same. You wont hear me complaining if it also causes me to lose weight like the last time- nothing wrong with that! I'm hopeful met.formin will be helpful in getting/staying healthy and ready to carry another baby once the time is right.

I'll be continuing to take a combination birth control pill until we are ready to try again. In our estimation that is likely a couple years down the road still. I'm fairly certain my thoughts on the matter will change several times between now and then, but right now I'm thinking I'll be ready to try again sometime around the boys' third birthday. Though, if I know myself, it will be hard for me not to want to try closer to their second birthday :)

Met.formin

Quick question for any PCOS'ers that are still sticking around to read my sporadic (at best!) posts....

My RE mentioned at some point during my treatment that it might be a good idea to go back on met.formin after the birth of our babies/breastfeeding. We didn't talk about it too much, she just said it might help control the PCOS symptoms and I didn't give it a lot of thought at the time because it seemed like a long way off. Well, here I am. Done breast feeding and obviously no longer pregnant- and while I am no where near ready to start trying to get pregnant again, I am thinking about how important it will be for my body to be in the best state it can be once we are ready.

So, my question is this... Did you go back on met.formin after having your baby/ies as more of a maintenance medication for PCOS rather than a drug in conjunction with fertility treatments? 

I saw my primary care doctor today for a thyroid check-up and talked with her about the possibility of starting back on met.formin. She was receptive to the idea, but said we first needed to check my fasting glucose level and my HA1C to ensure that the met.formin wouldn't be adversely effecting my blood sugar.

The Haps...

It seems crazy to me that I haven't been back to write in this space for almost an entire month. Writing here used to be so therapeutic for me. I wish I could make it a priority now, but it seems like there are just too many things on that list right now. I think one day soon I'll find myself in a different stage of motherhood, allowing for a TINY bit more time for things like blogging... at least I hope so :)

In the meantime here is a short list of what has been happening...

• I had mastitis at the end of September- OMG, that business is PAINFUL!
• The boys started sleeping a little longer at night in October. We are no longer waking them to eat at night, but we still are waking up every 4-5 hours to eat. 
• We had a 2 month well baby visit and the boys are GROWING! At 9 weeks H was 10.3lbs and A was 8.11. They are still a little small percentile-wise, but to me H seems HUGE!
• A & H took their vaccines like champs and had very minimal discomfort afterward. In fact A was happier than his normal self...weird!
• We took our first out of town overnight trip to visit our families. It went really well. The best part was two hours in the car each way of SILENCE!
• Both boys have a new love for the swing. It is seriously magical and we've borrowed a second swing so both can swing at the same time! It has the same effect as their car seats- instant sleep!
• We had two little animals for Halloween- a giraffe and a cow. They were pretty darn cute at Daddy's office party!
• Speaking of Halloween, we spent a chunk of time at the OB's office that day. I was having HORRIBLE breast pain, but I didn't have all the symptoms I had with mastitis. It was determined I may have some sort of breast yeast infection, but I wasn't showing any symptoms except that nice razor blade pain while nursing. My doctor prescribed some AMAZING nipple cream ( same as Dr. Jack Newman APNO) and the pain subsided rather quickly thank goodness!
• I took a HUGE step and packed up the leftovers from our IVF cycle. They will soon be making their way to our RE's office for donation. Hubs was ready to do it a LONG time ago, but it wasn't until I had the boys that I was ready to give up the goods. We are fairly sure we'll do this all again, but it will NOT be happening before these expiration dates roll around!
• Packing for two babies is A LOT of work. I'm already getting things together for holiday travel. 
• I'm not a huge fan of the mini pill.... more on that another day. 

Ironic...

There are a lot of reasons why I love blogging, one of the biggest is being able to go back to a certain date and seeing where I was in that moment. I've often looked back at the same day in the previous year to see how things had changed or not changed.

On THIS very day one year ago, I wrote about what I guess was the official end of my first pregnancy. It was the day my beta finally reached zero. Though I'm sure I was feeling sad for all that we'd lost, I was also ready to pick myself up and begin moving on. I was ready to start preparing both my heart and my body to try again- to attempt once more to find myself pregnant with the hope of carrying that baby (or babies!) until they were big enough and strong enough to come home with us.

I find it somewhat ironic that I wrote on that day about becoming 'un-pregnant', because today the same thing will happen, only this time my appointment is for a c-section not a beta. It is amazing in one year's time we've really come full circle. Dreams have been realized, and on a day that was bittersweet last year, I will this year have two sweet boys placed in my arms!

On this day...
4 years ago, we were in the midst of our first cycle of trying for a baby.
3 years ago, we were a couple of cycles into clomid.
2 years ago, we were in the process of beginning treatment with our RE.
1 year ago, we had just miscarried our first pregnancy.

And today... Today, we become parents and our family not only grows, it DOUBLES!!!!

Au Natural...

Since becoming pregnant I've been asked a million times if I plan to have a natural delivery.

I always laugh. 

Every time.

Here are my thoughts in no particular order.

• I'm having twins- I may not have a lot of say in how it all ends up. 
• I have ZERO attachment to having a natural birth.
• I do not see myself as less of a women if I choose not to 'do it the way millions of women have done it' ahead of me... without drugs- in fact, I fully intend to have an epi.
• I want these babies to get here safely. If that means drugs and knives I'm ok with that.
• These babies got to my uterus via massive amounts of medication, hormones, a plastic catheter, ICSI, 5 days in a lab and many, many people other than my husband and I... nothing about this process has been 'natural' I'm guessing that isn't going to change now.  
• I may or may not have placenta previa on their birthday complements of Baby A... if things don't move I will not have the option of a vaginal delivery- like it or not. 
• I don't want to have any expectations of their birthday. They will be deciding how their day is going to go- there is no sense in me trying to write it down and prepare for it. Let's remember that I planned on them being here about 3 years prior to their arrival date- obviously they are in the driver seat.

So, there you have it, my thoughts on the birth of these sweet little babies. It is weird to think that we're getting close to the halfway point of a normal 40 week pregnancy and likely have passed the halfway point in this twin pregnancy!

I know I have A LOT of natural delivery Mamas as readers. Please know that my thought of birth is 'to each her own' we all have differing feelings about birth... these are mine :)

This and That...

The insomnia may kill me.

I woke up at 2:30 on Thursday morning. Once I was up and had gone to the bathroom I realized that I was starving. Eating some peanut butter crackers and drinking a big glass of water solved that problem, but it didn't solve the sleeping issue. I was wide awake for 2 whole hours. Lame. The only positive about the wake up was putting my hand on my belly when I woke up and realizing that HOLY CRAP it seemed huge and really firm.

I can feel the firmness of my uterus all the way up to just below my belly button... at 12.5 weeks. I'm nearly positive I am going to be some kind of freak show by the end of the summer. And I can't wait :)

Growth is happening in other places beyond my belly too... I'm going to need to look into some new bras in the very near future.

Hubs is hilarious about not wanting me to do things. I love it- he is so protective of me and these two little babes of ours.

I'm trying to make sure I eat frequently, but if I don't, it is very obvious when it is time to get some more food in this body of mine.

I love life without progesterone suppositories!

I love all of the changes that are happening with my body, and I'm in awe constantly of everything that is happening.

Most importantly.... 19 days until we get to see our babies again!!

All is well...

Thanks for all of the encouraging words after my last post about the spotting. After a little more rational thought and analysis of the situation I am feeling pretty good about everything. Here's the deal- and possibly a little over sharing....

We all know about the less than glamorous side effects of pregnancy. Read: constipation. On Friday things were not moving, lets just say things did finally move but it was difficult. I'm guessing that may have been part of the spotting incident later in the evening. Today prunes have been added to my diet in an attempt to remedy this situation!

There hasn't been another single spot of blood since 8am Saturday morning, not even on the endometrin applicator. Everything is fine. After looking through the paper work that I got from my OB last week my mind was put even more at ease. I was scheduled to reduce my endometrin dose on Saturday to a single dose, but after the spotting and knowing it might be tricky to get in to see my doctor over the weekend if there was an issue, I decided not to. Now that it is Monday and I've been without issue for over 48 hours I decided to reduce my dose today. I'm feeling super confident that everything will be fine- and it is an added bonus to know that the nursing staff and my OB are just a phone call away if there is anymore spotting.

11 weeks tomorrow :)

Ten but not eleven...

So, last week in my 10 week update I said something about making it to ten weeks without any complications.... I will not be making the same claim on Tuesday in my 11 week update.

Friday night when I went to the bathroom to do my PM dose of endometrin, I found some brownish blood on my panty liner. I.freaked.out. Hysterical crying began within seconds and after a swipe with the TP, I saw more brown blood. I sobbed for about 10 minutes before I pulled myself together and looked at the situation as the informed infertile that I am, instead of the emotional one.

First, it was brown. There was not any hint of red, or even pink. After wiping multiple times, it was over. When I finally had it together enough to do my endometrin, there was very little brown blood on the applicator.
Second, we knew there was a third sac in there. It was very hard to see because of its placement in relation to baby B, and the assumption was that it was a fluid filled sac and may bleed.
Third, we're already doing everything we can to ensure these babes are delivered healthy- worrying will get us nowhere. Wow, was that a rational thought? Amazing.

The only decision I made friday night was to continue taking 2 doses of endometrin per day. As of Friday, I was supposed to taper down to just a PM dose. After the blood, I decided to keep on with two doses over the weekend and call my OB on Monday to see what she thought.

I was up multiple times in the night to go to the bathroom and didn't see a speck of brown blood on any if the 3 trips to the bathroom. When I woke up for the day I did see a little more brown CM when I wiped, but absolutely nothing since then.

I am hoping and praying that was the first and the last of it...

So Happy!

First off, thanks for all of the fun comments yesterday, we are really excited!!!

Next, I'm not going to lie, I was terrified yesterday morning that we were going to get to the ultrasound and there was going to be nothing in there. My one symptom that had been holding strong (crazy sore boobs) was suddenly much better this when I woke up. Freaked.Out. Hubs held strong and was sure everything was fine. He was right. Like usual... don't tell him I said that.

As soon as the wand was in I saw two sacs and was instantly calmed when I could see the flicker of a heartbeat. The other sac seemed smaller, so I wasn't sure if it was viable, but I just kept focusing on that flicker... best.thing.ever! Well, until she turned on the sound and we got to hear that little heart beating :)

She told us there were two right away and after noting the heartbeat in the first she moved to the second and we tried to see the heartbeat. We didn't see it at first, but we were able to see the yolk sac and the baby. She then went back to baby A took the measurements (6w2d) and we listened to that sweet beating heart. Baby B is situated behind Baby A and is a little tricky to get a good image of, but on second glance we were all able to see the tell tale flicker. Baby B measured 2 days behind Baby A at 6w.

We're hopeful that we'll be able to hear both heartbeats next Friday! 6 days until we get to see them again :)

I'm feeling much more confident today. It also helps that the symptoms came back in full force yesterday afternoon :)

In other, nearly as exciting news... My hormone levels looked great yesterday and I can stop estrogen (5,031) all together and I get to move do to two progesterone suppositories a day from three because my progesterone was nice and high at (120.2). My doctor did tell me that she likes to keep twin pregnancies on progesterone until about 12 weeks.... 5 more weeks of those little gems- JOY!

5w1d

Yesterday I reached the five week mark. It is a weird to think that it will have been a little more than two weeks since any kind of testing when we go in for our ultrasound at 6w3d. I'm looking forward to it, but it is all a little scary at the same time. After having a miscarriage in August I feel like there is just this 'what if?' hanging over our heads. I'm trying really really hard to ignore it, but it is there. All the time. 

I had my check up with my PCP yesterday to go over my thyroid levels from Thursday. He agreed that while it would be good to have it lower, we caught it super early and it really wasn't super high. He drew blood again yesterday and it was only 2.47 instead of the 3.75 it was on Thursday (different labs). I have a feeling it has to do with my dose of estrace being cut in half beginning last Wednesday. I had been taking the morning dose three hours after my thyroid medication (as recommended) but I just have a feeling that made it spike up. My doctor did increase my dose yesterday from 75mcg to 100mcg,  and even with my level coming back at 2.47 yesterday I think my body will do fine with the increase. One less thing to worry about. We'll recheck in 4 weeks. 

Not much more to report. I have a few symptoms here and there but nothing horrible. I'm pretty sure the highlight of my week was picking up my endometrin refill this morning and not having to pay a cent for it! $45 copay + $ 50 coupon = ZERO out of pocket!!

Always Something...

When I had my second beta drawn on Thursday my TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) was elevated. Not off the charts elevated, in fact it was still within therapeutic range, so not horrible, but concerning just the same. Since the prescribing physician is not my RE, they are requesting that my PCP (the prescribing physician) monitor and manage my thyroid care. Thankfully I was able to make an appointment for Tuesday to check in with my doctor and see where I need to go from here. I'll be five weeks tomorrow and hope the changes in medication will take effect quickly. When I started thyroid medication last year within 4 weeks my level had nearly cut in half and within 8 weeks it was less than 1/4 of what it was when I started, so I'm feeling pretty confident that we caught the rise early and it will quickly be remedied.

When I consulted Dr. Google on the matter I read all kinds of scary things, but I also read that high levels of HCG (hello 889 @ 11dp5dt) and increases in estrogen (2036 @ 9dp5dt) can elevate TSH. My RE reduced my estrace dose down to 2mg /day from 4mg/day starting last Wednesday, so that too could help improve the levels. We'll see.

The moral of this story? Even if you don't have thyroid issues pre-pregnancy it is a good idea to have your levels checked early in pregnancy. It isn't something my clinic tests right away, so I had to ask to have it done and I'm SO glad I did!

I'll be sure and update tomorrow after the appointment!

Signs and Symptoms...

...that I am indeed pregnant. I am still daily looking at sicks that were dipped in urine (days ago, YUCK!) just to see those two lines that mean everything. Even if I'm still in disbelief that this is for real, there are a few things that serve as gentle daily reminders....

• Hello, maps for skin! I've always had visible veins, but it's reached a new level. The inside of my arms are kinda grossing me out!
• Oh-my-nipples! Seriously, ouch. The ladies MUST be roped in at all times!
• A feeling of bloat. Constantly. Some days it is uncomfortable to the point of doing the rubber band trick with my jeans. FYI, I may never button my pants again- who knew a rubber band could change EVERYTHING?!? Having my pants feel tight is weird given the fact that I've actually lost weight since we started this IVF cycle.
• I'm hungry. Maybe not weird for the general population, but when you've spent the last year on a metformin induced hunger strike, being hungry is very strange.
• A blazing feeling in my esophagus. After eating the most bland things (like a banana) I feel like there is a bit of a fire brewing in my chest.
• Toast- still on the NO list. I made grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for dinner late last week not really thinking about the whole toast thing. I couldn't eat it. My husband thinks it is hilarious. He is constantly saying things like 'yeah, I get it. I mean, toast is super spicy and flavorful. It totally makes sense that the thought of it makes you want to vomit.' Blah, blah, blah... weirder things are bound to happen!
• Waterworks! This one is twofold. I'm a pee'ing machine- I used to be able to hold it for hours. Now if I don't wake up in the night to go, it is a delicate dance to the bathroom in the morning when my alarm goes off. Seriously, once I'm upright it becomes a VERY pressing issue. Also, I may not full on cry, but the eyes get glassy over the most ridiculous things. Like pretty much every episode of Glee. It is like being on lu.pron all over again.

And you know what? I love every single one of the crazy things happening with my body. This morning when I seriously nearly pee'd myself when I got out of bed I was so happy, because I know it is for the absolute best reason EVER!

Soooo, there may be an explanation for the crazy symptoms so early and the insanely early positive HPT (4dp5dt). My nurse just called with my beta... 398 at 9dp5dt. That is nearly 4 times higher than the positive we got with our first IVF cycle. E2 was 2,036 (starting just one estrace tomorrow) and progesterone was nice and high at 83 compared to last time's 14.4 at this point. 

2dp5dt

A few random things...

• My two days of bed rest are O.V.E.R. but I've been taking it pretty easy today. I've spent a good chunk of time on the couch, but it felt SO good to be able to get up and make my own lunch. 
• Progesterone suppositories are gross. 
• I still have 3 Christmas gifts to buy... the same 3 I've had left for the last 4+ weeks. My husband's family is IMPOSSIBLE to buy for!
• Pinterest has been my saving grace through bed rest. 
• My husband cannot get home soon enough today! Am finally allowed to shower today, but last time I got super dizzy in my first shower after ET, so I'm waiting until he gets home. 
• I'm feeling good about this cycle. That was shaken a little yesterday when there was only one freezable embryo- but I'm feeling better, more confident today. 
• My beta is one week from today. 
• We're having dinner with friends on Friday night- I'm looking forward to doing something that does not revolve around IVF. 
• Here are my socks from the transfer....

Ten days in...

I had yet another ultrasound, this time with the final doctor in the practice that I had yet to see. He's a fairly well known doctor when it comes to IVF, and I was glad to have someone who has seen plenty cases tell me it was time to TRIGGER!

My follies grew significantly (which did not go unnoticed by me!) and it looks like several are very ready and there are multiple that will get their final nudge with the vial of menopur I took this morning, tonight's follistim dose and the 10,000 units of HCG that will be swimming around in there later this evening. All of this means we're scheduled for a Tuesday morning retrieval! Yahoo!

I am so ready!

Stats:
Lining- >10mm triple stripe
Right side- 9 or 10 contenders + 3 smaller (largest 19mm)
Left side- 5 or 6 contenders + 5 smaller (largest 20mm)
E2- 2549, a much healthier number than this stage last time-- thank goodness!

Tonight:
Final follistim, lupron and dexamethasone doses.
6pm- 100iu Follistim
8pm- 5iu Lupron
9pm- Dexamethasone
9:30pm- 10,000units of HCG

Three more injections!!!

Dull...

You know what's rad? Dull needles.

The past TWO mornings poor hubs has tried to give me my IM menopur injection and the needle wouldn't go in with his normal pressure. This in turn freaks him out a little and we have to change the needle and go through the build up again. Both mornings we've managed, but seriously- not an enjoyable experience!

I'm crossing my little fingers that tomorrow will be trigger day. I have a sneaking suspicion that I'll be back on Monday for one last look and triggering orders, but a girl can wish, right? Grow, follies, grow... I am ready to be DONE with the needles!!!!

My energy level is pretty much non-existent. I got in my bed last night about 7:30 and read until I had to take a pill at 9 and then promptly fell asleep and slept soundly until 6 this morning when it was time for another injection. I'm not sure if it is from the meds, or my lack of exercise, but it is killing me.

This weekend it's time to get organized for some lazy days ahead... Cleaning, ironing and maybe a couple of make ahead meals. I still haven't finished decorating for Christmas, and I'm on the fence about finishing. As of now we have a couple things up in addition to our Christmas tree. The thought of getting everything else out seems a little daunting 9 days into stims, knowing that we won't be having anyone into our home between now and Christmas makes it all seem silly. Thoughts?

Stim Day 6...

Those are nice, huh? They even go all the way up to the knee!

Six days in, and it is time for another ultrasound and more blood work.

Today we saw 10 on the right side, 11mm being the largest. On the left there were 11 (only 6 that will likely be mature at ER) and 12.5mm was the largest. My lining is nice and thick at 9.5mm, it was only 7.5 at this stage last time! I'll go back on Friday for another ultrasound and more blood work.

There was a little comedy in the ultrasound room this morning. When my doctor came into the room to do the ultrasound she grabbed the ultrasound gel to prep the wand and sprayed it all over herself. We all laughed and she likened her situation to the one portrayed in 'Something about Mary'... hilarious. We all laughed and agreed that ultrasound gel would be better than the alternative. Next, I nearly kicked her in the face while assuming the position and she called herself a few names. This is why I love my doctor- we are totally on the same wave length. She is the perfect mix of serious and comical.

Hubs has been concerned about the placement of the circles for my IM men.opur injections. I asked about it today, and it was decided that while it was probably fine, we'd let him win this one and move them down just a tad. So, in case you're wondering, I have all kinds of sharpie marks on my back/rear right now.

Depending on my E2 level, we'll see where my follistim dose goes. I'm not even pretending to know what they'll do with it at this point! If I had to guess I'd think if it isn't decreased today, it will be on Friday. ** E2 came back at 700, so we're decreasing the dose to 100iu of Follistim instead of 150.**

I'm still feeling pretty good, tired and more bloated with the day, but overall there isn't too much pain or heaviness just yet. I really wish I liked protein more because I know it would help, for now the Gatorade will have to do!

I watched Biggest Loser this morning... I bet you can guess how that one ended. Really, was it necessary to reunite them with their spouses today? It was nearly more than I could take. 

Stim Day 5...

First, thanks to everyone who has given me the Liebster blog award. I am typically pretty crappy at playing along with these awards- and it seems as though pretty much everyone I follow has already received it!

I'm five days in, and boy can I feel it. My energy level is taking a nose dive and my mid-section is in a bit of turmoil. I've been interested in how this cycle matches up to the last, so here are the findings so far....

• At suppression: More follies present for IVF #1. Ovaries looked less 'PCOS-y' for IVF#2.
• I started on the same dose of menopur, but DOUBLE the dose of follistim. 
• In terms of total doses of follistim, I am currently about to days ahead of where I was last time. However, the plan is to work in the opposite direction as we did last time, tapering down instead of up. The hope is more mature eggs than last time. 
• The calm feeling remains. I'm not overly worried about anything. I have no idea what my E2 level was yesterday, and I am 100% ok with it. 
• I've started the precautionary OHSS diet earlier this time around. As soon as I felt any bloating I started drinking Gatorade, trying to be better about getting plenty of protein and cut back on the carbs and sugar. So far, it has helped relieve the bloating significantly and hopefully it will keep me in the clear after retrieval. 
• I weigh about 20 pounds less than I did for IVF#1.
• The random crying is similar to last time. Most of the time it is somewhat predictable, but sometimes it is 100% random. This morning I was watching a TV show, and though it was touching, it wasn't worthy of tears, so there I sat crying... and laughing at myself for crying. Nothing says irrational like a hormonal woman.
• Lemonade Gatorade is still my favorite flavor. For now. 
• Follistim stings A LOT more than it did last time. 

I'm currently setting up Netflix for bed rest.... what should I add??