And we keep going...

Well, we went to the doctor the other day and my eggs are growing but not fast enough. So we are tripling my dosage. I feel bad for Brad because I have already been emotional enough. I am sure you are thinking it can't be that bad. In the past two days I cried during an episode of Restaurant Impossible and the new Batman movie. I am in trouble during the Olympics. There were a few other concerns that the dr had but nothing major. We go back on Monday for another ultrasound to check those eggs. Let's hope they mature more than I have during the past 31 years. :)

In other news, Brad's sister Janelle, moved in with us. I have been busy taking her to interviews this week and she has already gotten 2 jobs. It's nice to have a built in buddy to watch chick flicks with me. And another amazing tid bit. While Janelle was in an interview today I walked around Bealls and tried on a size 10. Just because. I didn't expect them to button. But guess what?! They did!! I don't know the last time I wore a size 10, if ever. I am so pumped!!

Frustration

Man! The past few days have been so frustrating! Here is the Reader's Digest version. My doctor wanted me to start injections (Menopur) on Sunday. The office failed to file my prescription early enough and I didn't get it until Monday. Apparently crying to the nurse is what it took to get it all resolved. So, Brad and I had to drive to Houston last night to get the two vials of Menopur that we needed. Since the pharmacy wouldn't let me use a restroom, we did the first injection in the parking lot. We are classy people! At least this isn't the one in my booty. This one is injected in my belly. Now we have several nights of injections and two doctors appointments this week. We are praying that this step works! Thank you again for all of your prayers and support.

Fertility Update

Well, last month's treatments were a total fail. I went to the doctor on the Friday before our Florida trip and found out that I had 3 eggs but they were only 12-13 mm. They had to be 20 mm. So, we were prescribed a home ovulation kit so we could self monitor. I ovulated, but the doctor thinks it could have been a false positive. So, on to the next step.

We had a doctor's appointment yesterday. We are doing another round of Letrezole but stepping it up a bit. In addition to the Letrezole, I am taking a steroid and an injection of Menopur to "mature" my eggs. The injections are every night, starting on Sunday and given in my belly. I'm not looking forward to the side effects and I hope I do not have horrible mood swings. Plus, it's a good thing I am on this diet because I'm sure I would gain weight if I wasn't. So, for the next month I will be happy to maintain between the hormones and steroids. Brad had a panic attack when we found out the percentage for multiples increased to 25%. I was excited, but contained it because I knew Brad was freaking out. We go back for two ultrasounds, once on day 10 and another on day 12. If everything looks good, Brad administers the HCG shot into my bum to make me ovulate. Like every month, I hope this works. The doctor seems hopeful. Thank you for your continued prayers. We really appreciate them.

Where did June go??

This summer I vowed to blog more. Have I? Not really. Between mom and sister visiting, I have been pretty busy. It has been fun to have family here. Okay, here we go with some updates.

Weight Loss
I haven't lost many pounds lately but I am in a size 12 so I am losing inches!! It's been about 20 years since I was this little. Crazy!

Brad is around 120 pounds gone. He is down to a 40x32 pant size!! We bought him some clothes at Old Navy, a place he has never really shopped. I am so proud of him.

Fertility
Today was a bit of a bummer day. I have been taking Letrezole, hoping my eggs would mature and it didn't work. They should have been around 20 mm and they were 12 and 13 mm.  I go back in 3 weeks to find out our next step. Thank you for all of the well wishes and prayers.

Summer Fun
We leave on Monday for a two week trip to Florida. The main reason for the trip is for a baby shower but we are really excited to see our family and friends also. We haven't seen them with our new bodies! I'm looking forward to some beach time and seeing many of our nieces and nephews.

I hope you are staying cool in the HOT summer temperatures!

Updates! Updates!

So many updates for you... you would think I am working a lot. Nope. I'm enjoying every minute of my summer break. So, in advance I'm going to apologize for the long post.

Weight Loss Update

I hit the century mark. I have lost 100 pounds!!! OMG! I can't believe it! So, for my 100 pound reward, I colored my hair purple! Not all of it. Just a few streaks. I am in love with it. I wish I could leave it year round but I'm not sure how many people would feel about their child's teacher having purple hair. 

 Brad's weight loss stayed about the same. But, slow and steady wins the race! And a week of losing a little is not gaining.

Baby Update
I went to the RE a few weeks ago and was given a treatment plan. I already wrote about this. :) I got my medicine in the mail this week. Letrozol, HCG (triggers shot) and progesterone. I'm waiting to get the ball rolling. The dr gave me some medicine today to help with that. :) We went to a "class" and Brad learned how to give me the shot. This is so romantic. *rolling my eyes* Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Infertility is harder than I ever imagined. I have good days and bad days. I keep telling myself that it will happen and it will be worth it.

Summer Update
This week is the first week of summer. I am loving every minute of it! My sister is here visiting from Florida. We have done a horrible job of taking pictures. We have done a lot of R&R, mani's and pedi's, craft time, pool time, and a ton of giggling! I feel like I am 12 again with how much I have been giggling. :) Having her here makes me a little home sick. But, I also love my Texas family.

Okay, sorry for the long update. Now that summer is here, I will try to update this regularly. :) I hope you are having a great week!

Doctor Update

Brad and I went back to the RE on Thursday. We were there for 2.5 hours! That's the downside of having a Dr. that only comes in town once a week. But, the visit was a good visit and we are feeling very positive. He did a soft diagnosis of PCOS a few months ago. I only have 1 out of the 3 symptoms but he is treating me as if I have it. So, I started Metformin this week, an insulin resistor. Then, I am going to take Letrozol to make my eggs mature. They have some growing up to do. ;-) I had to have a base line ultrasound on Thursday to make sure there weren't any cysts. There weren't any cysts! Yay! And, I had "a lot" of follicles. I go back in a few weeks to see if my eggs matured and if so, an injectible will force me to ovulate.

So far... staying on the diet. But, I have to cut down my work outs... a lot! Keep us in your prayers. It would be great for this to work so we can start expanding our family. I am hopeful but also trying to remain realistic.

If you have a weak stomach...

You might not want to scroll down on this post. :)

So, surgery was successful on Thursday. I have spent the weekend resting and doing a whole lot of nothing. I woke up this morning and got a few things done, but after a few hours I am wiped! So, I am always amused by surgery, body parts, and pretty gross stuff. The doctor gave me a picture of the inside of my uterus and my polyp. The red bumps are the polyps that were removed on Thursday. It's not a great picture. He said they were little. They look pretty big to me! Either way, I'm glad they are gone! :)

I thought it was funny that they gave me this bracelet in the hospital. I need this one every day! On a side note, my tattoo is finally healed! I love it! :) 

We go back to the doctor on the 24th for our action plan. I'm anxious but I know that it is all in God's timing. 

Surgery

Well, I survived my first surgery and I wasn't as nervous as I thought I was going to be. I had to have a hysteroscopy and some interuterine polyps removed from my uterus. The procedure wasn't too bad but I'm feeling pretty groggy and having some cramping. The doctor told me I could go back to normal activity tonight and I think we have difference ideas on what "normal" activity is. All I feel like doing is laying on my couch. So, that's what I am doing. All night and all day tomorrow. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. I think that is why I wasn't so nervous! I am so blessed to have great friends!

Fertility Update

I love getting good news!! We went back to the doctor on Thursday to go over all of the blood test results, all 10 vials worth! Based on the tests, I do not have PCOS! My insulin, testosterone, and glucose were all average! In fact, my glucose was pretty low but not low enough for concern. He did notice a Vitamin D deficiency and a genetic mutation called MHTFR. I think I got that right. I keep mixing up the letters. Anyway, this mutation consists of 2 enzymes. I am only missing one of the two. That's a good thing! It can be fixed. Basically, my body isn't breaking down folic acid, something necessary for having a baby. So, to fix both of these problems I am taking a vitamin d and folate supplement. I go in a few weeks to get the polyp in my uterus removed. Sounds like fun, doesn't it? After the procedure he will give us a treatment plan.

Infertility isn't something I would wish on anyone. It is harder to deal with than I ever thought, especially when so many of our friends are starting or adding to their families. Don't get me wrong, we are happy for them. But at the same time we are ready to start our family and meet Little Shumlet. This week was a rough week. I think I was anxious about the doctor appointment. So, it was a huge relief to get good news. Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. We really appreciate it! We know that God has a plan. Sometimes, I wish He would give us a little glimpse at the big picture but we are having faith and believing Him and His timing.

Let's get real...

I'm going to get real for a minute. I hope that's okay. I have been debating on blogging about this topic for a while but I keep feeling led to do it. Maybe it will help someone. Maybe it will help me deal with things. Either way, it can't hurt.

Brad and I have been trying to start our family for over a year. In October of 2011 I went to the doctor and inquired about infertility. We did some tests and everything looked great. But... still no baby. We tried Clomid for 4 months. It worked for two out of the four months and my numbers were never "impressive", at least that's how my nurse put it. They referred me to a reproductive specialist, which terrified me. We went a few weeks ago and preliminary tests show that I may have PCOS: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome which is fairly common. The best thing to do: Lose weight. Well, I'm working on that! I went last week and had 10 vials of blood drawn. I also learned that I have a polyp on my uterus that has to be removed. Awesome. We go back on Thursday for the real deal... we find out what exactly is going on and our plan of action. I have faith that God has that perfect baby for us. I am hopeful that things will work out. However, this is harder to deal with than I ever imagined. Fortunately, I have a great support group! I am forever grateful for them!