3 Appointments And Lots Of Meds

........... My fertility story, or at least the start of it.

My husband and I started trying to get pregnant as soon as we were married. I stopped taking BCP 3 months prior to our wedding and for some reason AF stopped knocking at the door. I would like to say that I got pregnant right away but that is far from the truth. AF not showing up is not a good thing it can be a sign of no ovulation. No ovulation means no baby. Good things always come from bad things as my life has proven time and time again. Most couples seeking to get pregnant who don't get pregnant right away are told to try for at least 2 years before a doctor will start fertility testing, which would then lead to fertility treatments. We, however, started right away because I was not ovulating and AF stopped coming.

Another situation where good came from bad is when I finally tested positive. I remember taking the stick that I had just peed on to my husband, who was in bed, and asking; "Do you see a line? I think I see a line, but it is so faint." It was very faint. You see I can't wait till the doctor tells me to start testing I have to start testing as soon as I think it is possible to have a possitive test. So, I called the nurse and she said yes definately go get a blood test. I did and it was positive but very low, which was fine because it was way early. The nurse told me to wait two days and go test again. If the numbers go up I am pregnant if they go down I am misscarrying. Well, they went down. I don't think it set in well enough for me to be too upset. I cried but then that was it. As I stated in the begining something good came from the bad. The possitive test told the fertility specialist that we can in fact GET PREGNANT. They decided to run some blood tests on both myself and my husband. One of the tests was to see how thick my blood is. That was the doosey that did me in. I forget the what they called it but they wanted it to be like 3 and mine was like 9! I do not remember the exact numbers but it was that far off. Apparently my blood is too thick and clots off the baby before it can implant in my uterus. Yup, thats right.....it's all my fault. The fix: blood thinners by injection daily for pretty much the entire pregnancy.

We did try a cycle with the blood thinners and we made it to week 5, but then the numbers started going down again. 1 week later I started Pre MOB training for my deployment that I am currently on. Oh, and my husband just started MOB for his deployment. By the time we are all done we will have been seperated for 2 years. I do have to say here, though, that he may be coming to the same camp as me, so it is possible that we will be here together for the remainder of my time here and possibly here if I am able to extend for his remaining 6 months. But anyway, the from this bad is financial stability and a better possition for both of our civilian careers.

(Before I start let me just say that I am not a doctor at all, so this is not to take place of your own doctors. You should always seek a medical professional for advice concerning your health care)

For those of you out there trying to concieve here is how our cycle will go when we get home:

3 Appointments:

1) Baseline Ultrasound - At the appointment I will be given an ultrasound to check for cysts on my ovaries. If cysts are found the cycle will be canceled and if my ovaries are all clear then I will be given the go ahead to follow my medication schedule.

2) Follicle Examination - At this appointment I will be given another ultrasound, this time to see how big and how many follicles there are. If there are more than 5 follicles the cycle will be canceled. If they are too small then we will have to wait an extra day or two before continuing with the medication schedule. If there are 5 or less and they are a good size then we will go ahead with the Insemination. Also, at this appointment they will check the lining of my uterus and draw blood to check my hormone levels.

3) Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) - At this appointment my husband and I both have to be present. First, my husband will go back and provide a "sample". Then they will spin his semen and I will go back. Note: Some fertility specialist can/will spin the sperm for a specific sex if you are wanting a specific sex. They will then proceed to put his sperm past my cervix through a catheter. I will then be instructed to lay flat for 10-15 minutes, to take it easy for the rest of the day and to act as if I were pregnant from this point forward.

Now for the Meds:
(Prenatal Vitamins, Baby Aspirin, Progesterone, Femara, Gonal, HCG, and Loenox)

Prenatal Vitamins and Baby Aspirin - These are taken daily at anytime for the duration of the cycle and are in pill form with no real side effects. The Baby Aspirin is to help thin my blood. Note: It is good to start taking a good prenatal vitamin 3 months or more prior to trying to concieve.

Progesterone - This is also a pill taken daily for the duration of the cycle usually right before bed time. The reason for this is because the most common side effect is nause. This will make the lining of my uterus thicker for implantation.

Femara - Again in pill form, however, it is taken twice daily about the same times each day, once in the morning and once at night. This medication aids in follicle growth and is taken for 5 days. It is a hormone so it can cause moodiness, hot flashes, nausea, headaches....ect. This medication is started about Cycle Day (CD) 3, 4, or 5.

Gonal - This is an injection into the abdomen. It must remain refrigerated at all times. It also must be administered at the same time each night for 6 nights and overlaps with the Femara. Gonal, like Femara, is a hormone and aids in follicle growth resulting in multiple follicles. Because it is also a hormone the side effects are simular to the Femara.

HCG - This is an injection given at night in the rear only one time. This is the hormone that will "force" or "trick" the ovaries into ovulating at a desired time, roughly 36-48 hours after injection is administered.

Lovenox - This is a blood thinner, it is an injection given in the abdomen daily. The main side effect of this medication is severe bruising at the injection site. Note: This is a blood thinner, cuts and scrapes will bleed easier and faster. Take causion while on any kind of blood thinner.

Well, thats it, thats my fertility story. If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask. My husband and I plan to pick this back up as soon as we get back home so keep checking back for our road to success.

I will post pics tomorrow or Saturday so check back for the pics. Sorry, I can't find the pics that I wanted so I will have to take new ones next time we try a cycle.

Finding Happiness In A Sea Of Sand

This is where the story of how I met my husband, JC, comes into play. I remember the first time that I met him and even then I said that he was marriage material. At the time, however, he was already married and was the first one at the poker table to pull out pictures of his family. So, we met playing poker on a deployment in Kuwait, CRAZY! Poker was an every night thing for me. JC had to work odd hours and was not able to play as often as I did. Over time, though, we did became friends and we would sit and talk about our relationships after the games. He would talk about his wife and I would talk about a guy that I was seeing back in the states. We would give each other advice, little did we know that we would eventually be a couple. I do have to admit though, wife or no wife I did think he was hot, but I kept my distance and was respectful not only to his wife but to him as well.

He played poker less and less because of his job and most times we only saw each other in passing. We both went home on R&R leave at different times. The next time we saw each other he told me that his wife had asked for a divorce while he was home on R&R. From that moment forward he was mine, he just didn't know know it. I did have to stop for a moment and gather my thoughts. Did I really want to deal with an Ex-wife and step kids? Wow, that is a lot to take on. My friend told me "girl, you better go get him before someone else does", and so I did. JC is an amazing guy who would do anything for his family.

I spent a lot of nights talking to him about his divorce and just simply being there for him to talk to. We grew closer and closer and before you knew it we were officially a couple. Then he went north to Iraq and soon after I redeployed home to WI. He would call me from time to time but I was going to break it off with him when he returned. I was living with my mom and was going back to school in Madison, WI. JC lives in Indiana, big move.

When he did finally redeploy back to IN I went down to visit him. That visit made me remember why I had liked him so much. Again, a leap of faith, because I have no idea why I stayed with him. Statistics show that in this situation they usually go back to their ex. Any normal girl would have went running but for some reason I stayed in all the chaos and hoped that he would not leave me stranded in IN and go back to his wife and mother of his two sons. It would have been understandable considering that is most peoples intent to stay together as a family. But, he was mine and I wasn't letting go and neither was he.

We were married on October 11, 2008 in South Bend, IN and have been happily married ever since.

Everything Leads To Now

In 2004 I enlisted in the US Army Reserves. Why? I have no idea!!! Yeah I was in college and could use the extra funding for school, but at the time my dad was reimbursing me for my classes. So, I really didn't NEED the help. I had a job and I am not into being tough. I am not a girly girl by any means, but I still do not go jumping into puddles and get all muddy on purpose. I think it was more the need to know that I can do something that no-one would ever expect me to do and to be proud of myself for accomplishing something that I never knew I could do.

Little did I know that this leap of faith that I so blindly took would lead me to where I am today. This decision that I made back then, if changed would have lead me down a completely different path and I would not be where I am today. It just amazes me that I jumped into the unknown, had no idea where it would take me and really had no real reason to jump, but I did and now I have everything. I am truely blessed even in the hardest two years of my life, also caused by my leap of faith, to have the husband, the kids, the pets, the houses, the family......the list goes on and on.

I was smart when I joined and any recriters dream. I walked into the recruiter's office and said, "I want to join the Army and I want to be in Finance". I was educated and could already pass my PT test. Needless to say I was swearing in, in no time. My dad told me to leave for Basic in the spring time to avoid both the extreme cold and the extreme heat, so I joined October 29, 2004 and left for Basic Combat Training March 28, 2005. It was good advice, thanks dad!!!! Since I didn't leave for Basic right away I started drilling with my unit, 376th Financial Management Company in Wausau, WI. At my first drill it was announced that we would be deploying to Kuwait later that year. So, I knew going into Basic that I was going to be deployed after graduation.

I was indifferent about the deployment. Kuwait is relatively safe and I knew when I joined that the possibility of a deployment was there. I wasn't married, no kids, and I had already quit my job. All I had was family, friends and my one dog, Osa. It was no different in Kuwait than it was back home. The only real difference is that Kuwait is nothing but sand and family and friends are back home. You get used to the sand and you make new friends who become your family. I was a cashier in the Fianance Office for the whole year and absolutely loved it. It was pretty much like working in a bank. After hours was normal we could go do things around camp; basketball, BINGO, fun runs, poker, ect.... Ultimately it was a successful year and by the end of it I had recieved two promotions, E-4 Specialist and then E-5 Sergeant.

To be continued...................

What Makes Me.......Me

Hello and welcome to my Blog!!

I am originally from Madison, WI and currently live in Greenwood, IN. I graduated from Madison Area Technical College (MATC) in 2009 with two Associate Degrees, Accounting and Finance. I absolutely love working with numbers and I 100% get that from my dad. He owns his own business as an Accountant and operates out of his home in Rio, WI. My parents are divorced and only my dad has remarried.

I have a half sister on my dad's side from a previous marriage and two half brothers on my mom's side also from a previous marriage. This makes me the youngest and also one of kind. I do not have any brothers or sisters who share the same mom and also the same dad. I feel that this is a blessing as it has given me a very large family full of people who love each other very much.

So, if my dad gave me financial ability, what did my mom give me? My mom is an animal lover and she definitely passed that on to me. We always had at least one dog growing up and at times we had two or three. I currently have four dogs, one cat and a fish tank. When I say currently I mean when I am home, I will explain in another post. Along with her passion for animals my mom also gave me the overwelming urge to be organized. Call it obsessive compulsive if you wish, but I have to have things in such a way that they are organized and easy to find. I mean we can't have blue cups with red cups it just doesnt work that way. I know........ my poor husband, right? In my defense I for the most part put things away so my husband doesnt get yelled at too often for putting things in the wrong spot.

I do not want to say too much about my husband at this point as it is a much longer story than I should add to this, but I do want to at least say that I do have an absolutely amazing husband who came as a package deal with two little boys. My Husband and I fit perfectly together and he is truely my best friend and I couldn't even begin to think about life without him. His kids are the best kids ever and adjust to everything life throws at them. I am truely amazed that I could find a love like ours.

This is what makes me who I am.