That's "yazspeak" for Waikiki and Maui. We are going to Hawaii! Chris and I had been planning a trip to Europe for June, but lately things have changed a bit (see I Choose Science). We weren't sure if my Dr. would let me travel out of the country if the IVF works and I'm knocked up, so we didn't want to take any chances on losing the $$ on plane tickets and hotels. We like to plan things, and I was getting nervous not having our trip itinerary set up. The trip is not till June, but still that's not that far away. I told Chris that if we couldn't do Europe I wanted to go the tropical route. Of course, being the amazing Chrizza, he ran with the idea and next thing I know he's sending me an e-mail with a Hawaii trip layout! I couldn't be more excited. We need this vay-kay; our life has been a bit of a challenge lately. Fertility issues impact every aspect of your life, but that's gonna have to be a different post! It will be great for us to get away for 10 days and enjoy each other and have an escape from reality and our everyday lives for a bit. We have booked our hotel in Maui, it's a really nice place on the beach with a kitchen. I know, I know most people don't want to cook while they are on vay-kay, but I do. I'm really excited about shopping at the local farmers markets and using some native ingredients to make delicious food for us. We are still looking at our options for Waikiki; probably gonna go a little swankier with that stay. That's how the Anderson's like to do it up, 5 days of super deluxe luxury and then 5 days of just plain luxury. Woohoo!! Get ready Hawaii the CYA's are coming!
xo- yaz
PS - I hear Hawaii has great hot dogs; we love hot dogs!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
I Choose Science
The period came with vengeance. Took enough pills to knock out a horse and I was still in pain. Bath tub, heating pad, elevating the legs, fetal position.... nothing worked! Finally, I gave in and called the Dr. because I thought I was going to pass out from the pain. Talked to the nurse, she told me to take a vicoden and use the heating pad, blah blah blah. Finally after almost 24 hours of excruciating pain it started to let up. I could actually stand up straight.
Dr. V called to check on me and see how I was doing. I love it when a Dr. actually takes the time to call a patient, it's so rare these days. Anyway, we discussed my condition - endometriosis and adenomyosis. He said I was too young to be experiencing such harsh periods. I inquired about IVF- In Vitro Fertilization, since the rates are pregnancy are higher with this procedure than they are with IUI. After Chris and I discussed it, we decided that this is our new plan. We want a baby and it's not going to happen naturally, so we choose science. That's our only hope at this point and I truly think it's going to work for us.
I started the first steps of the process a few days ago. First the birth control pills and antibiotics for both of us. The bc pills put everything to rest in my female parts and the antibiotics are to just clean our systems out of anything that could possibly be stopping us from reproducing. Chris went to see the embryo specialist today to turn in another sample. This time he got to do the deed in the office. His own private room with a recliner (ew) and lots of porno mags, just like in the movies. They are doing a thorough check of his swimmers to make sure that they will be ready when it's time for the transfer. Next step is my consultation with our IVF nurse next Tuesday to go over all the paper work, hear about the scary possible side effects to the medications and learn about the new injections. Then on April 7th I'll go in for my pre-lupron appointment and start that on the 8th. Back in on the 16th for my baseline ultrasound to make sure I don't have any cysts on my ovaries and then start the Gonal-f on the 17th. After I start the Gonal-f I'll be making trips to the dr. and to the lab every 2-3 days to check my ovaries and follicles, as well as, my estrogen level. Egg retrieval should be around April 28 and then embryo transfer sometime between May 1-3.
Just in case you aren't familiar with IVF basically all the medications I'm going to be taking are to stimulate my ovaries to produce eggs. Then they go in vaginally (i'll be sedated) and retrieve as many eggs as possible. While they are harvesting my eggs, Chris is doing his business, so the boys will be ready when I'm done. Then they take his sperm and my eggs and make little embryos and incubate them until they are ready to be transfered back into my uterus. Hopefully the embryos grow and divide and become strong little guys so they can survive once they transfer them.
I'm also going to be seeing a fertility acupuncturist in conjunction with my ART (assisted reproductive therapy). Recent studies have shown that women who do acupuncture increases the chances of conception.
I bet you all are wondering how much this is all going to cost us, cause man it's scientific and shit! Luckily we have kick ass health insurance and they cover all of it, except for the acupuncture. If we didn't have good health insurance this procedure would be around 12K. We do have to pay the cost upfront since Austin IVF does not take insurance, but we will be reimbursed by UHC. Thank the lawd for credit cards.
There it is folks. I'm going the IVF route. I choose science.
Dr. V called to check on me and see how I was doing. I love it when a Dr. actually takes the time to call a patient, it's so rare these days. Anyway, we discussed my condition - endometriosis and adenomyosis. He said I was too young to be experiencing such harsh periods. I inquired about IVF- In Vitro Fertilization, since the rates are pregnancy are higher with this procedure than they are with IUI. After Chris and I discussed it, we decided that this is our new plan. We want a baby and it's not going to happen naturally, so we choose science. That's our only hope at this point and I truly think it's going to work for us.
I started the first steps of the process a few days ago. First the birth control pills and antibiotics for both of us. The bc pills put everything to rest in my female parts and the antibiotics are to just clean our systems out of anything that could possibly be stopping us from reproducing. Chris went to see the embryo specialist today to turn in another sample. This time he got to do the deed in the office. His own private room with a recliner (ew) and lots of porno mags, just like in the movies. They are doing a thorough check of his swimmers to make sure that they will be ready when it's time for the transfer. Next step is my consultation with our IVF nurse next Tuesday to go over all the paper work, hear about the scary possible side effects to the medications and learn about the new injections. Then on April 7th I'll go in for my pre-lupron appointment and start that on the 8th. Back in on the 16th for my baseline ultrasound to make sure I don't have any cysts on my ovaries and then start the Gonal-f on the 17th. After I start the Gonal-f I'll be making trips to the dr. and to the lab every 2-3 days to check my ovaries and follicles, as well as, my estrogen level. Egg retrieval should be around April 28 and then embryo transfer sometime between May 1-3.
Just in case you aren't familiar with IVF basically all the medications I'm going to be taking are to stimulate my ovaries to produce eggs. Then they go in vaginally (i'll be sedated) and retrieve as many eggs as possible. While they are harvesting my eggs, Chris is doing his business, so the boys will be ready when I'm done. Then they take his sperm and my eggs and make little embryos and incubate them until they are ready to be transfered back into my uterus. Hopefully the embryos grow and divide and become strong little guys so they can survive once they transfer them.
I'm also going to be seeing a fertility acupuncturist in conjunction with my ART (assisted reproductive therapy). Recent studies have shown that women who do acupuncture increases the chances of conception.
I bet you all are wondering how much this is all going to cost us, cause man it's scientific and shit! Luckily we have kick ass health insurance and they cover all of it, except for the acupuncture. If we didn't have good health insurance this procedure would be around 12K. We do have to pay the cost upfront since Austin IVF does not take insurance, but we will be reimbursed by UHC. Thank the lawd for credit cards.
There it is folks. I'm going the IVF route. I choose science.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Spring & Easter
It's finally here. Spring is my favorite season. I love the blooming flowers and trees. The wildflowers start to pop up everywhere. The Bradford Pear tree in my front yard is so nice to look at. It's time to start planting for summer.
Last year I planted jalapenos and tomatoes, both did really well, and I still have peppers in my freezer. This year I'm gonna do the same and maybe ad a few more variations of peppers to the mix. Unfortunately, we can't plant anything in the ground due to our sweet pup Peaches. She likes to rip the plants out of the ground and sling them through the yard like toys.
Chris and I went to the piny woods of East TX for Easter weekend. It was nice to visit with my mom and grandma. We had a big lasagna feast, mixed green salad and some rapini with caramelized onions. For dessert we had an Italian Easter cake with strawberry topping; I got it at Central Market because I was too lazy to make one from scratch. Grandma and mom gave me a bunch of seeds to plant. Poppies, moon flowers, lettuces and gourds. I have never planted from seed, so this should be a good experiment.
It's time to get out and spend some time with nature before the heat of summer hits. Enjoy!
xo - yaz
Last year I planted jalapenos and tomatoes, both did really well, and I still have peppers in my freezer. This year I'm gonna do the same and maybe ad a few more variations of peppers to the mix. Unfortunately, we can't plant anything in the ground due to our sweet pup Peaches. She likes to rip the plants out of the ground and sling them through the yard like toys.
Chris and I went to the piny woods of East TX for Easter weekend. It was nice to visit with my mom and grandma. We had a big lasagna feast, mixed green salad and some rapini with caramelized onions. For dessert we had an Italian Easter cake with strawberry topping; I got it at Central Market because I was too lazy to make one from scratch. Grandma and mom gave me a bunch of seeds to plant. Poppies, moon flowers, lettuces and gourds. I have never planted from seed, so this should be a good experiment.
It's time to get out and spend some time with nature before the heat of summer hits. Enjoy!
xo - yaz
Thursday, March 20, 2008
impatiently waiting
It's been 1 week and 1 day since my last threesome with Dr. V. Threesome = IUI (intra-uterine insemination). This is a nonsexual threesome of course, basically Chris brings a sperm sample to the office and Dr. V transfers the sperm into my cervix. We used injectable hormones this last cycle; Gonal-F and Ovidrel. The Gonal-F was used to stimulate my ovaries to produce more follicles (where the egg lives) and the Ovidrel injection to stimulate the ovulation process. I have a high pain tolerance so, the injections were no biggie and the I didn't experience many of the side effects. On the plus side, my boobs swelled and the girls are looking fierce. Since we did injectable drugs this cycle we also did two IUI's. Before the 2nd one Dr. V checked my follicles and two of them released eggs, which is good. He said it was possible to for a third to release, but unlikely at that point. So, now I wait. This is the worst part of the process. Trying to remain optimistic, but not get my hopes up too much cause then the ride down the roller coaster will be that much harder. If I don't start my period by next Wednesday then I go get a blood test to see if I'm knocked up. It's really hard to not run out to the pharmacy and buy out all the pregnancy tests and drink a gallon of water to piss on all of um. The likely hood of getting a correct response this early in my cycle is little to none. So, I wait impatiently for next Wednesday.....
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
a little about me
My life for you to read. I hope you find it as interesting as I do. My grammar isn't great, so I'll do my best. Thank the lawd for spell check, or else I would have even bigger issues with this.
The main reason I'm starting this blog is to have my story heard. So, that maybe somebody else out there who is struggling with infertility will find it and won't feel so alone. Yup, that's right peeps, my husband and I have been on an infertility roller coaster for 2 years now. I think the reason I was hesitant about starting this blog is because I didn't want anyone to judge me. I'm past that now. Judge me and my situation all you want, because unless you have experienced infertility yourself you truly have no idea what this journey is like. My fertility, or lack of, is the main focus of this blog, but it does not define who I am.
Food, food, food! Cooking is my true passion. I grew up around the table, that's where my family connected. Needless to say, they passed on the love of food and family to me. Nothing brings people together better than a good meal. Food=Love in my book.
I also could not live without my two wacky pups Peaches and Herb. Peaches can be a bit unruly at times, to say the least, but I still love that poop eating pup. Herb, on the other hand, is the best dog in the universe. She is matchmaker, ya know. Chris and I would have never crossed paths if it wasn't for that sweet dog.
What else, what else? I also enjoy fashion, and have a bit of a shoe obsession. A girl can never have too many pairs of shoes. Blame my mother for that one; she loved to drag me to shoe sales at Saks when I was a kid.
I spend too much time watching TV and movies, but I enjoy it, so booya. DVR has changed my life! Commercials are now a thing of the past in our house.
Their ya go, a little bit about me. I have lots more to say, but back to work for now. More on me and my fabulous life later.
xo - yaz
The main reason I'm starting this blog is to have my story heard. So, that maybe somebody else out there who is struggling with infertility will find it and won't feel so alone. Yup, that's right peeps, my husband and I have been on an infertility roller coaster for 2 years now. I think the reason I was hesitant about starting this blog is because I didn't want anyone to judge me. I'm past that now. Judge me and my situation all you want, because unless you have experienced infertility yourself you truly have no idea what this journey is like. My fertility, or lack of, is the main focus of this blog, but it does not define who I am.
Food, food, food! Cooking is my true passion. I grew up around the table, that's where my family connected. Needless to say, they passed on the love of food and family to me. Nothing brings people together better than a good meal. Food=Love in my book.
I also could not live without my two wacky pups Peaches and Herb. Peaches can be a bit unruly at times, to say the least, but I still love that poop eating pup. Herb, on the other hand, is the best dog in the universe. She is matchmaker, ya know. Chris and I would have never crossed paths if it wasn't for that sweet dog.
What else, what else? I also enjoy fashion, and have a bit of a shoe obsession. A girl can never have too many pairs of shoes. Blame my mother for that one; she loved to drag me to shoe sales at Saks when I was a kid.
I spend too much time watching TV and movies, but I enjoy it, so booya. DVR has changed my life! Commercials are now a thing of the past in our house.
Their ya go, a little bit about me. I have lots more to say, but back to work for now. More on me and my fabulous life later.
xo - yaz
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