Disheartening News from the Fertility Doctors

We met with a new doctor this afternoon. Strike One: I didn't like the way that he discussed things with us. He wasn't very professional, making jokes and saying inappropriate things when he should have been getting down to business.

Strike Two: The office made a mistake and copied Jeff's blood work report and putting it where mine should go. The doctor reviewed hubby's results first confirming everything we already knew, good sperm count/motility, no genetic abnormalities or diseases.

Then they moved on to mine and read the wrong blood type. I corrected him, he double checked his results and then apologized before moving on.

Strike Three: The bad news is this: the Clomid Challenge Test revealed that my egg quality might not be that great. I am within the treatable range, where they can still attempt to use my eggs in conception, but they recommend that I first get a test for endometriosis (Laparoscopy) that requires I go under general anesthesia and have more risk for infection and complications. The doctor then recommended IVF. He said we could try more Clomid, or Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) shots with Intra-Uterine Insemination (IUI) but the percentages were much lower for a successful pregnancy. Having an elevated FSH level, I am also LESS likely to respond to infertility treatment.

With my elevated FSH level, I have no guarantee of when my FSH level will climb higher as my eggs get worse for wear. That is why the doc recommended IVF.

I don't want to have tons of frozen embryos. I would feel irresponsible for creating, and then freezing life. I don't want to donate them either, or give them to science. What do you have to say? The only thing I do know, is that I don't think I want this guy doing my surgery.

Additional question: Does anyone know the longterm risks and side effects for Invitro Fertilization?

Giving the Doldrums the Boot

If you're having a bad day, grab it by it's pony tail with both hands, swing it around until it's dizzy and airborn and then let it fly...letting it's little girlie cries roll away into the distance, like water off a duck's back. Tomorrow will take care of itself.
That being said, the things I'm letting roll off my back are (drum roll please): being a new Pampered Chef consultant that doesn't have her act together yet, and getting down to my last pair of pants that fit that are getting thread-bare between the thighs. I could start me a fire. Shoooooooooot.

I've decided on a theme for my PC launch on March 11. It's going to be, "Just Desserts."  That's right, a whole lotta tasty goodness. I'm doing my penance at the gym to try and counteract the number of calories I may consume baking my test recipes alone.  If you want to be a guinea pig, you can come over and try 'em out.

Coincidentally, March 11 is also the day of my pregnancy test. I don't expect a "pregnant" result because it hasn't happened yet in 5 years, and I have a feeling it's going to be an uphill battle, but I'm not going to let it get me down. I'll keep going to the gym, burning some calories, and getting better at cooking and baking.

I'll continue going to school, doing my day job, and playing Mafia Wars on the down low. What?

I Heard it Through the Grapevine

Have you ever had one of your children spill a secret to the rest of the world, a secret that you weren't ready to share? I myself, have not, but I'm sure some of my readers have had loose lips sink their ships, or at the very least that let the cat out of the bag a bit earlier than was desired.

*As a younger lad, a little someone I know from work did that to his parents in a public place. He outed his parents to a family member. "Mommy has as baby in her belly!" he whispered. Wow! What a revelation. Bam. There it is. The chips are on the table and the cards are down. Baby number XYZ is on its way! And then you don't say anything to anybody, so that it doesn't get around, but you smile inside, with the knowledge of a piece of someone's secret happiness inside you. That's pretty neat.

*Circumstances have been changed to protect the identity of the actual people in this story.

I Have Discovered that I Do NOT Want to be a Nanny.

After going for my first nannying interview via http://www.nannies4hire.com/ (a very reputable website) I began to ponder the implications of an hour plus round-trip drive four days a week, the gas money required to make said trip, and the duties I would be performing for about four children, and I thought to myself: "Self! If you take this job, you will be giving up your free time in the evenings and Saturdays and you will be spending more money than you will be saving."

Any nannying position I would find would be found in the same vicinity (where people can afford to hire nannies) and the trip and duties just became less attractive the more I thought about it, so sadly, I let the family know of my decision, apologized for any inconvenience it may have caused them, and I withdrew my application from Nannies4hire.com

Next opportunity to explore....tutoring. I wonder what the going rate for a tutor in our area is...if they have a teaching certification and an M.Ed.

Hmmm....I'll have to investigate and let you know. If you think you know...feel free to share.

Hysterosalpingogram

Disclaimer: This is not an image of my parts.  What you are looking at is an xray of radioactive iodine solution being injected into a uterus and fallopian tubes and it's spilling out of the ovaries (indicating no blockage and clear passage).

The Hysterosalpingogram turned out to be less scary than originally anticipated (after my Hysteroscopy). I arrived at 10:20 a.m. (I was supposed to get there by 10:00 for paperwork etc. but I got caught in traffic. Someone was trying to cut a tree down and forgot to tell my GPS to send me another way.). I got to the parking garage, and wound all the way around to almost the top floor to find a spot. I made it into the hospital, and found the information desk which directed me to radiology, where I signed a couple of forms, was shown to a dressing room that has seen better days, had a 3-4 minute wait, and then the radiologist came to get me.

The HSG began like a pap smear again, speculum etc. The radiologist then put this long syringe with a tube attached instead of a needle and they put that up inside, I then scooched back about 3 ft. and he got me centered under the xray machine. Then he injected the dye. I got to watch the dye successfully circulate up into my uterus and out BOTH of my fallopian tubes. This is what I wanted to see happen. No pain, no cramps, and a good result. Back to Abington tomorrow for bloodwork!