1/22/2013

Award Time!

I just got an award!  I just got an award!  Thank you, Jamie, over at IUI to Roux-en-Y to ??
Very nice of you to think of me! :-)
 


This award is given to new or up-and coming-bloggers who have less than 200 followers. The award is then passed along to other bloggers in the same category to help spread the word and support one another. What a fun way to get to know other bloggers!

If you receive a nomination, there are a few rules to follow:


1) Each blogger nominated must post 11 things about themselves.
2) Then answer the 11 questions the tagger has asked.
3) Blogger must then create 11 questions of their own to ask the bloggers they decide to nominate.
4) They must choose 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers to nominate and link them on their blog post.
5) Bloggers must be notified of their award!  (I will likely slack on this one)
6) No tag backs!

11 things about me:


1.  I got a Boston Terrier a few months ago, after saying for years that I'm a cat person and would not get a dog.  I love her!
3.  I've yet to have a relationship last for more than two years (well one was for three but he was out of state in grad school for most of two years, so I don't think that counts!), which clearly says everything about my bad luck meeting men and nothing about my own issues! ;-)
4.  I watch "Days of Our Lives," for a mental break during the day and have watched it off and on since college.
5.  I'm a very progressive/green democrat and grew up in a Republican family in Eugene, Oregon (people think everyone in Eugene is liberal - not true).
6.  I love to do ecstatic/free-form dance, as well as partner dancing (currently doing lindy hop swing dance with my boyfriend), which are dances on opposite ends of the spectrum!
7.  My boyfriend is a Tech Writer and I'm a Counselor - he told me that before me he was terrified of anyone with a psychology background.
8.  We are both involved in something called "Transition Towns," which is a grassroots community movement to address climate change, peak oil, and economic instability.  We're totally psyched Obama mentioned Climate Change in his inaugural address!
9.  I traveled to Japan through a sister-city exchange when I was 13 and to six European countries on a student tour when I was 14, thanks to awesome grandparents.
10.  I love my iPhone and am on it way too much.
11.  I have two nieces and a nephew in Oregon, all five and under - the most recent niece is just a few months old.

Here are the 11 questions from Jamie:

1.  When was the last time you played a board game?
I think it was last October, sadly.
2.  What game did you play?
I played Boggle.  I think we also played Pictionary that afternoon, which is one of my favorites.
3.  What was the last book you read?
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking [Susan Cain]
4.  What movie did you last see in the theater?  How was it?
We saw Argo.  It was very good.  Lots of suspense and characters you care about. 
5.  What item(s) are you never without?
My iPhone!
6.  What is your favorite non-alcoholic beverage?
This is a hard one because I'm a "mood" person when it comes to decisions... I guess either Diet Pepsi (which I'm not drinking right now) or almond milk.  Thai iced tea is an awesome special drink.
7.  Do you have siblings?  Are you close?
 Yes, a brother and sister who have a different mother than me.  My brother and I are closer and talk regularly, are more regularly supportive of each other, etc.  My sister and I are getting a little closer now, since she's had kids. 
8.  What kind of music do you listen to?
  Music I can dance to!  I have quite eclectic taste (mood person again).
9.  Have you ever met anyone in person that you met online?
  Oh yeah.  Are we talking about online dating?  'Cause I met a couple past boyfriends that way and went on quite a few dates over the years... Haven't met any blog peeps in-person yet, though.
10.  Do you still have a land phone line?
  Nope.
11.  Do you watch reality TV?Yep.  I watch "The Biggest Loser," and have watched, "The Bachelorette," among others (love "Intervention" but don't have that channel right now).  Not going to watch "The Bachelor" this season though, I don't think, because he seems boring to me.


And my nominees for the Liebster are.....

A Planned Life
Yeah, I am on my Soapbox
The Pursuit of Pregnancy
I'm Just Ducky, Thanks...
The Business of Baby 
When One Door Closes... 
Not All Dreams Are Free 
Glitter & Rainbows 
Stork Stalking 
With All My Heart 
Chasing Rainbows

1/17/2013

Ironic!

It occurs to me that there is some irony in the opposing efforts to spay Zoey and knock me up.  Our family is going different directions in this arena.  Strange but true. 

First, the update on Zoey:  So, yeah, poor Zoester's been recovering from this minor surgery since last Friday.  I had to give her light sedative this week because she is normally one rambunctious little pup.  I think she's healing quite well, though, and will have her frisky back in time for our first training class this Saturday morning. 

I'm looking forward to the class, which has quite a strong reputation, but am also a little nervous.  She gets so excited with new people, and dogs, well, they just send her overboard.  I have a feeling that keeping her attention may be a challenge, to say the least. 

I hope when all is said and done that she will be a bit more comfortable and "socialized" with both man and beast.  Additionally, I hope to come away with some fun and helpful new tricks to work on together.

Regarding my efforts toward knocked-up-ness, I retook my creatinine/kidney test this week.  The values had come back a bit off, likely due to illness/dehydration.  Luckily, the second test was A-Okay!  So, the doctor went ahead in prescribing me Metformin (apparently Metformin puts a bit of additional strain on the kidneys), and I've started taking it.  No noticeable change in my DHEA irritable reactiveness yet, but here's hoping.  Please, God, may I avoid the mid-section expansion, as well - unless it's related to pregnancy!

I also had a more high-tech, detailed ultrasound today, per my doctor's request.  I guess the regular ones in her office are not as good, and she likes to start with awesome ultrasound pics.  From what the tech said, everything was fine and there were no new surprises.  She showed me an already-ovulated large follicle on the right ovary that measured about 20mm, so that must have been the subject of the, "You're right ovary looks GREAT!" comment. :)  She saw my fibroid and agreed with others that it's location should not be interfering with anything.

My temps went fully up on Tuesday and fertility friend shows conception chances as, "Good," but we all know how much (little) they really know. 

With the comments some of you made about birth control pills "rebooting" your body, and the hysteroscopy finding fibroids, etc., I'm feeling more positive about getting this test next month.  Plus it will give the DHEA a chance to kick in.

Thanks for your supportive comments, btw: they are much appreciated!  S and I have counseling tomorrow, and will also be seeing Ar.go and attending our swing dance class.  It should be a fun, full day!

1/14/2013

...and God Laughs

Thanks to those of you who shared supportive comments towards doing the IUI.  I wanted to do one,  but you know what happens when we make plans...

Yeah, we ended up trying naturally because my OPK turned positive over the weekend.  Plus, one of S's necessary test results had not come in yet.  I saw the OPK surge yesterday afternoon.  We tried day before yesterday and this morning, so I think we covered our bases.  This morning's temperature showed a halfway rise, so perhaps ovulation had just happened.

It's strange... sorry for TMI here, but the lovely "egg-white cervical mucous," of which everyone speaks so highly, seemed present day before yesterday, even though the ideal time according to OPK/ovulation timing was yesterday or today.  Well, I guess everything doesn't always line up like clockwork.  Hopefully the HSG "clearing out the tubes" boost will still help us. :)

Another possible hitch in the plans for next month:  My doctor wants to do a Hysteroscopy (to confirm no adhesions/pre-polyps on my uterine lining which might interfere with implantation), but to do that, we would need to skip trying next month.  I was clueless, but apparently a Hysteroscopy requires you take birth control pills to thin your lining, and then has to be done a week or so into your cycle.  If the doc feels it's worthwhile, I think we will go forward, but I wish we didn't have to take a whole cycle off! 

Anyone have experience they are willing to share about Hysteroscopies or know if there's a positive boost associated with them, like with the HSG?

1/10/2013

Back on the TTC Bandwagon

Sorry for the long absence.  To begin with, I wanted to report that the idea of a third party in our relationship somewhere down the line, a strategy the scared part of me came up with to deal with fear of commitment with a capital C, did NOT go over well with S.  We had some very tough conversations heading into New Years.  But I kind of think those conversations needed to happen.

We're continuing to go to counseling for help with these "stuck" places in both us that have roots way back in our teens or childhood.  It sometimes seems our issues are interrelated... like I wonder if my fear of capital C commitment is related to his reluctance to give up friendships with exes (also a door closing of sorts).  It's amazing and a bit scary to me how deep my feelings are around the latter issue.

Some hope is rising around it though, and we will continue to talk about it tomorrow in our session, focusing on strategies to move forward and build necessary trust.  *Sidenote: last week, we had a sweet New Year's ritual in our session where we lit a candle and named an intention to have a perspective of "Oy vey" versus "Oh Shit!" when conflict or challenge comes up. :)

The other topic I want to talk about in this post is our renewed efforts towards conceiving.  I had my first "new doctor"'s appointment yesterday.

S's sp*rm analysis came back pretty stellar, which he was excited about in a typically male way. :)  On a more downer note, when she saw my AMH results, and considering my age, she emphasized again how low our odds were.  She said she had never seen someone conceive at my age during her time at that medical clinic.... except when they were taking DHEA.  So, it looks like, despite my hatred of the side effects I experienced last time, I am going back onto DHEA but also taking Metformin, which is supposed to somewhat mediate said side effects.

My mood was lifted just a bit, when she did the ultrasound and exclaimed, "Your right ovary looks GREAT!"  Especially considering she was a very low-key, non-exclamatory type person. 

Other actions we're taking or have taken:  I got another HSG (Historosalpingogram) test yesterday, which came out well, and I am also going to get a saline sonogram or something similar (I forget what she said but it's above and beyond a saline sonogram) to check for any abnormalities on the uterine wall that might interfere with implantation.

Then, we might do our first IUI in a few days.  It was too late to start injectable meds this cycle, but everything might be in place to at least do an IUI.  Though the odds are so very, very low, I kinda want to do one because I just had the HSG (which has been shown to help odds a bit) and, afterall, she said my right ovary looked so GREAT. :)  Do you guys think I should?  Or should we just chill and wait until next cycle with the meds.  I'm hoping to connect with the doctor about this later, as well.

Guess that's it for now.  Not any huge expectations over here, just gratitude to be trying and just a tad of hope mixed in.

* Oh, and in the spirit of International Blog Delurking Week, would you please take a moment to say, "hi," in the comments, as well as anything else you would like to share about yourself?  I would love to know who else is out there, in addition to my regular commenters.