Back from Chicago and update

I seem to be quite the slacker the past few weeks. Work has been all consuming lately but that’s not much of an excuse. But alas, here’s a quick update.

We spent a lovely 3rd wedding anniversary in Chicago last weekend. What a great town. The weather held up for us and we were able to enjoy outdoor activities and really fine dining experiences. My RE was nice enough to set me up with an IVF center in Chicago for monitoring. It was hard to find at first, but once we got our bearings the office and protocol is pretty much the same thing I’m used to at my RE’s office. I'm just happy I was able to still go to Chicago and we didn't have to cancel our trip due to my monitoring schedule.

Everything was looking right on track this cycle. I stimulated well with the Follistim, and with the exception of a few minor crying/freak out nights, I tolerated the medication just fine. The actual injection part wasn’t as bad as I thought, especially given that B was doing the poking and prodding. It’s just that a few times after he gave me the injection, I would feel really sore and bruise almost instantly. My stomach still looks like 40 miles of bad road right now but I know that is to be expected. It looks like my lining got up to 8mm on cd 11 and I had about 4 decent follicles.

Yesterday was my IUI and again it was done by the youngish RE who went to HS with B. To add to my recent humiliation, he told me that B’s sperm count was a little low this time. He said it was nothing to worry about and was probably a result of abstinence. We are sure it was a fluke since B’s sperm has tested just fine the previous IUI’s. It’s probably relative to the lack of sleep and stress that he’s also been under. Meanwhile, we had baby making sex at 7AM the day before and I’m sure everyone can relate to how sexy, romantic, exciting and stimulating that experience was. I’m sure there are thousands of posts about the thrill of baby making sex, and perhaps one of these days I’ll write my own analysis.

Aparantly we were supposed to have sex the night after the hcg shot to trigger ovulation but we were just too exhausted and waited until the morning to perform on command. It wasn’t until that night that I realized my instruction sheet from the RE said we were supposed to abstain from intercourse the day before the IUI. Ooops. I guess I’m just not good at being told when to do the deed and when to keep my pants on. I never did complete my homework assignments in a timely fashion. I was always more of a crammer. The RE also mentioned that the lowish sperm count was statistically insignificant and had no bearing on our chances of success this month. Yet this information sent me into a tizzy and I walked out of the office crying hysterically. It’s just another setback, albeit minor, but it makes me thing that things are not stacked in our favor. Then I start obsessing how my frantic crying fit is what will be responsible for this cycle not working because I’m stressing myself out so much.

Since yesterday afternoon, I have had severe abdominal pains post IUI. I was not able to sleep more than an hour last night. I just couldn’t find a comfortable position. The RE thinks this is normal, b/c my ovaries are hyper stimulated and that it should go away in a week or so. He told me it might actually get worse before it can get better. He also said one of my ovaries is the size of an orange. I am barely able to walk right now. I am completely hunched over and I feel like I’m carrying a ton of bricks in my lower abdomen. This is not fun. Then again, perhaps this has nothing to do with my fertility issues and I'm just having trouble passing gas. Who can say anymore. All I know is that I want this feeling to go away.

We were supposed to have a cocktail party tonight to catch up with friends we haven’t seen all summer and I was supposed to have a 2nd interview for a potential new job. Oh well. Both of those things needed to be cancelled. I just can’t imagine being myself for either thing. I am really bummed. In the grand scheme of things I know this is not the worst thing that can happen. Being told my your RE that you’re “normal” and “within range” is a good thing to hear. I am just not good at dealing with discomfort. So that’s the update. It’s not terribly exciting, nor philosophical. My brain is just mush right now. 2ww – bring it on.