Expensive Month Ahead!

So I had my first ultrasound today since we went on a 3 month break from TTC.  It was a baseline to make sure all of the mutant follicles had died and to make sure they hadn't stuck around to form cysts.  Everything went great.  My doctor said I was all clear and that everything looked really good.  What a relief!

This is going to be a very expensive month.  Each ultrasound is $220 out of pocket, and I have to have 2 of them this month.  My next ultrasound is next Monday to see if the Femara is working.  I lucked out with the Femara.  I was able to get on their website and print off a coupon for a free 30 day supply.  All I had to do was get my doctor's signature on it.  For 10 pills (5 days) it would have cost me $153!!!  I'm hoping since I only had 5 days worth that they will honor it every time I refill until I've got my 30 days worth.  Even BETTER would be to get lucky this month and to not have to do ANY of this anymore!

I already feel better on the Femara than I did on the Clomid.  On Clomid, I had TONS of annoying side effects.  On the Femara, I have none!  I feel great!  This is probably also due to the supplements I'm taking.  I have more energy than I've had in a long time!  I'm feeling positive for once!

The only concern I have for this month is my HSG.  This Friday, I am going to the hospital to have a hysterosalpingogram, or HSG.  Basically, my doctor will shoot dye into my uterus and watch for it to drain through my fallopian tubes to make sure I don't have any blockages.  I've been putting this off for awhile because it's VERY expensive and from what I've heard, it's also very painful.  But I got to thinking that if there IS a blockage, I'm pretty much flushing my money down the toilet by doing all of these test and taking all these meds.  The big plus is that if you DON'T have a blockage, the HSG flushes you out and your chance of getting pregnant is INCREASED in the 3 months following. (If you want more info: http://www.webmd.com/infertility-and-reproduction/guide/hysterosalpingogram-21590)

Anyway, that's all for updates for now.  I'll post again on Friday and let you know how my HSG went!

Oh, Clomid, You Devil In Disguise.

Clomid. The name alone sends chills down my spine. Dr. K decided that our first plan of action would be to put me on a medication called Clomid. It's supposed to help you make healthy eggs and help you to ovulate. She mentioned a SLIGHTLY increased chance of multiple births, but that didn't worry me. When you've been trying so hard for so long, you don't let the thought of a whole baseball team of kids scare you.

I started on Clomid April 2010. My dosage was 100mg daily for cycle days 3-8. This is basically to get those eggies(or "follies") growing. There were TONS of side effects I was warned about and I was a little scared, to be honest. Luckily, I didn't really experience any. On cycle day 10, I went in for an Ultrasound to see if things were brewing. I took my mom with me for moral support. Plus, she's a nurse, so she remembers to ask questions that I forget. The doctor came in and said "So, how do you feel about twins? Or TRIPLETS?" I thought I was gonna pass out! I looked at my mom and she said, "Don't look at me!" The good news was that the Clomid had worked...and worked WELL! I had 3 very beautiful, viable follies, any of which(or ALL of which) had a chance of being fertilized. Basically, she told me if the prospect of multiples didn't scare me, to go home and get to gettin! LOL! In the TTC world, getting it on is referred to as doing the "Baby Dance." So Kris and I were diligent in following doctors orders!

Ovulation kits have never worked for me. Even before I started seeing Dr. K, I could never get a positive result. I assumed I was doing it wrong. But really, how many ways ARE there to pee on a stick?! I tried them anyway, got what I thought was a positive result, then followed a strict Baby Dancing schedule(so romantic, I know!) After Ovulation is the time known as the Two Week Wait. This is the 2 weeks before your monthly visitor drops by when you obsess over every cramp, every headache, thinking everything is a sign of pregnancy. It's like waiting for an acceptance letter for college. I would go to bed CONVINCED I was pregnant, then wake up knowing there was no way! This went on for 2 weeks. Of course, the results were negative. It SUCKED!!

On to cycle 2 of the Clomid. Same dosage, but for one extra day. That alone scared me! If I could end up with the possibility of triplets after 6 days, how many could I end up with after taking it for 7 days?!? But I trudged along and waited for my monthly Ultrasound. I wasn't prepared for what the doctor told me. As she was checking me out she said, "What in the WORLD?!" For a brief, shining moment, I thought, "Oh my gosh! I took the test too soon and I AM pregnant!" Yeah, no. The Clomid had turned my body into kind of a radioactive swamp, you could say. You know how you get like fish with 7 eyes and deformed ducks and stuff? Yep, that was my body! I had at least 23 eggs that were produced due to the Clomid! And they were MASSIVE! One of them, I kid you not, measured in at a WHOPPING 5cm!! That's half of the dilation needed to deliver a baby! See example in link below to get an idea!
http://www.ahutton.com/cgw/clipart-hosp/Effacement%20&%20Dilation%20Chart%20OF-3-spanish.jpg

Needless to say, Dr. K decided Clomid wasn't going to work for us. My body just wasn't ovulating at all, which is, once again, directly linked to the PCOS. In fact, I had to go on birth control for a month to kill all of my Teenaged Mutant Ninja Follicles off! Boy did THAT suck! In my head I'm like, ok, I came to the doctor to help me get pregnant and she's putting me on THE PILL?!? But it was, of course, a necessary evil. Not to mention, I couldn't button my pants, I was so swollen!

After that we took a couple months off. Partly because of financial reasons, partly for emotional ones. We have a new plan of action. Next up is a drug called Femara. I've heard wonderful things about it, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. We go back to the doctor next month.

The Long and Winding Road

From the time I was 4 years old, I knew I wanted to be a mommy. Of course, I knew nothing about babies, just that I wanted one. When fourth grade rolled around and we had our "Birds and Bees" talk where they split the girls and boys up, I changed my mind. If that's what I had to do to get one, then count me OUT! Of course, over the years, my way of thinking changed again. My life followed the "typical" path: met THE ONE, got engaged, bought a house, got married...finally, it was time for the baby in the logical sequence of things. Unfortunately, that's where things diverge from the straight and narrow.

Hi, my name is Megan and I'm 25 years old. I met my hubby, Kris(31) in May '05 and we were engaged by October '05. We married in October '07 and began our "Happily Ever After." We immediately began trying to get pregnant. I had been on the pill for 2 years so we were prepared to not get lucky right away. What we were NOT prepared for was 3 years of trying with no success.

This blog will be to track our journey to "Chasing The Elusive Bump." Feelings, meltdowns, doctor's appointments, tests, I'm sharing it all! I will try to break up my posts as much as possible so they don't seem to run on forever. I'm new to this blogging thing, and I'm a little scared to be opening myself up and putting it all out there. But I KNOW I'm not alone, and I hope sharing my story with other women out there will be both therapeutic AND good for my Karma. Check back often, and thanks for taking this journey with me!