One of my friends and I were emailing the other day and she asked, "Can you imagine what our great grandmothers would have thought if someone told them that it would be completely acceptable in the year 2009 to write a story about your ovaries and periods on a computer, where their friends can access the information at their will?"
I'm sure they would have a thing or two to say for sure.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
I share the same thoughts...
Clay may be a man of very little words. I often think he is quiet and an "internal processor" (in contrast to me anyway). However, we were emailing back and forth this morning. I am concerned since my temps have not come back down and seem to be very erratic again this month. A few emails went back and forth and then Clay said this about our doctor....
"I have no doubt he'll get us there. I think we really lucked out and got a great doctor who actually cares about his patients and has been doing this for a really long time."
I couldn't agree more!
"I have no doubt he'll get us there. I think we really lucked out and got a great doctor who actually cares about his patients and has been doing this for a really long time."
I couldn't agree more!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Did I really joke with the Dr that my body is like a car?
In preparation for my doctor's visit this week, I had done some light reading on his website and stumbled across a procedure called uterine suspension. It's usually done at the same time as a laparoscopy . It is performed for a tilted uterus. (Remember, I have a tilted uterus.) I had been talking about this with a friend and she said, "It's like you are a car." We joked back and forth about needing a "tune-up" or an "oil-change" and some other various car jokes. That night I had shared the story with Clay but he did not laugh. (He usually never laughs at my jokes or whatever I think is funny or cute.) However, he was laughing yesterday. More on that in a minute.....
So, we went to the doctor yesterday afternoon. I was armed with all of my questions. We tried to tape it all on my MP3 player so I will have to give that a listen later and see if it worked. We talked about my cycle and that I was still making good progress to ovulate again. We discussed the fact that there was no "true" temp spike for ovulation unless I had already ovulated the day of my last sono and shot of Ovidrel (day 16) which as I learned is possible. We discussed that they can't tell on the sono if I had already ovulated so he thinks it was day 15 or 16 or at least I had started the process around then. He was happy with my cycle length and smiled at my compulsive documentation skills. I had a copy of my most recent temp chart for him marked with all the important markers (i.e. Letrozole days 3-7, day 16 Ovidrel, Prometrium start, Prometrium stop, and start of cycle). He just shook his head. I think he finds me funny on some level since I'm a bit anal. We also talked about a diet and I could have hugged him. I thought it would help if I lost some more weight but he just stared at me. He said "It's not a weight issue with you. You don't need to lose any if you don't want." Did I mention I LOVE my doctor? We also talked about Clay's tank and various hormone levels. I asked why my temps were taking so long to drop back down to normal since my period is over and he said that was normal. The drugs "tax" the ovaries a bit and it takes them a little longer to wind back down after being so geared up. We talked about overworking the ovaries and how usually he sometimes backs off to an every other month work-up (which I don't want to do since I want to be aggressive). Somehow in all this talk, he mentioned sneaking into the ultrasound room for an "off the books" sono to see what I looked like this month. (I thought well, we have the baseline from day 2 but if you want to see day 6, then let's go for it.) However, this required a wait to work in between appointments and sneak into the room. He took a few shots. We had a medical student with us so while doing the sono, the good dr. pointed out a few things. We again discussed my overly tilted uterus and he asked the med student "How's that for a polycystic ovary?" To which the med student started to count and then stopped to ask "Is it even worth counting when there are that many?" HA! Well, no not really but you can humor me and try. After returning to the room, he said, "Alright, I have a long term game plan." Then he discussed trying the Letrozole this month and maybe one more. Then depending on the pain (wink-wink) we will discuss the laparoscopy and the uterine suspension as well as some other procedure that can all be done at the same time. Clay and I had a laugh from the talk about the uterine suspension.
That brings me finally back around to the title. Since Clay and I had a little laugh, I felt the need to explain the conversation I had with my friend about the uterine suspension and sounding like a car. The doctor got a BIG KICK out of it all and then added, "Well, I will give you a good oil change too." I thought he was joking but I guess not. He went on to explain that at the end of the procedure they do insert an "oil" (I don't remember the fancy name or terms) to coat the uterus and it is thought to aid with fertilization and increase the chances for conception. We had a good laugh and Clay added that maybe we could also rotate the tires next time. HA! Now he joined in in the humor. So I guess my body really is like a car and I really did share the joke with my doctor, or should I say mechanic ;o)
So, we went to the doctor yesterday afternoon. I was armed with all of my questions. We tried to tape it all on my MP3 player so I will have to give that a listen later and see if it worked. We talked about my cycle and that I was still making good progress to ovulate again. We discussed the fact that there was no "true" temp spike for ovulation unless I had already ovulated the day of my last sono and shot of Ovidrel (day 16) which as I learned is possible. We discussed that they can't tell on the sono if I had already ovulated so he thinks it was day 15 or 16 or at least I had started the process around then. He was happy with my cycle length and smiled at my compulsive documentation skills. I had a copy of my most recent temp chart for him marked with all the important markers (i.e. Letrozole days 3-7, day 16 Ovidrel, Prometrium start, Prometrium stop, and start of cycle). He just shook his head. I think he finds me funny on some level since I'm a bit anal. We also talked about a diet and I could have hugged him. I thought it would help if I lost some more weight but he just stared at me. He said "It's not a weight issue with you. You don't need to lose any if you don't want." Did I mention I LOVE my doctor? We also talked about Clay's tank and various hormone levels. I asked why my temps were taking so long to drop back down to normal since my period is over and he said that was normal. The drugs "tax" the ovaries a bit and it takes them a little longer to wind back down after being so geared up. We talked about overworking the ovaries and how usually he sometimes backs off to an every other month work-up (which I don't want to do since I want to be aggressive). Somehow in all this talk, he mentioned sneaking into the ultrasound room for an "off the books" sono to see what I looked like this month. (I thought well, we have the baseline from day 2 but if you want to see day 6, then let's go for it.) However, this required a wait to work in between appointments and sneak into the room. He took a few shots. We had a medical student with us so while doing the sono, the good dr. pointed out a few things. We again discussed my overly tilted uterus and he asked the med student "How's that for a polycystic ovary?" To which the med student started to count and then stopped to ask "Is it even worth counting when there are that many?" HA! Well, no not really but you can humor me and try. After returning to the room, he said, "Alright, I have a long term game plan." Then he discussed trying the Letrozole this month and maybe one more. Then depending on the pain (wink-wink) we will discuss the laparoscopy and the uterine suspension as well as some other procedure that can all be done at the same time. Clay and I had a laugh from the talk about the uterine suspension.
That brings me finally back around to the title. Since Clay and I had a little laugh, I felt the need to explain the conversation I had with my friend about the uterine suspension and sounding like a car. The doctor got a BIG KICK out of it all and then added, "Well, I will give you a good oil change too." I thought he was joking but I guess not. He went on to explain that at the end of the procedure they do insert an "oil" (I don't remember the fancy name or terms) to coat the uterus and it is thought to aid with fertilization and increase the chances for conception. We had a good laugh and Clay added that maybe we could also rotate the tires next time. HA! Now he joined in in the humor. So I guess my body really is like a car and I really did share the joke with my doctor, or should I say mechanic ;o)
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
100th post
100 posts! Really? If you are reading this, are you tired of me yet?
I have delayed writing this for a few days because I noticed it was going to be my 100th post and I thought it should be "special" or a "good one," but I have had so many thoughts run through my head that it's time to post. It could be the 100th post and contain 100 questions. Do you think I could write that many questions? I am sure I could.
Today I head to the doctor again. It's an "off cycle" appointment in my opinion since I'm on day 6 and they really won't do anything. I finished taking the Letrozole this morning and now we just wait for day 12, 14, 16, etc to do some more sonograms. Clay and I do have a long laundry list of questions for the doctor. Hopefully we will get them all asked and understand the answers. I also hope we remember the answers and don't experience "appointment amnesia" again. I really pray that I find some peace in the answers and the overall plan or road ahead. I could use some peace today. My soul feels restless and dreary. (The weather isn't helping either) My heart is heavy and discouraged today. I could use a hefty dose of sunshine and hope.
Some of the questions we are going to ask the doctor include:
What is the big game plan?
How many months in a row do we do the same thing?
How soon do we talk about surgery?
Why was my temp chart weird? Ovulation day? Triphasic?
Why do we go from an every other day schedule to 3 days in a row around ovulation? Won’t the tank be empty? (that’s clays question)
Should I be on a diet? Would it help?
Can we test my hormone levels again since its been 6 months on the meds?
If we get my hormones under control will that help my skin? (he may not know this one)
Do we keep off appts like today’s just to “catch up” since we drive 2 hours (roundtrip) to see the dr for like 15 minutes? Or should I try to move them to keep them on sono days?
Why did it take so long for my period to start when I stopped taking the Prometrium?
Can the Prometrium affect my temps? (that may answer the chart question)
Does having surgery mean I have to skip a month?
What happens if the timing is off for May and June since we will be traveling a lot? What do we do then?
So that's really only like 17 questions (if I counted right which I am not sure I did), but they are swirling in my head a million miles an hour and I sometimes wish I could just tune them out or turn my head off. It would be easier. But Life is hard right? Trials make us stronger in the end, so I keep moving. I will try to update later for post #101 with some of the answers.
I have delayed writing this for a few days because I noticed it was going to be my 100th post and I thought it should be "special" or a "good one," but I have had so many thoughts run through my head that it's time to post. It could be the 100th post and contain 100 questions. Do you think I could write that many questions? I am sure I could.
Today I head to the doctor again. It's an "off cycle" appointment in my opinion since I'm on day 6 and they really won't do anything. I finished taking the Letrozole this morning and now we just wait for day 12, 14, 16, etc to do some more sonograms. Clay and I do have a long laundry list of questions for the doctor. Hopefully we will get them all asked and understand the answers. I also hope we remember the answers and don't experience "appointment amnesia" again. I really pray that I find some peace in the answers and the overall plan or road ahead. I could use some peace today. My soul feels restless and dreary. (The weather isn't helping either) My heart is heavy and discouraged today. I could use a hefty dose of sunshine and hope.
Some of the questions we are going to ask the doctor include:
What is the big game plan?
How many months in a row do we do the same thing?
How soon do we talk about surgery?
Why was my temp chart weird? Ovulation day? Triphasic?
Why do we go from an every other day schedule to 3 days in a row around ovulation? Won’t the tank be empty? (that’s clays question)
Should I be on a diet? Would it help?
Can we test my hormone levels again since its been 6 months on the meds?
If we get my hormones under control will that help my skin? (he may not know this one)
Do we keep off appts like today’s just to “catch up” since we drive 2 hours (roundtrip) to see the dr for like 15 minutes? Or should I try to move them to keep them on sono days?
Why did it take so long for my period to start when I stopped taking the Prometrium?
Can the Prometrium affect my temps? (that may answer the chart question)
Does having surgery mean I have to skip a month?
What happens if the timing is off for May and June since we will be traveling a lot? What do we do then?
So that's really only like 17 questions (if I counted right which I am not sure I did), but they are swirling in my head a million miles an hour and I sometimes wish I could just tune them out or turn my head off. It would be easier. But Life is hard right? Trials make us stronger in the end, so I keep moving. I will try to update later for post #101 with some of the answers.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Baseline Sono, updated plans, and unexpected bills
This morning at 8 I went to the lab for my baseline sono. I found out the nurse has scheduled me for Urbana and not Bloomington, but they were able to get it fixed and squeeze me in. Thank goodness! Although I don't much care for the sono tech in Bloomington much right now. Maybe over the next few months when she sees me 10,000 times we will become friends, but for now she is a bit cold. (I also think she overcounts, but that is a different story.) Today she found 31 follicles on my right ovary and 28 on my left. (I swear these are the same numbers she gave last month. Is she just counting cysts or what's the deal? I will have to ask the doctor next week.) My uterine lining was 6.8 which I would expect to be going down due to the monkey. The nurse called later to discuss the results but not much was said. She set me up for my day 12 sono in Bloomington and it falls on a Monday. So if I have to do day 12, 14, and 16 it will be on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. That shouldn't be too bad. I am however hoping that my follicles are ready by day 14 this time. I also have a gut feeling for two follicles this month. I think that would be better odds but we will see what my body can do.
I think that takes care of the first two parts of the title so let me explain the third..... we got a letter today from Carle Clinic that was quite shocking to open. It ended up being a bill for ..... are you ready?..... $1867.00. WHAT??? I was confused and borderline mad so I called the number listed and talked to a very helpful rep. She said it appeared insurance had never been billed and indicated she would send it to them immediately. She also said she would follow up on Monday with the insurance to make sure it processed correctly. OMG! One month (well technically 13 days) of treatment and its already almost $2,000. Holy smokes! I am not sure but I think it should all be covered by insurance (at least I hope so.) Guess I'll have to wait and see. I'm sure if it's not all covered there will be an angry post ahead. However given I have "enhanced fertility coverage" which is the best available with Health Alliance then I should be okay. Stay tuned for details ;o)
I think that takes care of the first two parts of the title so let me explain the third..... we got a letter today from Carle Clinic that was quite shocking to open. It ended up being a bill for ..... are you ready?..... $1867.00. WHAT??? I was confused and borderline mad so I called the number listed and talked to a very helpful rep. She said it appeared insurance had never been billed and indicated she would send it to them immediately. She also said she would follow up on Monday with the insurance to make sure it processed correctly. OMG! One month (well technically 13 days) of treatment and its already almost $2,000. Holy smokes! I am not sure but I think it should all be covered by insurance (at least I hope so.) Guess I'll have to wait and see. I'm sure if it's not all covered there will be an angry post ahead. However given I have "enhanced fertility coverage" which is the best available with Health Alliance then I should be okay. Stay tuned for details ;o)
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Hey Hey, It's the Monkey!
After a morning of cramps the monkey has made its appearance making it a new day 1 and marking the end of a 37 day cycle. Yes, they are getting shorter each month. Given my instructions from the doctor, I will go in for a baseline sono on day 2 and then take my Letrozole on days 2-6 to get the next show on the road. I am ready!!!! I have had some bigger cramps this time around but the monkey is still somewhat welcome given its absence for so long. Day 1 is off and rolling and the next countdown (or should it be countup?) begins.
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