Well, I have my cardiologist, psychologist and nurse practitioner clearances for the lap band surgery I want to have in the beginning of 2010. I have 4 more classes and 2 more appointments before I can get a surgery date. I should be done with everything and have a date by the end of February. I am getting excited about it.
I have managed to keep 40 of my 51 lbs I lost off. All of the doctors and nurses at the office say that is excellent with the opti-fast. I've been off the opti fast for almost 2 months now and have NOT been doing very well on the diet! The holidays make it so difficult to watch what you eat, but I will be better after the new year.
I have quite a few New Year's resolutions this year. Some are obvious, some are private. I would like to continue to get healthier and lose weight. I would LOVE to get pregnant and have a healthy baby. I would also like to purchase the townhouse I fell in love with down at the beach, if not purchase at least rent it. I have a lot of work to do this year!
We are so very blessed and thankful for everything that we have, and the wonderful people that surround us with love. We are 2 incredibly loved people who have so very much! We had a wonderful Christmas....and are still celebrating this weekend with a trip to Virginia!
I would like to make a recommendation for anyone in the market for a new coffee maker. My Dad and stepmom got us a Tassimo coffee maker for Christmas this year....and I LOVE it! It makes coffee, espresso, hot chocolate and steamed milk for cappuccino. We have been having a nice cup of cappuccino with breakfast every morning and it has been so nice.
Anyone who knows me knows that I love Starbucks Iced Mocha, and I like to get one every time we go to Target or to the Super G at the beach. Well Starbucks sells this wonderful thing called Mocha Powder, and with my new coffee machine I can make my own iced mocha's at home! Yay me!!
I'm sure this is a boring blog for some people, but I just like to have a place to write stuff down (that the whole world can see). Well, I will update after I get some more clearances or if something exciting happens in the meantime!
Have a wonderful New Year! Party Safe!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Merry, Merry!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!
Have a wonderful, happy, healthy Christmas! We look forward to a new, fantastic year ahead!
We hope you get everything your heart dreams of!
Have a wonderful, happy, healthy Christmas! We look forward to a new, fantastic year ahead!
We hope you get everything your heart dreams of!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
New Year......
Same hopes and dreams. I am getting very close to having lap band surgery. Hopefully I will be able to schedule it for February or early March. I only have December and January left for my 6 months of a weight management program. A few more appointments with a few more doctors! I am surprisingly very excited about it.
Christmas is fast approaching, and we are ready for it! I am almost done my shopping...just a few more items to purchase and we are complete! We will be going to visit family in Virginia next weekend. I have to work this Saturday, so we will just finish out our shopping in the afternoon and just relax on Sunday.
DH and I are going to be celebrating our 4 year anniversary in January. I asked him what he wanted to do, and he told me we won't be celebrating our regular anniversary anymore....just our wedding anniversary! I said no way! We will always celebrate in January! That's when I fell in love! So, now I will have to plan something special for him. 4 years.....seems like so long ago, yet it feels like yesterday! It's hard to imagine my life before him. I love him so much!
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday (whatever you celebrate, or not celebrate!), and has a safe and happy time. I will be sending up lots of extra prayers for my ttc ladies (and gents) out there this holiday.....maybe we can all get a nice surprise BFP.
Let's just celebrate each other, and be a little nicer every day. Merry Everything!
Christmas is fast approaching, and we are ready for it! I am almost done my shopping...just a few more items to purchase and we are complete! We will be going to visit family in Virginia next weekend. I have to work this Saturday, so we will just finish out our shopping in the afternoon and just relax on Sunday.
DH and I are going to be celebrating our 4 year anniversary in January. I asked him what he wanted to do, and he told me we won't be celebrating our regular anniversary anymore....just our wedding anniversary! I said no way! We will always celebrate in January! That's when I fell in love! So, now I will have to plan something special for him. 4 years.....seems like so long ago, yet it feels like yesterday! It's hard to imagine my life before him. I love him so much!
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday (whatever you celebrate, or not celebrate!), and has a safe and happy time. I will be sending up lots of extra prayers for my ttc ladies (and gents) out there this holiday.....maybe we can all get a nice surprise BFP.
Let's just celebrate each other, and be a little nicer every day. Merry Everything!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Holidays
So I am going to be making Thanksgiving dinner this year for me, DH, my grandfather and my brother. I am nervous! I've only ever made side dishes or desserts (my specialty!). I just got a whole bunch of recipes online for turkeys and stuffing, side dishes and desserts. I am really looking forward to it. My grandfather isn't feeling up to going anywhere for Thanksgiving, so we will bring it to him. We will go to DH's families house after an early dinner with him. Hopefully they will understand, and not be too upset if we don't eat too much! We can always take leftovers home! Yay for turkey sandwiches!
Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and I will continue to update!
Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and I will continue to update!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Consult
Well, we had our consult today with our RE, and he said IUI would be the next step for us. He also said it will be good for us to take 1-2 months off. I will (hopefully) continue to loose weight and get healthier.
One round of IUI will cost us $545, plus co-pays for ultrasounds, bloodwork, and the cost of our medicine. I am hoping that we can just get away with Clomid ($10), and a shot of Hcg ($37).
DH and I were discussing all our options on the way home, and we may have to put the IUI off for longer than a few months. It might not be until the middle to end of next year that we are able to do it. The money situation is kind of up in the air right now, and we really need to find a more affordable place to live.
Maybe it is selfish for me to so desperately want to have a child with my husband, that I would do an IUI this month, even though our living situation needs to change and we need to cut back in order to save money each month. I just want to have a baby with my husband! It upsets me to think about all these couples that can't have kids, or don't have the money for IVF. It breaks my heart.
If DH and I won the lottery, I think I would set up a grant for infertile couples. There are grants out there for IVF, but none for couples who have a hard time paying their co-pays and deductibles for things that are covered. DH and I have a $2500 deductible every year that needs to be met for things to be covered. That means $2500 out of our pockets every year for them to cover even simple things like ultrasounds and blood work. That is on top of the $40 co-pay we have to pay every time we go to the RE's office. Sometimes we are there 8 times a month. The out of pocket expenses add up very quickly (even if all your doing is a round of Clomid). It is frustrating.
Maybe if we pray enough, we can get pregnant over the holiday's by ourselves and not even worry about coming up with the money for IUI's and IVF's next year. One can always hope, right? Well, I'm not sure how often I will be updating now. I would like to take my mind off ttc totally for a little while and just focus on finding an affordable (HA!) place to live in this ridiculously over priced area we live in, and maybe something good will happen.
I am sending out lots of prayers and baby dust to all my ladies ttc out there. I hope 2010 is out year to have wonderful healthy happy babies! Good luck to all of you, and I hope to hear some good news soon!!!
One round of IUI will cost us $545, plus co-pays for ultrasounds, bloodwork, and the cost of our medicine. I am hoping that we can just get away with Clomid ($10), and a shot of Hcg ($37).
DH and I were discussing all our options on the way home, and we may have to put the IUI off for longer than a few months. It might not be until the middle to end of next year that we are able to do it. The money situation is kind of up in the air right now, and we really need to find a more affordable place to live.
Maybe it is selfish for me to so desperately want to have a child with my husband, that I would do an IUI this month, even though our living situation needs to change and we need to cut back in order to save money each month. I just want to have a baby with my husband! It upsets me to think about all these couples that can't have kids, or don't have the money for IVF. It breaks my heart.
If DH and I won the lottery, I think I would set up a grant for infertile couples. There are grants out there for IVF, but none for couples who have a hard time paying their co-pays and deductibles for things that are covered. DH and I have a $2500 deductible every year that needs to be met for things to be covered. That means $2500 out of our pockets every year for them to cover even simple things like ultrasounds and blood work. That is on top of the $40 co-pay we have to pay every time we go to the RE's office. Sometimes we are there 8 times a month. The out of pocket expenses add up very quickly (even if all your doing is a round of Clomid). It is frustrating.
Maybe if we pray enough, we can get pregnant over the holiday's by ourselves and not even worry about coming up with the money for IUI's and IVF's next year. One can always hope, right? Well, I'm not sure how often I will be updating now. I would like to take my mind off ttc totally for a little while and just focus on finding an affordable (HA!) place to live in this ridiculously over priced area we live in, and maybe something good will happen.
I am sending out lots of prayers and baby dust to all my ladies ttc out there. I hope 2010 is out year to have wonderful healthy happy babies! Good luck to all of you, and I hope to hear some good news soon!!!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
12 Weeks...
Well, my 12 weeks are up for my opti fast program. I have officially lost 51 pounds in 12 weeks. I feel great. I have more energy (although the time change is throwing me off), my clothes are much looser and I just generally feel better. I hope to continue losing as I transition off of the shakes and bars. We did go out to lunch on Sunday after church to my favorite restaurant. I had a crab cake salad, and DH and I split the most delicious soup. It was roasted butternut squash soup with creme fraiche. It was fantastic. Then.....I had creme brulee for dessert! Bad!!! But, I still lost 2 pounds this week. I'm taking that as a sign that I can still eat dessert and loose weight...haha
Friday morning is my consult with the RE, but we received some bad news this week about DH's workers comp. We may have to put off TTC for longer than we thought. Hopefully we get some good news and we can continue saving for a house and IUI treatments. We should know more next week. Have a good week and I will update after the consult!
Friday morning is my consult with the RE, but we received some bad news this week about DH's workers comp. We may have to put off TTC for longer than we thought. Hopefully we get some good news and we can continue saving for a house and IUI treatments. We should know more next week. Have a good week and I will update after the consult!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Time for a break!
So, just as I suspected, the blood test was negative today. Heartbreaking! I made an appointment to consult with the RE next Friday about our next step. I am really thinking we will take the holidays off and come back for IUI in late February, early March. I'm just not sure though. Maybe we should just jump into it and see what happens! I am concerned about the cost (I know it's not nearly as much as an IVF, but still it has a cost), and I'm worried it's not going to work!
Silly to worry so much, but it's what I do. Well, I will continue to update on my progress with the weight loss, and after my consult with the RE. Have a wonderful weekend!!!
Silly to worry so much, but it's what I do. Well, I will continue to update on my progress with the weight loss, and after my consult with the RE. Have a wonderful weekend!!!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Progress!
Ok, so I am at 49 lbs total lost in 9 weeks! I am going to start my transition phase tomorrow. I get to add a yogurt, one piece of fruit and a 1/2 cup of starch to my diet. I am only looking to increase my caloric intake to about 1350 calories a day. Right now I am between 950-1100 with the shakes and bars. Hopefully I can continue to lose even off the program.
I tested this morning when I got up and quickly got a not pregnant on the stick. It is sad, and yet I knew it. I will go in on Thursday for the blood test, and then discuss our next step with the RE's office.
I think we are going to at least take the holidays off. I think we might get started again when we get back from our cruise in February. I'm not really sure yet what we're going to do. I'm thinking we would like to start in on IUI's and just see if that works for us. I am a little nervous about spending the money. Maybe we should wait until we have a house, or at least know we will be staying in one spot for a while. I am just worried about having to move while pregnant or with a baby. I know our families are torn right now on what we should do. DH's family says just have a baby and everything will fall into place. My family would be excited, but would be concerned about our living situation and money.
DH and I would be so super excited, but nervous as well. Oh well, I know we are going to take the holidays off and enjoy them without the mood swings and hot flashes from the meds!
I will update after my blood test on Thursday! Have a wonderful day!!!
I tested this morning when I got up and quickly got a not pregnant on the stick. It is sad, and yet I knew it. I will go in on Thursday for the blood test, and then discuss our next step with the RE's office.
I think we are going to at least take the holidays off. I think we might get started again when we get back from our cruise in February. I'm not really sure yet what we're going to do. I'm thinking we would like to start in on IUI's and just see if that works for us. I am a little nervous about spending the money. Maybe we should wait until we have a house, or at least know we will be staying in one spot for a while. I am just worried about having to move while pregnant or with a baby. I know our families are torn right now on what we should do. DH's family says just have a baby and everything will fall into place. My family would be excited, but would be concerned about our living situation and money.
DH and I would be so super excited, but nervous as well. Oh well, I know we are going to take the holidays off and enjoy them without the mood swings and hot flashes from the meds!
I will update after my blood test on Thursday! Have a wonderful day!!!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Just checking in
Well, this 2 ww has been really hard. In my heart I know it will be a negative blood test on Thursday, so I am trying to think towards the future and not dwell on it. We are going to take some time off from ttc after this month. It is getting too hard to see the bfn's every month. No one really understands that we've been trying for almost 3 years, and seeing specialists for over a year now to no avail. It's frustrating! It is nice to have a network of people out there who are either going through the same thing or who have been through it. It's really nice to get positive comments and hope.
I have had my progesterone levels checked this month, and thanks to the endometrin that I'm on, my levels have stayed up this time! The last 2 cycles of Clomid my progesterone dropped at the second check. Maybe that is a positive sign. I have been testing though.....which as many of you know is not a good thing! It almost feels like a waste of money everytime I get 1 line, or a not pregnant on the stick. But, alas, I CANNOT stop!!! I will continue to check until my blood test on Thursday.
I am going to the nutritionist tomorrow morning at 7:30 am. I only have about 3 weeks left on the program. I am at a total of 41 lbs so far. I am feeling better and my clothes are looser, so I think it is working. Hopefully I can continue to lose even off the program. I want to eat food!!! :)!
DH is feeling better, although not 100% yet. My grandfather is back home after a bout of pneumonia in the nursing home last week. He is looking much better and so far...so good. He has a wonderful caretaker at home with him. She has been cooking him some delicious food and taking good care of him. I hope he will continue to progress this week and make it into church on Sunday. Everyone keeps asking for him! He is definitely a loved man.
I cannot believe Christmas is almost here. I need some ideas! The people in our families have everything, they are so hard to shop for! I always feel like our gifts are going to stink because they have so much!
I hope everyone has a wonderful week, and I will update tomorrow after my appointment! I'm sending lots of good thoughts and prayers out to everyone!
I have had my progesterone levels checked this month, and thanks to the endometrin that I'm on, my levels have stayed up this time! The last 2 cycles of Clomid my progesterone dropped at the second check. Maybe that is a positive sign. I have been testing though.....which as many of you know is not a good thing! It almost feels like a waste of money everytime I get 1 line, or a not pregnant on the stick. But, alas, I CANNOT stop!!! I will continue to check until my blood test on Thursday.
I am going to the nutritionist tomorrow morning at 7:30 am. I only have about 3 weeks left on the program. I am at a total of 41 lbs so far. I am feeling better and my clothes are looser, so I think it is working. Hopefully I can continue to lose even off the program. I want to eat food!!! :)!
DH is feeling better, although not 100% yet. My grandfather is back home after a bout of pneumonia in the nursing home last week. He is looking much better and so far...so good. He has a wonderful caretaker at home with him. She has been cooking him some delicious food and taking good care of him. I hope he will continue to progress this week and make it into church on Sunday. Everyone keeps asking for him! He is definitely a loved man.
I cannot believe Christmas is almost here. I need some ideas! The people in our families have everything, they are so hard to shop for! I always feel like our gifts are going to stink because they have so much!
I hope everyone has a wonderful week, and I will update tomorrow after my appointment! I'm sending lots of good thoughts and prayers out to everyone!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Hoping and wishing!
Hi! I just got back from my RE appointment this morning, and I ovulated 4 eggs this weekend! Hopefully this will increase our chance of getting a BFP this month! I am super excited!
I will start my progesterone support tomorrow morning, twice a day until my blood test on the 29th!
On another note...DH is very sick! He has a terrible head cold, and has had it for over a week now. I took him to the medical center on Saturday because his ears were getting clogged up. They gave him drops for his ears, nose spray and cough medicine. Well, yesterday I put the drops in for the second time and his ears closed all the way up! Now he can't hear very well at all! So I had to call this morning and get him an appointment with our family doc to get him checked out! It's crazy! My poor DH can't hear and is so sick!
On a better note....my grandfather is doing much better. He is up walking (with a walker), and hopefully can come home in the next couple of weeks! Now our next goal is to get the family to book a cruise to celebrate him so he can have a wonderful time on the cruise.
Well, I will keep you updated this week, my nutritionist appointment is Wednesday. I almost ate a hashbrown this morning while getting DH some breakfast. Luckily, McDonalds must have known that it was a bad idea for me to eat a fatty hashbrown, because they didn't give me one! Oh well, I figure if we got pregnant this month I wouldn't want to eat that kind of crap anyway!
Have a wonderful week blogger world!
I will start my progesterone support tomorrow morning, twice a day until my blood test on the 29th!
On another note...DH is very sick! He has a terrible head cold, and has had it for over a week now. I took him to the medical center on Saturday because his ears were getting clogged up. They gave him drops for his ears, nose spray and cough medicine. Well, yesterday I put the drops in for the second time and his ears closed all the way up! Now he can't hear very well at all! So I had to call this morning and get him an appointment with our family doc to get him checked out! It's crazy! My poor DH can't hear and is so sick!
On a better note....my grandfather is doing much better. He is up walking (with a walker), and hopefully can come home in the next couple of weeks! Now our next goal is to get the family to book a cruise to celebrate him so he can have a wonderful time on the cruise.
Well, I will keep you updated this week, my nutritionist appointment is Wednesday. I almost ate a hashbrown this morning while getting DH some breakfast. Luckily, McDonalds must have known that it was a bad idea for me to eat a fatty hashbrown, because they didn't give me one! Oh well, I figure if we got pregnant this month I wouldn't want to eat that kind of crap anyway!
Have a wonderful week blogger world!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Week update
Hello blog world.....I have lost another 7 lbs this week. I am at 39 lbs total in 7 weeks. Super exciting! I only have another couple of weeks on the program...so I want to step it up an lose as much as I can in the next 5 weeks or so. I am counting down to Thanksgiving, it is the first day I'll be off the program (how's that for good timing?)
DH and I will be going to the RE's office tomorrow to see how I responded to the Clomid 100 this month. I am hoping that now that I've lost over 10% of my body weight, my fertility will get back on track. I will start the progesterone medicine as soon as I ovulate, which could be tomorrow or Friday. I am hoping it's tomorrow!
Thanks for all the prayers for my Grandfather, he is still in the hospital, but doing better. They finally got his heart rate under control with meds and are just waiting for a bed to open up in an extended care facility for him. He will be there for 5-7 days regaining his strength and working out a little before he goes home. Hopefully he will be home by next weekend!
Well, have a wonderful week....hopefully the weekend comes quickly! I will update after my appointment tomorrow!!
DH and I will be going to the RE's office tomorrow to see how I responded to the Clomid 100 this month. I am hoping that now that I've lost over 10% of my body weight, my fertility will get back on track. I will start the progesterone medicine as soon as I ovulate, which could be tomorrow or Friday. I am hoping it's tomorrow!
Thanks for all the prayers for my Grandfather, he is still in the hospital, but doing better. They finally got his heart rate under control with meds and are just waiting for a bed to open up in an extended care facility for him. He will be there for 5-7 days regaining his strength and working out a little before he goes home. Hopefully he will be home by next weekend!
Well, have a wonderful week....hopefully the weekend comes quickly! I will update after my appointment tomorrow!!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Defect
So it turns out I have a luteal phase defect. This basically means my body doesn't give itself enough time to get pregnant. My progesterone level is dropping too quickly making it impossible for any little maybe beans to stick in there. I went to the RE's this morning and they said I am cleared to start Clomid 100 tonight again. After they confirm ovulation next week sometime, I will start on 100 mg of progesterone. I am not looking forward to it, but we will do what we have to do!
I have also been going to the gym and trying to get this extra 4 lbs off. I am hoping that the more weight I lose the easier it will be for us to get pregnant (and the easier it will be to keep up with the little one!).
I am going in for a sleep study tonight at the hospital. I'm kind of nervous, and DH can't stay with me:(! I am going to miss him! Hopefully they say I am OK and I don't have sleep apnea. That is a scary thing to have.
I will update on Wednesday after my appointment with the nutritionist, and let you know how the sleep study went.
If everyone could send up a few prays for my Grandfather, he is in the hospital right now. Thank you!!!
I have also been going to the gym and trying to get this extra 4 lbs off. I am hoping that the more weight I lose the easier it will be for us to get pregnant (and the easier it will be to keep up with the little one!).
I am going in for a sleep study tonight at the hospital. I'm kind of nervous, and DH can't stay with me:(! I am going to miss him! Hopefully they say I am OK and I don't have sleep apnea. That is a scary thing to have.
I will update on Wednesday after my appointment with the nutritionist, and let you know how the sleep study went.
If everyone could send up a few prays for my Grandfather, he is in the hospital right now. Thank you!!!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Update for the week
So I went to the nutritionist yesterday....and I gained 4 lbs!! I was shocked, but then I realized.....I am off my blood pressure meds! I went off them last Thursday due to possible pregnancy from the Clomid 100 this month. One of the pills I was taking is a schedule C for pregnancy (meaning it has been proven fetotoxic in lab animals, but no human testing thus far), and I'd rather be safe then sorry. The other pill I was taking was a water pill, so the nutritionist is sure that the extra weight is water weight.
I am going in tomorrow morning at 7:30 am to get my pregnancy test (which will be negative), and then 1 hour later I am getting a biopsy done of my uterine lining. It is the last test I need to have done to continue with the Clomid.
My birthday weekend was so wonderful. My DH is the best husband any girl could ask for. He took me to NYC on the train (way less stressful than driving to the ferry), where we enjoyed a blueberry scone and a white chocolate mocha at the bookstore around the corner from the train station. We then took a cab up to FAO Schwartz, only to find the didn't open for another hour or so, so we went into the Apple store instead. We bought something (a Christmas present for someone special), then took a cab to Bobby Flay's restaurant Bar Americain for brunch. The food was PHENOMENAL! I would recommend this restaurant to anyone for any occasion. The service was excellent and the food was delicious! If you ever go there try the warm potato chips with blue cheese sauce. They were the most wonderful part of our meal. DH tried the cracked wheat waffle and I had the onion soup with the blue cheese salad. All of it was so tasty. Then we went around the corner to Broadway where we saw Shrek the Musical! It was hilarious!!!! We laughed through the whole thing. I also got a pair of Princess Fiona ears with a tiara on them, and I wore them through the whole show. After the show we went back to FAO Schwartz to get our nephew a little surprise, and we bought him a little stuffed puppy (he loves puppies!). Then we headed back to the train station to catch the train back home. My dear SIL picked us up from the train station and took us back home where we hopped in the car and flew down to my favorite restaurant, Harry's. I enjoyed crab dip, a crab cake salad and creme brulee!!! It was delicious! So all in all I had a wonderful birthday weekend!!!
I am hoping that I get a surprise positive at the doctors office tomorrow, but deep down inside I know it will be negative and I don't want to get upset this month. I am just looking at it like I need to get the biopsy done, so one more month we'll wait to get pregnant. I will update tomorrow morning after the biopsy. Have a good day!!!
I am going in tomorrow morning at 7:30 am to get my pregnancy test (which will be negative), and then 1 hour later I am getting a biopsy done of my uterine lining. It is the last test I need to have done to continue with the Clomid.
My birthday weekend was so wonderful. My DH is the best husband any girl could ask for. He took me to NYC on the train (way less stressful than driving to the ferry), where we enjoyed a blueberry scone and a white chocolate mocha at the bookstore around the corner from the train station. We then took a cab up to FAO Schwartz, only to find the didn't open for another hour or so, so we went into the Apple store instead. We bought something (a Christmas present for someone special), then took a cab to Bobby Flay's restaurant Bar Americain for brunch. The food was PHENOMENAL! I would recommend this restaurant to anyone for any occasion. The service was excellent and the food was delicious! If you ever go there try the warm potato chips with blue cheese sauce. They were the most wonderful part of our meal. DH tried the cracked wheat waffle and I had the onion soup with the blue cheese salad. All of it was so tasty. Then we went around the corner to Broadway where we saw Shrek the Musical! It was hilarious!!!! We laughed through the whole thing. I also got a pair of Princess Fiona ears with a tiara on them, and I wore them through the whole show. After the show we went back to FAO Schwartz to get our nephew a little surprise, and we bought him a little stuffed puppy (he loves puppies!). Then we headed back to the train station to catch the train back home. My dear SIL picked us up from the train station and took us back home where we hopped in the car and flew down to my favorite restaurant, Harry's. I enjoyed crab dip, a crab cake salad and creme brulee!!! It was delicious! So all in all I had a wonderful birthday weekend!!!
I am hoping that I get a surprise positive at the doctors office tomorrow, but deep down inside I know it will be negative and I don't want to get upset this month. I am just looking at it like I need to get the biopsy done, so one more month we'll wait to get pregnant. I will update tomorrow morning after the biopsy. Have a good day!!!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Side Note
Just as a side note.....to anyone looking for delicious pizza that is good for you.....
Smart One's Pizza Mini's are sooooo delicious. I have been craving pizza the whole time I've been on this protein diet (going on 5 weeks now), and there wasn't any frozen pizzas out there with less than 600 mg of sodium and under 350 calories. So my wonderful DH went searching in the frozen foods aisle at the local market and found these! They come in pepperoni and plain, and they come 8 mini pizzas to a box. One serving is 4 mini pizzas and they are wonderful! I highly recommend anyone trying to watch their calories or sodium to try these out!!!!!!
Smart One's Pizza Mini's are sooooo delicious. I have been craving pizza the whole time I've been on this protein diet (going on 5 weeks now), and there wasn't any frozen pizzas out there with less than 600 mg of sodium and under 350 calories. So my wonderful DH went searching in the frozen foods aisle at the local market and found these! They come in pepperoni and plain, and they come 8 mini pizzas to a box. One serving is 4 mini pizzas and they are wonderful! I highly recommend anyone trying to watch their calories or sodium to try these out!!!!!!
Prog. Results
Just got a call from the RE's office and my first progesterone levels are looking excellent again! They are 29. The nurse said anything above 15 is good, so that level is excellent. I go back on Monday for another blood draw. Hopefully that comes back high too. Last month my progesterone dropped after the first draw and I got AF a few days later.
On a side note, I did something really silly last night. When DH and I went to the RE's office last Friday I received a 10k shot of hcg to induce ovulation. So I ovulated on Saturday, went in for an u/s on Monday to confirm and scheduled all my appointments for blood draws. Silly me took a pregnancy test last night. Of course, it came back positive and we were so excited. Then I realized what a dumb thing that was to do! Of course it got our hopes up and we may find out something completely different on October 2 because I still have hcg going through my system from the shot! I read online that it could take anywhere from 5-14 days for the hcg to be completely out of your system. I waited 6 before testing. It was a silly thing to do, and I hope I didn't get DH's hopes up too much because you can never be too sure!
I will update after our super fun and exciting birthday celebration on Sunday and my next progesterone levels on Monday! Have an awesome weekend!!!!
On a side note, I did something really silly last night. When DH and I went to the RE's office last Friday I received a 10k shot of hcg to induce ovulation. So I ovulated on Saturday, went in for an u/s on Monday to confirm and scheduled all my appointments for blood draws. Silly me took a pregnancy test last night. Of course, it came back positive and we were so excited. Then I realized what a dumb thing that was to do! Of course it got our hopes up and we may find out something completely different on October 2 because I still have hcg going through my system from the shot! I read online that it could take anywhere from 5-14 days for the hcg to be completely out of your system. I waited 6 before testing. It was a silly thing to do, and I hope I didn't get DH's hopes up too much because you can never be too sure!
I will update after our super fun and exciting birthday celebration on Sunday and my next progesterone levels on Monday! Have an awesome weekend!!!!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Wednesday Update
I went to the nutritionist today and I am down another 5 lbs. That is 33 lbs for 4 weeks. I am super excited. My goal is another 54 lbs. That is not to my goal weight, just my goal on this program. I figure if I can lose another 54 lbs in 8 weeks I might not have to get surgery.
I am also going in on Friday for my first progesterone levels after Clomid this month. Last month I had great levels for the first draw, and then it dropped at the second. Then we got a negative test. I am testing this month on October 2. We are hoping and praying that it is positive!!!
We are going to celebrate my birthday on Sunday in New York City!! We are so excited to be going to Bar Americain (Bobby Flay's restaurant) for brunch, followed by Shrek the Musical on Broadway!!! Then it is back home to my favorite restaurant for a dinner of crab cake salad with the most delicious garlic herb dressing you have ever had! I talked to the nutritionist and she said I can eat food that day because it's my birthday and we are going to be up in New York. I am super excited!!!
I also walked 1 mile on the treadmill last night and did 10 mins on the stationary bike. My goal is to continue to walk every day and hopefully that will help with the weight loss.
Have a good week!
I am also going in on Friday for my first progesterone levels after Clomid this month. Last month I had great levels for the first draw, and then it dropped at the second. Then we got a negative test. I am testing this month on October 2. We are hoping and praying that it is positive!!!
We are going to celebrate my birthday on Sunday in New York City!! We are so excited to be going to Bar Americain (Bobby Flay's restaurant) for brunch, followed by Shrek the Musical on Broadway!!! Then it is back home to my favorite restaurant for a dinner of crab cake salad with the most delicious garlic herb dressing you have ever had! I talked to the nutritionist and she said I can eat food that day because it's my birthday and we are going to be up in New York. I am super excited!!!
I also walked 1 mile on the treadmill last night and did 10 mins on the stationary bike. My goal is to continue to walk every day and hopefully that will help with the weight loss.
Have a good week!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Big Follicles!
So, we went to the RE's office today to get an ultrasound and blood work done to check the size of follicles from the Clomid 100 this month. We had 2 big follicles, one was 33 and the other was 25. They decided to surge me with HcG this morning, so hopefully we will ovulate tonight or tomorrow. If it doesn't work and we don't get pregnant this month, I will have to get the biopsy of my uterus done. I am not looking forward to that!!! I'm not sure how many months we will try Clomid with no positive results before the doctor wants to move onto IUI's. I am a little worried about the cost of an IUI, but we will have to deal with it I guess.
I will be joining a gym on Monday to start working out. I am getting excited about this because I hope it excels my weight loss on the Opti Fast program a little bit more. It would be wonderful to hit my goal without having to get surgery! I think I will start with the treadmill, maybe a little stationary bike and some stretching for the first couple of days. I think I will try to make it 3-4 times a week. When I don't go there I am also going to try to walk. I just need to look forward to my goal of getting pregnant, and having a healthy pregnancy free of complications due to weight.
I will be joining a gym on Monday to start working out. I am getting excited about this because I hope it excels my weight loss on the Opti Fast program a little bit more. It would be wonderful to hit my goal without having to get surgery! I think I will start with the treadmill, maybe a little stationary bike and some stretching for the first couple of days. I think I will try to make it 3-4 times a week. When I don't go there I am also going to try to walk. I just need to look forward to my goal of getting pregnant, and having a healthy pregnancy free of complications due to weight.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
8 more pounds
I went to the nutritionist this morning and I lost another 8 lbs this week. That makes a total of 28 lbs in 3 weeks.
I also went to the RE this morning, and we took 100 mg Clomid this cycle. I have a 21 cm follicle and a great lining. They are hopeful that I will go in to be surged this week. My RE's office said with 100 mg Clomid they always surge with a shot of hcg. I have had 3 shots of hcg this year and it always makes me hot and cranky! Hopefully this month instead of taking my crankiness out on DH I can go for a walk instead. I am feeling like I should become more active and walk more.
DH and I are ready for a relaxing weekend. We went down to the eastern shore of Virginia on Friday night, and then came back on Saturday night! It was a lot of driving, but so worth it. We have such a good time down there, it is so relaxed and welcoming.
We are looking forward to our cruise in January. Maybe we will be pregnant by then!
I hope to get some more walking in this week and lose even more next week. My goal is to lose another 59 pounds by the end of the program. I have 9 more weeks to do it. Have a wonderful week!
I also went to the RE this morning, and we took 100 mg Clomid this cycle. I have a 21 cm follicle and a great lining. They are hopeful that I will go in to be surged this week. My RE's office said with 100 mg Clomid they always surge with a shot of hcg. I have had 3 shots of hcg this year and it always makes me hot and cranky! Hopefully this month instead of taking my crankiness out on DH I can go for a walk instead. I am feeling like I should become more active and walk more.
DH and I are ready for a relaxing weekend. We went down to the eastern shore of Virginia on Friday night, and then came back on Saturday night! It was a lot of driving, but so worth it. We have such a good time down there, it is so relaxed and welcoming.
We are looking forward to our cruise in January. Maybe we will be pregnant by then!
I hope to get some more walking in this week and lose even more next week. My goal is to lose another 59 pounds by the end of the program. I have 9 more weeks to do it. Have a wonderful week!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Another week down
So I went to the nutritionist this morning, and I only lost 2 pounds this week. So I am 20 lbs total for the first 2 weeks on the program. I am a little disappointed this week with the weight loss, but 2 lbs is better than nothing, and I am still well on my way to my goal.
We also went to the RE's office on Monday morning for an ultrasound and blood work for this cycle, and I will be starting 100 mg Clomid tonight!! I am super excited about this!! Right now, I have no cysts and my blood work looked good so I am confident that my body is working better now. Hopefully we can keep this going and get our BFP this month!
I hope everyone had a nice holiday and I will update next Wednesday!!!
We also went to the RE's office on Monday morning for an ultrasound and blood work for this cycle, and I will be starting 100 mg Clomid tonight!! I am super excited about this!! Right now, I have no cysts and my blood work looked good so I am confident that my body is working better now. Hopefully we can keep this going and get our BFP this month!
I hope everyone had a nice holiday and I will update next Wednesday!!!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Guess What????
I lost 18 lbs this week!!! 18 lbs!!! In one week!! Amazing! I am so excited, I can't wait to go back next week and see!
I still have this cold I can't get rid of, and now I think I am getting an ear infection on top of it. it might be time to call the doctor! Oh well, all is good in our little world.
I do want to send out some special thought requests....I have been reading a lot of blogs with not so happy stuff in them. I don't usually post any comments, but I am always thinking of those people. I just thought if everyone thought a little happy thought to those people, they just might feel a tiny bit better.
I still have this cold I can't get rid of, and now I think I am getting an ear infection on top of it. it might be time to call the doctor! Oh well, all is good in our little world.
I do want to send out some special thought requests....I have been reading a lot of blogs with not so happy stuff in them. I don't usually post any comments, but I am always thinking of those people. I just thought if everyone thought a little happy thought to those people, they just might feel a tiny bit better.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
One Week Down......
Only 11 to go! Tonight at 8 pm I will drink the last shake of my first week on the optifast program.
If I didn't have a nasty cold I think I would feel much better! I woke up with a sore throat, stuffy nose and nasty cough on Saturday and I can't get rid of it.
I go in tomorrow morning at 7:30 am again to get weighted and to get my next week of shakes. I also got some chicken soup that can replace a shake if I want to, so I am looking forward to trying that. Surprisingly, the chocolate shake is my least favorite. I struggle to get it all down.
The chocolate peanut butter bar that I thought would be my favorite is not very tasty, the chocolate bar is not either! I ordered the berry bar this week to try, hopefully it is good!
I am really looking forward to getting on the scale tomorrow!! I will update when I get back!
If I didn't have a nasty cold I think I would feel much better! I woke up with a sore throat, stuffy nose and nasty cough on Saturday and I can't get rid of it.
I go in tomorrow morning at 7:30 am again to get weighted and to get my next week of shakes. I also got some chicken soup that can replace a shake if I want to, so I am looking forward to trying that. Surprisingly, the chocolate shake is my least favorite. I struggle to get it all down.
The chocolate peanut butter bar that I thought would be my favorite is not very tasty, the chocolate bar is not either! I ordered the berry bar this week to try, hopefully it is good!
I am really looking forward to getting on the scale tomorrow!! I will update when I get back!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
New day, new program.....
Well, today is the day. I started my morning at the nutritionist getting my shakes and bars. I went home and had a strawberry shake. It was tasty. I have a chocolate and a vanilla shake in the fridge here at work, along with a chocolate peanut butter protein bar. I get to have the bar and a shake for lunch, and a shake for an afternoon snack. Then it is home for a frozen meal and a shake for evening snack. We asked today if I could have a piece of chicken and veggies for dinner instead of a frozen meal, and she said YES! So now I can have 3 oz of lean protein (including fish...yummy!) and up to 2 cups of veggies. I am super excited. I love veggies, and I love chicken and fish. I think this is going to work out well for me.
I went and got my hair done last night, I figured since I was starting new on this program I would have a new haircut and color to go along with it. I went from light brown to almost black. It is a dramatic difference, and I love it!
Well, I will let you know how my weekend at the beach works out with all that delicious food down there!!!
I went and got my hair done last night, I figured since I was starting new on this program I would have a new haircut and color to go along with it. I went from light brown to almost black. It is a dramatic difference, and I love it!
Well, I will let you know how my weekend at the beach works out with all that delicious food down there!!!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Tomorrow is the day!
Tomorrow morning at 7:30 I will be receiving my 28 shakes and 7 protein bars! I am super excited to be starting this process. It stinks though that we are going to the beach for a long weekend away. I will miss eating Grotto's Pizza and Dippin Dots! Although, I think that is what got me into this mess to begin with!! Too much junk!
We will be celebrating DH's birthday this Saturday, and I hope he has a wonderful time. He certainly deserves it! I hope we can just spend the day lounging by the pool (no rain please!) and just enjoying everyone's company! We might be renting a boat on Friday to go fishing, but we are not 100% on that yet. We will definitely be going to play putt-putt. I'm not sure what else we are going to be doing yet, but I'm sure it will be fun no matter what we choose to do!
I will let you know how my first full day of shakes goes tomorrow!
We will be celebrating DH's birthday this Saturday, and I hope he has a wonderful time. He certainly deserves it! I hope we can just spend the day lounging by the pool (no rain please!) and just enjoying everyone's company! We might be renting a boat on Friday to go fishing, but we are not 100% on that yet. We will definitely be going to play putt-putt. I'm not sure what else we are going to be doing yet, but I'm sure it will be fun no matter what we choose to do!
I will let you know how my first full day of shakes goes tomorrow!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Samples
Just wanted to let everyone know, the strawberry optifast shake tastes just like strawberry milk! It is quite tasty! The chocolate protein bar tastes like a protein bar. Not fantastic, but doable. I haven't tried the chocolate shake yet, but I have high hopes for it. I will try it for breakfast tomorrow morning. I drank the strawberry for breakfast this morning and I was not even hungry! I had a small snack at 10:30, and a small cup of soup at 12:30 and I am feeling good! I still have a sandwich, apples and a yogurt in the fridge!
I am looking forward to the weekend, and the beginning of the program next week.
I am looking forward to the weekend, and the beginning of the program next week.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
First Appointment & Fitness Evaluation
So I went to my first appointment today for the OptiFast Program, and it went well. I don't know why I assumed that I would be starting the shakes today because they have to order them. So I will officially start it next Wednesday when I go for my second appointment. I will be drinking 4 protein shakes a day, along with 1 protein bar and 1 frozen meal for dinner. The meal can be any frozen light meal from the grocery store. I am actually looking forward to not worrying about food for 3 months!
My fitness evaluation went well. My aerobic ability is not so good, but the lady doing the evaluation said that most people on the weight management program can't even finish the 8 minutes on the treadmill, and I did it with an incline of 5. On the brighter side of things, the evaluator said I was very strong. I was able to use the arm machine (the one where you pull the weight towards you) up to 100 lbs, and the arm machine that you push away up to 67.5 lbs. They put me on a resistance training program with a green resistance band 2-3 times a week at home. They also recommended I join their gym, but it is a little pricey so I have to think about it. We are already paying so much for the program and the shakes. Hopefully it works!!
We are getting ready to go to the beach next weekend for a long weekend, and I am so looking forward to it! We are going to leave on Thursday night and come home on Monday night. It will be a nice relaxing weekend that's for sure!
Well, I have 2 shakes and 1 protein bar to try this week. I will update once I have tried them to let you know how they are.
My fitness evaluation went well. My aerobic ability is not so good, but the lady doing the evaluation said that most people on the weight management program can't even finish the 8 minutes on the treadmill, and I did it with an incline of 5. On the brighter side of things, the evaluator said I was very strong. I was able to use the arm machine (the one where you pull the weight towards you) up to 100 lbs, and the arm machine that you push away up to 67.5 lbs. They put me on a resistance training program with a green resistance band 2-3 times a week at home. They also recommended I join their gym, but it is a little pricey so I have to think about it. We are already paying so much for the program and the shakes. Hopefully it works!!
We are getting ready to go to the beach next weekend for a long weekend, and I am so looking forward to it! We are going to leave on Thursday night and come home on Monday night. It will be a nice relaxing weekend that's for sure!
Well, I have 2 shakes and 1 protein bar to try this week. I will update once I have tried them to let you know how they are.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Program
So, I just paid the big bucks and signed up for the 12 week weight loss program!! Yay me!! I am so glad I have such a wonderful DH who just wants me to be happy and healthy. He is my ray of sunshine everyday, and I love him so much.
My thumb hurts! I sliced the side of it with a mandoline on Sunday, and it is still sore! I'm glad it is Friday, but I do have to work tomorrow morning until 1 pm. After that I am free!!! Well, the fax is coming through for my new program. My appointment is on Wednesday!! I am super excited!!!
My thumb hurts! I sliced the side of it with a mandoline on Sunday, and it is still sore! I'm glad it is Friday, but I do have to work tomorrow morning until 1 pm. After that I am free!!! Well, the fax is coming through for my new program. My appointment is on Wednesday!! I am super excited!!!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
New Timeline
OK, so the doctor's office says I can start the opti fast program. I am going to do it for 12 weeks. It is going to cost quite a lot of money. Just to start it is $690. That covers the 12 appointments with the nutritionist and the fitness evaluation. Then it is around $100 a week for the shakes and stuff to go along with it. I am hoping that it works really well. As of right now I am 6 months out from getting any surgery. So I will try this program for 12 weeks, then 3 more months of 1 nutritionist appointment a month and some life skills classes that DH and I have to attend, then we can schedule my surgery. I also have to see the cardiologist, the endocrinologist, and a pulmonologist. So many "gists"!
Hopefully it will all be worth it in the end. If this program works as well as I hope we might be able to start making our little baby M in 3 months. If not and I get the lapband in about 6 months we are probably looking at 2 years. I just want DH and I to be healthy and happy when we bring a baby into the world.
I am going to pay the big bucks tomorrow and hopefully I go in for my first appointment for the program on Wednesday!! Yay!! I will definitely update and let you know how the appointment went.
Hopefully it will all be worth it in the end. If this program works as well as I hope we might be able to start making our little baby M in 3 months. If not and I get the lapband in about 6 months we are probably looking at 2 years. I just want DH and I to be healthy and happy when we bring a baby into the world.
I am going to pay the big bucks tomorrow and hopefully I go in for my first appointment for the program on Wednesday!! Yay!! I will definitely update and let you know how the appointment went.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Bad day
Well, the test was negative. Another negative. And no biopsy this month, apparently I waited too long. So today was less physically painful than I thought, but I am still heartbroken. Even though I knew it was going to be negative, I couldn't help but hope that it might be positive.
So the doctor said we have to wait until next cycle to start again. A whole month before we can even think about it again. I said we were going to take some time off and get healthy, so I called the surgeon's office to see about starting the liquid diet for the month. They haven't called me back yet. I have heard good things about this program. It is just high protein liquids. One soup, one protein bar and 3 protein shakes a day. I am actually looking forward to not cooking or having to go to the market for a month! I am also secretly hoping it works so well I can just do this for a while and not have to get surgery.
Before I start we will be taking my step mom out for her birthday this month to a wonderful restaurant. DH and I actually got married there in the ballroom. Luckily, my stepmom likes it too! They have the best prime rib sandwich (I order mine with no bread, haha!) and their salad dressing is out of this world delicious! Not to mention....the creme brulee is to die for. My mom would have loved their creme brulee. She even had a little torch and the little ramekins for homemade creme brulee! I think that's where I get my love of sweets from. So before I plunge myself whole heartedly into getting healthier I will eat prime rib, salad with yummy dressing and creme brulee for dessert. All in the name of Happy Birthday Stepmom!
Unfortunately DH's birthday will be spent food less for me, and maybe him if he wants to. He doesn't like to celebrate his birthday very much. Last year I threw him a big surprise 30th birthday party at his mom & dad's house. It was fun, but he doesn't like so much attention so this year, we will be spending it at the beach. We were going to go out to dinner, but we may both be all liquid then, so dinner might be out of the picture. So we'll spend it by the pool or hanging out on the beach with family. It will be super fun and relaxing (I hope!)
I really need to get my butt back to school. I just need to go sign up for classes again.
Well, I am off to wait for the nurses call about the program and try not to look at baby stuff for another month! I will update when I have some news!
P.S. No specialist appointments for a whole month!! YAY!!!
So the doctor said we have to wait until next cycle to start again. A whole month before we can even think about it again. I said we were going to take some time off and get healthy, so I called the surgeon's office to see about starting the liquid diet for the month. They haven't called me back yet. I have heard good things about this program. It is just high protein liquids. One soup, one protein bar and 3 protein shakes a day. I am actually looking forward to not cooking or having to go to the market for a month! I am also secretly hoping it works so well I can just do this for a while and not have to get surgery.
Before I start we will be taking my step mom out for her birthday this month to a wonderful restaurant. DH and I actually got married there in the ballroom. Luckily, my stepmom likes it too! They have the best prime rib sandwich (I order mine with no bread, haha!) and their salad dressing is out of this world delicious! Not to mention....the creme brulee is to die for. My mom would have loved their creme brulee. She even had a little torch and the little ramekins for homemade creme brulee! I think that's where I get my love of sweets from. So before I plunge myself whole heartedly into getting healthier I will eat prime rib, salad with yummy dressing and creme brulee for dessert. All in the name of Happy Birthday Stepmom!
Unfortunately DH's birthday will be spent food less for me, and maybe him if he wants to. He doesn't like to celebrate his birthday very much. Last year I threw him a big surprise 30th birthday party at his mom & dad's house. It was fun, but he doesn't like so much attention so this year, we will be spending it at the beach. We were going to go out to dinner, but we may both be all liquid then, so dinner might be out of the picture. So we'll spend it by the pool or hanging out on the beach with family. It will be super fun and relaxing (I hope!)
I really need to get my butt back to school. I just need to go sign up for classes again.
Well, I am off to wait for the nurses call about the program and try not to look at baby stuff for another month! I will update when I have some news!
P.S. No specialist appointments for a whole month!! YAY!!!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Endoscopy done
Well, I am officially home resting after the endoscopy this morning. The nurses were wonderful! I had to get an IV (which I dread!), and the nurse who put it in was fantastic! I barely felt it, and so far....no bruise!!! I don't remember anything, except waking up in recovery to a drink and some delicious crackers! Anything is delicious when you can't eat after 12! They did find a hernia in my stomach, so that explains my reflux. I am just so happy they found an explanation! Hopefully I can get it fixed when I get the lap band, and no more medicine!!
So tomorrow is the big day, the testing day. It's going to be negative, I already know. So now I get to have a biopsy of my lining done. 2 tests in 2 days. I feel like a pin cushion!
Now I am off to rest, feeling drowsy! I will update tomorrow after my (hopefully not painful) biopsy.
So tomorrow is the big day, the testing day. It's going to be negative, I already know. So now I get to have a biopsy of my lining done. 2 tests in 2 days. I feel like a pin cushion!
Now I am off to rest, feeling drowsy! I will update tomorrow after my (hopefully not painful) biopsy.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Test results Part 2
Ok, so just got off the phone with the RE's office and they said my progesterone level dropped. My doctor says he's not really worried about it. I go in on Tuesday for my pregnancy test. If it is negative I get to have a biopsy done...yay me! I think next week is going to be tough for me. Monday I have to get my endoscopy. Tuesday is the biopsy. Wednesday DH has a test scheduled (an EMG) where they stick needles in his legs and give him little shocks to see if his nerves are dieing. Then free and clear for Thursday and Friday, but I have to work Saturday so, it is a long week. Oh well, it's all worth it in the end I guess! Have a wonderful weekend!!! Tomorrow's suppose to be beautiful!!!! We will be enjoying it outside hopefully! I think we are going to take our nephew to the zoo if it's ok with his mommy. He's the cutest baby you ever saw in your whole life! I will update after the endoscopy on Monday.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
First Comment
Hi! I just read the first ever comment posted on my blog, and boy was it a good one!!! Thanks for the support and the good vibes! I am trying so hard not to get my hopes up, but it's getting harder and harder the closer the 11th gets!
I just wanted to say thanks for the comment and I am glad people are reading my blog, although I'm sure it's not the most exciting blog out there. I go in tomorrow morning to get my progesterone checked again, so lets hope for good news!!
I just wanted to say thanks for the comment and I am glad people are reading my blog, although I'm sure it's not the most exciting blog out there. I go in tomorrow morning to get my progesterone checked again, so lets hope for good news!!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Progesterone
Oh what a wonderful world this is! I just got a call from my RE's office with my progesterone results from this morning, and they are EXCELLENT!! Good is anything above 15 and mine is 24.5! I asked her if that was a good sign and she said oh yes! I am still not holding out much hope for this month to actually have worked, but it is nice to know that everything (knock on wood) is working out the way it is supposed to! This way, when we go to try another month we can be pretty sure it will work out correctly. It might not result in a baby, but at least my body is back on track.
DH just brought me lunch as I am all by my lonesome at work today. It was so nice to see him in the middle of the afternoon! I love him so much! It's amazing how my heart just fills with love when I see him. It's a physical feeling of my heart swelling. I know, sappy love stuff!
I am looking forward to seeing my family on the Eastern Shore of Virginia in September. They are all such wonderful people, I hate being this far away from them! One day, we will be closer!
Have a wonderful day! I will update either tomorrow or Friday afternoon (another Progesterone blood draw on Friday).
DH just brought me lunch as I am all by my lonesome at work today. It was so nice to see him in the middle of the afternoon! I love him so much! It's amazing how my heart just fills with love when I see him. It's a physical feeling of my heart swelling. I know, sappy love stuff!
I am looking forward to seeing my family on the Eastern Shore of Virginia in September. They are all such wonderful people, I hate being this far away from them! One day, we will be closer!
Have a wonderful day! I will update either tomorrow or Friday afternoon (another Progesterone blood draw on Friday).
Monday, August 3, 2009
August
I can't believe it's August already! It feels like this year is flying by! We had such a wonderful weekend at the beach. We spent all of Saturday at the pool, and it was really nice. The sunburn is not so nice, but the pool was! Now we just have 3 more weekends until our next long weekend at the beach!
I am looking forward to celebrating DH's birthday at the end of the month. I still have no ideas on what to get him for it, but I am going to take him out to a nice dinner with some family.
I have to go to the doctors tomorrow morning for a blood test to check my progesterone levels. The it's off to the lawyers on Wednesday for some good news (I hope!). We were hit by a drunk driver 3 years ago, and we still are dealing with insurance companies and lawyers. It is definitely dragging on and on!
I always go to a specific coffee place in the morning before work to get a bagel and a coffee. Usually I get a garlic bagel and an iced coffee or vanilla chai tea. Lately, I have been so disappointed with it so this morning I decided I won't be going there anymore. The coffee never tastes the same (even though I order the same thing), and sometimes the bagels are extra toasted, sometimes they have no cream cheese, and other times they are delicious. But either way, I pay the same amount. So it's no longer worth the money to go there. And...they discontinued the blueberry bagel (who does that?). So I will be eating breakfast at home....it will save us money and be healthier for us.
As far as the lap band, I faxed my nutritionist information to the doctors office to see if my insurance company will accept my last 7 months on her program for this. I am also going in for an endoscopy next Monday. It's nice because the girl who gave me my RE's information is going through the same things I am with the weight loss surgery. Most people don't understand how exciting and scary it is to go through this. She does, and she also understands the hurdles of ttc at the same time. It's doubly hard! It's good to have someone to talk to.
I will update after my blood work tomorrow!!!
I am looking forward to celebrating DH's birthday at the end of the month. I still have no ideas on what to get him for it, but I am going to take him out to a nice dinner with some family.
I have to go to the doctors tomorrow morning for a blood test to check my progesterone levels. The it's off to the lawyers on Wednesday for some good news (I hope!). We were hit by a drunk driver 3 years ago, and we still are dealing with insurance companies and lawyers. It is definitely dragging on and on!
I always go to a specific coffee place in the morning before work to get a bagel and a coffee. Usually I get a garlic bagel and an iced coffee or vanilla chai tea. Lately, I have been so disappointed with it so this morning I decided I won't be going there anymore. The coffee never tastes the same (even though I order the same thing), and sometimes the bagels are extra toasted, sometimes they have no cream cheese, and other times they are delicious. But either way, I pay the same amount. So it's no longer worth the money to go there. And...they discontinued the blueberry bagel (who does that?). So I will be eating breakfast at home....it will save us money and be healthier for us.
As far as the lap band, I faxed my nutritionist information to the doctors office to see if my insurance company will accept my last 7 months on her program for this. I am also going in for an endoscopy next Monday. It's nice because the girl who gave me my RE's information is going through the same things I am with the weight loss surgery. Most people don't understand how exciting and scary it is to go through this. She does, and she also understands the hurdles of ttc at the same time. It's doubly hard! It's good to have someone to talk to.
I will update after my blood work tomorrow!!!
Friday, July 31, 2009
It's the Weekend!!
Yay for Friday! I am so ready to have a nice relaxing weekend at the beach. Now if only we could transport ourselves there sans traffic!
We went to the doctor's this morning (surprise, surprise!) and it is all good news. We are scheduled for 3 blood tests in the next 2 weeks, so we will know if this month was our good month or if I am going to get my lap band done on August 11. I am going in for an endoscopy on August 10 to look for a hernia in my stomach (long story), so I am nervous about that! I am going to fax over all my paperwork from the RE's office to the surgeons office to see if my insurance will accept my last 7 months on the nutritionists program at his office. I would like to get the surgery done this year if I can. The sooner I get it done, the sooner we can get back to trying for a family!
DH said to me at the RE's office the other day, "no wonder people take breaks from this, it is relentless!" This was at 8am in the morning while we were getting a test done. It is one thing after another! It is worth every second, every penny and every pain in the end....but how close is the end? For some people, it never ends! My heart goes out to anyone who has ever had to deal with any kind of infertility, and kind of loss in a pregnancy or child. It breaks my heart to think about it.
I am just so thankful we are able to take a weekend away...and we are planning our next cruise! Have a wonderful weekend!!!
We went to the doctor's this morning (surprise, surprise!) and it is all good news. We are scheduled for 3 blood tests in the next 2 weeks, so we will know if this month was our good month or if I am going to get my lap band done on August 11. I am going in for an endoscopy on August 10 to look for a hernia in my stomach (long story), so I am nervous about that! I am going to fax over all my paperwork from the RE's office to the surgeons office to see if my insurance will accept my last 7 months on the nutritionists program at his office. I would like to get the surgery done this year if I can. The sooner I get it done, the sooner we can get back to trying for a family!
DH said to me at the RE's office the other day, "no wonder people take breaks from this, it is relentless!" This was at 8am in the morning while we were getting a test done. It is one thing after another! It is worth every second, every penny and every pain in the end....but how close is the end? For some people, it never ends! My heart goes out to anyone who has ever had to deal with any kind of infertility, and kind of loss in a pregnancy or child. It breaks my heart to think about it.
I am just so thankful we are able to take a weekend away...and we are planning our next cruise! Have a wonderful weekend!!!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Another day....
Another doctor's appointment!! Yes, you heard me correctly.....I had to go back this morning! Although, we did get good news this morning, and we are right on track and things are looking good. We can only hope and pray that everything works well!
I got a shot of Hcg this morning to make me ovulate sometime int he next 2 days, and boy does it make me HOT!!! I feel like I'm going through menopause! It's a good thing I have a little fan at my desk at work. I have another appointment on Friday to check and make sure the shot worked. Then it is off to the beach! I am taking a half day on Friday to get a head start on traffic, and we are going to stay until Sunday. Not a super long vacation, but a nice one nonetheless. At the end of August we will be going down to the beach to celebrate DH's birthday. That is the extent of our vacations this summer, our honeymoon drained finances and vacation time!!!
We had such a wonderful time on our honeymoon, we highly recommend taking a cruise for your next vacation. We went on a 5 day cruise to the Bahama's from Miami Florida. It was so beautiful! We are hoping to take a short cruise up to Canada this fall or next fall. They are expensive, but so worth it. Everything is included in your price, even gratuity! You use no cash on board unless you want to buy alcohol or soda. Enough about vacations....I am having a hard time sitting at work now!!!
I am excited to find out if this month worked, or if we are going to take some time off and try to get healthier. Either way, it is a positive outcome.
I got a shot of Hcg this morning to make me ovulate sometime int he next 2 days, and boy does it make me HOT!!! I feel like I'm going through menopause! It's a good thing I have a little fan at my desk at work. I have another appointment on Friday to check and make sure the shot worked. Then it is off to the beach! I am taking a half day on Friday to get a head start on traffic, and we are going to stay until Sunday. Not a super long vacation, but a nice one nonetheless. At the end of August we will be going down to the beach to celebrate DH's birthday. That is the extent of our vacations this summer, our honeymoon drained finances and vacation time!!!
We had such a wonderful time on our honeymoon, we highly recommend taking a cruise for your next vacation. We went on a 5 day cruise to the Bahama's from Miami Florida. It was so beautiful! We are hoping to take a short cruise up to Canada this fall or next fall. They are expensive, but so worth it. Everything is included in your price, even gratuity! You use no cash on board unless you want to buy alcohol or soda. Enough about vacations....I am having a hard time sitting at work now!!!
I am excited to find out if this month worked, or if we are going to take some time off and try to get healthier. Either way, it is a positive outcome.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Just got back from the doctors (thank goodness I work at a place that is flexible with my doctors appointments!), and I have 3 mature follicles. Kind of scary because if everything works the way it's supposed to...we could be looking at triplets. There's no use in getting excited or nervous about it though because things rarely do what they are supposed to anyway! I will find out more when they call with my bloodwork results.
I have decided that ttc is both a personal and monumental thing. But so many people go through difficulties, and yet it is hush, hush. Why shouldn't people know how hard, frustrating, surprising, exciting, expensive and wonderful it is to go through this journey? At times it feels like you are the only one on this little island of turmoil. I want to talk to people about it! I want to tell people about the process and the wonderfully terrifying things that happen during this (sometimes extremely LONG) journey! I wish people would be more open to sharing their experiences and feelings.
When we first started out, I g..gled everything I could. I was so scared! It helped when I found a support group for ttc. But, it wasn't enough! I wanted to tell my family everything we were going through, but it's tough for them to understand. DH has been wonderful through the whole thing, but as many men know......womens bodies are a pain in the you know what! It is hard for them to understand everything that is going on. But, my DH is a wonderful, supportive, spectacular person who sits with me during the tough parts...and celebrates with the good!
It just feels better to write everything down.....even if no one but me reads it!
I have decided that ttc is both a personal and monumental thing. But so many people go through difficulties, and yet it is hush, hush. Why shouldn't people know how hard, frustrating, surprising, exciting, expensive and wonderful it is to go through this journey? At times it feels like you are the only one on this little island of turmoil. I want to talk to people about it! I want to tell people about the process and the wonderfully terrifying things that happen during this (sometimes extremely LONG) journey! I wish people would be more open to sharing their experiences and feelings.
When we first started out, I g..gled everything I could. I was so scared! It helped when I found a support group for ttc. But, it wasn't enough! I wanted to tell my family everything we were going through, but it's tough for them to understand. DH has been wonderful through the whole thing, but as many men know......womens bodies are a pain in the you know what! It is hard for them to understand everything that is going on. But, my DH is a wonderful, supportive, spectacular person who sits with me during the tough parts...and celebrates with the good!
It just feels better to write everything down.....even if no one but me reads it!
Summer
I am going to the doctors today at 11:15, I was there on Saturday and last week too! No one told us ttc was going to be so expensive! I had a friend who was ttc at the same time as us around the holidays last year. She was having trouble conceiving as well, and was contemplating going to the doctor I was going to. I knew that this friend and her husband had problems with money, so I told her....it is going to be expensive! I was going to this specialist 3 times a week some weeks, and at $40 a pop it really adds up!!!! She said.......oh we can't afford that, it is too expensive.
Now, this is obvious....it is expensive to go to the doctors to try and get pregnant. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized: Diapers, formula, bottles, clothes, wipes, baby wash, diaper rash cream, shoes, pictures...etc, etc....all very important things when you have a baby. (OK, formula can be cut out with breast feeding, but what about all the things necessary to breast feed while working?) If we can't spend $40 on a co-pay to see the doctor, will we be able to afford the pack of diapers a week it's going to take to keep our child clean and dry for the first 2 years? It is expensive to bring a child into the world, and it is expensive to keep them here!
Just thought I'd share my thoughts on money and child bearing!
Now, this is obvious....it is expensive to go to the doctors to try and get pregnant. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized: Diapers, formula, bottles, clothes, wipes, baby wash, diaper rash cream, shoes, pictures...etc, etc....all very important things when you have a baby. (OK, formula can be cut out with breast feeding, but what about all the things necessary to breast feed while working?) If we can't spend $40 on a co-pay to see the doctor, will we be able to afford the pack of diapers a week it's going to take to keep our child clean and dry for the first 2 years? It is expensive to bring a child into the world, and it is expensive to keep them here!
Just thought I'd share my thoughts on money and child bearing!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Good news all around!
I am so excited! I just got back from my two appointments! Lo and behold....my body does work sometimes! I have 2 follicles measuring 15 and 16!!! This is great news! For those who don't follow the ttc phenomenon, follicles are eggs waiting to be released. The doctor wants them to grow to 20-22 before he considers them mature, so it is back for more work on Saturday.
My other appointment went well. I have lots of pre-surgery things to do. Cardiologist, endocrinologist, nutritionist...you know all fun stuff! The doctor would also like me to try a liquid protein diet for 30 days. I am actually very excited about this and hope it works as well as the say! I am super excited....and can't wait until Saturday!!!!
My other appointment went well. I have lots of pre-surgery things to do. Cardiologist, endocrinologist, nutritionist...you know all fun stuff! The doctor would also like me to try a liquid protein diet for 30 days. I am actually very excited about this and hope it works as well as the say! I am super excited....and can't wait until Saturday!!!!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Another day...
One day closer to my 2 appointments! I am getting super nervous about both! One is at 7:30 AM! So early! Those who know me know I love my sleep! The other is at 9 AM. Thankfully they are in the same area so we won't be driving around like crazy people.
Part of me wishes and hopes that the Clomid worked and this month will be a positive, while another part of me hopes I can get the surgery. 2 completely different outcomes. One will give us our baby, the other (hopefully) will make me healthier! I am just hoping for the best outcome either way. I am a firm believer of......If it's meant to be, it will happen. When Dave and I didn't get a house we put an offer in for, that was not the house for us! When the Biggest Loser didn't call us back after the casting call.....it wasn't meant to be. We can only do so much to better our chances of the best outcome, but it will happen when it's meant to happen!
We went to Target last night to get a pantry for the house we are renting. The pantry in the house has a leak in the back-we can't figure out if it's coming through the wall or form the sink. Either way, we had to throw away lots of food because everything was soaking wet. For the last couple of weeks we have had to store all our dry goods in plastic tubs in the living room....how fun! We finally decided enough was enough, we were getting some kind of storage for the dining room for the dry goods. We moved my mom's bakers rack to the other wall and put this tall pantry on the wall.....low and behold.....we have so much more room in the dining room now! And...no more tubs in the living room!!! Yay!! But anyway, we were at the Target and it seemed like everyone had an infant last night. As soon as we walked in...a pregnant lady, down the first aisle...a crying infant, down the second aisle...a dad with an infant in a car seat! Down the frozen foods aisle.....a babbling baby with her mom and dad.
You don't realize how many babies are out there until you have trouble conceiving, or you have lost one. Every story on the news about an abused child or a baby thrown away is like a knife in your heart. Why were they given the chance to be parents, but we aren't? So many questions run through your mind on a daily basis about everything! Did I throw away my opportunity to be a parent? I so desperately want to give my wonderful, loving DH a baby, so why can't I?
Well this blog took a sad turn didn't it? I will update tomorrow after my appointments! I am super excited and nervous!!!
Part of me wishes and hopes that the Clomid worked and this month will be a positive, while another part of me hopes I can get the surgery. 2 completely different outcomes. One will give us our baby, the other (hopefully) will make me healthier! I am just hoping for the best outcome either way. I am a firm believer of......If it's meant to be, it will happen. When Dave and I didn't get a house we put an offer in for, that was not the house for us! When the Biggest Loser didn't call us back after the casting call.....it wasn't meant to be. We can only do so much to better our chances of the best outcome, but it will happen when it's meant to happen!
We went to Target last night to get a pantry for the house we are renting. The pantry in the house has a leak in the back-we can't figure out if it's coming through the wall or form the sink. Either way, we had to throw away lots of food because everything was soaking wet. For the last couple of weeks we have had to store all our dry goods in plastic tubs in the living room....how fun! We finally decided enough was enough, we were getting some kind of storage for the dining room for the dry goods. We moved my mom's bakers rack to the other wall and put this tall pantry on the wall.....low and behold.....we have so much more room in the dining room now! And...no more tubs in the living room!!! Yay!! But anyway, we were at the Target and it seemed like everyone had an infant last night. As soon as we walked in...a pregnant lady, down the first aisle...a crying infant, down the second aisle...a dad with an infant in a car seat! Down the frozen foods aisle.....a babbling baby with her mom and dad.
You don't realize how many babies are out there until you have trouble conceiving, or you have lost one. Every story on the news about an abused child or a baby thrown away is like a knife in your heart. Why were they given the chance to be parents, but we aren't? So many questions run through your mind on a daily basis about everything! Did I throw away my opportunity to be a parent? I so desperately want to give my wonderful, loving DH a baby, so why can't I?
Well this blog took a sad turn didn't it? I will update tomorrow after my appointments! I am super excited and nervous!!!
Monday, July 20, 2009
First Post!
This is my first blog post ever! I am not really sure how to start it out, so I guess I will start with some background on us! My wonderful DH and I have been married for almost 3 months, but we have been together since January 2006. Our story started out simple, we met through mutual friends on New Year's Day 2006 and we began dating almost immediately.
We fell madly in love soon after we began dating and looked forward to our relationship growing. We found out we were pregnant in May 2006. It was definitely a shock and not planned. But we were so happy! We found out the baby had stopped growing at 8 weeks and we were told a d&c was the way to go. My body refused to miscarry the baby, even though we didn't find out until we were 9 weeks. For 2 weeks I walked around without knowing anything was wrong! I had the d&c and we grieved for our lost baby, who i called baby M.
After the d&c we learned an ovarian cyst was the likely cause of our miscarriage. It had grown large on my right ovary and basically took all the nutrients away from our little baby M. The cyst just grew and grew after the d&c. By the middle of July the cyst was so large the doctor basically told me not to do anything physical until I could have surgery. In the beginning of August the doctor took my right ovary and a cyst the size of a child out of my body. That was the beginning of our infertility battle.
I am only working with one ovary now, and it has cysts on a monthly basis. I have had to have a cyst drained this year, as well as a 10K shot of HcG to try and shrink another cyst! It is a never ending cyst battle! I have cysts in my liver as well! I call myself a cysty person!
We are currently seeing a wonderful doctor...we'll call him Dr. R. He is reproductive endocrinologist with lots of expertise in the field. I have been seeing him, and a nutritionist in his practice since January of this year. DH and I were not serious about getting pregnant until last year. We figured, if it happens, it happens. But that kind of thinking is not going to get us pregnant. We needed help in that area. The first RE is saw was a women...we'll call her Dr. M (for Mean!) She refused to help me, or give me any kind of medicine or surgery until I lost weight. That would have been fine, if I hadn't already been trying to loose weight with no success! I saw her for 5 months, in which she did nothing except run the standard tests. I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands. I switched my insurance from a referral needed to not necessary and did a lot of research. I asked the ladies on my infertility boards on Y if they recommended anyone in our area, and one name popped up.
We made an appointment in January to see Dr. R and the first thing he told me was, I will not require that you loose weight in order to treat you. It is a good idea to loose weight, it can only help in the process, but it is not necessary for my treatment!! He signed me up with his nutritionist, and I follow a meal plan program on the computer called LifeBalance. I have lost 17 lbs so far, which is not amazing but it is a step in the right direction.
We also tried Clomid for the first time this month, and I go in on Wednesday to see if it worked! I am trying not to get my hopes up, but it is so hard!
I also have an appointment on Wednesday with a bariatric surgeon to see if I am a good candidate for the lap band procedure. I am really looking forward to it. I feel like this could be the stepping stone that helps me reach my goal. DH is supportive of whatever I choose. The family doesn't want to see me go in for another surgery (I know it must be hard to watch someone in pain), but I feel like this is what I need to do!
I just wanted to start this blog to chronicle our journey better! I hope you enjoy it!!!
-S
We fell madly in love soon after we began dating and looked forward to our relationship growing. We found out we were pregnant in May 2006. It was definitely a shock and not planned. But we were so happy! We found out the baby had stopped growing at 8 weeks and we were told a d&c was the way to go. My body refused to miscarry the baby, even though we didn't find out until we were 9 weeks. For 2 weeks I walked around without knowing anything was wrong! I had the d&c and we grieved for our lost baby, who i called baby M.
After the d&c we learned an ovarian cyst was the likely cause of our miscarriage. It had grown large on my right ovary and basically took all the nutrients away from our little baby M. The cyst just grew and grew after the d&c. By the middle of July the cyst was so large the doctor basically told me not to do anything physical until I could have surgery. In the beginning of August the doctor took my right ovary and a cyst the size of a child out of my body. That was the beginning of our infertility battle.
I am only working with one ovary now, and it has cysts on a monthly basis. I have had to have a cyst drained this year, as well as a 10K shot of HcG to try and shrink another cyst! It is a never ending cyst battle! I have cysts in my liver as well! I call myself a cysty person!
We are currently seeing a wonderful doctor...we'll call him Dr. R. He is reproductive endocrinologist with lots of expertise in the field. I have been seeing him, and a nutritionist in his practice since January of this year. DH and I were not serious about getting pregnant until last year. We figured, if it happens, it happens. But that kind of thinking is not going to get us pregnant. We needed help in that area. The first RE is saw was a women...we'll call her Dr. M (for Mean!) She refused to help me, or give me any kind of medicine or surgery until I lost weight. That would have been fine, if I hadn't already been trying to loose weight with no success! I saw her for 5 months, in which she did nothing except run the standard tests. I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands. I switched my insurance from a referral needed to not necessary and did a lot of research. I asked the ladies on my infertility boards on Y if they recommended anyone in our area, and one name popped up.
We made an appointment in January to see Dr. R and the first thing he told me was, I will not require that you loose weight in order to treat you. It is a good idea to loose weight, it can only help in the process, but it is not necessary for my treatment!! He signed me up with his nutritionist, and I follow a meal plan program on the computer called LifeBalance. I have lost 17 lbs so far, which is not amazing but it is a step in the right direction.
We also tried Clomid for the first time this month, and I go in on Wednesday to see if it worked! I am trying not to get my hopes up, but it is so hard!
I also have an appointment on Wednesday with a bariatric surgeon to see if I am a good candidate for the lap band procedure. I am really looking forward to it. I feel like this could be the stepping stone that helps me reach my goal. DH is supportive of whatever I choose. The family doesn't want to see me go in for another surgery (I know it must be hard to watch someone in pain), but I feel like this is what I need to do!
I just wanted to start this blog to chronicle our journey better! I hope you enjoy it!!!
-S
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