Nuchal Scan and Update

On March 23, 2015, I went to my OB/GYN for my NT scan. Boy oh boy was that an experience!

First, any scans are done no later than 1:00pm so we scheduled it at an earlier time of 10:00am so that we're not leaving work too early and not getting to work too late. We got to sleep in, get breakfast AND go to lunch together... It was awesome! I got into the room for the scan and the woman came in shortly after to set everything up. The scan began and the baby was being super uncooperative! We had never seen it move before and this time it was moving around like craaaazy! It was flipping around, kicking itself back and forth, flopping like a fish, mooning us, turning its back to us... It even grabbed its foot and pulled it up by its face!! This went on for 20 minutes. The woman doing the scan said she needed a break because her hand was starting to cramp up and we needed to see if the baby would chill out for a second so she could get it at the right angle. Well the hubby got down to belly level and spoke into my belly button (he has been doing this every morning since I was 6 weeks along and sometimes at night... He says the belly button is the loudspeaker and the best way for the baby to hear him). He told the baby it needed to cooperate for the nice lady and lay still and flat so we could make sure everything was okay. I told the baby it needed to cooperate or it was going to get a needle poking in (amnio) and no ice cream for being good.

She came back in the room after a few minutes and got everything ready to go again. Wouldn't you know that the baby laid perfectly still and flat like its daddy told it to do?! She got the measurement she needed and we got a few cute photos to take home and stare at. Ryan video taped almost the whole thing and took photos of the screen. We were both in awe of our moving, healthy baby. Here is the debut of the Craig Nugget at 12 weeks:

 

We are excited (mainly me) that the woman said based on the scan results and depending on my blood test (which came back normal a few days later), I won't need to have an amnio if I don't want to. I do not want to! We've paid too much for this baby to risk miscarriage now. Also, we have no genetic issues or predispositions for anything so neither of us are worried. I still have time so if they think something is wrong, I will get it done.

I did get my latest testosterone results. It is still increasing but the increase has slowed a little bit. My endo said he's not concerned about it because it is my PCOS reacting to the pregnancy and as long as nothing has been detected as being wrong, there should be no problems with the baby. He also said it could be due to me being pregnant with a male and that would cause my testosterone to rise.

I have my anatomy scan scheduled for May 19th and we will find out if we're having a boy or girl! We're excited to find out what we're having but also excited to see our baby again!! All of our family and friends are eager to find out too but they won't find out until our gender reveal party at the end of May :-)

Welp, that's life I guess...

Well ladies (and gents if you're reading too), life has a funny way of moving sometimes. God has a funny way of answering prayers.

If you have been following along, you know Ryan and I have been trying our darnedest to create a life... From many doctor's appointments to blood tests (oh the blood loss!) to medication to thousands of dollars to negative results to many prayers and priesthood blessings. It has been a long, hard journey.

I am here to say, today we can announce that we have kicked PCOS in the butt and told it to kick bricks! We are officially able to announce the arrival of Baby Craig, due October 2, 2015!!

We are over the moon excited, words can't even begin to explain how excited we are.

If you have been following along, you also know that this round has been different, in both results and feeling. I didn't have to re-dose my Letrozole or put on my estrogen patches, which is significant progress. I will tell you, that at my baseline u/s appointment, when I began round 4, my doctor recommended IUI but I refused, I wanted it to work its course this time and if we became desperate, then we'd go that route. During round 3, I told God in a frustrated prayer (and kept repeating the prayer throughout the long round) that I wanted to be pregnant by my 25th birthday, no ifs ands or buts. Well I tested on December 22nd and what do you know? I got a BFN! Bummer. I repeated my prayer, in hopes that maybe I would be. I stopped my prometrium and waited to be able to start the next cycle. Usually, I get my period the next or 2 after I stop the medication, well that didn't happen... This is where it gets good (and a little TMI)!! I started the morning of my 25th birthday... If anyone knows anything about pregnancy and timing, you know that the first day of pregnancy is counted to be the first day of your last period. Goosebumps right?!

Well I thought of that, of course after I was a little frustrated that I got a negative test. I thanked him for giving me a good sign and prayed that this round would be THE one! You can read more about the doctor's appointments, etc. in the previous post, I'll save you the details and time in this one. I can tell you though, that this round was different and better.

I took a test on January 24, 2015 and this is what it looked like:

We took that as being positive but wanted to wait and test again before calling my RE for a blood test to confirm. Well as you can see below, we've gotten nothing but stronger positives. The tests are a little old in the pictures below (hence the lines fading and the yellow coloring) but as you can see, they are all positive!

Amen! Hallelujah! On Monday, January 26, 2015, I went into the doctor to get the blood test done. My HCG was at an 88, which definitely means I'm pregnant. He had me go in on Friday, January 30, 2015 for a follow-up just to make sure my levels were increasing at the rate they should be and they were, the new level was at 468! My RE said he would like to see it somewhere between 375-400, so they were great in his book. We went in for an ultrasound on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 to see if there is a heartbeat and too see our baby for the first time!

On the 11th, we were able to see our little bundle of joy! We found out it is actually due on October 5th, 2015, not the previously calculated October 2nd... Which is fine by me! The baby is measuring at almost a 1/2 inch long :-)

We also got to hear the heartbeat, which my doctor was surprised at because a lot of times, the heartbeat can't be heard so early. He saw its little heart fluttering on the screen though and thought he'd try. He said it needs to be at least 100 bpm and our little nugget's was at 120 bpm! Woot woot! Strong little heartbeat, which is a great thing! I did do more blood work. My progesterone level dipped a little bit but nothing that my RE is concerned with. My testosterone also spiked ridiculously (119 to 221) in a month so he said we need to really monitor that. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about it during pregnancy so we'll just have to deal with it as it goes along.

We returned to see him on February 25, 2015 to make sure everything was still going well, developing and to see if the heart rate increased. The baby's size has increased 3x what it was before (6mm to 18mm) and the heart rate was a strong, loud 176. So the baby is growing strong!!

I will say that I have had two scares of a very tiny amount of spotting that was brown and pink but still scary, prior to having my second appointment. My RE said it is nothing to worry about if its not red and not a lot because the progesterone tablets can irritate the cervix and cause some bleeding. Since the baby looked great when we went in, he reassured me that everything was great.

I got released from my RE's care and into the care of a regular OB/GYN (which is normal) since everything was going well and REs don't deliver. I got to see him on March 9, 2015.

When I saw the new doctor, we waited FOREVER!!! 45 minutes after our appointment time, which made us late to a new teach Ryan was coaching (luckily, he's not the only coach). We get into the room, I'm removed to get my weight and BP... waited 15 minutes for her to do all of that and ask the same questions that I had already answered on my registration forms. I go back into the room and we wait another 20 minutes before the doctor comes in. He is finally in there, asking questions, giving us the standard pregnant talk and then makes us wait a little longer because the nurse needed to come in because apparently I needed to have a quick pelvic swab, breast exam, lung check and belly rub. Overall, I like him. What really stunned me was the waiting. We had to rush to get the girls to their hockey practice and they had to put their equipment on faster than ever before... It was crazy!

I go in to take my NT scan on March 23, 2015 to check my chances of any birth defects or down syndrome... I'm crossing fingers the chances are low because I REALLY don't want to do an amnio or CVS test... I HATE needles/shots and to have one in my stomach pulling fluid out that could potentially cause a miscarriage of the baby we have worked so hard and paid so much for would REALLY peev me! I'll write more on the test at a later time in  a different post.

And lastly, we plan on going on a couple hospital tours. I know its early BUT we are not sure where we are planning to deliver since my OB/GYN delivers at a couple places. We are going to look at ease of getting there, size of birthing/recovery suites, neonatal care, friendliness of staff, etc. and then make our decision from there :-)

Progress

So good news!

I went into the doctor on December 31, 2014 for my baseline ultrasound and to begin my next round of Letrozole. Everything was fine so we started the dose of Letrozole. Well I dropped the pills in Ryan's car on the second day and lost two (still haven't found them to this day) but that didn't stop me from taking the rest of the dose like normal except only take two on the last day. I didn't use my patches this time.

I went in for a follow-up to on January 6, 2015 to see how everything was going and wouldn't you know, my lining was perfect and I had a few follicles that were 13 and 14! I've not had such a great, quick growth this whole time. I went back in on Friday, January 9, 2015 to see if I was ready for my shot. I wasn't but I did have a 15 and two 19s, so I was told to take the shot Sunday to give myself a little extra time for them to grow.

On Sunday, January 11, 2015, I took an ovulation test prior to taking my shot because I'm weird and because I wanted to see if my body was doing things on it's own.... It was! I got a light line (which means my body was in the beginning stages of O'ing)!!!! I was more than excited! Of course I still followed doctor's orders and administered my shot (well the hubby did and I didn't even know he did it... a refreshing change from the usual anticipation and stress about the shot lol). Timed as doctor has ordered.

I start to take the Progesterone on Wednesday and hopefully will have a positive test by the end of the month!

I can tell you that this time around has felt completely different than every other time I've done this. I'm really crossing fingers and praying for this to work this time! I would love nothing more!

New Year

Its a new year, which means resolution time... Oh those blasted resolutions. The time of year that stores love more than Black Friday! Its the time of year when we, as a society, decide to change something about ourselves (physical, mental, habitual, etc.) to make ourselves better. Many times people chose to have goals like lose weight, save money, be more kind, stop smoking... the list goes on and on and on.

With said resolutions, people tend to buy the things they need in order to make their resolutions the best. I was at Walmart last night getting a few things and out in the front, where their women's clothing usually is, there sat a row of ellipticals and treadmills, waiting for someone to buy them.... And wouldn't you know it, an overweight man with 5 boxes of Nutrisystem and a few large containers of protein powder in his cart was testing out a treadmill and bought it. I really hope this gentleman attains his goals and loses however much weight he wants/needs to and feels better! The problem with most resolutions though is that people give up after a month or two, or before even trying at all. I am no different.

This year I have made goals (resolutions). They are as follows:

1) Lose at least 20 pounds by May (5 months, 4 pounds a month).
2) Get pregnant and have a healthy child.
3) Change my dietary habits to be healthier (follow the Alton Brown plan).
4) Have breakfast 5 out of 7 mornings per week.
5) Take the LSAT (and get a great score).
6) Complete monthly goals around the house

For me those seem simple (with the exception of the getting pregnant). I think making these changes will not only help me wake up in the morning but also make me feel better and heighten my changes of pregnancy.

The Alton Brown plan is as follows:

Consume Daily:
-dark leafy greens
-nuts
-carrots
-green tea
-whole grains
-fruits (especially purple ones)
-water

Consume 3x a week:
-yogurt
-cauliflower
-broccoli
-sweet potato
-avocado
-oily fish (sardines, herring, anchovies, tuna, salmon, trout and mackerel)
-tofu

Consume 1x a week:
-red meat
-white starch (pasta, white bread, rice and potatoes)
-desserts
-alcohol

Never Consume:
-soda
-processed meals
-canned soups
-"diet" anything

I am meal planning as I type this. So far, I started my day off with the smoothie recipe he uses which consists of Acai, Soymilk, blueberries, strawberries, mango, pineapple, raspberries, blackberries, and banana. It was delish! The only part I didn't like was the banana had a funny taste too it... they weren't ripe enough. We're eating overnight oats tomorrow so it will give the bananas time to get more ripe :-)

Lucky for me, my husband is ready to lose weight too and get healthier right along with me so we can motivate each other! I am hoping to lose much needed weight... Even though the end result will hopefully be getting larger (with child) hahah its a backwards life we PCOS'ers live!

What are you New Year's resolutions? How do you plan on keeping them for the year?

My husband and teal toes.

It's official folks, the verdict is in, my husband is the cutest!

He is not perfect by any means and he's made some mistakes (who hasn't) but he's mine and he's improving. My husband and I didn't have a 100% grasp on all things PCOS (he is a guy and I am new to having it)... He had less of a grasp on it all. I think because it was the unknown and he doesn't research things to death like me, it seemed to be too much for him so he just took my word for it.

On Friday, I had a lot of downtime at work so I was on Pinterest looking around and a little picture that had the PCOS diet summarized came up and so I clicked on it. I had a bit about things I shouldn't eat/drink but hadn't gotten any concrete evidence for it so I wondered if the people who created this pin might... They did! They had ton of other info so I just kept reading. I ended up copying some of the links and sending them to my husband.

Now usually when I send him something at work, he doesn't read it because he doesn't check his personal email or he doesn't have time because they are swamped. At the end of the day when he finally checks his email, he's usually in the car with me (we ride together because we work right around the corner from each other) and when he sees its something from me, he usually asks "What was that article/link/video/etc. about?" and I usually summarize. I thought this time would be no different since it was the day after a game, which is usually one of his busiest days. He proved me wrong. This time, he called me a little after lunch, tearing up a little, and said "I had no idea that is what you are dealing with! It is making me sad to know the extend of what you are going through. I would like to talk to you about it after work. I love you." and then we hung the phone up pretty quickly after that because he had to go back to work and I had a call on the other line. I couldn't believe it... He had read all 10 articles I had sent him AND gotten emotional about them. I was soooo excited he had actually read them. They weren't very long but it meant so much that he was willing to educate himself on what I am going through and that he now has a better grasp on it. Towards the end of the day, he started creating some shirts on this t-shirt design website about PCOS. They were teal and had different sayings and pictures he combined to make some pretty cool shirts.

He gets in the cars, tears in his eyes, and says "You are so strong. I can't believe that you have to deal with that everyday. I wish I could take that pain and burden away from you. I will do anything to help you." He proceeds to tell me he did some research on his own and found out a lot of stuff. One thing he found out and was very insistent on doing is called "Teal Toes". I had no idea it existed until he told me about it. Apparently, women with PCOS with paint their toes only teal with the hopes that someone with notice that they are always teal and ask about it. It is an opportunity for them to explain what PCOS is and raise awareness. My husband wanted to do this. I thought he was kidding but sure enough, when we were at the store buying a few things, he picked out a teal nail polish and had me paint his toes last night. My husbands toes are teal!! He thinks it will raise more questions as to why a guy is wearing teal nail polish on his toes than why a girl chooses the same color all the time. I'm sure he'll get some questions. Maybe not now because it is winter but when the weather breaks and he's able to wear sandals and walk barefoot, he'll get questions.

Guys, how did I get so lucky to have such a supportive (and crazy) husband?! He is so amazing! I am sooo elated that he is willing to research PCOS to get a better idea of what is going on inside me. I usually keep things to myself because I don't want to be one of those girls who complains all the time or brings attention to myself, even with my husband, so he didn't really know what was happening inside. I know this post makes it sound like out relationship is bad or that he doesn't care, but I can tell you its far from that. He is very supportive and loving and caring, he just might not always read the silly articles or news articles I send him but when it comes to anything else, he is always attentive. When I do complain about symptoms, he is there to lend an ear, he lends a shoulder to cry on if I need it and is ready to get me anything I need to make me feel better. He is wonderful (if he wasn't, I wouldn't have married him). I just had to brag on him for a little bit. He is wonderful and I love him.

Has anyone else's husband done anything like this or some act to show awareness or compassion towards your PCOS journey?

No good news....

Unfortunately, I have no good news to deliver as I hoped that I might. I took my test on Saturday, November 8 and it was negative. I took another one yesterday in hopes that I needed more time because I really felt "different" but no such luck. That is perfectly fine though!

So since the last time I posted, I have injected myself with my Ovidrel shot as directed by my doctor and had timed intercourse. I used my progesterone pills as directed by my doctor as well and tested on Saturday. Obviously this round didn't work. To say we were bummed would be an understatement. We were really hoping this would be the round because I felt so different this time around than last time.

The light at the end of the tunnel is that we can try again this month! Another set of good news is that hubby's work FINALLY got the insurance situation figured out! After 3 loooooong months of them fiddle-farting around with their computer errors and whatnot, we have finally been able to sign up for next year. I'm not sure if they will let us sign up for this year because of the whole policy where you need to sign up by day 31 of employment. If we aren't able to, my husband has sent an email to the lady who has been "working" on them problem and told her that we will be sending her all medical bills that would be covered by insurance from the date of eligibility to December 31 and expect full reimbursement. Since hubby's insurance covers infertility services, they would be reimbursing us for 3-4 rounds (depending on when it all falls or if I get pregnant) of infertility services, which is a nice chunk of change since we've been having to pay cash for all of it.... $1078/round, $6 for letrozole/round, $22-32 for Ovidrel/round, $108 prometrium/round, $113 for estridol/ 1 round (so far, I will most likely use it again this round).... That is right around $3,765.00 for three rounds (so this upcoming round is included in that)... I would love to get all or most of that back from his company for their mistake. And this doesn't even include my husband's most recent trip to the doctor where he was diagnosed with bronchitis and a sinus infection! The biggest problem that we have had through all of this is that the person who held the position prior to my husband, had no issues getting insurance and he had the same position and type (lower hourly pay) but all of a sudden when my husband got the position, there was some crazy issue with it all in the computer and the way they entered him in. I'm glad they got it fixed but we could have had all of this stuff covered had they just done it all properly or looked into it the first 5 times we asked why he wasn't eligible.

So back on track now (sorry for the rant!). I will be going in for my baseline ultrasound on Thursday and hope by then we will have insurance coverage and if not, then we'll just add it to his tab at work lol I really hope this round works! I think we have found a good combination of medication, a good dosage of the Letrozole and my body seems to be prepping itself for this to happen! I would love to be pregnant by Christmas! Should I get pregnant by Christmas, I could schedule the first heartbeat to be heard on my husband's birthday!! I would love to be able to have him hear the first heartbeat on his birthday... It would such a wonderful blessing, present and moment in our lives :-)

I have just found out that one of my dearest friends has PCOS and has dealt with it since she was a teenager. She is currently pregnant and due very soon. I am so elated to know that she has gone through the same struggle we have and it has been successful for her! God has a funny way of putting people into our lives at just the right moments, even though you don't realize it. He wanted us to be put together 4 years ago and create a special bond before we both began struggling with the same issue of infertility! God is so good!

I am hopeful that this works this time around! I am really excited and feel that this could be it! I have my baseline appointment on Thursday, November 13 (my grandma's birthday) to see if everything is ready to go to start round 3. Please pray for this appointment and my journey... I need all the help I can get!

You know what they say, the 3rd times a charm, right?

Praise the Lord!!

For the record, yes I am a religious person, hence the title! The Lord has moved in me ladies and gentlemen!

So this month has been crazy! I'll give you a brief synopsis if you are just joining me in my journey:

-Went to my RE for an ultrasound to make sure everything was fine and dandy to start round 2. Everything looked great.
-Took my Letrozole and wore Estrogen patches. The patches were used to build up my lining since in round 1 it was a little on the thin side.
-Started slightly spotting and also found out I had a UTI (fun!)
-Went in to see my RE a week later and my follicles were on average 10-12mm and my lining was at about 12.5, I believe. I scheduled an appointment for a few days later to check the growth.
-Went to my RE and found out my follicles and lining were shrinking! I was disappointed but my RE put me back on a higher dose of Letrozole and told me to come back later that week to see how everything is going.
-Went back to RE for another ultrasound and there wasn't much growth so he told me to come back in a week to see another doctor (he was going to be on vaca that week).

Now that you are up to speed on my progress, I will tell you about the appointment I had this morning.

First, I was praying for the entire 30 minute drive to the appointment. I didn't have such a good feeling about this appointment so I have been doubting my ability since the follicles and lining started to shrink. I told him this morning that I wanted it to happen by my 25th birthday and I was leaving it in his hands. I was done worrying and being down on myself, I put it in his hands to work his miracles.

Second, I was running about 5-10 minutes behind because of traffic, so that was fun... I hate running behind to doctor's appointments! I get there, check in and wait. They finally call me back and take my weight and blood pressure. I get into the room, the nurse goes over my information since I'm new to this doctor and tells me to undress from the waist down (standard procedure).... And I wait more. The doctor didn't come into my room until an hour past my appointment time! I was kind of getting impatient because even though I was a few minutes late and just as I started to get impatient, she walks in the room.

I tell you what, not only was Dr. D very apologetic for running behind (she explained they double booked her since my doc is out of town) but she was also very nice. She was excited to see how I was doing (I had not met her prior to this) but she was genuinely excited to check.

Well I must report good news now! I have two follicles on my left side that are ready to go! My lining is perfect! I have one follicle on my right side that is pretty good size but not 100% the perfect size. Dr. D told me to take my shot today and have intercourse today, tomorrow and Saturday, then start my Prometrium on Sunday evening and finally, I test on November 8. AHHHHH!!!!! I am so excited and haven't been able to stop smiling! Dr. D said she'd cross her fingers for me and wished me great luck!

Guys, this could seriously be happening right now! I could be pregnant on that day! I could have a child in my arms by the middle of July! Eeeek! I'm overjoyed! My prayer is for this to come true and to happen!