We have an appointment with IVF Michigan this afternoon to discuss our eligibility for the Progesterone study they are participating in. We intend to ask some questions about what would be done differently in round 2, and how they feel about the conflicting advice from the other Doctor. More to come tomorrow ...
In the mean time, my wife has a cold, so is in bed with Cooper at home. I feel for her ... she had a bladder infection last week, which turned to a cold before the weekend, now it looks like it's turning into a stomach flu or some other diarrhea causing ailment. I've tried to leave work early (5:30 p.m.) the past few days to take care of her ... that's something that is frowned on in my line of work. I'm starting to feel the pressure of this job a little bit. The experience is great, I love the nature of what I'm doing, it's just the hours are treacherous. What's worse is the uncertainty of where you'll be from week to week. To think, I haven't even had to travel that much yet. When that kicks in, the stress and anxiety caused by this job will go to a whole new level. I'll cross that bridge when I get there ... for now, the mantra continues: Doing this for my family ... doing this for my family ... doing this for my family.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Update on Study
Just talked to the nurse regarding the study we've been invited to participate in. She didn't provide a lot of details, but she said she believes the study will assess two new forms of Progesterone: One is a vaginal ring, and the other is a suppository. She said they looked through their files and my wife appeared to be a good fit for participation in the study, but some further screening would be required. She believed there would be a $4,000 discount on the cost (not too shabby ...)
Anyhow, we have an appointment to meet with the Doctor next Tuesday. I'll provide an update afterwards. We're now in a bit of a pickle: We still have more traditional testing to explore with our second Doctor (i.e. those tests that we bypassed prior to our first round of IVF ... see prior posts), but have this discounted IVF #2 opportunity to explore as well. Do we once again "pass go" and proceed directly to IVF? Or, do we forgo this opportunity in favor of getting to the bottom of what is really preventing our pregnancy?
We're going to explore further and see if we actually are candidates before we debate this too much - $4k is a significant savings that we would be foolish to walk away from without at least exploring it some more. We feel pretty fortunate for even being considered for this trial ... it's a good opportunity that we will not take for granted. Just want to be sure we're doing what's right for us.
Stay tuned ...
Anyhow, we have an appointment to meet with the Doctor next Tuesday. I'll provide an update afterwards. We're now in a bit of a pickle: We still have more traditional testing to explore with our second Doctor (i.e. those tests that we bypassed prior to our first round of IVF ... see prior posts), but have this discounted IVF #2 opportunity to explore as well. Do we once again "pass go" and proceed directly to IVF? Or, do we forgo this opportunity in favor of getting to the bottom of what is really preventing our pregnancy?
We're going to explore further and see if we actually are candidates before we debate this too much - $4k is a significant savings that we would be foolish to walk away from without at least exploring it some more. We feel pretty fortunate for even being considered for this trial ... it's a good opportunity that we will not take for granted. Just want to be sure we're doing what's right for us.
Stay tuned ...
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Interesting Opportunity (I Hope)
My wife has a voicemail on her phone from the nurse at Dr. S.'s office asking if she wants to participate in a study ... no details provided on the study itself, but it instantly triggers thoughts of "FREE IN VITRO!" in my head. If you would have told me 10 years ago that such a thought would ever be generated by my brain, let alone that I would be excited by it, I wouldn't have believed it.
I will be calling them tomorrow to find out more details. Apparently we have to have a consultation to see if we qualify. Stay tuned ...
Perhaps this is an elaborate way for Dr. S's office to find out who is writing this blog ... maybe they came across it, found what could be deemed disparaging remarks about their clinic and wanted to smoke out the culprit. They entice us with an opportunity like I hope this study to be, fully expecting that if it is indeed the author of this blog to whom the offer was extended, a story such as the one I am currently writing would end up on it. I'm thinking that is not really the case, but sleuth activity such as this would definitely spice up the whole infertility thing.
I should make a disclaimer: I intend no disrespect to Dr. S. or IVF Michigan in my posts on this blog - they are a very successful clinic, and I'm sure that success is driven primarily by the capabilities and talents of their staff. We just wanted to explore other options. We haven't made any decisions yet as we feel more data needs to be collected to tell the full story. We may very well end up back with Dr. S. for a 2nd round (especially if it's free!)
I will be calling them tomorrow to find out more details. Apparently we have to have a consultation to see if we qualify. Stay tuned ...
Perhaps this is an elaborate way for Dr. S's office to find out who is writing this blog ... maybe they came across it, found what could be deemed disparaging remarks about their clinic and wanted to smoke out the culprit. They entice us with an opportunity like I hope this study to be, fully expecting that if it is indeed the author of this blog to whom the offer was extended, a story such as the one I am currently writing would end up on it. I'm thinking that is not really the case, but sleuth activity such as this would definitely spice up the whole infertility thing.
I should make a disclaimer: I intend no disrespect to Dr. S. or IVF Michigan in my posts on this blog - they are a very successful clinic, and I'm sure that success is driven primarily by the capabilities and talents of their staff. We just wanted to explore other options. We haven't made any decisions yet as we feel more data needs to be collected to tell the full story. We may very well end up back with Dr. S. for a 2nd round (especially if it's free!)
Monday, January 14, 2008
Hairspray
If you're a guy and you're reading this, and if you value your masculinity even a little, please don't ever buy the movie Hairspray for your wife. If you ignore this advice you will forever have songs like "Good Morning Baltimore" and "You Can't Stop The Beat" stuck in your head alongside images of Travolta in a fat-suit dancing around with Queen Latifah. And after enough viewings (which there will be WAY MORE than you could ever care to imagine after your wife establishes absolute, tyrannical control of the DVD player, remote and TV) you will even start to like it a little. Emphasis on LITTLE.
I tried to nip this situation in the bud by giving my wife's copy to my sister-in-law, convincing my wife it would be okay because she bought the fullscreen version and should really get the widescreen version for better viewing on our TV at home. This only resulted in my wife purchasing the widescreen version on our very next trip to Target as well as the soundtrack, which we had to listen to on the way home and immediately watch the DVD once we got there!
How does this relate to infertility? Come on ... there's no way such an environment can be even remotely beneficial to sperm development. I would guess my morphology issues have been compounded by the fact that my sperm are wearing skirts and singing showtunes - they're dancing to the songs stuck in my head when they should be swimming.
I tried to nip this situation in the bud by giving my wife's copy to my sister-in-law, convincing my wife it would be okay because she bought the fullscreen version and should really get the widescreen version for better viewing on our TV at home. This only resulted in my wife purchasing the widescreen version on our very next trip to Target as well as the soundtrack, which we had to listen to on the way home and immediately watch the DVD once we got there!
How does this relate to infertility? Come on ... there's no way such an environment can be even remotely beneficial to sperm development. I would guess my morphology issues have been compounded by the fact that my sperm are wearing skirts and singing showtunes - they're dancing to the songs stuck in my head when they should be swimming.
4 Happy Young Couples
Our open house was a success - no bid yet, but we had 4 "nice young couples" stop in to see the place. In this market (Michigan) that seems pretty good to me. They all have homes of their own that need to sell first, of course, but they liked our house and will hopefully keep it on their radar until they find good fortune in the sale of their own homes. I'm hoping they left our house with that feeling of anxiety, i.e. "I love this house - we need to sell our house ASAP so we don't miss this opportunity! Maybe we should lower our price!?!?" If you've ever bought a home before, you know the feeling. Anyway, fingers crossed on this one ... more than anything we just want a house with a fenced backyard for Cooper to run around in, acting like an idiot, thinking he is a deer or vicious predator. Is it pathetic to want such amenities for a dog?!?
My wife's cycle is starting right now, so we're off to the store to get some Easy Blue Ovulation Predictor Kits. I might try one out just for kicks - or wait, maybe I'll just go "eliminate" on the wood pile in the back yard like I always do ... it's good to be a guy.
Mondays are long - my wife has two grad classes after work and I usually don't get home until after 8 p.m., so Cooper has a long day of being locked in the bathroom before him. We were watching TV last night feeling sorry for ourselves since the weekend was over (correction: feeling sorry for my wife due to the impending Monday) We tuned in to that show where the Asian dude and his wife had twins, then sextuplets for a grand total of 8 kids (something like "John and Kate Plus Six Equals Eight" ... er, wait, the math doesn't work out on that ... nevermind, you get the point) That girls stomach when she was pregnant (from infertility treatments) looks like a freaking atom bomb, or some type of warhead-equipped explosive device - HUGE! Anyhow, if we thought we had it rough with a little puppy at home and two grad classes on a Monday, we had nothing to complain about. These people drive around in a Dodge Sprinter as their daily driver. Their kids are adorable, but there's so many of them! I can't imagine how they begin to afford the daily expenses of rearing that many children. Anyhow, it was good to have a reality check. Thank God it's Monday!
My wife's cycle is starting right now, so we're off to the store to get some Easy Blue Ovulation Predictor Kits. I might try one out just for kicks - or wait, maybe I'll just go "eliminate" on the wood pile in the back yard like I always do ... it's good to be a guy.
Mondays are long - my wife has two grad classes after work and I usually don't get home until after 8 p.m., so Cooper has a long day of being locked in the bathroom before him. We were watching TV last night feeling sorry for ourselves since the weekend was over (correction: feeling sorry for my wife due to the impending Monday) We tuned in to that show where the Asian dude and his wife had twins, then sextuplets for a grand total of 8 kids (something like "John and Kate Plus Six Equals Eight" ... er, wait, the math doesn't work out on that ... nevermind, you get the point) That girls stomach when she was pregnant (from infertility treatments) looks like a freaking atom bomb, or some type of warhead-equipped explosive device - HUGE! Anyhow, if we thought we had it rough with a little puppy at home and two grad classes on a Monday, we had nothing to complain about. These people drive around in a Dodge Sprinter as their daily driver. Their kids are adorable, but there's so many of them! I can't imagine how they begin to afford the daily expenses of rearing that many children. Anyhow, it was good to have a reality check. Thank God it's Monday!
Friday, January 11, 2008
Explody House
So the house didn't blow up, and Cooper lived to see another day so that he could pee on our bed in the middle of the night.
This will be a busy weekend - we're going to see Juno tonight (about a girl who gets pregnant and gives the baby up for adoption, or something like that) Our Realtor is doing an open house at our home on Sunday which means we'll spend all day Saturday cleaning and preparing. Our house looks sweet when it's cleaned - we did a lot of work since purchasing it in 2005 including granite countertops, stainless appliances, hardwood floors throughout, refinished master bath, new carpet, paint, etc. We're listed about 10% below what we paid in 2005 - perhaps a bit high still, but we have a lot of value in our home that much of the competition lacks. I'm hoping for a strong open house and (fingers crossed) a bid.
I like to cook, so I'm going to make dinner for my wife on Saturday night- recipe below:
Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp and Vegetables
8 ounces Angel Hair Pasta
2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and julienned
1/4 pound snow peas, trimmed
1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
I'll spare the cooking directions as they are pretty straight forward. I intend to modify by adding lemon, and maybe some Cajun spice in place of white pepper.
So long as I get my home gym assembled, I'll start working out this weekend and will thus be unable to type due to debilitating muscle soreness early next week. One time in high school I worked out and was so sore I couldn't even put a dip of tobacco in my mouth. I could hardly bend my elbows and was required to lean my head back while holding a pinch of snuff a few inches above my mouth while sprinkling the tobacco onto my tongue, pushing it all tweenst cheek and gum.
It's a good thing I don't chew tobacco anymore.
Have a good weekend.
This will be a busy weekend - we're going to see Juno tonight (about a girl who gets pregnant and gives the baby up for adoption, or something like that) Our Realtor is doing an open house at our home on Sunday which means we'll spend all day Saturday cleaning and preparing. Our house looks sweet when it's cleaned - we did a lot of work since purchasing it in 2005 including granite countertops, stainless appliances, hardwood floors throughout, refinished master bath, new carpet, paint, etc. We're listed about 10% below what we paid in 2005 - perhaps a bit high still, but we have a lot of value in our home that much of the competition lacks. I'm hoping for a strong open house and (fingers crossed) a bid.
I like to cook, so I'm going to make dinner for my wife on Saturday night- recipe below:
Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp and Vegetables
8 ounces Angel Hair Pasta
2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and julienned
1/4 pound snow peas, trimmed
1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
I'll spare the cooking directions as they are pretty straight forward. I intend to modify by adding lemon, and maybe some Cajun spice in place of white pepper.
So long as I get my home gym assembled, I'll start working out this weekend and will thus be unable to type due to debilitating muscle soreness early next week. One time in high school I worked out and was so sore I couldn't even put a dip of tobacco in my mouth. I could hardly bend my elbows and was required to lean my head back while holding a pinch of snuff a few inches above my mouth while sprinkling the tobacco onto my tongue, pushing it all tweenst cheek and gum.
It's a good thing I don't chew tobacco anymore.
Have a good weekend.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Light
So I left work at about 8:00 p.m. last night, raced to the fitness store to buy my home gym (and a very nice set it is - was very impressed with the build quality in person) got home at 9:30 p.m., unloaded three very large, heavy boxes containing the weight set into the garage, went upstairs to say hi to my wife (who was in bed, half asleep), went downstairs to fix the furnace (faulty ignition control unit), took the dog outside, went to bed, woke up to a freezing cold house (my furnace repairs didn't work), removed the faulty ignition control unit, installed and wired a new one, turned furnace back on and crossed fingers so house wouldn't explode, saw flame jets, felt heat, got in car, called boss to say I'd be late and went to work ... phew ... long day with hardly a glimpse of my wife. I don't like that very much ... I left the house at 8 a.m. - it was light outside. This was the first time I've seen my yard or house in daylight in ages (usually when I leave and get home it is pitch black)
Now I'm worried that my furnace repairs may not have been done incorrectly, and that the house is filling with gas, or that the furnace didn't shut off / turn on and Cooper is sweating / freezing his little balls off (which he won't have for long - the vet intends to remove them in two months - this is the tie-in to infertility in this post ... we're dragging Cooper down with us! At least he'll know why he can't reproduce.)
I can't wait until my wife gets home to make sure the house is still there, then, I can't wait to get home to see my wife.
That is all.
Now I'm worried that my furnace repairs may not have been done incorrectly, and that the house is filling with gas, or that the furnace didn't shut off / turn on and Cooper is sweating / freezing his little balls off (which he won't have for long - the vet intends to remove them in two months - this is the tie-in to infertility in this post ... we're dragging Cooper down with us! At least he'll know why he can't reproduce.)
I can't wait until my wife gets home to make sure the house is still there, then, I can't wait to get home to see my wife.
That is all.
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