Day 25 or Day 9 past ovulation

After my last post, my doctor prescribed 2 mg of estrogen by patch to be changed every 72 hours. The estogen patch is referred to as a "dot" but is more patch-like than anything. I have been on the estrogen patch for 10 days. I place them on my body in the evening and change them every three days. The first few days, I went to bed at 9:30 or so and woke up at 3:30. I was not able to go back to sleep. I have since noticed that my sleep is better but not great. I have trouble sleeping anyway so I am not sure this is entirely estrogen patch related.

The past week was Thanksgiving week. I was super busy. I left work at 3:30 on Wednesday, ran errands, arrived home, cleaned (a lot), and began preparing our Thanksgiving meal. I got up around 7:45 Thanksgiving morning and finished the cooking. We ate around 2:30 then played board games. I went to bed around 9:00. We woke up at 4:30 the following morning to participate in the annual Black Friday shopping tradition. We finished shopping and were at my parents by 10:30 a.m. We ate around 1:00 and by 2:30, I was wiped. My husband and I made it home around 3:30. I slept from then until about 6:00. I got up the following morning, got ready for the day, laid down on the couch around 10:00 and napped most of that day. Sunday, I rejoined the world and did some light grocery shopping. I am back to work today and feel about the same. My energy levels have not been great in years so it is difficult to tell what type of effect the treatment is having on my overall energy level. I suspect that my PCOS has impacted my general ability to sleep and feel rested but I am not certain as to what extent.

I have noticed some breast tenderness and my nipples are tender. They seem to be slightly peeling as if they were swollen and the swelling has gone down. Other than the noted conditions, I have not noticed any other changes. I do not feel particulary pregnant but I remain hopeful that this treatment worked.

Day 15 Ultrasound and HGC Shot

This morning was my day 15 ultrasound. It was good. I had one follicle that measured 19 mm, one measuring 13 mm, and one measuring 12 mm. The 19 mm is great news. This is the one most likely to mature and release. This is a 3 mm increase over last month on the same day. Because the largest of the follicles was in the desired range, the nurse gave me my shot in the office. She also remarked that my ovaries are looking less polycystic. This gives me hope that the drug/diet/no smoking combo seems to be working. Since I am not sure which is the red herring and which is actually producing results, I will continue my current course and pray for the best.

It is also worth noting that my lining was what they refer to as a three stripe. While the nurse remarked that it looked thin, she stated the three stripe was desirable. They will call later to let me know if the Doctor wants to put me on estrogen to thicken it.

Day 14

I am on day fourteen of my cycle and I am nervous. I have been very good about my diet. On day nine, I had a few friends over and had a half a glass of wine and one and a half beers. This was over several hours. Other than that, I have had no alcohol, no soda, no caffeine, and severely restricted sweets. I never realized how difficult it is to cut out sugar. It is in everything! I have a cup of yogurt everyday to ward off yeast infections from the treatments. It is loaded with sugar. I switched to fat free, light yogurt and it still has 14 grams of sugar. My Lean Cuisine pizza had 52 carbs and 6 grams of sugar. Carbs will turn to sugar. It is a real struggle to eat healthy. I have always considered myself to be a healthy eater. I don't eat fast food. I don't eat meat. I don't go overboard on sweets. Since I have been tyring to be a more conscious eater on this fertility program, I have noticed there is not much out there that is healthy. I have resolved to do the best I can without causing myself too much stress, which is also counterproductive to the fertility process.

I go to the doctor at 7:30 in the morning for my ultrasound. I am hopeful that we will get good news. If my folicle is more than 18 mm, I will get an HCG shot. Last month it was 16mm and I took my shot at home the following night. The difference is so slight, but the difference between our concieving and not.

I am prayerful this treatment round will work. I want more than anything to be a mother and I pray that this is the cycle that will bring our baby to us.

Day Four

Today is day four of my second treatment cycle on Femara. I am continuing to take Actos and am on 5mg of Femara on days three through seven followed by an hcg shot on day 15. I took my first dose of femara last night before I went to bed. This morning I went to the restroom as normal when I wake and it was uncomfortable. It felt like I had a urinary tract infection. In other words, it burned. I remember feeling this last cycle but assumed it was a side effect of the zpack I was taking for the sinus infection. I now think it is the Femara. While I don't think I have a urinary tract infection, I do think the Femara causes an inbalance which could lead to a urinary tract infection or just plain irritation. I am lightly spotting and have stuck to liners. It is also worth noting that I have had a headache for the past two days. The day I started this cycle, I felt much less aggitated and much less hormonal. I went from wanting to cry and feeling angry to almost feeling normal. It was a wide swing. Today, I feel mostly normal. I am a little distracted but have a lot going on with work. This distracted feels more like I have a lot going on than I am overly hormonal. To maintain urinary tract health, my doctor suggests yogurt. I had some this morning. I had a coffee Saturday and a beer and two cookies last night. As I started my medicine, I am back off sweets, caffiene, alcohol, and anything else which is not healthy.

Day One

My treatment did not work this last round so I am back to the beginning. I am on day one of my cycle. We were quite disappointed but have to move forward. Last month prior to treatment, I had become ill after our trip and was on a zpack for a week before my shot. I am unsure if this affected my treatment but I worried that I was on medicine during the time of the follicle formation - ultimately, the egg formation. For whatever reason, last month's treatment did not work. I noticed light spotting last night and had full confirmation this morning that I was, in fact, on day one of a new cycle.

I spoke with my treatment nurse this morning and advised her of my updated status. She was very sweet and first asked how I was doing. I am sad and disappointed but am hopeful this round will be the one that works. I lit a candle today and prayed for God to cleanse my body of any thing which could affect my ability to become pregnant and maintain a pregnancy. I prayed for my body to be the perfect vessel to bring our child into this world. I am turning my focus to preparing my body and beginning my new treatment cycle. I will begin on Sunday with 5mg of femara to be taken once a day on days 3 through 7. I will follow that with an HCG shot on day 15.

Tonight, we made plans with friends I have been too tired to see and will treat myself to a glass of wine and maybe a sweetie. I may even have a latte in the morning. After that, I am back on a strict diet and will pray for God to work his miracle in my body.

Day 29

My cycle is not at all typical, so I will write that historically, I run on a cycle that is longer than 28 days. I am now on day 29. I still have no visible signs of bleeding but believe that I would run on about a 32 day cycle this month. I base this on the fact that I took the shot on day 16, likely ovulated around day 17 or 18, and the phase after ovulation should be around 14 days. Adding that all up, I get a 32 day cycle. I am still refraining from alcohol, soda, refined sugar, caffeine, second hand smoke, and simple carbs - they turn into sugar. I am attempting to keep my stress levels at a minimum but it is easier written than accomplished. Yesterday, my 20 morning commute turned into an hour due to an accident (thanfully, not mine), I had a particularly unpleasant meeting, then, my husband discovered our utility closet had been burglarized. I am a religious woman, so I keep repeating to myself, God is preparing us for a big blessing. I hope that includes my husband getting a job and me getting a better job. Above all, I hope God is getting us ready for a child. My doctor is encouraging me to take a test tomorrow. I will pray for good results and prepare for the fact that it is still early and it may be negative. I bought two so if it is not positive, I can retest in a few more days.