Health and Life Update

“Be an Encourager. The world has enough The world has plenty of critics already.”—Uknown

 

Hi there everyone! I hope you had a wonderful first half of the week! The last 6 days have been really tough. We all know that I have endometriosis but what some of you may not know is that I also have chronic migraines. I average anywhere from 5-20 headache days a month.; 5 of them are usually severe and I can’t function. Having a migraine is a challenge and you throw in having endo too and it truly amazes me how I’m able to function every day.  I push through pain every single day and when I can’t keep pushing myself I try to rest. Rest is a crucial part to try not to overwork yourself. Migraines are induced for so many reasons; anxiety, stress, depression, etc. For me, I get migraines when I’m stressed. What I don’t tell a lot of people is it’s hard to prove myself at work and it’s a hindrance on my performance as a server. I try my absolute best at being a great server but each of is going to through a bad day every now and then and you know what? It’s okay to have an off day. A day when you want to be alone to think about what path you should take, especially if you are at a crossroads in life. My stress also stems from IVF treatment. I wish money grew on the trees in my backyard because honey this procedure is incredibly important and the only way that I’ll become a mother. It’s the only thing I know I’ll be good at. I love babies. I love changing diapers, answering questions, playing games and connecting with my friend’s kids because seeing other miracle babies makes me want to cry and smile all at the same time.

Back to my migraines. I’ve had them since I was 12. Pretty much ever since I’ve had a cycle I knew I’d get a migraine a week before starting and then get another one the night before and several days after a migraine makes its appearance.  I have to lay in bed with the fan on high and asking my husband for soup and other things to make myself feel better. He literally is my knight in shining armor because, without Russell, I’d literally fall apart. I’m so grateful he chose me and continues to love me despite having several chronic illnesses. He has been with me since day one cheering me on in anything I wanted to do and accomplish. I couldn’t have gotten any luckier to have a husband like mine. And it’s like he cooks, cleans, gives the girls baths, and is ALWAYS telling me how much he appreciates what I do and I include him every step of the way. He is my rock and has been the last few years of me being sick. When we met I wasn’t like this. I didn’t have unusual periods, they were painful as hell but they were like any other cycle. But as our relationship grew and we became closer day by day, we notice that we couldn’t sit around and wait for our turn. Some days are easier than others. Some days I just want to cry because I’m not sure how this journey is going to pan out. Will we end up paying a pretty for the treatment? It’s not guaranteed, honestly, the most irritating about the situation is that if you fail you have to start all over again from scratch. But we do have a plan in place in case this doesn’t work. I go for another ultrasound before stating my other meds next week. I’m nervous but I’m trying not to be. I’m keeping myself busy because then I can think about other pressing issues, you know like writing for Do You Endo. I hope the next thing I work on will blow your socks off. I’m not quite ready to share but once I’ve gotten a little bit more done I’ll share a sneak peak. One more thing before I go, please send us all the love, prayer and positive energy you can think of. We truly need it.  **Disclaimer** Russell is perfectly healthy and we have nothing to worry about on his end. He basically has superman swimmers. haha So now that we know it’s me I need to prove to people that no matter how hard the situation is you have to keep fighting. Don’t get me wrong this path has been not the easiest path but I believe that we are getting ready to change our lives for the better. I also know that no matter what happens our destiny has already been chosen for us, we just need to keep doing what we are doing because we are stronger than ever. Our anniversary is in a few weeks. I’m looking forward to just spending some time alone celebrating together. I am the luckiest girl in the world to have you by my side and I don’t know where I’d be without you.

Also, as I mentioned before I’m working on something that is very out of my comfort zone. I’m nervous about it but that’s okay. I’ll be sharing bits and pieces of what I’m working on because I don’t want what I’m working on to be healthy, our country and decisions to have an abortion, etc. I love my husband so much. More than I can even put to words. I just melt every time I see what could possibly be coming my way soon. Please keep in touch and don’t hesitate to share my blog. I love meeting new people and talking about their journey, where they are and what they plan to do. I think it’s empowering for women to establish their tribe. Going through infertility you want to make sure to ask if she’s out. Please don’t hesitate to contact via email and I will give you the best type of advice I can.

I hope this blog helps you all with whatever you are going through ❤ Again if you need to talk please feel free to reach me here: angelicamyoung@hotmail.com.

Until Next Time

Angelica

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Why I Pressed Pause and You Should Too

Hey guys! As you can see it’s not 3 in the morning and I’ve written a wonderful piece for you all to read! However, I’m in a ton of pain and sick so I decided what better way to get my mind off of things than to tell you what we’ve been doing lately?

So I pressed pause on social media. I found myself getting so caught up in what everyone was doing, trying to compete with others “likes” and “shares” that I didn’t like that I couldn’t be present. There are so many moments that we forget to just enjoy the scenery and the people who love us. For example, last year Russell took me to my first Clay Walker concert. It was a hot and sticky summer night and I had on what I thought was the best outfit to known to mankind. It was this beautiful long sleeve romper with country inspired detailing. The bell cow sleeves were amazing and the night was one I will never forget. Oh and sidenote I was the only brown biscuit for miles but that’s okay because I had the time of my life. Anyway, I was so caught up in getting everything on video that I realized I wasn’t really taking in the concert. Once my phone died I could really enjoy myself with my husband because dates like that are few and far between. So anyway the purpose of me sharing this is story is to tell you I was getting pictures and videos to share with the world. What I wasn’t doing was enjoying my time with my husband. At one point Russell said go up to the stage and I’ll take your picture. Before I knew it the lady next to me grabbed my hand and we were up by the stage with Clay singing directly at us!! I literally thought this is what heaven had to consist of because my favorite country singer looked directly in my eyes and was singing to me. Dear Jesus just thinking about it makes me all warm and fuzzy. I even told Russell besides our engagement and wedding that day was the best day of my life. Bonus, he got to hear our first dance song live and it was magical!!!

The point to my entirely too long story is to tell you to put your phone down. I mean you can finish my article first but then go put your phone down. You, me and millions of people take for granted what’s right in front of us. We half pay attention when we watch tv shows or movies. We have to take a picture in a trendy spot when we see one. Why you ask? Because we’ve become so dependent on “likes” that we take pictures left and right and don’t forget your good side and the lighting and the outfit you’re wearing. All these things matter. But most importantly we are looking for as many likes as we can get while failing to realize that our life is not about the number of likes we get. Not to mention real life is not what picture you post on social media. Life consists of the outtakes, the deleted pictures, the pictures where you may not like the angle but the people in that picture would move heaven and earth for you. Life happens in the moments in between the pictures. Life is beautiful and unexpected and can only be enjoyed when you put the screen down.

I took a bit of a break from everything because I wanted to really spend time with my husband. I wanted to be as in the moment as one could be. Not to mention, This Is Us, started it’s third season this week and I was more than ready to see the episode. If you haven’t seen the episode I’ll wait to chat about it and hope you watch it soon because The Pearsons are back and the storylines are gonna be soooo good! I also took a break to better myself. I bought a book and started reading it. I’m not six chapters in and can’t wait to get another book. I forgot how much I love reading. I also have been busy researching growth hormone and how it affects the chances of getting pregnant via IVF. It’s an extremely pricey shot that we weren’t preparing for but the research suggests that without growth hormone the chances of getting pregnant are lowered quite a bit; with growth hormone the chances are significantly increased. So why am I even bringing this up because it seems like a no-brainer right? Wrong. It’s so much extra money that we don’t really have in our budget. I mean IVF is expensive enough as is and we just have to continue doing research to see what is going to suit us the best. Not to mention we went through a trial run of how the transfer will go and that was awful. I’m grateful Russell was there but I’m pretty sure it traumatized him. I’ll spare you the details for now. And Dr. Karnitis is no longer with KRM so we’ve been going through a change at the literally the worst moment in our journey. But we are still in direct communication with him and Dr. Bidwell is going to be taking over from here. I met with him briefly and he seems like a nice man, I mean he also started the practice so I have full faith in him. It’s just tough because Dr. Karnitis is our guy. I’m biased but I think Dr. Karnitis is one of the most intelligent and caring doctors I’ve ever met. Working with him was a pleasure and I’m definitely going to miss him and our two hour long discussions. I’ll also miss his staff too and I’m hoping our IVF process isn’t interrupted too much. I’m at the point now where I’m giving myself a dose of Lupron each morning and it’s not fun. My belly is starting to bruise and I can only imagine what’s to come. I’m also taking 8 oral medications and today I was dumb enough to not eat appropriately before taking said medication and got super sick. I can easily say the last few weeks have been challenging and I know they are only going to continue getting more challenging. Thankfully I have my family and friends to lean on in my times of need. So that’s why I’ve pressed pause for a bit. But I’m back and will be taking lots of notes on our treatment so when the time comes I can share every detail with you. Right now, you’re getting bits and pieces but when it’s all said and done and we’re pregnant I’ll go through everything…the good, bad and ugly.

For now, I’m going to rest as much as I can. Do more research. Be more present and read more books.

Until Next Time

xoxoxo

How Pageantry Changed Me

When most think of pageantry they think of Miss America, Miss USA, and Miss Universe. Oh! and the scandalous behavior going on behind the scenes of the Miss America Organization. There are a lot of things people don’t like about pageantry, however, pageantry changed my life.

Before pageantry, I thought I knew what having girlfriends and girls that would forever be my friends meant. I had met my one best friend in college and the other through pageantry. There are a lot of girls going to compete for a title but only ones come out the winner. However, every girl wins because they come out of the weekend with new friendships and sisterhoods that will last forever. I know I can call one of them or send them a message and they’ll be there for me in a heartbeat. There are no friends like pageant friends.

Today I was convinced that pageant friends make the best friends. I received a package in the mail today from my friend Kally. I had no idea what it was until I opened the package and saw a pineapple coin purse and a Little Words Project bracelet that says Captivating. This meant so much to me because being a Captivating Queen allowed me to meet my soul sisters. Not only do I have the best sister queens but I met so many women the weekend of competition that I wouldn’t trade it for the world. That weekend I met so many women from all over the state, as well as, from neighboring states that I never would have had the opportunity to meet had I not entered the world of pageantry. Going through infertility struggles it has been made clear that my pageant sisters have my back. They are praying for us. They are hoping this first time’s a charm. And most of all they are excited to watch as my dreams become a reality. That’s what makes a beauty queen or pageant contestant the best friend you never knew you needed.

To my girls who are always there for me, cheering me on, sending me messages and just being there for me thank you. I appreciate and love you all so much.

 

Until Next Time

xoxo

When Your Confidence Just Takes a Nose Dive

It’s been a rough week. I haven’t mentioned just how much this last week has been trying for me because I just feel like that’s all I do; tell my family and friends what a shitty few years its been. I try not to tell Russell how much this week has sucked because he can feel it. I get quiet and just get into my own head sometimes that I don’t realize I’ve been thinking about five different things, all of which have nothing to do with one another. I’ll share with you the top 5 things that ran through my head today.

1. I’m still upset that Dr. K and his staff are leaving. Part of me can’t help but feel abandoned during a time when I need them the most. They have been there when no one else understands or sees what I have to go through. They have been there through every ultrasound, every blood draw, every phone call to check in and they were the ones to give me the news that both of our IUI’s failed. They have been there for us during our worst times. And I was praying they’d be there during our best. But life is unfair and I have to find a way to move on otherwise I’ll never be satisfied with who I’m seeing and we don’t want any type of hindrance during our IVF cycle.
2. I’m very nervous about this ultrasound tomorrow. It’s called a sonohysterography. What a new long medical term that I’ll get to throw around to make myself sound smarter than I really am! (LOL) Basically, it’s an ultrasound to get a clearer look at the inside of a woman’s uterus. What the doctor will look for are irregularities within the uterus and other reproductive organs, such as, the fallopian tubes and ovaries. A sonohysterography is used to help women who have a hard time getting pregnant. In our case, this uterine ultrasound is going to be used to check on my right ovary and make sure it looks good and healthy. She’s always been a little damaged but she’s a fighter and has produced some pretty good lookin’ eggs in the past so we are hoping for good results. We’ll also be able to see my endometrioma and I’m interested to see how that looks. Remember, I can’t the endometrioma (blood filled cyst) removed or it will take all the follicles I have left, thus resulting in us never being able to have a child biologically. This ultrasound is a protocol for Dr. Karnitis and the practice because it has saved a few women thousands of dollars. If they see anything abnormal that can hinder the IVF process they will tell the woman that she needs to wait and let her body heal. I believe in our case it’s just standard so we have nothing to worry about.
3. I feel awful that I’ve been a terrible friend over the last few years. The biggest regret I’ve been wrestling with is missing my best friends wedding in March. I didn’t get to be there and I should have been. Emma is so amazing because she told me that she completely understands why I couldn’t be there but I’ve had guilt about it ever since. I wanted to watch her walk down the aisle to Evan with her closest friends and family there. I’ll forever be grateful that I was the only person, other than her mom and grandma to be at Lillian’s when she picked out her dress. And she was with me when I first started making my wedding dress. Even though we don’t talk every day or text we know we’re there for one another. If I call her late a night just wanting to vent she’s there and I cherish that about her. AND we’ve been friends for 17 years! That’s more than half my life and I couldn’t imagine life without her in it. I think that’s why I’ve been feeling a little guilty is because I wanted to have certain goals accomplished by then and they didn’t happen. So it was a lose all the way around.
4. I’m nervous to start my writing job. I have a communications degree and I know how to write papers for school but not an online magazine. Well, I’m learning. I have a mentor and I’m so thankful for her because I would be lost without her help and guidance. I’m so thankful that I passed my writing tests and the company I’ll be working for allows me to work from home. I’m nervous just like anyone else would be starting a new job. I just hope to be half the journalist my dad is because he is the cream of the crop. And when I say cream of the crop I mean his accolades are pretty dang impressive. He’s been the President of the Society of Professional Journalists, the largest journalism organization in the United States. He was also only the second African American president in the organization’s history. He has also received a Fulbright scholarship to teach at the University of Iceland and is a professor at Wright State University. And did I mention he’s the best dad ever? Like, ever. He’s always feeding us when we are all together. But anyway, he’s a pretty amazing journalist and if I can have just a little bit of the career I know he’s had I’ll be a very happy girl.
5. Stick with me on this one because it’s very different from my other concerns. We all know endo has taken a toll on my body, especially the weight aspect of this journey. In the last two weeks, I’ve gained another ten or more pounds. I know people look and at me and say I look fine but I sure don’t like it. I feel so awful. I am bloated most of the day. I don’t want to wear any of my cute clothes because I’m uncomfortable most of the day. So when I get home from work I put on sweats or my pj’s depending on how I feel. Today was a pj’s kind of day. I also don’t want to wear my clothes because not only am I not going to feel good but I know I won’t look good either. For most people they would be like “oh I’d kill to look like you” but what they don’t realize is that I’ve put on 40 pounds since being diagnosed with endo and not being able to work out anymore. I do my best to eat healthily, drink enough water (which I didn’t use to do) and try to pay attention to my calorie intake. But let’s be real here, when I get done working late at night I’m hungry so I’ll get something to eat. I have cut out coffee and don’t drink nearly as much as I used to. I limit the amount of soda I have in a day to one, coca cola is my ultimate weakness, especially when it’s ice-cold. I do my best to walk around the neighborhood for ten to fifteen minutes but afterwards, I feel terrible. I flare up, get bloated and then wonder why I torture myself. Weighing as much as I do makes me want to cry. Just the other day I had to get my vitals and getting my weight was one of them. When I stepped on the scale it said 144. That’s three more pounds from the week before when I met with my new physician. Now I know I know 144 doesn’t seem like a lot to most people but I’m not used to weighing more than 115. And it didn’t help that Dr. K said: “I see you’ve put on a little more weight”. He meant it in a good way because when we first started this journey he said I was too thin and needed to gain an additional 20 pounds before we started. I told him how uncomfortable I am and how badly I want to lose weight but he says this is a great weight to start a pregnancy. Part of me thinks it’s a crock of shit and the other part of me is just going with it to see what happens. My point being is that I hate the way my body looks. It’s bad enough I didn’t go to the pool once this summer because I couldn’t stand the way I looked and felt like I would be judged. It’s nice to also have a husband who doesn’t see the weight gain. He says I look beautiful no matter what I weigh but at the end of the day I feel like shit. I have no idea how to get to use to this new body. After all my surgeries that was tough but this is just as though. I see myself in the mirror and have no idea who I am looking at. I just hope one day I can get back to being me. Until then please forgive the amount of joggers and leggings I’ll be wearing this fall and winter.

I  could go on and on and on with the number of things to complain about but those are the things bothering me today. Tomorrow will bring on a different set of challenges that I’ll have to try to conquer. In the meantime keep those prayers and positive thoughts coming our way because IVF is right around the corner. We are thankful for everyone’s support and love. We are doing our best to stay strong, connected, and hopeful on our journey to expand our family.

 

Until Next Time

xoxo

Silver Linings

Just when I think things are going smoothly and we are on track we have a setback. I hadn’t planned on sharing this but I’ve been an open book thus far about our journey and the struggles that come along with infertility so why keep anything a secret?

Last week I found out that Dr. Karnitis is no longer going to be employed by Kettering Reproductive Medicine, and neither will my favorite nurses starting the first of October. Kettering’s fertility clinic was recently acquired by the University of Cincinnati as they continue to grow their brand. Now for those that really pay attention and follow my blogs you’ll know that I’ve been to UC’s fertility clinic and didn’t like it. The only thing I liked was the waiting area because it was so bright and chic. Other than that I didn’t like the staff or doctor. I didn’t like them because I felt as though they were more focused on their established patients. I came home from UC to tell Russell I wanted to stay with Kettering and he was on board. Well now I not only feel blindsided (more on that in a moment) but I feel like I am at a serious crossroad.

Today I had a meeting with Dr. Karnitis to discuss my further treatment plans and what we should do next. I am panicking because getting comfortable with a reproductive doctor and their staff is hard. Not to mention we’ve been working with them for the last two and half years. I feel like I’m losing my tribe at this point. Last week when I finally was able to get ahold of Colleen (IVF Nurse) I started crying on the phone to her I started crying because I wanted to know what went happened to the point that I never received a phone call, email or letting stating that he would no longer be with us. To honest, I think all political and the company doesn’t want any negative feedback. But again, that’s just my opinion.

Today I was so sad seeing Colleen and Dr. K because it is likely the last time, other than my ultrasound on Thursday. As I was checking out Colleen gave me a big hug and told me she is going to continue to pray for us. It was at that moment that I realized how much this staff and organization means to me. My eyes filled with tears and so did hers. As we embraced one another I knew Colleen is apart of my tribe. She is always in my corner and the day I am able to tell her we are pregnant I’m sure she’ll be just as excited and thrilled as we will be. I’m just so sad she’s not going to be there for the most important procedure of my entire life.

I owe so much to Colleen and Dr. K. Without their help, guidance, advice, and love we wouldn’t have the options we do today. Without them, Baby Young wouldn’t really be a topic of conversation. While I’m sad to see them leaving I know they will succeed no matter where they go. Now we have a HUGE decision to make. Stay at Kettering and switch to Dr. Bidwell or follow Dr. Karnitis. There are pros and cons to both situations and we just have to sit down and really think about. I knew IVF wasn’t going to be easy and there would be challenges along the way, this one just happens to suck more than the others. But it’s okay because I’ve learned how strong I am throughout this entire process. Russell and I are going to make the decision that is best for us and we’ll keep you all updated on what we decide to do. This is the part of infertility that sucks. The part that I dread the most. I wish the behind the scenes stuff didn’t have to be bad but I know I’ll look back on this and be so grateful for it all!  The silver lining or today’s adventure is this: as long as I can get my manicure every few weeks I’ll be a happy girl. I’m trying to find the silver lining in every situation because there’s no point in living life if you can’t try to find the good in it.

Until Next Time

xoxo

Follow Your Dreams, They Know The Way

IJust when I think I can’t go any further, I’m smacked right in the face with pure joy and happiness and a little bit of nervousness. I’ve been very open about the fact that I don’t go to church but that doesn’t mean I don’t believe in a higher power. I just know that each culture has their own God and I’d like to explore their values and the way they go about and treat their religions before coming to my own decision.

I will say I’m not going to go too much into detail  (for now) because we are getting closer and closer to IVF. I’m feeling the pressure now more than ever. I’m also feeling the anxiousness, seeing and crying lots of tears, and finding myself stress eating (hello not good for anyone!) Today was a good and overwhelming kind of day. I’ve been working a little extra because every dollar counts now (also if you haven’t popped by our gofundme it’s still up and we still need your help!I know shameless plug) I spoke with my IVF nurse (I will not share her name for privacy purposes) but she’s my favorite. She is the one I call and immediately talks with me. She’s been in the room with me when I was told my IUI’s didn’t make it and we needed to move forward with IVF plans. This journey would not be complete without her. Today I called her three times in a row to keep asking questions and each time she had an answer. This entire process has been terrifying, exciting, overwhelming, anxiety riddled, and joyful. I’ve learned so much about myself over the last two and half years. I can tell you I never thought I was this strong. I thought I could get through quitting my first real job and going back to serving, which was hard but nothing compared to infertility. I thought hard was having four surgeries, gaining and excess amount of weight (that yes I do hate at the moment) and bearing the bad news to my husband that IVF is out only way to have a family. But I pushed through and I was able to get through the other side a stronger person.

Now for the mushy part: I literally couldn’t have gotten through this without Russell; trust me I know I say that A LOT but it’s so true. For example, today after I get off the phone with my nurse I cried. I cried because I was happy we are actually getting our calendar with start dates and end dates! Anyone in the IVF world knows start dates and end dates are important, especially when you’re having to hand over a shit load of money. But today when I was just so anxious Russell could tell my anxiety kicked in. We were talking about to do  and how all of this is going to come together at the perfect time. This is the moment I was crying because I wished money fell from the sky and landed in our backyard. He was just trying to make me understand that some things that I had already made my mind up as to how everything would go. I am a HUGE planner and when my plan is not going according to how I made it up in my mind I literally start to panic. Russell is calming me down and letting me know that no matter what the next few weeks bring we will conquer this together. Ya’ll I hit the jackpot when it comes to husbands. He is just so perfect and I can’t wait to see him as a father because I can imagine my love for him will grow even more.

Back to my point. Today we got our calendar. There is a very special date on our calendar and I can’t wait to share with you the calendar and when things are happening (or shall I say had happened 😉 ) The only thing I will say is I start my injections very soon so please send some positivity and prayers our way we are forever grateful for the people who are standing with us during this time.

One last detail: I have since learned that changing your mindset to what it’s and maybe’s you should change them to what will happen because you are speaking your vision into existence. So I’ve been talking to Russell about our children and even calling them by their names (I know I know shocking that we already have names picked out)!! I truly believe fate has brought us to this place where we are being challenge each day individually but also as a couple. And if I were to give us a grade I go with a solid A. Our communication has improved immensely and we still enjoy being together after all this time. I love that I get to do life with someone who not only loves me for me, but just loves the direction of our relationship is headed. I couldn’t be any luckier in the husband department.

Please continue to think of us and send us your awesomeness, we are receiving it and we love you all for it!

 

Until Next Time

xoxo

I’ve had a shit week…

“We don’t grow when things are easy. We grow when we face challenges.” -Unknown

“I want people to know that every pregnancy announcement is devastating, not because you’re not happy for them but because you are sad for yourself.” – Jennifer Jones Huffington Post

“Listen to the mustn’ts child. Listen to the don’ts. Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me. Anything can happen child. Anything can be.” -Shel Silverstein

” Someday you won’t remember the pain that you thought would last forever.” -Taylor Swift

 

Well if these quotes don’t sum up how I feel right now I’m not quite sure what will. I’ve not one, not two but three whole meltdowns this week. A lot of it is pain related because I am in so much pain I can’t even put it into words. And when I do try to explain to someone what endo feels like the typical response is “oohh so it’s just bad cramps”. Umm no but nice try. Having endo is like having someone take a knife and stab you over and over and over again while you’re just standing there taking it. Having endo requires lots and lots rest and relaxation because let’s be honest, my relaxing is sitting on a heating pad wishing the pain away. The meltdowns I’ve had are because we are still short our deposit for IVF and I can’t handle going on Lupron for another month. The hot flashes. The sleepless nights. The irritability. The headaches/migraines. Everything that comes along with the disease and taking Lupron are too much for me. I just can’t do it anymore. I know the women going through this and several rounds of Lupron can agree that the drug makes you insane. I start crying over everything. I know our vows said for better or worse but there should have been an additional insert that say for better or worse, in sickness and in health, during all the mood swings and happy days because let me tell you the last week has been rough. We are pretty good at managing our stuff and keeping our personal things separate from our infertility feelings because infertility feelings are much more heightened and we are both extra sensitive. I just don’t know how he’s done it all this time because the last two years have been anything but a cake walk. It’s tough. I can honestly see why people leave their spouses when they find out they have infertility, do I agree with it? No. But I understand because the stress it puts on a couple is unreal. I feel like our stress level is always sky-high because of how I’m feeling. Sprinkle in some anxiety and depression and you’ve got yourselves a shit show ladies and gentlemen.

BUT IVF starts soon so we are looking forward to that. We are looking forward to getting this baby train out of the station and headed for its pregnancy destination. So please keep your fingers crossed for us and pray that we get a little miracle babe out of all this stress.

Until Next Time

xoxo

Heartbreak and Hope: One Woman’s Journey Towards Motherhood

Throughout this journey of infertility I’ve felt so alone. However, right now I couldn’t feel more loved, supported and more importantly heard. You all have taught me so much about what it means to be patient (even though I have little of that), strong compassionate and resilient. I have also gained a whole new set of people, mostly women in the same position as I am; hopeful that the treatment cycle is it. But there are so many women, some I know personally and some I don’t, that have gone through IVF or an FET (frozen embryo transfer), some make it passed the dreaded TWW (two week wait) to find out they’re pregnant. Some however, have to wait a little longer and go through extra tests to make sure the negative is really a negative. **There are instances where women can yield a false negative and actually have a positive test but in most cases a negative is a negative** After our second IUI, I had a strong feeling I wasn’t pregnant. I had to wait 14 days, which felt like an eternity, to take the test. And when I got the result I cried, like really cried. For hours I just sat in disbelief because even though I knew in my gut it’d be a negative, I was hoping I was wrong. In that moment I never realized how much I needed to find a group of women who knew exactly what I was going through. Women I could seek advice from in my time of need and gain another perspective as to why we were chosen to go through this.

The whole point to my late night blog is that someone I was cheering on during her TWW found out her FET didn’t take and her little embryo didn’t make it. I am heartbroken for her. I have never met her before and I have never spoken with her either. But, there are so many women that I’ve connected with through social media that are going through what I am. They have gotten further in their journey’s than I have but we’ve been through something that many don’t even know they’ll have to go through. That’s why we like to say our TTC Tribe or being apart of a private group. It’s a group we wish no one would ever want to be in. Throughout her journey she has done IUI’s, IVF, and is a cancer survivor. There is something so special about this woman. She had to do some extra testing and called this period her pregnancy purgatory. And until it’s a definite positive or negative women are PUPO (pregnant until proven otherwise). She was wishing and praying for her little embryo to stick and sadly it didn’t. I can’t imagine what Melissa is going through and how long she will wait until trying again. But I also can’t imagine what she is feeling right now. I hope she is taking the time to grieve and once she has I hope she wants to try again, take on the entire world, and conquer every dream she ever had. I also hope one day she’ll be pregnant, holding onto to every heartbeat, kick, hiccup and labor pain because those are the moments she yearns for and so many more.

So I’ll leave you with several quotes before I wrap up because I feel they are all important to a woman’s journey through infertility. Sometimes we just want to hear something uplifting and encouraging. Sometimes along our journey we get lost and need time to reflect. I can’t tell you how many days and night’s I’ve spent reflecting or sitting in my sadness because I just didn’t know what else to do. But reading quotes and listening to devotional (thanks Meg!!) it’s been helping me a lot. For the women who are going through infertility, seeking treatment, and going through the dreaded TWW, I am sending my positive vibes to you. I am asking Venus, the goddess of fertility to bless Melissa with a baby. I know it can’t happen overnight but I would love nothing more than to see her holding her rainbow baby after her storm. So I’ll leave you with the quotes I said I would share.

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that say’s I’ll try again tomorrow.” –Anonymous

“When you feel like you can’t go any further just know the strength which carried you thus far will take you the rest of the way.” –Anonymous

“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams” — Paulo Coelho

Until Next Time

xoxo

 

Communication= One Key to Success

Clearly we all know by now that I tend to write when the house is super quiet and I have space and time to think. During the day it’s so hard to write because of all of the distractions. However, there is something about laying in bed with everyone asleep around me that makes it so much easier to write. Fun fact: I graduated from the University of Phoenix with a Bachelor of Science in Communication with Leadership Communications in Organization degree. And I graduated with honors!

In my last blog I wrote about how I wanted  to be more open with how my first (almost) two years of marriage have been, especially since we are battling infertility. Now I’m not going to go into specifics on certain topics but give you an idea of how infertility challenges a couple but makes them stronger at the same time.

As we all know I had my first surgery 8 months before we got married. Everything snowballed from there. I know I’ve also said this a thousand times but I can distinctly remember telling Russell he could find someone else to marry after my second surgery because I didn’t feel like I could give him everything he deserves. Since that moment our communication with one another has been taken to the next level. I kind of just wanted to share with you what we do that has made our communication better.

1. We sit down and have afternoon coffee (on days I don’t work lunch) and talk about the week ahead, what we have going on, if we have family plans, etc.
2. We check in for the day in the evening or before we go to sleep. This is HUGE! By checking in we see how the other person’s day has gone and see if we can lend a listening ear for the other to vent. During this time we talk a lot about IVF. I’m not joking I think we talk about IVF once a day.
3. When something exciting happens we tell each other about it right away and celebrate life’s little and big milestones. Same goes for the not so good things.
4. We watch the same television shows together and we LOVE binge watching an entire season in a few days. This sounds like an oxymoron because when you watch tv you don’t talk but we pause the tv A LOT to talk about what we think is going to happen, gossip, etc. It’s really fun because we can let go of the outside world for a little bit. We get very into our shows. (Ask my mother in law she can attest to it!)
5. We have a great friendship. I mentioned this to him tonight that our relationship blossomed from a friendship to a romantic one. We have always been good about still maintaining our friendship while loving each other. Because lets be real you have to like your spouse before you can love them.
6. We add items to our bucket list. This doesn’t happen all the time but we plan fun adventures together. We day-dream about new places to travel to and we day dream a lot about where we are going to go next!
7. We have tough conversations, even when we don’t want to. Going through infertility has forced us to have conversations I never thought we would have but we’ve gotten through them, with me crying a lot.
8. We respect each other when we are having a tiff. I’ve seen and heard the way some couples talk to one another while they are having a disagreement but we don’t talk down to one another or become condescending when we are in the middle of a disagreement. We maintain the respect and some times we even take time apart to calm down and come back to the conversation later when we are both more level-headed. This also applies if we are at a function and having an argument, people won’t ever know because we don’t fight in front of others.
9. We say I’m sorry. There are moments (everyone has them) when we are being selfish and therefore passive aggressive. Once I realize I’ve done this I will immediately apologize and visa versa. This is important because when both parties are able to acknowledge their part in the disagreement we are able to learn from our mistakes and move on.
10. We dream of what our future looks like. We dream about business ideas. We dream about a lot of things. I think talking about our dreams and setting goals as a couple makes you stronger. Having a posiitve vision for the future helps get us through these tougher times. We have overcome a lot of difficult hurdles but we are going to appreciate the hurdles more when we are enjoying qulity time together.

I’m sure there are more things I could share with you but I think ten fast facts about how our communication has helped our relationship gives you all an insight into our marriage. Is it all rainbows all the time? No. Do we have challenges and get overwhelmed, resulting in my crying? Almost weekly. But the one thing I’ve learned in the last two years is that the small things matter. I didn’t realize how much I needed to check in until it became a habit. Marriage is hard enough as it is but having communication skills makes it a lot easier. I think part of me always needing to communicate has to do with me having a Bachelor’s degree in Communication, but we are always striving to make an effort. Life is so full of stress and being rushed that it’s nice to sit down and just take twenty to thirty minutes to talk about our day. We also make it a priority to talk a little bit before bed. Tonight I needed reassurance because I just feel like I’m a crummy wife for us having to go through this and Russell’s response blew me away; but I shouldn’t be surprised. He told me he is so grateful to me for pushing my body to the highest levels every day to make a dream of ours come true. He mentioned how thankful he is for me and how proud of me he is. I love him more than anything. This is also where our atrological signs come into play. I’m a Leo and he’s an Aquarius. From all the research I did our signs are a perfect match for each other.

As we get older and have children I want our children to see us happy because in any relationship as long as you’re both happy, try your best every day, communicate and love the other person with every fiber of your being you’ll be successful. But I’m sure they will also see us getting into tiffs but I also want them to see how quickly we will try to resolve an issue quickly, effeciently and respectfully.

Remember all it takes is a quick 20 minutes each day to really listen, no cell phones, just the two of you, talking about your day or anything else to really benefit the both of you. You’ll be happier, feeling better, and as the saying goes “happy wife, happy life”!

Until Next Time

xoxo

Forever a Warrior

I keep coming across this quote and it is really hitting home with me. It says:

“Whenever you find yourself doubting if you can go on, just remember how far you’ve come. Remember everything you have faced, all the battles you have won and all the fears you have overcome. Then raise your head high and forge on ahead knowing that you got this!”

This quote is powerful for so many reasons. For one, I just celebrated my 29th birthday. In my head as a little girl I thought I would have been married with 3 children by now. I thought I would have that cookie cutter house with the white picket fence and the perfect dog. As we all know this is the furthest thing from what I have now. I have three girl dogs, each unique in their own way and my poor husband has four bitches to deal with on a daily basis (we have an inside joke when one of us says that to the other). I am 29, no children, married almost two years and I’m about to fulfill my dream of becoming a mother in a very unconventional way. When I was a little girl I never knew babies could even be made in a pietry dish because that was never talked about! Speaking of I saw another quote that was hilarious! If you don’t follow hilariously infertile on IG you are missing out. She is trying to take all the negative things in the infertility world and give them a spin. The meme has a cat mean muggin’ and it says, “Oh your baby was free? That’s cute. Infertility treatments means mine will be a super fancy, designer baby. Thanks science!” I don’t know why but I thought it was pretty funny. So my point with this is to share with you that this is NOT the path I wanted for my life, but I am not in control of when things happen, the universe is. We are all destined to do something and I believe the universe takes it’s time letting you find out what you’re passionate about. I also attribute my drive to finding out the most about endometriosis and infertility to being a Leo. Leo’s are natural people of passion, creativity and cheerfulness. However, we are also arrogant, self-centered and inflexible. I can say that I have every single one of those qualities.  The one connection to being a Leo that I find ironic is that Leo’s like expensive things.; e.g. the designer babies!

Sorry we just went way left and need to reel it back in a bit. So basically the last 6 months have been hard. I mean we are still technically in the honeymoon phase but we are stressed out about Russell possibly having to provide a sample before we start treatment, the amount of money it’s going to cost, etc. I mean when I hear stories of women and their husbands going through this three, four or five times I commend those women. They are the true heroes for me. I mean going through 2 UI’s was enough to make me feel like I was mental. But to have to go through that all over again multiple times and still be positive that it’s going to work is crazy insane to me. I mean how do they do it? But it reverts back to the first quote about how far we’ve come in our journey’s. Two years ago if someone would tell me at 29 I’d be about 7 weeks out from beginning IVF treatment I would have said they’re lying. But things are falling into place and I couldn’t be more excited . My LAST AND FINAL Lupron shot will be injected the last week of August. I told Russell I am so so happy this part of our lives is going to be over. He agreed only because he wants me to be back to normal. He sees day in and day out what I struggle the most with. He sees me writhing in pain, having shortness of breath because it’s hard breath through the pain. I mean sometimes it feels like my body is shattering all at once. I am so thankful that he’s weathered this storm with me because without him I would have lost my shit by now and I mean completely. I am so grateful to have a partner who listens to me talk non stop about my concerns,  how to prevent my anxiety from taking over, how to stay out of a depression. Ya know, the simplest thing like bringing me ice cream when I was having a bad day and it was favorite and said here ya go this will cheer you up. BONUS: He didn’t eat any because he knew how badly I needed to solve my problems with a pint of ice cream.

Now comes the tricky part. So I’ve been very open about our journey thus far and I know I mentioned last time that I wouldn’t tell anyone the date of our last shot because then it would be easy to do math and I don’t want anyone to find out when my shots are and when my transfer date is  I can’t remember what I said previously but we are going to keep that to ourselves. I have some fun ideas for a photo shoot when we do get pregnant. The other thing I’ve been doing a lot more of lately is calling my kids by their names, speaking them into existence and just talking to them. I want them to know what I had  to do to get them here and they are oh so special to us. I want to tell my daughter to shatter that glass ceiling and break barriers because she is going to be strong, sassy and independent. As for my son, I want to tell him that following your passion is going to take you further than most people. I also talk to them about being kind because being kind in this world is one of the best feelings. I also want to teach him what being a man means. Not just the masculine side but also his “feminine” side. It’s okay to be empathetic, vulnerable and emotional. I think it in today’s world we get so caught up in labeling genders that we forget we are all human and humans have emotions.

One last update. I don’t think I’ve been as open about my marriage through infertility as I would have liked. While I am a very intense person he is the polar opposite. Leo’s are best paired with Aquarius, Russell’s astrological sign, and we are the perfect match. I’m mot saying we need therapy or anything but we recognize what we need to do work on us more. I think that’s going to be the topics I talk about while we go through IVF. I also want to talk with Russell more because we had an idea to create or organize some sort grant for a couple in need of help paying for fertility treatment. Being able to dream big with Russell is everything I’ve wanted. Now this won’t happen over night but one day I hope we can manifest this dreams of ours! So watch out world the Young’s are coming for ya!

Thanks again guys for reading this far. This was a long one but I haven’t blogged in a while and I miss it so I’ll be more inclined to blog more now. If you have topics that you are curious about send them my way and I can talk about your topic or question!

Until Next Time

xoxo