Strong? I don’t think so…

I wrote yesterday about getting Lupron….again….for the fourth time. Each time is worse than the last I feel like. I just feel like my back is breaking and I can’t do anything about it. Nothing makes it go away; it’s just there constant. But today’s topic is something I’ve often heard during this process, that I am strong. I was talking to one of my best friends and she said “I don’t know how you can be so strong during all of this. You amaze me.” The truth is I have to be. I don’t have time to be sad anymore, at least not right now. I have to stay positive and hopeful that this will work. Let me tell you hearing that my AMG level was 0.01%, which means my body doesn’t produce eggs and to be given a 5% chance of conceiving was devastating. I cried and cried and couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. That’s when all the surgeries and shots began. At this point I am so used to go to get this shot I wonder how much worse this can get. I wonder how I’ll feel differently. But today I was called strong. Strong because as a woman in her 20’s I’m supposed to be at the peak of my life. I’m supposed to be doing things that are my bucket list and traveling the world. Instead I’m spending every extra penny I can find on fertility treatment. Anyone who know’s me knows I have always wanted children. I always wanted to hold my baby in my arms. It’s just been a natural feeling for me. But the day Dr. Karnitis said we had a 5% chance my world was shatter. I’ve spent days crying and being angry because I want so badly to know why I have this? To this day I still don’t know why. I don’t know why I had to be one in ten with endometriosis and one in eight with infertility. There’s also another part to being strong I don’t share. I choose to cry alone. I don’t cry in front of the doctors or Russell anymore. I choose not to cry in front of him because he already worries so much about how I’m feeling and how I’m going to get through the day. The last thing I need is to bring more stress to a situation we can’t fix right now. That’s just my choice. That doesn’t mean that we don’t talk about what I’m feeling but I hold back those tears. I’ll let them out when I feel I can. But I don’t think of that action or any action of being strong. I try to remain in a place that I feel okay. I’m not at peace and I don’t think I feel peace until we successfully complete IVF. I’m giving this all we have and I hope this works. I hope that we can be successful on our first try but going through IVF is a huge risk and gamble.

Again, thank you for all your support during this time. It means so much to me and it also means the world of me to hear you all think I’m strong because there are so many days when I am less than that.

Until Next Time

xoxo

Advertisements

Another Day Another Grant

Today’s blog is all about grants. We’ve talked about this before but I wanted to thank every person who has given me suggestions on which grants to apply for and those who have been so encouraging throughout this journey.

Today I receive my first of three Lupron shots; so bring on the hot flashes, crying at the drop of a hat (oh wait I do that anyway), sleepless nights and a little extra concealer. I have to do one shot a month for three months because there was a mix up at my doctor’s office. So every four weeks I’ll be seeing them but that’s good so I can talk with the nurses and staff on a more regular basis and have our treatment plan worked out. This means we are around 12 weeks away from beginning IVF. Now that’s not completely set in stone and can change but my hope is that we aren’t too far out from our original starting point which would have been next month. Let me tell you having to let go of control throughout this process has been frustrating and hard. Not just because I’m a type A personality but because once I have a date in my mind for doing something I make it happen but in the world of IVF things don’t always go according to plan.

This week I’m working on a grant and I wouldn’t be working on it without the information from my friend Charlene! She tagged me in a post that is open to all couples or single people wanting to have children. I never would have known about this if it weren’t for her. I am so thankful to have friends who are keeping their eyes out for grants for me to apply for. Without that support this journey would be very hard. It’s hard enough having to go through it all but having friends like Char are so wonderful. Many of you know Char and I are not only friends but sister queens. She was my Ambassador Queen during my reign as Miss Captivating. I created such special friendships with all the girls, especially Char. She is like a little sister to me and I am very happy we have been able to maintain our friendship years after passing on our titles.

If you know of any grants that are awarded to couples seeking IVF treatment let me know! We are open to all ideas of fundraising to keep the out of pocket costs at a minimum! Thank you so much and I’ll talk to you soon!

Until Next Time

xoxo

Desperate Times Call for Faith, Hope and Trust

Have you heard of Abraham and Sarah? Did you know they were the first couple documented in history to have fertility problems? I have been doing a lot of research on their story because I want to understand how they were able to have their miracle baby Isaac. Sarah was promised by God that she would give birth, but he never told her how long it would take her. Their journey would take them through years of heartache and trying to hold onto as much faith as they could. During their marriage Sarah realized she may not be able to ever bear a child and wanted her husband to have an heir, so she told their slave Hagar to sleep with Abraham. Hagar had Ishmael and things didn’t get any better. The relationship between Hagar and Sarah became so strained Hagar ran away. During this time Sarah lost all trust in God, she lost her faith, disbelief, doubt and fear all crept in during this time. But the amazing thing is, God waited for her to come back to Him. She was ready to try again. The following year Sarah returned to God and restored her faith, she bore a son named Isaac. Abraham was 99 and Sarah was 90 when she gave birth and the heir to their family.

I take so much away from this story. Even though I’m not entirely religious, I still believe there are many lessons to be learned in this story. Faith is everything. As long as you have faith anything is possible. Talk to yourself negatively is going to diminish your faith. Perseverance is another lesson I take away from this story. Sarah is strong and she persevered through some of the toughest moments any person would have to go through. And finally, trust. Trust is an important factor in this story because without trust she would not have been able to stick with God’s word. He said they were going to bear a child and he would become their heir. They didn’t know when but God knew their plan.

When you are in the middle of struggling with infertility I can tell you first hand it is very easy to lose faith in everything. It is hard to have patience because you see a woman leaving the office with a huge smile on her face because she’s a little farther in her journey that I am.  Jealousy takes over because you wonder women and men take parenting for granted. I just don’t think they’ll ever be able to comprehend why women are so desperate to have a child. When I’m having a bad day, or can’t a hold of anyone I think back to their story. I think about how Russell is older than I am just like Abraham is older than Sarah. I think about how they have waited for the right person to have a child. I think of the sacrifices Sarah was willing to make in order to please her husband. I also think about Sarah’s unwavering faith in God. During a time like this it is so hard to not have faith. It’s hard to think that you were forgotten and your path isn’t clear because He doesn’t know what to do with it. However, I remember Sarah was 90. I hope I’m not that old when I have children because that’s just a bit too old for me. But I also realize I used to have dreams of becoming a young mother. Not like teenage young but just early twenties young. I wanted a large family, 5 maybe 6 kids. Plus the dogs running around. I wanted that picture perfect family. I know one day I’ll be blessed with a baby(ies) and I can’t wait for that day to come. Instead, my brain won’t shut off at 3am and here I am pouring my heart out again. The one thing I do know is we are in this season of life for a reason. We are going to get through this because we have each other.

I am still asking everyone to keep their fingers crossed for our grant! I’m not sure when they’ll notify the candidates but I sure hope we are chosen!

Until Next Time

xoxoxo

 

Website I was able to locate information about Sarah and Abraham’s infertility story: http://in-due-time.com/faith/sarahs-infertility/

Lost in Translation

Do you ever have moments in life where you ask yourself how you got there? Then you start to think about all the major or important events in your life that lead you to where you are today? That’s me. At 8am I can’t sleep because my knee is killing me so I thought I’d share how I’ve been feeling lately. I feel like I haven’t been blogging as much and I need to. I know so many people don’t read this or may not even have an interest in what I have to say. But writing it my outlet, it has been since I was a child with endless amounts of journals I would write in before bed. There is something about writing that allows me to clear my head and gives me time to just decompress.

I also mentioned in my previous post that I sent off our Baby Quest IVF grant. That moment was so emotional for me. It’s all becoming so real and happening so quickly but at the same time some moments seem to take forever. I am learning that I need to have more patience with this process. I’m also realizing how lost I feel. I’m the kind of person who needs a support system around them. I have my amazing husband but I hate to stress him out over how I’m feeling. He is my confidant and he is my shoulder to lean on. I think over the last few years I backed away from people so much that my friendships started to fall by the wayside. It’s partially my fault because this disease can take hold of you one day and become so relentless that you can’t function. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to cancel a lunch or coffee date. I try each day to push through but I still feel like I’m coming up short. I feel like no matter how hard I try it’s not good enough; I’m not good enough. I’m also not sure if you all know this but I try to sage our home at least once a week, putting my crystals in my hand and wafting the sage all over the house. Every door is open. The rose quartz crystals and a very special healing crystal are all around my house. I need to order more for peace and tranquility. As a matter of fact, I have crystals in my bedroom to make sure the space is cleansed of all negative energy. I’d also like to become more involved in Reiki. I think the spiritual journey of practicing Reiki would be very beneficial for me. Then there is one extremely important piece I have, the symbol of fertility and motherhood. When I’m putting sage throughout my house I make sure to always hold her with several pieces of rose quartz and say my own little prayers. It’s my way of sending positive energy back into the universe. But lately I’ve felt so lost. I feel lost for a number of reasons. The last few years have been tough in general with finding out the endo and all the surgeries that came along with it. The physical, mental and emotional toll it has taken on me is significant. And the weight gain. No one tells you how much weight you gain throughout this process and it’s very discouraging. I don’t look like myself. I don’t feel like myself. I have no confidence in myself because I’ve become lost in this disease. Somewhere along the way I allowed endometriosis to define me. One day my life was normal and the next it wasn’t. I still feel like no one truly understands how lonely I feel. When I go to pick up my phone to call someone to just talk no one answers and I’m left to deal with my thoughts, feelings and emotions alone. Ya know, it’s really tough to have an incurable disease that is also categorized as an invisible illness (an illness you cannot see). Somehow, someway I let this disease take over my life. It dictates when I do things and when I need to just to stop and take a few minutes because at times it becomes too much for me to handle. During this time I’ve become lost. I’m trying to find the person I once was and see how I can get back to being genuinely confident in my own skin. I want to feel noticed. I want to feel understood when I talk about what I have instead of being judged. I want to feel like I can conquer anything my mind will allow. However, there is something in the back of my mind that continuously goes to negative self talk. This is not healthy and I one hundred percent acknowledge that. I also understand that the universe does not give us more than we can handle and each person’s path to success is different. I’m still going through the stages of grief with this disease because it’s still hard to see brand new babies, hold them, touch their sweet faces and hear that sweet cry when they want to be held or nursed. When situations like this happen it makes me more sad and feel even more lost. Going through this has change my perspective in so many ways and has even changed my outlook on life. Before this disease I was having fun with friends, competing in pageants, meeting women from all walks of life that were nothing short of amazing. They are encouraging and push me to keep going forward. I’m so grateful for them and know they were meant to be on my life path.

If there are any books you’d recommend for me to read I feel like that would be very helpful. I’ve been dealing with this disease about 17 years. I’m tired. I’m exhausted. I still have moments when I cry and ask the universe why I was chosen, why 1 out of 10 women suffer from this awful disease. I hate that other women feel this way too. My entire purpose seems to be lost in translation and I’m not quite sure how to get back on track.

Thank you to those of you who stick with me, read my blogs and send sweet words of encouragement.

Until Next Time

xoxoxo

Fingers, Toes and Everything Else Crossed

Have you heard of Baby Quest? Or FertilityIQ? I hadn’t until I started the process to applying for grants to expand our family. Today I sent out our Baby Quest application. It consisted of 12 pages, lots of numbers, information from my doctor which had to be rushed because I waited to the literal last second to send this out (typical me), and pictures of Russell and I; which were surprisingly hard to decide on. I mean, how does a couple decide on just TWO pictures to send to complete strangers? I was like well this is my reasoning for choosing these photos what do you think? And my poor husband just looked at me in confusion like “okay…I think that’s good?”. Then there was the typical information about my condition and what steps were necessary for us to have a family. Finally, there was our story. This was hard for me to write. I wrote it because let’s be honest, I am so type A that I wouldn’t let anyone but myself write about our personal story. I couldn’t even tell you who is on this panel or how they choose a couple but they want to know all about your family, your hobbies, just basically everything about the two of you as a couple. I started off sharing about Russell’s family, since ya know age before beauty right?? LOL just kidding but I really did start with Russell’s family. Then I went on to mine. I included everyone, including our nieces and nephews. Then I talked about us. And the one thing I wanted to touch on in this blog is selflessness. As we all know my husband is eleven (and a half but he hates when I say that) years older than I am. He doesn’t have children, except our dogs and would love to be a father. I know this because when we first met he told me his dream was to become a parent at a young age. He admired his parents and all they did for him and his siblings growing up and that’s the life he wanted. But destiny had a different path for him. He ended up meeting me when he was 28 and I was 17. We obviously didn’t start dating for almost a year and have been together ever since. I’ve even had the pleasure of pulling off one hell of a surprise 40th birthday party in January. But we are talking about a man who has loved on his nieces and nephews as if they were his own. Our one niece Kaliegh gets so excited to see him that every time she does she yells, “Hi Uncle Rusty!!” in that sweet, innocent voice only a little girl has. He loves those kids with every fiber of his being. I couldn’t help but feel hope for the first time in a while as I dropped that packet in the mail today. For the first time I thought maybe we have a chance at watching a little human grow; hear them speak their first words, watch them take their first steps. And in that moment at the post office I realized just how selfless my husband was all through his twenties. He could have just had a child because he really wanted to be a father. But what he was waiting for was a family. He was waiting for the person who could fulfill those dreams. That person happened to be me but little did we know I would be broken, both metaphorically and realistically. The irony of his selflessness is that he waited for a person who can’t bear children, not naturally anyway. He waited all this time, had all these life experiences only to marry someone who can’t give him the one thing in life he’s always wanted, a family. As I sit here in the quiet I am overcome with emotion because his selflessness is one of the many reasons I have hope. Hope that the people on this panel will read our story and see our pictures (which we chose a picture from our wedding and a picture from the first Michigan game I ever went to) and understand why we want this grant. I will not say that we are more deserving over another couple because we aren’t. We are just two people who love each other very much and want to share that love with a child of our own.

We hope you keep your fingers crossed with us as we wait to get the news of whether or not we are chosen for this grant.

Until Next Time

xoxoxo

A Path to Nowhere

I just have to vent. If I don’t I may lose my mind. I wrote last month that the decision had been made for me to go back on another round of Lupron-Depo, aka, the Devil’s Juice. I called the clinic to make sure everything was ready to go and the documents could be faxed to CVS Pharmacy since that’s the pharmacy my insurance covers. Totally fine..everything was going according to my plan and then it just stopped. The doctor’s office was getting the run around from CVS and I was getting the run around from CVS. It took six weeks of frustrating phone calls, documents being faxed to the WRONG PLACE (this error was on CVS end for giving my doctor’s office the wrong number). So I’ve waited and waited and waited and waited and waited to hear back something. Finally, today after getting a call back from one of the nurses she said to call CVS and see what’s going on. Apparently the Lupron has been ready since last week. Add that to growing list of frustrations. So it looks like I’ll get the shot on Wednesday. So here’s why I’m mad.

I was supposed to get this shot at the beginning of February…. six weeks ago. This is going to push out our timeline SIX WEEKS!!! If anyone knows me knows I have a type A personality. If someone tells me a projected time frame that is what we go with, there is no changing it and whatever obstacles come we get through them. However, this obstacle doesn’t have enough time. Now I don’t know what we are looking at. If I had to guess we’d beginning everything in July and go from there. It’s too late to me because I had this idea but as I am learning I am not in control here. I am at the mercy of time. Part of me is getting very tired and frustrated because this doesn’t just affect me, it affects Russell too. I just feel like I’m continuously failing him, us. I’m just so mentally exhausted by it all sometimes. Then I think of hard this journey is about to get. I mean think about it. Lupron turns me into a heat flashing, cry on the spot, irritated and menopausal person. She is no fun to be around. Then we go right into all the drugs. Birth control for one week, another Lupron for a week, and then the shots go in there somewhere. So at this point my body is really prepping itself to hold a baby(ies). Then the transfer and fingers crossed we are able to get pregnant that day.  And again, I have no idea when this will happen but that’s the order of how it will go because my favorite nurse explained it all out to me. I think that’s another aspect that I’m frustrated with is that we have been going down this path for so long and right now it just seems to be leading to no where. The last six weeks were a literal run around. I have wanted to scream, pull my hair out and cry.

I’m not even gonna lie either, today I had a why me day. Why can’t we just have one? What’s so wrong with wanting just one? I have tried making deals like if the Universe will grant us one crazy awesome miracle baby I won’t push for more. What’s wrong with wanting something that I’ve always wanted to be…a mother. Seeing my mother and how she raised us really impacted me. I also think when you are the product of divorced parents like I am, you almost have to grow up a little faster because mom needs help. I remember when my mom was going to night school, my little sister was a baby and my mom had me, Daniella, and Alex. Those were the times I had to step up and help my mom because she had to study. It was during that time that I found out my passion for wanting a family of my own one day. Then when Russell and first met and I mean just exchanged pleasantries, I knew he was the one. Did anyone else just get that feeling when you first met your significant other that they were going to be your forever? (Also, fun fact…before Russell and I started dating I made a few friends come stalk him with me! It was probably the funniest thing I’ve ever done. That sounds horrible but I promise it was all in fun) Anyway, Russell and I would have deep conversations early on in our relationship. Because you have to remember that Russell and I were “dating” at first and getting to know each other before making things official. I remember one night we were talking on the phone and I asked him about having children. He said at a very young age he wanted to have a family. He saw his mom and dad kick ass at being teenage parents and he wanted the same. He just said he hadn’t found the right person to have children with. And as our conversations kept going he said he wanted a large family, 4 or 5 kids. I wanted the same! In a way I feel like I’m crushing his dream of becoming the father he always wanted to be. Infertility isn’t just a bitch to go through, infertility is heartbreaking. Infertility is emotional. Infertility is hard. Being an infertile woman in the prime of her life sucks. So today I say why me because in this moment our path seems to be going around in pointless circles.

Until Next Time

xoxoxo

p.s. what have you done for endometriosis awareness month??

How Stella Got her Groove Back…

Did you know that it’s Endometriosis Awareness Month? This month I hope to blog as much as possible about the stories of women with endo. I want to focus this month specifically on working with women and sharing their stories on how this disease has changed their life, for the good, the bad and the ugly.

Today’s story is about my friend and endo-sister Stella. Stella looks like a girl trying to live her dreams, however, Stella has a not so secret secret; she has endometriosis. Stella, like most women, had a very difficult time getting diagnosed. The doctor (whom shall remain nameless) diagnosed Stella as having stage one endometriosis Stella was told that she would have to have a laparoscopy in order to get her endometriosis under control. For any woman that hears the word “surgery” we get a little nervous and have a thousand questions.  We also need time to process what is going on, figure out how this is going to affect our every day lives and if surgery is really going to work, especially when the first time is always the scariest one because you don’t know the impact it will have on you and those around you. For Stella she became scared of the surgery and put it off for a little while. One day in 2016, while thinking about the surgery a huge pressure spike was happening her abdomen. What Stella was experiencing was a rupturing cyst that was leaking fluid into her abdomen. She was seen by the same OB but instead of being sympathetic to her situation and finding a treatment plan, she did the “I told you so routine” and kept making Stella feel guilty for wanting time to think about a major surgery. What most don’t know is that you sign an waiver when you get to the hospital. The doctors have no idea what they are going to find once they actually see what your uterus and surrounding areas look like. That waiver we sign is to giving them permission to remove parts of our reproductive systems if they will do harm to us in the future. I understand one hundred percent why someone would want time to weigh the pros and cons of the surgery. One month later Stella decided to have her first laparoscopy. During that first laparoscopy her OB found that the ovary with the ruptured cysts was adhered to her abdomen and she had found endometriosis in other areas of her body as well. At the time of this surgery she was diagnosed with stage 1 endometriosis. However, come to find out later she was misinformed by this OB and is now seeing a specialist who can help her get back on the right track and really figure out what stage she has. Knowing what stage you are prepares you for a lot. Each stage has different symptoms and each stage affects your body differently. If women want to preserve their eggs they need a way to figure out how to do that and when because the clock on having good eggs is running out and fast.

Stella has always known something was off with her cycle. Since she was 14 years old she thought, like the rest of us, that this is how a period is. She just lived with the best way she knew how and her best friend had the same symptoms so they had each other to go through this with. It wasn’t until the last few years when things started to escalate.

This disease takes a hold of everyone in your life and unfortunately some are not strong enough to stay with us. Often times when a woman is sick a lot, it can be hard for man. Not just because his needs aren’t being met but the needs the couple has aren’t being met. As a couple you have goals, dreams, and many milestones you hope to accomplish together. Stella thought she would have these things in her ex, but then things started to slowly change. At the beginning of her diagnosis her boyfriend was there for her. One of the things she said is that she had been incapacitated for three months before her first surgery. At the time her boyfriend was telling her he’d always be there for her and take care of her for the rest of their lives if he had to. He was that support guy who would be there for when she just needed a day filled with relaxing and binge watching their favorite shows on Netflix. But slowly a shift was taking place. She could feel it for a while and didn’t address anything right away. After all they were making plans to move in together and that’s a huge relationship step. That step means you are willing to make a commitment to be there for one another, in good times and in bad. Stella noticed things started to change after her first surgery; he would just not be be present and he wasn’t there as much and she had to force him into spending time together. Sadly, the shift in the relationship was too strong because in July when Stella started to do better after her second surgery, right before her birthday he broke it off. He was telling her a bunch of nonsense like excuses to get himself out. But the one thing he said that she’ll never forget is ” I can’t handle being with someone who has this kind of chronic health issue”.

The constant back, hip, and leg pain (which is common areas pain for women with endometriosis) were just too much to handle. After this last relationship Stella has put dating on hold.  A lot of times women with endometriosis are too tired to do normal things, let alone date. She has no sex drive, which is another common factor when having endometriosis. So for now dating is a no go. However, her friends  and family have been her constant. They are unconditionally supportive and understanding, although Stella’s been more isolated since her endometriosis seems to have escalated a bit. Stella’s self confidence has been affected as well. She feels like there’s something wrong with her, like her body is defective. This has a ripple effect because she has trouble going on and being social because of her self-esteem issues.  Throughout these highs and lows her family is there through it all. They are the biggest support for Stella and she doesn’t know what she would do without them. They are there for her in times when she needs them the most. To say she loves them and she’s grateful for them would be an understatement.

I wanted to share Stella’s story with you all because it’s profound. She has exhibited a fighter’s mentality and continues to fight every day for her happiness, health and peace of well being. Stella is an amazing woman who deserves nothing but the best. I know she has had some major trials throughout her endometriosis journey but she is going to come out the other side of this dark tunnel a winner. She will conquer all the goals and dreams she has and so much more. She has a huge and wonderful support system. She is beautiful, kind and thoughtful. Endometriosis doesn’t define her, it’s just apart of her. Stella is a warrior that continues to fight every day and I am grateful to know her.

 

Please remember it’s Endometriosis Awareness Month and if you have any questions regarding endo or want more facts please ask!

Until Next Time

xoxo

.

 

 

 

 

 

What Are The Odds?

“Never let the odds keep you from doing what you know in your heart that you’re meant to do”.

 

Can we talk about the failed IUI’s we went through last year? For some reason they are on my mind. I’ve been thinking of why we aren’t pregnant yet. For those that are new to my blog I’m very anal retentive and I want things to happen the day I manifest a dream, or want something. I think back to that awful process of going into the room and going through all these steps while Dr. Karnitis administers the sperm as far in my uterus he could. It was a very uncomfortable feeling. Five minutes later I left the office and the dreaded two week wait began. But I feel like I am living a permanent two week wait. I have ovulation tests and pregnancy tests in bulk. Each month I know when we should have an idea or time frame we should try. When I start my period I know there isn’t a point to taking a test because my cycle started. Each time that has happened I just try to hide as much as possible.  I am continually going through a two week wait because after we try I try really hard to stay organized and busy because if I don’t I just wonder if every little symptom could  make me think I was pregnant. But waiting on the Lupron has been the worst waiting game. We all know I hate this medication but it’s my only option if we want to move forward with IVF. Once the injection happens I’ll be doing a 90 day countdown to finally begin IVF. We are getting there. We are getting so close but we are still so far away. I need to apply for the scholarships and grants. I know that things aren’t going to go the way I plan but I just hope we’ll be able to have children. I can tell you the yearning I have for a child continuously grows.  But one day, 90-ish, to be exact we start our IVF journey. Maybe I’m just in a funk because I’m having a flare up and I’m exhausted but I just have to keep pushing. The quote at the beginning is to help me see the big picture. When we first walked into Kettering Reproductive Helath, they said it would nearly impossible for me to bear a child. But at our last visit Dr. Karnitis said my AMH levels are very low but with all the meds my body is slowly improving and I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to have a few babies, freeze a few more and be able to have more children. I have a plan but as I’ve learned over the last two I’m going to go with the flow and work on my perfectionist personality. There are so many things I’m scare of and so many things I’d love to share bu right now I’m exhausted.

Until Next Tine

Angelica

 

Also, linked below is a girl I follow on Youtube, Instagram and Facebook. Her name is Carissa. She struggles with infertility. I’m glad to know I can watch her videos and completely 100% understand how she feels and what she is going though. We’re both in a club that we had no intention of joining and I wish I could change that for the both of us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simply annoyed

Can I just tell you all how annoyed I am? Because I am truly irritated. This may sound crazy but I really want to work with a different nurse during our IVF journey. So let me explain.

Russell and I had our IVF consultation about a month ago. We sat with Dr. Karnitis and talked for about two hours about our journey and when things would take place. After that a nurse came in (and I’m not going to name her) and asked if we had questions. Russell is always so good about asking the right questions because in situations like that I freeze because I’m so overwhelmed. He’s asking questions and the nurse was giving the most standard answers ever. Like it seemed like she was really uncomfortable being there. After him asking a few more questions she said she would see me back when my Lupron came in. I’ve gone about life for the last month being miserable. They’ve also added two more medications to my list of things to take in order for us to have an even higher chance of creating healthier eggs. However, one of the meds has made me so sick. To the point that I wasn’t able to eat for days and the nausea was so bad. I called the office to talk with someone and the same nurse called me back and it was the worst conversation ever. I was telling her what was going on and she offered advice that I didn’t think was appropriate for my situation. She told me to break the pills in half and see how I feel the next day. That’s a hard pass from me. I won’t do it because I like being able to eat and function. I also had a few migraines during that time and I’m not willing to do anything that will increase my migraines at all. After I told her I wasn’t comfortable with that there was a long pause on the phone. I mean it was so quiet for so long that I said “hello?”. She said I’m still here. When I got off the phone with her I told Russell when I get my Lupron shot I’m asking to work with someone else. Now my mom (who is a nurse) said I should be patient because she could be new. I get that some people need to find their niche and get used to their new job but I feel like she should be able to have a better conversation.

Now some of you are probably thinking why does it matter and you’re being a little too high maintenance right now. However, I feel like I should be working with someone I have a connection with. Several other nurses there are amazing and I wish they worked on the IVF side of things but they don’t. We are spending so much money, so much so that I want to work with someone I know is going to handle everything right. For some reason the vibe isn’t right and I refuse to work with someone that can’t have a simple conversation with me. I just don’t feel like she’s the person I should be working with. I have no idea how I’m going to word that without sounding like a crazy person but it’s a gut feeling and I trust my gut. I hope this makes sense because in mind it does but when I say it out loud I sound a little nutty. But my future children are at stake here and I want to make sure every detail is perfect. We haven’t come this far to fail. I know I can’t predict how IVF is going to go but I just have a feeling that we’ll be able to have a baby(ies) next year.

As always please continue to send all the positive vibes and thoughts our way because May is quickly approaching and I’m getting more and more excited!

Until Next Time

xoxoxo

 

Also check out the little words project because their jewelry is amazing and their mission is even better. https://littlewordsproject.com

Patience is a Virtue

“Good relationships are not just about the good times we share; they’re also about the obstacles you go through together and the fact that you still say ‘I love you’ at the end” ——-Unknown

I’ve been finding quotes that I think go along with the topic I’ve chosen for my blog post. I posted last week about grief and the quote chosen just spoke to me, just like this quote does. I chose this quote because I wanted to talk about my husband, Russell in this post, so this one is dedicated to you babe!

Russell and I met in October 2007 and began dating in July 2008. So we are coming up on our 10 year anniversary! Where the heck has the time gone? He has been with me through my awful migraine days when I can’t get out of bed or look at any lights or hear sounds because it makes things worse. He has cleaned up more vomit than I’d care to admit and he has been amazingly patient and positive during this hard time in our lives. When you find out you have an incurable disease you want to curl up and cry. Don’t get me wrong I’ve had my fair share of coming home crying because the answers to my questions from my doctors were not what I wanted to hear. He would also hold me while my face is buried in chest sobbing. He picked up when after two rounds of Clomid and two negative pregnancy tests devastated me he was there to snuggle me and tell me everything would be okay. He even told me that after two failed IUI’s we’d be just fine and we’ll have a family before we know it. I mean honestly, does it get any better than this????

The quote above talks about how relationships need to evolve and grow. Having a disease that is unpredictable can be hard. It’s hard to make plans and do things because I could flair up and down and out for hours or just minutes…you just know with endo. I remember last year Russell and I were on our way to a Reds game and my lower back started hurting really bad. I thought to myself while I was getting dressed that everything would be okay and I could make it because that was our date night! We didn’t even get to highway before we had to turn around and go back home because I couldn’t take the pain. I started to get upset because I ruined date night. There was another incident at Fleming’s about a year ago. We were having our monthly date night and I was feeling so bad. I didn’t way much and boxed my food. At the time I was taking all the medications and they were making me feel sick. Russell picked up that I wasn’t feeling well and asked for our food to be boxed so he could take me home. It was the sweetest gesture because to me that’s an example of chivalry. ( #chivalryisnotdead) One last incident where I wasn’t feeling well we were at dinner at Carvers. Now this was probably a year and half ago. I started to feel like I was getting a migraine but I took my imitrex in hopes that it would work before we left for dinner. Not really. The music, lights, all the noise…I thought  my head was going to explode. We ordered food because I thought I needed something to keep my hydrated and something to coat my stomach and get back to normal. As dinner progressed I have to excuse myself a few times to the ladies room because I was throwing up. Once Russell saw my face he said we were going home and he would save my dinner for tomorrow. He finished eating at home.

I never thought I’d be married to such a great man. He is the calm to my crazy and the light on my bad days. Today I had a bad day and there he was taking care of me like usual. I love this man so much and can’t wait for the day I can give him some babies to love on!

Until Next Time

xoxo