Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Advice from the Fertile People...





I LOVE ecards. They are one of my most favorite things that has spawned from social media. I found this one while looking online and knew I had to share it here. I was commenting one day on a facebook post of a friend about the stupid things people say to you about having babies - this ecard is a perfect representation of that.

Fertile people think they are really good at getting pregnant (and they are) but it hardly makes them an expert at infertility.. I realize a lot of people just dont know what to say so they say the first things that come to mind. I get it, but we have to find something to laugh at in all of this, right?!

If you are going through any sort of infertility issue then I am sure you have heard some crazy things from people... Here are some of my favorites along with what I want to say back to people:
- "You've gotten pregnant before, it will happen again." yeah, ok. Thanks Doc! - "Don't stress, Don't think about it - just let it happen" You're right! Thats the trick.. - "Are you having sex frequently enough?" Nope, no, no way. We just do it once a month and hope that works out! - "Why aren't you guys having another baby?" We hate babies. Babies = yucky.What are some of the crazy things people have said to you about infertility? What do you want to say back at them?



Here We Go...

Thanks for checking out my blog! Hopefully you have seen the "about me" section - if not, I recommend heading there first. Writing this blog is both a tool for others, as well as therapy for myself. I pledge to be open and honest, to post frequently, and I will try to be funny when I can. If there are topics you would like to see me blog about regarding infertility, feel free to let me know. I want this to be an open forum where we can chat and share experiences.

I wrote about my diagnosis in the about me section but I didn’t talk about my current treatment plan. For every different cause of infertility there are different treatments and test. I only have first-hand knowledge of my own, but I would love to hear about what other women are going through!

Here is my current plan:
- Twice daily, I take metformin - a drug, often prescribed to diabetics, that works with your body to regulate insulin. It's chalky and the side effects (for me) have been loss of appetite, nausea, & stomach aches.
- Cycle days 3-7 I take 100mg of Clomid. Clomid works to help your body release follicles, and in turn enable you to ovulate. The first month or 2 I didn't notice many side effects, despite the crazy warning.... Month 3 came and bam! so did the side effects - with this one its hot flashes, irregular moods, and psycho tendencies. All of which my husband can attest too. The good news is, you know it’s coming, so I warn those around me and try to stay on my best behavior. Think PMS times 5000.
- Prenatal vitamins. I try to take these every day, they are giant and something about them reminds me of the smell of a barn. Side effects: nice hair and nails. No complaints on that note!
- I use to have to go to the doctor twice a month - but since this has been going on so long I am down to once a month now. I go somewhere during CD (cycle days) 12-14. I start with an internal ultra-sound where the tech looks for follicles and/or dreaded cysts! They also keep a close eye on a fibroid I have in my uterus, although they are always assuring me it’s nothing to worry about. After that I head to meet with the doctor - she looks over my results and essentially, tells me to go home and get busy.
- I won’t go into the next step for now. A post about keeping it sexy when you really just want to accomplish a task will be for another day.
- Then, my least favorite part, the waiting game. Every month, after I have ovulated, I wait. and wait. and wait. All for CD 30 a.k.a. dooms day. One of these days its name will be changed, but as of now, its doom's day.
- CD 30 comes and goes each month and after it, has unfortunately been CD 1. Then this whole process resets and we try again. I can't wait for the day I hit CD 31, 45, 62, 85, and so on. I keep my eyes focused on the day I get a PPT (positive pregnancy test)

Aren't these little acronyms fun? I picked them up from various infertility sites, support groups, etc. No one ever really explains what they mean so I've sort of figured it out via reading in context. At first I didn't understand the purpose but once you start your own blog or start writing comments they become appreciated.