and so the beta begins....

so i have started my cycle and had my baseline ultrasound and blood work done this am. yay!

i am not embarrassed to say that when i got my period i might have called my neighbors and had celebratory mocktails!  again, yay!

because there is so much to this process, especially the first time around, that i can't predict, i have decided to treat this like a dry run or beta test.  i have done the best that i can, albeit maybe a little aggressively with regard to the work front, in trying to plan something that has very little structure.

kate and absence of structure is not always a good combination.  so i have chosen to take the pressure off myself and roll with the punches.  this first round will teach me how this process works so that i can optimize my game plan for the second round (if necessary).

and this my friends is why this first round is my beta test.

the nurse this morning was exactly who i needed to talk to and has helped me realize that they will work with me and my schedule and that there really is no way to properly plan - especially for the first time.

and in terms of my vicious sinus infection, she is checking with the doctor to make sure that my now extended antibiotics are safe this close to my first IUI.  but she seemed optimistic.

i believe my next steps are to have another ultrasound and blood work done next friday and based on those results it will determine how i will proceed.

it is bizarre to think that i could be pregnant in only a few weeks time!  wow.

UPDATE:  just spoke with the nurse and woot woot everything looks great!  my levels appear to all be in a really healthy range and my rest follicle count is at 21 (they want me to have at least 10).  and i made my appointment for next friday!  this party train is moving on along!  ohh and my sinus meds are oak as well....

kate's law

so i like to joke about something i call kate's law.

it is sort of my way of taking the less than smooth things that happen in life and bringing a bit of lightness to it all.  if it can go wrong, for me, it probably will but not in a normal or traditional way.

murphy has nothing on me.

some recent examples (and sadly, there is a laundry list) ....

- shy IUD that necessitated a procedure to be removed (versus simple tugging of a string)

- nurse when i just got my flu shot exclaiming, "never seen that happen before" as some of the vaccine squirted out of my arm

- and my newest and current favorite... that in my last few possible weeks of being able to imbibe tasty alcoholic beverages i find myself on antibiotics

please do not misunderstand, i am not complaining but simply enjoying the magic that makes kate's law so stinking entertaining!!  and this just gives me an opportunity to start exploring the wonder of mocktails a bit earlier than i had intended.

one thing that kate's law can't seem to counter is my boundless optimism and ability to find the silver lining in just about anything!

t-minus a few weeks till go time!

Holy moly!  So the start of my next cycle starts it all.  Nuts right?!

So thought I would take this opportunity to try to break down what the next month or so holds and how this process really works. 

First of all, I have a 25% chance of getting pregnant each month – and this is the % for healthy women with various levels in the key target area.  Seems low right?  Well, it did to me for sure.  I have been working hard to try to really absorb this fact.  This getting pregnant thing may take time, a lot of time in fact, and I am trying to prepare myself for this while not diminishing any of my usual optimism.

Guess I should start with the big big picture.  So the big BIG picture next steps (as I see it today) are as follows:

•          2 to 3 cycles without any fertility drugs, so natural
•          2 to 3 cycles with chlomid (fertility drug that increases chance of multiples by 10%)
•        IVF
•         Adoption

Net: I am going to be a mama come hell or high water!  And I am going to have faith in the full process and just trust…..

The smaller picture for my next cycle are as follows (and a little unclear since so much is contingent on my hormones and follicles):

• -       Day 1: Cycle begins!  Go in for bloodwork and ultrasound*
• -       Day 10: More bloodwork and another ultrasound*
• -       Day 14: More bloodwork and another ultrasound* - and shot to help ensure proper egg droppage maybe…
• -       Day 15: Insemination?!
• -       Day 16: Insemination?!

*The ultrasounds are to check to make sure that I have viable follicles and to keep track of how well they are maturing.  This replaces me needing to track my ovulation with temperature and such.

The insemination process takes about 2 hours: 90 minutes to thaw the donor vials and 30 for the actual insemination (and I think that accounts for wait time).

March 4^th is what I have calculated to be my insemination week.  Wow!  That is less than a month from today.

While the process is very precise, there are so many variables with regard to timing that I have planned for it the best that I can.  I have a project that week in Philly and Dallas (of course Chicago wasn’t an option) but have scheduled it so that I can be home Tuesday through Friday for at least a window of the Clinic hours. 

Again, while totally optimistic I am trying to make sure that my work calendar for April is primed and ready as well.  Right now I am struggling as to whether I should set two weeks aside next month or not.  Really hard to guess since I have no idea how this will actually play out.  Thinking it is time for another call to the nurse.

And the countdown continues….

(Ohh and sorry for the use of capital letters.  Written while on a plane….)