All the Things!

Hi.

5 months ago, I was at a loss as to where our lives were heading.  We had moved into another rental and our infertility was still unresolved.  I didn’t know what I wanted or what to do.  Time was just moving forward.

Since then?

We bought a house!

 

It’s a sweet little 2 bedroom house with a loft and an excellent shed in the back.  I’m painting and tearing things apart faster than Jeremy is comfortable with.  It’s been cathartic.

I got promoted to supervisor at work and I still LOVE my job!  So much fabric and so many wonderful people. 🙂

We’ve decided to seriously explore foster care.

I’m not saying that we’re definitely going to become foster parents, but we’re moving in that direction.  We’re going to take the 10 week course offered by our county.  We’re going to talk to other people who have fostered and/or adopted through our county about the nitty gritty, the bad, and the good.  We’re going to read read read.  And hopefully, by the fall, we’ll be able to make a decision that we feel good about.  I think we’re slowly but surely leaning towards doing it.  The more I think about it, the more I want it.

I really want a baby.  Really.  But I’m not ready to use our last 2 embryos yet.  I’m not ready to go back to that.
Maybe, just maybe, fostering to adopt is the way our family was meant to come together.  Maybe we came to North Carolina not because we could finally afford IVF, but because there’s a child here already who is supposed to be ours.

We’ve spent the 8 months since our last IVF cycle failed being happy with our life.  We’ve gotten settled and secure.  We’re not going anywhere.  It’s time to start exploring our options again.  And I’m so excited to see what this year could bring. 🙂

More soon as we start to traverse life more seriously.

A House Does Not the Family Make

We moved the last of our belongings into our interim house last night.  I said a silent “goodbye” to our first house in North Carolina as we drove away.  It wasn’t as sad as leaving the house with the blue kitchen, but it was still bittersweet.

That was the second house I’ve lived in and expected to bring a baby home to.  When we moved here, I was sure the IVF would work and we would have a baby by the end of the year.  My due date is this week.  My two beautiful embryos, who gave me so much hope, should be here with us this week.  They should have grown into two beautiful babies.  They tried so hard and I love them so much for that.  They made it further than the two who came after, but hopefully not as far as the two still to come.  I love all six of them still.  I love the one before that.  I’ve known about seven of my babies and the fact that five of them are gone is still so heartbreaking to think about.

These four years have taught me that you just can’t force things to happen.  When we moved into our first house, the house with the blue kitchen, I thought the IUIs were going to work.  I thought that stupid yellow bedroom would be full of baby stuff before long.  I got pregnant and then I wasn’t.  A year later, I painted it and we replaced the flooring.  I refinished my grandmother’s dresser.  I knit and sewed for my baby.  I was determined to build it and confident that they would come.  But they didn’t.

And then we were offered the chance to try IVF, so we sold our house and left all the memories that never came true with it.  We moved to North Carolina and I unpacked all of our baby things.  The IVF was going to work.  I lined our baby books up on the dresser.  I filled one whole drawer with hand knit and hand sewn booties and socks.  I filled another drawer with hand knit sweaters.  I hung the dress my great grandmother made in the closet.  A box held fabric swatches for bedding and curtains.  The baby tub my mom bought us sat on the closet shelf.  I was so sure this would be my baby’s first bedroom.

And then we found out our first IVF transfer worked.  I was pregnant and so thankful and so happy.  But then they died. Again.  And then our next transfer failed.  Our lease was up on that house.  So I packed up every stitch of baby.  Every piece of maternity clothing.  I packed away the larger jeans I bought because IVF made me gain so much weight.  I pulled out all of my extra IVF meds to send to friends who needed them.  I put it all in storage, far away from our interim house.  Out of sight, away from me.  If I don’t see it, it won’t make me cry.  If we don’t have a room for it, I won’t try to get it out.  I won’t sew for our baby anymore.  I won’t knit for someone who might never come.  I won’t buy another house with those thoughts in my mind.

A house does not the family make.  Family is intangible.  Family is who you love, even when they’re far away or not even on this earth anymore.  I love my babies with all my heart, but I can’t make room for them anymore.  I can’t keep putting my life on hold and live with the “what if’s”.  They aren’t here.  We are.  I want to cherish the life I have.  I don’t want reminders of what I don’t lingering behind closed doors.  So in storage it will all stay.  Away from here.  Maybe one days we’ll need it all for real.

Reblogged: “Open Letter to Women of Infertility Everywhere” by The Courage in Me

I had to reblog this from The Courage in Me.  She said it perfectly and eloquently and better than I ever could have.  I’ve felt all of this so many times over.  I feel it even now.

Grab some tissues and read on, friends.

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Open Letter to Women of Infertility Everywhere

Dear Infertility Sister:

I’m writing because I know that you’re hurting. I know it’s not easy being you. I know you feel wounded and alone.

I know that it doesn’t make sense that you are being excluded from experiencing what your own mother, sisters, aunts, cousins, and friends have all been able to do without any trouble.

I know that you feel immeasurable desperation to have control and a say in when to have a baby. You wonder why everyone else gets to plan and choose and you don’t.

I know you feel powerless at the hands of your body. I know you hate your body because it has betrayed and rejected you and made you its victim. When you were a little girl, your body deceived you into believing that one day you’d get to have a baby. Sometimes you remember when you played with your friends and put a ball under your shirt and pretended to be pregnant. You remember how much you loved your baby dolls and how you believed that one day the scenario would be real.

I know that you feel stupid when you recall the times you had pregnancy scares and all the years you used contraceptives. You now realize it was all in vain because your body isn’t able to do what it was created to do.

I know that you feel defeated and resentful for doing everything you were supposed to do to prepare your body for pregnancy. You ate right. You stopped drinking. You bought pre-natal vitamins. And I know that you still take prenatal vitamins, you still avoid alcohol and all the other pregnancy no-no’s …just in case maybe this month you really are pregnant.

I know that you’ve kept track religiously of your periods for what seems like an eternity and that you have tried every imaginable trick and tip you’ve heard about or read about in an attempt to conceive your miracle.

I know you are sick and tired of seeing doctors and being physically and emotionally vulnerable with each insemination or in-vitro you do. You’re exhausted of being poked and prodded; of having ultrasounds, blood tests, procedures, and surgeries. You’ve endured enough humiliation to last a lifetime, opening your legs for strangers month after month, each time praying that this will be the last time.

I know that you hate yourself for gaining 10lbs due to fertility treatments and had to buy bigger clothes but not for the reason you wish it were.

I know how nervous you were the first time you had to give yourself an injection and how you made your partner do it for you because your hand was shaking so badly.

I know you don’t sleep for two weeks after you ovulate, wondering if this is the month that the stick will have two lines.

I know that you obsess over your cycle and every symptom you feel or think you feel that could indicate that you are in fact pregnant this month. You push on your breasts hoping they are tender and sore more than usual during this time of the month. Each time you go to the bathroom, you check the tissue to see if there is any sign of your period…even if it’s in the middle of the night, you turn on the light. And if you see pink or red, you say some strong prayers that it’s only implantation spotting and not really your period.

I know that you feel like throwing those injections, vaginal suppositories, and pills out the window after every failed cycle or that you sob when the doctor calls to tell you that the test was negative.

I know that each month when you get your period you privately fall apart and cry out in anger, frustration, and sorrow because with each failed cycle, you have a little funeral in your head for a baby that wasn’t. You cry and grieve for the loss of your dream.

I know that you don’t know how much longer you can put yourself and your partner through this torture. You question if the strain on your marriage, on your savings, and on your sanity is all worth it.

I know you feel like you’re going crazy because infertility has taken over your life and has become a full-time job; a round-the-clock obsession; the only topic you think about and talk about.

I know you wonder if you are a terrible person for not being happy for your friend when she tells you that she’s expecting. I know that you feel jealous and sad that she gets to have what you want so desperately. I know that when you hang up the phone with her, you cry. I know that you feel guilty for avoiding her now that she’s pregnant but it’s the only way that you can cope with your misery.

I know that you feel like screaming when you get yet another invitation to a baby shower and you contemplate if you are emotionally strong enough to attend. I know how much courage it takes to RSVP. I know that most of the time you don’t go to baby showers, but that if you decide to go, how draining it is to endure three hours of fake-smiling pretending to be happy when you’re not. I know how painful it is to make it through the party listening to everyone talk non-stop about pregnancy and babies. And how much it hurts when someone you’ve never met asks if you have children.

I know that buying a baby gift seems like an impossible task. I know that walking into Babies R Us is out of the question because you don’t think you can handle it without breaking down in tears in the store. I know that sometimes you’ve given your friends money and asked them to buy the gift for you.

I know that seeing co-workers go on maternity leave is like a knife in your heart. You wonder if your turn will ever come. You started trying to conceive long before any of them and here you are, still trying. They all got pregnant within a few months of trying, had a full-term pregnancy, went on leave, came back, and you’re still there, feeling left behind, still waiting for your dream, still feeling incomplete.

I know that you cringe at the sight of the maternity department and wonder if you’ll ever get to wear the clothes so many women complain about. I know that maybe you even have a pair of maternity pants at home and that occasionally you try them on and imagine what it will be like to someday have a belly big enough to fill them out.

I know that sometimes you have thrown away birth announcements unopened. And in a moment of rage you’ve torn them up into a million pieces.

I know that when you stand in line at the grocery store, you avert your eyes away from the baby sitting in the shopping cart in front of you because it’s too painful to see his smiling face. And once in a while, when you’re feeling strong enough, you steal glances, imagining what your baby might look like someday.

I know that it hurts when you walk past the baby section in stores because it is a reminder of what you want and can’t have. I know you daydream of one day shopping for diapers, strollers, and baby clothes.

I know that when you see a pregnant woman you feel envy and a deep sense of injustice. You wonder why she has the right to be pregnant and you don’t. You wonder if she struggled with infertility too or is it just you who is going through this torment.

I know how difficult it is to walk past the room in your house that should have been a nursery by now. I know that some days you walk in there and look around, wondering if you’ll ever see a baby sleeping in a crib. And sometimes you just have to close the door of that empty room because it represents the emptiness you feel inside.

I know that you wait until the last minute to plan vacations or parties because your life is on an indefinite hold. How can you plan a trip six months from now when you might be pregnant by then? Your live your life in a perpetual state of uncertainty.

I know how hard it is when you run into old acquaintances and they ask if you ever plan on having a baby because you’ve been married for so long and you’re not getting any younger and your clock is ticking.

I know you avoided going to your high school reunion because you couldn’t bear the thought of hearing old friends sharing stories of their children or having to explain why you don’t have any of your own.

I know that the holidays are difficult and depressing because they are not what you envisioned for yourself this year. You wonder when your turn will come to celebrate your baby’s first Christmas. When will you get to shop for gifts for your little bundle? When will you get to send out holiday photo cards featuring your pride and joy? And I know that you disappear from the room at the holiday party when you see the moms coordinating a group photo of the kids.

I know that you detest Mother’s Day with a passion because you yearn to celebrate what is supposed to be the highlight of your life.

I know that you change the channel when you see commercials featuring babies, pregnancy tests, and ovulation kits. It makes you feel cynical seeing the giddy faces of the women in the commercials because that is not your reality. Everywhere you look, you see happy mothers with their sweet, warm, precious babies. You are surrounded with reminders – when you drive past a playground, when you see a mother on a walk with a stroller, when you attend a child’s birthday party, when you see ultrasound photos on friends’ refrigerators or on co-workers’ desks. No matter what, you can’t escape this hell on earth you’re living.

I know that you have a secret shopping bag in your closet with gender neutral items like pacifiers, rattles, and onesies in hopes that maybe the Law of Attraction is real and it works. And maybe you’ve already bought a card to give to your spouse telling him he’s going to be a father.

I know you daydream about telling your spouse that you’re pregnant and you imagine how you will announce it to your family and friends. I know you actually already have it all planned out.

I know that you wonder how your partner can choose to remain with you if you are unable to produce a child. You wonder if maybe he will leave eventually. You feel like a disappointment. You feel like a liar for promising him a family someday. You feel the need to apologize to him month after month, year after year. You feel the need to thank him for sticking it out and not running away.

I know that when you got the dog you didn’t think you’d ever have or wouldn’t have for a long time, it was because you needed someone to nurture, mother, and love. Maybe you cried the first time you cuddled with her because the happiness you felt was so bittersweet. She isn’t the baby you wanted but she is someone that needs you and loves you unconditionally just like you know your baby would. She is someone you can take care of and brag about and share stories about. She gives you a reason to get up in the morning and she always licks your tears away.

I know that you feel tremendous sorrow when you see children being mistreated or you hear news stories of babies found in dumpsters. You think to yourself…if only those mothers knew what a precious gift they have been given. You get angry with God. Why did He bless those women with motherhood and not you?

I know that it upsets you to hear your friends laugh and make jokes at how fertile they are and that they got pregnant even while being on the pill or on their first try. I know you can’t stand to hear women say they got pregnant by accident or when they call their child an “oops baby”.

I know that it angers you to hear women complain about their pregnancy or babies. How dare they not appreciate what you wish so badly you could have?

I know you feel uncomfortable and awkward when you’re among women and the conversation turns to pregnancy and babies. You feel like an outsider; like you don’t fit in; like you aren’t part of a club you so desperately want to be a part of.

I know that you feel like punching people in the face when they make stupid, ignorant comments in an attempt to make you feel better about your childlessness.

I know that your friends think they’re easing your distress when they say “Well, at least you’re having fun trying” but they have no idea that sex is no longer passionate or playful, but rather an obligation and a job. Your friends don’t know that your sex life is no longer spontaneous. Sex is always scheduled and only for the purpose of reproducing. They don’t know that you lie in bed for 30 minutes afterward with your hips propped up on a pillow, with tears streaming down your face, while you pray to God, Jesus, and all the angels and saints to please make your dreams come true this time around.

I know you resent your friends and family for their obliviousness to your suffering and that they think that if you “just adopt” or “just don’t think about it” it will all be better. If only it were that simple; if only they knew the depth of your wounds.

I know that you feel despair as you wonder if maybe you are meant to have a child-free life.

I know that you are afraid that it’s never going to happen. You are terrified of living the rest of your life feeling unfulfilled, unloved, bitter, and inadequate.

I know that you wonder if you will ever be able to walk away; to let go; to make peace. You question how you will know when it’s time to stop trying; you ask yourself if giving up means you failed; you question if you are indeed a failure.

I know that you feel like you’ve been robbed of your innocence because you can never look at a pregnant woman or baby the same way.

I know that your infertility and your desire to get pregnant, to have a baby, and to be a mother have become your life’s mission. I know that you wake up every morning and fall asleep every night thinking about pregnancy.

I know that sometimes you wonder if the only pregnancy you’ll ever experience is the one you have in your dreams while you sleep.

I know that you wonder if your turn will ever come; will your dream ever come true; will this chapter of your life ever end; will you ever feel the joy of pregnancy and motherhood; will you ever hear the word “mommy”; will the pain ever go away.

I know that you ache to have morning sickness; to feel a kick; to have a baby shower; to go through labor and delivery; to hold your baby; to see his face; to feel like God didn’t forget about you.

I know that you feel that this is all some sick, cruel joke and you wonder if you are being punished for something; you wonder why this is happening; why is this the life you’ve been given; what did you do to deserve this kind of pain and suffering; why are you not able to experience what you feel is your divine right as a woman; why don’t you get to have what every other woman seems to take for granted; why don’t you get to be like everyone else; why have you been deprived of this joy and wonder of life.

I know that you live in a lonely world feeling like the only woman in your circle of friends or in your family to be burdened with this tragedy.

I know that you feel broken and less-than. I know that you feel shame. I know that you wonder if maybe you aren’t worthy of being a mother. I know that infertility has dimmed your light.

I know you wonder if the storm you’ve lived in for so long will ever pass; will the sun ever shine again; will you ever see a rainbow.

I know how you feel because I was once you.

I wish there were magic words I could say to make the hurt stop. I wish there were some deep words of wisdom I could give you that would have it all make sense.

All I can tell you is this:

You are not broken. You are not less-than. You are worthy of love. You are whole. Forgive yourself because you’ve done nothing wrong. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You are deserving of acceptance and belonging. Be kind to yourself and love yourself. Know that you are enough. You matter greatly. You are loved. You are not alone.

All my love,

Jackie

Oh, Hi There.

Hello.

Nice to see you.

2 months, eh?  Who knew?  Time really does fly when you’re having fun.  And when you’re distracted.  Distractions are the best.  THE BEST.

I started my new job 2 months ago and I LOVE it!  I moved into full time this past week and it’s been wonderful.  It’s a great company, full of great people, with great benefits (including SO MUCH FABRIC!)!

Other than that, we’ve started house hunting here in North Carolina.  I think we’re really here to stay.  We found a short term rental to move into while we continue to house hunt.  It’s tiny.  Like half the size of our current house.  I can’t wait.  This next house?  We’re buying it for us.  Just us.  No potential extra little people.  Just us as we are right now.  It’s going to be our house.  Maybe the dogs will have their own bedroom.

Our 2 embryos are still frozen in Raleigh, where they’ll stay for the foreseeable future.  Our Dr at UNC almost had me talked into a December transfer after 2 months of lurpon and an endometrial biopsy/scratch.  Almost.  And then I found myself having a mild panic attack at work when I thought about using our last embryos and going through the hell that is IVF again.  So frozen they’ll stay.  Our little frozen backup plans.  We’ll use them eventually.  We didn’t create them only to leave them frozen.  But we want to enjoy life for a while.  4 years is enough.  4 years of life being on hold while we try to force something that obviously isn’t happening right now.

So we’re living and just being.  And breathing.  And relaxing.  And trusting that God has a greater plan than repeated failed IVF attempts for us and that our story will include more than multiple miscarriages.

Having accepted this, life has become so much more peaceful and so much easier.  We’re enjoying our family as it is and rolling with anything that comes our way.  It’s sweet and perfect.  Everything else in our life seems to be falling into place.  It seems like once we stopped fighting this, things started moving forward.

I want children.  Badly.  Babies still make me so weepy.  But I’m choosing to be content and joyful with what I have.  The sadness that was consuming me was no way to live.  We lived like that and with that for longer than we should have.  I want to love my life.  I want to love the people in my life.  I’m loving the life we’ve built here and I’m so excited to see what comes next.

I don’t know how much I’ll blog now.  For once, I don’t have a lot to say.   But I’m still here.  And we’re still moving on. 🙂

Negative Nancy

I am not in a good place.  Well, actually, I’m in a better place than I was last night and this morning, when the most I could manage was staring at the ceiling and sobbing.  Yea.  I suppose right now, I’m resigned.

I don’t think this transfer worked.  Last transfer, I knew I was pregnant 5 days post transfer.  I felt pregnant.  I felt so positive.

This time, 6 days post transfer, there’s no hint of a second line and I feel so not pregnant it’s ridiculous.  Even though I’m still taking all of my medications, my progesterone tummy has started going away.  My boobs don’t hurt.  I’ve finally started sleeping again.  Food doesn’t have more or less appeal than normal.  Other than wanting to cry constantly because I’m just so gosh darn sad,  I feel like I did before I started my transfer meds.  And it sucks.

I know every pregnancy is different.  I’ve heard it from everyone already.  I know I don’t necessarily want to feel like I did last time, because look how that turned out.  I know.  I know it’s still somewhat early.  But I can’t help but feel that there’s no little person inside of me.  My gut feeling is telling me that there’s nothing there.

I’m a hot mess.  Thank goodness for Jeremy and that he works from home these days.  Being alone while we wait for the end of this would be so incredibly brutal.

Beta is Sunday morning.

Pre-FET Anxiety

FET #2 is tomorrow at 11:30.

Unlike last time, where time seemed to crawl, time has seemed to speed up this cycle.  I’m not ready for this.  I’m scared and anxious.  I don’t feel the joy and positivity I felt last time.   I haven’t slept for a full night in 2 weeks.  Whether that’s from the anxiety or the medication, that’s anyone’s guess.

I’m still having nightmares about the embryos not thawing or something going horribly wrong.  I had to put in writing yesterday that while the plan is to thaw and transfer 2 embryos, if neither of them survive the thaw the clinic has my permission to continue thawing embryos until they get 1 viable embryo.  That’s terrifying.  What if they have to thaw all 4 just to get one to thaw?  What if we don’t have anymore frozen?  What if this transfer is our last shot?

I know two thawed with no problem last transfer, but they’ve been moved and jostled since then.  What if our decision to move to another clinic ruined our chances to have our own babies?

I suppose it’s good that I’ve been so fixated on the thawing.  I haven’t given much energy to the thoughts of what come after that.  It just doesn’t seem as concerning to me for some reason.  It’s weird.  I know.

And I know that statistically, at least 3 of those embryos should thaw just fine. I know this.  But it’s not stopping the anxiety.

It’s probably not the thaw that’s really freaking me out.  It’s probably the whole idea of doing this again.  Of getting pregnant again. Of miscarrying again.

This is exhausting.  I am exhausted.  I want this to work.  I hope it doesn’t sound like I don’t.  I’ve just had so much experience with it not working.  Ever.

This has turned into a much more negative post than I wanted.  I’m going to try to spend the rest of the evening being hopeful and zen.  I promise.

 

More FET Prep…

I know, I suck for not updating about the embryos the day they arrived at the new clinic.  But they did get there.  And the embryologist called me that afternoon to tell me that they looked fine and were the correct temperature, which is the biggest concern when shipping embryos.  We won’t really know if they’re ok for sure until they are thawed.  It’s nerve wracking.

I keep having nightmares about them.  I used to dream about babies and babies being taken away from us.  Now I’m just dreaming about dying embryos.  I’m not sure which is worse.  I was in such a good place a couple weeks ago, but it’s almost like the embryo move made things more real.  We are doing another FET.  I took my last birth control pill on Tuesday and now we’re just waiting for my period to start.

My meds are in hand…
  I’m so happy to report that I will have ZERO injections this FET.  Just estrogen pills and progesterone gel.  I’ve heard the gel is messy, but it’s got to be less stressful than the progesterone in oil….

When I think progesterone in oil now, all I can think about is the few days after my 2nd beta fell when we had to keep doing the injections even though we knew the babies were dying.  I remember bending over the kitchen island so Jeremy could inject the estrogen and then the progesterone.  I sobbed and sobbed through it because the whole situation was so horrible.  I know that was really hard for him as well.

So when our new clinic offered to let us skip the injections (they told us to pick the least stressful method… duh… no needles here…) we jumped on it.  I love them.  I love them. I love them.  I know I keep saying that, but I don’t think I’ll ever take a good doctor for granted ever again.

And so we’re waiting.

On a positive note, I’m still frequenting the gym a lot.  If you remember, I started going regularly right after we found out about our last miscarriage.  A few week later, I set a goal that I wanted to lose 10 pounds before our next transfer.  I’m not overweight, not really.  However, I’ve definitely put some weight on over the past few years with all of the meds and bad news.  I wasn’t comfortable in my body and I blamed my body for killing my babies.  So I wanted to change the only thing I could: my weight and shape.  As of this week, I’ve met my goal. 🙂  10 pounds down and boy oh boy do I feel better in my own skin! 🙂  I think I could comfortably lose another 5 pounds, but I’m not really going to push it.

I had said that I wanted to run a 5k this fall, but with FET #2 falling in late July or early August, I’m not sure if that’s going to be feasible.  I think I might play it by ear.

My question.  Dr. M does not require bed rest.  She wants me to take it easy the day of transfer, but afterwards she wants me to go about my regularly scheduled activities.  Including the gym.  Right now, I’m running about 4-6 miles a week and probably walking another 2-3.  It’s not a lot, but it’s a lot more than I’ve ever done before.  When transfer rolls around, I will have been running fairly consistently for close to 4 months.  I’m terrified to do more than walk the dogs post-FET, but I know it’s going to be better for me (both mentally and physically) and the embryos if I stay active.  For those of you who have gone back to working out post-transfer, did you tone it down a lot or did you just not tack anything new onto your workouts?  This is definitely something I’ll be talking to the doctor about, but I thought I’d pick the brains of everyone else first. 🙂

Doctor Interview #2: UNC

Last Thursday, we went to UNC to meet with one more doctor.  This would be our 4th RE.  Our 4th opinion. I went into the appointment thinking that Duke was at the top of my list and was worried that I wouldn’t give UNC enough of a chance.  But by the time we left, I was ready to hand over my embryos.

This doctor was a lot like the doctors at Duke, but she was more commanding and informative.  She was compassionate and educational.  Like Duke, she wants to dig deeper into my thyroid.  She also wants to check for any early diabetes markers since it does run in my family and can cause miscarriages.  She wants to recheck my clotting issues since my last test was over a year ago.  She wants to see if it’s getting worse or better, or even staying the same.  They also do mock transfers, where they simulate a transfer and make sure everything is going to run perfectly before the embryos are involved.  I love this for two reasons.  First, I like that they’re treating me like an individual.  I’m not in and out and done.  Secondly, I want to make sure the cramping I felt during the last transfer isn’t anything concerning.
Which brings me to the cramping I felt the entire time I was pregnant. Dr. T dismissed it and said it was nothing.  The doctors at Duke said it was probably the endometriosis and that there was nothing to be done about it. Dr. M said she’s rarely heard of that happening before.  She wouldn’t have dismissed it.  At the very least, she would have treated the pain just to keep my stress levels down.  Their clinic is so interested in helping patients with the emotional aspect of fertility treatments.  They have 2 therapists they use and recommend.  This doctor encourages patients to email her with questions.
And, first beta is just 9 days post transfer.  None of this 2 weeks nonsense.

She said our chances of getting pregnant (and staying pregnant) are good.  They would be higher if we had created our embryos with them (I’m sure most doctors think that though).  She’s the first doctor who told me that the silver lining in this last miscarriage was that I can get pregnant and produce good betas.  She didn’t say it that way, she was a lot more empathetic in the way she said it, but it’s what I’ve been looking for.  Something useful to come out of it.  Dr. B said something along the same lines about our first miscarriage and I remember it comforting me then as well.

UNC has put many of my fears and concerns about another transfer to bed.  I can’t control the outcome, but I think this next shot will be a good one.  We’re aiming for a June transfer depending on when my period decides to come back.  I go in tomorrow morning for thyroid, clotting, and diabetes blood work.

And how am I feeling overall?  I’m pushing through.  There are still days that I find myself watching the clock.  Watching the minutes tick by one by one as I wait for a decent time to go to bed.  Some days, I just want time to speed up and for the day to be over.  I’m not sure if I’m hoping the next day will be better or if I’m just hoping for a few short hours that my heart doesn’t hurt.

I’ve also been finding solace in the gym.  Go figure.  I started going two days after they told us my beta at dropped to 5.  I was honestly hoping it would jump start the bleeding.  I ran and ran and then came home and cried and cried.  But it helped.  A couple days later, after my muscles stopped aching, I went again and ran and ran.  I didn’t cry quite so much that day.  So I kept going, at least 3 times a week.  It’s been three weeks.  I’m starting to lose weight (in a good way) and I’m able to run a little farther and a little longer each time.  Some days, I find myself aching to go back to the gym to run even though I’d been there just that morning.  I’ve always hated running.  HATED.  But it’s comforting to run so hard that I just can’t focus on anything but breathing.  Like sleeping, it gives me a brief reprieve from having to think about what we’ve lost and what’s coming next.

Doctor Interview #1: Duke

The last couple weeks have been a roller coaster, and I am so thankful they’re over.

After I posted about our last appointment at the NCCRM, they finally called and offered to let me come in for a “mini-D&C” in office.  The catch: I would have to be awake during it.  I don’t know if this was to discourage me from choosing this option or not.  While that freaked me out, almost 2 weeks of dead babies inside of me was more than enough.  I was ready to schedule it and have this whole thing be over.  But then, only a few hours later, I started to spot.  I spotted into the next day until I started to completely miscarry on my own.  While I’m thankful I didn’t have to go back into that office, I don’t think I ever want to miscarry naturally again if I can help it.  It was emotional and painful and isolating and just horrible.  Give me the drugs.  Give me the D&C.   Let someone else handle it.

We took a spur of the moment trip up to Chicago to spend Easter with my family.  I needed to leave the house.  I needed to get away from home for a while.  It was nice to see my family.  I wasn’t really ready to leave.

Last Wednesday, I had an appointment with Duke Fertility.  The two doctors I saw were the complete opposite of my Dr at the NCCRM.  Both were women, which I loved, and both were super compassionate, yet very professional.  They asked a lot of questions and dug into everything I brought with me.  They disagree with Dr. T’s use of lovenox and want to take a closer look at my thyroid.  Dr. B picked up some anti-thyroid antibodies in my blood last year and they didn’t like that no one really looked further into that.  At the very least, they would recommend a low dose thyroid medicine.  Like the lovenox, it can’t hurt and can only help.  They wanted to run the recurrent miscarriage blood panel that Dr. T said was a waste of time.  They answered my questions and explained things to me.  They were interested in educating me as well as finding out what, if anything, went wrong last time, and how they can do things differently next time.
When I asked about my cramping during transfer and for the next couple weeks after, they said it was probably my endometriosis causing pain and irritation.  There’s probably nothing to be done about it, but it’s also probably not hurting anything right now.  It’s a bummer that nothing can be done, but at least they tried to explain it.
They also gave me the run down on how they would proceed with another retrieval should I need/decide to go that route.  They  would insist on another 3 months of lupron to treat any endometriosis that has grown back.  They probably wouldn’t have even done this last retrieval without a round of lupron.  As much as I hated being on lupron, I like that they’re being proactive and are wanting to treat my endometriosis seriously.

Tomorrow, I go meet with one more doctor at UNC.  I’ve heard that UNC has excellent bedside manner.  Best case scenario: we have two excellent doctors to choose from.  Worst case: we don’t care for UNC and switch to Duke next week.
I would be perfectly happy switching to Duke right now.  They remind me of Dr. B and I felt very comfortable with them.  I can send the Dr. emails directly too, which I love.   Duke’s live birth rates are slightly higher than UNC’s, but not enough for that to be the deciding factor.

I feel a little more empowered as I’m choosing a new doctor.  I’m trying to treat each appointment like an interview.  I’m interviewing these doctors like they’ll be working for me.  I’m trying not to feel desperate, but to be proactive and logical.  I think it’s helping.

More after UNC tomorrow.

 

In Threes

April 2014 might go down in our history as the worst month ever.  Seriously..

You know the myth that death comes in 3’s?  Yea.  It’s been that kind of month.

First, the baby(ies).  It sucks.  We’re still working through it.  It’s easier than last time, but I’m so much angrier about it.

Then, Jeremy’s Oma died two weeks ago.  He wasn’t super close to her, but it’s always sad when a grandparent dies.  It’s been really rough for his family. 😦

Today, after a sudden illness put her in the hospital last week, my Grandmother died.  It’s devastating and I can’t help but fluctuate between grief and anger.

I’m so angry that this baby died.  I’m so angry that our children will never get to meet my grandmother or Jeremy’s oma.  I know most kids don’t get to meet their great grandparents, but if our first baby would have made it, or if we hadn’t had to put up with so much of this bullshit then ours would have.  They should have.  If this most recent baby wouldn’t have died, I would have at least been able to tell her about it.  She would have been so happy.  I’m glad I didn’t tell her though.  I’m glad I didn’t have to tell her that this baby died too.

I’m so lucky I got the chance to know my grandmother.  I love my grandmother and there’s never going to be another human being like her.  She had her flaws, everyone does, but it feels like such a disservice to our children that they don’t get to meet her.

I’m so tired of death and bad news.  I’m so tired of being so angry that life is so unfair.  I hate this.

 

I love you, Grandmother. Rest in Peace, Rebecca Pearl. ❤