Hello and welcome ICLWers. It feels like Spring here in San Francisco! I've had a good weekend - a little time outside, exercise, basketball, sleep, acupuncture and even getting my tax stuff together. But, I'm not pregnant. CD1 was Friday. It hasn't been to tough to process given that this cycle seemed to be doomed (i.e. thin uterine lining, low sperm count on top of the fact that even when things are normally perfect we've been trying to conceive for about 4 years now). So, it's on to the next cycle. We'll be doing letrazole/femara + IUI this go around. We did Clomid last month and my RE thinks that may have caused the thin lining. I did 3 cycles of letrazole 2.5 years ago, including one with IUI, and it didn't work. So, it feels we are just going through the motions. But, maybe the stars will align for us. Oh, please!!
I'm going through one of my "I need to do more things to make my body healthy" phases. My acupuncturist gave me a bunch of food recommendations which I will try to incorporate into my diet. Some of them are easy to do, like eating more meat and fresh vegetables. Some are a little harder, like eating blue-green algae and longan fruit! I don't think I've talked much about acupuncture on this blog but I absolutely love it. I find it incredibly relaxing, and fall asleep pretty much every time.
Now...something I don't absolutely love is friends giving me "IF cures" they've heard of. We all know how this goes and that it is usually driven by good intentions, but it is just not what we need. On my ski trip with girlfriends last weekend, one friend told me that she heard cutting gluten out of the diet can lead to pregnancy and another told me that she heard regressive therapy can help. I'm not totally sure I understand regressive therapy but it is something about unearthing latent memories that may be creating blockages of some kind. Again, I know these friends were only trying to help, but hearing these things makes it seem like I'm NOT doing enough. They don't understand how much we have tried and how many possible "random" ideas people have out there! I know that other people beat IF all the time, in a variety of ways. But, I'm still trying to find my way. Despite these comments, the two friends who made these comments were really sweet and supportive in everything else they said. Having shared my struggles with a number of friends, I really appreciate the one who "check in" on me, as opposed to the ones who never bring it up.
I'm wishing you all a very happy & FERTILE spring!!
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Good luck with what I call fertilizing the land. I hope you get good seeds and get to grow beautiful things. Well, not "things" exactly ! But roses or cabbages. I used to believe girls grew in roses and boys in cabbages. I wanted to believe that. :) Acupuncture does wonders for me too...but with my shoulders. And after I sleep great for weeks.
ReplyDeleteSorry about AF..I hope the letrazole/femara works to give that BFP!!!
ReplyDeleteBoo! Sorry to hear this cycle was a bust. It always sucks, even when you were expecting it.
ReplyDeleteDUDE. I love acupuncture SO MUCH. I'm not doing it right now, for insurance reasons- And I miss it A LOT. It's so relaxing, and I feel like a million bucks when I leave.
Oh gawd, the well meaning friends kill me. I get the 'relax' stuff all the f*cking time. I finally snapped at one of my friends and told her that telling me to relax is like saying its MY fault I'm not pregnant... I felt a little bad for snapping at her, but she hasn't given me anymore advice. ;) Which I partially think may be coming more from a "don't make a sudden moves" stand point, but oh well...
Hope this next cycle is *the one*.
P.S. I meant to email you - that get together will probably happen the first week of April. I'll let you know!
I dread suggestions from friends too, even though I'm so glad they've taken the time to ask me about it! And I thought Femara has been a lot easier on my emotions than the couple months I tried Clomid. Hope it works for you!
ReplyDeleteHappy ICLW!
iwillbeamom.blogspot.com
Happy ICLW,
ReplyDeleteUghh.....IF advice.... terribly uncomfortable even if their intentions are good. Wow acupuncture huh?, I think I'm too scared to do something like that. I hate pokey things.
ICLW #89
Oh yeah, the ridiculous advice. It just keeps on coming, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the spring and I am super hopeful for you!
I hope Spring is SUPER FERTILE for YOU!! I've always thought how wonderful it would be to conceive in Spring, hoping to hear that you DID soon!
ReplyDeleteICLW
#101
http://thegalwho.wordpress.com/
Sorry that you're onto another cycle. Wishing you all the best that the new(ish) regimen works. I love to think of spring as an extra fertile time. Everything begins to grow in spring, so why not our uteruses?!?
ReplyDeleteSorry for the advice from friends. Unfortunately, it's hard to take, but I think you're looking at it in the right way...that at least they're checking in on you. I always liked to use the cancer analogy...would you tell a cancer patient to just relax or go on vacation and they'd be cured? NO! Because it's a disease...as is infertility in whatever form it comes. Frustrating!! It's hard, too, because people pick up little bits here and there and think it's a magical cure. For example, cutting out gluten from my diet actually was one of the things that worked for me, but it wouldn't have worked without the metformin that I was on, too. So the trick isn't just cutting out gluten, there's a lot more to it than that!
Anyway, wishing you all the best. Happy spring AND happy ICLW!
i'm sorry this cycle wasn't successful for you, i know how hard that can be. i had problems with thin uterine lining when i was going through treatments too (probably due to clomid) so my doctor put me on gonal f injectable, it didn't mess with my lining and that's what ended up working for me (with iui).
ReplyDeleteHey there, here from ICLW. I feel you on the IF advice but I still think it's great that your friends are trying to be supportive too. It is hard to grit your teeth and smile through it but you sound like you managed!
ReplyDeleteCrossing my fingers your next IUI does the trick-I'm in the middle of a natural one myself. Good luck :)
I am so glad that you "got" the name of my blog. Anchorman is totally one of my favorite movies. Thanks for coming to visit, I will follow your blog too! I am so sorry that we have to have a similar story, because the story sucks, but I wish you luck on this and all future cycles. Looking forward to getting to know you better!
ReplyDeleteafter i made that comment yesterday i realized it sounded a little stupid, i didn't see all the treatments you have already been through, i hope you find the one that works soon.
ReplyDeleteI love acupuncture too. I think I will be a lifelong acupunture junkie!
ReplyDeleteICLW
http://daega99-arewethereyet.blogspot.com/
I'm slightly north of Sacramento, and the weather is gorgeous here as well. Loving it! Makes me want to spend all day outside!
ReplyDeleteAs for the comments, honestly, I regret ever having told anyone IRL about infertility. I'm so tired of dumb questions and comments that I avoid contact with everyone. Makes IF that much more solitary.
Wishing you tons of luck in reaching your baby dreams!
I have only told a few people about IF and now have completely stopped due to unwanted advice. I really don't need friends who got pregnant within 6 months to tell me that Chinese herbs got them pregnant.
ReplyDeleteI hate it when well-meaning friends end up making things worse. Unless someone has been through IF, they just don't get it. I hope that your new plan results in a BFP!
ReplyDeleteUgh! I get tired of people telling me what to do or what they've heard works. I did an entire post on it one time. Good luck with your next cycle.
ReplyDeleteICLW #28
I hate the IF recommendations too. I just listen and try to act like I care anymore. Hoping that the change in meds for the next cycle are the ones that do the trick for you. Best of Luck.
ReplyDeleteICLW #33
Hi! I'm a new follower so I'll be checking on you! I'm sorry this cycle didn't work and I knw how annoying "free suggestions" can be. I was on my second IVF when a friend told me she new of an infallible method to get pregnant: put a pillow under your bum after sex. Yeah...I was at that stage like years ago!
ReplyDeleteMuch love, Fran
ICLW #14
Hey, we're cycle buddies! I totally hear ya on the whole "advice" thing. What I hate the most is getting fertility advice from fertile people. They have no idea...most of them probably don't even know half of what we know about how the whole cycle works. I think my favorite is "It will happen when it's supposed to."
ReplyDeleteHappy ICLW #141