Sunday, January 30, 2011

Operation Jellyman Kelly: IUI's complete

DISCLAIMER: Any blog posts titled "Operation Jellyman Kelly" will no doubt gross you out. These posts will describe our current treatments for infertility...so if you have a weak stomach or don't know how you'd have a conversation with me in person after reading this....stop reading now. ; )

IUI's were performed yesterday and today.

Now we enter the two week wait to see if it took.

Yesterdays procedure began with my husband having to take his "guys" to be cleaned.  Unfortunately, the lab where this takes place is 30 minutes from our house, so this weekend was all about driving:

Drive to the lab for specimen cleaning.
Drive home.
Drive back to the lab 2 hours later to pick up cleaned "guys".
Drive to Dr. T's office for IUI.
Repeat everything on Sunday.

The IUI procedure itself wasn't painful and took all of 30 seconds the first time.

I was instructed to lay still on the bed for 10 minutes (even though it's not proven to help) and for the 10 minutes I felt a massive cramp coming on.  I didn't realize how uncomfortable I would be after the IUI.  I couldn't even bend over to put my shoes back on...my husband had to do it.  I was just.....bloated and in pain.  It felt (and still feels) as if a balloon has been inflated inside of my abdomen.  When I sit down I have to sit down slowly because it feels as if the balloon will pop.  When I do sit down slowly, it feels like the balloon shifts within me and puts more pressure on my upper abdomen and chest area. 

It.Is.Bizarre.

Once we left Dr. T's office yesterday I was in a lot of pain.  The cramping came all at once and so during the drive I had to lay the seat all the way back and just breathe through it.

It got better soon after that, but I still felt extremely uncomfortable.

We ended up staying in all day yesterday.

Today's procedure went about the same, only Dr. T seemed to take longer to get the "guys" where they needed to go.  There wasn't much pain after this procedure but I'm not sure I'd know if there was additional pain because I'm still extremely bloated and uncomfortable from yesterday.

When I asked Dr. T if that was normal and if it was from the IUI he said it wasn't...it's those 5 or 6 eggs I've got.  They're doing their thing and it's freaking my body out.

I can't say the bloatiness is making me feel pregnant...but it's certainly making me look it!  LOL!

So that's that.

We're crossing our fingers, saying prayers, thinking good thoughts and rubbing Buddha's belly for the next two weeks.

I've read on some infertility blogs that it's good to keep yourself very busy during the two week wait...so projects be warned....I'm coming for you.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Operation Jellyman Kelly: Triggered

DISCLAIMER: Any blog posts titled "Operation Jellyman Kelly" will no doubt gross you out. These posts will describe our current treatments for infertility...so if you have a weak stomach or don't know how you'd have a conversation with me in person after reading this....stop reading now. ; )

Appointments went great today (apart from a situation with a nurse man-handling my arm for blood).

It appears my 5 or 6 eggs have matured enough that Dr. T seemed pleased.

We're moving ahead with IUI tomorrow and Sunday!

I do want to share a little bit about the ultrasound appointment if I may...

it hadn't dawned on me that my husband had never experienced a "womans" wellness exam or an ultrasound until today's appointment!

When we got into the room and the nurse said "OK, bottoms off and on the table" my husband seemed surprised by this.


LOL!

When Dr. T came into the room  I laid flat on the table (as was the routine) and put my feet up in the stirrups.

I looked up and could see my husband seemed a little put off by this mechanical reaction to the Dr. walking in.

I could only giggle.

And for those wondering about how I reacted to the HCG trigger shot....

fortunately it really wasn't that bad.

My husband did a fantastic job of distracting me the entire time so I didn't get to see the needle myself (he did intimate to me later that it was a fairly large needle) and it did sting a little...but the actual injection wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be!

Now....hours later....the injection site is definitely sore.

In fact my whole body feels a bit...achy.

It's odd.

Nonetheless, I've been triggered and am ready to go!

If you have time...we could use some extra prayers and good thoughts!  =)

Thank you!!!!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Social Media vs Traditional Media?

I read an interesting article on Media Post today about how social media has been playing a role in the on-going Egypt protests.

I enjoyed the article and the stand the writer took that social media can in fact make people stand up and do something...that it can cause change...


What I found more interesting though was the discussion taking place in the comments of the article.

Some argued that social media (while important) isn't the major player in the world of media.  Traditional media (television, radio, newspapers) is still bigger and farther reaching.  

I started thinking about the recent phenomenon of Ted Williams.

Would the “Homeless man with the Golden Voice” situation have turned out the way it did without traditional media picking up the story and putting him on every television show out there?

Sure, it started on social media.

A YouTube video of a homeless man with a radio-perfect voice goes viral and the next thing we know said homeless man is on Dr. Phil.

If that story remained only on social media…how far would it have gone?

Would all of these major companies like Kraft and a few sports teams have offered him a job if they only saw the story break and unfold on social media? 

And likewise, if the story broke and unfolded via traditional media....would it have produced as many opportunities for Ted Williams?

I think social and traditional media have a symbiotic relationship.  They need one another, whether they like it or not.

Sure, traditional media is still king....but traditional media looks to social media to highlight what events, stories and causes are important to us, the users.

Yes, it was a traditional media outlet (a newspaper) that found Ted Williams and shot a video of him and put it online.  

But it was social media that made Ted Williams a sensation and got the attention of bigger traditional media outlets. 

Here’s a great time-line I found produced by New York Daily News on the Ted Williams phenomenon:  http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/01/13/2011-01-13_ted_williams_goldenvoiced_homeless_man_timeline_from_rags_to_riches_to_dr_phil_i.html




Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Operation Jellyman Kelly: IUI Delayed

DISCLAIMER: Any blog posts titled "Operation Jellyman Kelly" will no doubt gross you out. These posts will describe our current treatments for infertility...so if you have a weak stomach or don't know how you'd have a conversation with me in person after reading this....stop reading now. ; )

I went in for blood work and another ultrasound today.

Dr. T was able to make out what he thought to be 5 or 6 eggs.

Great news!  I think?

The only problem...they're not big enough.

So....I'm continuing on the gonal-F injections for another two nights and then go in for another ultrasound on Friday morning.  If everything looks good Friday, they'll give me the trigger shot and we'll be doing IUI over the weekend.

Wish us luck!!!!!!!

Monday, January 24, 2011

Operation Jellyman Kelly: More shots

DISCLAIMER:  Any blog posts titled "Operation Jellyman Kelly" will no doubt gross you out.  These posts will describe our current treatments for infertility...so if you have a weak stomach or don't know how you'd have a conversation with me in person after reading this....stop reading now.  ; )

We've done three nights of FSH injections now and my husband has been handling the needle like a champ!








































I have to admit...I'm a little worried about the next set of injections (HCG) we're expecting later this week.

I've heard they are delivered via the buttocks and that is what I'm terrified of.

When I was a child, it took at least 2 people (sometimes 3) to hold me down for shots.

I was that afraid of needles.

I was willing to fight my own mother in order to avoid any kind of injections.

And injections to the butt or legs.....those were the worst for me.

So I'm hoping I can keep myself calm and just get through it.

Cross your fingers for us....if all goes according to schedule we should be doing the IUIs on Thursday and Friday of this week.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Operation Jellyman Kelly: First injection

DISCLAIMER:  Any blog posts titled "Operation Jellyman Kelly" will no doubt gross you out.  These posts will describe our current treatments for infertility...so if you have a weak stomach or don't know how you'd have a conversation with me in person after reading this....stop reading now.  ; )

Last night was the night.

The first FSH injection.

Dr. T and his nurses were adamant when telling us to do the injections at the same time every night (4 nights total) and so my husband and I settled on 6:30 p.m. since we both felt certain we could be home from work at that time during the week.


















I spent all day freaking out over this shot.

A couple of times throughout the day I even opened the fridge to look at the injection pen.

It was ridiculous.

My husband and I started an episode of "Dexter" at about 5:45 p.m. hoping it would get us to 6:30 without me really thinking about what was coming at 6:30.

At 6:27 my husband checked the time.  The episode wasn't over yet, infact it was just reaching a big climactic scene so my husband asked if we wanted to wait until 6:45 or 7 to do the shot.

I couldn't wait any longer.  I couldn't be anxious for another half hour.

"Let's get this over with."

We paused "Dexter" and started prepping.

I grabbed an ice pack and started icing my stomach.

My husband cleaned the injection pen, loaded the needle and flicked the pen a few times as instructed.  I was getting a little light-headed at that point.

He cleaned the injection site on my stomach and moved toward me with the needle.

Instinct took over and I started backing away from him.

"Aren't you going to at least tell me when it's coming??!?!" I was slightly panicked.

I think my husband wanted to do this quickly so I didn't have to think about it any longer...but I needed to know when I would feel that needle going in.

He sighed and started counting to three.

Everything in me wanted to ask if he was going to inject ON three or AFTER three but I left it alone.

He counted to three and slowly stuck the needle into my stomach.

I could feel the needle going through my fat which was really, really wierd.

The whole process felt very slow.

He injected the hormones, counted to 5 and pulled the needle out. 

It hadn't hurt.

I couldn't believe it.

Post-injection did result in some pain in my abdomen (mostly pressure) and I also started getting really fidgety and hyper (much like how I was reacting to the Clomid) but this time it was more immediate.

We watched the rest of the "Dexter" episode and then I used that crazy fidgety/hyper feeling for good and made a big dinner.

My husband admitted that it was kind of terrifying giving me the shot...I'm SOOOO happy he didn't tell me that until after!

Although...he does have to do it 3 more times....

crap.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Operation Jellyman Kelly: IUI Cycle

DISCLAIMER:  Any blog posts titled "Operation Jellyman Kelly" will no doubt gross you out.  These posts will describe our current treatments for infertility...so if you have a weak stomach or don't know how you'd have a conversation with me in person after reading this....stop reading now.  ; )

And so it begins....

My cycle started on a weekend (lovely) and so this past Monday was day 3; which meant a quick ultrasound to make sure everything looks fine before we start the cycle and my first dose of Clomid.

I'm on a low dose of Clomid so I didn't think it would have that much of a hormonal effect...but I've definitely noticed a few things........

for instance....

I'm more fidgety than normal.  I can't seem to keep my hands still and my foot always seems to be rocking back and forth in an almost panic-like state.

I'm EXTREMELY thirsty so I'm drinking a LOT of water thus causing me to use the latrine every 20 minutes.

I'm also experiencing waves of emotion at random times which luckily has not struck while I've been at work yet.

I'm also very feisty in the evenings....(unfortunately for my husband...I've been picking fights every night since I've started the Clomid).

I can't seem to focus on one thing at a time either.

I get easily (super easily) annoyed too.

The most unfortunate side effect I'm experiencing are the hot flashes in the evening.  I'm so uncomfortable that I can't sleep and so I'm exhausted at work all day.

So, that's how the Clomid is treating me.  ; )

Days 3-7 are Clomid days.

Days 8-11 are injections of Gonal-F.

I'm really not looking forward to days 8-11.

On day 12 there is a blood test, urine test, repeat ultrasound to see if I need further stimulation.

If all looks good, I'll get an injection that triggers ovulation, we'll do the IUI procedure (twice) and then cross our fingers and hope we made a baby.

Today is day 7. 

Tomorrow marks the start of the shots that my husband will be administering.

His homework is to practice with a sample injection on an orange.

We just got the medication (and needles and biohazard waste can) from the Dr.'s office yesterday.


















I thought it was quite adorable that the nurses threw in a bag of chocolate Hershey kisses.

Very, very sweet of them.  =)

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Operation Jellyman Kelly: Surgery Follow-up

DISCLAIMER:  Any blog posts titled "Operation Jellyman Kelly" will no doubt gross you out.  These posts will describe our current treatments for infertility...so if you have a weak stomach or don't know how you'd have a conversation with me in person after reading this....stop reading now.  ; )

Three weeks after my laparoscopy my husband and I went to our "check-up" appointment with Dr. T.

I had been looking forward to this appointment because I really wanted to see the pictures Dr. T took with the laparoscope during surgery.

(I allowed him to take photos of the surgery for educational purposes.)

I had been extremely jealous that my husband had already seen these photos...shortly after the surgery.

As it turns out....photos of your uterus and ovaries are kind of...gooey.  I'm not entirely sure what I expected of the photos....but it was a little gross.

He summarized how the surgery had gone and that he'd found absolutely nothing wrong.


"So as you can see...nothing exceptional."


Nothing exceptional?  Way to make a girl feel special Dr. T.


He pushed the photos towards me on his desk...


"These are copies if you'd like to keep them..."


I laughed and respectfully declined.  Not exactly the type of photos I want to put up on the fridge.

Dr. T asked how we wanted to proceed regarding treatments, so we decided on the least invasive, least expensive (and unfortunately least likely to succeed) treatment....IUI (or intrauterine insemination).


I asked how soon we could try a round of IUI.

"As soon as you start your cycle."

Awesome.  My cycle was scheduled to start in a week and a half.


We didn't expect to walk out of that appointment with a plan, a prescription for Clomid and a practice kit for FSH injections...

but we did.

 




A Chicago Caper...

So let's take a quick break from all this crazy Operation Jellyman Kelly stuff and talk about something more fun...

like Murder Mysteries!  ; )

This New Year's Eve we hosted our first Murder Mystery at our place. 

It.Was.Hilarious.

The Scenario:
You have received an invitation to S.P. Keasys place, a private club near the headquarters of notorious gangster Hal Cappone. Upon arriving, Hal is discovered murdered!

The Players:


















From left to right:  S. TREIGHTON HARROW (US District Attorney and chief opponent of the criminal element), EDDIE ("SOCKS") R. GYLE (smooth fashionable and clever, avid golfer and gambler, owns the exlusive gaming house Green Tables where the affluent gamble), ANNA MARIA CARLOTTA SASSINE (sultry voice, exuberant style and traditional blues renditions have earned here the nickname "Torchy", this smoldering beauty currently featured at the Green Tables), MALISSA F. ORRTHOT ("Scoop" made a name for herself as a crime reporter for the citys leading paper The Trumpet, her considerable beauty and lively charm helped further her career on both sides of the law), MOLLY M. AWBSTERR (society dame from NY, the ultimate flapper in Chicago for the action, maintaining a most exclusive penthouse apartment), ERNIE ("BET A MILLION") G. AMBLER (Chicagos most colorful millionaire), "SILKY" M. ADAM (shady owner operator of the The Everlay Club, Chicagos most prominent private establishment) and not pictured above-BILLY ("THE KID") THROWER (star pitcher for the Stock Kings, currently holds the league strikeout record, off the field The Kid is fun-loving, hard-drinking, warm-hearted, lustful, brawling and hell-raising).



















We got off to a rocky start because we didn't time out the food prep as well as we should have...but we dove right in and got the backstory....heard about the crime scene.....and began interrogating one another...

















Because all of our characters were a little...sleazy...there was very little trust when it came to questioning....

A few hours, arguments and random outbursts later it was time to toast to the New Year...and make our accusations....

believe it or not...the killer was....

just kidding, I wouldn't ruin it for you!  It's too much fun!!!

Here's a better shot of the gals.....


















And here's one with the guys....

















What a FANTASTIC way to ring in the New Year!

Happy 2011 all!!!!


Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Operation Jellyman Kelly: Post-Surgery

DISCLAIMER:  Any blog posts titled "Operation Jellyman Kelly" will no doubt gross you out.  These posts will describe our current treatments for infertility...so if you have a weak stomach or don't know how you'd have a conversation with me in person after reading this....stop reading now.  ; )

So it turns out you use your abdomen for EVERYTHING.

The reason I felt fine right after surgery was because I was completely drugged up.

The reason the nurses were so adamant about my husband waking me every 4 hours for pain medication was because if it wore off...I was going to be one miserable woman.

I didn't feel sick, I didn't feel much pain but I could feel pressure in my abdomen and below.

When I needed to use the bathroom my husband had to assist me with getting up, getting to the toilet and then with lowering me onto the toilet.  Talk about embarrassing!

The most uncomfortable thing was the shoulder pain.

During the surgery, carbon dioxide gas is injected to inflate the pelvic cavity which allows the Dr. to see everything he needs to see.

At the end of the surgery the gas is removed somehow but remnants of it can stay and press on the nerves that reach your shoulders...which is so weird!

Anyhow, anytime I sat up it felt like I was being stabbed in the shoulder (from behind).  It hurt like hell.  The only way to alleviate the pain was to lay back down.

I did a lot of sleeping and a lot of watching old episodes of the Big Bang Theory over the next few days.

I was extremely lucky to have such a wonderful caretaker (props to my man).

By Wednesday (which also happened to be my birthday) I was feeling good enough for company. 

My dear friends came over and shared leftover chocolate cake with me...which was DELICIOUS.

Unfortunately...that chocolate cake would come back to haunt me.

It turns out....it takes awhile before you're comfortable going...you know..number 2, after surgery.

I know, I know....gross.

But like I said...you use your abdomen for everything.

I couldn't poop.  For days.  It was uncomfortable.


The other thing about recovery that drove me INSANE was the glue.
Dr. T used a special glue on my incisions, but one of the incisions was in my belly button....

imagine squeezing 4 large drops of glue in your belly button and letting it dry....

now imagine having to leave your belly button alone for a week.

didn't happen.

Sometimes I knew I was doing it, other times I didn't, but I was constantly picking at my belly button.  I just wanted to pick the solid chunks of glue out of there!  It was gross!

At one point my husband had had enough and placed a large bandaide over my belly button so that I couldn't get to the glue.

It.Was.Torture.

Apart from that...no huge issues post-surgery....

well...there was some gas.  =(

Moving on....

The best part of recovery was knowing that I looked "good" enough inside that the Dr. felt I should have no issues carrying a child.

Peace of mind is a beautiful thing.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Operation Jellyman Kelly: Laparoscopy

DISCLAIMER:  Any blog posts titled "Operation Jellyman Kelly" will no doubt gross you out.  These posts will describe our current treatments for infertility...so if you have a weak stomach or don't know how you'd have a conversation with me in person after reading this....stop reading now.  ; )

The day of surgery was upon us.  Monday.  Two days before my 31st birthday.  Happy birthday to me.  =)

The weekend before had been spent having great fun with friends and family with a good old-fashioned skate party, games and extreme chocolate cake (that I couldn't have much of because of the pending self-enema). 

The self-enema; the biggest concern for me pre-surgery.

I had to read the instructions on the package several times.

A dear friend advised that I go with a "water-based" solution because it was supposedly less painful.

I took her advice to heart and purchased the "Fleets Natural" package.

I followed the instructions exactly and waited....

nothing.

Five minutes later...

nothing.

Ten minutes later....

still nothing.

Surely this couldn't be right.

The instructions clearly stated that I should feel an "overwhelming urge to go" within minutes.

Had I done something wrong?

After about 30 minutes in the bathroom my husband called upstairs and asked if everything was ok.

"Sure!" I shouted back.

Either I didn't have anything to expel or that "water-based" solution was just.....water.  Nothing active.

I emerged from the bathroom, not victorious as I'd hoped to be...but confused.

I told my husband what happened and he immediately went out for another enema...this time...a saline-based solution.

He wasn't going to let this "crap" get in the way of a successful surgery. ; )

The saline-based enema seemed to work a little better but still didn't result in much.  We took that as a sign that I was done for the night and went to bed.

The next morning went as planned.

I washed with the weird alcohol based body wash from the hospital, I wore loose-fitting clothing, I didn't wear any make-up and I didn't eat or drink anything.

In other words, I was a grumpy, hungry, mess of myself.

When we walked into the hospital I was fine.  I wasn't nervous, I wasn't afraid...I was just there.

When we got to the prep room and I had to change into that awful open-back gown....I got nervous.

A nurse came in and took my vitals, explained the process of the surgery, collected my clothing and told me to hop into the bed because that was my "ride" to surgery.

My darling husband snapped a photo just before I had to give up my Scottish hat....



















It seemed like we waited in that room for a long, long time.

A bear of a man knocked on the half-open door and asked if I was ready to go.

My husband answered for me...(because I probably would have said no) and tucked me in and gave me a kiss.  "See you in a little while.  You're going to do great."

I was off.

Being pushed in a hospital bed is funny...it's like bumper cars...only bumper beds...

On the way to the pre-op area we hit at least 2 other beds.

We reached the pre-op area with no real injury (apart from a fresh dent to the side of my bed) and I was introduced to the anesthesiology team.

I answered a ton of routine questions, got my IV (which really stung) and waited....

and waited...

apparently Dr. T is known for being late to speaking with his patients right before surgery.  Some of the nurses started referring to him as Dr. Tardy.  I don't know if they knew I could hear them.

Dr. T finally showed up and asked if I had any questions.  I shook my head and said I was ready.

The anesthesiology team and nurses started rolling me to the operating room.

They told me they were administering a light dose of morphine to calm my nerves and that it could burn a little through the IV...

WHOA!

They weren't kidding.

My left hand felt like it was on fire!  I started to verbalize my discomfort but could already feel myself drifting away.

I saw the ceiling tiles going by...

I felt the bed hit something...again...

and that was it.

The next thing I remember is hearing voices and feeling like there was movement around me.

I tried opening my eyes but couldn't and heard..."Are you waking up already?  You haven't slept nearly long enough."

"No, I'm good, I want to wake up." I remember saying.

"You're not in a hurry...you should rest."

"No, I want to go home."

I slowly opened my eyes.

The light was incredibly bright...or my eyes were incredibly sensitive to light at that point.

Everything was blurry, but I could make out two nurses moving back and forth between a few sleeping patients.

They had decorated the area with snowflakes hanging from the ceiling for the holidays.

"I like your snowflakes." I said.

"Thank you.  We've never really decorated in here before...I think it's nice."

My throat was a little sore, so the nurse gave me some ginger-ale and a cracker.

"How long have I been sleeping?"  I asked.

"Not long enough," she said.  "Only 30 minutes.  Most people sleep for an hour and a half before they come around."

I assumed that I would feel nauseated, or at least some pain...something...but I just felt tired.

And hungry.

"Can I have another cracker?" I asked the nurse.

She gave me another cracker along with some pain medication and explained to me that the surgery went very well and that Dr. T had already spoken with my husband.

"Did they find anything?" I asked.

"Nope.  As far as I can tell you are perfectly normal."

Perfectly normal.  How perfectly strange.

After about 15 minutes of talking to the nurse and having another anesthesiologist sign off that I was fine, I was delivered (via bumper beds) to the recovery room where my lovely husband was now waiting.

He seemed disappointed that I wasn't a bit more...loopy.

More vitals were checked, instructions were given to my husband and then I was able to change back into my clothes while my husband was sent for the car.

I was wheeled out to the car, hoisted up into the passenger seat and we were on our way home.

Once home, I was put into bed and only woken every 4 hours for pain medication (which I didn't think I needed but am glad my husband forced me to take).

Laparoscopy complete.

Recovery pending....

Operation Jellyman Kelly: Surgery Pre-Op

DISCLAIMER:  Any blog posts titled "Operation Jellyman Kelly" will no doubt gross you out.  These posts will describe our current treatments for infertility...so if you have a weak stomach or don't know how you'd have a conversation with me in person after reading this....stop reading now.  ; )

So my Laparoscopy was suddenly around the corner and it was time for my pre-op visits a few days before surgery.

Pre-op wasn’t supposed to be difficult. 

I'd taken the day off of work to go to the two separate appointments.  One for Dr. T and one for the hospital where the surgery would take place.  

I got up early, got myself ready to go, stopped at Starbucks to get my caffeine fix and…

my morning suddenly went downhill.   

My car wouldn’t start.   

There I was…stranded in the Starbucks parking lot with two very important appointments to make that could not be rescheduled. 

Needless to say, I freaked out.  

I called my husband in a panic knowing he couldn't do anything for me from work. 

Calmly....smoothly, he diagnosed the problem over the phone and determined that my battery had died.

"You're going to need to ask someone for a jump."

Simple....right?

No, not when you're freaking out.

All I could think about was how I didn't have time for this.

I could not reschedule these appointments...this was going to ruin everything!

If I didn't make these appointments they were going to have to cancel my surgery and I didn't know if I'd be brave enough to try this again.

Thankfully my husband is familiar with me.  ; )
Before I had to work up the courage to ask a complete stranger to please help me make these appointments and that my future children depended on them....my husband called his brother-in-law to see if he could help.

As luck would have it, Bob (my husband's brother-in-law) didn't have any real estate appointments that morning and rescued me from the Starbucks parking lot.

I made it to my appointments with time to spare.

Dr. T's pre-op visit consisted of a quick check-up and an ultrasound.  Easy peasy.

The hospital's pre-op required some blood work which is typically not a problem...but for some reason, Dr. T requests an awful lot of blood from his patients (clever, since he doesn't have to draw the blood himself) and so I had to sit still with a needle in my arm draining blood from the smallest tube I'd ever seen for what felt like 10 minutes.  I felt a little faint!  LOL!

In the course of being bled out, I also learned I would need to shower with this strange smelling alcohol based body wash before surgery and that I would have to give myself an enema.

Yup.

You read that correctly.

Self-enema.

I had to watch a 10 minute video that explained what would happen during surgery and how I'd feel after surgery and then I called my dear friend Sara for a ride home.

I have to admit....

the thing I'm worried most about is not the surgery itself...but the enema!

LOL!

Operation Jellyman Kelly: Appointment 1

DISCLAIMER:  Any blog posts titled "Operation Jellyman Kelly" will no doubt gross you out.  These posts will describe our current treatments for infertility...so if you have a weak stomach or don't know how you'd have a conversation with me in person after reading this....stop reading now.  ; )
 
We did it.

We finally did it.

After 5 years of trying to conceive…we finally got ourselves through the door of the Center for Fertility and Endocrinology and had our first consultation with Dr. T.

I’d been dreading the appointment all day.

What would he ask us?

Would he criticize my husbands sperm?

Would he take one look at my possibly blocked right fallopian tube and show me the door?

I wondered if he would ask us how much we were willing to do and pay to have a baby of our own.

I thought about how I’d answer that.

“So…did somebody refer you?” Dr. T asks as we sit down in his office.

I tell him my OBGYN referred me to this office several years ago…that we’re just now following up.

In truth, my OBGYN referred us here 4 years ago…and 4 years ago….we ended up at the wrong hospital for our first appointment, showed up late at the right office (this office) only to find they had given our appointment away.  When asked if we wanted to fill out some paperwork and schedule another appointment, my husband and I took a look around  the full waiting room, said no thanks and ran like hell.
 
“So Dr. Ann referred you….must have been before she retired.” he says without any expression.

I laughed.  For some reason I found that statement pretty amusing.  My OBGYN retired before we got ourselves to this appointment.

“Well, we were hoping it would happen naturally.”

No reaction from Dr. T.  

“Are there any medical issues on either side?” he asks, getting back to business.

I tell him about my HSG results 4 years ago; left fallopian tube good, right fallopian tube possibly blocked.

We tell him about my husband's semen analysis done 4 years ago as well and that there were some morphology issues.

Dr. T starts taking notes.

My husband and I sit there…quiet…not really knowing if we should try to fill the awkward silence (and it is....extremely awkward)...

Dr. T pushes himself back from his desk and turns his chair toward a cabinet.  He returns to the desk with booklets that have drawings of the vagina, uterus, sperm, etc.

I want to say, “Nice!  We get to talk about sex AND look at dirty pictures…” but somehow I don’t think Dr. T would appreciate it so I don’t.

He walks us through the process of natural conception.

I nod as if it was all new information.

“So…let me tell you what options you have….”

He ran through a list of treatments, starting with the low-cost (and lower success rate) treatments all the way up to the high-cost (and higher success rate) treatments.

Clomid.
Clomid and artificial insemination.
Low dose of Clomid with FSH injections and artificial insemination.
FSH injections and artificial insemination.
IVF.

I have more questions about my possibly blocked fallopian tube and Dr. T tells me the only way to really see what’s going on with the tubes is to do exploratory surgery.  A laparoscopy.

My instincts tell me to elect the surgery as a starting point.

I’ve suspected for some time that I may have endometriosis because of the pain I experience with my periods.

I tell Dr. T I want to do the surgery.

My husband seems surprised.

“How soon would you like to schedule it?” Dr. T asks.

“Yesterday.” I say.

And just like that, we schedule my first fertility-related surgery.

Until my surgery (which is 2 days before my 31st birthday), I’m surprised to learn I need  to take birth control pills. 

Seems a little counter-productive….but they’re the experts.  ; )

We thank Dr. T and the wonderful staff and leave with a renewed hope that one day…..

one day we’ll have our family.

Operation Jellyman Kelly

DISCLAIMER:  Any blog posts titled "Operation Jellyman Kelly" will no doubt gross you out.  These posts will describe our current treatments for infertility...so if you have a weak stomach or don't know how you'd have a conversation with me in person after reading this....stop reading now.  ; )

First, let me explain the title...

Jellyman Kelly is a short and silly song James Taylor wrote in 1979. 

James Taylor is one of my husband's favorite artists.

A few months ago someone either sent the following video to my husband or shared it on Facebook of JT's way-back-when performance of Jellyman Kelly on Sesame Street.

When he showed me the video....I couldn't stop laughing!  The whole thing just made me smile!  The kids, the silliness of the song, the tuba.....it was wonderful!



I didn't say this to my husband, but at that moment, I envisioned him playing this song for our kids.

It was a beautiful thought.

Less than a week later....we finally made an appointment with a specialist.

Thus begins Operation Jellyman Kelly.....

And that's 2010....

It's been too long since my last post...for that I apologize.

Hopefully this blog finds you all happy and well after the holidays and the start of the new year!

2010 was full of adventure and I'm hoping 2011 brings even more!

Cheers!