Our FET should hopefully be sometime in the next week. I got my first positive OPK on friday, was positive still yesterday, bit stonger in the morning, and again positive last night and this morning. I can feel my ovaries tingling.
Tomorrow I'll call the clinic, tee up and ultrasound and work out when transfer will be based on that. My temps have still been low, so I don't think I've actually ovulated yet, very considerate of my ovaries to hold off until a weekday I think.
I also got in touch with an old school friend recently, found out she got married a few weeks ago, so it will be great to catch up with her again.
Its been a rough couple of weeks, really busy at work, and Lita, our youngest furbaby has been sick. I had her in at work for xrays about 2 weeks ago, checking her joints and trying to decide if we should do surgery or just hold off. A week after that I had her back in with a fever that wouldn't respond to anything. Been doing every test I can think of to try and work this out, have discussed it with 2 specialists and we're up to 3 pathologists now.
We took her to surgery to biopsy some abnormal lymph nodes in her abdomen, after they seemed to be even larger than they had been on the previous ultrasound. Since the surgery, she's been great! Still not normal, but her temperature is back down and she's actually eating again. The bad news is the pathology is likely to come back as cancer. Lymphosarcoma in a 10 month old dog. How messed up is that.
Maybe we can look at a bone marrow transplant for her! And of course it has to be at the same time as a bloody IVF cycle too!
I think if she's having a good day tomorrow, we'll take Lita to the beach and get some nice pics, and just have a good day. I have a massage booked for tomorow also - thank heavens - so I should feel much better after that too!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Saturday, April 5, 2008
IVAS exam
Yesterday was a long day. Very long. I was up at 5am, for a 6am flight to Brisbane, where I hired a car, drove out to Redlands, and was only 10 minutes late for the official start of my IVAS exam. Not bad really.
The exam itself - awful. Considering the 70% pass mark required, I'm really not sure if it was enough. I really did study for it, but still felt remarkably underprepared once I had the paper in front of me.
I hate multiple choice.
We had around 4 hours to complete it, and took most of that to finish the paper. Bleh.
The practical wasn't so bad, I could find all the points, but as for the functions of them, I think I made up some new ones.
I'm trying to avoid the acupuncture books still on my table that will probably confirm just how much I got wrong.
On a more positive note, I got to speak to both of the IVF doctors we've seen over the last 12 months this week, so we have some plans for the next 12 months. YAY!
We'll start with an FET on a natural cycle this month, hopefully in the next 3 weeks. I actually ovulated on day 16 last cycle - a first! I've never ovulated before day 20 on any of the cycles I've charted in the last 3 1/2 years. Totally stoked with that little development!
Fingers crossed for early ovulation this cycle too. We really don't expect these embryo's to survive thaw, so I won't be holding my breath.
Hence plans for the next one, and embryo's in Brisbane. We'll do hormone replacement for that one, head down for a lining check prior to transfer and cross our fingers.
I also talked to our Brisbane Dr about a cycle in November - so we have some plans for that one too.
My bloodwork is all good too, FSH was 6, thyroid function still all within normal.
We also have a new cat. His name is Eclipse, and his previous owner had been trying to rehome him for a little while with no luck. I actually treated him when he was just a little kitten, when we think he ate some rat poison. He actually recieved a blood transfusion from my own cat, who died last November, so when our receptionist found out about that, she had them call and talk to me and see if I wanted to take him on.
I couldn't say no, I was trying so hard not to cry during the conversation with them. He has this link to Christian, and a little bit of her inside him.
He's a very quiet cat, still settling in. He's been her about 4 weeks now and is just getting used to the big scary dogs at the back door. They have no manners and think he's a pretty cool toy so far. So far Eclipse isn't much of a snuggler, but he's not at all nasty either. And our gecko and cockroach population has taken a HUGE hit since he arrived!
The exam itself - awful. Considering the 70% pass mark required, I'm really not sure if it was enough. I really did study for it, but still felt remarkably underprepared once I had the paper in front of me.
I hate multiple choice.
We had around 4 hours to complete it, and took most of that to finish the paper. Bleh.
The practical wasn't so bad, I could find all the points, but as for the functions of them, I think I made up some new ones.
I'm trying to avoid the acupuncture books still on my table that will probably confirm just how much I got wrong.
On a more positive note, I got to speak to both of the IVF doctors we've seen over the last 12 months this week, so we have some plans for the next 12 months. YAY!
We'll start with an FET on a natural cycle this month, hopefully in the next 3 weeks. I actually ovulated on day 16 last cycle - a first! I've never ovulated before day 20 on any of the cycles I've charted in the last 3 1/2 years. Totally stoked with that little development!
Fingers crossed for early ovulation this cycle too. We really don't expect these embryo's to survive thaw, so I won't be holding my breath.
Hence plans for the next one, and embryo's in Brisbane. We'll do hormone replacement for that one, head down for a lining check prior to transfer and cross our fingers.
I also talked to our Brisbane Dr about a cycle in November - so we have some plans for that one too.
My bloodwork is all good too, FSH was 6, thyroid function still all within normal.
We also have a new cat. His name is Eclipse, and his previous owner had been trying to rehome him for a little while with no luck. I actually treated him when he was just a little kitten, when we think he ate some rat poison. He actually recieved a blood transfusion from my own cat, who died last November, so when our receptionist found out about that, she had them call and talk to me and see if I wanted to take him on.
I couldn't say no, I was trying so hard not to cry during the conversation with them. He has this link to Christian, and a little bit of her inside him.
He's a very quiet cat, still settling in. He's been her about 4 weeks now and is just getting used to the big scary dogs at the back door. They have no manners and think he's a pretty cool toy so far. So far Eclipse isn't much of a snuggler, but he's not at all nasty either. And our gecko and cockroach population has taken a HUGE hit since he arrived!
Monday, March 10, 2008
The Lotus
I was walking in one of the local parks the other day, and noticed the lotuses (is there a plural form of lotus?? Loti sounds just stupid), were still blooming. Unusual, as they usually stop blooming early February. Sure, its not like the whole Lotus pond was filled with flowers, but they're still pretty special regardless. Ross River has lots of Lotuses along the edges, and they bloom for a good 6 weeks around Christmas and New year. All of these elegant, blousey flowers towering above the quiet waters of the river. And there is something decidedly sturdy about them as well. The flowers sit a good metre above the waterline, tall and strong, among these large, robust leaves.
The Buddhists revere the Lotus as a symbol of life, something beautiful and wondrous rising out of mud. A symbol of the potential in life, and in all of us.
So I brought home some seeds from one of the dried pods. I was kind of impressed I managed to do it without getting wet to be honest. Usually I try and do something "clever" like that and end up falling into the mud. "Gracefully" of course. Especially if there are a few people watching. I always did enjoy playing in creeks as a child.
But not Sunday. "Graceful" managed to stay out of the water. And get her Lotus seeds.
Now, I just have to save up for a nice big water barrel of some description to put them in! No rush to plant them out I figure, all these articles cited Lotus seeds from various tombs surviving thousands of years, so I think a few months will be quite safe. I just have to decide whether its best to get them going now while the weather is warm, or wait until closer to the growing season at the end of the year. I don't know that the plants really go dormant up here in winter, the water really doesn't get cold.
Might wait until I get that pot sorted first, just in case they decide to really take off and grow fast.
I love the whole idea of having a lotus plant, their beauty and tenacity, and the delicate strength of the flowers. Now I get why you're supposed to meditate on them. And on that minor epiphany, I'm going to actually do some work...... its less than four weeks until my acupuncture exam now - bleh. Better get cracking.
The Buddhists revere the Lotus as a symbol of life, something beautiful and wondrous rising out of mud. A symbol of the potential in life, and in all of us.
So I brought home some seeds from one of the dried pods. I was kind of impressed I managed to do it without getting wet to be honest. Usually I try and do something "clever" like that and end up falling into the mud. "Gracefully" of course. Especially if there are a few people watching. I always did enjoy playing in creeks as a child.
But not Sunday. "Graceful" managed to stay out of the water. And get her Lotus seeds.
Now, I just have to save up for a nice big water barrel of some description to put them in! No rush to plant them out I figure, all these articles cited Lotus seeds from various tombs surviving thousands of years, so I think a few months will be quite safe. I just have to decide whether its best to get them going now while the weather is warm, or wait until closer to the growing season at the end of the year. I don't know that the plants really go dormant up here in winter, the water really doesn't get cold.
Might wait until I get that pot sorted first, just in case they decide to really take off and grow fast.
I love the whole idea of having a lotus plant, their beauty and tenacity, and the delicate strength of the flowers. Now I get why you're supposed to meditate on them. And on that minor epiphany, I'm going to actually do some work...... its less than four weeks until my acupuncture exam now - bleh. Better get cracking.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Day 1, blogging
I decided to branch out. Maybe this will be therapeutic for me. Maybe it will just give my poor huband a break from my obsessive need to discuss things, pick them over, and do it all to death. I'm great at flogging a dead horse.
Blog day 1, infertility day 1043? You know what, its probably more than that. Its just too depressing to actually count them all, so I'll leave that until I'm really in the mood to wallow in misery.
This was supposed to be our "break" year. No fertility treatments, no IVF, heck, I even stopped the prenatal vitamins! And I was doing so well. I felt close to normal about 2 weeks ago, then found out a work colleague was pregnant and had two pregnant clients in, all on the same day. Not begrudging any of them their happiness, I hate the fact they're pregnant none the less. Its just hard to smile and ask "normal" pregnancy questions, and lets face it, at 8.5 months pregnant, at least one of them is probably heartily sick of people asking her due date!
So the plans for a 12 month break have fallen apart. I've decided that I simply can't handle another 8 months of inaction, when I still feel miserable anyway. Physically my cycles are almost normal again. When I say normal I mean....well....about as normal as they've ever been. I did ovulate this month at least.
And while I love being a vet, the job is just stressful enough to keep me from ever viewing it as a break from emotional turmoil. Heck at least we have fun most days, and have a great group of vets and nurses at the moment. The work is challenging, and dealing with worried pet owners was never a walk in the park.
Blog day 1, infertility day 1043? You know what, its probably more than that. Its just too depressing to actually count them all, so I'll leave that until I'm really in the mood to wallow in misery.
This was supposed to be our "break" year. No fertility treatments, no IVF, heck, I even stopped the prenatal vitamins! And I was doing so well. I felt close to normal about 2 weeks ago, then found out a work colleague was pregnant and had two pregnant clients in, all on the same day. Not begrudging any of them their happiness, I hate the fact they're pregnant none the less. Its just hard to smile and ask "normal" pregnancy questions, and lets face it, at 8.5 months pregnant, at least one of them is probably heartily sick of people asking her due date!
So the plans for a 12 month break have fallen apart. I've decided that I simply can't handle another 8 months of inaction, when I still feel miserable anyway. Physically my cycles are almost normal again. When I say normal I mean....well....about as normal as they've ever been. I did ovulate this month at least.
And while I love being a vet, the job is just stressful enough to keep me from ever viewing it as a break from emotional turmoil. Heck at least we have fun most days, and have a great group of vets and nurses at the moment. The work is challenging, and dealing with worried pet owners was never a walk in the park.
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