Frogs, Frogs and Frogs

no problem with first Lupron shot this morning ... will continue Lupron injections until next ultrasound july 14 ...
received 4-5 inches of rain yesterday so of course mating frogs have returned with a vengeance ... self tromped out to koi pond yesterday in hopes of warding them off but no luck. was dressed in t-shirt, shorts, tall black rubber boots and carrying only umbrella could locate quickly: some gold lamee looking thing ... managed to get cover over pond but frogs found one small hole during the night and invited all their friends ... HIDEOUS noise ... can still hear it reverberating in head.

Go for IVF

ok, IVF to move into full-swing tomorrow morning ... lupron shots will start. tiny needle, no big deal ... lupron shots are already-traveled territory from our first half-IVF cycle. (recall first IVF cycle was cancelled after lupron shots due to ovarian cyst.) next ultrasound scheduled for july 14 ... will be a big day for self and knight-in-shining-armor anthony as any injections occurring after that date will be new to us ... hoping lupron shots will go as well as last time but will see ...

Lord Alfred Tennyson

must write this morning as had most interesting dream last night ... obviously was still thinking about Kel's beautiful wedding ... dreamed we were having one final pre-wedding party at the home of Lord Alfred Tennyson. absolutely no clue about this one but know high school English teacher would be SO proud (hello, Mr. Locke) ... even in dream was amazing that family was gathered at Tennyson's home as he was poet laureate of England but more amazing because he was poet laureate in 1850 and is, therefore, very dead ...

Return of the Cysts but also IVF

(ok, third time will be charm ... somehow have erased this blog twice already ...)
am officially citizen of infertility planet ... AM ultrasound showed two fairly good size cysts (surprise) but not big enough to interfere with IVF cycle ... as a result, have already done one-time PM injection of Cetrotide ... med was added in to help with cysts as well as to prevent premature ovulation ... in my case, Cetrotide injection is done once, then regular IVF protocol resumes. for me, that means continuing birth control pills until July 4, beginning Lupron injections this Thursday morning and eventually adding two more injectables to the mix ... not as complicated as it sounds ... basic function of Lupron is to shut down ovaries so that self's body is no longer in charge of triggering ovulation ... function of additional meds (Gonal-F and Repronex) is to stimulate ovaries to produce numerous eggs which will be retrieved at a yet-to-be-determined but VERY precise moment ... more about retrieval later ...
self felt VERY competitive in waiting room this morning with many other IVF patients ... wondered how far along process they were and if they had cysts like I or perfect ovaries to which I can only aspire ... important to focus only on self's progression through IVF cycle but would still like to win ... win what I don't know but I'd like to all the same ...

All Good Things Must Come to an End

wedding has come and gone ... absolutely wonderful weekend and breathtaking wedding ... cannot imagine more beautiful bride than Kelly. very, very happy for her and very, very grateful for own family ... as am geographically challenged cannot immediately think of honeymoon destination for Mr. and Mrs. Michael Day but believe it is Jamaica?? shall see ...
realize self has veered way off course as far as original subject of this blog but rest assured that is about to change. pre-IVF ultrasound/bloodwork scheduled for tomorrow morning. joy. have bought new infertility book published just last month so feel will be up to date with current information ... Katie Couric interviewed authors on the Today show so feel book will be lively and informative ... shall report tomorrow.

Wedding Weekend Kick-Off

alrightee, about two more days now ... feel we have relative calm before the storm (not that the wedding will be a storm or anything, just finishing the old saying) big wedding weekend kick-off tonight with aunt mar's famous gumbo and about 70 wedding guests/family members/members of both aformentioned groups/friends/wedding party members/anyone who passes by the house/strangers who pop in, etc. will be great fun ...
on planet of infertility,self continuing re-reading IVF resources, including this webpage ... provides pretty good account of what all went on last time. baseline ultrasound/bloodwork set for Monday, June 27 @ 8 AM ... doctor will be checking hormone levels as well as hunting for cysts ... perhaps will wear camouflage scrubs for the hunt ...

Amazon Goddess

(4 more days ...)
am in full-on preparation mode for rapidly approaching wedding. have been fervently hoping one side effect of birth control pills would grace me with its presence: breast enlargement ... so far no such luck. still hoping ...
have also been attempting to transform from semi-albino status to amazon goddess. cannot use self-tanning lotions as self seems to be allergic to them, and tanning beds are out of the question as resident knight-in-shining-armor husband Anthony works for the American Cancer Society. however, new pool purchase seems to be helping issue ... is 15 feet in diameter and 3 feet deep. perfect for drifting around in lounge raft with bottled water by side (part of purifying self before resumption of IVF.) have come up with new tanning invention ... instead of having to turn over every so often to avoid the dreaded fell-asleep-in-the-sun lobster red on one side and ghost white on the other, feel self could perhaps invent rotisserie type device to evenly keep self tan (or anybody else for that matter.) could safely and slowly rotate self in pool to maintain even sun exposure ...have not at all figured out the logistics of such invention ... surprise.

The Planet of Infertility

(5 more days ...)
apologize for inexcusable neglect of blog ... wedding is mere days away, and Kelly (who is home now) is amazingly calm. spent Friday with her doing errands ... very excited for her and Michael and ready for all family to arrive in town :)
continue taking birth control pills and hopefully dissolving any cysts before ultrasound appointment next monday in mobile ... brushing up on all things IVF and removing huge resource binder to browse for pertinent info. amazing how quickly you forget necessary info once you've left planet of infertility ...
must share humor for today ... hopefully is not plagiarism but must discuss anonymous letter sent to our paper here in Gulfport ... writer has idea to build enormous fan to place on beach here and blow any hurricanes heading our way back out into the Gulf ... cannot think anyone could seriously think this would work but good for a laugh anyway ... trying to picture humongous size of fan and imagining how one would power such a device ...

Game On

realized have forgotten to mention we are back into IVF ... started birth control pills last night, which is the first step. Game on ...
had annual gynecological exam yesterday ... always amused by enormous paper "clothes" they give you to cover up. at this point I just want to get on the table stark naked and forget all the paper. paper vest to open in the front with stylish plastic belt/sash and paper picnic-tablecloth size garment to cover rest of self. honestly what is the point? by the time vest is covering boobs, armholes are so huge self is still on display. too much paper to fool with in my opinion.

Dressing Room Danger

(10 days ...)
ok, second time will be the charm with this blog ... wrote last night but somehow erased entire thing with one keystroke ... will re-write now.
terrible occurrence in Dillard's yesterday. was roaming around looking for fab dress to wear to rehearsal dinner. found several and went to try them on. first was really cute little dress ( I stress LITTLE) that had to be seriously worked with to fit on self. looked great but could not breathe out so knew dress would not work. attempted to remove dress over head (removed bra to assist process) but dress absolutely would NOT budge. mild panic as dress was super tight but moved to recently formed plan B, which was to remove dress over hips. had to be stealthy as others were in dressing room and felt dress could very likely split wide open at any moment not to mention the flailing about and jumping up and down self was doing. cannot possibly stress the not budging issue nor the fear I was feeling at this point ... would self be forced to stagger out into the middle of Dillard's screaming for help with dress lodged around mid-section like a spare tire?!?! too ghastly to even contemplate ... rested a moment with dress firmly lodged on buttock area and resumed delicate yanking to get dress off of self. TWENTY minutes later (no exaggeration because had to be somewhere else so was keeping eye on time) and with numerous minor bruises on self, dress was removed with no splitting. sweet relief ... was very, very frightening experience. wanted to use cell phone to call for help but knew other people in dressing room would hear. have learned valuable lesson ... self has NO reason to be shopping in the junior department anymore.

Where In the World Is Arlene?

(unbelievably, 14 days til the wedding)
playing a familiar game today ... the watch, wait and see about the tropical storm. has shifted slightly west overnight and looks to be coming in somewhere around Mobile or a little farther east. pretty much where big bad Hurricane Ivan rolled in last year. ahhh, the risk we take living so close to the water ...
as often is the case, weather channel on quite a bit so have chance to study forecasters as self finds maps uninteresting (and a smidge confusing) feel forecasters sitting at main desk coordinate outfits as man's tie often blends with woman's outfit. pretty to look at ...
nothing like a tropical storm to distract self from IVF although will be making appropriate calendar soon in anticipation of getting back into the game. am dusting off Rocky IV soundtrack as is motivating for return trips to Mobile ... may sound strange but have discovered whatever helps make it through is just fine ...

Big Fat Honkin' Error

must apologize for oversight on Tuesday ... was so caught up in IVF and mentally lethargic due to jungle temps that forgot to mention it was Teri's birthday :( as she has been best friend since we were three years old, self regrets error ... must have been very caught up in IVF as was at her surprise party that very night ...

Tropical Storm Arlene

(16 days ...)
one week into hurricane season and we have anxious little arlene forming out in the gulf ... presently is tropical storm but who knows ...
have discovered weather channel has been productive during break from hurricane coverage last year ... as weather people excitedly discuss Arlene on TV, new little white airplane graphic is displayed on top of the map over the hurricane to indicate where the hurricane hunters are ... absolutely KNOW weather people live for hurricane season as brings new energy into forecasting ... feel will meet a famous weather channel personality sometime during this hurricane season as they are always spread out across the southeast ... will get autograph and a weather channel hat ...

Return to IVF

(18 days, Kel ...)
Ok, just like that we're back to IVF ... started period yesterday, and that's all it takes ... do not have to repeat Cycle Day 3 ultrasound/bloodwork .... retrieval date has been moved back from July 19 until a few days later due to the fact that the IVF schedule is super busy right now. Anyway, here's a tentative schedule for anyone who desires to try to keep up (I dare you :)

June 14-July 4: birth control pills
June 27: baseline ultrasound/bloodwork
June 28: begin Cetrotide injections (new medicine for this cycle to prevent the LH surge, which can lead to premature ovulation)
June 30: begin Lupron injections (15 Units); continue Cetrotide and birth control pills.
July 14: ultrasound/bloodwork; reduce dosage of Lupron injections to 5 Units.
What happens after this ultrasound will depend entirely on bloodwork and if I have a cyst or not ... In the meantime will enjoy remaining days until beginning hormonal craziness ...

Relay for Life

(22 days until the wedding...)
We have just returned from the Biloxi Relay for Life, which is one of the most wonderful events we are involved in as a result of Anthony's job with the American Cancer Society. For those of you who have never been, it is an absolutely extraordinary experience. Relay for Life events are held virtually everywhere ... one of ours down on the Coast (George County) recently raised $117,000.00. However, make no mistake about it, although the money is obviously important, the event is about so much more than that. It is an opportunity for anyone touched by cancer in anyway to come together in celebration ... celebration of life to honor those who have lost their lives to cancer, those who are battling cancer, those who have survived cancer, caregivers and the list goes on and on. The survivors make the first lap around the track (or in this case the sidewalk circling the Town Green) to the applause of everyone in attendance ... it is in this lap when you see that cancer knows no boundaries as far as age, race, etc. You will see toddlers who have survived cancer all the way up to grandparents who have survived cancer - all walking together. And from a rather shallow and very human perspective, I am always struck by those people who arrive with no concern about their hair loss from chemotherapy, those who have realized there is much more to life than worrying about what others will think. There is a greater purpose for these people, and all say they are different people than they were before they were diagnosed. Their courage is staggering and humbling. For me, the Relays are always intensely personal because several people very close to me have passed away in the last several years as a result of cancer. I won't name all of them, but I must mention my Grandma Calvert because her birthday would have been this Sunday. She passed away in 2001 from multiple myeloma and could never actually bring herself to say the word "cancer." However, as with the people at the Relay tonight, I was also humbled by her courage. I like to think that I was exactly where she wanted me to be tonight ... across from the water watching a beautiful sunset in the company of some truly amazing and brave people with whom I was privileged to celebrate. Happy early birthday, Grandma ...

Sniper Fears

for readers with prior knowledge of my irrational sniper fear, read on ... for readers with no prior knowledge of said fear halt reading here as continuing could perhaps paint picture of self as a lunatic. for kicks anthony brought home red laser pointer from work today ... VERY similar to red laser pointers attached to guns and most assuredly NOT one of my most favorite things. will not go on from here as assume everyone can see where this is going. red laser pointer is now hidden from husband but might find its way into destructive waters of koi pond, which has inexplicably stopped leaking. no clue why.
**just to clarify, husband did not bring a gun home, merely a ballpoint-pen sized laser pointer such as one might use for a presentation**
[with absolutely no connection to sniper discussion will officially begin countdown to Michael and Kelly's wedding: 23 days ...]

Cowboy and Phoebe

well, where to begin?? after TORRENTIAL downpours on Sunday the froggie love pond was in full swing Monday morning ... Anthony removed 15-20 frogs from the pond that morning, many of them already copulating (for lack of a better word) necessary trip was made to Lowe's Monday afternoon for supplies to appropriately cover love pond, and to this date only two frogs have made it through the barrier. still not good viewing for early morning awakening ... too many frogs riding around the current all partnered up.
have made a breakthrough with hideous coughing ... chest congestion is beginning to break up and coughs are becoming more productive ... that's all I'll say about that.
new pond drama for the day ... seems pond may have sprung a leak ... I think Bess and Bo did it; Anthony says not possible. Still, we're working to figure out what's going on and keeping the pond filled in the meantime. cowboy, phoebe and friends will be taken care of...
utilizing the most of downtime until IVF resumes although have begun re-reading several books on infertility to get prepared ... will not be caught off-guard again with bloodwork levels. meds still in fridge until next month ... in meantime am waiting on period then a repeat of Cycle Day 3 bloodwork.
in celebrity world, what is general opinion of readership regarding tom cruise and katie holmes?? defended them at first but now think tom may have gone off the deep end. still, we'll always have top gun ... no one can take that away.