Monday, May 17, 2010

Welcome May IComLeavWe

Howdy. I'm so excited to be participating in my first IComLeavWe, but I have no idea what to tell everyone. So, I'll probably just ramble on, like usual.


I'm Julie. I live with my husband, two dogs, and a cat, all of whom conspire to make my house the messiest in the neighborhood. My dogs are both named after Harry Potter characters. I am a big dork.

Reading is my favorite thing to do. I read constantly and would much rather read than watch tv, which irritates my DH to no end. I will read pretty much anything that's set in front of me. If there are no books, I read the labels on cereal boxes, drink cups, etc. If there is nothing to read, I write. I never finish what I write, but I try anyway.

I am a teacher. I teach science, TX history, math, writing, and reading to fourth graders. I also teach manners, good hygiene, and relationship skills to them, even though those aren't in the curriculum. And this year, unfortunately and without meaning to, I have taught them how do deal with a teacher who always has half her mind on something else. I have taught them to watch out for mood swings and work quietly while I slip outside to talk to my doctor. I'm not proud of teaching them those things.

My DH and I have been TTC since September of 2008. In October of 2009, we finally worked up the guts to go see the doctor. Because of his age, we decided to go ahead and run tests on both of us. All of mine came back fine. DH's did not. The doctor said he had no sp.erm, and referred us to a male fertility specialist. He put DH on hormone therapy (worst month EVER!! It basically sent him into menopause. Men should never go into menopause!), which didn't work at all. We discovered that DH has AZFC, a genetic defect that only affects fertility in men. Lucky us. In January, we finally decided to try IUI with donor sp.erm. Our first cycle was cancelled because I didn't ovulate. Dr. Wiz said I was too stressed. Second cycle he put me on 50mg Clo.mid. BFN. Third cycle he upped the Clo.mid to 100mg, but it was cancelled also because none of the follicles were big enough. Decided to take a month off (May) and do an HSG test, since we haven't yet. That finally brought us the only good news we've received: tubes nice and clear. Next cycle, Dr. Wiz wants to do injectables. (Waaaay expensive. Not covered by insurance. Not happy.) We're now scraping to come up with the money for that, since we've already emptied our savings 6 times over by buying a house, 3 cycles, and countless tests in the last 10 months. (If there's anything that irritates me about infertility, it's that it's so damned expensive, and state insurance covers none of it.)

We're kind of just hanging out in Limbo right now. Thinking about getting a second opinion. Trying to figure out how we went from having "no problems getting pregnant with an IUI within 3 months" (Dr. Wiz) in January to 1 failed cycle, 2 cancelled cycle, super-expensive cycles in our future, and a BFP-less May.

If you want to know anything, feel free to ask. It's pretty difficult to offend me, and even if you managed to, I'd probably just ignore you. : ) Thanks for coming!

15 comments:

  1. Hi! I'm a teacher as well and unfortunately I've taught my students that when the doctor calls he is more important than they are.

    I've also taught them to watch my mood swings as I receive more and more test results. It's safe to say this hasn't been the best year for me and my kidlets.

    I'm pretty pissed that infertility costs so much too and oddly enough when I made my first appointment last month with the RE, the nurse told me that they treat a lot of teachers.

    Kind of ironic don't you think?

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  2. HI Julie,
    this is a beautiful post, your honesty is one of the BEST things about you.

    I am wishing you lots of luck with the new cycle...and of course, I will be here to hear all about it.

    you are teaching all of us lots of GOOD Things, I think even inside the bad things is the GOOD stuff.

    I also empathize with the finacial stuff, lately it's been on my mind. A Lot. How far in debt we are , but then I look at my sons and I can't come up with an argument about NOt doing the IVF. It's a Catch 22 no matter what.

    I love to Read and I love TV. I'm a sucker for both!

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  3. I am also a teacher, 1st grade, and have found myself being very short with the kids lately. I agree with you that there is just a lot of other stuff to be thinking about. It is kind of like I am teaching through a dense fog! Your students are lucky to have you regardless of mood swings, taking phones calls, or being "somewhere else."

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  4. Hello! The financial side of things is a PITA, isn't it! I hope you find a way to make it all work for you guys.

    ICLW
    http://daega99-arewethereyet.blogspot.com/

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  5. I'm one too who will read anything in front of me (labels on cereal boxes, etc!) I'm also a teacher, but I teach high school.

    I hope that this cycle works out beautifully for you.

    ICLW

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  6. Im so sorry that you had cancelled cycles.... my last cycle for IUI was cancelled due to poor response and I know it is such a let down! Hopefully we can get our BFPs soon!

    ~Lindsey
    ICLW #129

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  7. I am so sorry for the canceled cycles, that is heart breaking. I had a clomid canceled due to poor response and they did switch me to injections. That went much better and we completed 3 IUI's that way. I know they are expensive but it may be worth looking into.
    Good luck!!1
    ~LCLW~

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  8. Ugh! I hate that infertility treatment isn't offered by most companies! And injectables can be SO expensive!

    I hope that this upcoming Injects and IUI cycle brings you your BFP!

    ICLW #81

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  9. I'm sorry you're going through this. I wish you the best of luck with your next cycle!

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  10. Cancelled cycles suck. I hope your HSG went well last week. I can totally relate to the expense part of this. I so hate that money factors into the decisions we sometimes have to make. My insurance company doesn't consider infertility a disease, but they will pay for viagra. ARGH!

    Best wishes on your next steps. Second opinions are always good.

    ICLW

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  11. Julie, I am a teacher too, but to older students. Every once in a while they ask me if I want kids myself and I hastily respond in short and move on with the current topic - Even though my students are older, I couldn't bring myself to tell them about my current situation. Some things are better left unsaid in my mind. I've been on Clomid 3 times and hated it each time (luckily got pregnant the 2nd cycle, but miscarried shortly after). We are currently awaiting to start our 3rd IUI with injectibles and sorry to hear that your insurance doesn't cover as it can be expensive. It's unfortunate that when someone has fertility issues, it is not always covered - just seems unjust, hey?

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  12. I've been known to read the cereal box as I'm eating my breakfast to have something to do while I eat. YAY for a clear HSG.
    Good luck and thanks for popping by!!
    ICLW 156

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  13. I love to read too. Labels can be so interesting... :) Glad to hear about the clear HSG. Sorry that they're wanting to try injections, but praying for wisdom and guidance for you both! And energy... b/c us teachers can use it right now!

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  14. You caught another reader - although I haven't been reading as much as I like. Too much other stuff. I agree with the insurance situation - it's terrible, it's like money disappears faster than you can figure out where to get it from.

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  15. I am sorry you have had to wade through all this crap. I hope your journey leads you to a positive place.

    Happy ICLW!(#64)

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