Well, that's interesting...

The last we left off, I was dealing with not being able to have the insemination. I didn't cry any after my last post and I was able to enjoy what was left of my vacation. I don't think I mentioned it in my previous posts, but we were actually on vacation while all of that transpired. I was so relieved that everything had fallen into place and was going to happen while we were on vacation so I didn't have to worry about leaving work for appointments. My parents had rented a lake house about an hour and a half from our house, so I was able to drive to Macon for each of my appointments.

I had to go back to work the following Monday and worked through Thursday so that I could have Friday-Monday off at the lake. We had a great time and enjoyed being on the water. On Friday, it looked like I was about to start my period. I was disappointed, of course, but I was also expecting it. On the positive side, that Friday was day 28 of my cycle, so it meant that my body was actually acting like it was supposed to. But it didn't come. And Tuesday would have been the day I took a pregnancy test if I hadn't started yet if we had done the insemination.

I had to work on Tuesday and I came home to an empty house because Thomas and Amelia were still at the lake. I took the test and busied myself with laundry while it processed. I went back to look at this is what it said...

I was shaking and had to keep looking at it to make sure it was real. I texted Thomas a picture of it and told him to call me ASAP. He didn't call me after about 30 seconds (impatient? Yes!), so I called my mom and asked to speak to Thomas. I told him to look at his phone and call me right back. He did and his first words were, "See? We don't need them!" We talked for a few more minutes and he said, "So can we tell your mom now?" I said yes but only if I could tell her. So I FaceTimed her and showed her the result. Needless to say, she was ecstatic. I made a few more phone calls and was actually able to go to sleep that night. I called the doctor's office the next day to see if I needed to come in for blood work and they scheduled me to come in on Thursday morning. My hCG level on Thursday was 206. I had to go back on Saturday to make sure the level was still going up. The nurse said they were looking for it to go up by at least 60%. When she called me later, my result was 577. Whoo hoo! Then we scheduled my first ultrasound for August 13th.

I'm writing this on August 11th and I am 7 weeks, 1 day. Several people have said they think I'm having twins, but we shall see on Wednesday! I am so ready to see a heartbeat and hear that things are looking good. I have felt really awful for the past few days and I didn't have this kind of nausea with Amelia. I've only thrown up a few times and it's been when I brush my teeth. I know each pregnancy is different, but this one is kicking my butt!

So, here's to a great heartbeat and great check-up on Wednesday!

A New Definition

I just thought I knew what disappointment was. I've been putting off writing this post for a few days now because it's a really hard one to write. And I haven't been in the best place emotionally to write it. I feel better today, so I think I'll give it a shot. Oh, and TMI WARNING!

Things were perfectly set up for us to have the insemination procedure on Tuesday morning. I gave myself the last Follistim injection on Saturday night and the Ovidrel injection on Sunday night. We had to be at the doctor's office at 9:30 on Tuesday morning with Thomas' sample. We dropped it off with the doctor in charge of getting it ready and went to breakfast at Panera Bread. We had to be back at 10:30 (36 hours from the time I took the Ovidrel...which causes you to ovulate). After sitting in the waiting room for a few minutes, Dr. Hawkins (Dr. Butler's newish partner) called us into her office. When we sat down, she said we had been presented with an unexpected challenge. I may have stopped breathing at this point. It turns out Thomas' sperm count was really, really low. Low enough that she didn't recommend doing the insemination procedure because it probably wouldn't work. I can't really remember what his actual count was, but it was a lot lower than it had been in 2010 when we got pregnant with Amelia. He hadn't been retested because the nurse said sperm counts don't usually fluctuate too much. False, apparently. The doctor asked Thomas several questions about his recent behavior (i.e. work out supplements, illness, fever, etc.) and they were all no. She recommended having another semen analysis in six weeks (!) and if the counts were still low, we would do more testing. She said since I had two good looking follicles, we could try on our own and hope for the best. She also said she could do the procedure, but she didn't feel it was good medicine to not tell us the poor odds and charge us for a procedure that may not work. So that means after the repeat analysis in six weeks and if everything looks okay, I'll have to do another round of injections. And another round of ultrasounds every few days. And possibly another month of birth control if the cysts come back.

Needless to say, I was DEVASTATED. I was trying really hard not to completely lose it in her office. Thomas asked if we could have a minute and she took us to another room so we could be alone. Except she took us to the room where the insemination would have taken place. I remember it from last time. She may not have thought about it, but good Lord. As soon as the door shut, the chest-heaving sobs started. We talked for a minute about when we could schedule the analysis and while he was at the desk making the appointment, I walked out of the office with my sunglasses on for fear of making eye contact with anyone. Especially the receptionist who just an hour earlier asked if we were excited and how she was excited for us. Once I got in the car, I called my mom and the full-on meltdown started. Chest-heaving sobs, huge tears, snotty nose. The Works. We talked for a few minutes...more like me crying, she was trying to console me. When we got back to the house, I got in the bed and slept for probably four hours. Sleeping doesn't require thoughts. When I got up, I tried to put a brave face on for Amelia, but it wasn't really working. She knew something was wrong and she kept trying to make me feel better. Bless her. I moped and cried for the rest of the night and woke up that way, too. I was pretty miserable yesterday and cried A LOT. I don't know how I had any tears left. I didn't want to do anything but lay on the couch. Pretty much everything reminded me that we weren't able to have the procedure. My mom said at one point, "I know you feel like something has died." And that's exactly how I felt. True, I wasn't pregnant yet and hadn't had a miscarriage, but we were so close. Two mature follicles and they were just going to die and be swept away. I know that probably sounds extreme, but that's how I felt.

I'm better today. I've been more active today and I've laughed. I haven't cried at all. Yet. I hope not to, but there's always the chance that something will make me. For now, I just have to be patient (again) and know that there's a bigger plan and it's all eventually going to fall into place. It is just SO HARD to accept that sometimes when you feel like everything has finally fallen into place and then it just slips away. So again, I'm asking for prayers for patience. Thanks for them and all the others you may have sent our way!

It's About That Time

Things looked great at Dr. Butler's office yesterday morning. Both of the follicles were continuing to grow and my uterine lining was nice and thick. Yay body for responding appropriately! As I was getting ready to leave, the nurse said, "You know, with two follicles coming down, there is that risk." As in risk for twins. I know this risk, but still. She said it's unlikely, but she wanted me to know it's a possibility. Yikes! Thomas is convinced we're having twins, but I really don't think that's going to happen. However, there was only one follicle when Amelia was conceived. So, we'll see.

When she called me later, she told me to take one more night of Follistim and to give myself the Ovidrel injection (which makes me ovulate 36 hours later) at 10:30 on Sunday night. We have to be at the office at 9:30 on Tuesday morning with Thomas' sample and return at 10:30 for the procedure. And then wait 2 weeks to take a pregnancy test!

You're Looking Good, Tiny Follicles!

I went back to Dr. Butler's office yesterday morning and I was pretty nervous that things were still slow-going. The follicles on the left ovary are still slow, but there were two of good size on the right ovary. One measuring about 10 mm and the other measuring about 14 mm. When the nurse called me yesterday afternoon, she told me my estrogen level had gone from 77 to 130 which "is wonderful." They had me increase my dose slightly to hopefully encourage one more follicle to grow and I have to go back tomorrow morning. Hopefully there will be continued growth and we're getting closer to the insemination!

The Waiting Game

I went to Dr. Butler's office this morning for another ultrasound and bloodwork to see how things are progressing. The follicles are still developing slowly and there are still a lot on my ovaries. My lining is thickening, which is good because my estrogen level had dropped on Friday and a thick lining means that level is going up. The problem with a lot of follicles is that as we continue to stimulate them, they will continue to grow. Growth is a good thing, of course, but we don't want all of them to grow. If they do, I'll end up with like 800 babies in there. Not really that many, but enough to make it unsafe. And Thomas and I don't want to be the next Jon & Kate Plus 8, even though we're confident our marriage could handle it. ;-) So now I'm just waiting to hear from the nurse this afternoon what dose to give tonight and when to come back. Thomas continues to reassure me that Dr. Butler has yet to steer me wrong, so just relax and let him do his job. While that's true, it's still hard to not worry about things not going as they should or not at all. For now, I'm just going to try and enjoy my vacation and let things happen as they will!

Let's Get This Party Started

I started my period on Sunday, June 22nd, which was several days earlier than I thought it would be since there were only 24 active pills in my birth control pack. So yay for that! The nurse had told me if I started my period on Saturday or Sunday to come in on Monday morning. So I was at the office at 8 AM on Monday morning with a pit in my stomach because I was so worried the cysts would still be present on ultrasound. But my ovaries were clear and I had my bloodwork and went to work. The nurse called me that afternoon and said to give myself 75 units starting on Tuesday for 3 nights and come back into the office on Friday morning. This worked out perfectly since Friday was the first day of my 2 week vacation. The follicles on my ovaries were developing as they should (about 5 mm each) and the nurse told me later on in her phone call to keep taking 75 units per day and come back on Monday morning. So that's where I'm headed in the morning! Looking back at how we did things last time, there were 10 days between the start of the injections and the insemination procedure. If things go the same way this time, we're looking at doing the insemination later this week. But I'll find out for sure tomorrow as long as things are progressing as they should. Fingers crossed for follicle growth!

The Big D

Disappointment that is.

Negative Nellie post coming up! You've been warned!

I finished taking the Provera last Friday. I was expecting to start my period within 2-3 days, but I didn't start until this morning. I was actually relieved because that meant day 3 would fall on Friday when I'm working 8 hours in education and I could stop by the office before going to work. That way I wouldn't have to leave work and worry about someone holding my stuff. So, I called the Dr. Butler's office to let the nurse know I had started and to make sure I needed to come in on Friday. She was looking at the calendar and told me that the embryologist who's responsible for the sperm part of the insemination would be out of the office the week I would be due for the insemination, so they weren't scheduling any procedures. I had two options:

1.  Proceed with the injections and when it would normally be time for the insemination, we could try on our own

2.  Wait another month

*insert silence on my end of the phone call here*

I tried my very best to hold it together and not cry, but that wasn't happening. I'm sure she's used to emotional women on the phone, but I was really trying to be strong. Nope. I mean, I was just CRUSHED. I really didn't know what to say. She said I didn't have to decide today, but I'm thinking, "Is there really more than one option?" We can't afford to do the injections and then it not work because we didn't do the insemination. Some people actually only do the injections and then do the rest on their own. If insurance paid for it or we were loaded, maybe. But shelling out thousands of dollars and then not do everything in our power to increase our chances of it working is just not an option for us.

I mentioned how there were cysts present on the ultrasound I had two weeks ago and asked would they possibly still be there. She said they more than likely would and I'd have to go on birth control to make them go away like I did before we got pregnant with Amelia. I was sort of expecting this, but definitely not expecting being delayed because of scheduling.  So now the plan is to start taking birth control tonight. I'll take it for 28 days, wait for my period to start, then go in on day 3 as planned. But we all know what happens to best-laid plans...

I was in the office with my supervisor when I was on the phone and being the awesome person she is, she let me cry and listened and hugged me and helped me suck it up because I had to.

I know things will work out like they're supposed to and when they're supposed to. But patience is not one of my finest qualities. If this process teaches me anything, it's patience. And faith.

Pray that faith helps me to have patience.

Paralysis By Analysis

I heard this term today and I immediately said, "That is so me. To a T." I will analyze something from every angle until there's nothing left. Nothing left of my sanity either. I will always find something to worry about even after being reassured that everything will work out. And it always does. I just can't help it.

As I've said before, this process is one of the most nerve-wracking things I've ever gone through. The only thing I can control is taking the medication I'm currently on (which I'll get to) and giving myself the injections when it's time to. Everything else is up to my body. The same body that can't act right and get pregnant on its own. So maybe it's understandable why I'd worry about every little thing. I just have to trust that things will work out like they're supposed to and roll with the punches. Yikes!

I went to Dr. Butler's office last Wednesday to have an ultrasound and lab work, including a pregnancy test. When the nurse was doing the ultrasound, she mentioned how thick my uterine lining was and I needed to have a cycle (it was day 30). She also showed me how both ovaries have multiple cysts on them. She said they looked polycystic and when I mentioned how Dr. Butler had told me before I didn't have that, she said that the cysts come and go and it would depend on when in my cycle he looked at my ovaries. So I guess that means that my first and second surgeries were done at the time when no cysts are present. Having polycystic ovaries makes sense because I was told about 12 years ago that I had it and I have other symptoms of it, including acne, facial hair, weight gain, etc. So, I guess we'll deal with that when we have to.

But for right now, I'm taking Provera to bring on my period. I started taking it last Wednesday night and will stop taking it this Friday. My period should start 2-3 days after stopping it and then I'll go into the office on day 3 of my cycle for my baseline ultrasound. My concern is that the cysts will still be there and I won't be able to start the injections for another month. I did some research online to see if Provera, which is a contraceptive, would make cysts disappear. From what I've found so far, it doesn't. :-( I've considered calling the office to ask Cynthia or Dee if it would, but I've decided against it because there's nothing I can do about it either way. I'll just have to wait and see what happens. Yikes again!

I should know something by this time next week, so I'll update then. Until then, we have fun plans to be on the lake this weekend to celebrate Memorial Day!

Some good news...

Thomas and I went to Dr. Butler's office this past Friday for an "injections class" for me to learn how to give myself the injections when it's time. My medications came in the mail early last week and my insurance actually paid for one of them! Whoo! This class was mostly a refresher since not much has changed, but I was reminded of the whole process and why and how each medication works. When I told the nurse, Dee, that day 35 of my cycle would be May 19th (a week from today), she said I could start earlier if I wanted to, as long as it was at least 28 days. Yay!

So I'm going in on Wednesday morning for an ultrasound, pregnancy test, and some other labs to make sure I'm not pregnant and that everything looks okay. If I'm not pregnant (and I doubt I will be), I'll start a medication that night and take it for 10 days. My period should start 2-3 days after stopping the med. Once my period starts, I'll go in to the office for a baseline ultrasound to make sure everything looks okay to begin the injections. I'm hoping we don't have a repeat of last time, where the presence of a cyst on my ovary would prevent us from starting the injections this month. I'd have to take birth control to make the cyst go away and wait until my cycle started again. I'm just ready to get this show on the road and I have absolutely no control over it! Dee kind of burst my bubble a bit in the office the other day when she said sometimes the second baby is harder to come by for some reason. Great. Just what I need to hear! But, she's hopeful that since we had success on the first try last time, we'll have it again.

That's all I know for now! Luckily, I have several things going on over the next few weeks to keep my mind occupied. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I don't want to wish my life away, but I'm ready for this to happen!

Let the countdown begin...

We had our follow-up appointment with Dr. Butler this past Wednesday. He showed me the pictures he took during my surgery, which were unremarkable. Except it was pretty neat to see what my non-functioning ovaries look like. My question to him was: since there was no endometriosis, why am I having 60+ day cycles? He said it's an ovulation issue which was moot at this point because we're going to take care of that with the COHS procedure (Controlled Ovarian Hyperstimulation).

So, here's the plan:

1. Order my medications so I'll have them when it's time to use them.
2. Attend the injections class at the doctor's office to refresh my memory how to use them appropriately.
3. Wait for my period to start. If it doesn't start by day 35, they will give me something to make it start. 
4. Once it does, I'll go into the office on day 3 of my period for a baseline ultrasound and blood work.
5. I'll get a call from the nurse that afternoon to tell me how much medicine to inject that night. 
6. I'll return to the office every couple of days for another ultrasound and blood work to see if a follicle is developing.
7. If it is, I'll adjust the amount of medication I inject each time.
8. When the follicle is mature, I'll do one last injection 2 nights before the insemination procedure.
9. On the day of the procedure, I'll go in to the doctor's office, have the procedure, and resume my normal activity a few hours later. 
10. Then I wait for 2 weeks and hope for a missed period and a positive pregnancy test.

If you know me in real life, you know I'm a planner. I'm OCD that way and I can't help it. This whole procedure kind of takes everything out of your hands and that makes me very nervous. Depending on when I'll have to go in for my ultrasounds, I may have to leave work and have someone hold my stuff. That stresses me out because I don't want to put anyone out while doing this. We were lucky enough to both be off work the day of the procedure last time, so I'm worried that we won't be this time and that stresses me out. I know things will work out and I have to keep telling myself that. So, if you're inclined to pray, please pray for me to have peace and understanding. And for the doctor and his staff to continue in their skilled practice. 

Say what now?

Well, the day has come and gone. The BIG surgery day. I spent all day last Wednesday (pre-op day) in an epic sprint combined with a full liquid diet. Here was my schedule that day:

9:30 AM   Pre-op at Dr. Butler's

(Signed my consent, got my post-op instructions and my very important Lortab prescription)

9:55 AM   Shopping for an Easter dress at Dress Barn

(literally standing outside before they unlock the doors in the freezing wind because I have places to be people!)

11:00 AM   Pre-op appointment at the hospital

(After waiting an HOUR, answering questions, getting blood drawn, EKG)

1:00 PM   Employee Health appointment

(Yearly physical for work, TB test)

2:15 PM   Drop-in CPR

(Yearly requirement to show I know how to save people's lives)

4:00 PM   Stop by Walmart to get my glasses adjusted

(I knew I would be wearing them for a large part of Thursday and they wouldn't stay on my face. I've always wanted the rimless glasses and I finally have them. NEVER AGAIN. They are constantly needing adjustment!)

4:30 PM   Pedicures with my Mama!

(Much-needed for the viewing pleasure of my toes for the general public and some quick relaxation)

6:00 PM   Hair appointment

(Cut and color with my fabulous Jenny!)

7:30 PM   Shopping at Target

(I needed some things for Amelia's Easter basket)

8:45 PM   FINALLY HOME

Even though I was crazy busy, it kept my mind off of being hungry (somewhat). I did have my trusty cooler in the car filled to the brim with Gatorade and Jello! I also had some chicken broth during the day which kinda sorta hit the spot because it was warm and something different. 

Dr. Butler had told me at his office to be at the hospital at 10 AM. REALLY MAN? I've got to go that much longer without eating?! Thomas dropped Amelia off at the babysitter's that morning and then we headed to the hospital. My mom and dad met us there and they called me back around 10:30. The nurse started my IV and after awhile, Drs. Hawkins and Butler and anesthesia came to see me. The same anesthesiologist put me to sleep last time and when I told him that and how I'd done this surgery before, he said, "Same song, different verse." I told him about how that was the title of my most recent blog post.

The OR nurse came to get me shortly thereafter and wheeled me back to the OR. I remember getting up on the table, them strapping my arms down and putting my SCDs (sleeves on my legs to prevent blood clots) and leads on my chest. The nurse told me she was giving me some happy juice and the next thing I knew, the recovery room nurse was asking me my pain scale (which was 7 for those of you concerned). I ended up with 3 doses of Dilaudid and some wonderful Sprite. My co-workers, Pam and Francine, came by to see me and I kinda remember what we talked about. At one point I remember being nice and relaxed and someone came by my bed and tapped my foot telling me to take some deep breaths because my oxygen was dropping (87-88%). So I did my pursed lip breathing and was on the nurse like white on rice every few minutes asking what my sat was. I'm not really sure how long I was in recovery, but the nurse eventually gave Thomas my discharge instructions and we got to leave.

But here's where the "say what now?" comes in. When I was coherent enough to ask Thomas what Dr. Butler found, he said, "Nothing. They didn't find anything. No endometriosis." Excuse me? So I've been having 60+ day cycles for no reason? Even 6 days out from surgery, I'm still dumbfounded by that. But, we have our post-op appointment next Wednesday to discuss the non-findings and what our next step is.

I dozed on the couch for the rest of the day Thursday and slept on the couch that night. I did not want a repeat of the gas pains I had last time, so I slept on an incline and didn't have any problems. Hallelujah! Thomas had to go to work on Friday, but my mom was here and took good care of me, of course. I had already planned to go down to her house in Perry on Friday and spend the weekend and go to church with them on Sunday. We had to stop by Employee Health (for 30 seconds) to have my TB test read. Nine years down and still negative! Whoo! I felt really good on Saturday, so much that I went clothes shopping. We had cooking to do Saturday evening and I felt good the whole time. Sunday was great: went to church, had lunch at Char's, and the Easter egg hunt. Then Monday came and I felt like C.R.A.P. I had no energy despite the fact that I had slept most of the day. I was supposed to go back to work Tuesday, but I had to call in because there was no way I could function for 12 hours the way I was feeling. 

The nurse at Dr. Butler's office, Cynthia, and I finally stopped playing phone tag on Tuesday morning and when I described how I was feeling and what I had done Sunday, she said it sounded like I had overdone it and my body was telling me to slow down. It made sense, but I did all those things Sunday because I felt so good! She was able to give me a work excuse through Friday, so I'm out of work until next Monday. I really did not anticipate it hitting me like that, but it did. So...I've been resting the past two days and trying not to do anything too strenuous. 

That's all for now! I'll post more after our appointment next Wednesday!

Lauren

Same Song, Different Verse

Have you missed me, world? 

I can't believe it's been almost 3 years since I've posted on this blog. I'll admit, life has gotten in my way. Between my paid job of being a Respiratory Therapist and my non-paid, but oh-so-much-more important and challenging job of being a wife and mother, there hasn't been time to do much else.

Here's a quick run-down of what we've been up to since I last posted in April 2011...

Jessica Villemain Photography

Amelia is now 3 going on 30. She is a very strong-willed and independent little girl. She keeps us on our toes and challenges us on a daily basis. She is also one of the sweetest little girls I've ever met. Yes, I may be biased, but she can be quite sweet. Especially when it comes to giving kisses and hugs and taking care of her many babies. Just when I don't think it's possible to love her any more than I already do, my heart grows even more. Some nights after she's gone to bed and we're sitting in the rarity that's known as peace and quiet, I want to go wake her up and tell her I love her. And smart? Good grief is she smart! She'll say something and I'll wonder where in the world she got it from. She's definitely a sponge and loves learning new things. She loves to read and practice her numbers, colors, and shapes. She loves to help cook and clean and just about anything else you'll let her do. She's going to First Baptist Preschool two days a week and she loves her class and teachers. She'll be going three days a week in the Fall and will hopefully love it just as much.

Thomas and I are still busy working and parenting! We celebrated our 7th anniversary back in January and we took a cruise to the Western Caribbean on Norwegian Cruise Lines. My parents kept Amelia for the week and we missed her something awful! We had a great time visiting places we've never been and enjoying each other's company--something we haven't been able to do as much of lately!

So, that brings us up to speed I think.

Many married people will tell you that as soon as they finish walking down the aisle as a newly married couple, people start asking when they're going to have children. And when they have a child, the same people are asking when they're going to have another one as soon as the first one comes out. We got the same types of questions, of course, but we were nowhere near ready to have another child probably up until about a year ago. I can't speak for Thomas on this, but I was just too selfish and didn't want to share my time with anyone else. I wanted to give Amelia my undivided parental attention and I enjoyed being with just her. Also, parenting is H.A.R.D. Kudos to those that have their kids in rapid succession. Some say it's easier if they're in diapers at the same time, going through similar milestones, etc. But I just couldn't imagine trying to parent two children when one is so challenging. About this time last year, we started talking about having another child. I was taking some medication at the time that I had to be off of for six months before trying to get pregnant. So I decided I would stop taking it at the beginning of June and I would stop my birth control at the end of December. (As you probably know, I'm a planner!) Our plan was to start trying after the first of the year.

After Amelia was born, I asked my Ob/Gyn, Dr. Harper, if he thought I would have the same trouble the next time I wanted to get pregnant. (In case you need a refresher of what we had to do last time, go here, here, here, and here) He said he didn't think we would have any trouble because I was able to get pregnant, deliver at term, and breastfeed. Those are the best treatments for endometriosis. So, I was hopeful that was going to be the case. Not so much. I ended up stopping birth control at the end of October and my first cycle was 45 days long. Then 57 days. Then 66 days. And currently 62 days. My period doesn't last that long (thank goodness!), that's just the time from the beginning of one period to the beginning of the next. When I saw Dr. Harper back in February for my yearly physical, I asked him if I could be ovulating with such irregular cycles. He said I could be, but it would be very sporadic and the eggs would be of suboptimal condition. (Thoughts from me: what the HECK does that mean?!?) He said we could try Clomid for a few months, but he could also go ahead and refer me to Dr. Butler (Reproductive Endocrinologist/Infertility Doctor) and get the ball rolling since we had success last time. I opted to go ahead with the referral since Dr. Butler may try the Clomid anyway.

We saw Dr. Butler on March 19th and while I was hoping not to have to go this route, it was nice to see the familiar faces of the nurses and doctor who helped us last time. We had to update our medical history and I had to have an always fun vaginal ultrasound. After that, we met with Dr. Butler in his office to discuss our options. He said we had 2 options:

1. Go ahead with the injections and insemination without surgery since I'm right on the cusp of my previous pregnancy being the right treatment for endometriosis (it's usually good for 2-4 years).

2. Have surgery (laparoscopy) to remove any endometriosis that may have reaccumulated. Then proceed with the injections and insemination like before.

We opted for surgery first because insurance doesn't pay for the injections and insemination procedure and we didn't want to waste our time and money if it doesn't work because of endometriosis.

So...VERY long story short, I'm having surgery next Thursday, April 17th. The plan is to wait for my next cycle to occur after that and then begin the journey of injections and insemination and hope it works the first time like it did last time. We covet your prayers that everything goes smoothly with the surgery and everything goes like it should from here on out.

I'd like to keep the blog up-to-date like I did last time, but I didn't have a 3 year old and I wasn't working 4 days a week then! And it's taken me about 3 weeks to put this post together! So, I'll do my very best!

Until then....think baby thoughts!

Lauren