On leave of absence

I won't be cycling until November. I just wanted to let you all know I'm taking a break from blogging until then. I need to put my energy into losing weight, getting healthy, focusing on my work and my IRL life!

I tried reading blogs and they just made me cry... the struggle and people's bad news is just bringing me down right now. I want to stay positive. I feel so much compassion and love for you all and want to be able to be there for you.

Do know that I value this community and am looking forward to coming back soon.

~Jem

And the Nobel Prize goes to...

"The Nobel prize in physiology or medicine has been awarded this year to Robert G. Edwards, an English biologist who with a physician colleague, Patrick Steptoe, developed the in vitro fertilization procedure for treating human infertility. "

Read more of this article (Thanks to Poppet for pointing it out to me).

***
Sorry I haven't posted in donkey's years. I've been busy, concentrating on my non-IF life like work (so I can afford our next out-of-pocket IVF cycle), my marriage (so I don't end up a divorced mother!), my health (so I'm a healthy mom who lives a long time and is HOT), and my friendships (which have been neglected).

Speaking of which, I better get back to work... Know that I'm thinking of you all and reading when I can.

~Jem

Welcome ICWL!

It's that time of month again... No, not THAT. ICLW, silly!

Here are things you might not know about me (non-IF related):

1) I was born in London, England, to American parents. My mom was working at the American School and my dad was in publishing (or avoiding the draft, as it was the late 60s).

2) I was conceived in Tetouan, northern Morocco while my parents were on vacation the summer of '69.

3) I lived in Geneva, Switzerland for 6 years after college. I worked for the United Nations, doing humanitarian aid work for former Yugoslavia during the war there. I speak proficient French. I miss speaking French everyday. I don't miss being a foreigner, tho. I love being home and close to my family.

What other non-IF things do you want to know about me?

~Jem

Vacation recap (edited to remove pic of me)

Our vacation was supposed to be a cruise to Alaska. But Fluffy got sick and died and our vacation $$ went to the vet instead.

As a result, we decided to drive up to Oregon (where my parents live).

First stop: Crater Lake

 

Then we drove up to Bend, to a log cabin we rented on the Deschutes River.

This is the view in the other direction...

We took the canoes out on the river, played golf at Sun.river...

...and as I mentioned in an earlier post, went fly-fishing.

Yes, that's me fishing. 

We also went on walks in gorgeous settings. This is the Metolius River on the way to Corvallis, where my parents live. 

Alaska, eat your heart out!

 At my parents, we ate great food from my parents garden...

I sang songs with my dad, as he played guitar. We had a blast harmonizing and improvising folk tunes and Beatles.classics.

On the drive back down to California, we stopped in Eugene.OR and visited my old high school.

And then we rushed home because we missed our lovely home and our cat Sharky.

 

Home Sweet Home!

~Jem

To henna or not to henna????

I want to henna my hair, but am worried it's not good to do, like dying your hair while pregnant.

Anyone have advice? To henna or not to henna?

Realistically, I won't be cycling until the beginning of October.

Thoughts?

2nd Opinion: Dr. Z

Saturday, Mr. Jem and I had a phone consult with Dr. Z.

First the good news: he said I had good ovarian reserve and Mr. Jem should have enough sperm to NOT have to do another biopsy.

Mr. Jem: start taking Fertility Blend for Men again (he did before our first IVF). And go back on clom.id to up sperm production.

Me: Dr. Z wanted to do a different protocol. Instead of antagonist, which is best patients with low reserves, he would have us do IVF with ICSI using a Long Lup.ron protocol, to control hyper-stimulation. He also wants me to do some additional testing before we start our cycle (for killer cells, etc.) The other thing he wants to do is PGS on the embryos, so we transfer only viable embryos. At age 40, he said an embryo only typically has a 1 in 5 chance of being normal, so he wants to test ours, before transfer.

What's next? A chat with the nurse coordinator and then a financial person (our next cycle will be out of pocket). 

So, are we going to go forward? You betcha! My mom reminded me that I swore I was "done" after the last cycle, but this feels different. It's not the "same ole" and, despite the fact that we may never know why we can (or can't) get PG, I'm ready to move forward. Dr. Z has a great clinic, a top-notch lab, and responsive admin staff. Let's just hope they can get us a BABY!!

Jem

P.S. Here's a teaser for my next post on our vacation - a picture of Mr. Jem fly-fishing in Central Oregon, with a little help from my step-dad. Yes, that's a fish in Mr. Jem's left hand.

Home Again + CD1

Back after a wonderful trip to Oregon (I'll post stories and pictures later). It's good to be home. I have a couple more days off to just relax and catch up with things around the house. Nice.

Oh, and it's CD1, after a 28-day cycle. Fresh start. At least we have our 2nd opinion call with Dr. Z on Saturday to look forward to.

~Jem