IUI #5 Complete

It was a piece of cake! I was nervous it would hurt (because it did last time), but I didn't feel a thing. And Greg's numbers were fabulous - his postwash count was 112 million :O and 98% motility.

Now I just need to kick this illness. So far, I don't seem to be getting any worse, which is good, but I'm also not really feeling any better. I don't feel too bad, but I have a junky cough, some lung pain, and my voice is SO hoarse. I keep waiting for CF clinic to call with news about my x-ray or culture (although I know the culture results take a few days). I am counting down the days until I start Cayston next Friday.

119%!!!!

That was my FEV1 today. It hasn't been that high in almost 10 years! Between adding pulmozyme, NAC, fish oil, and allergy shots, something is definitely helping. My doctor said I made his day.

It's funny because I didn't even know I had CF clinic today until I got the appointment reminder yesterday afternoon. Perfect timing considering I am sick. My doctor thinks it's just a virus, but he may put me on something if my sputum culture comes back showing psuedomonas (I did not culture it at my last appointment three months ago).

(And to the commenter who asked if I've tried hypertonic saline - I do take that twice a day and have been for years. I love it and think it's had a big impact on my health.)

CD13 u/s and CF stuff

This morning's ultrasound showed that my 12mm follie is catching up - now I have 16.5 and 18mm follies - two! The plan is to trigger tonight and do the IUI Wednesday morning. I'm scared about having two, but my RE said the risk of twins is only 10%. And this is very similar to the cycle I got PG with Lily - I had 16 and 20mm follies when we triggered that cycle.

And, unfortunately I have to give an update in CF-land. I have bronchitis, blech. Last week I caught a cold from Lily, and now I've lost most of my voice and have a junky cough and lots of nasal congestion. I've heard this is going around right now, so I'm guessing it's viral and hoping to stay off antibiotics. So far I don't feel too bad, just tired and a little junky. This is the first time I've been sick since I've started pulmozyme, so I'm hoping that will be a big help.

CD12 Ultrasound

One 16.4mm follie on my left side. The RE wants me to come back tomorrow for another u/s - he thinks I will be ready to trigger, and then we will do the IUI on Tuesday (CD14). I'm so glad I pushed for an earlier u/s!

Bring on IUI #1 (Part 2)

I don't know what you call it when it's your fifth IUI, but your first IUI TTC #2, LOL. Anyway, I am very excited to begin this process! I was so nervous for so long, but now everything feels right.

I got AF on Wednesday, so my RE called in Clomid and Ovidrel. This time around, I have insurance coverage, which means a little more work because my insurance has its own requirements. Like CD 3 blood work every six months. I had that done this morning, and I got a call this afternoon that the insurance has authorized this IUI.

The plan is for me to take 50mg Clomid CD5-9 and do an u/s on CD12. It's a little different than what we did when I got PG with Lily. With Lily I took Clomid CDs 3-7 and did an u/s on CD9, but that was because I had ovulated very early the previous two cycles. My RE wants to start off being a little more conservative with the Clomid (CDs 5-9 has a lower risk of multiples). And he wants to try to minimize ultrasounds. He originally wanted to do an u/s on CD14, but I begged for a CD12 u/s, because last month I O'd on CD14.

I am in such a different place right now than I was last time we went into IUIs. I have Lily, so I'm not worrying about whether or not I am going to be a mother. I haven't obsessing about TTC with OPKs and temps. And I have a history of success with IUIs, so at this point, I feel confident. I also know it may take a few tries, so I'm not planning on the first one working. I feel like this one is just a warm-up. Of course, if it did work, that would be awesome. So, my fingers are crossed!

Lily Weaned

On Thursday, Lily nursed for the last time. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, when I asked her if she wanted to nurse, she said, "Shake!" (which is a yogurt smoothie). So I considered her weaned. We made it 22 months, 26 days. I am so happy it ended on her terms. I was dreading having to stop so I could take clomid. I thought there would be a lot of crying, and it would break my heart. Instead, I reached the fabulous milestone of nursing her until she was done!

And, I have to say that nursing Lily is one of my proudest achievements. The beginning was so hard, and then I almost had to wean at 10 months. And then there was the cutting out dairy, her not taking a bottle, the sleepless nights, etc. She nursed every 2-3 hours during the day until she was 11 months old. It was hard! But also so sweet and rewarding.

I am feeling a little sad about it - I don't get many snuggles now. But I am enjoying the extra time in the mornings - we can get out the door so much faster. Also, surprisingly, she no longer wakes up crying all.the.time. And I'm looking forward to TTC #2!

Still Waiting....

This cycle we planned to start IUIs to TTC #2. AF arrived last week, I called the RE's office, and they called-in prescriptions for Clomid and Ovidrel, and they set up a CD14 u/s.

And then I had a meeting with my allergist. He told me that I could move on to the final bottle of allergy serum. The goal is to get to an allergy shot dose of 0.50 ml, and then I will be at the maintenance dose. Once I get to the maintenance dose, I will continue to get weekly shots for a few months, and then I can start going every other week. Eventually, I will only have to go once a month. To get to the maintenance dose, I have to get a shot once a week starting at 0.05 ml, and then increase the dose by 0.05 ml each week. However, if I get pregnant, I can't increase the dose. I have to hold the entire nine months of pregnancy, continuing to go every week, and then I can start increasing once I deliver. So, basically, if I get pregnant now, I will extend the weekly shots by nine months and will have to go once a week while taking care of a newborn.

So, Greg and I decided the no-brainer answer was to wait to get PG. I just have to get to the maintenance dose before I get a BFP. And I can actually get a shot every five days, which will knock a few week off the schedule. So, this means waiting one more month. Sigh, I'm bummed, but I know it's the smart decision, and it's only one month.

In CF-related news, my allergist wants to do more to address my nighttime wheezing. His goal is for me to no longer need my inhaler at night. So he put me on a stronger steroid inhaler. He also switched me from Symbicort to Flovent + Serevent because the latter has better data regarding safety during pregnancy. I was very happy about that, because I'd also like to get rid of the night time wheezing!