Round 2

I noticed I had not posted for a while, and maybe someone out there is wondering what I am up to, so here goes. 

Last month of fertility treatment I took clomid for 7 days (I think it was 7). How does that medicine work? Well, first, you need to understand the beginning of a female cycle. The body produces estrogen until a part of the brain (pituitary) says that there is enough via some receptors. Well, my body was not producing enough, which is one of the reasons I was not ovulating. Clomid blocks the receptor in the pituitary from knowing there in enough estrogen, so the body produces more, thinking that the level has not yet been reached. After my taking this medicine for 7 days, my estrogen level was still too low. So I had to have 2 estrogen shots to increase it. After all that, I had 1 good follicle. Only 1. Well, that follicle did not decide to become an embryo, so I am back here again. This time, because of the failed experience with clomid, my doctor went straight to shots. 10 days of shots. Well, one thing happened from that so far- I got over my horrible fear of them out of necessity. 6 days into the shots, I went it to check my estrogen level, still too low! So now he has doubled my dose of shots. I think one problem is that my cycles are usually 5-6 weeks long, and they are forcing them to be 4 weeks. My body is used to producing the little estrogen it does manage around week 2-3, not 1-2. So I am just getting straight artificial hormones, rather than working with what my body can do. I guess it is all the same in the end. I have the next check in the morning (Tuesday) to see if this dose is good, or if I need even more. I don't even know what to think. Last month around this time my boobs were getting huge (that is very disconcerting actually, to have something about your appearance change so fast) and this month, not. I think I am a bit more crazy-like this month, but not quite as snappish.

If any of you are paying attention to what time this post is at, you can see I am a bit... nocturnal. I was back to a normal schedule earlier this week after lots of work. Then I woke up one morning, went downstairs, ate food, started knitting, and started developing a migraine. So I went back to sleep. I slept something like 18 hours in a 24 hour period, it was insane O.o It also completely ruined the work I had done to fix it -.- Now it sucks even more, because George is not awake at the same times as me, and it gets lonely. I will try to stay awake today and power through! (I said that yesterday as well...) This also can't be that good for trying to regulate my body's cycles, ugh. 

I have been dyeing LOTS OF YARN! Here is this months' work so far.

Still working with the graphic artist on the logo for my shop, but it is getting close. I also realized a few things I had no idea on how to do (like calculating shipping) and I am working those out. After dying 15 skeins this month, I can tell you I think I was meant to be a dyer. It is so satisfying, even after doing so many.

I have picked up Roller Coaster Tycoon as my new game I am obsessed with. Well, not so new. I have it on a Windows 95 virtual machine to get it to play right =P I remember some of the levels being hard as a kid, and they are not all that hard now. 

Time for food, and back to knitting while listening to my book- Wheel of Time Book 4.

Rachael

Yarn Dying!

George and I spent a lot of last week seeing Liza down in Virginia. We dyed yarn together and ate food and she got us started on Dr Who. Here are Pictures! (As you might have guessed, this is way picture heavy.)

Getting Everything Set Up

Liza's (Future) Rainbow

Both of us space dying!

Liza doing her Rainbow

Liza's Rainbow again

Packing it up to be steamed

Still Packing

Yay Rainbow!

Rainbow Steaming

Rainbow and Pink/Purple out of the steamer

Setting up for round 2

Rainbow out of steamer again

Turquoise kettle dying

Turquoise kettle dying again

Liza dying across the skein for a dark manly colorway

Rainbow cooling off

Chocolate Brown kettle dying

Rainbow and turquoise sharing a bath

Bathing my Rainbow

My rainbow soaking

Liza's Rainbow hanging to dry

Pink/Purple and chocolate sharing a bath

Both rainbows drying

Chocolate, Turquoise, and the dark manly one drying

Purple/Blue Kettle variegated dying

Purple/Blue Kettle variegated dying again

All the space dyed ones hanging to dry in the bathroom

Make-shift niddy noddy I was going to re-skein on, but the yarn was too tangled

Purple/Blue Kettle variegated round 1 complete

Starting Round 2

Liza adding more dye

Me observing Liza add more dye

Finished Dark manly colorway- Liza

Finished Pink/Purple for Bianca- Mine

Rainbow- Liza

Double Rainbow- Mine, this was also the only worsted weight

Purple/Blue Jewel tones- Liza

Liza drew an idea for the shop logo!

Rachael

Shots

Ferlility Treatment

I hate shots. I can do blood draws and IVs, but I HATE shots. I knew this month of doing the clomid cycle I would need a shot, and I dreaded it. Then yesterday they decided I need at least 3. AHH! The appointment determined that I have a lot of follicles maturing, but my E2 (Estrodiol) level is way too low. It is 140 and ideally it should be 200-300 for each mature egg. So I am now having to get Gonal-F shots, which increase my E2. Then Monday I have more tests to determine where I stand. Maybe more E2 shots, maybe time for the trigger shot to release eggs and make ovulation occur. 

As far as side effects of clomid, it was not that bad. I was a little more touchy emotionally. As in, it was much easier to get annoyed/upset over things. Then there was the completely unexplainable crying at one point. George kept saying he did not understand, but neither did I O.o I should still be getting the symptoms from it all month, because it increased my estrogen. Bleh.

George

George is now officially off his meds, and surprisingly, but amazingly, he is MUCH better. He said that his head feels more clear than it has in the past year and a half. I am trying to convince him to make a post here so people will stop bugging me about never hearing his side... He is thinking about (nothing has happened yet) applying to more jobs in Boston, starting with Ratheon. 

Gaming

I voiced my desire to play a game a few days ago, so George decided I was going to play Torchlight with him. So Now I have a steam account (messymouse) and he gifted Torchlight 2 to me. I have an embermage who is now level 20 =) This game is totally what Diablo 3 should have been, but D3 sucked. I hate feeling like I am in a beta. 'Oh so you know that attack speed you were stacking, we cut it in half because it was too powerful. Now you will really not be able to win. Carry on.' I am sticking to my previous rule of 4 hrs a day though. Well, unless I am in the middle of something, I can finish it.

Books

As many of you know, I am an avid audiobook listener. Harry Potter read by Stephen Fry is my ALL TIME FAVORITE. I think I am at 7 complete series listens now. Anyways, I have tried Wheel of Time again, this time while taking notes. I LOVE it! The biggest problem I had was keeping track of characters, but as I was taking notes I noticed that almost everyone has 3 names/titles and it randomly uses all of them. That made it so much easier! So now I am on book 3 of the series, and I think I will see it through all 12 and maybe #13 will be out before then (Jan '13 I think). Then George and I always have something we are listening to together for long car trips or just want to spend time together doing a puzzle or something. We just started Game of Thrones again. The first time I found it confusing and hard to keep track of what was going on. This time, I took notes and even without that, I have no idea what the problem was. We are liking it =)


Rachael

Here Goes Nothing!

Today is Day 5 of my new cycle (that last one ended up being 48 days!) so that means it is the day I start clomid. So here goes nothing!

I am scared and excited. 

I decided recently that I am going to start my own etsy shop as an indie dyer. I got the dyes yesterday and mixed them all up into bottles. I should be getting the yarn this morning, and then George and I are headed down to Raleigh today (that will take all day...). Tomorrow we will pack the van with stuff from the house and then head over to Virginia to see Liza! She wants to try out dying, so I am bringing the dye stuff =) I am super excited about my shop, and I already did the hardest part, I came up with a name! "Messy Mouse Studios" Now I need a logo! I am thinking something like a mouse on/beside a ball of yarn that has dye splashed on both of them. More on that later after I find an artist. 

The big thing I am going to try to do in my shop is fill a hole I have noticed in the yarn market. (There are probably some solutions already, but not that predominant.) I really like the look of things like KP Chroma with it's long gradual color changes, but I hate single-ply yarn >.< I am WAY to hard on yarn for that, I always break it. So I want to try to experiment to figure out how to dye yarns that way that are not single-ply =) I have no idea how to do it, but I will try!

I made George apply to Amazon in Seattle. They had a really cool job opening that suited him, and it was in Seattle, and I don't mind moving again so much. I wanted to move to Seattle when we were back in Texas, maybe I will get my wish after all. 

Liza taught me to CROCHET recently! Look at this amazingness!

It is really not that bad looking. My hand on the other hand, FREAKING HURTS. I need to grow me some crochet muscles! Also, I need to learn to not use acrylic no matter how pretty it is >.< I really like the look of that blanket, but the squeakiness of the yarn is getting to me. Maybe I will get some worsted superwash yarn next time I place an order and dye some to look like it =D

That is all for now, I need to go pack for the trip today =)

CD 41

At my last RE (Reproductive Endocrinologist) appointment, my T4 was tested again. It is now in the normal range with the medicine I am on, yay! This means this is the month for the clomid cycle! I was under the impression that I was going to get a medicine to start Day 1 that day, but they would rather wait for my natural cycle. I am baffled as to why, we are controlling every other hormone this month, why wait for mine for this one thing? Anyway, now I have to wait for my body to behave. It is now officially Cycle Day 41. 41! That is CRAZY late. If they had not already done a blood pregnancy test I would be excited, but there is virtually no chance I am pregnant right now, my body is just being stupid. The RE will give me meds to start AF (Aunt Flo, aka period) if it has not happened by CD 50. So 9 days or less until the Clomid month starts. See you then.

Rachael

Fertility Update

My cycle evaluation is complete. Well, actually, I was called on day 21 and told that they have the information they need and to schedule an apt with the Doctor. I figured it was not ovulating if they knew on 21 but not 14. Plus, that was what I was expecting. 

The solution is to take Clomid, which was expected. What I did not expect was taking this whole conceiving thing by the horns and controlling EVERYTHING. But before any of that, they need to make sure my thyroid levels are stable and appropriate. Apparently thyroid hormone is vital during pregnancy, I never knew. So, the plan!

8/31- Come in for bloodwork for thyroid levels. If they like what they find, start day 1, if not, adjust meds and come back in 3 weeks once they are stable.

Day 1 (hopefully 8/31)- After confirming I am not pregnant, start a medicine that makes me start my period. This way we KNOW it is day 1 for sure.

Day 5-9- Take Clomid daily. This basically elevates my estrogen level so eggs develop more than usual (and possibly makes more than 1 develop, there is a chance of multiples)

Day 10- Bloodwork and ultrasound to look at developing folicle(s).

Day 11- Bloodwork

Day 12- Bloodwork and ultrasound; Folicles should be developed properly by now and need to be released. That night, injection of Ovidrel, which forces the folicle(s) to release their egg(s). 

Day 13- TI (Timed intercourse) starts. 

Day 14- TI

Day 15- TI

Day 16- Injection of progesterone, which helps my body get ready to support a pregnancy.

Day 28- Pregnancy Test

I was expecting the Clomid, but not the TOTAL control of my hormone system by Ovidrel and Progestorone as well. Might as well though, chances are a lot better this way. No matter what step(s) are failing, we have it covered. Chance of multiples goes from 1-2% up to 8-12% with Clomid. Which I like, but the doctors seem not to.

On another note, I have no idea what this blog has/will become. I dont tend to post knitting things on it like was the original plan. Maybe it will become a child development blog, and since they are no children, its just my ramblings of infertility. We will see.

Rachael

Hunger and thyroid

A few days ago was my second round of fertility tests. They determined that my thyroid levels are low and started me on a replacement drug. Apparently that can cause infertility. All I have noticed so far (as of last night) is that it now feels as if I am wearing a turtleneck sweater all the time (pressure on my throat) which is really bugging me. I am not sure if that is normal, but it is the weekend still so I cant call and ask.

When reading the side effects of the medicine, it said increased appetite and weight loss. Kind of odd... Then I woke up in the middle of the night (aka now) STARVING! I ate half a jar of peanuts and some pretzels while preparing muffins and sausage to eat. They are cooking now and I am so hungry I am literally shaking. It's not as if I don't eat!? I am chalking it up to the new meds, because this is way abnormal. I am as hungry as when I was weaning off straterra. It is not fun to have a desire to eat THE WORLD. I am posting to get my mind off of it for 15 minutes... not working.

Other news. George applied for a job and is in the process of applying for another up here in Boston. I am now seriously considering finding a school to take Philosophy at (as a step up from wanting to do it...) It is just a bunch of headaches to figure out all the logistics of it. I will get to it before classes start, and I know that is soon... 

I have been knitting a lot lately. I decided to make a shawl for the Slytherin KAL that is kinda lacy and it is ADDICTIVE. I dont know if I will even wear the thing, but lace shawls are fun! 

FOOD IS BEEPING, I AM HUNGRY.

Rachael

Update: I found a school and registered myself. I also registered for my teaching exams.