taking a month off:(

We are taking this month off from the baby making business. We went in at the start of this cycle and Kenny's white blood cell count is still too high (1 million is considered to be high and he had 12.4 million). They don't want us wasting our money on procedures when he has that many white blood cells. They cause all sorts of sperm problems and interfere with implantation. They want him to finish his antibiotics, then come in for another semen analysis to see if it helped. If not, and his white blood cell count is still to high after the antibiotics they will send us to a urologist to see what is causing the problem and get them under control. Please pray that is was just an infection and it clears up so we can start again for our next cycle. In the mean time, Kenny and I are using this time to focus on each other and our wonderful life together. We are so blessed to be so in love with each other and in a way it is nice to be able to focus all my attention on my wonderful husband.

I should mention that a prostate infection isn't serious or painful. The only side effect is infertility and the Dr said many people go years with them without ever knowing until they try to have children.

I don't think this is our month...

Well, I took a pregnancy test today and got what the fertility bloggers call a BFN (Big Fat Negative!). It's not looking like it is going to happen for us this month. We are sad of course, but doing well and trying to stay positive. I've just been trying to keep my mind off of things and stay busy. I just wish I would start my period already so we can start all over! Our doctor thinks that Kenny has a prostate infection which is causing white blood cells to be in his semen, which is not good. At our last appointment he put him on antibiotics, which hopefully will help. Our plan for next month is to pretty much do the same thing (femera, HCG injection, IUI), but with hopefully a better sperm count.

I will praise you in this storm

I recently came across this song by casting crowns and it really spoke to my spirit. It has been difficult for me to remain faithful through this tough journey. But in the end I know that God is in control of our situation, and I will continue to love and praise him for all of the wonderful blessings I have in my life and those yet to come:)

"Praise You In This Storm"

I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

And I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to you
And you raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You

But as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

Started fertilty drugs Sunday

I took my fertility drugs Sunday. I am taking Femera, which I have read is supposed to have fewer side effects than clomid. The first couple days were a snap, but today I feel the hormones raging! I cry at the drop of a hat, and have had crazy hot flashes! It really isn't so bad, it could be much worse. Hopefully it will be worth it in the end! The good news is that since Femera isn't considered a "fertility drug" it was covered by my insurance...YAY!

The results are in!

Well, we finally have a plan of action to get this baby brought into the world! Next month we will do a combination of IUI and also the fertility drug Femera! Hopefully it will work!

HSG went great today

I had my HSG today. All went well. I was very worried because some women, especially those with blocked tubes, have very intense pain. It was almost pain free. Just a little bit of mild cramping when he injected the dye, but it only lasted for a second. Both tubes were completely open. He did see something that he thought might have been a polyp, so he sent me back to his clinic (we were at the hospital) to have an ultra sound done. This was the scariest part because he was saying that I would need surgery to correct it. It turned out to be nothing, probably just an air bubble. So, basically I am all good to go. We should be getting Kenny's results tomorrow. We are pretty sure he is going to schedule the IUI for my next cycle.

Step one...Check:)

Today Kenny and I had our first appointment with our new doctor, a reproductive endocrinologist, or RE for short. Not too much happened today. We met our doctor, got some information (which I already new because I have spent HOURS researching infertility!), talked about testing (which will take place next week), and went through some scenarios.

I'll start with the testing...

We will drive to Lafayette some time next week for testing. For me they will do some blood test to test hormone levels and do what is called and HSG (hysterosalpingogram). For this test he will insert a small catheter through the cervix and then inject a dye through my fallopian tubes, which will show up on the x-ray. It shouldn't be too bad, he said I would have some cramping, but hopefully not too bad. This checks for blockages of the fallopian tubes as well as abnormalities of the uterus. For Kenny, they will do a semen analysis (which of course won't be the highlight of his day)

Here are the possibilities we are looking at after we get our results...
If they don't find any problems, he will start me on clomid (a fertility drug that helps with ovulation)

If we end up with a low sperm count, but have at least 10 million, he will do an IUI (intrauterine insemination) with clomid. This is where they will insert a a catheter through the cervix and feed the sperm through, directly into the uterus.

If we have more sever problems we will start talking IVF (In vitro fertilization ). This is where an egg and sperm are combined in a lab, and the the developing embryos are then placed into the uterus for implantation. He said less than 10% of his patients need this expensive and invasive treatment to get pregnant. I say invasive because eggs have to be surgically harvested. I would also be having to give myself shots daily to ensure that there would be enough eggs to make the embryos. Hopefully it won't get this far.

So, now I am looking forward to next week so we can find out what our next step is. I probably won't be posting the results of the tests. I think we will keep that part private. I don't know if the problem is him, me or both of us, and it doesn't really matter. If one of us is infertile, we both are. That is why I am choosing to keep that part private. That's about it for now, thanks you all for your support!!!!