Well, it's November and life is going to get tough for us. The past couple weeks have been really amazing in my faith journey. I've felt such a connectedness to God and I feel like I can trust Him fully in whatever comes our way.
I've tried to watch my diet closer and take it easy. I don't want to stress at all. That could be the thing that hurts us more. But easier said than done.
I really feel like I've been on a balance beam the past couple weeks and I'm going strong, but then all of a sudden a gust of wind is trying to throw me off. I don't know how to deal with it and keep going. Now I'm having doubts if we need to do IVF. I know so many people know about it and are praying for us, but I feel like if I have doubts that it will work, then why put ourselves through the emotions and pain of the process. I'm so confused. But regardless, we know we have to move forward. We made the decision and we spent a buttload on drugs, so no turning back.
Last week we ordered the drugs. I have talked with the online pharmacy several times and it was scheduled to arrive on Wednesday. I was so stressed that day to know that they would be getting to us safely and on time. Yes, it was a lot of money that couldn't be refunded, but I felt like my baby was the package that Fedex was delivering. And in a lot of ways, the hope of a baby was. I had a freak out moment when they were telling me that it may be stuck in limbo and I couldn't get it until the following morning. Some of the drugs had to be refrigerated and I was worried they'd be ruined. I'm so blessed to have a husband that came to the rescue! We were able to track the package down that night and we got it home safely.
After a long talk with the husband and encouragement from my amazing support group, I feel a little more back to normal and ready to move forward. I need to realize I have a lot of people supporting me...more than I have infertility against me.
We did our first injection last night. I think we were both nervous. It's been a few months since we've had to do shots and this was a big fancy one. Mike did struggle a bit and cut me a little and bent the needle back. The medicine went in, which is all I care about. We'll have to do it twice tonight, so hopefully his jitters are gone. If not, we need more band-aids!
I did wake up in the middle of the night a couple times feeling really weird, but I was able to go back to sleep. And I did feel like someone blasted the heat into my office at work, but it wasn't a full-blown hot flash, because 10 minutes later I started freezing. Hopefully the side effects starting out won't be too bad. Fingers crossed, but I'm prepared for the reality.
I not supposed to be working out once it's time for the surgery, retrival, and transfer and the nurse said I likely won't feel like doing anything leading up to it either, so it gives me a lot of down time to try to destress and spend time with God.
I came across this Psalm that I've read several times, but it has a whole new meaning to me right now.
They will have no fear of bad news;
their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
Psalm 112:7
My prayer is that Mike and I can fully trust God and that our fear of what that dreaded pregnancy test may say will go away. We're just waiting to see the amazing plan God has in store for us and we will trust that it will come someday.
Mike and I can't thank our friends and family enough for the outpouring of love we've had over the past few days. Our attitudes feel a lot more positive right now. Yesterday, we had our first official appointment (we've had phone convos) with our new doctor in Lexington. He wanted me to do a SHG, which I was not excited about...especially since I've had one before and it was probably the most painful thing I've experienced. A friend of mine also had two done and thought it was more painful than childbirth. I'll have to take her word for it, but it gives me confidence I could handle childbirth one day.
I was super nervous. Not only was it a painful test, it was with a new doctor (that I know personally), and a new facility. The nurse was extremely nice. The test was done quicker than I expected and with much less pain than expected. Mike's hand only got squeezed twice. I was so relieved. This new doctor is amazing! Plus the ease of the test was good news going forward. He thought he might have to put me under just to get my uterus and cervix to line up better, but he has a much easier plan (which I'll leave out the gruesome details). And it won't delay us any more.
We then had a meeting with his nurse to go over the schedule for the IVF process as well as all the injectibles that Mike will get to give me. The month of November is going to be crazy for us. We'll definitely need prayers and patience. One of the daily shots is to stimulate the ovaries. I asked her if it was like clomid, and she said clomid on steroids! If anyone remembers past posts, clomid gave me hot flashes and serious mood swings...so you may want to stay clear. I'm sure Mike will need his friends especially...just don't offer him any alcohol or caffeine...two definite no-no's during this process. Also, stress is a no-no, so if you play him in fantasy football, please let him win.
We were both feeling good and excited when leaving the doctor's office. We expected that I'd have to be shipped right to the couch for a long day of recovery...but I was good to enjoy the day. As much as we want to get excited that everything in this will run smoothly, we know what we are up against. The costs financially, emotionally, and physically will be tough. As I mentioned, the drugs will have some major side effects, but they can also be dangerous to my system. We're going to take one step at a time and trust God fully.
It's been a busy few months at the Idle house, and I think we have preferred it that way for a reason. It has helped to distract us from the reality we are about to face. Since August we've been to Detroit, Toronto, Pittsburgh, Mt. Sterling, Las Vegas, and Lexington for trips. I've played in two different softball leagues and a few tournaments. We've allowed work, school, and our dog to keep us busy; but all of that is coming to an end now.
What we have to look forward to now are expensive medications, blood tests, painful ultrasounds, restrictive diets, and then a three day procedure that only has a 48% chance of being successful. What we need right now more than anything is prayer and encouragement. We have always kept this situation somewhat private, but we'll take all of the prayer we can get now. There are specific things we need people to pray for:
God's Will- We did not take this decision lightly. It has been several months since our last attempt at any sort of infertility treatment, and that is because we have spent the past few months talking, praying, and listening. I know we are making the right decision because of the change of mindset I experienced in this process. Going into it I thought there was no way that I wanted to undergo this procedure. God slowly changed my thinking and provided me with a reassuring calmness about this. I feel very confident it is going to work. On that note, the second thing you can pray for is......
Success- I don't know why it would be God's will for us to do this if it was not going to be successful, but all the faith and prayer and the world will not make those two weeks between the operation and the test any easier. We will be praying for a positive constantly, the stakes will be higher than they have ever been. Some of the worst days of my life have been hugging Veronica and trying anything to stop the tears when we get a negative pregnancy test. I don't want to even think about it this time around, yet I can't help it. I have to recite Matthew 6:34 at least 10 times a day in my head. We have faith that this is what God wants for us, please just pray for a smooth procedure with no issues. And pray for calmness, especially for Veronica. Stress and worry can affect the potential pregnancy. On that note please also pray for..........
The Future- Regardless of what happens from this procedure; things will be drastically different for us. Hopefully we will be expecting a baby and we will still need all kinds of prayer and direction from God if that is the case. If it does not work out for any reason, we will be facing more important decisions. Either way, pray for us to continue keeping the faith and to seek God's direction. One more.........
Finances- God has blessed us both with great careers and has blessed me with a wife who is financially savvy (because I am the opposite). We researched the area practices that do IVF including Louisville, Cincinnati, Lexington, and Evansville and found that the highest rate of success for couples with factors similar to ours was in Lexington. We actually know the doctor that runs this clinic so God also blessed by placing the best option with someone we know and are comfortable with, and is also giving us a discount. We can find the resources to pay for this procedure (this is not my way of asking my friends for money). But it is going to require some changes for us. Regardless of how the procedure works out, things are going to be incredibly tight afterwards. Please pray for God to give us wisdom with our finances now and in the future.
I am thankful for an outlet that I can share these thoughts, requests, and emotions on. Sometimes I have to ignore this blog because I just need to forget about infertility for awhile. But I love coming back to it when I start to get nervous or afraid. Thank you for taking the time to read this, for your encouraging words, and most importantly, for your prayers.
We've written before about our life verse; this is a verse I have been clinging to lately:
Genesis 25:21- "Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his Wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his Wife Rebekah became pregnant."
Well, we're back from vacation. It was a great time, but very exhausting, so blogging took more energy than either of us wanted.
We left on the 24th and visited Gramma and Grampa Idle for a couple nights in northern Ohio. We always have a blast with them and it was a great way to kick off our vacation. From there, we made a short drive to Detroit. We met up with Aunt Joni and her friend for a Tigers game. Also, wonderful to spend time with her. After the game, we attempted to see some of the city, but a bit of a preview was enough. We both agreed it wasn't our favorite city by far. The next day we drove a few more hours to Toronto. There we saw the Yankees play the Blue Jays and we both got a hi and wave from Mariano Rivera. We were both giddy! We took a ride to the top of the CN Tower, went through the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame, Kensington Market, Chinatown, and some fun shopping and dining. Next we went to Niagara Falls. It was much more laid back and we had a great time together. Toward the end of the trip we did lots of driving. We stopped in Buffalo, NY for buffalo wings, of course. Then to Pittsburgh for a Pirates vs. Cardinals game. Then on to eastern Kentucky for a Johnson family reunion. A night at my parents' house and then back home.
We both love exploring and making new experiences together. I love just having all that time just with my husband without all the day-to-day distractions.It was my hope that we would be able to take the time away and make a decision about our next step of fertility options. That really didn't happen, but what did happen was that we were away from some of the reminders about our issues. We didn't go to the doctor, we didn't have to answer questions about it, and we didn't feel different. We just enjoyed each other.
There was a moment on our trip when we were got onto the elevator back to our hotel room and a couple with a baby got on with us. I didn't even look at the baby, but I could tell they were trying to show it off and I just ignored them and stared into my husband's eyes. At that moment, I felt so lucky to have him and so much love for him that a negative thought or a sad feeling had no way of ruining that moment for me.
The past week has been a bit tough emotionally I have to admit. I wish I didn't have certain feelings and awkwardnesses (is that a word?) in every day life. I just hate when people just talk about things related to kids or being parents and don't realize how it would sound to someone like me. I wish I could brush them off and it not offend me, but it does.
We do have some amazingly supportive people in our lives...but also some not so supportive people as well. I do feel sorry for both groups. The first group I know it must be hard to know what to say and how to say it. To be honest, you really can't win. If you ask me about our infertility, chances are I could start crying or get bummed. But then if you don't ask me about it, I wonder if you just don't care. It really is something that's always on my mind. I don't think an hour of the day goes by that I'm not thinking about it. So the safer bet is to ask us about it, and be ready to grab a tissue or say something funny to change the topic.
As for the second group, I feel sorry for you because you can always learn from people in different experiences. I'm sure you'd want support if you were facing something difficult. And you really don't realize all the people out that going through this. It's definitely something that most people don't feel comfortable sharing. I learned today of a couple more people around me that had been dealing with infertility for years and I never knew it.
God's given us something tough to deal with, but together with his help we're going to get through it and we're going to have a great testimony to share.
Here's a proverb that is inspiring me today and giving me hope for our next journey...
Let your eyes look straight ahead;
fix your gaze directly before you.
Give careful thought to the paths for your feet
and be steadfast in all your ways.
Proverbs 4:25-26
Hello, friends. Sorry we've been a little MIA on blogging. I know a lot of you have asked me about what's going on and how the sixth IUI turned out. Well, no big surprise to us, it failed. There are no words to discribe our devastation. Not that we had tons of hope that it would work, but we knew that we didn't want to do another IUI again. Although the procedure, drugs, and doctor visits have been time consuming and expensive, it was always an easy decision on how to move forward. Now that's not the case.
It's been two weeks since we got the negative test and we still haven't come to a firm decision on our next plan of attack. We are debating between IVF and adoption. And when we come to a decision, we have to figure out timing.
If we do IVF, it's about a 2-month process that we both have to be completely committed to. There are lots of do's and don'ts, doctor visits, injections, days of bed rest, and prayers. If we decide to stop any fertility treatment, then we need to get started asap on adoption. We had an IVF meeting with our doctor a couple months ago. She partners with a Lexington doctor, who has the highest success rate for IVF around in my age group, which is 42%. When looking at all the numbers, we were excited that he had the highest percentage, but then again 42% isn't that encouraging. I want more of a guarantee. I need a higher statistic to give me hope that it would work.
Honestly, the hope of having a biological child is diminishing tremendously. I'm pretty sure that having a biological baby is stronger for me than Mike. Every time I look at him, I think of how adorable his baby pictures are and how much I want a little one just like him. I want the experience of being pregnant too. I know that with having PCOS, my ability to lose baby weight will be extremely difficult, but I don't care. I can buy bigger clothes, but it's not as easy to grow a baby in my uterus.
Before the pregnancy test, I was pretty sure I wanted to do IVF if it was negative. But after we got that negative, I spent the next couple days thinking I was over trying and maybe adoptiong a baby in need of parents was the way to go. But then I started thinking of this picture...
and I'm not sure if I'm ready to throw in the towel on a biological baby just yet. Plus I was quite a cute baby too, I have to admit.
Adoption could likely be something we have to do down the road, either for baby #1 or baby #2, but I just don't know yet.
We each made a pros and cons list for IVF and adoption thinking that would give us the answer, but it hasn't yet. So we're taking a much needed vacation. We both stay so busy and rarely get 2 nights in a row where we're together, so now we'll have over a week together. I'm hopeful that God will speak to our hearts on what we need to do.
We'll share details throughout our trip on social media, and our blog when we get back. Hopefully we can share where our infertility journey is taking us next.....
We celebrated Jeter's birthday last weekend. I did invitations, make a dog friendly cake, bought presents, and made bone shaped cookies. I was all about celebrating my favorite four-legged friend.
Honestly, I was very hesitant to get a dog and I was hoping that Mike would just forget about it. However, he was very persistent and I finally had to give in. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I've had several dogs growing up, but none that I bonded with quite like Jeter.
No doubt he's stinking adorable, but he has the best personality. He is super smart and luckily potty training was easy. He's also got some sassiness, but he's very friendly and lovable. If I'm ever having a bad day, it's impossible not to cheer up when I come home and he runs up to me so excited to see me.
I know it's a little silly how I treat Jeter like our kid and having a birthday party for him, but it has been a lot of fun. I do feel guilty about how much I obsess about him and how he has to overcompinsate for us not having a baby. Poor dog. I'm sure there are times he just wants to chew on a bone or play fetch, but I just want to cuddle him and treat him like my baby.
Some day, Jeter, I hope to make you a big brother. Hope you had a great birthday! I love you bunches!
Wow! What a fun weekend we just had. We didn't get much time to ourselves or just to relax, but it was great. We got to spend time with our church small group, Mike's family, and my favorite ex-co-workers. The weekend was to celebrate a friend's birthday. It was the one we've mentioned in our blog before, who lost her husband to pancreatic cancer last March and is raising 3 of the most adorable little girls ever.
Last year we celebrated this weekend with our group of friends who all came in to be together, so it worked out that we could all get together again this year. I hate that we don't get to see each other more often or for more time, but it was defintely special time.
After everyone left on Saturday afternoon, Mike and I made plans to come over to her house that night. Mike was going to mow her lawn and we were bringing take out for dinner. I had a fun time chatting and playing with the girls. After bath time, we were playing in the youngest one's room. This has to be the cutest, spunkiest, and sassiest little 3-year old girl I've ever seen. You can't help but love her instantly. Mike and I both loved getting some quality time with her that day as well as her two big sisters. While we were playing, Mike comes in the house and sits by the door to her room. This cutie pie yells out, "Daddy," and runs into his arms and says, "This is my daddy! This is my daddy!"
Mike and I were both speechless. I think mainly because we both were fighting not to cry. Her mom and one of her big sisters were in the room. Being a great mom, she knew what to say and asked her where her daddy was and she and her sister said he was in Heaven. She was only a year and a half when he passed away.
As Mike and I drove home, he brought it up and I broke down. When I looked up, we were driving by the cementary where their daddy was laid to rest. I can't describe how much it breaks my heart that he is no longer with us and he can't be there for his wife and girls. But then I keep having to think of the legacy he left and what amazing things he did in his short 34 year old life.
I thought about the incident several times in the past couple days and Mike and I talked about it again last night. He realized it was an ironic situation. That little girl wants to be able to call someone Daddy, and Mike wants some little girl to call him Daddy.
God makes everything happen for a reason. And sometimes, we don't always understand. As Mike mentioned in a previous post, our church did a series on Life Verses. For years, the verse that always came to me was Romans 8:28. (NIV) It's gotten me through some really tough times.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
But after this series, I just don't think it fits me as my life verse anymore. I went on the search for a new one. I went back through our past blog entries reading verses that meant something to me that time and none seemed right. I've always loved Romans, so I skimmed the enitre book, but nothing seemed to fit. I also looked around in Hebrews, James, and Timothy.
For some reason, I was drawn over to Peter. Since we went to Rome back in the fall of 2011, I've felt a connection to Peter. We were in Vatican City in front of St. Peter's Basilica and Mike went to the restroom. The lines were very long, so I was sitting near a statue of Peter. I had a long time to talk to God and I gave Him thanks for great men like Peter and I was just in awe of what Peter did to share the Word. My new life verse is 1 Peter 1:21. (NLT)
Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.
Through the process of infertility trust has been tough for me. Well, to be honest, trust in general is hard for me. I've had to learn to have complete trust in God. This verse says so much about my relationship with God and where I am in my life.
I have hope that someday a little one will run into Mike's arms will be able to call him Daddy and I have hope that that adorable little girl will have a father figure in her life to call Daddy until she gets to meet her real Daddy in Heaven.
