Hi ICLWers

So ... shots class wasn't so bad. It was nice to be in a room full of other people who "get it," and I think E even had a little fun poking the little practice butt with the needle. My protocol doesn't include Lupron, so we really won't have that many shots. Well, at least until we get to the daily PIO, but we won't think about that yet. And they said I could switch back to my other BCPs for the last two weeks. Yeah!

This is my first ICLW, so I should probably let you all know a little more about me. And yes, Katie, I would like to do it alphabet style. Thanks for the idea! Here goes.

Acupuncture - I'm going in for my consultation and first treatment on Friday. I'm a big believer in the mind/body connection, and I think the relaxation will be very helpful.

Books - I have dozens of fertility-related books and I love reading, but I don't always have time so I listen to lots of books on CD. Today I finished Three Cups of Tea and started When You Were Engulfed in Flames. Hilarious!

COBRA - E works in the insurance industry and worked for a company that actually offered fertility coverage. And domestic partner benefits. He left that job, but we were able to keep me on the insurance policy through COBRA. It's far from cheap (more than five times the price I paid for insurance through my employer) and we'll probably max out the benefits by the end of this cycle, but if this works we'll come out ahead. I feel very blessed that we have it.

Dogs - We have two. We call them the Fur People. Sadie is a 4-year-old Aussie/Collie mix (we think - she was a shelter dog), who's a ball of energy. Ranger is a Sheltie we think is 6 or 7, but he came from a rescue, too, so we aren't sure.

E - That's my fiance, but he doesn't want me to use his name.

FSH - My FSH level at the start of this cycle was 10.5. I know that's borderline, so there's no time to lose.

Ganirelix - My protocol calls for Ganirelix instead of Lupron. This means only a couple of shots in my thigh. I'm glad 'cuz that freaks me out more than the shots in the butt.

Huge cyst - I warmed the bench in November and December of 2008 because of an especially huge cyst on my right ovary. See L below.

IVF with ICSI - E's swimmers aren't too bad, but we just don't have enough of them. When our IUI was cancelled in February because of a low count, we found out this was likely the only way we'd get pregnant.

Journalism - My undergraduate degree is in print journalism. And if I could come up with a topic and get crackin' on my thesis, I'd have a master's degree in it, too.

Kiki - She's one of the cats, who we just call cats, not Fur People.

Laproscopy/Hysteroscopy - During my saline sono in late March, we found out that my stupid cyst had grown again and had to be removed. Oh, and I had polyps inside my uterus. What fun! During the L/H, they also found a little endometriosis and removed that, too.

Marketing - I work in marketing for a consulting firm. It's stressful and sometimes the hours are long. It's not my dream job, but my immediate co-workers are cool, it pays the bills and I know it could be MUCH worse.

Nala - She's the other cat. She was mine before E and I met, but she prefers him. She hangs out with him in his office so he calls her his secretary.

OPKs - They suck. I never got a reliable response from them during any of my Clomid cycles.

Pi**ed - That's how I felt when we realized that we wasted a year on Clomid. I first talked to my OBGYN in December 2007. E had an SA done in February 2008 that was kind of low, but not aweful. We thought we had plenty of time to be conservative. HA!! Little did we know. I wish we'd done more testing early on, but oh well.

Qi Gong - I've been thinking about trying it since Dr. D says I can't really do anything strenous. Any thoughts? Suggestions?

Real Estate - In addition to our regular jobs, E and I own and manage nine rental units. We have two houses, a duplex, and a five-plex. We started that adventure in October 2006 and have learned a lot since then. I hope to eventually be able to just freelance and manage the rentals.

Sperm - We just don't have enough of it.

Tattoo - When I was 18, I got two tattoos. I have Kokopelli on the big toe of my right foot, and two dolphins swimming around a yin yang symbol on my hip (I know. Trite, but a lot less ironic than the fertility god).

Uterus - Mine is now a polyp-free zone.

Vegetarian - I've been a vegetarian since I was 18. I'm definitely in the minority here in the Midwest.

Wine - I love full-bodied reds. Mmmm. Shiraz. But hopefully I won't be drinking any for a long time...

X-ray - HSG counts, right? I don't know if it's because my uterus is tilted, but dang, that hurt!

Y Chromosome Deletion - Since E's count is so low, our clinic required chromosome testing. Luckily everything came back negative.

Zen - My job is stressful in ways that are often beyond my control so I'm searching for ways to find my zen during these next several weeks. Any ideas?

Whew! Thanks for sticking with me through all of that.