Baby-making math.

Dear god, my little cataloging head is spinning. I’m currently in the middle of a rather dry diatribe about deleting barcodes. See, I told you being a librarian was all fun and games.

I spoke to my nurse, who has finally returned from vacation, about what the next month holds for our treatment. It looks like we’ll be sticking with the same protocol for one more month. Because we’re going to be away for Labor Day and not returning until I’m pass CD3 I can’t start any new medications. She said that he will most likely start me on the injectible medications next rather than jumping right to IVF. I’m not really sure how I feel about that. I would like to cut out all this month-after-month waiting, but I know he’s going to want to do what’s most healthy and most conservative. I’m a little upset that I can’t start the injectible meds next month, but the timing just won’t work out. E’s been looking forward to his trip to Grandma and Poppa’s house for months and I don’t want to spend a weekend at home just because of another failed cycle. Such a crappy place to have to be. So, we’ll stick with the Femara/IUI combination for one more month and then start the bigger stuff. Sigh. Still, I made a follow-up consulting appointment with the RE for September 6. We’ll be too late to start a new protocol but ahead of the game for October’s protocol. God willing that we won’t need it, but at this point, I’m not taking any chances.

I went in for the progesterone test this morning. I’m guessing the numbers will be in the 40’s or so. Not that those numbers will mean anything other than the fact that I did ovulate. I hate numbers that don’t really mean anything. Oh, but wait. They DO mean something sometimes. While I was talking to the nurse, I asked her what to do about the uterine lining issue and then I asked her about my lower estrogen levels this past month. Last month the E2 level was in the 290’s; this month when I went in for my IUI the numbers were in the 80’s. I worried about it because there was such a difference and I thought the higher number would be the more desirable. No, the nurse told me, actually the 80’s is where they would expect to see that number. The previous month was the anomaly. In fact, when she showed the doctor those numbers, his exact words were “Well, that seems abnormal!” It’s not surprising that he would say that, since Femara is designed to artificially lower your estrogen. I wonder now why the heck my numbers were in the 290’s?

After last month’s devastating beta, I’ve decided that I’ll take a HPT this month instead of waiting it out. But, I won’t be testing until the morning of when the beta is usually supposed to be drawn. See, as usual, they are forcing me to do the beta even if an HPT comes out negative so that the doctor can make sure that I’m not pregnant and I can be cleared for another cycle. I won’t be able to do the baseline ultrasound because I’ll be in New York, so I’m sure they’ll have me come in when I get back, which will be Wednesday morning.

I’m heading to Hartford tonight to attend my first record label launching party. R decided he can’t make it, which, while it doesn’t surprise me, still ticks me off. This just reiterates my feelings that we’re running in completely different circles these days.

Update: The nurse called at 4:00pm to tell me the numbers 'looked very good'. I think she said they were 22 or so. I can't remember; I was distracted by the fact that they were so low. Last month was 38. A 22 doesn't thrill me.