Preliminary Results

Well, I just got the call and my *preliminary* number is....

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3,700 (and something) and my progesterone is 51!!!

I said *preliminary* because my silly nurse called me as she was on her way to a dentist appointment and didn't have the number right in front of her, but she said it was three thousand seven hundred and something.

She's going to call me when she gets back to the office with exact info. But in the meantime I had to share the news with all of you.

Also, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the kind words of encouragement and positive thoughts and most of all, thank you for your prayers.

Again, I know I am far from being at of the woods yet, but I am feeling so much better and I know it's due to the fact that I truly felt the covering of prayers upon me and this child inside my womb.

I humbly ask that you continue to keep me in your prayers as I continue to embark upon this journey.

God Bless you all!

UPDATE....
Well, guess my nurse is a numbers dyslexic...my number was 3,572 not 3,700 and something, but I am still happy with that.

My first ultrasound is scheduled for next Tuesday!!!

A favor to ask

Tomorrow (Thursday) I have my fourth round of blood work.

If you don't mind, could you please offer up a special prayer for me and this babe growing inside of womb.

In all things, I know it's God's will be done, but I also believe in the power of prayer and its comforting and peaceful effect when one is being covered in the name of the Lord.

Thank you all.

I will be back to update tomorrow.

Until then...

Friends

I am proud to say that my life has been blessed with an abundance of wonderful friends.

Individuals who are more like family to me than just mere friends.

My friends are there to pick me up when I am down and to rejoice with me when I am up.

Quite simply, but oh so meaningfully, my friends are there for me no matter what.

Having said that, it really should not have come as any surprise to me, especially at a time when I am feeling overly anxious and scared and worrisome, that one of my dear friends would send this today via e-mail.

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Just looking at this image gives me an immediate sense of peace and calm.

I mean, how can I feel otherwise when I have the arms of our precious Savior wrapped around me for comfort?!

What a wonderful picture!

What a wonderful message!

What a wonderful friend we have in Jesus!

John 14:27

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives.

Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

I am clinging to HIS words...

Not As Good As I Hoped For

Well, just got my 3rd Beta results back and it's the one highlighted in yellow.

(12 DPO) - Beta#1 - 39 / Prog: 41.5
(16 DPO) - Beta#2 - 299 / Prog: 51.7
(19 DPO) - Beta#3 - 607 / Prog: 48.0

My first doubling time was 32.67 hrs and this doubling time was 70.48 hrs.

If you recall, bloodwork numbers are supposed to double in 48 hours and mine has taken longer than that to do so.

Actually I did read where it says the numbers typically double within 48 hrs to 72 hrs so that makes me feel the eeeensiest teeeensiest bit better.

The doctor does not seem overly concerned at this point, but given my miscarriage history, this has me more than upset.

I go back in a week for another beta.

Please, please, please keep me in your prayers.

I need prayers like I've never needed them before...mainly for peace of mind and not to worry.

So Far So Good

BETA Number Two Is In.....

Beta #2: 299- 16/DPO
Progesterone: 51.7
Doubling time: 32.67 hours

If you recall, in my last post I told you that "they" say your number is supposed to double every 48 hours so this doubling time is definitely a positive sign in hopefully the right direction!

So far so good my friends!

I will go back this Friday for Beta #3.

Please keep me in your prayers...they're working, they're working!!!

Confirmation

We did it! It's official...I am pregnant!

I went for my bloodwork yesterday and it confirmed what the pee sticks and digital test above already was telling me.

For those of you not familiar with the lingo I will be discussing below, HCG (the pregnancy hormone) is measured in numbers that are quantified through a blood test called a Beta. Anything over "5" signifies a pregnancy. Progesterone is a hormone that is supposed to be in a higher range if you are pregnant and that is also measured through a blood test.

Well, I got my b/w results...

Beta #1: 39 - 12/DPO (Days Past Ovulation)
Progesterone: 41.5

I am a little worried...while my progesterone number is excellent, I really thought my HCG number would be higher.

My nurse said she wasn't that surprised at the HCG number since my BFP (Big Fat Positive) showed up in the evening and I did my Beta not even 12 hours from the time I got my BFP. The logic there being that the pregnancy hormone (HCG) had not yet had a lot of time to build up from when I tested positive until the time I did my bloodwork.

I don't know, maybe that logic doesn't mean any difference at all and that's precisely why I am a bit freaked out.

For my last two pregnancies (the ones that ended in miscarriages after my first ultrasounds) my numbers were:

Beta: 102 - 13/DPO
Progesterone: 50.4

Beta: 114 - 14/DPO
Progesterone: 34.9

See why I am a bit skiddish? Although come to think of it those betas were taken on later DPO days so that could be why they were higher??? UGH!

They say it's all about the doubling (your HCG should double in number every 48 hours) and I will go Tuesday morning for my 2nd Beta and that will tell a whole lot.

Please don't get me wrong...I don't mean to be ungrateful because I am so thankful to God that my bloodwork confirms a pregnancy, but given my previous pregnancy/miscarriage history, I am still sooooo scared.

All I can do is offer it up to the Lord and pray, pray, pray that I am on my way to a keeper baby!

OOOPS! I Dreaded Too Soon...

Well I don't think my test tomorrow is going to be a bad thing after all...

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I am a basket of tears and nerves and fear and joy and I don't know what else?!

Why did I test tonight?

I absolutely have no reason to offer other than I realized I hadn't peed since about 1:00 PM this afternoon and at 6:00 PM when I got home I had to pee really, really bad and I thought WTH...it's going to be a BFN (Big Fat Negative) anyway.

Was I ever blown away to see these two lines. Honestly, my temperature chart is so different this time around and my temp dropped even further this morning so I totally thought it was over for me.

And as you probably already know, I even blogged about me dreading tomorrow and testing so OBVIOUSLY...LOL!

Anyway, I have already spoken with my nurse and I will go in tomorrow for bloodwork (called a Beta), and I guess we'll see how it goes from there my friends.

What a wonderful irony that on the day that is set aside to remember miscarriages and infant loss, I am blessed with this news all the while cherishing the babies I have lost.

God is so good!

Not Looking Too Good

In fact, I think I'm headed for another crash...emotional crash that is.

In addition to today being the National Day of Miscarriage and Infant Loss which makes me think about my losses and the losses that so many other mommies and daddies and families have suffered...my temps are also dropping and this is NEVER a good sign.

Of course, tomorrow is the official test day, but at this point I am not expecting it to be good news.

Hopefully, I am wrong, but my gut now tells me otherwise.

BAD, BAD line-o-vision...why did you give me hope and taunt me so????

Wave Of Light

I will ALWAYS be a mommy to 3 babies!

Ever Heard Of It?

I suffer from this malady especially around testing time.

Y'all are not going to believe this, but since work was slow today I thought I'd clean out some junk in my desk drawers.

Well guess what I found???

An Internet Cheapie Home Pregnancy Test.

They look like those Ph strips you used in Biology class to test alkaline and such.

But seriously, this thing really was in my desk drawer.

You see, when I was preggo the last time, I remembered bringing some to work with me so I could pee in the afternoon which tends to give me better test lines.

So, just for the heck of it I thought go ahead Tracey, just do it.

Let me preface this by saying that I am only 9 days past ovulation (9DPO). Which in testing terms is really early!

Anyway, to the naked eye (mine), it looks like there is a uber faint, thick, sort of with pink color, line.

GHEESH, how's that for a description...LOL!

Truthfully, my scanned pic does not do it justice. Here you go...

UNTWEAKED

So I thought hmmmm, I'll get one of my friends to "tweak" the color on this test just to see what it does.

I mean c'mon it should be fun, right?!

Yep, sort of like getting your finger stuck in a meat grinder...LOL!

Usually you are supposed to test with FMU (first morning urine) or SMU (second morning urine). But since I didn't know about the "find" in my desk drawer, well, I need to let you all know that it was like QMU (quadruple morning urine).

Anyway, my friend "tweaked" it with Photoshop and this is what we got...

TWEAKED

Now before we all go getting excited...REMEMBER, this is a "color enhanced" picture, although what it's enhancing is something that is more than likely really there (and with my line-o-vision...it IS there!)

Truth be told, I'm not ready to do the "I'm pregnant!" dance yet as this could be an absolute cruel twist of evaporation fate.

However, it does give me a wee little bit of hope.

I'm not officially testing until Friday so hold on for the ride my friends, we've got a few more days to wait and see for sure!

Nine Years Ago

Nine years ago today I was walking down the aisle and saying "I do" to my husband.

If you want to learn a little bit about about how we got to this point, just go here and scroll down to Answer No. 5.

At times it seems like only yesterday, but in reality it's been a total of 3,285 days.

WOW! Where does the time go?!

During these nine years we have been through many ups and downs of life.

We have celebrated joys and shared sorrows.

We have fought and we have made up.

And, through all of these things (good or bad), we have done so together.

I can honestly say that I know my husband will always be there for me. He is the type of husband that lets me be me without judging or trying to change, and God only knows I can certainly be a tough cookie to deal with at times...LOL!

As a couple we are far from perfect, but we love the Lord and each other and somehow we manage to make it all work...even when we think it may not sometimes.

He loves our son (and me) unconditionally and really, isn't that what it's all about?

So today, I want to say a special "I LOVE YOU" to my husband and a special thank you to God for allowing me to spend my life with someone who, although far from perfect in the dictionary sense of the word, is just perfect for me. :0)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Fingers Crossed

Hello all!

I had my IUI yesterday (Monday) and the doctor said that the timing looked really good for this cycle.

Actually, he said some other stuff related to my wahoo, but I don't think you want to hear any sort of descriptions related to my cervical fluid.

'nough said...LOL!

Well, there you have it my friends. My 12th IUI (yes, you read that correctly), my 12th IUI is now officially on the books and so the dreaded two week wait begins...A-GAIN!

By the way, if you don't mind...

In addition to crossing fingers, could you please throw in a dozen or so four-leaf clovers, any lucky paraphrenalia you may have laying around the house, and a slew of extra prayers.

Thanks so much!

Update

I had my CD 11 ultrasound today.

I was curious to see what it was going to hold in store for me because it was my first time taking injectables.

And the verdict is...eh, not too bad, and nothing great either.

I had five egg follicles. Three on my left and two on my right. The sizes were 22mm, 19mm, 17mm, and two 11mm.

My E2 bloodwork was 637.

So it seems as if I've got at least two mature follies in there.

I am to trigger tomorrow and my IUI is scheduled for Monday.

Wish I could tell you that I am jumping for joy, but honestly, I am not.

Maybe I am just protecting myself from yet another future heartbreak.

Only time will tell, and of course I'll be right back here letting you all know what the outcome is.

Have a great weekend and God Bless!


P.S. On another note, my friend Lorrie did her 2nd IVF today. They transferred five beautiful embies. Please, please say a prayer for her and ask the Lord's blessings as she begins her wait to see if she will FINALLY become a mommy.