I have RA, OA, FMS and hypothyroidism (Im sure your thinkingwhat in the heck is she thinking having children?) well, lets say Im hoping for a miracle. My husband has asthma. Im taking Enbrel 1 time a week, Zrytec daily, and Synthroid daily. Joe uses an inhaler and takes Allegra.

Im writing this journal because I sure wish I had something like this to read when I started to think about trying to conceive. Im lucky enough to have a friend to lead me in the right direction, but so few others have that option.

We started trying to conceive a little over a year ago. We were flying blind and not sure exactly when the best time to conceive was so for the first couple of months it was no surprise that we didnt get pregnant. About 4 months in we finally started looking into things. We got on the internet and started searching. I started to use ovulation kits to find the best time of the month. Joe switched to boxers and started to take vitaminswe were serious..lol!

At the 6 month markwe still werent pregnant. Every month got harder when the test came up negative or my period came. So, I had waited 6 months and I was off to the ob/gyn. This is where the fun began. I went in and had my annual exam. Everything looked goodwell, for what she was willing to look at. I was told that they didnt want to put infertility on my paperwork or the insurance wouldnt payand that I needed to come back after we had tried for a year. No touching my neck, no blood-work, and no appointment for my hubby. I went home frustrated and tried for another six months.

I had dealt with more and more frustration as every month we ended up not getting pregnant. Every month I ended up crying for at least two days when I got my period At the year mark I called to make an appointment with my ob/gyn, only to find out that she no longer accepted my insurance (we had changed insurance about a month earlier). So, I was off to find a new ob/gyn. I was lucky enough to find that my first ob/gyn was covered under my insurance. 

I scheduled an appointment and was able to see him in a couple of weeks.
When I got there I was in for a shockthe insurance wouldnt pay for him to help with my infertilityI needed to go to my PCP and get a referral to an Infertility Specialist. By this time, Im pulling my hair out. I called and scheduled an appointment with my PCP and I saw her a week later. I went in for a visit and was quickly dxd with a swollen thyroidthey did some blood tests and I have recently been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. Folks, hypothyroidism can potentially keep you from getting pregnantI was furious. Im not sure how much time we wasted trying when it just wasnt going to happen. So, ladies if your not getting pregnant after 6 monthsget your butt into your PCP and get some blood work done. 

My husband was also asked to give a semen specimen. We received the results back and they were less than we had hoped for. There were white
blood cells in the specimen which raised the question did he have an infection? And his motility was a little less than normal. My PCP referred me to a Human Reproduction Center and I began treatment. Joes referral came shortly there after.

The week of May 7th

I say goodbye to all the gimpfest people and the next day I relax. Tuesday Im off to the RE (reproduction endocrinologist). Im not sure what to expectIm just hoping no one tells me to try for another 6 monthsyou want to talk about going postallol! I go to the appointmentthe people are nice, they take about a jillion tubes of blood, and give me enough information in 15 minutes to overwhelm me. I come home not sure what the heck to think. Im scheduled for a HSG (hysterosalpingogram, say that quick 10 times -eg-). I go home and drop the info and dont look at itIm freaked out enough. I have a list of homework to domedical records to collect from my ob/gyn, blood tests to be takenand a million other things that need to be handled. 

I schedule an appointment with my PCP to follow up with the thyroid issuesand feel like a pin-cushion for the rest of the week. I keep joking with them asking whether theyre going to leave me some bloodlol! I was finally able to get everything I need and now we have a referral for Joe so everything is set until next week.

The week of May 13th

I start to worry about my HSG test...the description is horrifying (at least in my mind). Im trying to not think of it. Joe goes into give another specimenwe havent heard anything back on that yet. I start to read the info and Im overwhelmed again and not at all surprised I hadnt picked this stuff up to read earlier. I come across info about the HSG test that involves needlesIm not a happy camper. Tuesday rolls around and Im trying hard not to panic. I arrived at the appointment early and we started right away (graphic stuff next). The nurse told me the worst part was the electric blood pressure readerI thought yeah, right! Surprisingly it really was the worst part. There was some discomfort. The test consists of injecting dye into the uterus and fallopian tubeshow it gets there...well, I wont bore you with the
detailslol!! They do this to make sure that the tubes arent blocked and that the egg can get through.

The doctor asked me if I wanted to take a look inside while he was doing the test and I told him I would take a passlol! It was done in about 10 minutes, tops. Now, Im the biggest wimp when it comes to tests and I have to say this was really no big deal. I cried when it was over because I got the good news that nothing was blocked. The doctor thought I was a bit weird for crying, but I was so thankful 

Were still waiting to hear back from the RE about Joes specimenwhen we hear I will update this journal. Now its just wait until next month for the fun to startwatch out Junehere we come!!! We heard from the office today about Joes specimen. He still has a bit of an infection. He will talk to the doctor at the end of next week to see if he wants to treat it with antibiotics, but other than thateverything looks good. His numbers are a little under average, but the RE is willing to work with his numbers and says everything is
good.whewwhat a relief! We also found out today that all the information has to be gathered before I can start the Clomidfor insurance purposes. Im hoping that we will be able to start next month, but at this point Im doubting itwere at the hurry up and wait stage. Ive scheduled a Clomid Teachwhere they will teach me how to take the Clomid and how to give myself other injections (Oh, yeah! More needleslol!) Between the Enbrel injections, the blood work, and more injections Im feeling like we need a line put in-eg-! I will update next week when I know more.thanks for your prayers and emails..

The Week of May 20th

Not much happened this week. We were supposed to go to a Clomid Teach, but they forgot to tell me one important thingI need to bring my husbandjust because hes going to learn to give me injections he has to be there, imagine thatlol! So we rescheduled for next week on Wednesday.

Im feeling a bit overwhelmed again this week. Im trying to plan a couple of vacations and Im having a hard time because I dont know what my schedule is going to look like for the next few months. Im trying hard to not think about all the needles that I will be seeing in the next couple of months. I believe I will be calling a shrink to see if they are will to do hypnosis to help me with my needle-phobia.

I got a letter from the billing department of the clinic where Im receiving treatment. Guess what, the insurance isnt paying the billswhat a surprise. Im asked to fill out a form that tells them that I have no other insuranceIm sure youve all seen one of these. I filled it out and faxed it back. I sure hope that I dont stack up bills in the tens of thousands and the insurance doesnt pay. Oh well, Ill be like Scarlett OHaraand worry about that tomorrow!!!

We still havent heard back about my husbands test. Im figuring at this point that we wont be starting in Junethere are just to many things that need to happen before we can even start to think about going forwardlike finding out if Joe has an infection or notand treating it.

Next week I will update my journal with the scoop from the Clomid Teachstay tuned!!

The Week of June 10th

What a difference two weeks makesit has been crazy and nerve-racking.
We went to our clomid teach and got a lot of answers to our questions. They should give this class right awayso you know what your up againstlol.

At the end of the class we started talking about whether we would be doing this cycle or not, due to the way the insurance was handled we werent sure if they had all the info that they needed or not. So, it was go home and wait. Now Im not the most patient person, and not having an answer was not making me happy.

I go home and wait. As my day 1 approaches I start to wonder whats going to happenwell, little did I know I would have an extra 8 day waitI was late 8 days. Everyone was convinced I was pregnantbut meI knew I wasntlol!

My day 1 falls on a SundayI call into the office on Monday and tell them that its day 2. I schedule an appointment for blood-work and ultrasound on Tuesday. I come in on Tuesday and have the blood drawn and the ultrasound taken (anyone else think its weird looking at the inside of themselves? Yuck!!), then its back home to wait and see if we do this month or not. Im supposed to call between 3 and 4pmI call at 3:30no messageIm a little concerned at this point because I have to pick up by 4pm or I lose the messageso I call the officeOh, shes running a little late! By this time Im ready to jump out of my skin...finally at 4pm Im amazed to pick a message that says that everything is good, start taking your clomid on day 5. I was really not expecting it. Both my husband and I were totally surprised. Were both feeling a little scared at the moment.

Its day 5 and I still dont have my clomid. I think we have a problem herelol! I called the office and they got it all straightened out. I picked the script up from the pharmacy and read the side effects while I walking to the car. Oh joy, tell me if this sounds familiar hot flashes, nausea, mood changes, dizzinessoh and my favoritechanges in vision. And Im taking this why? Oh yea, I want a baby! I hope this stuff works. I will be taking 100mg of clomid from day 5 to day 9 of my cycle, at that point I will start using ovulation kits to pin point the time of my LH surge.

As for my RA and FMSIm flaring. I have some FMS points on my back that
are really bothering meand quite a few joints are getting into the action. And this is with taking my Enbrel. Im very thankful that they arent making me come of all my meds (though I am starting to feel like a walking pharmacy) .

Thats all for now, I will update you next week..