Yes, I have an addiction.

If it hasn't become clear over the last few days, I LOVE PEEING ON STICKS!!!

The shot last night was a "trigger" shot. It's hCG, you know, the pregnancy hormone. So in the wonderful world of the unfair, I now have pregnancy hormones raging through my body, even though I'm still 24 hours away from ovulation. And yes, I woke up nauseous.


Is it really bad that I peed on a pregnancy test this morning, just to see the two lines?? Yes, it was positive. Oh how I wish that was true!!!

Jenn shot me.

That is all.

(Oh, and it hurt this time.)

How do I(we) afford all this??

Cindy and Janice posted a question in my comments the other day:

"How can you guys afford all of this stuff."

We are very, very lucky. I fully admit it.

Jenn works for a large bank that offers domestic partner insurance. A few years ago my boss (I work in a single family owned hotel, not my family) figured out that it would be cheaper to pay the amount that it would cost for me to be on Jenn's insurance, than it would be for him to provide me with insurance. Then in October of 2006 we got a letter saying that the bank was going to start providing infertility coverage. I cannot even begin to tell you how overjoyed that made us. It was like a sign. (Well, to me the bigger sign was in November when Lane Bryant started to sell maternity clothes, that means that Heidi should get pregnant. She needs more excuses to buy clothes.)

So:
I pay $25.00 copay when I see Michelle or the Doctor. (Ovary Checks, Ultrasounds, IUI's)

I pay for the swim team (they were on mega sale this month, normally I pay $360.00 this month they were only $265.)

I buy some ovulation predictor sticks from ebay, and saveontests.com Some I have as freebie gifts from girls on various boards I belong to. We share. We're all nice like that! I totally do not recommend the Ovuquick brand. They are the ones that keep giving me false positives. (they are also $50.00 for only 9 tests, on ebay you can get 50 tests for $20.00!!)

I don't trust the cheapie pregnancy tests though. There is almost always an evaporation line that gets you all excited for nothing. I bought my pregnancy tests at Costco, and if I think I see a line I pee on a digital test.

I pay $35.00 for each prescription related to fertility so Clomid and Ovudril, for a total of $70.00 per month.

I know how lucky we are. We still pay a lot, but not nearly as much as some people have to pay. There have been discussions of Jenn switching banks and going to another large bank that offers domestic partner benefits...plus infertility coverage AND IVF. But I'm not sure I would ever actually do IVF, so I don't know. Plus she really likes her job most of the time.

Any other questions? I honestly am an open book!!

Stupid freaking pee sticks.

I quit them. QUIT. I took three brands to work with me today...for backup.

First one I pee on--Positive as positive can be. PANIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The other two couldn't be more negative.

I vote negative, but keep panicking silently.


(why does panic not have a k but panicking does?)

Update

Michelle called with bloodwork results. Based on my bloodwork it is virtually impossible that I would get a positive tomorrow or Saturday, so trigger Saturday night and IUI Monday morning.

(but keep peeing on sticks just in case!)

I have an ovary that looks like a chocolate chip cookie.

Mmmmm cookies.

Okay, stealing someone else idea here--Cliff notes version: 2-5 follicles, trigger Saturday, IUI Monday...unless something changes.

My lining is 9.5, which I've been told is excellent.

My right ovary is the home to one cute little follicle. I believe she said size is 15.

Then she headed over to my left ovary. Chocolate-chip cookie. Lots and lots of little follicles growing over there. Only 4 worth measuring though. And of those 4, only two that Michelle thinks will be ready to go.

Now for some background info. My last two cycles were screwy. Apparently my body doesn't ovulate right. I'll pee on an opk and it will come back positive, yet all my blood work will say no got, and my follicles are huge. So the cycle we got pg with Blue I got a positive opk and yet my bloodwork said no go. An ultrasound showed that my four follicles were 19 and up. So we triggered that night, and 36 hours later did iui.

So Michelle sits us down to go over "the plan". Plan is that we will trigger Saturday night, do IUI Monday morning (7:45am). But...keep peeing on sticks and if we get a positive call the center. Hey, I'll take any excuse to pee on a stick!! It is my favorite past time after all. They also took some blood to do do my bloodwork to see where it has us at today. So more waiting. It's 2 o'clock now. They said they would call after 2 o'clock.

I'll update later!

Oh...and congrats to B & K and Plump!! Soooo excited for you all!!!

The pee sticks should not be left where I can find them.

I like to panic. It's something I am very good at, so I do it often to remind myself that I am good at something. I am also one of those lucky women who feels her eggies growing, and feels enormous pains when I do ovulate.

I've felt the twingies for several days now that tell me the eggies are growing. This morning, I haven't felt any yet. Uh-oh. Time to panic. Yes, I have an ultrasound tomorrow (now at 10:30am in case you are keeping track). I could just relax and go about my day of nothing (I have a migraine hangover so I'm being lazy with a purpose). But no, I decide that I'll go pee on an ovulation predictor stick and let it weigh in on the panic. I figure, if it's negative, then all is well, if it is positive I can call the RE's office and set operation panic into full swing.

Moron. Yes, it's negative. Blatantly so. Which means that I have now convinced myself that I ovulated so of course it is negative. Much whining has ensued. Much much whining as a matter of fact.

I began to stomp around the house crying. I cleaned the kitchen, I cleaned the dining room (anyone else's dining room table start to look like an archaeologist dig after 48 hours of being clean?). I sit down in the living room to cry some more when...

There's the twingies!! They must have been taking a nap. I think I will too, all that panicking for nothing wore me out.

(And...Congrats to The Anguished Corn and to my friend Lyz who both got wonderful news yesterday!!!!!)