You can prepare but…

For those who have been following, I recently found out an IRL friend was going through IF – and about to start her first IVF cycle. Well, I played support and did everything I thought she needed (including listening in excruciating detail about her challenges with her husband). And though I had prepared myself for this — she just emailed that she got her BFP. She’s 7 1/2 weeks along.

I’m trying to be happy. Really trying. But who succeeds on their first cycle? I (intellectually) know that it wasn’t easy for her, but it seemed easy.

To add insult to injury, we’re slated to spend New Year’s Eve with them, so I am coming up with a way to add more people to the mix.

I just want to cry.

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Back from a sunny holiday

Well, we’re back from our last-minute vacation (booked two weeks ago completely on frequent flier & hotel points). DH and I realized that it had been almost three years since we had taken an honest-to-goodness vacation – just the two of us. We definitely travel a lot, but almost everything we do involves work, a Jewish holiday or family obligation.

Our criteria were direct flight from one of New York’s airports, south of here and no family within a hundred-mile radius. Puerto Rico fit the bill — and it was lovely. Yes, chock full of families, but we got upgraded to a room with a beautiful view of the ocean and a private balcony. As we were leaving a most unwelcome visitor arrived – and flying on cd1 is never fun – but we were on vacation.

I read two books, exercised, ate (and drank!) well.

We got home late Sunday night and I’ve taken a few days off this week to do errand-y things like laundry, buy new running shoes and weed out the excess junk in my closet.

And, catch up on my blog reading of course!

This is also the start of the third month of letting acupuncture & other eastern methods take the lead in our IF journey. My acupuncturist feels really optimistic – and, well – I’m not sure how I feel. Cautiously facing in the direction of hope?

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Code word

We went to a holiday party last night thrown by a person I went to high school with (a hundred years ago). I recently reconnected with him thanks to Facebook and there were a number of people who I grew up with at the party.

It was really nice to hear what these folks were up to – and after my umpteenth conversation about how we are all feeling the itch to move out of New York – it occurred to me that the excuses all sounded like thinly veiled IF-related excuses. Granted my filter is predisposed, but still.

This got me thinking (always scary). What this community really needs is a code word. Something seemingly related to a conversation, but that would let the listener know that you get it. Seems more subtle than a secret handshake or badge.

So what do you think? Would a code word work?  What could it be?

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The things we do

This journey has been quite a roller coaster of new experiences. The tests. The shots. The extreme familiarity with a grainy picture of my uterus. The side effects. The emotions.

But tonight, I may have had the most bizarre – and yet wonderful – experience yet.

I mentioned that for the next three months (okay, one month down, two to go) DH and I are letting holistic medicine take the lead. My acupuncturist has set out a path based on the belief that everyone has a fertility “type” — I happen to be “stuck” — and that type dictates the type of food you eat, the type of exercise you do, etc.  As most in this community will understand, I’ll try (almost) anything to start our family — and so when she suggested uterine massage — I went.

Yes, you read that correctly – uterine massage.

My appointment was this evening and, as usual, I rushed out of work stressed and barely on time. Basically the massage was a learning experience. Learning where my uterus is (tipped to the right apparently) and how to use massage to encourage blood flow and lymph movement to all the right places to maximize the chances of sperm meeting healthy egg. Despite being much more intimate than a regular run-of-the-mill Swedish massage, I felt extremely cared for — and definitely feel things moving around now a couple of hours later.

The therapist recommended that I put some heat on my pelvic area later tonight. (Wonder if a 13-lb purring cat counts?)

So, in addition to the uterine massage, I am also taking herbs (which strangely taste like ground lentils) and seeing the acupuncturist once a week, with bbt chart in hand.

And though this may sound odd, is it any stranger than going to a clinic at the crack of dawn to give blood and peer at my uterus and inject my belly and rear with giant needles?

What’s the strangest thing you’ve encountered on the TTC journey?

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