Updates

I officially fail in keeping up with this blog. So, for anyone still following a year later, I'm going to give you some "quick" updates.

A) Correction to my mthfr mutation: I am homozygous for a1298c mutation (two a mutations) and NOT hetero, so it is one of the less risky forms of the mutation. Hooray. All it means for me is that I need extra folic acid because I absorb it differently.

B) We went and saw the maternal fetal specialist at the U in Salt Lake. He basically told us that there were only 4 or 5 big reasons a couple would never be able to have a baby and we didn't have any of those so he was optimistic that we would be able to have a healthy baby eventually. He ordered a couple more tests and sent us on our way saying to keep trying and once we were pregnant we could come see him again.

One year later... (just about)

Not pregnant. Still. 

The tests we took that he ordered came back with no bad results. I did a sonohysterogram (water ultrasound: they shoot your uterus full of water so they can check on the shape, check out your eggs, etc.) and the technician said I had lots of beautiful eggs and no other real problems (a couple small fibroids which are super common and a tilted uterus (also common and not a problem). And we've just been waiting. And waiting. And getting super frustrated and feeling very stuck.

In February I had one of my friends refer me to the fertility clinic. She has one son, but they haven't been able to conceive again and he's almost four? I didn't really consider it then because all of my doctors have told me that since I've been pregnant FOUR times, I did not have a fertility issue (even though it's taken us almost a year each time (except the last was 5 months and I really believe it was due to the acupuncture treatments I was having). I thought it was weird, but when your doctors tell you that over and over you tend to believe them.

Finally fed up with the whole situation, I decided that it couldn't hurt and set up an appointment at the fertility clinic. I REALLY wish I would have gone sooner, but the past is the past.
WOW. Dr. Foulk at the Utah Fertility Clinic is amazing. The end. We get into the appointment (I actually wasn't expecting much at this point, I just wanted another opinion) and he takes one look at our history and tells us that if we aren't pregnant within 4 months (6 at the very most) something is not working right. That we were having two different problems, getting pregnant and staying pregnant and we were going to address both. First he said to have a baby it takes 3 things: an egg, sperm and an uterus. So if we're not getting pregnant there is a problem with one or more of those things. So we started on the journey once again. It was actually the perfect day in my cycle to start the testing so we did blood work and an ultrasound that same day. Blood work from both me and Nate to test our karyotypes (make sure our genes are matching up correctly), and more from me to test hormone levels and something else, I can't remember.

The ultrasound showed that I had a fibroid that may be blocking off one of my tubes (so that could possibly explain why it's taking us twice as long to get pregnant as it should because when you ovulate you alternate sides and if one is blocked...). Why no one else has caught that I do not know. He answered all of our questions and didn't make me feel stupid at all. In fact he was on our side more than I've ever seen a physician be: We were human beings going through a very tough experience, and not just a science project without emotions. For example, I've always thought I had endometriosis, but the last doctor I asked told me that since my period is only incredibly painful for a day or two and not the entire time there was no way it could be endo. Dr. Foulk said that many women have no symptoms at all and still have it and it can affect their fertility (and me having a tilted uterus is a possible sign of endo too). He also agreed with my ob that put me on the heparin shots and progesterone (the MF specialist said that I didn't need to do either of those things) because if there were the slightest chance it could help it was worth the almost non-existent risk of not doing it (and it could help with the endo, although he's checking my hormones to make sure it would actually help me). And when he was explaining what he wanted to do he also explained the WHY, which most doctors won't do either. So our first appointment was kind of a whirlwind. I also got started on a special formula of folic acid that I can absorb (folgard), and was given a calendar of all these things to take and do over a two week period, and certain days I had to be back for testing, etc. He started me on Clomid (it helps your follicles develop) too.

After about two weeks we went back in to take another test: this one they shoot dye up your uterus and use an xray to see if your tubes are blocked. One of mine was great, and the other one had a bit of blockage that he actually shot out with the dye (it hurt like HELL, holy crap that was one of the worst cramping experiences I've had (besides a miscarriage), I went home and tossed my cookies... not fun). But he said I passed with "flying colors" lol. So that was one possibility down (if they had been blocked we would have to do in vitro).
The next day? We came back to do another ultrasound to see if any of my "follicles" were ready to go. One was perfect! They also check to make sure you don't have multiple follicles ready (so your risk of multiples goes down, lol). So I went home and gave myself a shot of hcg? to make me ovulate. Then you have very specific times to get busy (12 hours after the shot, and 12 hours after that). They also checked my cervical mucus to make sure it was a good consistency, etc, to let the little swimmers get where they needed to go. Our bodies are SO cool. I hope this isn't tmi for y'all.

So now we wait. We're waiting on the blood work results, and we can take a blood prego test on the 12th. So wish us luck!

Besides the baby drama, not much is new. We both are staying insanely busy... way too busy.
Quick updates:
Nate's studio got robbed on Christmas and they literally took everything. Even all his music he's ever written (which is irreplaceable). Luckily we had a lot of family and friends donate to get him on his feet again (we are so incredibly grateful to them) and he's to the point he has most everything at least running again even if it will probably be years before he has everything (except his music) back. They never caught the thieves.
But now he's getting tons of work (tv shows and commercials, radio and web ads, etc.) and starting a pops orchestra among many other projects.

I'm still managing Claire's. It's crazy. And doing my photography which is picking up like mad. :) I don't really have time for everything...  Hopefully I can just do photography soon. I really need a new camera too, this one is dying. Poor guy.  I also have 3 sisters getting married within a month of each other. Yikes! It is definitely busy.

We celebrated our 6 year anniversary a few days ago, I am so blessed to be married to my awesome husband! Hopefully our kidlets will be coming soon so we can start the next crazy step of our journey together...