San Diego Summer Trip 2020

Saturday the 8th, was the first day in San Diego we arrived in mid afternoon. My Mom, Dad and brother went to downtown San Diego. Where we went to The Fish Gaslamp for a drink and fish tacos. Of course I didn't drink. I told everyone that I was slight hungover from the day before. After the dinner we walked over the convention center and walked down the walking path along San Diego Bay. It was so beautiful out. We walked all the way to the Navy ships and back. We went to Petco Park to see if we could look at the baseball game, but it was closed. We went back to the house near Mission. My sister, her husband, his son, their daughter and their dog were finally there. We didn't do that much that night, just talked, played with the baby, and said what we wanted to do in the morning.

On Sunday we went to get Acai bowls, at Clairmont Coffee, my Mom's favorite place. The Acai bowls were good, but I won't say that were the best of the best, but we did end up going two other times. After that we went grocery shopping for the week. We planned for two dinners in and breakfasts as well as some little things to make lunch. Then we called a family friend about fun things to do in San Diego during covid. The boys went to hit golf balls.

After that we had a little lunch and then went to Mission Beach. At the beach I went all the way into the ocean even getting my hair wet. I usually think the ocean in California is freezing, but I don't think I've ever been in August. It was cold, but not too cold perhaps it was late enough in the summer and the day. I went in a few times first just to calves and then shoulders before finally going in all the way. It has been a long time since I have been in the ocean. Everyone was drinking at the beach so I had my Yeti filled up with a Icee and ginger ale mix but no booze. It seemed like I drank a lot though!

We made a carniceria with steak, grilled veggies and tortillas delicious! We played apples to apples. I got a Budweiser (my dad's fav) and poured it out in the toilet. Then rinsed it out in the sink and filled it with water. Then I could really drink out of the can and the water was nice after a long day and all the fizzy drinks at the beach. I lost the first round of Apples to Apples and my sister made a rule that if one of your cards wasn't picked you had to sit under the table the next round. So Kian my step-nephew and I had to sit under the table, more on the ground, until we finally got a card picked. Guess it was lucky for Kian because he won the next game.

On Monday after we woke up my sister and mom worked on their stock options, my brother in law was working as well. My dad was watching the baby, so I started bacon and then made the egg scramble. My Mom eventually helped by toasting bread or bagels to make an egg sandwich.

After they returned, we went to fiesta island, which is a beach that you can bring your dogs which my sister did. I walked there it took an hour. I wanted to walk along the coast but I thought the directions on my phone were wrong! So I took a different route, that was just a normal suburbs streets. I didn't wear sun screen on my arms just on my shoulders, chest and face and they got sun burned a little bit. My brother in law rode is bike to meet us but a little later. 

We hung out at the beach throwing the ball for the dog, playing with the baby and we had paddle boards which some of us used around the cove. The water was even warmer than that day before because it was in a cover, but I didn't get my hair went because no one would swim across with me. 

After the beach we went to the fish shop. It was so good! I got a fish plate with seared tuna which was so good. Everyone else got tacos. My brother-in-law let me try some shrimp which was also amazing. I ordered a canned beer only pretended to drink it.

When we were done we went to play miniature golf and ice cream. It was fun, and I did well on some holes, but other holes I did horrible. 

On Tuesday that boys woke up and went to breakfast and golfing. Kian's favorite! They took the truck but my Dad took the keys to my mom's car. So we couldn't use the car. My sister and brother in law have a work truck at the house so we were able to use that to get acai bowls, but only two people could fit in the car. However we couldn't really do anything activities until they got back. At least we convince them to only do 9 holes.

When they returned the girls decided that we wanted to do a hike, Dad and Tyler came too. My brother's friend Alex met us because he was in town. The hike was super hot and it took me a while to get up to the top, but I did it! 

After the hike we went back to the house, some people went to fiesta beach again, but I stayed at the house and rested. 

When everyone was back we made chick kebabs, we had to get a few more because of Alex and my sister couldn't eat the ones from Vons. So we got a few from Sprouts. The sprouts ones were better. Next time we are only getting those. We also got roasted potatoes.

After that we played cranium the teams were Dad, Mom, Me, the Andersons, and Tyler with Alex. Tyler and Alex play that game more often. My team won! I was a good drawer, my mom was a good at the language clues and my dad was a good actor. We were all good guessers.

On Wednesday, we had a slow start. We had egg sandwiches again. Tyler and Alex wanted to golf again and Dave was willing to. So Tyler and Alex went to the mission course to put their name in and hit golf balls. Dave followed.

After they were done, we decided to try to go to balboa park and Coronado island. I went with my mom and dad. Balboa wasn't interesting to my mom so we went to Coronado, but  my brother and Alex stayed there. At Coronado we just walked around and eventually went to the brewery. I didn't drink anything, but my mom gave what was leftover in her can of wine. I would have liked the beer though. 

On the way back to the car I stopped in a shop and got a mug for my roommate since she was watching my dog. She loves mugs and tea so I knew she would like it.

That night we went back to the fish shop. I got tacos with everyone that night. They weren't my favorite tacos/fish tacos, but the fish was very good. I think the plates are better in my opinion, but I can be picky about my tacos. I did substitute shrimp in one of the tacos and that was better than the mahi which was dry. I ordered a canned beer again but this time I cleaned out the can in the bathroom and put water in it. That night we played uno, except for Tyler and Alex. I won the first round and Dave won the second.

On Thursday, my parents, brother and I went home. Alex went to LA. The Andersons stayed another day.

Update on my fertility journey. My cycle just started Monday the 24. I noticed that it is different than my normal flow. About twice a year, I will have a cycle I feel more cramps this time, than normal. Also, the blood is brownish-black, since my period came five days after stopping progesterone, it could be because the blood is a little older, but it could also be a sign of a miscarriage. So now I am leaning to believing that I was spotting from implantation in San Diego. So I think the egg was fertilized, but I the pregnancy didn't take. I think people who have been trying to conceive count a miscarriage as a good sign and I'm going to as well. 

I can drink wine again! TTC IUI #2 update;

The two week wait is over and I got a big fat negative. I might have taken a test on Saturday, and Sunday, and Monday, and Tuesday, so I was already prepared, but it's still a bummer. 

It is kind of a bummer because I swear I had some early pregnancy symptoms including some spotting a week ago. I was using progesterone cream every night and some of the side effects are similar to pregnancy, but last week while using the bathroom I had a little redish coloring when I wiped. Not a lot, but something I might see a day or two after my period ends. So I thought that might be implantation bleeding. I did read that up to 20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage, but up to 75% of the miscarriages happen before the fifth week of pregnancy (third week from ovulation). A woman might not even realize she is pregnant and might only have a slightly heavier period. I also read that early miscarriages like this is because of a chromosome imbalance. So perhaps I did really see some spotting, or maybe I was just hoping.

So, the first week after my IUI I went to San Diego. I noted some cramping. Last time I remember cramping the day of the IUI and maybe the next day, but not after that. This time I had some cramping/tenderness for a while. It wasn't enough to bother my normal activity so I wasn't concerned, but I could feel my uterus. A week ago I had some tenderness, constipation, maybe some mood swings and maybe a craving? We went to a fish shop one day and the next day I wanted the same food again. I was disappointed that we were having chicken instead, but it also didn't seem like a craving for the food, just a wish. That is also when I noted the spotting on the TP. 

On the second week, I did feel a little nauseated one day but it was pretty mild. I would get it a few hours after I had eaten. I remembered that one of my friend's said her doctor told her to eat before she got nauseated. So when I felt nauseated I would eat lunch or dinner and it went away for a while. I also noticed that my nipples were hard during this time. I don't really remember my nipples getting hard or sensitive for no reason. They didn't hurt tho so maybe I just never notice. It was because of these two symptoms that I took the first pregnancy test on Saturday. 

Today I called in my negative pregnancy test, because of Covid-19 the test was at home. It was nice that I didn't need to go in and pay for blood work. Since the test was negative, I'm going to believe that the symptoms were because I was paying more attention to my body, and/or I was using progesterone cream. Perhaps it was a chemical pregnancy, I know I had that "feels different" feeling, but I think for next time I will assume they are side effect not symptoms because I don't want to get my hopes up.

Generally, after the third IUI women will increase the medication to increase the chance of pregnancy. There are more side effects, and an increase chance of twins, but there is a 25% chance of pregnancy in the first round instead of a 12.5% chance. I know the last cycle I did it more naturally, but I did have the trigger shot and the progesterone cream. I think that counts as two IUI cycles. The added cost of the hFSH injections is most definitely less than having to do two or more regular IUI cycles. So I think it would save me money and time to jump to the next step. 

Additionally, the treatment center I go to often have trials for IVF, last year I was considering one, but I needed to have two IUI cycles first, I know other trials require more cycles. However, right now there aren't any trials for IVF probably because of COVID-19. So if the IVF was an option than the simple and cheaper IUI would probably be better, because if I qualified for IVF then the likelihood of getting pregnant is high and the cost is super low. Since I don't have that fall back plan, I think I should try the option that has the best results and that I can reasonably afford. I probably would consider getting a personal loan to do an IVF if it came down to it, but I don't really want to take a loan out if I don't have to.

Single Mom by Choice Journey. IUI No 2

I had my second IUI today! I am super excited and hopeful. I had to get that out first, but let me pick up from where I left off before.

On July 27th I started using an ovulation kit and the premom app. I have never used the kit or the app before so I know that some things will be guess for the app until it knows me better. The 27th my lh was low and the line was pretty light. Then on the next two days I had high lh, but on the 30th it went down again. So the app said I peaked, but I wasn't too concerned because I had my first ultrasound on the 28th. I found out later that some women will have an elevated level like that early, but it's usually only the last peak that signals ovulation.

During my ultrasound lining was only 5 mm. I had two follicles on the right that were 9 mm and one on the left that was 8.5 mm. So it was way too early. We talks about whether or not I should come in on Saturday or Monday, but I thought Monday would be ok based on Flo app and also my IUI last year was similar.

On July 30, I also has a phone consultation with Dr. Craig. It was pretty similar other initial appointments except on the phone. In his office he would have a paper with carbon copies beneath it. On paper it has a few graphs and a diagram of uterus. It also has sections for Diagnosis/Rx, Test and Plan. 

So basically he just went over the diagnosis portion which was the same as last time.

1. I have regular cycles. There is an age factor that depends on the FSH and AMH. My numbers were good for both so I have enough eggs.

2. LH/FSH imbalance remember that the ratio should be 2:1, but mine was reverse 1:2. What that meant is that even though I have eggs, but maybe I'm not ovulating them. But it is super easy to treat and only needs to be treated when you are trying to conceive (TTC)

3. No weight issues. 

4. My tubes were not blocked last year when they did the HSG X-Ray. Also the test can help clear out the tubes a bit too which makes it easier to conceive for up to a year, but it's been longer than a year.

5. No Endometriosis.

6-8 is for male factor but since I'm using donor sperm then that isn't a probelm.

So we made the plan that if I wasn't pregnant after this cycle that I wanted to continue the plan from last year. This includes: do another HSG x-ray to check my tubes/clear them a bit. do femara to help with the lh/fsh imbalance, ultrasound, trigger shot and progesterone cream. The only difference really is the x-ray and the femara.

After that I would have done 3 IUIs, at 3 IUIs about 1/3 of woman my age will be pregnant. Since this is an unmediated try it might be less. But I think after the 3rd try I would add an FSH inject. This can help increase chances but there is also increase chance for twins.

By August 3rd my ovulation kid started going up again and peaked again. Also on 3rd I had my second ultra sound. I had 9 mm lining good, and a 17.5 follicle on the right. So we were in business. Also, I read an abstract that said that more conceptions happen after woman ovulated on their right. Obviously they aren't checking woman who can get pregnant the typical way, so it might have something to do with infertility, but I will take it as a good sign anyway.

The plan was to take the trigger shot on the 4th at 9:30 then 36 hours later have the insemination. Last time I had longer so the trigger shot was delivered to my house, this time I drove to 30 minutes away to pick it up. I picked it up on Monday. 

I have been spending one day working at my parents house now that I am working from home. So after my ultrasound I went over to their house and saw my parents, sister and played with my niece. I had to leave at 3pm to get the shot and my sister called me later and said it was suspicious.

They still know that I want to become a mom, but I told my sister and my dad that I was going to wait until closer to November. I guess I was initially trying to get to November, but I just couldn't wait any long. The time was right. I kept reading single mom by choice stories and they all said their biggest regret was waiting! I guess there might be a bias because women who really regret it would probably not be posting it on the internet, but I even read Single Mothers by Choice: A Guidebook for Single Women Who Are Considering or Have Chosen Motherhood. The author founded the Single Mother by Choice national group. She became a single mom in the 80s and there is a lot statistics and information on the single-parent family. It is also a good resource if you need help talking to people or your child about donor conception. So, in the end I couldn't wait any longer. 

So I picked up the trigger shot, the pharmacist brought the shot to my car because of covid. Then went home and put it in the fridge. I was also getting progesterone which can help the fertilized egg stick. But it isn't needed until tomorrow, so that one was delivered today.

It was really hard to wait until 9:30 on Tuesday to do the shot. Especially because I thought every little cramp I felt was me ovulating. I even call the nurse's triage. I guess the follicles need to be bigger to release the egg, and it probably didn't happen in the few hours since I left the treatment center. So I did as I was told and waited until Tuesday.

Now I was trying to be sneaky because I didn't want my roommate to see, around 9:15 she came out to get a drink, but luckily she didn't stick around too long. So I took the shot. It didn't bother me at all, it seems less painful if you do it yourself, maybe because I know it's coming. Plus it's in your stomach, so it doesn't hurt as much as my arm. 

I felt more cramming on Tuesday last night, but I think I was just being sensitive to it. It was also pretty high more near my waist so it probably was gas. 

During the IUI today, I texted when I arrived and they text when you can come in. I have to wear a mask, but that doesn't bother me at all. There is a young lady that takes your temperature and asks if you have been exposed to covid-19. I haven't. 

Last week, I decided to pick a new sperm donor and I ordered two more vials. His Keirsay report says he is the Guardian Inspector type. So I will call him Guardian. It arrived on Wednesday, but I had forgotten to call the office to let them know, which wasn't a problem. But now I had two donors and which would they unfreeze. 

He is similar to the Champion because he has blue eyes and is taller than my dad. But he also has red brown hair. I didn't filter for hair color, but I was actually looking for someone with red hair or at least parents/grandparents with red hair. I know I carry a red-hair gene because my mom has red hair, and my brother does as well. So if the donor had red hair or at least the chance of having the gene then it would be fun to get a child who has red hair or at least a better chance at passing on the gene. 

So I said, if thawing one is harder than the other then just do the easiest one, but if not then go with the new vial, the Guardian. I'm not really a person who thinks that things happen for a reason, but I guess I wanted to leave it up to chance a little bit. 

It's kind of nice because instead of waiting in the waiting room they take you right back to where you need to go. I was in room 2. It was the same room as before! At least the photo of the ocean was the same. Dr. Craig came to do the IUI this time. He varied my name on the paper and the vial, and I saw the Guardian's number on the vial too. There were 16.6 million sperm 10 million is necessary.

So he put the speculum and I don't know why but getting a speculum at the treatment center has always been so much easier than at OB-GYN appointments. It still is uncomfortable a bit, but it's not painful. They also always say they are putting it in, clinking it, and etc. So I think know helps. Also I think they use a plastic one and I think that might make it less painful too.

Last time I remember feeling the catheter go in and I think I even felt the initial sperm leaving the needle, but I didn't feel anything that time. He said he put 80% inside and 20% outside because some studies show that cervical mucus helps and some says it doesn't. So then we would have some in both environments. I have heard that it depends on the type of mucus, if it's sticky which is usually before ovulation then it will hinder, but if it's like egg whites in color and in stretchy then it is good. I have been checking mine and it's between watery and egg white/stretchy. So not bad, but I do remember have more egg white/stretchy when I was younger.

After the procedure they have you wait for 10 minutes. I read it can help to lay down for up to 15 minutes after, but it is not conclusive. After the nurse came in to let me know I could go, I put in a menstrual disc/cup. I see a lot of women are doing this to help get pregnant. I don't think a lot of studies have been done on it yet, and I know many of the sperm would get to the egg anyway, however, I don't think it could hurt to put one in for a few hours which I did until 1:30ish. 

I also have tried to work with my feet on the couch and the laptop on my legs for most of the day. It's probably isn't necessary, but it doesn't hurt. 

So tomorrow I start the progesterone and in two weeks I will do a pregnancy test at home. Then I call the clinic with the results, which is different than last time, but kind of nice to keep social distancing and also I don't have to spend money on a blood test unless I get a positive test at home. 

I have tomorrow and next week off, so it's going to be difficult to wait, but because I took the trigger shot I need to at least wait until day 8 to take a pregnancy test since the shot can create a false positive. Also the progesterone and the shot can give me pregnancy symptoms. So a symptom might just be from that. Additionally, early symptoms could be a sign of a pregnancy, but if there is an abnormality the pregnancy could end without any difference to my cycle, except maybe a heavier flow.

I'll try to fill you in a little bit.

Next week we are going to San Diego for a few days, but probably just staying at my sister and bil's house not doing anything too exciting. I might do one or two trip logs for that to distract me.