Blackjack!

21.

It’s not just for card games any more. It’s also the number of pounds I’ve lost since making aliyah two months ago. At this rate, I’ll reach my target weight of 90 pounds in September 2008.

Okay, not really. But 21 down and likely 60 more to go. It would appear the chocolate and honey cake (and copious fresh date) consumption hasn’t hindered my efforts. Let’s hope they keep coming off this easily.

So what changed? I walk a lot now. Not everywhere, but a lot. I eat much smaller portions of much tastier food and I stop eating before I am sickly full. So far it’s working and the numbers on the scale keep dropping.

My next goal is 23. 23 will be 10 percent of my total body weight.

But of course, I’ll stop all of it if we get pregnant this cycle. Here’s to hoping (and chocolate).

Getting down to business

Results are in and the news is good, if not terribly exciting.

Sperm analysis is almost identical to the U.S. results: lots of sperm, so-so motility, pretty bad morphology, but more than enough to get us good and pregnant.

Blood work is back and everything so far is completely normal. Still waiting for some blood work but I go back in again for more on Tuesday morning, along with an ultrasound to see how Milo and Rose (my ovaries, for those of you keeping score at home) are holding up, assuming they decided to make aliyah as well.

Assuming everything is looking normal, they will give me a low dose of injectibles to help me ovulate when it’s “convenient” and then we’ll do an IUI – likely next Sunday.

Convenient here having the meaning “not Simchat Torah” or “Shabbat.” In the U.S., you cycle at your doctor’s convenience. In Israel, you cycle at Hashem’s convenience. Somehow, I find the Israeli version much less annoying.

In other news:

I got what looks to be a bug or spider bite on my ankle, with four others on my leg. Only one is really nasty and made me effing sick ever since Wednesday night. I am finally getting back to the world of the living, slowly but surely.

Our RE (I think he’s an RE) refuses to accept the fact that I am not Jewish according to halachah. Because of this, we cannot have IVF until we both clear a genetic screening test. And he cannot comprehend the fact that I am not going to a mikveh (mind you, the doc is not religious – or at least not outwardly so – he doesn’t wear a kippah). He said that no matter what I say, I look Jewish and he is convinced I was born Jewish. Indeed, he will not let me have an IUI until after my “mikveh night” has passed. I can’t decide if I’m flattered or not.

And another weird thing: Both docs I’ve seen have told me that I’m not supposed to fast anymore for fast days. The first doc didn’t explain; the second doc says that the fragility of ovulation, implantation, etc. in someone already dealing with infertility is too precarious to skip food and water for 24 hours. In addition, he said I should eat regular meals and that if folks in my shul would frown on that, that I should not go to shul either. This is the first I’ve ever heard of such a thing — certainly to the contrary of anything I ever heard in the U.S., but my doc wasn’t exactly savvy on halacha. Anyone else ever heard of anything like this? If so, did you follow it?

12 (!) vials of blood later…

Went for bloodwork this morning. And the hubby also did his bit for the war effort, so to speak.

The doc is coming in at 3 p.m. to review the results of the sperm analysis and bloodwork. From there, he’s supposed to call me with the low down. And I have a follow up appointment on Sunday at 8:45 a.m. to take the next necessary steps. Sunday will be CD8, so there’s still a chance for an unmedicated IUI, etc. for this cycle. Not sure what we’ll be doing, as most of that will be determined by the tests we did.

I’ll try and post the results as soon as I get them, but 3:30 will find me on a train to Tel Aviv and work, so I’m not sure I will have them up tonight.

Wish me luck!

Infertility workup – Take 2 (edited)

Edited to add: It’s CD1

I had my appointment with the infertility specialist and clinic this morning. Very nice doc and nurse, though I promptly forgot both of their names.

He took a basic history of the situation. His said he could not tell if there was a good reason to go straight for IVF until he completes a wide range of tests. We’re pretty much starting from scratch: the hubby is going to do a semen analysis and I’m going for a massive amount of bloodwork on day 2-3 of my cycle: TSH, FSH, progesterone, testosterone, E2, LH, prolactin, glucose (!), HBsAg, CMV Ab, Rubella, Toxoplasma, Blood Group and RH, HIV-Ab, AsT, Hepatitis C, PT +Ptt Batt., ALT, AST and a complete blood count. They are also testing my thyroid (I think some of those letters refer to thyroid tests, but I don’t know so I thought I would mention it separately).

He also warned me that I would likely repeat every test I had in the U.S. again here, like the HSG, hysteroscopy, etc. I am totally okay with that and — somewhat sickly — looking forward to some of it. I already have more faith in these folks than I did with everyone in the U.S.

For once, my menstrual cycle seems to be cooperating with the testing. I have cramps that could kill a horse and expect today or tomorrow to be CD1. He would like to see me in his office by CD5, results in hand, so that there might even be some treatment given this cycle.

I am gobsmacked and impressed. Very professional, very considerate and they approach this matter with the same urgency that I do. And that’s a huge change for the better as compared to the U.S.

The back cramps are killing me and the siren song of Tylenol is calling my name. I’m going to take a nap for a bit, but hope to post more details later, like some weird stuff my doc (and the new doc today confirmed) about fast days and infertility.

Chag sameach!

Infertility workup – Take 1

Today was the big day. Got to the doctor’s office. Presented shiny new insurance card. Met with doctor for approximately 30 seconds before being told I was scheduled with the wrong doc.

So. Starting over. New appointment scheduled with infertility specialist for Sunday.

As in, this Sunday. As in, two business days away. Actually, not even two business days.

Yeah, I almost crapped my pants (or skirt, as it were) right then and there. I think I managed to squeak out a “This Sunday?”

I can see an infertility specialist with approximately 48 hours notice.

Have I mentioned how much I love it here?

Take 2 is 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Results of the party in my uterus to follow here shortly thereafter.

Lest I forget, major kudos to Trilcat for accompanying me to my appointment. She was feeling a bit under the weather and had a kid on the verge of a fever and still joined me. A real trooper. Toda!

More thanks to Rachel who was kind enough to post about me and my dorky appointment despite the royal shitstorm she’s endured lately. Oh yeah. And she’s pregnant. I don’t know how she does it…

In other news: Karen of the Perky Ovaries is the proud Ima to three kiddos – two girls and a boy born this morning.

If I don’t get a chance to post before Yom Kippur, please have an easy fast!

Interesting article on IVF in the Middle East

There’s a somewhat interesting article in the Jerusalem Post about a joint effort to examine IVF practices in the Middle East.

You can read the whole article here, but here’s my favorite part:

“Two well-known Israeli fertility experts who participated were Prof. Ariel Revel of Hadassah-University Medical Center and the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, and Prof. Zeev Blumenfeld of Rambam Medical Center and the Technion’s Rappaport Medical School in Haifa.”

When it comes to experts, I’m a fan. And Israel is full of them.

Meanwhile, I had a dentist appointment. X-rays taken = don’t need X-rays for a while now =no cavities = no dental work = all good to try and reproduce. The first appointment with an OBGYN is Sept. 19.

With the chagim right around the corner, I’ll likely not get a chance to post until after my appointment. In that case, L’shanah tovah to all my Jewish readers out there.

So it begins

First appointment with the OBGYN is noon on September 19. I’ll be getting the usual annual exam, etc. and then we’ll go from there. I was amazed I could get an appointment in two weeks.

So here’s my question to you guys: I have two different routes I could take for this. I can either march in and demand IVF (which is not to say I would get it), listing numerous reasons and treatments that have already failed. Or we can start from scratch and get the proper workup that I never had in the states.

I’d love to hear opinions on both. I’m not saying I’ll follow the given advice — for the record, I am strongly leaning toward option No. 2 — but it would make for an interesting discussion.

It gets me to thinking about how infertility is treated in the U.S. If you have insurance, it seems to me that the docs just throw every possible solution at you until an embryo or two (or six – eek) sticks. In my case, very little effort was put into finding out what was actually wrong. I guess that works if your only goal is to have a child, but for someone who wants an actual solution and perhaps to opportunity to have a large family, it just doesn’t cut it.

And finally. Yes, I will get back to posting regularly.