Welcome to The Repunzal Project
Here I am, back to the original format! It feels great to just be able to write and have readers enjoy without all the fluff of building profiles and dealing with advertisers.
The Tower...
Aug. 28, 2010
welcome back! check out the tower for articles on dating, relationships, marriage, intamacy and wtf's?
baby blog...
Aug. 27, 2010
Nine years ago, my daughter was born. I was the mother of two and I never thought I would be considering another child after her. In fact, while I was on the operating table having a Cesarean and my doctor was about to close, I rose my head off the table and said, "For God Sake doctor, don't forget to tie my tubes." Not only was my husband not interested in more than two, but I did not see how I was going to climb the "rank ladder" with my career in Law Enforcement if I became a stay at home mother of three; so I thought anyway.
But, life changes as we go through our individual journey's. I divorced and I received a promotion that provides me options to telecommute (depending on my duty assignment). I moved on to meet a man that defines the word "love" for me in everything he says and does. He is my soul mate.
As we plan to wed in early Fall, we decided we want to share the joy of having a child together. My two children were excited about the idea of having a baby in the house. my fiance', Steve, has never been married and has no children of his own. The snag , my tubes are tied. We decided to seek advice from a Reproduction Specialist to find out our options. My age was immediately a factor at 38-years old, I only have so much time left before birth defects and personal health risks become an issue. A reversal of my tuba legation was out of the question. Due to the way my tubes were cut, my risk for tubal pregnancy was too high. Invitro-fertilization became the option.
For the past four months, the doctors have done ultrasounds, blood work, egg counts, sperm counts and genetic testing; all while we plan a wedding and try to stay above water in our daily lives. I have been on hormones for two months. That path alone has been a long one. In a room with the air conditioner at 75 degrees, extra fans around the bed and the thermometer that reads my body temperature at 97.1 degrees, my insides are often on fire. My hot flashes keep me up at night and the sleep I lose from them causes nasty headaches. I am not allowed to take Motrin or any sort of fever reducer. Ice water and cool showers have become my best friend.
If that has not been enough, this pot a day coffee drinker was reduced to decaf overnight; cold turkey! Talk about a shock to the system. It just doesn't feel right to walk into Starbucks and ask, "I would like a cup of your bold decaf pick of the day." Certainly, giving up soft drinks for water and chocolate for celery sticks has been the easy part. With anything worth wanting, there are things worth sacrificing. My sacrifices, no matter how uncomfortable, are either temporary or they lead to a healthier lifestyle in the long run.
So, where are we in the process today? Less than a week away from my procedure. I am on daily Bravelle and Menepur hormone shots. Every night, I mix the medications the way I have been instructed, and Steve injects me in the abdomen. The injection itself is not very painful; its when he pushes the plunger on the needle and the medication goes into my subcutaneous tissue that hurts. For a while after the injection, my stomach is fairly tender, but it doesn't take too long for the discomfort to stop. These shots stimulate my egg follicles to grow. My doctors tell me I am ahead of the game. I have nine they can use. Normally a woman my age has three or four.
So far through this process, the one thing I have noticed a change in is my sensitivity to things. Having a career in the Law Enforcement field, a person can become desensitized to things that would shock John Q. Public. We see things people should never have to see, but the reward is knowing we are there to protect the community and more often than not we are successful. My point is things that did not bother me before, sometimes sting a bit now. I am a bit more concerned about hurting peoples feelings in the process of all things and my feelings are easily hurt as well.
Over all, I am excited about what is ahead. Next week, I will have my procedure. I won't know until the end of September if it is successful or not. Then, October 15th , Steve and I will tie the knot. After all, he will need to make an honest woman out of me. (LOL).
To follow my journey click on the baby blog tab above.
Nine years ago, my daughter was born. I was the mother of two and I never thought I would be considering another child after her. In fact, while I was on the operating table having a Cesarean and my doctor was about to close, I rose my head off the table and said, "For God Sake doctor, don't forget to tie my tubes." Not only was my husband not interested in more than two, but I did not see how I was going to climb the "rank ladder" with my career in Law Enforcement if I became a stay at home mother of three; so I thought anyway.
But, life changes as we go through our individual journey's. I divorced and I received a promotion that provides me options to telecommute (depending on my duty assignment). I moved on to meet a man that defines the word "love" for me in everything he says and does. He is my soul mate.
As we plan to wed in early Fall, we decided we want to share the joy of having a child together. My two children were excited about the idea of having a baby in the house. my fiance', Steve, has never been married and has no children of his own. The snag , my tubes are tied. We decided to seek advice from a Reproduction Specialist to find out our options. My age was immediately a factor at 38-years old, I only have so much time left before birth defects and personal health risks become an issue. A reversal of my tuba legation was out of the question. Due to the way my tubes were cut, my risk for tubal pregnancy was too high. Invitro-fertilization became the option.
For the past four months, the doctors have done ultrasounds, blood work, egg counts, sperm counts and genetic testing; all while we plan a wedding and try to stay above water in our daily lives. I have been on hormones for two months. That path alone has been a long one. In a room with the air conditioner at 75 degrees, extra fans around the bed and the thermometer that reads my body temperature at 97.1 degrees, my insides are often on fire. My hot flashes keep me up at night and the sleep I lose from them causes nasty headaches. I am not allowed to take Motrin or any sort of fever reducer. Ice water and cool showers have become my best friend.
If that has not been enough, this pot a day coffee drinker was reduced to decaf overnight; cold turkey! Talk about a shock to the system. It just doesn't feel right to walk into Starbucks and ask, "I would like a cup of your bold decaf pick of the day." Certainly, giving up soft drinks for water and chocolate for celery sticks has been the easy part. With anything worth wanting, there are things worth sacrificing. My sacrifices, no matter how uncomfortable, are either temporary or they lead to a healthier lifestyle in the long run.
So, where are we in the process today? Less than a week away from my procedure. I am on daily Bravelle and Menepur hormone shots. Every night, I mix the medications the way I have been instructed, and Steve injects me in the abdomen. The injection itself is not very painful; its when he pushes the plunger on the needle and the medication goes into my subcutaneous tissue that hurts. For a while after the injection, my stomach is fairly tender, but it doesn't take too long for the discomfort to stop. These shots stimulate my egg follicles to grow. My doctors tell me I am ahead of the game. I have nine they can use. Normally a woman my age has three or four.
So far through this process, the one thing I have noticed a change in is my sensitivity to things. Having a career in the Law Enforcement field, a person can become desensitized to things that would shock John Q. Public. We see things people should never have to see, but the reward is knowing we are there to protect the community and more often than not we are successful. My point is things that did not bother me before, sometimes sting a bit now. I am a bit more concerned about hurting peoples feelings in the process of all things and my feelings are easily hurt as well.
Over all, I am excited about what is ahead. Next week, I will have my procedure. I won't know until the end of September if it is successful or not. Then, October 15th , Steve and I will tie the knot. After all, he will need to make an honest woman out of me. (LOL).
To follow my journey click on the baby blog tab above.