Changes are a comin'

I have been switching back and forth between being incredibly excited to write this all down, and fearing it at the same time.  There have been some big changes in our lives this week.  All for the good, and all indirectly IVF related.

Let me get the big one out of the way first.  A week ago yesterday, I resigned from my teaching position at Milwaukee School of Languages.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I quit my job.  And I feel incredibly at peace with that decision.  This was not a rash move, but rather something that has been in the works for quite some time. *PLEASE DO NOT TELL MY STUDENTS*  I am planning to tell them myself, and I would really appreciate if those of you who know my students could allow me the moment of telling them myself.  The end of the year is so crazy-busy, and I want to make sure they focus on getting ready for their finals!

The doctors have always indicated that stress can be a crippling factor when couples are dealing with infertility issues.  Though I love my students and colleagues, there is pretty much zero chance that I can do my job well and reduce the amount of stress it causes me on a daily basis.  Perhaps it is because I care so much.  While some may say that I care too much, I refuse to go to work every day just to get a paycheck and not do what I can to actually earn it.  Not to mention that our students deserve to have teachers who "show up" for them and really put their heart into what they're teaching.  That was me for eleven years.  Now, I am stepping aside to allow someone else the opportunity while I move on to what comes next in my life.

And you're probably wondering what that is?  Well, this past fall, I was accepted into the School of Nursing at UWM.  I will be going back to school full-time in the fall, and will also be taking summer classes.  I will be applying for clinicals in August, with hopes of being accepted to begin January 2015.  If all goes according to plan, I will be graduating with a Bachelors of Science in Nursing in December 2016.  After that, I'd like to work and continue my education with the final goal being a Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) so that I may practice as a nurse practitioner.

Wow.  It feels strange to have just put that all out there.  I have been keeping it secret from most everyone for awhile now.  I have 110% support from my family, which thrills me.  I am so excited for this new adventure!!

More directly related to our current IVF cycle (yes, we got the go ahead!) I went in on Monday for my first check-up.  In the end all went well, although there was a mix-up with how serious they were about me absolutely having to be there on day 2 as I was told.  I never received a call-back from the nurses, so I went in person, only to be told condescendingly politely that of course they were going to call me back, and it would  fine for me to come in on day 3.  She didn't want to hear anything about my conversation with the nurse last week in which the nurse was very insistent that I come day 2.  Oh well.  I went day 3 and started the oral Clomid that day.  Upon discussing it further with the doctor I have learned that Clomid stimulates the release of FSH (follicle stimulating hormone).  I have taking two doses so far, and continue for three more days.  Tomorrow evening I will add two injections (into the stomach).  The injections are also FSH stimulants.  One is called Gonal-F, and the other is called Menopur.  So, we continue praying that we get loads of follicles growing to appropriate sizes, and that as many as possible are mature and viable at the time of egg retrieval.

I don't go back to the doctor until Friday, due to the fact that I am delayed by two days with the start of the Clomid.  I did ask the doctor if this would lengthen the IVF cycle and he said it might, although the goal was to jump start the follicles with the Clomid, so who knows?

Lots going on here - thanks for sticking with me and reading til the end!