So I had my post op this morning. The Dr said I have stage 4 endo because of the mass they found on the right ovary. He said the other endo he found was more like a stage 1-2, but because of the mass on the ovary I am technically "stage 4". So I guess the good news is that now we at least now have a diagnosis. Because the endo everywhere else wasn't too bad he doesn't think I need a lupron treatment, which makes me happy. But he did say there is a 50% chance it will grow back in 1-5 years, so he'd like to see me get pregnant within the year.

So the plan now is to try for 3 cycles (#17, 18 & 19) naturally because we need to give the right ovary time to heal before we stimulate it with clomid. So for right now I would estimate that my next IUI will be sometime in early April. He did say that he is hopefully I'll get pregnant on my own before then since the endo is all gone. So we'll keep our fingers crossed!!

Overall, I am feeling really at peace with everything right now. I don't know if its finally having a diagnosis, or getting a plan in place, but I am just really ok with everything.

We've been having some long overdue conversations in the last few days at my house. DH and I had never really talked about how far we were willing to take fertility treatments before we go with plan B. And what exactly was our plan B? It was important to me that we outline our path forward now, as I feel as though I am nearing the end of my rope on this TTC journey. Don't get me wrong, I would give anything to have a child, I've just been questioning recently exactly how strong is my desire to have a biological child. I knew that having a plan in place would give me the strength I needed to push through these next rounds of treatments. And although I am extremely hopeful that one of them will be successful, I am now at peace with what our plan is if they are not. So on to the plan. DH and I have agreed that we will undergo 2 additional IUIs and 1 IVF. If we are not successful we will switch gears and pursue adoption. I know there is a lot between now and then, but I'm glad that we have a plan in place that we are both comfortable with. And it gives me comfort to know that by this summer we will either be pregnant or working toward adopting a child.

On a totally seperate note, this morning DH and I went to go see Avatar in 3D IMAX. With all the hoopla surrounding this moving, I thought we might as well go experience it in 3D in the theater. I was hesitant to go because I really don't like Sci-fi at all, but I must admit I was totally amazed by this film. The plot line was actually really good and held my attention for the entire 3 hours. The 3D effects made it really powerful. I would highly recommend you go see it if you haven't already. It was a really cool experience.

Saturday, cycle 17 started. Since I am still recovering from my surgery its going to have to be a natural cycle. Did you know you can't wear tampons for 2 weeks after a laparoscopy? Consequently, I'm having to use pads, which makes me feel like I'm in 6th grade again. its horrible. (sorry if that's tmi for some of you ;-)

My recovery took a drastic turn for the better after my last post. I woke up friday morning feeling relatively "normal" which was a great gift. I spent the day tiddying up the house in between napping and watching movies. Speaking of watching movies, my husband and I recently signed up for Netflix. (I know we are the last people in the world to do this, but like I've said before i like wondering the aisles at the movie store.) The on demand movies have been amazing during my recovery. I've probably watch 15-20 different movies. Two that I think everyone should check out are: The Business of Being Born and Food, Inc. I found both to be really informative and thought provoking. I also really liked After The Wedding, which is a foreign film I stumbled upon.

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

I am happy to report that on Tuesday morning I had my Laparoscopy performed. The doctor found and removed a large mass of endo from my right ovary which actually forced him to cut the ovary open to get it all out. He found a other spots which he removed. He told my husband that overall my prognosis was good, but I'm not exactly sure what that means. I'll ask in my post op which is 2 weeks after the surgery.

I must admit that the recovery has been a bit harder than I had imagined it would be. Tuesday I was totally drugged up from the anestesia so I was pretty knocked out all day. I didn't sleep well at all Tuesday night and then Wednesday I woke up still feeling kind of OK. I laid flat for the first half of the day, but by about noon my stomach cavity was so swollen with the CO2 that I had to get up and walk around. It didn't move into the shoulders and necks which I had heard so much about, but rather stayed lodged in my stomach cavity. It is quite painful, but I have found walking around, drinking peppermint tea (thanks Buena) and laying on a heating pad to be very soothing. Seriously though, I'm still so bloated I look like I'm pregnant. I hope my body gets a move on it absorbing all this gas. And I'm really hoping for a better night sleep tonight.

One of the best things about living in New Orleans is that the party doesn't stop when the New Years bell tolls, because right around the corner we have Mardi Gras! And while I was really sad to pack away all my Christmas Decorations, I was very excited to get a few of my Mardi Gras decorations out.


I have my pre-op appointment tomorrow for my Lap, and I must admit I am having a little bit of anxiety about the surgery. I have read countless blogs about having the procedure so I know that its no big deal, but for some reason I'm still a bit nervious. I'm hoping the appointment tommorow will help to ease me a bit.

I recently stumbled upon a new IF blogger community: Stirrup Queens. I am an avid blog reader, so I always enjoy being exposed to new blogs.  The site is doing it yearly round-up of blog entries, so it you have some extra time you might want to check it out: Creme de la Creme.

For the first time in 10 days, the only people in my house are me and my DH. It's absolutely amazing. I passed my last day of vacation watching my favorite movie ever and reading blog entries. A wonderfully relaxing day.

After a few very stressful and emotional days, me and my sisters opted for a low key new years at home. My next door neighbor and his fiance also joined us. To get us into the mood we decided to do a pretty table-scape....
My neighbors brought a stuffed artichoke for an appetizer and I did a baked brie. We snacked on that until about 8:30pm and then we sat down for a very yummy dinner including steaks, twice baked potatoes, and asparagus. After dinner the boys all went out to shoot fireworks, which made me nervous but was fun to watch.  We were back in the house around 11 and counted down the new year! It was a really fun night.

I hope everyone had a great New Years Eve and I wish you all a happy and prosperous 2010!