Day 22 No more patches

No more patches now and today was my last ultrasound. Weird thing is that my left ovary, the one that hides, slid down behind my uterus but in a very visible and low position. Doc said sometimes they get " caught". ( caught on or by what ???? ) But this explains my feeling of pressure and cramps on my left side only.

THE GOOD NEWS - Both ovaries had large follies. Right one measured at 17 and the left one at 14. My lining was back up again and at 7.

NOT SO GOOD NEWS - Doc said at this stage , so late in my cycle, the likely hood of either of those follies maturing to ovulation is unlikely - BUT NOT impossible.

Go back next week for pregnancy test

Day 21

My poor skin ! With the help of the steroid ointment I have made it through these past weeks but in my final days I am feeling bad for putting my skin through hell. I have all these marks, scabs, redness, dry scaly spots , etc on both upper arms and my abdomen. I was told some women have little to no reaction on their skin to this so hopefully most people don't go through the frustration I have had with itchy red skin and having to really plan out and carefully search for areas that are healed enough to put the patches on.

Still no bleeding, I'm so glad. I am still feeling quite a bit of fatigue but today is a little better than it has been the last 5 days. Last day of patches tomorrow and last ultrasound too.

Day 18

So today , no bleeding. Totally stopped. So I THINK perhaps I can be encouraged again but there was more blood than most things I read about implantation bleeding say there should be. But, I did find a woman who posted in JustMommies that says her implantation with 2 pregnancies were 3 days long and just like a short period, lots of red blood and everything. So everyone is different. I don't remember anything like this with my daughter but being pregnant was really off my radar at that time and I did not find out until I was about 6 weeks along. Also, I really think the hormones with the Lutrepatch could be affecting me very profoundly so who knows .....

My Period !!?? How can this be, I am only on cd 20. I called my study coordinator this morning and she told me another girl in the study at their office had this happen too. The doctor thought in her case it may be implantation. So she said don't worry about it. Its good news or its just nuisance. I held high hopes but as the day goes on and it is light for a period but more than spotting and it is now red. Only the next few days will tell.

Day 17

Possible good news for me. Last night I had some strange cramps in my back but only on my left side, for several hours. When I got home from work around 11 pm, I had some spotting, kind of brownish in color with some bright red in there as well. I thought, could I have ovulated ? I jumped online and began digging for info. I thought I had passed my window because I am at cd 20 now but it seems like that is a common symptom, and not unusual that late in cycle. I am very encouraged. BD today for sure , hope its not too late.

Day 15

Okay, today I must admit I am sooooo super bummed after my visit. Still no mature follicles and my uterine lining measured slightly less. Now I know this did not mean the games over, I still have a week but this was the week they thought it would most likely happen, I don't even have another appointment for 8 more days.

The other part about today that was frustrating was my bladder. I always have to drink a ton of water so they can tap my veins for the blood test but you also have to have an empty bladder for the TVU, go figure ! The doc came in ( not my usual one ) and she was a little peeved that my bladder was full - It wasn't like I hadn't already peed 3 TIMES waiting for her ! So I had to go pee again and then wait for her some more.

No burns and blisters this week, with the exception of one very small minor one from the very edge of a patch.

Day 12

Was VERY excited to go to doc today to find out what the ovaries were doing. However, slight let down as there was good news and bad news. Good news is that my lining is where it should be, much thicker than last Thursday but bad news is still have a zillion follicles but none over the measurement of 14, which is what they look for. Oh ya, did I mention my uterus is also tilted ? Well, my ovary that likes to play hide and seek was especially shy today, very painful exam.

I go back on Thursday, so I will continue to pray !

Day 11

This morning was the first time I went to church ( since I wasn't there last week ) and my church is from 9:30 to 11:00 which happens to be my patch change window. So the last pulse starts at 9:30 just when service starts and I have to have the new patch on by 10:59 so I had to leave church a little early. It's been so strange all the little ways this thing has invaded my everyday life. I am not sharing with my friends or co-workers about this so that puts a little twist because of trying to keep what I'm doing on the down low. We told our parents but I just feel that because when your TTC people mean well and ask about things but this whole ordeal could go either way and I just don't want to have to explain, or justify, anything.

Back to the doc in the morning, excited to go and see what's happening.

On a side note, the patch is on my left arm, closer to my elbow but on the outside part of my arm and I am not having to use the tape, the patch itself seems to be sticking well to this area, maybe movement is not as great here. This is only the 2nd patch I have had stick well after the first hour.

Day 10

Oops !! The control unit fell off the patch some time last night while I slept. There is a sliding door locking mechanism and I guess I did not properly lock it while I was very quickly trying to change the patch in the ladies room stall at my work. So I may have missed most of the pulses last night, bummer.

Good news, the steroid cream is really helping my skin reaction. I have all these bean shaped red marks all over my arms and stomach and it was very nice to see my arms almost cleared up completely today. I just may make it the 21 days yet! 19 patches down, 26 to go.

Day 8 - back to the doc

This morning major problem. When I removed the patch , there was a large, approximately 1 inch across, burn/blister. I had felt almost nothing, this patch didn't bother me , very strange. The nurse took a picture of it for the study, I guess this has been happening more often in the dryer climates like Arizona but I live in southern cali a block from the beach, so maybe its just me.

The GREAT news is that my uterin lining is showing build up activity so since something is happening, I think I can be assured I did not get the placebo

Day 5

When I took the patch off my arm this morning, there were two small lines that looked raw. I did notice the patch being very uncomfortable and kept me from sleeping well, my concern over whether or not my skin can handle this for 21 days is mounting. I am now using a steroid cream leftover from some eczema issues on my hands. It seems to help some, better than the hydrocortizone anyway.

I'm getting excited to go back to the doctor in two days. I wanna see what, if anything, is happening. Felt very crampy today, don't know if that's good or bad

Day 4

Have to go to a birthday party on this day with my daughter and the patch is KILLING me. Its on my right arm, on the inside just about over my bicep and it burns. Getting a little concerned at this point because my skin is not reacting well and the place from 4 days ago with the first patch still looks red and feels dry, hydrocortizone is suggested to me but not working.

Getting up to speed .........

The Lutrepatch, what is it you say? Well , basically its a device to give you a hormone that stimulates your hypothalamus to stimulate your anterior pituitary to make LH and FSH. This is placed into your system via a small electrical current. The control unit is about the size of a pack of gum and it attaches to a patch that sticks to your skin. The patch is changed out twice a day and the control device just once every 7 days, for a total of 21.
This is different than injectables because the electric current is more how your body sends the hormones through your system so there is much less of a chance of over stimulation of the ovaries.
The patch is used in this study in correlation with the drug Clomid.

I found out about this by suggestion of my OB/GYN. I have PCOS and my cycle pattern, or lack there of, fit the profile for the study and I have been trying to conceive. ( I do have a one child, my daughter, surprizingly conceived the ol' fashion way, nothing added or deleted, 4 years ago )

During May before the study I had to have my fallopian tubes checked, my hormone levels analyzed, and my husbands lil' swimmers evaluated. Well, the tubes are open, hormones a flowin' and the lil' swimmers are swimming well so I got the green light to proceed. Wahoo !!

My appointment for the first patch application was on June 5.They do a trans vaginal ultrasound ( tvu ) every time and measure your parts and count those blasted follicles. In my case of poly cystic ovaries, there's like a million or something, ok not that many but the doc did say they were too many to count. I also have a left ovary that likes to play hide and seek so while the good doc is searching out the little fella with his twisted magic "wand" (those who have had TVU know what I mean) it can be pretty painful, so I don't like this part much.
The patch itself seems not bad at all at first, tho the first sting of the pulses takes getting used to but we women can put up with a lot more than that for a little bundle of joy. It was later that evening that I would see what an intruder and hassle this little thing would be for the next 21 days.

DAY 1
I work in restaurant and always have an evening shift. My first day of work with this thing on I find out it beeps , continually, when your patch change window time comes, and that is a little embarrassing talking to people about why you are beeping. Terrified I wouldn't get the first patch change right I spent 15 minutes in the ladies room with my shirt half off. I later found out that I didn't have to be so exact in my timing, just some time before that next pulse starts so I have a 90 minute window.
Day 3
You're supposed to take the bag they give you everywhere because if there is a problem, you need all the backup supplies. Well, on day 3 I went to the movies with my hubby and because of timing I had to somehow change my patch during the movie and wouldn't ya know it but the one time I did not have everything with me, the control unit failed when I tried to change the patch so I had to wait two hours till I got home and then my timing was all weird, I was soooooo stressed out that I would be in trouble, but my study coordinator said I did the right thing. Pheww !