Does this suit your copperosity?

It's Applicable All Year Round

MrsHigrens@gmail.com (Mrs. Higrens) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:07:00 +0000

I finally started using the mp3 player I got for last year's birthday after DH got me a cassette converter so I can play it in the car for this year's birthday.

Now that we are coming up on Thanksgiving, I'm switching over to Christmas music, including the album from the Barenaked Ladies, "Barenaked for the Holidays". I've had this album for a couple of years, and have liked it, but today driving to and from the RE's appointment one of the songs made me tear up not once, but twice. More than any song I've heard recently it hit me close to my tired and frozen infertile heart.

The song is "Hannukah Blessings" and since I can't seem to find the video online, here are the lyrics:

How Lucky are we that we have lights so we can see

Although the day is done

What a miracle that a spark lifts these candles out of the dark

Every evening, one by one

Until the end of hanukkah, of hanukkah.

With the jingle bells and the toys

And the TV shows and noise

It's easy to forget

At the end of the day

Our whole family will say

These words for Hanukkah

Baruch atah Adonai, eloheinu melech ha'olam, asher kid'shanu

B'mitz'votav v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Hanukkah.

Light the candles for Hanukkah, for Hanukkah

We remember how Maccabees

Fought so all of us could be free

And so we celebrate on this festival of the lights

There's a joyful time every night

But we illuminate the candles of Hanukkah, of Hanukkah

Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha'olam she'asa niseem

La'avoteinu bayamim haheim baz'man hazeh.

Hanukkah...

Hanukkah...

If you haven't heard the song I recommend you search it out since the tune is just as nice as the lyrics.

Turkey Day 2009

MrsHigrens@gmail.com (Mrs. Higrens) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:17:00 +0000

So, Thanksgiving plans:

Wednesday morning, I head to a RE appointment which means I won't get to work until after 12; with that, I'm not sure if I'll be able to leave work early so we can pack the truck and try to get a head start on the traffic to we head over to my parents in Charlottesville.

We'll spend the night there, all day Thursday, and Thursday night. Apart from making DH's family recipe for corn pudding (1 can cream corn, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 2 eggs, 1/4 c. sugar or to taste, mix together well in an 8x8 or 9x9 dish, dot the top with butter, bake @ 350 or whatever you have the oven set on until the top starts to caramelize), I have no direct responsibilities. Of course I'll help out in other ways, but cooking is the least of my worries.

DH is supposed to be up at Wintergreen to help set up the ski swap at 7:30AM Friday morning. (Talk about a Black Friday.) It won't be 7:30 when we get up there, but close to it. Which means leaving my parents house somewhere between 6:30 and 7:00 with all of our stuff packed back up and the dog shoved into the truck.

Tomorrow I find out when I have to be back at the RE's office for the next check, so that will affect whether we have to return Friday night or spend Friday night up at Wintergreen before swinging back by my parent's house to pick up my grandmother on Saturday so she can return home via us. Or get up the crack of dawn Saturday to drive directly to the lab before 8AM.

And I can't wait to figure out how to refrigerate the medication and do my shots while at my parents without exposing what we are going through to my grandmother who has not been told.

Can you tell I'm feeling a bit stressed over this upcoming trip?

If DH hadn't signed up for the ski swap and my mother hadn't already made plans to host Thanksgiving, I'd throw up my hands, proclaim we are staying home, and call Golden Corral for reservations on Thursday.

Protocol Update

MrsHigrens@gmail.com (Mrs. Higrens) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:29:00 +0000

So, I started the .10 of Lupron Friday morning. Easy peasy. (Except for the part where my first shot left a small bruise where the needle hit or nicked a vein. Oh well, it wasn't the first time, and I'm sure it won't be the last.) For the first time, I have spread my supplies outside our bathroom where they have been happily occupying a double handled paper Hallmark Store bag. But with Lupron needing refrigeration, I figured it was easier to have the needles and other supplies in the kitchen so I didn't schlep the vial back and forth, or up and down, morning and night.

Last night was the first Menopur(2)/Bravelle(4) mix. I tried to do the same with it as the Lupron and keep all of the supplies downstairs, but after DH complained for the third time that he didn't have enough light to see properly even with all of the kitchen and breakfast area lights on, and had also managed to spill a small amount of the mix onto the kitchen counter, and since he has always done such a good job of doing the mixing in the bathroom, I decided it was easier for the rest of those shots to just swab myself with alcohol twice and haul the six vials of medication plus the vial of saline upstairs at bedtime. I'm just not patient enough and want to hurry in the mixing, so it's better if he does the work.

I don't remember the Menopur burning when I used it separate from the Follistim (which never burned me), but the Menopur/Bravelle mix wasn't pain-free and I could still see a bit of pink in the area this morning. I think I celebrated the loss of Ganirellix too soon, even though it stung like a bitch and left a huge welt it was only for three days - Bravelle is going to last for at least three times that many days. Tonight I will try icing the area first to see if that helps. Otherwise, I can't really tell any side effects from any of the meds.

Wednesday morning brings a ultrasound appointment with the RE and I'm hoping that I won't have to go back until Sunday even if it means I don't get a good sleep in on any morning. We're currently planning to come home Saturday from our Thanksgiving travels - if needed we could come home Friday for a Saturday morning appointment, but I would prefer to keep our plans in place. There will be more to come on those plans in another post.

Any suggestions on sting reduction? Or mixing of 6 vials?

Ups and Downs

MrsHigrens@gmail.com (Mrs. Higrens) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:51:00 +0000

Ups:
-first Lupron shot this morning means the cycle is moving along.
-period started this morning right on time.
-SUNSHINE! I feel better today than yesterday. Much less moldy.
-it's Friday!

Downs:
-cramps. Nuff said.
-dog is coming up with new allergy symptoms - $94 this morning to learn that plus update her kennel cough booster.
-the weekend is going to fly by thanks to the list of chores that need to be done.
-it's 70 degrees in Mid-November. My office is an oven thanks to 3 walls of windows.

What do you have?

Announcing A Protocol Change

MrsHigrens@gmail.com (Mrs. Higrens) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:39:00 +0000

Lupron Mini-Flare

Anyone, anyone... Bueller?

Anticipating no negative results from today's bloodwork (thanks to a recent seminar advocating checking progesterone and estrogen even with the pill) it looks like I'll probably start twice daily 0.1 unit Lupron on Friday and then add a combined 450 units of Menopur and Bravelle on Sunday. That's 1.5ml of fluid with a total of 6 vials of medication added. Yikes!

On the up side - no welt-inducing Ganirellex will be needed. Yay!

Since I've never done Lupron or Bravelle before, is there anything I need to be aware of as far as possible side effects, etc? If you've done a Mini-Flare after a combination of Follistim/Ovidrel/Menopur have you noticed any difference in quantity/quality of the resulting eggs?

Yet another trial. Hopefully this time there is no error.

Scary News - Any Connections Who Can Help?

MrsHigrens@gmail.com (Mrs. Higrens) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:35:00 +0000

A couple who are very close to my parents were traveling in Israel when he developed a blood clot in his brain. Their travel group left on Sunday, and their daughter is now with them. He is in the neurological ICU at the teaching hospital in Jerusalem, she and their daughter (who is a couple years younger than I) are in a hotel near the hospital.

Do you know anyone in the area who would be willing to be local support during this trying time?

As for other support, please keep this couple in your thoughts or add them to your local prayer group.

I hate to imagine my parents being so sick in this country, much less so far away from home.

Strange Dreams

MrsHigrens@gmail.com (Mrs. Higrens) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:01:00 +0000

I've had some odd dreams in the past week - and I'm not sure why. It's not like I've started taking any new meds that would mess with my brain.

The first and second were on the same night, the third was just last night. In two of the three dreams I was single and making out with / getting involved with a man other than DH. In neither dream was the other person someone I actually know. In the third dream (actually the first of the three) DH and I were throwing a party, which we never do, and so our interactions were limited to party host transactions.

I just wish I understood what my subconscious was trying to get across.

Say Cheese!

MrsHigrens@gmail.com (Mrs. Higrens) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:39:00 +0000

Our dog is such a (sorry for the pun) camera hound. If she sees the camera, even when I'm trying to be ultra-sneaky and capture an existing cute moment, she stops what she's doing and goes into a pose. The above was taken after I told her to smile. What a nut.

Saturday Morning

MrsHigrens@gmail.com (Mrs. Higrens) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:16:00 +0000

As of 12:45 I had:
-Washed a weeks worth of pots and pans.
-Made chili.
-Cleaned the kitchen counters
-Organized two kitchen drawers, making room for the bags of candy purchased 75% off at Target.
-Repaired my Grandmother's lamp.

Still to go:
-Cleaning the bathroom.
-Stitching up a seam in DH's favorite fleece jacket.
-Vacuuming?

A Surprise Hit

MrsHigrens@gmail.com (Mrs. Higrens) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:31:00 +0000

Last nights dinner menu:
-boneless skinless chicken breasts sprinkled with salt, pepper and paprika, baked with a can of 2 years past the marked expiration date condensed cream of mushroom soup with garlic mixed with approximately a cup total of cream and skim milk, and a tablespoon or so of cooking sherry.
-itty-bitty asparagus stalks steamed and tossed with Natures Seasonings
-pseudo-Red Lobster garlic biscuits.

And the chicken actually got good reviews. I'm not telling if you don't!

And the winner is...

MrsHigrens@gmail.com (Mrs. Higrens) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:15:00 +0000

Logic.

Even after sleeping in, my temp dropped this morning and now I have cramps.

This means I'll be calling the RE tomorrow and starting BCP on Tuesday. Stims should start after 2 to 3 weeks and then retrieval/transfer will be somewhere early to mid December. Whee.

At least this means I won't have to fight the holiday schedule at the lab. (They close for Christmas so a later period would mean having to push off until January.)

Huh?

MrsHigrens@gmail.com (Mrs. Higrens) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:14:00 +0000

(For those who are not interested in such things, bodily fluids will be mentioned.)

This morning when I wiped after my morning evacuation (evacuation comp....evacuation comple....evacuation...complete - name the movie?)I noticed some pink on the tp.

But my temp hasn't dropped (which is about the biggest thing I've gotten out of charting, that my temp always drops the day before or the day of my period), and I saw about the same color 4 weeks ago while in the wait for Beta after the FET which ended up positive, even if just for a short while, and I haven't seen anything more or had cramping today.

So, I'm left wondering what exactly is going on here. The hopeful and magical portion of my brain argues that what I've seen is implantation bleeding. The logical portion of my brain wants to argue that it's just early spotting and my temps will drop tomorrow. I guess time will have to tell.

But some actual magic might be nice...

He's Coming Home!

MrsHigrens@gmail.com (Mrs. Higrens) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:13:00 +0000

DH's portion of the project has finished, so he will be back for good this time.

Guess that means I better get used to making dinner again, huh?

(Mostly) Guilt Free Shopping Trip

MrsHigrens@gmail.com (Mrs. Higrens) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:20:00 +0000

Around 11:30 this morning I said "screw it, I'm getting out of the office." Normally I am a little hermit, I scurry into the office in the morning around 8:30 or so and don't leave again, even for lunch, until 4pm.

BUT, I had a rebate card that was about to expire at Staples, and a cash card (I'm not sure where that one came from) for Staples, and needed to get stamps for work (none of those new-fangled in-office postage meters for us!), plus make a bank deposit that had been sitting around for a few more days than it should have.

AND I needed to swing by the library to return some about to be overdue books (and pick up some new ones), and had one of those free panty/$10 off a bra offers that come in the mail and another offer that came in via email for a free lip gloss with bra fitting offer from Victoria's Secret. The panty offer was about to expire, and who would turn down a free pair of those, and a free lip gloss? Not me!

It just so happens that I could work my errands into the office errands in the following order: work/personal/work/personal/work. Seriously, that's how conveniently the Post Office, library, stores and bank are located. Add in the dual entrances to the subdivision and I made a complete loop without any odd side trips. (Maybe I'm weird but I love when I can make a loop and don't have a pipe shaped trip. Or maybe there's a little OCD in me?)

As a trip, it was very successful. Sure, there were issues, including a more screwed up than usual system at the Post Office and Staples not putting inventory where I think it should be; but there also wasn't a line at the library and the sales people at Vickie's actually knew what they were doing and were helpful.*

Because I was combining errands, I didn't feel guilty about not getting back to the office exactly "on time" so I wasn't frustrated with any of the issues like I would be if I had attempted to run both personal errands during one normal lunch hour. I figure if I'm running company errands in my personal vehicle, all time I spend on the road is applied to the company and it's only the time I spend on personal shopping that counts towards the hour, and between the library and Vickie's I just about used it up.

*I haven't bought a bra at Vickie's for a long time because those two properties were lacking - also because they didn't carry my size in the store. It was nice to find all three reasons for not shopping there have changed (at least for today's visit) and I found a bra which might become my next favorite style for every day wear (Body By Victoria - Full Coverage). (I have to brag, I got a free pair of panties, a free lip gloss, and $10 off a bra - which means I spent about $32 for $59 worth of merchandise. Sweet! So no guilt there either.)

An Additional Something To Try

MrsHigrens@gmail.com (Mrs. Higrens) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:10:00 +0000

Saturday I added a 81mg aspirin to my existing morning pill regimen of pre-natal vitamin, fish oil, and glucosamine/chondroiten. Compared to the others, it is minuscule.

Despite my fond memories of the chewable orange flavored St. Joseph's brand I decided it wasn't worth upwards of ten extra dollars to go brand name for the same amount of pills as in the generic bottle.

I'm not exactly sure what the aspirin is supposed to do exactly, (I'm thinking it has to do with blood flow? I haven't checked Dr. Google yet, so if you know, feel free to impart your knowledge.) but it certainly can't hurt and will possibly help the next transferred embryo stick around for longer.

~~~~

I read another bloggers post last week about the decision that IVF was not for them. It really pushed my buttons; and in my comment, in addition to a reasonable statement, I said so using those words. That portion of my comment really inflamed some of the other commenter's which really surprised me. Apparently by saying that her words had pushed my buttons meant that I didn't respect her decisions and that I was speaking for the rest of the IVF readers. When what I meant was that what she had to say affected me negatively and rather than explode my issues all over her comments section I was refraining. Maybe not the smartest thing to write, but not a reflection or judgment on her decisions but my own reactions to how she wrote about them. It wasn't until I read those following comments that I realized that the loss of two weeks ago is probably still coloring some of my reactions as well as my own continuing love/hate feelings towards IVF.

I do enjoy her posts, so I will keep reading, but I don't think I'm going to comment again anytime soon. What would you think, if some one had written that you post pushed their buttons, in either your comments section or in the comments section of another blog? Was I out of line?

My head exploded on the way into work this morning.

MrsHigrens@gmail.com (Mrs. Higrens) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:06:00 +0000

As I drove into work, I was listening to the local semi-alternative / independent radio station this morning and there was an advertisement for the local flagship store of a very well known scented candle company.

In that store they have a lot of different departments, or so I've heard. Despite carrying around a decent sized gift certificate in my wallet for a year, I've not actually been in the store. The main reason is because I'm afraid of the scent overload headache that I've experienced just walking into one of the smaller stores. Or just walking by one of the smaller stores. Secondary, I haven't thought of anything I might need there as I already have a nice scented candle collection I rarely burn. But I suppose I need to go soon or it might be a repeat of the Ruby Tuesday episode.

Anyway, this advertisement was talking about the upcoming events being held at the store - one of which was pumpkin decorating with Mr. & Mrs. Claus.

(Excuse me, just writing about it makes my head want to explode all over again.)

Now I understand they maintain a Christmas department with the Clauses' year round. That's fine. It's not the first or last Christmas store in the area.

What I do have a problem with? Mixing holidays. It's bad enough that several of the stores I've been in recently already had displays of Christmas decorations, but to mix the two holidays? Auuuggggghhhh. It's not right.

Am I alone in this feeling or am I just missing out on the spirit of the season?

Conjugal Visit & Laundry

MrsHigrens@gmail.com (Mrs. Higrens) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:30:00 +0000

DH let me know last night he was able to come back for a few days. Apparently a portion of the job not under his control has gotten delayed, and it is pushing back the schedule for everything else until it is completed.

So he'll be back at the house by 5:30ish this afternoon and I'm so excited! I'm even skipping Bunco, which you know is a true sacrifice, to have more time to spend with him while he's around since he's not sure when he'll have to go back.

It's also the right time of month to give things a try "the old fashioned way", so that's a super bonus; not that we wouldn't be taking advantage of the together time anyway.

Not so much of a bonus - the laundry he is coming back with. He took clothes for five days (I think), he's been there for ten days and has not visited a laundromat or purchased additional items. You do the math. (I'll wait while you shudder.) I swear, men turn into boys when it comes to doing their own laundry.

Gosh I'm whiny!

MrsHigrens@gmail.com (Mrs. Higrens) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:06:00 +0000

After posting yesterday's complaint about DH being away, a college friend posted on Facebook that she hasn't heard from her husband in 2 weeks. Of course, he's in the military and is on a 6-month overseas deployment (not middle-eastern) , but it still reminded me that it could be a lot worse.

Living Single - The Negatives

MrsHigrens@gmail.com (Mrs. Higrens) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:02:00 +0000

Back before I met DH I owned and maintained my own townhouse, had a job, and managed to keep myself occupied socially - enough to be satisfactory, not so much I was overwhelmed.

Then we got together and got married and he's dealt with the mundane things such as taking out the recycling and trash on the appropriate days, cleaning the litter box on a regular basis, and making sure our finances were in order. Needless to say, I haven't done much of that since.

Of course his work trips this fall have required that I deal with more of the day to day items than I have in over 7 years. Okay, that's fine, those things don't take so much time, I can fit them in in the morning and still make it to work, mostly on time.

This trip has been, despite expectations, going on for over a week, and it looks like he's not going to be back until the end of this coming week. In the meantime, bills that weren't here when he left have started to come due, so we spent the better portion of our nightly conversation on Saturday walking through the process and determining what actions I need to take this week.

Guess what else: After the week of rain we just experienced, the grass also needs to be cut. As for what I'll be learning to do over the phone next...at least it's a riding mower.

My position now is that we need to do some cross training when he returns.

(Of course, without him around, I haven't had to make a proper dinner with meat/starch/veggie since I'm satisfied to have some hummus and naan, or a bowl of soup or cereal, or even a stack of gingersnaps and call it good. Maybe that's why I've even managed to lose a pound or two without trying?)

This Evenings Plans (Or It All Happens On The Same Day)

MrsHigrens@gmail.com (Mrs. Higrens) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:27:00 +0000

After work today I am going to an event at our local plumbing, lighting, and appliance dealer to see their new light fixture display and enjoy "light" refreshments.

From there I will go home and deal with the dog (out, food, out again), and then return to town to attend a free concert at the downtown library location.

It's a tuba and euphonium concert - called appropriately OcTubaFest (Go ahead, groan, it's okay, I didn't come up with the name.) - and that would explain why it's free.

But since one of my best guy friends* in high school played tuba, and I had a good guy friend in college who also played tuba I have a soft spot for them. Especially when they play "Flight of the Bumble Bee" (which is not guaranteed to be on the program, but I live in hope).

I guess you can take the girl out of the band, but not the band geek out of the girl.

*It was one of those friendships where we both ended up being interested in the other, but not when the other was interested back. Frustrating our mutual friend to no end to be in the middle of it all.

7 Vials Lighter

MrsHigrens@gmail.com (Mrs. Higrens) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:07:00 +0000

That's how many it took for the assorted clotting and array of immunologic tests the RE ordered. I have to remember to call next week for the results.

On the good side, I had a cup of OJ waiting for me in the car - part of the breakfast I'd skipped in trying to get out the door extra early in order to get the blood work taken and to work in a reasonably timely manner. Even so, between waiting for the lab and sitting there while my blood was drained I still got to work half an hour late.

While my blood was being harvested, my cell buzzed - DH trying to call to let me know he may be in Texas through next Thursday. Boo! He left Sunday and thought he'd be coming back Friday or Saturday. So I'll be heading to the UPS store tomorrow to ship him some extra medication (as he'd taken enough for a couple days extra, but not enough for the better part of another week) - and I'll be sure to tuck in some other goodies - maybe a new DVD or two or some other thing to entertain him when he's not working the 12-hour shifts required by the project.

And in the meantime, I'll keep things running along at home - lawn mowing and bill paying and washing the dog, oh my!

All Done For Another Year

MrsHigrens@gmail.com (Mrs. Higrens) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:35:00 +0000

Gotta love an early morning appointment - in and out in a little less than an hour. AND only one pregnant belly (with accompanying later-elementary school age kids) in the waiting room as I was leaving. Of course, it couldn't go completely smoothly - but I guess when someone is just under one trimester and has been spotting for 3 days, that does take precedence over little old me - and at least that didn't set my appointment back too much and I had learned my lesson last year and brought a book to entertain myself so I wasn't waiting impatiently imagining the hands moving around the clock.

The biggest shock - as I was getting ready to leave he called me by a nickname a very short list of people are allowed to use. My high school best friend's father, my grandmother, and my father-in-law are the only ones I allow to call me that without invisible flaming daggers flying from my eyes. Fortunately for him he was not in front of me, so he got neither the flaming daggers nor the polite reprimand I use for such occasions. It's a fine name, it's just SO NOT ME. (Think a Jennifer being called Jenny when she never goes by it. Okay for others, but not how she wants to be known.)

He suggested I get a cholesterol test - apparently there have been correlations between high cholesterol and hypertension in pregnancy - so I'm thinking about that, and he made some recommendations for a primary care physician as I don't really have one since a couple of years ago mine started this executive health clinic where wealthy businessmen can get themselves checked out in a fancy one stop shop, and I didn't want to pay the yearly thousands to stick with him. Guess it's a good thing I haven't gotten sick, but he's right, I need to get in with one so I have that contact if there is an issue. It would be the adult thing to do. Sigh.

The Yearly Exam Cometh

MrsHigrens@gmail.com (Mrs. Higrens) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:27:00 +0000

I used to dread this appointment and the related embarrassment of having someone you only see once a year looking at something few others have seen up close and personal. Not anymore. It's just another morning in the stirrups.

Now I dread the waiting room. It doesn't seem to matter what time my appointment is, I know the waiting room is going to be full of pregnant bellies. Pregnancies that were unexpected, pregnancies that were easy to come by, even planned pregnancies, and possibly some unwanted pregnancies as well.

Last year, if you will recall, the appointment took 1.5 hours from arrival to departure. If you don't (and I don't blame you, I don't want to remember it either) you can read all about it here.

This years appointment didn't take on any real significance until the news of two weeks ago. Two weeks ago I was hoping to be able to finagle an ultrasound and possibly hear an early heartbeat at this appointment.

This week I'm going in on the very tail end of an early miscarriage.

I know it's too much to ask for a baby/pregnancy free waiting room at an ob/gyn's office, but it sure would be kind for those of us who suffer at the sight of a stranger's pregnant belly.

Lazy Saturday

MrsHigrens@gmail.com (Mrs. Higrens) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 20:02:00 +0000

Half the list of household chores checked off.

Richmond vs. JMU on the TV (Good Job Richmond!).

DH playing golf in the neighbor's annual tournament - dinner to follow.

I'm relaxing on the computer.

It's a good day.

Happy Freakin' Birthday to Me

MrsHigrens@gmail.com (Mrs. Higrens) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:39:00 +0000

Yesterday's # was 11. That's it. No more.

And DH had the gall to ask me why I hadn't followed up with someone on a question HE has a problem with when the person called yesterday. Um, maybe because I'm still processing the realization that this much longed for pregnancy basically ended before it even got going and it's taking up all my extra brain cells?

I guess I should have been much more specific with my wish last year - not only to be pregnant (check) but to end up with a healthy baby at the end (no check).

So now I'm waiting for my body to realize the hormones have stopped and end the cycle. Not exactly the kind of waiting I was looking forward to. From there, the "recurrent miscarriage" blood tests for immunologic issues and clotting. Might as well get them over with, I'm not getting any younger over here. Then, depending on timing of periods, the next treatments probably won't start until December or January.

So yeah, Happy Freakin' Birthday to me.