I am moving.

I just decided to do it, and move everything over to one Google account. I had the time this weekend. It will be easier if everything is simple. (At least that is the theory.)

You can now find me over at Do Without Doing

My show and tell this week is over there. Go and check it out!

Thinking about consolidating...

I have a confession to make.  I have two google accounts.  I have them by mistake.  I am not sure what happened when I started my blog originally, but my blogger account is different from the rest of my gmail account.  It is starting to get to me.  I may have to switch my blog over to one gmail account, just to make things easier.  I will keep you informed of where I go.  

I just want things to be easier.  Maybe I will sign up for NaComLeavWe after I switch.  I may be able to handle a week of heavy commenting.

My fourth of July weekend was fine.  It was a long day after two very long days at work, but I got to see my grandparents.  It was good to see them again.  I think they enjoyed seeing me, too.  As Hubby said as we were leaving, the police were not called and pretty much everyone left on speaking terms, so it was a successful family gathering.  Hubby and I head home to the 'Noke this morning with the big dogs.  It will be really good to be home.  We are not planning on doing much today.  I think we are grilling ribs and corn and watching the Daytona race tonight.  Hopefully our boys will do better this week than the past few weeks.  We have high hopes.

I hope everyone's fourth of July Weekend was a good one!

Long day

Work was really long today. I was scheduled a 10 hour day, but ended up working almost 12 hours because they did not have the staff to relieve me. I knew that would happen sooner or later. I was in an eye room, so we were not being fussed at. Almost all of our eye doctors are really nice. There were a lot of worse places I could have been, so I was willing to stay.
Now I just get to work tomorrow for 8 hours, and then I am off for the weekend. Yay!

On the IF front, I never did make that appointment for the ultrasound of the uterus. The RE likes to do it about 10 days after your period starts. Unfortunately, he is going on vacation the rest of July. So I need to call for an appointment when my period starts in August. Sigh. I guess it has waited this long, it can wait another cycle. Then I will start all of this injectable stuff in the fall. After being in school so long, fall always feels like a good time to start new things.

I am really looking forward to my long weekend. I think it will feel really good to have to have the day off. It will be good to see my family again, too. It has been a while since I have seen the Grandparents.

Show and Tell: My Mother Gave me the World

My show and tell this week is a picture my mother gave me when I went to college. It has hung everywhere I lived since then. I have not hung it in this house, yet, but I think it is going to go in my yellow room.



When I left for college, my mother said she wanted to give me the world, and so she did. I really like it, and I think about why she gave it to me whenever I look at it.

My mom is supportive of my IF journey, and I really appreciate her support. Sometimes I do have to be careful about how much I tell her, but I can be mostly open about what I am going through. I recently sent her a link to the Stirrup Queens site because she wanted to know more about the treatment I will be doing. Stirrup Queens is probably one of the best sites I have found for info and support. Who knows, maybe she will stumble onto my blog. She knows I have one, though I am not sure if she has read it. (Just in case she found it...Hi, Mom!)

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In other news, I sort of got the day off today. I was scheduled to work, but they had no cases for us to do, so they sent me home on call. I think that is really great, nice bonus to the weekend. So far, so good. I am only on call until 3 PM, so I do not have much time left. My aunt is in town this weekend, and wants to visit with me, so Hubby and I are having dinner with her this evening. I am looking forward to seeing her. It should be a nice time.

I am going up to Reston on the 4th of July for my Grandfather's birthday party. I need to get a present for him at some point this week. I also need to get my eyebrows done. They are looking sort of shaggy. I think I need to stop procrastinating and make an appointment for after work. I could use a pedicure, too. Maybe I should make a to-do list.

I think that is about it out here. Nice to have no news for a change.

Doctor stuff

Update on doctor stuff.

Here is my decision on Dr Sweetness vs Dr Random. In general, the division in GYN medicine is gyno/uro or obstetrics. If they do gyno/uro, they do not do a lot with babies. If they do babies, they do not do a lot of gyn surgery. As a result, at my work I see a lot of the gyno/uro docs, and not a lot of the baby docs. The baby docs have their own OR on a different floor. I sort of want to get to know the doctor who will be following my pregnancy, so I think I will stay with Dr Random. I know that office is good, and has a good reputation. I think I should get to know the baby docs, too.

My appointment with the RE was wonderful. Except they did not have our records from our Richmond doctor. We signed releases as we left, so hopefully they will have the records soon. We filled in what we remembered, but our memory is imperfect. We did the best we could. After hearing our history and examining me, the RE gave us a couple of options. He wants me to come in for a sonohysterogram next week. The lining of the uterus looked a little thick, and he wants to make sure there is not a fibroid or other abnormal reason for the thickness. After that, he said we could certainly think about donor sperm, but he suggested trying a couple rounds of IUI with injectables using Hubby's sperm. I think the chances of success increase a little bit with injectables. This is what Hubby wants to do before going to donor insemination. At least then we will know we tried everything. I am willing to go with it. I need to call to make the appointment for the sonohysterogram today. When I see Dr RE next, I may let him know we are going to try the injectables for a couple of months.

Does anyone have anything to share about your experiences with injectable medication? I would love to hear it.

Oh, I hate being flaky!

But this is important. I think I am going to have to change my yearly GYN exam for the third time.

Here is the situation: I have not seen an OB/GYN since I have moved to SW VA. I made an appointment with a randomly chosen doc, (we will call her Dr Random.) I had to change the appointment time once because of a work conflict. I work with GYN surgeons every day, so I have met a lot of OB/GYN docs. Some I liked, some I do not like. The problem is that my appointment for my yearly exam is with Dr Random. This doctor does not do gyn surgery, so I have not met her. I have worked with some of the other docs in Dr Random's group, and I love one of them (we will call her Dr Sweetness.) I think I want to change my appointment, again, so that I can see Dr Sweetness. But I am not sure if she delivers babies. I sort of want to start a relationship with a doc and keep it. I am really picky about my health care providers.
I have spent the past two years with inconsistent health care providers. I want some consistency. Is that so much to ask for?

What do you all think? Should I take the risk and change it to Dr Sweetness? Or should I keep the appointment with Dr Random? (I am sort of leaning toward switching the appointment to Dr Sweetness. From what I have seen, I think she is a fantastic doctor.)

Lazy days of summer

I am just feeling really lazy this week, so I do not have a lot to say. I am even too lazy to do Mel's Show and Tell. How sad is that. Things are just rolling along, though. Not really anything going on. I do have an IF appointment this Thursday. That is about it.

My mother recently got back from the beach, and she sent me an email with the link to the recent NYT article on IF. I think she did read the articles, though some of it must not have sunk in, because she still hit me with the tired old line, "If you adopt, you may get pregnant." I told her that is sort of offensive for women dealing with IF. I emailed her a link to PJ's blog. Hopefully she will look at that and understand a little more. I think the IF stuff sort of freaks her out. I would think she would be more understanding. She says she has friends who have done IVF, and dealt with infertility. She tries. At least she tries. But I still think she does not understand. Sometimes I feel like she ignores whatever does not fit in her reality.

Hubby and I went to a movie this past weekend. I think it has been over a year since we saw a movie in the movie theater. We saw "Iron Man." It is a wonderful movie, and I highly recommend it. Robert Downey, Jr is pretty cute. It made a nice escape from reality for a while.

Maybe I will have more to say tomorrow...

I think I am happy.

I love what I do. I love being a nurse in the OR, and I love doing GYN surgery. I have been very happy this past week or two because what I do is very rewarding to me. I am beginning to realize that I am good at what I do. I know there is a lot I need to learn to become an expert in the field, but I am enjoying learning it. It almost feels too good to be true. I am starting to wonder when I am going to come crashing down. I guess I should enjoy it while it lasts and worry about coming down later.

I have been off of orientation for a couple of weeks and I am still getting used to being on my own. I suspect it will take me six months to a year to truly feel comfortable. Right now it is difficult for me to sit back and relax while I am circulating. I think it will come with time, and I probably need to chill out. All I can say is that I am trying.

I am almost done with Gertrude’s obedience class, and I have sent in her application for agility. I am sort of excited about it. I hope the agility will be more playful than the obedience. I have a hard time being playful with the obedience stuff, for some reason. I went to watch some agility trials last weekend, and it looked like fun. (Despite the heat.) The obstacles looked so happy and brightly colored. People seemed to be having a good time,

Oscar is doing well. He continues to get better every day. He has no problems jumping up on our Rice bed at night. I think the effort wears him out, though. He still gets a head tilt if he gets tired and he wears out pretty easily. But he is getting stronger every day, and I think he is happy to be home. We are happy to have him home.

My IF appointment is next Thursday. I hope it goes well. I almost hope the doctor is running late. Likely I will be running late, and that would put us on similar schedules. Hubby said he could make it, and I think he has blocked off the afternoon on his calendar. It is not a day I am on call or late, so I should be able to get out on time, provided all goes well.

Good News, Bad News

I wanted to show off our miracle dog. For those who have not been following along, our Great Dane Oscar got really sick the Thursday before last. We are not talking about a little vomiting. We are talking about a stoic dog who is whining, has a head tilt, cannot walk, and when he tries to walk, he cannot walk in a straight line. I was really scared for my dog. This is a young dog who before this was happy and (I thought) relatively healthy. We ended up taking him to VA Tech's veterinary school. Our boy was in the ICU for over a week. One of the first tests they did was a thyroid test. I could not believe it, but Oscar's thyroid level came back almost zero. Once they started him on thyroid medicine, his neuro symptoms started to resolve. Oscar is finally back at home. He is still really weak, and he stumbles when he gets tired. We are not pushing him to do a lot, other than heal.

I knew he was on the mend when I saw this...




Oscar got up on the bed all by himself. He was very proud of himself. We will see if it happens tonight. I miss having him next to me when I am going to sleep at night. Hubby and I are both grateful he is still with us. I think he is happy to be home.

*******************************************

In other news, I am officially off of orientation at work. Unfortunately that means that I have to work big girl hours. I am scheduled for overtime and a weekend day and call. Unfortunately, my schedule conflicts with both of my doctor's appointments. One of the disadvantages of being in a high demand career is that they always need you to work. I think I am going to have to schedule my GYN exam about a month and a half in advance, just to make sure I can get off to make it. New patients always have to come in by 2:00 PM. That is not fun, especially if you cannot get off of work. For the IF doc, I have to schedule it late in the day, and Hubby may not be able to come with me. He has gotten a lot busier with his practice. On the other hand, it will allow more time for my records from my Richmond RE to get there.

I just have to keep in mind that things will work out the way they should. Now that I know my schedule, I can make appointments I am likely to keep. Patience is not one of my better virtues.

Just silliness...

This gave me a giggle this morning. I had to share.



more cat pictures


Maybe I should not blog before I have my coffee...

Finally Friday!

Yay! The weekend is here. I cannot believe I made it! The good news is that Oscar gets to come home today. Hubby is picking him up from VA Tech right now and bringing him home. It will be good to have him home again. All of us missed him.

Apparently I am off of orientation. I know this because I was not called in to the orientation meeting this Friday. Sigh. So much for those days. Now they can work me to death. I have been doing GYN surgery all week long, and I have been really happy. I love it. And they seem happy to have me, too. I think it is a good match. For the next block, I was scheduled a little bit of overtime, and some call. I think I am working big girl hours now. At least it is days. Thank goodness! The overtime will help bring in a nice paycheck. it actually feels good to be happy at my job. I wonder how long it will last.

Hubby and I are having a date night tonight, I think. We may go to Annie Moore's Irish Pub and have a pint and some dinner. Maybe I can talk him into going to the Barnes and Noble afterward. (Not exactly painting the town, but it is all we are usually up for on Fridays.)

I hope everyone has a god weekend!

Really tired...

I have been circulating GYN cases on my own all week. I enjoy the work, but it has me a little stressed out. It is a lot of responsibility running a room. I need to find a way to work out on a regular basis. That usually helps to keep the stress at bay. It is not like I have much of an excuse. I have a treadmill in my house. I just need to do it.

Oscar is doing better. They started him on food again, and he is doing really well. He has not aspirated at all. He is doing great on the thyroid medication. We are hoping he can finally come home tomorrow. I really miss him.

I feel bad because I have not commented today. I just feel like I am not very coherent right now, and I hate posting stuff which may come across as not very nice. (It probably happens, but I try to avoid it.) I am reading, but not commenting.

I am off to bed. I have to circulate in the Clinic room tomorrow, and I need my rest. That room is a zoo. The MD, two residents, and three medical students. I may have a sign in sheet just to keep track of everyone. Keeping track of doctors is like herding cats.

Show n Tell n Stuff

I am finally getting around to doing my show and tell. My show and tell this week is a story about a room of my own.

When we bought the house we live in now, the previous owners had painted all the rooms very dark colors. They may have liked living in a cave, but my personal preference is for much lighter colors. I guess somewhere along the way the previous owners wanted a room which was brighter than the others, so they painted one room red.

It looked like this:


The color through the computer does not do it justice, I think. The room glowed red whenever you turned on the overhead light. It was very garish. The color made me angry just going in the room. I could not function in there, and I could not get past the red. I finally took a weekend a put a couple coats of primer on the walls until I could figure out what color I wanted to paint it.

The next weekend I went to Lowe's to buy paint. I decided on yellow because yellow is my favorite color and makes me very happy. They did not have the exact color I wanted, but I decided to take a risk and try a color which looked close.

Here is what the room looks like now:



This is also where I do all my internet surfing and stuff. I love having a laptop. The bed is from my paternal grandmother. I free hand painted the vine border around the top. I have always wanted to do a vine. I love the organic feel of it. In case you are wondering, the yellow is one of the American Heritage colors from Lowe's. It is Grand Hotel Awning Yellow. Just a wonderful, happy color. I found the American Heritage colors are usually excellent. I have not gone wrong choosing any of them.

*********In Other News**********

I started my period today. Sigh. The first day is always a mess, and of course it would happen on a day my job skills are put to the test. Thank goodness someone else gets to launder my scrubs. One of the benefits to working in the OR. My job skills were put to the test today because I circulated in a room by myself with a fairly particular surgeon. The day actually went really well. The surgeon was still smiling at the end of the day, and everyone seemed to have a smile on their face. I think I am going to end up in his rooms again. I sometimes feel like I am hosting a party when I circulate. I am trying to make sure everyone has everything they need to make them happy. I was also doing GYN surgery which makes me very happy.

Getting my period did cause me to reschedule my OB/GYN appointment. From what I can tell, I think I have a good OB/GYN office. At least that is what I could gather from the very small sample of people I polled.

My appointment with the IF doc is next week. Hubby has even put it on his calendar. What a sweetheart. We are in this together.

Oscar is on the mend, though still in the doggie ICU. He still has the megaesophagus. They started him on wet food and oral thyroid medication today. They are watching for any trouble swallowing. He aspirated a little yesterday, but they caught it quickly and started him on antibiotics. He has not gotten any worse or better since they started him on food, so they are just going to watch him for right now. I think they are going to start him on dry food tomorrow. His neuro symptoms have almost all cleared up. I am hoping we will get him home soon.

Another tag...

I have been tagged again for another meme. This one is different, and I am posting a few days after I got tagged. I have to write a six word memoir.

The meme originated over an idea that was prompted by the book written by Larry Smith & Rachel Fershleiser, Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure. It's a compliation based on the story that Hemingway once bet ten dollars that he could sum up his life in six words. His words were, "For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn."

1. Write your own six word memoir.

2. Post it to your blog including a visual illustration if you would like.

3. Link to the person who tagged you in your post and to this original post. Trace at One Hardy Swimmer tagged me.

4. Tag 5 more blogs with links

5. Don't forget to leave a comment in the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.

My six word memoir:

Teaching, learning, nursing, I create love.

The five people I tagged
1. Breathe Through It..
2. The Life and Times of Me!
3. Years in the Making
4. Cupcakes and Conundrums
5. (Un)complicate Me


Oscar is doing better. He si actually getting up to go to the bathroom now. We are going to visit him tonight.
Show and Tell coming soon. Hubby left the camera at his office, so I have to wait until we pick it up before I can do my show and tell.

More tomorrow....

Update on Oscar

Oscar is doing well in the doggie ICU at VA Tech. He walked around some today, though he was not very steady. Apparently they checked his thyroid this morning and it came back almost zero. They started him on injectable thyroid medication. The vet said they should see an improvement fairly quickly. The funny thing was that the vet hospital does not stock the injectable thyroid med, so they had to go to the local human hospital for it. I told the vet that she probably needed a human size dose, anyway. She said he did need a lot. They did not do the MRI because the thyroid problem could cause a lot of his symptoms. They are keeping him over the weekend as they start him on the thyroid med. The vet seemed optimistic that this was the answer. I hope so.

Stressful day

Stressful day, and I still have a long way to go.

Oscar, our male Dane is currently in the hospital. This morning he started whining and curling around himself. He is not a big whiner, so when he does whine, you know something is wrong. Hubby had already left for the day when Oscar started complaining. He would not get up. I took him to the vet with the help of a neighbor. The vet ran as many tests as they could. His lab work was normal, but his EKG came back abnormal. Also his neuro status was a major concern. They sent us to VA Tech’s vet hospital. I have never been there before, so it was an experience. They did a very through history and physical, and then did a thorough neuro exam. Apparently the injury is to his inner ear, though they are also concerned about the cardiac issues. I had to leave him in the ICU overnight. If I did not have to work tonight, I think it would kill me. I have to work a 12 hour shift tonight. I hope it goes smoothly, but you never know what will come through the door of a level 1 trauma center. At the rate my day has been going, we may get traumas all night long.

There just seems to be a lot of bad mojo out there right now.

Tag, I'm It!

I cannot believe I have been tagged for a meme. Katie from A View From the Hill tagged me, How cool!

The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then go to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1. What was I doing ten years ago?
I was graduating from graduate school in Mississippi, and moving back to Virginia. The graduate degree was an MCS in Microbiology from the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Sounds all prestigious, but it is not, really. The degree was mainly collecting credits with a little bit of research thrown in. My micro degree is one of the things I am proud of, though. I did it, and I have the diploma on my wall. And it usually impresses employers when I interview.

2. Five things on my to do list for today.
Fold clothes (done), train dogs x2 (1x done), eye appointment at 2 pm (done), meet with HVAC guy at house around lunch (done), go to store (done, though I did not get everything I should have, oh well)

3. Snacks I enjoy
Red wine and chocolate chip cookies, strawberries, most things chocolate.

4. Things I would do if I was a billionaire.
Pay off my student loans, our credit cards, our mortgage. Buy a house on 20 acres just outside of Radford or Christiansburg. VA. Obtain a whole herd of Great Danes, because they are the best dogs ever! I love what I do, so I might not stop working completely, but I might go part time, or I might teach.

5. Places I have lived
I grew up in Alexandria, VA. Went to college in Roanoke, VA, went to graduate school in Jackson, MS, Lived in Roanoke after moving back from Jackson, and then lived in Radford, VA for five years. Hubby got a job on the Northern Neck, so I followed him to Tappahannock, VA. We recently moved back to Roanoke. I was miserable in Tappahannock, and finally just had to leave. Thank goodness we are back in Roanoke. I feel like I came home.

6. People I want to know more about.
I think I am going to follow Katie's lead and pick the people whose blog I have commented on

1. "Just" a Stay at Home Wife
2, Infertility on the Brain!
3. Life in the White House
4. Postcards From the Edge
5. Speculum Stories

The scary thing is that I had so many blogs on my reader to choose from. These are only a few. NaComLeavMo has expanded my subscription set.

Show and Tell

My show and tell this week is a little silly. I am letting you in on one of my minor addictions.

I am showing y’all my favorite NASCAR driver. I bet y’all did not know that I am a NASCAR fan. (Despite the fact I was born and raised in Northern Virginia.) Hubby and I followed NASCAR for years, and we always rooted for Jeff Burton.

We started watching NASCAR when we lived in Mississippi because we were homesick for Virginia. Several of the races are in Virginia. We wanted to choose a Virginia driver. (Did I mention we were homesick.) Jeff Burton is from South Boston, Virginia. Perfect. And I he was doing all right in the points that year (1994). This year, Jeff Burton is kicking ass, at least in the points standings. He could really use another win, but so could everyone else. Jeff B. does well at Dover, so he could get a win this week.

What is really fun about it now is that my parents are into it. They read St Dale by Sharyn McCrumb, and they have been hooked ever since. We even took them to a race at Martinsville. Martinsville is our favorite track, so it was a great day.

Whe Hubby's Away...

Hubby goes and visits his mother this weekend, and frankly, I could not be happier for the break. I have a full weekend doing all the things he does not want to do with me. I plan on taking dogs to play group (or “Yappy Hour” as the dog park calls it.) I have a hair appointment this morning as well. This afternoon I plan on going to the Lebanese festival for lunch. I may go by Lowes and pick up some paint. This evening I may go see a movie, either by myself or with a friend. We will see what works out. I may also clean. The house is a mess, and I do better if the house is clean.

Sunday I plan on doing my grocery shopping and going to meeting. I may finish painting the red room yellow while listening to the NASCAR race. Hopefully Hubby will not mind moving furniture when he gets back. I can let that go for right now, though.

Hubby has been grumpy the past day or so. His mother has a lot of health problems and she is not doing well right now. I think it is hard for Hubby to see that because he cannot do anything about it. Even if we were still in Tappahannock, we would not be able to do anything. I hope he will feel better after the visit I do not know what to tell him. His mother has to live her life, and she is not going to change easily. I understand that, and I get to listen to all of her health problems. She talks about her health issues more freely with me than with Wade. I think it has something to do with me being a nurse.

In other news,
I finally made an appointment with an IF MD. I see him on June 18. Hopefully we can talk DI and maybe attempt a cycle during the next few months. I also have a GYN appointment next week. And I made an eye appointment. Gotta take care of my vision.

I had to declare my specialties at work. I decided to do eyes, GYN, and general. I love doing eyes because it is so different. There is a lot going on under the anatomy. I also feel pulled to GYN surgery. I know this puts me right in the middle of IF/pg loss, but I really feel drawn to it. Fortunately we just do GYN. OB has a separate OR on the L and D floor. So just GYN surgery: hysteroscopies, D&Cs, ablations, hysterectomies (laparoscopic and open, vaginal and abdominal), exploratory laps, and any other procedure dealing with the girly parts. I am a little girly myself, so I think it works.

(And how cool is it that my blog was mentioned on Stirrup Queens. I feel so special, and all the comments are wonderful!)

Feeling it

I have really been feeling the infertility thing lately. After the baby at meeting on Sunday, I went to a baseball game with friends. Our friends brought along their 11 month old. Of course, they spent a little time talking about how much he is walking and what his first words were. Yet another reminder that I am not part of the mommy club.

It did not help that I have a hard time relating to them right now anyway. I do not have a lot in common with this couple. Hubby has more in common with them than I do. Hubby met the wife through his last job. Hubby and the wife are both lawyers. The husband is planning on going to law school and is currently working as a paralegal. It is worlds away from what I do, and who I am. I am not a mommy and I am not a lawyer. I work in the OR as an RN. I enjoy what I do, but I understand that not everyone wants to hear about the details from the surgery I circulated yesterday.

The wife is really nice, and I think really wants to make friends with me, but I was not in the mood to be very accommodating. I smiled, I was polite, and I enjoyed the game. Hubby and the wife talked shop. I think she had a good time, but I was really going because Hubby wanted to go. It was a beautiful day for a game, and we had seats right behind home plate. It was very nice to sit outside and enjoy the weather.