PCOS

So I have PCOS :( My doc just called to tell me. And here I thought the HSG and U/S showed nothing negative.

But at least now I know. She referred me to an RE. Here goes...

So the rest of my anniversary week...

kind of fell flat. It started getting cold and rainy by Wednesday and we ended up not doing the things we said we'd do like go to a comedy club and to this restaurant in the city with supposedly some slammin' paella. So boooooo!

On Saturday night, hubbys' cousin was throwing a birthday party so we went there and I actually enjoyed myself...so much so that when the sun came up I was shocked at how the time had flown by. We finally hit the sack at about half past 8...yes, AM! We slept until about 5 in the evening. I've been slightly "off" ever since. I think I may crawl my ass into bed by around 10 tonight to get some more sleep. I awoke this morning seriously considering calling out even though I was out all last week.

I'm still waiting for my doc to call to explain/reiterate my HSG and U/S results. I don't know but for some reason I have this sneaking suspicion that the U/S tech may have found something. Maybe PCOS?? Who knows. But I know my doc received the results yesterday (because I called) and I fully expected her to call me back yesterday. Today then? Should I call? I dont know. I'd like to move this process along. I mean...it HAS been a full year.

My Anniversary week so far!

Hello all!

This has been an awesome week so far. Sunday (10/11) we went to see The Lion King on Broadway then to dinner at Mars 2112. Although we probably wont be going back to Mars anytime soon since the food was not great and it was more for children, it was fun for a one time thing and DH and I did have fun in the arcade room after dinner...we played Dance Dance Revolution (he beat me every time!).

On Monday I had my HSG and U/S unfortunately on the day of our Anniversary! We were there from 1:30 until a little after 3pm. You can read about the experience below. After that I felt fine so we went to the movies to see Couple's Retreat which was not as funny as we expected and the timing was sucky too because there is a big infertility reference. Afterwards DH decided we should go to this Japanese Hibachi restaurant called Mt. Fuji near our home. It was pretty cool. DH had sushi and I had this Filet Mignon dish that was really yummy. When we got back home we realized that we had to eat a piece of our wedding cake which we stored in our freezer all year. I really didn't want to take a bite but we did anyway. We sent the rest to MIL who wanted it. I don't know what for but hopefully it doesn't make her sick or anything.

On Tuesday (yesterday) we decided to take our 2 year old nephew to the Zoo. We had such a nice time with him! We saw all the animals, went on a train ride around the zoo, picked a cute little pumpkin, took lots of pictures, and finished up buying him a few things from the gift shop. Later on, after SIL came to our house to take him home, I searched the internet for where to go for dinner.

I found this little spot in Edgewater called The Magic Pot Fondue Bistro. Let me tell you...soooooooooooooooooo yummy. We spent about $100 but it was well worth every last penny. And I should also say that we haven't really been drinking any alcohol because I have to take antibiotics since the HSG. But this fondue place was awesome. We had an appetizer of fondue mozarella and provolone cheese with bread and apple pieces. The entree was the funnest part. You actually have to cook your own meats. You choose a broth from the menu (we chose Coq au Vin) and then you chose 4 items to cook in the boiling broth. They bring you rice already cooked and also veggies that you have the option of cooking. But the 4 additional items we chose were teryaki pork, beef, salmon and cheese & spinach ravioli. So basically you each have 2 forks and the 4 items come on a plate cut into small chunks. You take turns each skewering 2 pieces of meat (or ravioli) and sticking it in the boiling broth for 2 minutes each time. So you are basically cooking and eating as you go. It also came with 4 dipping sauces (ginger, garlic butter, soy, and marinara). We were so full afterwards but we had ordered the dinner package for 2 which included the dessert. I was full but I was not about to miss out on the dessert which was a platter of tiny chunks of strawberries, bananas, brownies, marshmallows, nilla wafers, and rice crispies treats covered in powdered sugar which we dunked in a caramel and milk chocolate with slices of toasted almonds fondue. Yuummmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!! We will definitely be returning. They even gave us 2 discount cards so that we could come back and have an appetizer and dessert for $25! Yes, please and thank you!

Today we are going to go to the batting cages and eat dinner at home. I'm going to cook chicken and potatoes just because I have chicken already seasoned in the fridge which I don't want to go bad. So today is an easy-going day. We are going to have lunch out somewhere though but some place simple. I'll fill you in more later or tomorrow.

HSG and U/S

On Monday (10/12/09) I had my HSG and U/S. The HSG was painful and uncomfortable but the test showed that my tubes are open. My advise for those who haven't had this done yet, if your doc makes you do this, when it starts to hurt just close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. Breathe in deep and slow. That helped me.

The U/S was abdominal and intravaginal as well (what GPers refer to as the "dildocam"). The tech said that everything looked fine but that my doctor would contact me when she receives the official results. I'm going to ask my doc to refer me to an RE right away.

According to my health insurance manual:

Here is what it says about fertility/infertility:

Under COVERED Services and Supplies it says "Procedures and prescription drugs to enhance fertility, except where specifically excluded in the Contract. We cover charges for: artificial insemination; and standard dosages, lengths of treatment and cycles of therapy of Prescription Drugs."

Under NON-COVERED Services and Supplies it says "services or supplies furnished in connection with any procedured to enhance fertility which involve harvesting, storage and/or manipulation of eggs and sperm. This includes, but is not limited to the following: a) procedures: in vitro fertilization; embryo transfer; embryo freezing; and Gamete Intra-Fallopian Transfer (GIFT) and Zygote Intr-Fallopian Transfer (ZIFT), donor sperm, surrogate motherhood, and b) Prescription Drugs not eligible under the prescription drugs section of the Policy.

As for hospital delivery of a baby it says that I'm covered up to 48 hours after vaginal delivery and a minimum of 96 hours after a c-section (this sounds pretty standard right?).

First time cooking Mofongo!!!!!

So Mofongo is a Dominican dish which in its most basic form only requires a few simple and easy to find ingredients: green plantains, salt, vegetable or olive oil, and garlic. Dominicans typically also use some sort of pork fat for taste such as bacon or -wait for it - crushed pork rinds as my Mother-in-law uses (it's good I promise).

I made it for the first time today and it was gooooooooooood!!

Here is the final product:

Here are the ingredients for the Mofongo:

You basically cut the plantain in 3/4" slices (just like you would cut a banana for a child), heat up about 1" of the oil in a pan, fry the plantains for about 4-6 minutes (turn half way through) and make sure you don't over cook them in this step. You don't want them to be too firm.When they are done you should remove them from the oil and drain in a bowl lined with paper towels.

You then use a mortar and pestle (pilon) or you can use a food processor (just don't over process) and crush about 1/2 of a small clove of garlic, then smash either the cooked bacon or 1-2 pieces of pork rinds, then take 5-6 of the plantain pieces and smash it as well (don't do this separately, you should smash all of this together in the same mortar and pestle). You should add small amounts of olive oil as you smash so that it doesn't get too dry. Add salt to taste and continue to smash. KEEP TASTING! Then you form the mixture into 3" balls. If it falls apart easily then it probably needs a little more olive oil. Some people add another step which is to then put the ball back into the pan just to lightly sear the outside. I did that today and DH said he like that.

You would eat this with a meat on the side and the sauce from the meat drizzled over the Mofongo. My favorite thing to have with it is shrimp so that's how I made it today.

I used medium shrimp that are raw. Season with whatever you want -I usually use Old Bay Seasoning. In a pan add a small amount of oil. Add thinly sliced red onions and green peppers. Cook this for a few minutes to soften up the onions and peppers. Add a dollop of butter and a small amount of garlic and cook like this for about 1 minute. Then add cream to the mixture (today I also added a little bit of tomato sauce). Lastly, add the shrimp to the pan, stir thoroughly and cover. Cook like this for about 10 minutes or so. Uncover for the last 2-3 minutes to allow the butter and milk/cream to thicken. Stir once again at the end. Make sure there is some sauce left in the pan. If it has dried out, add more butter and cream and heat for a couple more minutes. You definitely want some sauce.

Once the Mofongo and the shrimp are done. You can serve separately and let your guests combine it on their plates or just put the Mofongo balls on a serving dish, with the back of a spoon press down on the top of each ball to make an indentation (it's ok if they break open a little because the sauce will penetrate much better anyway), and then pour your shrimp and sauce mixture over the mofongo and let your guests grab from the serving dish.

Sorry for the crappy quality pics (I took these with my Nintendo DSi)

Enjoy!

Overwhelming need to CONNECT

Hi out there (whoever actually reads this ;),

Lately, I've had this nagging feeling that I need to be more connected to people. Family, old and new friends, e-friends...

I've recently got on FB and actually found old classmates from HS and started reconnecting at least just to catch up. I don't mean that all of a sudden I'm going to be making plans to hang out and get together with people.

I just want to feel like I have access to a network of people who know something significant about me and can be there to share a joke, a success, a story, an emotion. I want to feel like part of something positive that others are part of too. It's a nice feeling.