June 17, 2005
Testing, 1, 2, 3
So Operation Renewal isn't going so well. The haircut? Think Bozo. Only blonde and without the makeup. I don't do makeup. I went in and told the lady to do whatever she wanted to my hair. I figure they are professionals. They should know what would look better than I do. My only requirement was at least an inch off, and it had to be easy to do (i.e. no blowdrying, I am SICK of blowdrying).
My hair has a bit of a wave to it normally which, if left untamed, gets frizzy. Hence the blowdrying. Which is normally not enough, so I end up straightening it with a flat iron too. Way too much work. I am much to lazy to maintain that. She took off 3-4 inches (it was just past my shoulders to begin with). I think there are layers in there, and it's now curly. I wash, scrunch, and go. But, Jenn, that sounds practically maintenence free? What seems to be the problem?
Well, friends, I'm glad you asked. See, I also have very very fine hair. Which means limp. So the top flattened out and the sides were quite curly. Hence: Bozo. The hairdresser, who suckered me into buying expensive shampoo and conditioner that was supposed to make my hair dry even faster (it actually does work though), recommened some mousse. I obviously am mousse impaired. I can not apply it so it doesn't make my hair look wet and feel crispy. I don't like crispy hair. The one benefit of fine hair is that it is really soft. Crispy should reserved for fried chicken. So if anyone who is more hair product inclined than myself has any suggestions for what will give my roots some lift, not weigh my hair down, help define the curls so it's not frizzy, is easy, and will not leave my hair crispy, please let me know.
Oh, you want to know how my appointments went? Well the perinatologist said I'm all healed from the D&C and that the cramping and spotting I'm STILL having is normal and may go on for another week or two. We spoke with a genetic counselor who is going to contact us when the tissue karyotyping results are back and wrote us lab slips to have our karyotypes done. We should have all those results back in a couple of weeks.
Then it was on to RE's office. She agreed to do blood work for autoimmune and blood clotting disorders. I'll go have all my blood drawn tomorrow for that. That may take about a week to get those results. I did have to remind her that this was the second miscarriage though, which I was not happy about. Then she called the first one a "biochemical pregnancy" which is a term I absolutely loathe (that's a post for another day). Grrl wrote a wonderful post about that term once, but she's taken down her archives, so I can't link it or go back and read it sadly. I'm going to have an MRI of my uterus to see if it truly is septated or if it's bicornuate. Anyone wanna make a bet? If it's septated, I'll have the surgery to fix it along with a laparoscopy, hysteroscopy, and HSG at the same time. If it's bicornuate, I'll just have the repeat HSG. It's been 14 months since my last HSG, isn't that just damn sad? Then, depending on all the results, the plan is for three to four IUIs with injectibles before moving on to IVF. We really can't afford IVF and since the IUI did result in a pregnancy, I think it's the way to go right now.
So, basically, a lot of testing, a lot of waiting, and a lot of anxiety waiting for everything to come back. Both doctors said I should wait until after my first D&C period before trying to become pregnant again. I asked each of them individually if I should be using some sort of contraception in the meantime then. They both politely said that wouldn't be necessary. What I heard was, "HAHAHAHAHA!!!! Why would you need birth control?? You have no chance in HELL of conceiving without a TON of medical assistance!! Birth control??!!? HAHAHA!!! That's a good one..."
As if the hair and mocking of my repoductive ability wasn't enough of a blow to my self esteem, I was calling around trying to find a better price on the Gonal-F 450 unit multidose vial and the first place I called gave the exorbitant price and then politely said, "Thank you, Sir." We will not be purchasing it from them. I've been using a local fertility pharmacy for all our meds. They deliver to the RE's office and are a lot cheaper than the chain pharmacies around here. But why, oh WHY, didn't you all tell me how cheap Freedom Drug was?? I just called and they charge $285 for the 450u multidose. I've been paying $400. The lovely sweet angel of mercy and financial gain woman at Freedom Drug said they just lowered the price and they will deliver, for free, to my house if I have the order placed by 7:30 the night before. I'm a believer in the power of Freedom Drug now.
*Updated to add: I go through at least 4 vials of the multidose Gonal a cycle so that's a real savings. Plus I forgot one further indignity. I stepped on the scale at the perinatologist office and she nurse looked at the alarmingly higher than Al Roker number and said, "Is that right?" I said yes dejectedly. And she said, "I don't think that's right." What the fuck does that mean? I look heavier? I couldn't have possibly gained 5 pounds in the two weeks since I was there last? She was lucky she got away without a Nike in her ass.
Posted by jlraynes at June 17, 2005 05:37 PM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://mt.rayners.org/mt-tb.cgi/573
Comments
Oy on all the medical stuff. Glad to hear the testing is underway, despite the medical mocking.
I have very similar hair, and have a whole drawerful of the products various stylists have talked me into buying. At the moment, I'm using something from the health food store that only makes my curls a little bit crunchy (Alba Defining Hold Style Cream). For a while I was using a mousse along with a Root Lifter spray (from Paul Mitchell) - my stylist at the time suggested only spraying a little of the root lift, and only on the roots (rather than combing it through the hair).
The one other thing I can recommend is a book called "Curly Girl" by Lorraine Massey. My cousin (who has hair much curlier than mine!) sent me this book - she says it's like her bible. I haven't followed all of the advice in the book, but what I've used has been useful. And easy. And fast. (All good things in my book!)
Posted by: cass at June 17, 2005 09:27 PM #
OK- for the hair- definitely only use the mousse on the roots- mousse on the curls on fine hair will definitely make it crispy. It is ok on thicker hair because you can decrisp by running fingers through- not so possible on fine hair.
But before mousse, use a very lightweight leave in conditioner to help the curls not frizz on their own. Then lightly spray mousse in at roots. This is eassiest if you start on one side, lift a small section add some mousse, go 3 inches up and add more, 3 more inches, etc til you have worked over whole head- use SPARINGLY! Flip, toussle, scrunch, when about half dry refluff roots with fingers from underneath, then once more when almost dry.
Posted by: Jen-Again at June 18, 2005 07:19 PM #
I'm a big fan of the Infusium cream leave in conditioner. On a whim i bought it to try it out and have taken to washing my hair at night, slathering a few squirts on, then going to sleep with wet hair. I wake up with lovely bouncy hair in the morning with a quick comb through. it's really helped my friz problem. and almost no effort!
I also love the Zero Friz 'anti friz glistening mist' it's like a light oil that takes friz like nothing else. it can make freshly washed and dried fly away hair have that great inbetween look where your hair isn't 'just washed' and isn't oiley yet but just right. it has to be used sparingly, but one sprits lays friz flat and actually does give you a glisten.
on the times i need to do it faster, i put the mouse in with my head upside-down, easier to keep it away from the rest of my hair that way, then blow dry upside-down, then comb it into submission. or straighten from there.
I remember that post of grrls. as usual- it said it all.
Posted by: anotherjen at June 19, 2005 06:18 PM #
Sorry but I am in no position to give hair advice. I barely manage to drag a brush through it in the mornings and if I don't blow dry it, I get the wavy, scraggly look going on.
I don't know how you keep all of the medical stuff straight, you must be extremely organized! I hope that things start falling into place and way to go on finding cheaper drugs!
Posted by: Dooneybug at June 19, 2005 10:39 PM #