11 DPIUI #3

I wish I could report some sort of symptoms, but quite honestly, I feel nothing. I'm guessing that this cycle is another bust. My temps look decent enough, but they're flat rather than rising so I'm not excited by them. I'm not planning on testing until next week, and only if my temps were to stay up, which seems unlikely!

We're going camping in the desert this weekend for two nights. We're going with three friends (one couple, and the male half of another couple). I really wish that we were going for only one night, as I'd rather have at least one full day here at home to get stuff done, ya know? Camping in the desert is an odd experience. First of all, there are no campgrounds. You need some sort of 4 wheel drive (or at least a high-clearance vehicle so that you bottom out onto large boulders), and then you drive on these dirt roads for several miles until you see a spot that appeals to you. Then, you set up camp. No campground required. This also means no bathroom facilities, no other people nearby except for your group, and no running water. At the same time, there is no natural water source either, as this is the desert. It is a beautiful landscape, and there are some interesting plants and animals, but at the same time you have to watch out for the "jumping" cholla and I usually end up with quite a few scratches all over.

This is maybe our fifth time going camping in the desert. We usually go out there, set up our stuff, make a nice campfire (in a portable ring so as not to scar the landscape), and then eat, hang out, and have good conversation. Then we camp out one night, and go on one "big" hike. On the other hand, I'm pretty sure that these friends are not very used to hiking, so I'll be interested to see how far we actually get! I wish we were coming home on Sunday night, but apparently we are staying until Monday morning.

The thing that stresses me out a bit is that last time, the other parties involved occasionally brought along a stash of pot. I don't smoke at all and it doesn't appeal to me, but S is tempted by it as it reminds him of old times and having fun with these friends. However, given our TTC difficulties, I would rather him not smoke it at all. I also get testy when he drinks more than a couple drinks. Last time we went camping (Thanksgiving), these issues led to some tension between S and I. I was taking my first round of Clomid, we had our first IUI coming up, and I was stressed out by that entire process. It seemed really unfair that S didn't want to do "everything possible" to optimize our chances, and that I had to be the nagging wife. He didn't smoke, but he kinda resented being reined in, I think. Anyway, to try to avoid a repeat, when S and I had our IVF consult, I did ask Dr G about both smoking pot and drinking (for the male). I gave Dr G all of the same disclaimers that I'm giving you guys (it's very rare, etc). Dr G agreed that it is best to avoid all of this, but he was kinda vague in the way he said it and S probably thinks that he said it's OK to smoke pot as long as it's very rarely.

Just to clarify, S normally drinks 1-2 drinks, 2-3 times per week, so he is not a heavy drinker. But have you ever googled "sperm count alcohol"? It is terrifying. S has not smoked pot during the almost 3 years that we have been together, but he did it in his younger days and I know he'd like to feel connected with his friends again in that way. I really hope that he understood Dr G's advice and that he doesn't want to. Otherwise I feel like the controlling, straight-laced wife and I don't like feeling that way. :/
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Edited to add: Never mind! I just talked to S and he did understand Dr G's point of view, and he is not planning to smoke! As I just told him, I doubt that it would be harmful, but you never know. Likewise, I doubt that my prior 2-3 caffeinated sodas per day would be harmful, but I've decreased it to one on Dr G's advice. I am so happy that S is 100% committed to doing everything possible to help this process along! I guess I already knew that, but I'm glad that I got Dr G to back me up on this one.