Important Day!

 As expected I have been following the little time line on what is happening with our embryos daily!  Today is Day #7 and I feel it is pretty important so I wanted to make sure and write and pray about this specifically!

 Day Seven : Implantation is complete, cells that will eventually become the placenta and fetus have begun to develop.


All I can say is WOW!  Amazing that this could be going on in my body............
 
6 days to GO!!!

Progesterone Levels

Just received the results of my progesterone test this morning, my level is 47.5 they want to have the numbers 30 & above so we are good!  So I continue to take the 1cc of the monster injection each day until told otherwise..........if we have a positive pregnancy test we will continue for many weeks.

I also got news about what to expect next week!  My appointment is at 10:00 am Monday  10/4 to have my first Beta Hcg ( pregnancy) levels tested.  The HCG is produced by the embryo, and is the embryo's signal  that pregnancy has occurred.!   There will be a series of 3 tests, repeated every 48-72 hours. As the embryo grows rapidly, HCG levels normally double every 2 to 3 days. One reliable sign of a healthy pregnancy is the fact that the HCG levels are increasing rapidly, and often doctors will measure serial beta HCG levels 3 days apart in order to determine the viability of the pregnancy. A rising HCG level is reassuring, so this is what we will be praying for all next week!

 Unfortunately we will not find out the results during the appointments, but we will learn later each afternoon.    Boy will this be hard to wait!  Waiting, waiting and more waiting!  Wade had intended to go to the appointment with me but we have changed that plan because nothing exciting will happen right then.  Our hope is that we will be able to call into our voicemail box together to get the results!

That is what I have for you today!  Found out my sister in law's egg retrieval is Wednesday so this will be an exciting week or all of us!

Oh and one last thing I am feeling fantastic!  Cramps, bloating and all that are GONE!   So I won't be complaining as much this week!    Thanks for reading, look back for more soon!   

Assisted Hatching!

Today is Day # 4 post embryo transfer!  I can report that I finally feel more like myself after a rough week of feeling pretty bad with cramps, bloating, severe boob tenderness, back pain.....  on and on.   My ovaries must not be as enlarged as they were days ago, the area is still tender to the touch but much more tolerable.  THANK GOD!  Just so I keep all this straight it was exactly a week after egg retrieval that I started to feel relief!  Wade and I were out most of the day today and it felt great to be social and outside!!!  I even took a short little walk today and if felt great!

As I talked about on the last post Day #4 (after embryo transfer) means :
Day Four: The blastocyst continues to hatch out of its shell and begins to attach itself to the uterus

How crazy is to know that this started happening in my body yesterday and continues!   One thing that I have not mentioned yet is that all of our embryos had "assisted hatching." Assisted hatching is a relatively new technique used during IVF.  It is performed in order to help an embryo hatch out of its protective layering and implant into the uterus. Sometimes, embryos have a difficult time hatching out of their protective layer. The assisted hatching procedure involves thinning or making a small hole in the zona pellucida that surrounds the embryo (a protective layer). There some evidence that assisted hatching may improve implantation rate.   So just another extra to help lead us toward the goal!

We only have 8 days to go until Oct 4th, believe me we are both counting!  I feel like it is helping me alot to go through this same process with Melinda ( my sister in law) as she is coming up on her egg retrieval middle of this week!  Nice to take some attention off of myself for a little while, this past week has been so consuming!

My progesterone shots are going OK still, not alot of pain during or immediately post injection but alot of soreness and some dark bruises a day or two after.  I go in Monday morning to have them check my levels.  Progesterone is vital for endometrial development and continued embryo support. It is absorbed by the body most efficiently through intramuscular injections, so though they are not fun they are important!


As always thanks for reading!

Resting, Resting and MORE Resting........

Well this about how I have looked and felt since Tuesday afternoon!   I cannot believe how much I have slept and how I have passed the time cuddly in my bed!  I have never rested this much so I know all of you are applauding! I think today my cramps are better by a little bit, not as much pressure up high and towards my ribcage.  I am still visably bloated but hopefully fluid is moving out and I will be able to look at my real belly again soon! If I could get rid of my back pain on top of that...... yea lots of complaints lately huh!

Yesterday I did alot of research on what happens to embryos after transfer... ( yes I am 100% consumed with this) and found this great timeline that I wanted to share.  Check this out, today will be Day #2 !  This is really helpful to me so that I know what is happening each day!

3-Day Transfer

Day One : The embryo continues to grow and develop, turning from a 6-8 cell embryo into a morula

Day Two:  The cells of the morula continue to divide, developing into a blastocyst

DayThree:  The blastocyst begins to hatch out of its shell

Day Four: The blastocyst continues to hatch out of its shell and begins to attach itself to the uterus

Day Five: The blastocyst attaches deeper into the uterine lining, beginning implantation

 DaySix: Implantation continues

Day Seven :  Implantation is complete, cells that will eventually become the placenta and fetus have begun to develop

Day Eight:  Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) starts to enter the blood stream

Day Nine: Fetal development continues and hCG continues to be secreted

DayTen: Fetal development continues and hCG continues to be secreted

DayEleven:  Levels of hCG are now high enough to detect a pregnancy


So I will continue to rest, I will be on the couch today watching movies and rubbing my belly! :)   Hopefully tomorrow I will write to say that I am feeling a lot better! I will try my best not to worry about these little embryos and remember every minute that this is in God's hands...........out of my control...
 It is really cool to be watching my sister in law, Melinda's, blog as her Estradiol levels rise!  This will really help keep my distracted over the next 11 days until our pregancy test!


Phillipians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Thanks to Amber D for reminding me of this scripture yesterday :)



It Only Takes 1 !!!!!



Here we go!



Hi All!  Well today was a long, crazy, special day!  I woke up with this morning with the strangest feeling that today could be one of the most important days of my life!  I was anxious -- nervous for what we would learn about the embryo development and excited for this amazing day full of possibilities! Off to the clinic we went!

We checked in and got dressed in our outfits, Wade looked handsome in his dark purple outfit both of us in hats and all!  Our first visit was from the Embryologist, she handed us a picture of our available embryos for transplant!  We had 4!  Over night 4 of the embryos developed and one of them did nothing so we had 4 to work with for transfer!  On a Day 3 transfer it is very rare to see a Grade A embryo which is the best grade , just because it is so early.   So what we had was 2 Grade B's and 2 Grade C's.   The numbers signify the number of cells, -they must be a 4 cell before they will implant, we had as follow: 1 -10B, 1- 6B, 1-7C and 1-5C.    So this was really good, our 10 B is the shining star and hopefully the one that works!   Being that there is a slim chance that the C embryos will develop Dr. Hill felt that we should implant them ALL!   My first reaction was WHAT???? I had thought that maybe it would be 2-3, 4 had never entered my mind!  He explained that the 5C would most likely not do anything in the laboratory and probably not inside my body either, this meant we would have none to freeze.     So Wade & I discussed our options in private, I was pretty overwhelmed but he was clear his response was " I am a gambling man, let's do 4! We only have one shot!"   I told him to look me in the eye and tell me he was 150% sure he was comfortable with this, YES he was !  So after this I felt reassured that this was our decision!  Dr. Hill has been doing this since the very beginning of IVF around1981 and has alot more insight into this, he was  very comfortable with this plan.   I told Wade if we have four or more babies I will blame him and I told Dr Hill I would find him if we have that many, he said he would hide :)

So we were then wheeled back to the OR suite.  I was on the table with warm blankets, legs in stirrups and waiting for the fun to begin!  Wade was able to see EVERY embryo under a microscope, he said they were so tiny like a speck of dust!  Very cool!  Wade was able to watch the whole thing, most of the time I had my eyes shut trying to breath through the pain and discomfort.  He was able to see the Embryologist take each embryo in the catheter and pass it to the doctor.  The whole procedure lasted probably 15 minutes.  At the very end they rolled the monitor up to my head and showed us where the embryos were placed, WOW we could see them!  Dr. Hill was so great, very comforting, when I asked him how many of these he had done he replied that he has no idea but definitely in the thousands, but OURS was the best!  Aww how nice, he was very reassuring! 

So on to the recovery phase, I really could not feel the Valium I took about 30 minutes before but it probably did help to relax me some!  One of the worst things is that this needed to be done with a full bladder so 20 min after I was dying, never have I used a bed pan before but hey when you gotta go you gotta go!  HUGE relief!   I laid there with  my legs elevated for 1 hour and then we were off!    I have spent my entire afternoon in bed reading, snoozing, snuggling with Koele and rubbing my bloated crampy belly!  Though I still don't feel so hot I am happy!  I know these next days leading up the pregnancy test on Oct 4th will be the hardest of all!  Waiting, waiting ,waiting..........

Ok well back to bed I go!  Wade is taking such good care of me, it is so nice to be pampered!  I got a surprise Pumpkin Latte from Starbucks and a couple books this afternoon!  Lunch and dinner in bed.............I could get used to this! 

Many prayers for these embryos......................IT ONLY TAKES ONE!!!                                                                                                           



Our Embryos Transfered today!



Change of Plans!

I went into see Dr. Eblen today because I was still feeling extremely crampy and bloated this morning. I had a vaginal ultrasound,( getting really tired of these) urine, and blood work done.  My ovaries are double the size that they normally are and I have some fluid that is creating this pain.  I am mildly "hyperstimulated" which is common after stimuating the ovaries to produce so many eggs, however there is a fine line of overstimulating.  At this point we just have to watch and make sure things don't get worse.  Dr Eblen said that I may experience this for the next couple weeks, after the transfer as well.  Gosh I sure hope not this is not fun!

So after we left the clinic my mom and I were on our way to the airport and we called in for results on our embryos.  Our voice mail told us that out of the 5 embryos fertilized only 1 of them is developing as expected. The implantation that was scheduled Thursday was cancelled and we are now going in tomorrow for a 3 day transfer!  The hope is that the embryos will thrive and develop in my body versus outside.   We have no idea how many will be viable to transfer and will find that out minutes from the procedure!  HOLY COW lots to take in!  Both Wade and I were pretty shaken up with this change but we keep reminding ourselves that we only need ONE to get pregnant!  This whole thing has been a challenge for me with not knowing day to day......if nothing else maybe I have learned some patience and how to go with the flow!   I am starting to feel this whole journey taking its toll, I am sure because I don't feel good along with all the changes.  But we are ALMOST there, this will be a huge week  - the one we have been waiting for all this time!

The implantation is scheduled for 10:30 tomorrow, arrival 9:30.  The procedure takes about 20-30 minutes and I am able to take a Valium to relax.  We will be there for  1 hour after with my legs elevated and then mandatory bed rest Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday.  I have already decided to do this on Thursday too.............after all this I might as well try me best and do the right thing!

I am planning to blog tomorrow evening so look for news about how many , how EXCITING!  Baby Wynn could be a reality come tomorrow! WOW
Please  keep praying for us, we definately need it!

Fertilization

Well I spoke too soon yesterday when I said I felt pretty good after the retrieval, I have been having bad ovary pain and back pain since last night.  Neither Tylenol or the strong stuff Percocet seem to help either.... so trying to ride it out feeling pretty sore and definitely not like myself.  I am hopeful that this will start to subside soon since the eggs are out and gone!  Did make it to a movie with mom and had friends over so this was all a wonderful distraction!  Now I am sitting here in my comfy "big girl" clothes and have a date with the couch for the rest of the night!

Also I had to mention that I started the BIG shot last night, Progesterone in oil.   Wade did it and honestly it was not as bad as I expected.   The initial stick was not so bad and I could not feel the medicine going in, no stinging or pain so that was a pleasant surprise.  Hoping they will all be like this!

Ok well on to the good stuff!  We got a voice mail today from the Embryologist, out of the 13 eggs they were able to ICSI 11!   ICSI means  Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection which is where the eggs and the sperm are  fertilizeded in the laboratory by direct injection of a single sperm into each egg.  This took place last night and since then 5 eggs have FERTILIZED!  YAY  We were hoping for more but are grateful for these and will be anxious to see what happens on Day #3 when they do the Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis ( PGD).   If they find several with abnormal chromosomes then this will reduce the amount of eggs available to transfer.   So at this point this is all in God's hands, I am reminding myself every time I start to worry.  Though I am not feeling good I am still feeling very positive and can't wait for each day this week!  BIG week for us!

So please keep the prayers coming for a 5 day transfer on Thursday and significant developement of the embryos!

See you tomorrow, the couch is calling...

13 EGGS!!!

                   We had a successful day today, 13 EGGS WERE RETRIEVED!!!

 To walk you through the process we arrived at the clinic at 9:00 and were back in the surgical suite by 9:20.   I was feeling pretty anxious but excited! I got prepped while Wade was in the room with me.  The worst part was probably the IV, Vince the anesthesiologist left a couple good bruises on my arm and had to move to my hand. Once he told me that he was giving me a sedative I don't remember a thing until I woke up!   I was in a nice deep sleep, almost wanted to stay there until I got the shivers, it was COLD in there!  The procedure took 30-45 minutes.  After I woke up we were in recovery for about 1 hour until we got word of the number of eggs, lucky number 13!!!    Oh and I won the bet, on the way there this morning my mom , Wade and I took guesses on the number of eggs that would be retrievable .............I was the closest!  Bragging rights was the prize, I picked 14! :)

So we were finished by noon and I was starving so we had a great Greek lunch.  After that we all hung out and watched movies and napped, it was great!  After the medicine started wearing off I am feeling pretty sore and kind of groggy, but only bad enough for Tylenol not filling the RX for Percocet!

The eggs and sperm are put together tonight.  Tomorrow morning the eggs will be examined microscopically for fertilization.  On average we should expect about half of the eggs to fertilize, but this is only an average any  number of eggs can become fertilized so I am hoping for 7-8!    An Embryologist will leave a message in our mailbox mid day to inform us about fertilization.   The embryos will be checked for development each day on Days 2-6.  Day 2 which will be Monday we will learn about the development.  The embryos will not be officially "graded" for quality until the time they are transferred or cryopreserved.

So lots going on the next 5 days until the transfer!  I have strict instructions to take it easy and not drink any alcohol!  Such a BUMMER I was looking forward to celebrating with a bottle of Z + with my mom and Wade tonight!  Oh well plans have changed!   Stay tuned for blogs every day until the transfer!

Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers today!

DETAILS!!!

Writing this blog currently pooped out from a wonderful afternoon shopping with my mom!   How great is that!  We spent the morning at the fertility clinic, it was really neat to have my mom there to hear all about the egg retrieval and implantation.  I think it has sunk in that the big day is here!  Surreal to know that in the matter of a couple days our baby Wynn could be created!  WOW!

Ok so here are details about the retrieval tomorrow morning, we have to be there at 9 and the procedure is at 10:00.   It will take about 30-45 minutes.  I will have light anesthesia that is easier & quicker to come out of.  Past that I will be there an hour and then will lay low the remainder of the day.  Perfect to snuggle on the couch and watch Texas beat Texas Tech tomorrow night!   Go Horns!
I will begin the progesterone in oil shots tomorrow and continue up until the pregnancy test. If the test is positive I will remain on progesterone supplements for 10-12 weeks, after several week of injections I will have the option to do vaginal progesterone suppositories.  I am pretty comfy with injections these days but I have to admit that I am dreading these, the medicine is so thick that the medicine is drawn up with an 18 gauge needle and then injected with a 22!  YUCK   Wade will have to do these for me in my butt cheeks, this should be SO fun!  I will be extra nice to him during this time, ha ha!    Starting Sunday we will be able to call into our voice mail box and get updates on the growth of the embryos, how neat is that!

The next couple days are pretty quiet after tomorrow, my implantation is scheduled for Thursday 9/23! We are shooting for a 5 day transfer which is best scenario, a 3 day transfer would mean that the embryos are not thriving in their current environment and it is beneficial to get them implanted into my body. A 3 day transfer also has good pregnancy success rates but a 5 day is ideal.   On implantation day we will be there 1/2 a day and I will be getting a Valium to help with discomfort.  On this day we will meet with the doctor and embryologist to discuss how many quality embryos we have and how many to transfer.  We will also learn the sex of the little embryos!  Again WOW!
I will literally be laid up with my legs in the air for a while after this, pretty funny!  Couple days of bed rest to let these little embryos get established!

Ok enough for now, we are out for a nice dinner at Stoney River tonight to celebrate! 

Keep logging on for more of the Wynn baby journey!  :)

EGG HUNT!

Hi everyone!  Well just got some great news, my Estradiol level was at 3824 this morning AND I have 4 fully mature eggs, 4 that are almost there and many others that we are  big and we are hopefull will grow as well!  This means that the egg retrieval date has been determined, it will be this Saturday 9/18 at 10:00 am!  YAY its here!  I am SOOOO HAPPY!

So from here I discontinue the Follistim and Lupron.  I will be taking two injections of Ovidrel which is called the "trigger" shot at 11 pm tonight.   The ovidrel must be taken exactly  35 hours before the retrieval. This medication provides the hormone (hCG), which stimulates the release of mature eggs.   So this is the last step before retrieval, hooray!  I have to say I am pretty happy to discontinue stimulation as I think my ovaries have had it, or at least they feel like it!  

Here is the plan, I go in tomorrow morning for one last blood draw and then meet with the nurse to go over pre and post op instructions for Saturday.  I am so happy that my mom will be there for this visit so she can hear all about it with me!  I was told that I am to expect discomfort on Saturday after the procedure since this is done vaginally.  Boy that sounds awesome huh, can't wait!  Well has to be better than delivering a baby right!!!  We will see!  Saturday will be a chill out afternoon/evening and then by Sunday I should be able to do light activity.

With this news comes a better plan for implantation, should be Thursday if we have a 5 day transfer which we are hoping for.  I will have much more to report on this part after my appointment tomorrow!  So be looking for a blog tomorrow too!  

YAY for MATURE EGGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Very close!

Hi!  Well I have more news today!  I just retrieved a message giving me my Estradiol level which was 2869 today, Monday it was 1165!  It has more than doubled so this is good!  On the ultrasound we saw 14 follicles total, 8 on the right side and 6 on the left!  They have grown considerably but are still not up to the goal size of 18 mm, I have some that are 13,14 and even one at 17 so we are close!  

I had to order another refill today, I was so hoping not to have to but hey if I need it I need it!  So I will do my Follistim injections tonight and tomorrow morning, 300 units and then go back for yet another ultrasound and blood work tomorrow morning.

The nurse is now saying that we are looking at either a Saturday or Sunday retrieval!   So just a few days away!    I hope that tomorrow we will set a firm day , we will see!

My ovary pain is still there and my back is aching pretty good these past few days consistant.   Seems that the ovary pain worsens in the afternoon/evening but I am still hangin'.  Could be so much worse!

Well thanks for reading today, hope you had a lovely Wednesday!   Until tomorrow....

$$$$$$

Ok I debated on whether or not I should blog about the financial part of this whole IVF thing and decided that yes I should!  Before this came into our world I had no idea what the cost was, insurance coverage, drug cost etc.  So I think that it is important to write about this part too because this part can be one of the biggest burdens on a family, maybe someday I will share this with someone who is also facing infertility so here we go! Now I can officially say that those who are reading this know all the nitty gritty...... our follicles, eggs, sperm, and MONEY!

Now starting off I will say that we are very blessed to have partial coverage through Dell, this is actually rare to have any help so we are thankful!  Aetna is paying $3500 total lifetime maximum which is very generous in the world of fertility treatments, many families have zero coverage.  I have been keeping a list of every charge we have paid out of pocket and so far we have spent a whopping total of $16,839.13!  Out of that $3437.90 is for drugs!   Yesterday I spent $1100 between my ultrasound and blood work combined with a RX refill!  Can you believe that I had to order ONE 600 unit cartridge of Follistim and it cost us $847!  That is $423 per injection,as I get two injections out of one cartridge!  HOLY MOLY this is expensive stuff, it blows my mind!   Needless to say I am praying for no more refills!

There are many different people to pay through this process, Nashville Fertility Center, the reproductive lab, the surgery center............. lots of pieces to the puzzle!
I have to say that I thought I was ready for the money part but the past couple weeks I am really starting to dread checkout!   On the flip side of this I feel that this is the BEST money we have every spent..............just kind of hard to wrap my head around it all now that it has piled up to this substantial amount!   It is really interesting talking to people about their baby journeys and how much money was involved, $16,000 is nothing compared to many couples who have had multiple IVF cycles, adoptions etc.   So really this has been very eye opening for me!  I know they say you learn something new everyday, never thought I would learn all about this!

So I leave this feeling better that I have not left this important part out!  Just a glimpse of the financial commitment!

Will be back tomorrow afternoon after my morning check!

Getting Closer!!!

Hi there!  Well as you know Koele is home and doing great!  What a joy this little kitty is, she was just meant to be in our family!  I love her so much already!  She will be 10 weeks old tomorrow.

  So moving from this baby to real baby stuff I got my results back from my ultrasound and blood work this morning.  My estradiol/estrogen levels went up from 331 on Friday to 1065 today!  Big jump!  Here is what the levels have looked like:
9/2 =28
                                                       9/8 =114
                                                      9/10 = 331
                                                      9/13 = 1065
                                                      It is amazing that 11 days ago my levels were SUPER low at 28, amazing what these meds can do to your body! 


On Saturday afternoon I started feeling cramps and they have gotten worse since, it is such a different feeling to have ovary pain like this.   Weird to be saying "oh my ovaries"!  I also have some pretty bad lower back pain.  I was told today that that is typical at this stage of Follistim.  I can handle it but defiantely not comfortable, just the affects of the ovaries being stimulated so drastically.

I have my next check on Wednesday at 9:45.  The nurse is still thinking either Friday or Saturday for my egg retrieval.  We are very excited about this day!  So keep logging on this week we have lots of activity!

May the follicles GROW!
                                                  

Great Day!

Hi there!  Well I am happy to report detailed progress this afternoon!  YAY! So I went for my 2nd Estradiol check this morning and found that I have 4 follicles on my right side and 6 follicles on my left side!  They are not the desired size yet, they are about 9 mm we want them to be 10 mm to officially call them "dedicated"( nurses terminology).  This means that they believe once the follicles get to 10mm they will grow to the complete size of 18 mm.    The nurse told me that I am progressing slow in the size but the number of follicles is great so we are moving in the right direction! I asked her if we are out of the "worry" zone and her response is that you never know but hightly unlikely that anything will jeopardize this cycle!  Boy is this a relief, I left that room smiling!

Another great thing is that I was given a tentative timeline for next week, egg retrieval here we come!  Looks like I will be monitored for sure Monday and possibly Tues and Wednesday.  We are shooting for the retrieval later in the week, it could be anywhere between Thurs and Saturday!  This makes me VERY happy because this means that my mom will be here for this!  Hopefully things will progress perfectly and this will be the plan!  Remember that implantation happens either at day 3 or 5 after the retrieval....... so we are getting close!

Dr. Eblen wants me to stay on the higher dose of Follistim, 300 units morning and night until I go in Monday at 9:45.  We will know alot more then and of course I will update you that afternoon!

Things are moving so FAST and getting VERY EXCITING!  This process is really amazing, I just can't believe how quick it has gone by!  I am feeling very happy today and relieved that today's appointment was positive!   Thank you for all of you prayer warriors out there, it is working ! :)

So in closing I have to mention that we are getting our baby kitten, Koele, tomorrow!  Most of you know that I have been waiting for my little Ragdoll kitten since July and we are ESTATIC the day is here!  It is kind of crazy the timing of all this, can you say ALOT going on............. Neither one of us has had a kitten in years so we are thinking that this is God's timing.  Koele will be a great distraction through the next few weeks, I can take care of this baby as we hope for the real thing!   I promise to post a few pictures of her, may even do it over the weekend!  Here comes a crazy household!  Let's hope Madison is accepting and patient!

YAY KOELE!!!!

1st Estradiol Check

Well much anticipation today for results of my first Estradiol ( Estrogen) ultrasound and blood test this morning... not much to report other than my levels went from 28 on Thurs 9/2 up to 114 today!  Moving in the right direction!   I was told to increase my Follistem injections from 225 units morning and night to 300 units.  So I am assuming they want this number higher between now and my check on Friday morning.  I wish I would have been told if they saw any follicles but it must be too early on........... so for now we keep injecting and wait! I am already starting to realize that the waiting throughout this process will be tough! 

Starting to feel like I live at the fertility clinic, pretty comfortable there these days!
Feeling good today, have not felt any side affects from the Follistim, YAY!

Until Friday afternoon......

1025 INJECTIONS!!!

Well I seem to be getting some grumbling that I haven't blogged in the past few days, I was taking a little break for Labor Day :)  We had a lovely fall like weekend, even took my last bike ride for possibly a long time, kinda sad but I enjoyed it! :)

So I started my Follistim injections on Sunday morning and have taken a total of 5 injections since I have to do these morning and night, 12 hours apart. Follistem is a follicle stimulating hormone ( FSH), our goal it to stimulate my ovaries and produce a BUNCH of good eggs! I start the monitoring tomorrow morning and then again on Friday.  If by cycle day #34 I do not have 5 developing follicles our entire cycle can be cancelled, so PLEASE pray for this :)  I looked closely at the calender today and it looks like if my levels look good I will be meeting with our IVF nurse around Wed 9/15, give or take a day to discuss instructions for the egg retrieval.   So most likely retrieval will either be Wed 9/15 or Thurs 9/16  which puts us at a Sat, Sun or Monday implantation depending on whether we have a 3 or 5 day transfer.  At this point there is no way to estimate until we get closer!  But I am really happy to know that my mom will be here in the thick of things since she arrives on Thursday afternoon!  

So some interesting injection facts, I estimated today that I have done a total of 19 injections for IVF so far.  Since I started my MS therapy I have taken around 1006 injections since 2005!  HOLY MOLY, I have never added that up before!   I will be doing 3 shots every morning and 1 at night for the next couple of weeks.  So again this is a gentle reminder that YES I can hang with this, NO BIG DEAL RIGHT!  It is all relative to what we consider to be challenging and this is exciting stuff!   

Starting Follistim means the end of yoga, weight training, riding bikes, running/jogging, classes at the gym............must I go on! ARGH  I think this is going to be the hardest struggle for me, exercise is such a part of my routine so I am finally getting it that I just need to create new routines!  I am able to do "light" walking (who really knows what that means)  I did get the green light on walking in my neighborhood even the hills as long as I don't power walk.  So that is GOOD, some activity! My goal is to be as healthy as I possibly can these next few weeks..... no wine for me either, big ouch!

No side affects so far, definately feeling less crampy since cutting the Lupron dose in 1/2.   Taking these steps day by day!  At some point in this blog I will get Wade to write an entry so we can get his side of things, we will see if we BOTH feel I am handling this fairly well!  HA HA  Our sweet husbands always take the brunt of our emotions huh.........

Expect another blog tomorrow afternoon after my appt! 

Supression Check, Cycle Day #25 !

Looking Ahead!

Today was my suppression check appointment and guess what I am SUPPRESSED!  Yippee since this is the plan...... kind of hard to celebrate that my body has gone into an almost instant "menopause like" state but this is where we are supposed to be!  So this is good news!  The appointment took 2 hours, I had an ultrasound and there were no cysts, good.   I had the trial embryo transplant and apparently the nurse practitioner, Kelly, said that my cervix sits pretty far back ( ok?)  What this means for them is that they will use a "stitch" as a precaution to hold things in place during the actual transplant to make sure they are in the right spot. Uncomfortable while Kelly passed the catheter all the way through but it didn't last long. I physically jumped at one point and she said "opps I hit the top of your uterus", yea ouch lady!  So another test done & out of the way!

I met with Dr. Freeman who is a physician in the embryo lab.  She went through a great presentation of the embryo stages and fertilization. She even had pictures which was fascinating!  One crazy fact that I learned is that the tube that picks up the sperm to insert into the egg is very sharp and the size of a human hair, isn't that crazy!  It still blows my mind to learn more about this technology!  We talked at length about what a mature egg will look and act like before they implant.  Roughly about 60% of the embryos will not make it due to the composition and progress, this is par for the course.  I am so praying we have quality eggs on harvest day and a generous number so we have more to choose from.    Implantation day is right around the corner, such an exciting day that will be!  

So now I have two appointment scheduled for next week, one on Wed 9/8 and one Fri 9/10.  Both days I will have an ultrasound and blood work.  On Sunday 9/5 I begin a new injectible drug called FSH which will stimulate the production of follicles / eggs.   I will be taking 450 units daily, 225 units in the morning and 225 at night.  I will continue to take the Lupron but my dose goes down from 10 units to 5 units per day, that will continue through the rest of my cycle.  So with this being said I will be doing FOUR INJECTIONS a day including my MS therapy!  GOOD GOLLY, I will be a human pin cushion!

I asked about the side affects from the FSH and what to expect and was told that I may experience fatigue about 3-4 days in but that mood swings shouldn't be any worse than the Lupron.  Honestly I can attest ( and you can even ask Wade) that I have dealt with the Lupron really well and have not felt like a yo yo!  The last two days I have had cramps and pretty severe back pain which the nurse said is Lupron related, but it should start to subside.  So maybe this won't be as bad for me as expected, wouldn't that be a BLESSING!

So today I am looking ahead to what God has planned for Wade & I!
Cheers to suppression!