Wednesday, March 28, 2012

3/28/12 - Blood Work, Updated Schedule

This morning I had blood work done.  I don't know what for, I just know that they called me this afternoon and said I'm ok to do my transfer on 4/26 and I need to start taking Aygestin 2x/day.  I take this until 4/3 when I get another blood test.

I also start 20 units of Lupron injections on Sunday 4/1 and I'll probably continue with those injections every day until 4/20 then I'll switch to Progesterone Oil injections and continue with those until around 5/5 (That's right!  May 5th!  That's a lot of injections!).  The Lupron "suppresses the pituitary to prevent ovulation".  I actually don't know what the progestrone oil does... besides get me PREGO!! ;)  I just do as I'm told.

There are about 5 blood tests and a few ultrasounds between now and transfer day 4/26.  I'll keep you posted.  Oh, and I also start taking Estrace (Estradiol) 3x/day on 4/8.

I'm in good spirits and very excited about all of this :)  Thanks for all of your support!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

3/21/12 - Blood Work, Bloated, & FET Schedule

WOAH!  I'm sooo bloated today!  Two days ago I had my egg retrieval.  I felt pretty good my first day, but the second day I started having abdomen pain/discomfort in the evening and felt sort of bloated, but I thought "maybe it's because I haven't been able to work out"... um... TODAY I know that it DEFINITELY wasn't that.  I am HUGE.  It's uncomfortable how bloated I am.  I asked my friend that has done this before and she said it's normal.  I also have cramping/discomfort - NON STOP.  I hardly slept last night.  Hopefully it goes away soon.

Ever since the fertilization update I have felt very confused about what happens next.  I had sent an email to the IVF Coordinator and the Dr and neither answered my questions.

The IVF Coordinator called me on my way home from work today to review my blood work from this morning.  She said everything looks normal and we can schedule for the Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) now.  We chose April 26th which is a Friday, so I'll have Fri, Sat, Sun for bed rest.  She is emailing me my appointment and meds schedule. 

This means I should get my results the week before a big family vacation in California.  So if it's positive, YAY we all celebrate!  If it's negative, YAY my family is there to support me and keep me distracted!  :)  OH AND my sister's 3 beautiful children will be there to give me kisses and make me smile :)  I love, love, LOVE them!

I also asked the IVF Coordinator about my bloating.  She said to only be concerned if I start vomiting or get shortness of breathe.  So far, so good. 

Did I ever mention that my childhood BFF happens to be doing the SAME IVF cycle as me with the SAME Dr?  We started our injections the same day and everything!  She's also doing an FET like me.  It has been SOO nice to be able to text each other to vent or get advice.  I'm so greatful that I have her to go through this with me.

I'll post my FET schedule as soon as I get the email.  :)

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

3/20/12 - 10 Frozen!

I JUST got a call from Dr. D.  (which is much earlier than I expected, YAY!).  He said that out of the 20 eggs retrieved, 16 were mature and 10 FERTILIZED.  This means we have 10 embryos in the freezer for us :)

He said that after I start my period (estimated 10 - 12 days from retrieval) it takes 2 1/2 weeks to prepare the uterus, with Estrogen PATCHES and Leupron and Progesterone Oil INJECTIONS.  5 Days before the transfer they will remove my embryos and give me updates on how they're developing.  So Dr. D. is estimating a transfer in the 3rd or 4th week in April.

I asked him about working out and he said I can start again in about 3 - 4 days and can continue until the day before transfer. :)  YAY!!!

Good news all the way around :) 

I'll update the blog again once I start my cycle or I have any news.  Thanks for all your support!!!

Monday, March 19, 2012

3/19/12 - Egg Retrieval

I took it easy this morning and was at the Dr's office by 11am. They took me back and hooked up the IV. The nurse and anesthesiologist were really great. I'm so surprised I stayed calm. Last time I had surgery (laparoscopy for possible endometriosis) I started crying as I was being wheeled to the surgery room and I tried to rip out the IV when I woke up. Yikes. I was so relaxed and such a good patient today :).

The Dr came over and told me everything went well and he got 20 eggs and that we need to do a frozen transfer because my progesterone levels were high and there's that pesky risk of getting OHSS because I produced so many eggs. This means I will start my cycle in the next 10 - 12 days then call their office when I start and they'll give me instructions for Progesterone Oil injections and a transfer schedule.

My brother took me home at about 2pm. I took my doxyciclin (antibiotic). This is to prevent infection. And I read in my "Getting Pregnant" book that it helps improve the chance of success with IVF :) I'm on bed rest for the rest of the day.

Dr D will call me TOMORROW night with an update of my fertilization (how the embryos are doing). That seems like FOREVER to wait. Overall, it was a great day and pretty relaxing. I'll post again as soon as I have an update from the Dr.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

3/18/12 - Blood Work, HCG Recap

This morning I had blood work.  The office was packed with everyone doing their retrievals today.  Corey went with me, which was nice because he doesn't usually get to go.  They'll call me this afternoon with blood results, which I expect to be normal.  I'm a little worried that they forgot to give me instructions for Progesterone or something because as of right now, I don't plan on doing any injections tonight, which is weird to me.

LAST NIGHT WAS A LITTLE CHAOTIC.  We had to do the HCG and Lupron shots at 1:30am.  Our friends left our house at 12:30am and I thought I would take a little nap until injection time but I couldn't sleep.  I just kept thinking about that LONG needle.  The nurse said it needed to go ALL THE WAY into my love handle/hip area and you don't pinch up the skin, you actually stretch it a little before piercing.


This needle is A LOT longer than the other injections needles.  There's also a risk of hitting a sciatic nerve if it's not done in the right area.  My friend that's doing IVF right now at the same office said they drew a target on her hip for her husband to know where to do it, but they didn't do that for me!  Corey was really nervous too.  He kept questioning if I had heard the nurse right when she said it had to go all the way in (unfortunately he wasn't there for the instructions on this one so I was trying to relay everything).  He thought it would hit bone.

SO right before he injected me I said "WAIT!  Do you want to look on You Tube really quick and see how other people do it first?"  He thought that was a good idea so we found a video of a couple doing the shots and it was chaotic for them too.. AND they were watching a You Tube video of it while THEY were doing their shots!  Time was ticking and I was worried about having the exact timing we needed SO I just said LET'S DO THIS.  (By the way, my brother is watching all of this and about every two minutes he's saying "It's ok Kimmy" or "You'll be alright Kimmy" but I can tell he's freaking out a little too).  I laid on my stomach on the couch and just braced myself. 

WOW.

That was the EASIEST shot so far.  Hardly any pain at the piercing point and no burning while the medicine went in.  What a lot of spazzing and shenanagans for nothing.  Corey is so good at this!  We're thinking of opening a business where couples hire him to go to their house every night and give their injections.  :)

My advice to any other IVF-ers worried about the HCG shot is... DON'T.  Don't worry about it.  You'll be fine.  :)

Saturday, March 17, 2012

3/17/12 - Ultrasound and Blood Work, Pre Op Exam

This morning I took delicious cupcakes from the best bakery in town to the fertility office. Hey, I think it's smart to bribe the people that have your dreams in their hands. All the girls in the office were freaking out over how delicious they were. It was a success :)

Blood work was normal. Ultrasound was good. 23 eggs!!!!! The average is 10 - 15. It's good that I have a lot of eggs but it does make me at risk of OHSS ( http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ovarian-hyperstimulation-syndrome-ohss/DS01097 )

I should know or feel if I have ohss within the next few days. If I DO, they would not be able to do a fresh transfer. I would transfer a frozen embie next month.

Since everything looked good to have the egg retrieval on Monday, they just went ahead and did my Pre Op today (blood pressure, heart and lung check).

I LOVE the staff at the fertility office ESPECIALLY the dr. He is sooo nice and thorough and caring and smart. I feel like I'm in such great hands. Just sayin.

I asked him again about his recommendation of transferring one embie instead of two. He still recommends one. So, I'm going to stick with that. If it doesn't work this time, I'll transfer two next time.

HEY! I'm done with the 3 injections I've been taking every night. Yay!!! Oh, but there are NEW ones...

I have to take "trigger shots" at a very specific time coordinated around my retrieval appointment. This "specific time" for me happens to be 1:30am tonight!!

The HCG injection makes me ovulate and the Lupron injection helps me to not get ohss (according to the nurse today).

I have a blood work appointment tomorrow (Sunday) and my retrieval appointment is Monday at 11:30am. The thing I'm MOST concerned about is that I can't eat or drink after midnight the night before. This girl gets HUNGRY!! Ok it's not the most important, but it does make me sad.

After the dr appointment I got a wonderful and relaxing facial. Then took a nap and at night went out to a new Mexican restaurant with Corey and my brother, then friends came over to plan a camping trip and watch movies. My ovaries were sensitive and crampy all night, but overall it was a nice day. Good night.

3/16/12 - My Dentist Did My Injections

Ok, ok... My dentist is one of my best friends. After work yesterday I met up with some girlfriends for dinner and shopping (got some really cute wedges). Then we went back to "my dentist's" house and made treats, played a game, and watched Footloose. I knew I'd be out past my injection time, so I just brought them with me, since I know my friend is good with a needle anyway - hey, she's a doctor! It went really well. She did a great job!... And I think she had fun doing it! :)

Thursday, March 15, 2012

3/15/12 - 65 Months, Acupuncture and Injections @ Friend's House

I've been reading A LOT of IVF blogs lately.  I have mixed feelings about whether or not I SHOULD read them, but I'm addicted.  I'm actually finding more NEGATIVE blogs than positive.  Meaning, IVF never worked for them, or they're still in it and being REALLY negative.  I noticed that a lot of them mark their time "TTC" (Trying To Conceive) by months instead of years.  I actually kind of like that idea, because it really shows a better picture of how many cycles you TRIED REALLY REALLY HARD and got a neg.  So, I counted out my months.  Drum roll please............................ 65.  65 MONTHS!  Wow.  Believe me, I felt it every month.  The disappointment.

I'm surprised it took us so long to get to IVF.  It's just because "nothing" was wrong, so we just tried patience and all the small things first (chlomid, IUI).  Anyways, we're happy to be here now.

After work today I had my FIRST EVER ACUPUNCTURE treatment.  I have read and heard many times that it increases your chances of success with IVF... so I couldn't help it... I had to add it to my list.  The lady was really nice and has a lot of experience with IVF patients.  AND... she's walking distance from the Fertility office.  That's kind of a big deal because I live in a big city.  She said that if they transfer my eggs on a Saturday (which is the tentative plan), she will make room in her schedule to treat me RIGHT before my transfer appointment.  She said that's the best time to do it.  So she's on stand by until I find out when I'll be transferring.  :)  I bet if I had done acupuncture a month ago it would have been a lot scarier/harder but now I'm so used to needles.  Ha, one of the benefits of having to do IVF!

Then I was off to a friend's house where we met up with 3 couples for food and a basketball game (on tv).  My first time doing injections outside of our house.  I packed a cooler for the Gonal F and a bag with the other meds and stuff. 

Two of my girlfriends wanted to watch and we were fine with it.  They were sweet.  One of them said she felt weird for saying this but she felt like it was so sweet watching Corey do my injections, like "oh he loves her so much!".  :)  He does.  I can tell.
THEN MY HEART SANK.  Corey pointed out that I had packed the 300IU Gonal F pen that we had already USED!  It didn't have any medicine in it!  I was just so used to using the 900IU pen that I naturally thought we had a lot more uses left in that one.  SO... packing all the meds and doing them at a friends house so we could stay out later was pretty pointless.  We went home RIGHT AWAY... a 20 minute drive... and finished the injections with a new Gonal F pen.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

3/14/12 - Ultrasound and Blood Work (continued)... TWINSIES?

The IVF Coordinator called me this afternoon and said my blood levels looked good and to continue on the same dosages of meds.

(Hold on for a sec, I gotta go get injected)... :)

(Wait, false alarm.  Corey's not home yet from Sportsman's Warehouse.  We're suppose to do injections right now.  I'll give him another 10 minutes, then I guess I'll inject myself.  : o  I guess I'll type more while I wait.)

We decided that Corey should work on Monday instead of taking me to the egg retrieval because it's a fairly new job and it's a busy week for him.  We didn't want him to ask for the time off.  We'll save that for the transfer day.

All my family lives in a different state.  I wanted my mom to come but she's working.  No Biggie.  So... I asked my BROTHER.  I called him and asked if he would take my drugged up self home from the dr's office and wait on me all day.  He said "YES!".  So he's coming to town this weekend and I'm really excited for him to help me.   

(This is me and my brother before a My Chemical Romance concert)

After work today I decided to take my "walk" at the mall :)  I picked up some CUTE new shoes and some fun new makeup.  :)  Then Corey met me there for dinner at Grimaldi's. 

At dinner we sort of decided (if the dr's ok with it) to transfer TWO embryo's instead of one.  We're ok with twins.  We had always assumed we'd end up with twinners if we did IVF, but very early on the dr was clear that he recommended only transferring one embryo because of our unexplained infertility... or fertility "health".  He was pretty confident that IVF would work for me even if I only transferred one.  He said it wasn't worth the risk and complications that come along with twin pregnancies and births.  Ultimately we'll follow his orders, but if he gives us the OK, we'll transfer two.  Oh, AND I've been having dreams that I have TWINS.  It's always a boy and a girl :)  Beautiful and healthy.

(ok, ok, so Corey forgot about injections.  I called him at about 9:10 and he was still at Sportsman's Warehouse (did I mention he's obsessed with guns?).  Anyway... thank goodness we don't live far from there.  I started preparing and mixing the meds and he ran in and did them.  I don't know why, but half way through, I had a little emotional "situation".  I started crying.  Not because of the pain (and tonight hurt more than any night so far - one injection site started bruising up right away), but just because I'm even here doing this.  Yeah, it's sad.  And it's hard.  But it will be worth it.  After injections Corey hugged me and offered to let me stab him with a needle if it would make me feel better.  :)  Just the offer made me feel better.)  :) 

I'm so grateful for having this opportunity and I'm happy to be a part of this process.  Good night.  :)  (yeah, lots of smiley faces tonight)  :)

3/14/12 - Ultrasound and Blood Work

This morning I had another blood test and ultrasound.  They'll call me later this afternoon with blood results but I just wanted to post real quick about the ultrasound.

When the doc 1st came in I asked him right away if he would cancel my cycle if he found that my eggs were not developing properly.  The reason I asked this is because the IVF Coordinator worried me a little when I asked her about my development the other day.  He said "Yes, we would cancel if we needed to, but you're developing nicely".  Then he did the ultrasound and counted off the sizes of my eggs (follicles ?) to the nurse and said everything looks good and healthy and I don't need to worry.

I was originally planning on my egg retrieval being on Sunday 3/18, but the coordinator told us from the beginning that there's a chance it could be pushed back up to 3 days.  Today the doc said he wants to plan on doing the egg retrieval Monday 3/19 instead of Sunday... to give my eggs a little more time to develop.  (Which is a normal process and nothing to worry about).  I LOVE how detail oriented they are.  They could easily keep their appointments on the same day, but they closely monitor everything and make adjustments as needed. I will need someone to take me home from the appointment Monday, and I think Corey will have to work.  I'll have to get to work on coordinating that.

My next untrasound and blood work is now Sat instead of Fri.

I also asked him when he'll know if I'll be able to do a FRESH TRANSFER.  He said he'll have a better idea by this weekend, but so far it's looking GOOD for a fresh transfer.  If my uterus and hormone levels were NOT COMPLETELY in line and primed for fresh transfer, they would freeze the eggs until the following month.  I prefer not to freeze because I'm pretty sure that means MORE injections for me.  But I'm happy to follow whatever the doc orders, so I have the best outcome possible.

Thinking about yesterday's post, I just wanted to mention that I'm not usually this lazy.  When I ran into a friend at the clinic last month, I knew she had A LOT of experience with IVF and I asked her what advice she had for me.  She said the MOST IMPORTANT thing is to relax and uncomplicate your life and schedule.  She said that during her cycles she would cancel everything and just stay home and relax.  So... that's what I've been doing and it has been really  nice.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

3/13/12. - Awe, Relaxing Day

I had a non-eventful, pleasant day at work and a nice walk after. Then I came home and watched a movie till Corey got home and gave me my shots. Easy peasy.

I have an early ultrasound and blood work tomorrow. Good night. :)

Monday, March 12, 2012

3/12/12 - Ultrasound and Blood Test

Last night I did my injections AFTER I posted.  So, here's a recap of that:

My dad was at our house last night while I did my injections.  It was the cutest thing.  I could tell he felt bad for me and when I started whimpering during the Ganarelix shot he started waiving at me and tried to distract me - like I was 5 years old at the Dr.'s office. :)  It was adorable. :)  I love my dad.

When Corey was injecting the Menopur his grip on my skin/fat slipped and he had to grab and pinch again with the needle still in me.  It didn't feel good... but I could tell Corey felt bad.  He said he hates doing the shots because he doesn't want to hurt me.  I really didn't like the new Ganarelix shot, it burned.

After the injections my ovaries were really annoying.  Uncomfortable.  I didn't sleep well.  I keep dreaming about everything IVF.

I also forgot to tell you that Corey and I went on a walk last night.  I'll take the little bit of exercise I can get. 

So this morning was my ultrasound that the Dr wanted as a follow up to the blood work on Sat.  As soon as he walked in I asked WHY I was getting an ultrasound.  He said it's because my estrogen levels were high and I was showing to be a couple of days ahead of schedule so they wanted to check everything out.  After the untrasound he said everything looked good and I'm right on schedule as originally planned.  Then, last minute, they had me do a blood test.  I had them pull from my right arm because my left is getting jacked up.

After work I went on a walk around my office. The blossoms were fluttering off the trees and it was so peaceful. I just had to take a picture...


The IVF Coordinator called me while I was on my walk. She said my blood test looked good and to keep using the same dosages and they'd see me Wed. I asked her if the ultrasound looked like I was producing more than average, average, or less than average. She said "well... You still have a few days to produce more, so we'll have a better idea after your next couple of ultrasounds.". Which I translate to BELOW AVERAGE. Hopefully I'm wrong.

Injections went really well tonight! Ganirelex was really easy. I explained the feeling of the Menopur injection to Corey. I told him it feels like a little stab/pinch and then about 3 seconds later it feels like he's twisting the needle all under my skin until he's done. I guess that's the meds just burning as they go in. Still, it's actually not that bad. :)

Sunday, March 11, 2012

3/11/12 - The Process

As people ask me how the process is going, I'm realizing more and more that it's sort of confusing and not everyone knows what it all entales.  So, let me just give you a brief summary:

I started taking injections of Gonal F and Menopur every night at the same exact time on 3/7 (Wed).  This is to boost my egg production and make me "super ovulate". 

3/10 (Sat) I had a blood test to check how my body was reacting to the meds and see if the dosages need to be adjusted at all.  Started 3rd injection - Ganirelex which keeps me from ovulating too early.  So now I'm taking 3 every night.

3/12 (Mon) Unexpected ultrasound - I don't know why.  I think it has something to do with the fact that I never started my cycle naturally.

3/14 (Wed) Ultrasound and Blood Test to check how body is reacting to meds.

3/16 (Fri) Ultrasound and Blood Test to check if I'm almost ready for egg retrieval.  If I AM ready, I stop the 3 injections and do an HCG injection in my "love handle" which will make me ovulate in time for egg retrieval.

3/17 (Sat) Pre-OP Exam and Blood Test

3/18 (Sun) Egg retrieval.  They put me out and retrieve my eggs.  I recover for a couple of hours in the op room then go home for bed rest the rest of the day.  This is when they'll give me more instructions for the next set of meds.  I'll take some pills and start Progesterone OIL injections every day.

The Dr. will then be calling me every day with the status of the eggs/embryo's.  If all goes well and they develop as they should...

3/23 (Fri) Embryo transfer.  I'm awake for this procedure.  I rest in their office for about an hour then go home for 3 days of strict bed rest.

4/2 (Mon - 10 days after embryo transfer)  Blood pregnancy test!

If positive, the Dr follows my pregnancy with ulrasounds and bloodwork until I'm 9 weeks along, then I see my regular OBGYN.
___________________________________________

Tonight we're starting our meds at 9pm instead of 8pm because of daylight savings time, so we stay consistant with the time of day they're done.  I'm back up to my right side of my abdomen, which was my easiest area (which we did the first night).  I don't have any bruising yet!  YAY!  I hope everything goes well with my ultrasound tomorrow.  :)  Good night.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

3/10/12 - Blood Test

This morning I had blood drawn. This afternoon Dr D called and told me my blood test looks good and to continue with the same dosage of meds but to add Ganirelix injections starting tomorrow night. Ganirelix is to make me not ovulate until the doc says I'm ready. He also asked me to come in Monday for an ultrasound. This worries me a little because my next ultrasound wasn't suppose to be until Wed. I wish I had asked him why he needs an ultrasound. I guess I'll find out Monday.

We went to dinner a little late, which I won't do again because we were rushed to eat pay and drive home for injections. We didn't get home until 8:10pm and injections were suppose to be at 8pm exactly. O'well. I'm getting to be a pro at the needles part. It ain't no thang... ;)

Friday, March 9, 2012

3/9/12 - The S Word

Anyone who has ever had an infertility issue can tell you about the dreaded S word... Stress.  You read and hear about how much stress affects your fertility and you stress even more trying to manage your daily stress!  You're constantly told to "just relax and go on vacation and you'll get pregnant". 
Well... In September 2008 (after 2 years of trying) I got pregnant, for a minute.  I was working as the CFO of a drug and alcohol rehab.  I was working about 60 - 70 hours a week and it was a very stressful job.  I was preparing for a very important AR meeting... which was very stressful... and I started cramping and bleeding.  That's when I miscarried very early - at 7 weeks.
I didn't want to feel like I was puting my career before my health and fertility so a while later I decided to take a job with one of my BEST FRIENDS.  (Despite the rehab offering me a substantial raise to stick around and asking me to be the President of the company)  My friend is a wonderful dentist and she hired me as her Office Manager.  Her office is only open 3 1/2 days a week so I still work at the rehab 1 1/2 days a week.  The dental office is a little slice of heaven.  NO STRESS.  :)

The reason I'm TELLING you this is because I worked at the REHAB today (every Friday and 1/2 day Monday).  1st day on IVF that I was at that office and I was a little worried about my stress levels.  I just don't want anything to negatively effect this process.  So I decided on my way in today that I wouldn't let anything get me all worked up :)  It was a GREAT day.  No stress.  My girlfriends at the office took me to lunch at Firefly's for my birthday.

The injections tonight were in my thigh. I thought it would hurt a lot more but it actually wasn't that bad. I think because you can feel the pain of the pinch a lot more. (Corey has to pinch my skin up before he injects). There was a lot more blood in the thigh though. And by "a lot", I mean only a few drops. Early Dr appointment tomorrow morning (Saturday). So I'm off to bed. :)

Thursday, March 8, 2012

3/8/12 - Day 2 of Injections

I can take my current injections in my abdomen or my upper thigh.  They recommend you rotate the areas so we decided to start with upper left (abdomen) and work our way clockwise.  We have a little journel next to the meds where we write down the medication amount we use each night (because the Gonal F pen has 900IU in it but I only use 150 per night, so the nurse said to always track how much is remaining), we also write down the AREA we injected just in case we forget were to start the next night.

I tossed and turned a lot last night because I love to sleep on my stomach but I kept worrying that it would be bad for the injection sight or meds.... I know know!... I shouldn't worry about that, but I'm weird like that.

I haven't felt any side effects yet.  Ya know that feeling when you have an IV and they initially put meds in it?  It's like a cold feeling around that area of the body.  Like you can feel the meds spreading in your veins.  Well, I felt that a little bit last night.  But no bad or big side effects.

Today at work my allergies were bad.  I was sneezing a lot and I had a bad headache, but now I'm worried about taking any over the counter meds.  I had Claratin in my purse but I was too nervous to use it.  The headache got worse and worse so in the afternoon I emailed my IVF Coordinator and asked if I was aloud to take Claratin.  She said no, I can only take Tylenol or Benadryl.  I was STILL too nervous about taking even those meds, so I didn't.  That headache stuck around all night.

My usual routine during the week was work 7:30am - 4:30/5:00pm then change into gym clothes and go straight to Crossfit till 6:30/6:45pm. Since I'm not aloud to do that, I'm going to keep changing at work, but just WALK in the area around my office, because it's prettier over there. So tonight I walked for 1 hour before heading home. It was actually really nice :)

8pm injections again. They actually hurt more tonight than last night... And there was more blood. O'well. It still wasn't terrible. I can do this :)

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

3/7/12 - First Injections

Sorry about the rambling post last night.  I was tired... and scatter-brained.  I hardly slept last night and I woke up at 4:30am.  I had dreams all night about the injections, Dr. appointments and forgetting my meds.

At 7am this morning Corey and I got to the Dr's office.  I had bloodwork and an ultrasound, then injection instructions.

When they took my blood Corey stood behind the nurse and made faces while he looked at the needle... he was doing his best to try to scare me.  I thought "Oh great... this is the person that's going to give me my injections!??".  He's a joker and his main goal in life is to constantly make me laugh, so he thinks it's funny to joke about how scary the needles are and how terrible the process will be.  Hopefully he won't freak me out too much during this process.

At the untrasound I told them I hadn't started my cycle yet and they said that's ok and it looked like my lining was thick which could mean I'll start soon.  They said this could affect whether or not I do a FRESH TRANSFER or they FREEZE my eggs for transfer on a following cycle.  She told me the Dr. would call me later with his recommendation and to confirm meds for tonight.

We then met with Debrah and she explained the meds.  Corey was SO GREAT during this meeting.  I could see that he was trying to memorize every detail and he took a lot of notes.  He was being very serious... which was GREAT.  I think he will be very good at it and I'll be very comfortable with him in charge.

There are 6 different injectible meds that are taken throughout the month.  I start with just 2 (Gonel F and Menopur) and in a few days go up to 3 (adding Ganarelex).

Dr. D called me around 3pm and said the blood work and ultrasound look good and I could OFFICIALLY OFFICIALLY start my injections tonight!!  I was so excited to get this call... because I had a little doubt and worry about this actually being cleared to start.

I tried to go get a manicure after work to keep my mind off the injections but they didn't have any openings so I just went home and cleaned until I had to leave for cub scouts (I'm a den leader).  I came home and Corey and I got to work on prepping the injections, well, he prepped, I video taped :). (apparently I had my hand on the microphone for part of it, sorry)

Prep:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHA1ZRo9NBk&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Actual Injections:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEnRd1zR6J8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be!!!  Corey was SO good at it.  Yay!  We're on our way!

Oh, and, uh, did I mention that IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!  Corey sent beautiful flowers to my office and tonight he baked me a cake!!  It has been a long and weird day.  I didn't think much about it being my Bday because I was thinking so much about IVF.  Starting this process is the best Bday present ever!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

3/6/12 - Ready, Set, GO!

So... tomorrow is the day.  I am REALLY nervous. 

I'm going to follow all instructions AND suggestions given by my Dr, the IVF Coordinator and my friends that have been through it.  I've been instructed NOT to workout during the month of this process.  The reason is because my ovaries will be so enlarged with all the meds that I run a risk of turning them and permanantly damaging them if I move my torso too much.  SO... I'm going to take a break from Crossfit :(  Anyone who knows me, knows that is a tough one... but worth it of course.  I plan on walking at night, which is approved by the doc.  :)

I figured that if I DO get prego from this, I probably won't be doing much traveling in the next few years.  My life as a childless "do whatever I want" girl will be changed forever.  So I booked a girl's trip to New York City with my husband's FREE flight miles :)  I went from 3/1 - 3/5 with my sister Jill and my friend Dani.  We SHOPPED a lot and ATE a lot!  It was a nice way to keep my mind off of IVF and to just relax.


The IVF Coordinator told me I can't get a massage during the cycle month so TONIGHT my husband and I got massages for a little extra relaxation before injections.  I was able to spend some time in the steam room and sauna :) I also have a facial scheduled for halfway through the process. Today I purchased a Groupon for acupuncture which I've heard helps with IVF. I'll schedule that soon. Last week I went to a meditation seminar and I've been meditating lately... Which I also heard helps with IVF. Anyway, I'm doing everything I can to RELAX :)

With that said, I will tell you that I had a slight meltdown tonight. I was just thinking a lot about the needles and the thought of "what if it doesn't work". So Corey gave me a blessing which was very helpful. He blessed me to feel peace and to have strength, which is exactly what I need. I'm off to bed now, I have an early Dr's appointment.

3/6/12 - I FINALLY have my MEDS!

After going back and forth with Aetna Pharmacy and the fertility office for over a week... I FINALLY have my meds!  I was suppose to have them a week ago so Corey and I could get our "Injection Instruction" at my appointment last Wed. but Aetna had every excuse and issue in the book for not shipping them.  I'm suppose to START my injections tomorrow so yesterday right before I boarded my plane I called Aetna Pharmacy and basically told them I would not hang up the phone until I have shipping confirmation.  45 minutes later they took my payment and said it would be shipped OVERNIGHT!  Hooray! 

Aetna Coverage: $6,573.94
My Out of Pocket: $205.85
(This means we only have $926.06 of our rx benefit remaining if I need to do it again)

The IVF Coordinator told me NOT to be overwhelmed when I get my shipment because there will be A LOT!  Holy Cow!  She was RIGHT!  Tomorrow morning we'll take it all to the Dr. office to get our instructions on how to mix and inject the meds.