Grow Little Ones!

Well, we had our embryo transfer about an hour ago.  Now I’m laying on the couch, laptop in lap with the ID channel on.  I’ll be watching Doctor Who later with the husband, so no worries about me watching murdery type things all day.  For now, my loving husband is off to the grocery store to pick some stuff up for the next few days while I’m couch bound.

So, before I talk about the transfer, first I have an insane story to tell.  They were doing another retrieval this morning, and the after-retrieval area is only separated a curtain from the pre-transfer area.  So the husband and I are sitting there waiting for the doctor and the retrieval couple are sitting on the other side of the curtain and all the sudden I hear “come on girl, come on.  Get the oxygen tank!  Come on, stay awake!”  The girl had “crashed” due to the pain meds given after the anesthesia.  Heartbeat gone and everything.  That was one of the scariest things I’ve ever experienced.  Luckily it was only for a few seconds (which felt like hours to ME and I wasn’t her husband sitting there.. I can’t imagine how he felt).  Wow.. just insanely scary.  So glad that she was okay and alert soon after.  The anesthesiologist said that she had a “vagal reaction.”  No clue what that means, but I plan to Google later.  I just hope everyone has an anesthesiologist as quick and as good to react as my clinic has.

So, our transfer (not to take away from the big story, which I think is the story of the girl above) was amazing!  We got to the clinic and had to wait a little while.  We were both so jumpy and excited that it felt like it to forever to go to the back.  Finally they called us back and we both got ready.  Husband went full scrubs, I went all open back robe, while both of us dawned booties, cap and surgical mask.  We looked super cute.  Then the embryologist came out to talk to us about the embryos.  We had two very strong, 8 celled embryos to transfer. They want them to be 8 called by this point, so they were right on track!  We also have an 8 cell and a 6 cell in the lab still growing.  If they turn into blasts by day five, we can freeze them both.  This information was way above our expectations.  We were elated! Once she handed us the picture of the little ones, my husband looks at it and says “you know, it’s amazing how much they look like us.”  He got a good laugh out of me on that one. 🙂

So they got transferred without any hiccups and now I am just relaxing and enjoying the feeling of being excited and hopeful.  My pregnancy test is schedule for 10-11-12, which my husband and I both think is super awesome. 🙂  Grow little ones!  We want to meet you and love you and take care of you forever!!

Less Than 24 Hours Until Transfer!

Getting nervous/excited/stressed for tomorrow!  I can’t wait to see how many are viable and get a picture!

I plan on eating some pineapple for the next few days.  Although it hasn’t been scientifically proven (from what I can find), I hear that it can help with implantation.  I’m willing to do whatever it takes!  I also plan on doing bed rest for at least three days.  Day one will be actual bed rest, involving only getting up to pee and eat.  Monday and Tuesday will be laying on the couch only getting up to pee, eat and let the dogs outside (silly dogs!).  Relaxation is key to this for me.  I wish I could say that once they are in there i’ll be less stressed, but come on, that’s not realistic. 😉  It will be neat to chat with them a little though. 😀

Anybody out there have any after transfer tips for me?  What did you eat and do to help and keep busy?

Transfer Scheduled – 3 Day

Well, heard from the Embryologist today.  Out of the 8 collected, 5 were mature and 4 ended up fertilizing.  She had already scheduled the transfer when she called me.  Sunday at 9:00am.  She said depending on how they look by Sunday, they may choose to transfer three, which makes me wonder what she knows… why would she assume all of them would be in bad shape by Sunday?  Do they not look healthy?  Can you even tell by this point?  Ugh… again with the stress…

I am currently standing in my kitchen typing this because I was told to “stand up and move around for a little bit” after inserting the suppository.  Feels squishy.  I hope they do the trick and let however many the transfer really stick in there for the long haul.  I know I should start getting excited, but I don’t think I’ll be able to until I go in on Sunday and they let me know the condition of the embryos.  How do people deal with this stress multiple times?

Oh, and why does everyone keep saying “that’s great for your age!”  I’m 28, not 104!

48 hours until transfer….

Egg Retrieval, Itching, and A Big Thanks!

Today has been a big day for me.  I wanted to start by thanking everyone who has taken the time to read my blog and show your love and compassion for me and my husbands  journey.  I know we are all struggling with the same thing, so the fact that you’ve all taken time out of your days and lives to read about our struggle really means the world to me.  This blog has helped keep me sane(ish) over the past 3.5 months and it’s all because of all of you all!  Big thanks to everyone!  I hope to be able to keep showing you how much I appreciate you all by being supportive and helpful whenever you need me!  Much love for you all!

Today I also remembered why I hate hydrocodone.  It makes me itch.  All over.  All the time…. constantly… without stopping.  I’ve been trying to sleep ever since I got home.  I’m exhausted, but for some reason I can’t seem to fall all the way asleep.  I feel like I’m awake, but an hour seems to pass by like nothing.  Maybe I’m falling asleep a little?  Why doesn’t it feel like it?  Oh well, at least I get to lay around and rest.  I need it! *scratch scratch scratch*

So, the big part of my day was my egg retrieval.  The anesthesiologist today was amazing.  He was so nice and funny and helpful.  He put music on for me while we waited on the doctor and had a long discussion with me about ice cream, yogurt and smoothies.  He kept me very calm before a very big procedure, and I will be forever grateful.   So once the doctor came in (8:00 on the nose) the anesthesiologist immediately put in the meds to make me fall asleep.  Good thing I had a couple seconds (literally) before I actually fell asleep because no one told me not to lay on my gown, and apparently this was a big problem.  I had just enough time to yank the gown out from under me and get back into my butt-hanging-off-the-table position before I was out.  I awoke, kind of, about twenty minutes later.  Apparently we were having some conversations about the number of eggs retrieved and… other things? I guess?  So the total collected was 8!  I know it’s not a lot, and the odds are still not really in our favor… BUT… it’s one more than I had total on Tuesday… and the fact that they got them all out (plus the extra) was fantastic.  Now I am completely stressed out about finding out how many fertilized tomorrow.  I mean…. this is the most stressed out I’ve been so far.  I’m hoping to just sleep most of the time until the phone call tomorrow.

Will any fertilize?  If so, will it be a three-day or a five-day transfer?  Ah!  The waiting game is never ending! 🙂  I’m glad this part is over and that 8 were retrieved though! Yippy!

Now it’s time to get more rest and try to relax.  Nothing I can do from here.  It’s all up to the lab techs, eggs and spermies….. go go go guys!!!

The Injections End – The Pills Begin

 

No matter what I did, I could not get this picture to flip around.  You get the gist though.   It’s time for pills to replace injections!  Oh, and suppositories too, but I decided to keep those out of the picture.  You all know how those work. 😉

I had the hardest time getting out of bed this morning.  I was totally out-of-my-mind exhausted.  Worst morning so far.  It’s probably due to 11 days of high dose stimming.  My husband asked me today if the pills will make me as tired as the injections.  I told him no, but that the progesterone has been known to make ladies a little crazy.  I think that probably comforted him. 😉

This time tomorrow I will know how many eggs were retrieved.  I mean, if I’m aware of what’s going on I will… last time I was put under anesthesia for my wisdom teeth extraction, I was gone from the world for a good solid day.  I’m hoping that I won’t be out of it all day this time since it’s 20 minutes compared to the 1-2 hours of my wisdom teeth extraction.  We shall see!  My husband will be home taking care of me tomorrow.  I know the women have to go through all the pain of injections and aching and bloating and exhaustion, but our husbands have to deal with us while we are like this.  It’s not all fun and games and playing with themselves. 😉

The Trifecta

 

Well, here they are, my final IVF injections (hopefully forever).  I’ve never, in all my blog reading, doctor visiting, internet Googling, heard of someone taking more stimulator on the same night as the trigger shot.  Man, my ovaries must really be a pain in the arse.  I hope it has the affect the doctor is looking for.  I guess we’ll know on Thursday. Eep!  What do I do all day tomorrow to keep myself entertained?  I suppose I could sleep… yep. That sounds perfect.

36 hours until retrieval…

Egg Retrieval Set! Thursday 9/27/12!

I just got the go ahead to take my two injections of Ovidrel tonight!  Woo! That means it’s egg collecting time.  (Why am I suddenly picturing my doctor dressed up as the Easter Bunny with a white, wicker basket?  I’ll blame the hormones.)  I am very excited to be getting this news, especially since a week ago I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to make mature follicles at all. Whew… one less thing to worry about…

Now the worry begins about how many they will retrieve.  We only have 7 mature and ready to be collected, but my doctor said that there might be a few smaller ones that may be okay within the next two days.  Not likely, but maybe.  He said he is going to try as hard as he can to get all 7, and I am OVERJOYED that he will be the one doing the retrieval Thursday! Woo!

Tonight I will take my double dose of Ovidrel and then either have sex (hmmm…) or have the hubby “clean the pipes” (as the new doctor so awesomely put it).  Not sure my ovaries are up for sex, but we can give it a whirl.  Then tomorrow night I start the Z-pak (antibiotics) and no eating after midnight tomorrow night (that won’t be hard, I can’t even stay awake past 9:30).  Then Thursday morning at 8:00am… retrieval. (with a dose of hydrocodone and anesthesia) Ahh! I wonder if time is going to stop now or after the retrieval.  I’d guess after.

Any tips for the upcoming madness in my life?

**Update** got a call from the doctors office with my estrogen level.. it’s higher than 1,500 (can’t remember the exact number) so that’s good.. it’s going up! And my lining was at 7.8 today (forgot to mention that earlier).  They want me to take my two trigger shots AND 225IU more of the follistim.  I guess they really do want a few others to mature… I hope so too!  Keep on keeping on, ovaries!  Sorry belly, three shots tonight.. ouch.

No Touchy

I am so uncomfortable.  I will be so happy if this is my last night of injections (other than the trigger shots (yes, shotS (Plural)).  Other than barely being able to wear underwear due to the extreme swelling/bloating in my abdomen, now my breasts (specifically, my thermometers ;)) can barely be touched by my shirt.  Hormones, man, hormones.

I can’t believe I’m nervous about my scan tomorrow too.  It will be 24 hours between today’s and tomorrow’s, yet I’m still worried that something is going to be wrong.  Is this normal?  Should I be this freaked out at all times?  I’m pretty sure it’s normal from what I’ve read on other blogs.

And do you know, in the middle of all this uncomfortable, untouchable, crazy-minded stuff I’m going through… I really miss sex?  We had very careful sex this past weekend, but that was difficult to do because I could feel my ovaries aching.  We were cautious because when we had sex during IUI’s, we must have knocked one of my swollen, droopy ovaries and I ended up on the bathroom floor for 30 minutes thinking I might have to go to the hospital. Ouch.  Yet, I’m still wanting some!  You see, one of my symptoms of PCOS, which is caused by my higher than normal male hormones, is a crazy awesome sex drive.  I’m talking 4-5 times a week is pretty standard.  Now it’s been one time in almost three weeks?  Whew.  Tough times. 😉

If someone had told me growing up that I’d be attempting to make a baby without sex, I would have laughed and laughed… and laughed….

Actually, it is kind of amusing when you think about it…. right?

One More Scan…??

Looks like I should only have one more scan, which will be tomorrow (Tuesday).  I am glad to hear this because every time I go in for a scan it’s $300.  I only had to go in today to make sure I didn’t need to order any more drugs.  From the looks of things, the doctor says I should be good to go with what I have.  He says if I need another round of meds on Tuesday night, then I can just use follistim at a higher dose, since I will be out of Menopur. Cool!  I already spent $4,200 on meds, so I’m glad to not have to spend anymore.  Oh, and I spent $33 (love this price!) on the other drugs… Hydrocodone (for the egg retrieval), Aspirin, Azithromycin (antibiotic), Ondansetron (?? No clue… Guess I’ll have to look back at my papers) and Methylprednisolone (Steroid).  I remember that the antibiotic is to help keep infections away after the retrieval and the steroid is to lower my immune system a little so the implant is more liking to take.  Yikes, what a stash!

So here are the results… Looks like we will have about 6-7 mature follicles by the time the retrieval is done (looking like it will be Thursday).  I really did expect more, but that’s probably because I’m still in my PCOS brain, instead of my DOR brain.  It’s hard to switch over when I’ve been so used to producing follicles like it’s nothing.  Well, the doctor is still happy with the size and he seems to be happy with the amount, but I know he wanted me to have 12.  Hopefully he will at least get 5-6 out during the retrieval.  I’m hoping for at least three to be implantable, but I will be overjoyed if we have at least one.  I cannot believe how stressful this whole process is.  There are just no guarantees, so the longer you go through, the MORE anxious you get.  I thought once I saw maturing follicles, I’d be a little more relaxed.  Wrong!

Next scan is tomorrow morning at 7:30am.  My estrogen level is at 1,253, which is amazing.  So glad that’s going up!  My lining is at 6.6, so it still has a little ways to go, but my estrogen is quite high, so I think it will get there.

Tonight: (Last injections?) 300IU Follistim, 300IU Menopur and one Ganirelix.  (I started the Ganirelix last night and it still burns and makes a nice, red, irritated patch on my skin).

Also, my husband came with me again today.  When I dropped my pants he giggled, got a big smile on his face and starting clapping.  What would I do without him? 🙂

Scan Moved To Monday

My next scan has been move to tomorrow instead of Tuesday.  I emailed the doctor and let him know that I only have enough meds to make it through Monday night, so if I needed more after that, I’d need to know how much on Monday morning so I could get the meds overnighted in time.  He said there would be no way to tell how much more I would need without the next scan, so it was moved to Monday.  No way to reschedule that over the weekend, so we will be a walk in on Monday.  I hope it doesn’t take too long to get seen, I’m already starting to freak out again.  I keep thinking that if I can’t feel my ovaries aching that there is something wrong.  “Are they continuing to grow?” “Did I ovulate early?”  They said to wait until tonight for the Ganirelix, so if I ovulate early it’s their fault and they owe me money for meds next time.  I don’t think it’s a possibility, but who really knows?  I’m just stressed about everything at this point.

We plan on going in as soon as they open tomorrow (7:30) so I’m hoping everyone else is too lazy to go in that early.  I’m hoping for at least 14’s on righty and some 12-13’s on lefty.