IVF Fertilization Day 3

I didn't have the transfer done today. They called me this morning and pushed it back until Monday, at noon (day 5). I have an appointment tomorrow morning to check for infection and fluid build-up from the egg retrieval. I haven't been feeling well and have been in a lot of pain so they are going to have me come in so they can make sure I am still doing okay. They said they pushed me back to a Day 5 transfer because we have a lot of embryos still doing very well. It is a good thing to do a Day 5 transfer because you have strong, robust embryos and pregnancy rates are higher on a Day 5 transfer. They will only transfer 1 embryo on Day 5. If we would have had a Day 3 transfer they would have put back 2. We are almost there...can't wait for all of this to be over. What a roller-coaster week and experience this has all been!

IVF Fertilization Day 2

Today they called me and said that about 7 are at the 4-cell stage, 5 at the 3-cell stage and 7 stayed at the 2-cell stage. They scheduled me for a Day 3 transfer, which is tomorrow. My appointment is at 2pm. They still might call me in the morning and change to a Day 5 transfer depending on how they grow tonight. They kind of leveled off a little bit. Almost all of their transfers are Day 3 transfers anyway, so it's not a big deal. They say our embryos still look good.

Below, I added a picture of the needle I use for my bum shots. As you can see, it is bigger than the other needles I have used. It is wider and longer. The medicine is actually an oil based medicine so the needle has to be wider so the oil can fit. Anyway, everything is still going great.

IVF Fertilization Day 1

Today they called me and said that 19 embryos have made it to the 2-cell stage. Tomorrow they expect about 9 to make it to the 8-cell stage. All embryos that implant (which means I'm pregnant) do so at the blastocyst stage regardless of the stage of development at which they are transferred. So even if they do the transfer on Day 3 (Saturday), the embryos wouldn't implant into the lining of the uterus until they are at the blastocyst stage. That is why the pregnancy rate is higher if you transfer on Day 5 (Monday), they are ready to implant immediately. Last night I started my bum shots. Spencer and I went to an injection class on Tuesday and I think he feels more confident and understands more of how to give me the shot. He is doing a great job. I usually ice the spot for about 20 minutes beforehand and it really helps. It really isn't that bad...honestly it isn't. I know some of you are probably thinking..."yeah right", but it's really quick and I barely feel it. It hurts worse afterwards because I am supposed to rub the spot for a while to massage the medicine deep into the muscle. Then the next day it is a little sore, kind of like a bruise. We switch sides every night to even it out.

I am still recovering from the egg retrieval; I still have some abdominal pain and cramping. The pain medicine really has helped a lot.

IVF Egg Retieval

This morning was my egg retrieval. Everything went very well. We couldn't believe it when they told us but I had 28 eggs!!!! I knew I had a lot of eggs because the last day or so I have had bad stomach pains and cramps and I was bloated; but I had no idea it was going to be that many. The nurses and the doctor were surprised as well and kept saying, "you had a lot of eggs." I guess my body was loving that medicine. The procedure took a little longer than normal because I had so many eggs, and I feel a little more pain because of it too. I am on a low does of Vicodin which helps the pain. I slept a lot today and finally got up and I have been walking around. I do feel better but I know it will take a while for the pain to go away completely. Spencer has been taking good care of me! They will call us tomorrow and let us know how many they fertilize and how they are doing.

IVF Update

I took my trigger shot last night at 8:45pm and boy was it intense for a few minutes. At about 8:25pm I went upstairs to get ready and then realized that no one told me how much to give myself of the medicine. I started to panic. I called Tasha and she didn't answer so I called the Shady Grove Emergency Hotline. They said that a Dr. will call me back in 30 minutes. I told her that I didn't have 30 minutes and I was supposed to give myself the shot in 15 minutes. She said that is all she could do is page the Dr. on call. I hung up with her and Tasha called me back. She gave me the proper dose amount. I was so relieved. Then as soon as I hung up with her Dr. Saffan called me and told me the amount as well. Whew! I quickly got the needle ready. Spencer was kind of nervous...afterall it was his first time being a nurse! He did a great job. The shot was quick and not too bad. I iced the spot for a few minutes beforehand and I think it helped. Today, Tuesday, I don't have any Dr. appointments and I am done with all my stimulation medicine...yes that means I didn't have to give myself a single shot today! Yeah!! I can totally tell a difference in how I feel though. I have constant pain in my lower abdomen, like cramping. I mean I have like 10 large eggs instead of one so go figure! I have to be at the office tomorrow by 7:15am to start the prep work for the egg retrieval. I am put under for the procedure, afterwards I have to stay in bed there for about an hour to wake up and get oriented again. Then I go home and rest all day...I will be on pain medication as well. They also said that I need to start a high protein diet with lots of Gatorade for the next couple of weeks...at least until the pregnancy test. So off to Costco for cases of Gatorade! Well, wish me luck for tomorrow.

Below are pictures of us with my nurse Kelly Lee and with my doctor, Dr. Saffan! They are so great! We couldn't have asked for better people to work with!

IVF Stimulation Day 8

I am progressing nicely! I now have 8 that are over 1.7!! I am so excited. I didn't trigger last night but I am for sure triggering tonight! They will call me around 5pm and tell me the exact time to take my trigger shot; my egg retrieval will be Wednesday morning.

IVF Stimulation Day 7

This morning they took 2 vials of blood and did an ultrasound. As you can see from the print-out I now have 3 that are over 1.7! And a few more that are really close. The next step is for me to take my "trigger" shot. I have to take this special medicine exaclty 36 hours before my egg retrieval called my "trigger" shot. So they might "trigger" me tonight, which means they would do the egg retrieval Tuesday morning. If I take my "trigger" shot at 9pm tonight, then my egg retrieval is at 9am on Tuesday (36 hours). I know...very confusing! Everyday I ask so many questions so I can understand all of this. Tasha has been so great and understanding! The clinic will call me tonight between 4-6pm and let me know if they are going to trigger and at what time to take my (shot) medicine. If I don't trigger tonight then it will be for sure Monday night! I can't beleive how far I have come and that this whole process is almost over. Spencer is coming up Monday night and I can't wait to see him.

IVF Stimulation Day 6

Well, I wasn't supposed to have an appointment today but yesterday Tasha called me and said that my estradial level was high and so she wanted to see me today. Everything is fine...she just wanted to monitor me some more. She dropped my daily dose of Follistim to 150 instead of 200. I now have 2 follicles that are at a 1.7! This is very exciting. Just a few more and then they can do the egg retreival.

IVF Stimulation Day 5

I started Ganarelix this morning. It is a daily shot in my upper thigh. It is a drug that is used to prevent premature ovulation. Since the dr's are manipulating my body and its normal processes, they can't let me ovulate until a certain time. The shots are okay, it stung a little but wasn't that bad. As you can see the needle is small like the other one. I also had another Dr's appointment this morning. They took 2 vials of blood and did another ultrasound. The ultrasound tech said that I was the perfect study patient. She said all my tests and ultrasounds are perfect. Tasha gave me a print-out of my follicle growth (see below). The column heading that says "mean" is what they look at. There is a check mark above that column. Tasha said that when I have at least 4-5 that are at least 1.7 then they will do the egg retrieval. Starting Sunday the 25th, they will do daily ultrasounds to monitor the growth.

IVF Stimulation Day 4

Today's shot was much better than yesterday. I think the key is to go slow. I leave this afternoon to go back up to DC. My next appointment is tomorrow (Friday) morning. Also, tomorrow I start my leg shots.

IVF Stimulation Day 3

Today was the first day that Spencer watched me give my shot. He was so proud! This mornings shot stung a little and I bled a tiny bit where the needle went in. It's probably because Spencer was watching and I was showing off a little! ha! I feel fine though. Tomorrow I will be more careful. I still don't feel any different...I think by the end of the week and beginning of next week, Tasha said I will feel a little bloated and maybe some slight abdominal pain. We will see!

IVF Stimulation Day 2

This morning I gave myself the tummy injection and it went smoothly. I am already a pro and it's only been 2 days! I shouldn't brag quite yet because Friday, Day 5 of stimulation I start leg injections! Stay tuned!

IVF Stimulation Day 1

Today, Monday March 19th, I start my injections, they call this Day 1 of stimulation. Everything now counts up from today. Today they took 4 vials of blood, did a transvaginal ultrasound to measure my follicles and they took my height, weight and blood pressure. Today I start a low-dose of aspirin (81mg), I take daily for a few weeks. So I have to say that my injection today wasn't bad at all. I was REALLY nervous and thought it was going to hurt. As you can see below the needle is so small and I swear...I can't even feel it going in. So this is my routine. First I have to use an alcohol wipe and wipe off my skin (on the left side of my belly button about down 1 inch). I let it dry. Then I attach the needle to my pen, turn the knob at the bottom until it is at 200. I then pinch a section of my skin, put in the needle, let go of my skin and then push in the end of the pen, that injects the medicine. That's it! It is so quick and easy!
My next appointment is Friday March 23rd and will start daily monitoring. I will stay up there until about April 1st or 3rd. My appointmenst are in Rockville, Maryland which is about 3 hours north of Lexington. I am staying with my sister's in-laws. They are so nice and very generous. I will give daily updates and let everyone know what is happening next.

IVF Office Visit #1

My first office visit was Sunday March 18th at 11 a.m. I was so excited and nervous. Today they took 3 vials of blood and a urine sample. They did a transvaginal ultrasound and measured every single follicle (unfertilized eggs develop in follicles located in the ovaries) and they also did a pelvic exam. Then they took my height, weight and blood pressure. I then met with Tasha Newsome. Tasha is the Clinical Research Coordinator. Most of my appointments will be with her. Below is a picture of us together. She is so nice and very encouraging. We talked about what to expect and all my injections. Yes injections. I know some of you didn't know that I have to give myself daily injections. The first medicine I start with is Follistim. This medicine is a follicle-stimulating hormone, which basically means it will help me produce more than one egg...by the end of a week or so, I should have about 10-14 eggs. I use what is called the Follistim Pen. It comes with preloaded vials of medicine and all I have to do is attach the needle and turn the dial to my daily dose wich is 200 IU. It seems pretty easy but I hope it doesn't hurt. We will see on Monday!

Finally, A New Oven

Our old oven finally died. I have been waiting for this to happen and was so excited that our landlords bought us a new oven. Using our old gas oven was a process. You had to turn it on...not knowing to what temperature, wait about 10-15 minutes then open the oven door and using a flashlight look at the hanging internal thermometer, then adjust accordingly. And it was always fun and a surprise when I would think I was cooking dinner and only to find out that mid-way through cooking the pilot light had gone out and the temperature had dropped, ruining dinner. Arghhhh!
I love our new oven! Isn't it pretty? I had no idea how much I could love an oven! HA!

Just Us

Since we don't have children to fill up our blog with pictures...you get to see some of us. During our snow storm a few weeks ago, Spencer and I went outside and played in the snow for a little bit. It was so cold, we didn't stay out long. Then because of the ice storm on Feb 13th, we were without heat, water and power and, of course, miserable so we skipped/missed Valentine's Day, so Spencer bought me roses a couple of days later. The last picture was just taken a few days ago right before church.

Ice Storm

We had a BIG ice storm Tuesday, Feb.13th! It rained and rained and then froze...over everything. Tuesday night we didn't sleep at all. Twice during the night large branches broke off from trees and hit the house, sending us through the roof! It was pretty scary; they couldn't take the weight of the ice. All night we could hear branches breaking and falling through the woods. When the wind blows it sounds like little chimes because of the ice on all the branches. The power, heat and water went out at midnight and has been out for 2 days. It has been miserable to say the least. We had to go to friends to shower. We bought blocks of ice and put our food in coolers and bought tons of water. At least our stove works because it is a gas stove so we can boil water and I have managed to cook dinner. I didn't go to work on Wednesday and Spencer didn't make it to class. On top of all this, Spencer is getting really sick. We have to keep the fire burning all day and all night so the pipes don't freeze. At night the temperature drops to single digits. It has been so cold! Despite the horrible conditions we are living in...we have managed to take some great pictures. When the sun shines the trees look like crystal. It is so pretty.

More Ice Pictures

The tree tops look grey because of the ice. Below, Spencer and I are bundled up by the fire early in the morning. Poor Spencer is trying to be diligent with his homework and continues to read.

First Snow

We finally had our first snow. It snowed about 7 inches in one night.

Stuck

With all the snow, we have had our fair share of problems. The first day we made it into work/school just fine but on our way home was another story. We couldn't make it all the way up our driveway. We were stuck. This picture shows you how far away we still were from our house. We just left the car there and walked home. The next morning we were still stuck and tried several times to manoeuver the car around. Spencer finally got it to move and we backed down the entire driveway and barely made it out and then on the way home we got stuck again and just left the car in the middle of the driveway and walked up to our home. We have been able to come and go the last few days but not without spinning the wheels a lot. It has been a struggle. What an experience!