Almost forgot to do my patch yesterday (Vivelle), but stuck it on in the nick of time. And today I was lucky enough to start my progesterone suppositories. Oh, joy!
But the real good news is that 17 of my little buddies made it 'till today, and 7 of them are strong enough to go for a day 5 transfer! Hooray! I don't know why I don't do a lot of research about each step of the way...sometimes I think that I obsess over every detail if I know it, so I just leave it to my RE. I do, however, know that a blast transfer (when the embryos have made it to the blastocyst stage) could possibly give me a better chance at concieving..and not having quadruplets. I guess the jury is still out on this, but the stats seem good, so I'm going with it.
I've also been dealing with my large belly, and V8 juice and Gatorade seem to be doing great. NO SODA...made that mistake yesterday. Oops - giant belly. Watermelon-sized.
Hope everyone else is having a good weekend...I'll be taking a few days of from appointments (yay, no drive!) and head up to Denver again on Tuesday. Keeping those fingers crossed!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
My Eggs are A-Mazing!
Out of my 25 harvested eggs, 19 of them fertilized!
My embryologist said that that was "fantastic", so I am overjoyed.
They tentatively set me up for a Sunday transfer, but it's probably going to be on Tuesday. It just depends on how many of those little darlings (they'd like 6+) decide to be spectacular and make it to a 5-day transfer. Come on, little guys, go!
I feel great today. Just a little sore in the ovaries, but very bloated. I feel like I am already walking like a pregnant woman (waddle, waddle) and have the belly to match. I'll just pretend that I'm practicing.
We'll see what tomorrow brings...
My embryologist said that that was "fantastic", so I am overjoyed.
They tentatively set me up for a Sunday transfer, but it's probably going to be on Tuesday. It just depends on how many of those little darlings (they'd like 6+) decide to be spectacular and make it to a 5-day transfer. Come on, little guys, go!
I feel great today. Just a little sore in the ovaries, but very bloated. I feel like I am already walking like a pregnant woman (waddle, waddle) and have the belly to match. I'll just pretend that I'm practicing.
We'll see what tomorrow brings...
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Whoa, What a Day
Twenty-five eggs! I am so happy!!! The toughest stage is over with - the dreaded retrieval.
Here's how it all went down:
We woke up at 3:30 a.m. to leave for Denver at 4:00, and we got to the hospital right on time. (I usually go to a satellite office for my visits - this was the first time I'd been to the "real" offices.) I was nervous but very excited.
We waited for a few minutes before we (mom and husband were with me) were led into the pre-op room, where I changed into a fashionable gown and socks. I met all of the folks who would be helping me that day, probably about 10 of them, and then we got down to business. I got an IV, said goodby to mom and hubby, and then was wheeled into the op room. I remember lying on the table, putting my feet in the cradles, having someone put oxygen in my nose, and my anesthesiologist telling me she'd given me some "happy juice".
A doctor came in and asked "why I was there" (everyone asked that, just to make sure), and because I'd already answered it four times, I decided to say "for liposuction" just to see if I could get a laugh. As I drifted off into La La Land, I heard someone say, "Enjoy your liposuction." And that was it.
I woke up in a gourney where my mom and husband were sitting beside me. The nurse said that I had woken up a half-hour earlier, but I wanted to sleep. (Could that be the early wake-up call?) I jumped over to regular bed and started sipping ginger ale. I felt great. I couldn't stop saying how happy I was, and before I knew it there was a box of Kleenex on my lap, but I didnt' know how it got there. The nurse went over all the post-retrieval procedures, and I thought I was pretty coherent. I vaguely remember asking my mom to take a photo of my husband and I while I was still in my hospital gear, and in the picture I look like I had been bawling. Mom says that's why the Kleenex was there. Could've fooled me.
As I was leaving, I remember saying something to the effect of, "No offence, but I don't want to be here for that again." And the nurse said, "If you do, you should bring us some of those deviled eggs." Dear heavens, what had I been babbling about? If you follow Nikus at Nikus' Road, you will know that she brought deviled eggs to her retrieval appointment, and I guess I was feeling guilty for not bringing anything to mine. (It was in a big hospital with doctors I'd never met before, though.) Seriously, what else did I talk about that I don't remember? I wish I had filmed the whole thing - I bet I was hilarious.
The two-hour ride home was easy, though I had one brief episode of extreme nausea. Then I put my head down and slept the rest of the way. I took a Tylenol when I got home because it did hurt a little and I was still a bit nauseous. I ate some chicken soup (of course) and drank a Sprite - common sickie practice.
Now, 11 hours after the procedure, I feel sore but so happy. I have 25 little embryos being presided over by a very nice embryologist. Tomorrow we find out who got fertilized and who didn't make the cut.
So happy. So positive. So thankful for all the texts and support I got throughout the day. And thankful for Tylenol, too.
Here's how it all went down:
We woke up at 3:30 a.m. to leave for Denver at 4:00, and we got to the hospital right on time. (I usually go to a satellite office for my visits - this was the first time I'd been to the "real" offices.) I was nervous but very excited.
We waited for a few minutes before we (mom and husband were with me) were led into the pre-op room, where I changed into a fashionable gown and socks. I met all of the folks who would be helping me that day, probably about 10 of them, and then we got down to business. I got an IV, said goodby to mom and hubby, and then was wheeled into the op room. I remember lying on the table, putting my feet in the cradles, having someone put oxygen in my nose, and my anesthesiologist telling me she'd given me some "happy juice".
A doctor came in and asked "why I was there" (everyone asked that, just to make sure), and because I'd already answered it four times, I decided to say "for liposuction" just to see if I could get a laugh. As I drifted off into La La Land, I heard someone say, "Enjoy your liposuction." And that was it.
I woke up in a gourney where my mom and husband were sitting beside me. The nurse said that I had woken up a half-hour earlier, but I wanted to sleep. (Could that be the early wake-up call?) I jumped over to regular bed and started sipping ginger ale. I felt great. I couldn't stop saying how happy I was, and before I knew it there was a box of Kleenex on my lap, but I didnt' know how it got there. The nurse went over all the post-retrieval procedures, and I thought I was pretty coherent. I vaguely remember asking my mom to take a photo of my husband and I while I was still in my hospital gear, and in the picture I look like I had been bawling. Mom says that's why the Kleenex was there. Could've fooled me.
As I was leaving, I remember saying something to the effect of, "No offence, but I don't want to be here for that again." And the nurse said, "If you do, you should bring us some of those deviled eggs." Dear heavens, what had I been babbling about? If you follow Nikus at Nikus' Road, you will know that she brought deviled eggs to her retrieval appointment, and I guess I was feeling guilty for not bringing anything to mine. (It was in a big hospital with doctors I'd never met before, though.) Seriously, what else did I talk about that I don't remember? I wish I had filmed the whole thing - I bet I was hilarious.
The two-hour ride home was easy, though I had one brief episode of extreme nausea. Then I put my head down and slept the rest of the way. I took a Tylenol when I got home because it did hurt a little and I was still a bit nauseous. I ate some chicken soup (of course) and drank a Sprite - common sickie practice.
Now, 11 hours after the procedure, I feel sore but so happy. I have 25 little embryos being presided over by a very nice embryologist. Tomorrow we find out who got fertilized and who didn't make the cut.
So happy. So positive. So thankful for all the texts and support I got throughout the day. And thankful for Tylenol, too.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
The Day Has Come
Finally!
I am excited to wake up at 4:00 a.m. tomorrow morning and get this show on the road! Okay, I'm not so excited about the 4:00 wake-up call, but I am excited to take the second-to-last final step in the process of (hopefully) becoming a parent!
My mom is here, my husband has the day off, and I have given all the shots I need to give. All the pieces are in place, and I'm ready to make this happen.
It's amazing how some things seem easy until you try them, and others seem daunting only until you give them a try. Infertility is riddled will both kinds of situations. IVF? Way harder and more time-intensive than I thought. The trigger shot? A breeze. Barely felt the little guy go in. Let's hope tomorrow's adventure proves to be of the latter nature.
I am excited to wake up at 4:00 a.m. tomorrow morning and get this show on the road! Okay, I'm not so excited about the 4:00 wake-up call, but I am excited to take the second-to-last final step in the process of (hopefully) becoming a parent!
My mom is here, my husband has the day off, and I have given all the shots I need to give. All the pieces are in place, and I'm ready to make this happen.
It's amazing how some things seem easy until you try them, and others seem daunting only until you give them a try. Infertility is riddled will both kinds of situations. IVF? Way harder and more time-intensive than I thought. The trigger shot? A breeze. Barely felt the little guy go in. Let's hope tomorrow's adventure proves to be of the latter nature.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Ack!
The other night, I woke up in a panic thinking that there was a shot that I had been forgetting to take for the last few days...a mystery "fourth" drug that didn't really exist. It took me a few minutes to reassure myself that it was all a dream and I've been doing everything right. I think it's safe to say that the last few weeks have been overwhelming. I've had so many questions and have been so thankful for my friends, friends of friends, cousins, and blog buddies who are right there with me in this situation. (How do you all remember to ask the right questions in your appointments? I just come home and read your posts in order to know what's going on with my own IVF.)
But the end is near. I'm preparing for my Pregnyl (trigger) shot tonight at 7:30. Luckily, I have a husband who (I think) tends to relish the mixing / poking / needle process a little too much. Maybe he should have been a doctor? He's going to give me the shot tonight. No more Follistim, Menopur, or Luprolide! Yay!
Then it's smooth sailing on Wednesday and a 4:00 a.m. wake-up call on Thursday morning to drive to Denver for the retrieval.
Thank you all for your finger-crossing and prayers - it's worked so far, let's keep it up! I am so excited...and thinking only positive thoughts.
But the end is near. I'm preparing for my Pregnyl (trigger) shot tonight at 7:30. Luckily, I have a husband who (I think) tends to relish the mixing / poking / needle process a little too much. Maybe he should have been a doctor? He's going to give me the shot tonight. No more Follistim, Menopur, or Luprolide! Yay!
Then it's smooth sailing on Wednesday and a 4:00 a.m. wake-up call on Thursday morning to drive to Denver for the retrieval.
Thank you all for your finger-crossing and prayers - it's worked so far, let's keep it up! I am so excited...and thinking only positive thoughts.
Monday, June 13, 2011
I have a date with destiny!
Or at least with a big needle and some fat follicles.
Everything went well today. My doc said that my lining was "pretty" (ooh la la), my follicles were growing nicely, and we're on track for a Thursday morning retrieval!
Hooray! For a while there, I wasn't sure if we were going to make it to this point, but my follies made up for lost time and are growing like champs. I'm excited to go to my last appointment tomorrow to monitor any last-minute growth, and then it's on to the big day...then the even bigger day on Saturday or Sunday. (Or somewhere-abouts.)
It's nice to have the thumbs-up after all this trouble. My belly is getting a little tired of being stabbed. I'm not complaining, mind you, just making an observation.
Everything went well today. My doc said that my lining was "pretty" (ooh la la), my follicles were growing nicely, and we're on track for a Thursday morning retrieval!
Hooray! For a while there, I wasn't sure if we were going to make it to this point, but my follies made up for lost time and are growing like champs. I'm excited to go to my last appointment tomorrow to monitor any last-minute growth, and then it's on to the big day...then the even bigger day on Saturday or Sunday. (Or somewhere-abouts.)
It's nice to have the thumbs-up after all this trouble. My belly is getting a little tired of being stabbed. I'm not complaining, mind you, just making an observation.
Friday, June 10, 2011
So far, so good...
Another checkup today, and everything seems to be going well. I still have plenty of eggs in both ovaries, but I'm hoping that they get nice and big before next week. (Lots of little ones at 8, lead follicle at about 12. I think - it's hard to concentrate when you are having an intimate experience with an ultrasound wand.)
Drugs? Check.
Sore ovaries? Check, check.
Feeling of hope and optimism. Check!
This feels more "real" now that my body is physically responding to all the drugs. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I'll check back in with a report on Monday...please pray for nice, big, healthy follicles for me!
Drugs? Check.
Sore ovaries? Check, check.
Feeling of hope and optimism. Check!
This feels more "real" now that my body is physically responding to all the drugs. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I'll check back in with a report on Monday...please pray for nice, big, healthy follicles for me!
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