2 week wait

So I am currently in the 2 week wait they call it, It is the 2 weeks you have to wait in between the Egg Transfer and your Blood pregnancy test. 

Its funny you start your IVF cycle and it is like a whirl wind, You meet with the Dr go over your cycle, They drop off your Medication, You start your Injections for 2 weeks, They take out your egg's, They put your Eggs back in send you home and you sit and wait for 2 weeks. Its GO GO GO and STOP! 

I am amazed at the whole IVF cycle and how they time your body, You don't have much time to think because their is so much else going on. Between Injections and Blood work you are on Overload. When you are sent home you get to relax from all of the chaos but the down side is that you have time to think "Did I just go through all that with out blinking an eye?"

Egg Transfer today

Today we had our Egg Transfer, My Acupuncturist met with us before hand at the Dr's office. She did the first treatment for an hour.

The Dr and the embryologist came in and went over our Embryos and the grades of them, This is what we had:

Out of 13 Embryo's 

6 are 8 Cell

4 are 6 Cell

1 is a 5 Cell 

1 is a 4 Cell

All are a grade 3 out of 1-4, 4 being the best.

Mark and I decided to put back 2 8 cell Embryos.

Now i am stuck at home on bed rest for 48 hours and stuck at home the rest of the week, I already have a bad case of Cabin Fever!

The Verdicts in!

So they did ICSI on all 17 Egg's they retrieved and 13 of them Fertilized normally, That is 75% of our eggs when normally only 60% fertilize.

We will go in on Monday and do an Acupuncture session before the transfer, Than the Dr and the Embryologist will come in and discuss our egg grades, What our options are and how many we want transferred. From their they will transfer the embryos and i will be sent home for 72 hours of bed rest and the rest of the week and following week will be light, No exercise and no lifting anything over 10 lbs.

Keep your fingers crossed for Monday!

Good Day!

Well every one we had our Egg retrieval this morning, First they took me in and and met with the Anesthesiologist to go over allergies and ll of that good stuff. They than put in an IV and gave me the good stuff, I was under for about 40 Minutes.

After it was all over the Dr came in and said that everything couldn't have gone any better, They originally thought that I had 16 Egg's but when the Dr came in he said that the retrieved 17, He was very pleased with the quality and quantity of them.

The Dr said that he will give us a call tomorrow and let us know how many were Fertilized and what their "grades" are. I go back in on Monday for the Egg's to be Implanted than are on Bed rest for 72 hours and just rest the rest of the week.

I will keep you all posted with what the Dr says tomorrow!

Day 9

Tonight is my last INJECTION!!!!!!

I have to take my last injection at 11:15pm

Today was a good day, I felt great. Lunch with my Aunt, Acupuncture and spent some time with my friends Amanda, Sam and their Beautiful Twin girls Sadie and Shelby. 

Tomorrow is my day off to get everything in order for friday. 

Until friday...

Day 8

I'm a day late on posting this but yesterday sucked! I woke up really queezy and had body Aches most of the day, So needless to say I didn't move from the couch until almost 4:00 just in time to give my self my last Injection of Bravelle and Menopour! 

So far this morning I am feeling ok, Just a little queezy but am hoping that will go away after I eat breakfast.

Today is my last day of INJECTIONS! 

 

Ultrasound

I had an Ultrasound this morning and everything is looking great, The Dr is very pleased with how the Follicles are growing. I am supposed to do My Injections today and tomorrow, Than my HCG injection at 10:30pm on Wednesday night along with my Progesterone medication. The Dr set the retrieval date for Friday!

He is very hopeful for my eggies!

Day 7

So i started the Ganirelex Injection today and i must say the look of the Injection was much more frightening than what it really was. I was very Oily but didn't burn when I injected it. The part that hurt the worse was the Injection site, After I removed the needle their was an Instant burning and Itching sensation around the Injection.

My side affects yesterday were more Nausea than normal and a slight Head Ache and extreme fatigue.

Day 6

So today hasn't been too bad, Much better than Yesterday. No head Ache so far and not as much fatigue as normal, Only Discomfort. I had to drive with my pants unbuttoned because i am getting so bloated and full from all of the follicles developing, He he. Oh well just gives me another reason to lay around and do nothing.

Another Injection

Since my Dr said that my Follicles are developing so well and quickly he has put me on another Injection Separate from the one I already do, It is a pre filled syringe and it is to keep my body from Ovulating prematurely. I start thins Injection tomorrow (Sunday) I am a little worried though because this is an Oil based Injection and those always hurt the worse. Oh well i will just "Grin and Bear it"

Day 5 and Ultrasound

Today we had our first ultrasound and blood work today, I was nervous and first but than excited. i had posted earlier that they had found a Cyst on my left Ovary from the Birth Control Pill I was on, Well the Ultra sound today showed that the Cyst has been getting smaller so that was good news and even better news I have 16 Follicles (egg's) so far! My Dr was very excited.

I start another injection called Ganirelix injection on sunday along with my other Injection, This one is to keep my Ovaries from prematurely Ovulating. We go back on monday for another ultrasound and said that we should know when our Egg retrieval will be on Monday.

Today has been the worst out of the Past 5, I had a HORRIBLE head ache and am starting to feel very bloated and full from all of the follicles developing, They said that they will grow to be about the size of my thumb right before the retrieval and with 16 follicles developing this isn't going to be comfortable.

Day 4

Todays side effects were worse than the past 3 days, I had a horrible Head Ache for most of the afternoon the kind that hurts when you move your eyes. I came home from work and got into bed and took a 30 minute nap that seemed to help. i gave my self my Injection at 4:00 again today, it is getting easier and easier every day I do it. Today though I started to have cramping on the left side, My Ovaries are working. 

We have our first ultrasound and blood work tomorrow, They are going to check my ultrasound and count how many follicles have started to develop. 

We will keep you updated!

Day 3

Today was a good day, Only slight Head ache today as far as side affects. I am still doing the same injections and baby aspirin daily at 4:00pm. Today I did give my self the Injection in my abdomen instead of my thigh, I thought the pain would be worse being in my Abdomen but it wasn't as bad as I thought. 

On to day 4!

Day 2

This morning I woke up with a bad Head Ache that lasted for most of the afternoon, Head Aches are one of the side affects from the Injection. For the most part the Day wasn't so bad, Mark was home today so he got experience the whole Injection process with me. I am switching Injection sites every day from one thigh to another, I am allowed to to it in the Abdomen but with how it burns when I give my self the Injection I thought I would stay away from my abdomen.

So far so good! 

Day 1 down!

   We went to the Dr. This Morning and they did more Blood work and an Ultrasound. The Blood work went over well but when they did the ultra sound the found a small fluid filled cyst on my left ovary from the Birth Control I was on the past 2 weeks. The Dr. was some what concerned But said we should wait and see what the Blood test says. So they called at 4 and said that my Estrogen level was great and not to be concerned about the Cyst at all and to go ahead with the Injections.

 Toady at 4:00 I gave my self my first Injection, I was actually excited to start. The Needle that I gave the shot to my self with is a shorter needle that goes into the fat instead of the Muscle, It didn't hurt at all. The only part that hurt was injecting the Medicine, It burned and now feels like i have a hard ball under my skin. I also started taking 1 81mg of baby aspirin and prescription prenatal vitamins.

Above is a picture of everything placed out on the counter before my injection, I mix 1cc with 3 vials bravelle of and 1 vial of Menopur That way it is only 1 injection a day

Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Our Medications are here!

This Morning we were greeted by FedEx when they delivered our package (below) and inside was all of the Medication we are going to need for the next 2 weeks before our Egg retrieval.

I have posted all of the medication that are inside this box and what they are for and their possible Side affects.

                                          Here are all of the contents that are in the box.

      Above are 6 of the medication taken by mouth, Below are what they are from left to right and a description of what they are for.

-PROGESTERONE: Taken Twice Daily

-Helps prepare your uterus for Conception and Pregnancy.         ~Nausea, Acne & Fatigue

-PROGEST: Taken Three times Daily

-Taken to prepare your body for conception and Pregnancy.           ~Breast Tenderness, Nausea, Acne & Fatigue

-PERSCRIPTION STRENGTH PRE NATAL VITAMINS: Taken Once Daily

-PROPOXYPHENE: Taken one tablet every 3-4 hours for pain    -This is a pain killer taken after the Egg retrieval.           ~Nausea, Constipation, Sedation, Dizziness, Vomiting,                Sweating, Anemia.

-ESTRADOL: Taken twice daily

-To help thicken the Endometrial lining.

~Dizziness

-DORYX (Doxycycline): Taken twice daily

-Around Egg retrieval time, You take and Antibiotic to                reduce the chance of infection from removal.
~Sensitivity to sunlight, Nausea, Vomiting, Stomach Pain.

 -MENOPUR: Provides a Follicle Stimulating Hormone and             Lutenizing Hormone to help provide healthy Egg's.

~ Breast Pain, Back Pain, Cough, Chills, Dizziness,                   Hot Flashes.

                       Two Boxes 5 vials each

-BRAVELLE: Also contains the Follicle Stimulating Hormone for     Healthy Egg growth.

 ~Vomiting, Injection Site pain, Chills, Fever, Nausea.

                        6 Boxes 5 Vials each

                                                            -Needle Disposal

-BABY ASPRIN: Taken once daily

-Keeps Placential blood vessels open to aid implantation

                                                        -22 & 27 Gauge Needles 

Busy couple of weeks!

My Nurse called yesterday and we have a date! 

Tomorrow I will be expecting a package with all of my Medication and Injections in it, From their we will meet with our Dr and nurse to go over all of our Injections and do a Mock Egg Transfer.

I will Start Injections Next week and will have to go in to the Dr's office on March 20Th, 23rd & 25Th for Blood work and Ultra Sounds to see how well my Follicles are developing and how many Eggies i have. 

I will go in on March 27Th for the Egg retrieval under General Anesthesia , From their they will go ahead and fertilize all of the Mature egg's and let them "cook" for 3 days.

On March 30Th we will have to go back in and Have the Egg's transferred, It is a simple procedure. While i am laying on the table my Acupuncturist will than go ahead and do one 1/2 hour session at the Dr's office.  From their i will have to go straight home and on Bed rest for 2 days and to take it easy for 3 weeks. No exercise or lifting anything over 8 pounds.

Needless to say this month is going to go by fast!!

Some Good News

I went to my Acupuncture today and told my Acupuncturist (who deals with only IVF patients) what my FSH level was (3.5) and She started laughing, So i asked her what was so funny and she said a 3.5 FSH level is an AMAZING level and that i am (in her words) Incredibly fertile and that she cant see why we wont get pregnant on our first IVF cycle! 

That just made my day and I thought I would share it with all of you.

xoxo

FSH & the next step

Well good news, Mark got the Go ahead from his Dr. So he is good to go with the IVF. I went in the other day and had more Blood taken to test my FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) Your FSH level is the Main Hormone involved in producing Mature healthy egg's. My level was a 3.5 and they said it was a good level and that my Ovaries will respond well to the Stimulation injections they are going to put me on. 

They told me to start the Birth Control they prescribed to me. Birth Control i know! You are probably asking why birth control when i cant get pregnant as it is, Well the reason the prescribe birth control is to suppress my body from ovulating naturally. IVF is planned to the hour so the Birth Control puts everything on hold until i start Injections.

Acupuncture

After our failed 6 month attempt on Clomid, Our next step was heavier fertility drugs. I knew their had to be one more shot before having to inject my body with all of the intense hormones, I had heard about Acupuncture and infertility but never thought twice about going to it until my friend Kacey had mentioned that she had gone and it worked for her. She recommended me to a Dr. in Santa Monica that she went too. I made an appointment and went to see her, She talked to me and told me about all sorts of interesting things about your body. How your spleen, Kidney and liver are all big factors in your reproductive system. I wasn't so sure about it, It all sounded like a bunch of Hocus Pocus but i went along with it, I mean at that point why not! Acupuncture ended up being AMAZING i went from not ovulating on my own to ovulating, Feeling so much better and healthier, Sleeping better and feeling better overall.

  When Dr. Kolb told us that we had to go forward with IVF for a baby i immediately cancelled my appointments after i silently freaked out about how much the IVF was going to cost us i didn't want to add another cost of Acupuncture along with it. Since i am a nut on the computer and Google i thought why not look up Acupuncture and IVF and well it turns out that while going through Acupuncture and IVF increases your success rate, So after mark and i talked about it (and i was secretly obsessed with it) we decided that if we are going to spend this much money for it might as well make my body as healthy as we possibly can for the IVF. So today i started with a new Acupuncturist in La Canada (I was sad to leave my old Dr but glad that we didn't have to make that hour drive in traffic once a week) I had my first appointment with her today and she is AMAZING i have high hopes with her. I am going to continue going once a week until i start with the Injections than she wants to see me twice a week until the Egg Retrieval. Than the day of the Egg transfer i will have a 25 minute session with her before the transfer and she will come to the Dr's office with us and do another 25 minute session immediately following the transfer while i am laying in the Dr's office to calm my uterus and accept the Egg. Who knows if it will help but at this point why not!

Blood, Blood & More Blood

To get this journey started they gave me a list of all of the blood test's I had to have done before we started anything, 6 to be exact, HIV, Hepatitis, CBC, Cystic Fibrosis, Rubella & HTLV 1&2.The HIV and Hepatitis is required by the state of california in order to go through with IUI or an IVF procedure. My poor vein is yelling at me to stop. Thank god to day was the last day of the blood test and of course it had to end with a nurse that felt like sharing with me how fertile her family is, REALLY that is not what i wanted to hear! Thank you! ;)

Thank you

Thank you to my wonderful father who has pointed out all of my Grammar and spelling typos I apologize and as my 3 Sister in laws that are reading it (especially Cecily) I am sure they are thinking the same thing so please ignore it. Ha Ha :)

Thanks DAD!

Overwhelmed

So the first time i met with my Fertility Doctor, Dr. Kolb. They handed me my "folder" to keep all of my information in, I thought "Holy crap that is thick" I went home and started to go through it and it finally clicked "what have we gotten our self into" In the folder they have sections on all of the 8 Dr's at the practice,  Financial, Dealing with IVF, Medications, Procedures and Resources. Mark and i sat down and went through the whole thing cover to cover and after going over it with him made me feel not so overwhelmed.  With all of the paperwork and Medical records that we are receiving it is nice to have.

Who would have thought

It started back in October of 2007, Mark and i always knew we wanted to start a family as soon as we got Married never did we think this is where we would end up. After a year of trying with no luck i went to the Dr. She had me have a HSG test done and found out that both of my tubes are blocked and referred me to a Fertility Dr. In Pasadena. Mark was working so my Mom went with me, we sat down with the Dr and went over my history. At the end of my meeting with the Dr he said those words In vitro Fertilization, My heart just sank and couldn't be leave at 26 years old the only way i was going to be able to have a baby with the man of my dreams was through IVF. I went home and Cried to mark and explained to him what our situation was and him being the wonderful man he is said "Ok, Whatever it takes" So our IVF journey has begun...