Thursday, September 30, 2010

Surprising News...

My transfer is tomorrow, October 1st! They called this morning saying there were five very strong embryos that were standing out from the rest. Their thinking is the strong embryos are better off inside me than in the lab (especially since they can tell so soon of their quality), so they want to transfer tomorrow. I was surprised, for I had the impression yesterday that we were transferring as a 5-day. Wow, tomorrow is the day!

Then, a lightbulb went off in my head! I forgot to take my antibiotic and Medrol. I know the antibiotic is a precautionary drug to help prevent infection, and the Medrol is for any inflammation. I started the meds one day late, so I'm praying that won't affect our success in a negative way. The nurse said to start taking them today, and there's nothing we can do about it now. I am mad at myself for forgetting, but I'm trying not to let it bother me too much. I don't need the stress. I keep thinking at this point, God will be determine if this transfer is a success.

I feel great, though...a little nervous but I more excited than anything. I hope to post tomorrow, but we'll see. I'm looking forward to meeting my beautiful embryos tomorrow. Hopefully, they like their new home! :)

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Fertilization Report...and Those Darn PIO Shots

Another morning phone call...and fortunately, a GOOD morning! Of the 21 eggs, 16 fertilized!!! Yay! I was so pumped, my excitement must have been very visible. My daughter asks, "Why are you so happy?!" It's so difficult not being able to explain the details with her, or for that matter, in a way that she would comprehend. Due to the amount of fertilized eggs, the lab predicts that we will have a 5-day transfer. If they wait until day 5, she explained, they will have a better idea of the strongest embryos to transfer. If that's the case, our transfer will be on Sunday, October 3rd!

My PIO injection (3rd one) this morning was interesting. DH started to insert, and I'm saying "ouch, this one hurts." He takes it out and moves it to a different location. I could feel this one going in, too. (DH thinks I didn't ice the area as well) The injection was not pain-free as the other two, but this time, I didn't have the shooting soreness down my butt muscle afterward--strange.
I don't know what to think. I like the fact that I could walk better today, but the actual insertion was definitely not enjoyable. These PIO injections are a PAIN in the REAR...literally. After all these injections, I'll have one tough rear!

On another note: I don't have very many childhood friends, but I received a call from one of them today. Guess what? She's pregnant! I'm super excited for her. Wish I could have shared my fertilization report to her, but we have been keeping the whole DE journey to a minimum. That discussion is for another post.

Update to follow tomorrow...

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Retrieval Day!

I was a little nervous about today. The weather was horrible. Our local weather/news channel even predicted last night that this morning's commute was going to be a tough one. I worried for whatever reason, maybe our donor would not show up or be extremely late. Guess who was late? Us! We had a 9:00 am appointment, and due to the weather and traffic, we arrived about 20 minutes late.

DH did his part, and then we met with our RE nurse. She had good news--our donor had 21 eggs retrieved! Yay! Our donor rocks! I don't know how things will shake out with fertilization, transfer and then the ultimate outcome, but I do feel a lot of appreciation for our donor. She never missed an appointment (that we're aware of), and she obviously did all the right things, for we now have 21 eggs!

Hoping the good news continue...

Monday, September 27, 2010

First PIO injection - completed

I did it - I made it through my first PIO injection. I iced the area for about 10 minutes prior, and my DH did a great job with the injection. I didn't really feel anything when the needle went in, and as the injection went through the muscle, I started to feel some pressure/soreness in my butt muscle. It wasn't horrible pain or anything--just sore. It felt like the injection was over in 5 seconds, but my DH said it was at least 10 seconds. I didn't watch, so I had no clue what was going on. Afterward, my DH rubbed/massaged the muscle and then applied a heating pad for at least 15 - 20 minutes. When I got up (I laid down on my belly during the injection) to walk, my butt muscle was very sore (I feel like I overdid a workout yesterday--which isn't the case). It's been over an hour, and the entire right butt muscle is still sore (no major pain, just sore). DH says I'm sensitive.

I'm glad it's over, and I now have expectations for the next one. The actual injection was easy and fairly painless. It's the AFTER soreness I wasn't expecting. One down, many more to go!

Sunday, September 26, 2010

I got a wake up call this morning...

Literally! However, it was a great wake up call. Dr. H (another RE in the practice) called at 8:15 this morning to let me know that our donor is triggering today and that I should begin progesterone shots tomorrow morning. Yay! I'm really excited that we are getting closer to my transfer date, which will either be Oct. 1st or Oct. 3rd.

Not so excited about tomorrow morning's PIO shot. (In fact, I'm a bundle of nerves!) I hear it doesn't hurt going in (if you ice beforehand), which I hope is the case. After the shot, women have said to massage the injected area VERY well and then apply a warm heating pad. It sounds like it will be at least a 30 minute process. My DH thinks I'm making a bigger deal about it than it is, but that's easy for him to say. I do give him some credit, though--I would have a difficult time sticking him if I had to. (Guess, I wouldn't make a very good nurse!)

I hope to look back at this post in a few days and laugh...and think 'what was I so worried about?'

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Exceptionally Excellent

Yep, those were the words out of Dr. B's mouth--"exceptionally excellent" lining. (I REALLY liked hearing that!)

This morning I had my bloodwork done and an ultrasound to check my lining. My lining was 13mm, and from what I could tell, it was triple stripe. (I saw three layers on the ultrasound). He said the Vivelle Dot patches are working great for me. Yay! I'm up to 4 patches now--remove old and add 4 new every other day. It's been very easy for me, and I've been following our calendar diligently. I'm in a holding pattern now until our donor is ready. Once she is triggered to mature her follicles, I'll start taking the PIO shots, which could happen as soon as this coming weekend. Less than a week away!!!

So, how am I feeling (besides fighting a nasty cold now)? I feel pretty darn good. I'm nervous about the shots, and I'm hoping that anxiety becomes trivial once I start them. Otherwise, I feel optimistic about our DE cycle. No major mishaps (knocking on wood now) and my body seems to be cooperating like it should. I keep thinking I could worry, but it really isn't going to get me no where...but drive me crazy! So, I have decided to remain calm and optimistic. I pray, I hope, I imagine that our daughter will have a sibling and that we'll have a baby or two in our arms soon...that would be exceptionally excellent! :)

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Did I hear the word "follicles?"

This morning I had my baseline ultrasound appointment. I've been looking forward to this day for a long time now, for it's the day when the whole DE process really gets rolling. I mean, it's the first significant day on my DE recipient calendar. It obviously was a big day for me because I couldn't sleep at all last night. (geez, what am I going to be like the night before the BIG transfer!?!)

Currently, I'm on Day 3 of my period, so I wasn't sure if it was normal to even have the baseline u/s today. The nurse assured me that this is a typical time to have the procedure. Dr. B (whom I have never met, nor can I pronounce his name--nice nonetheless) did the ultrasound, measuring my lining at 8mm and noting the few follicles in one ovary. I said, "follicles, really?" "There's two, nothing like there should be though," he replies. He then preceded to locate my other ovary. I was somewhat in shock. For one, a doctor hasn't been able to see any (meaning none, nil, zilch!) visible follicles in my ovary for the past 5 years. Secondly, my one ovary has been non-existent the past couple years. Either this doctor has REALLY good eyes or my ovaries are changing their appearance! Regardless, Dr. B made by day. Maybe there is some inconsistencies to this crazy condition, as I like to refer to as some doctors call it "Primary Ovarian Insufficiency." (Sometimes called Premature Ovarian Failure). Failure would imply complete failure of your ovaries and that's obviously not the case--my daughter is a perfect example that sometimes they do actually work! Yep, I'm excited about follicles! Enough to make a baby? Probably not.

So, I regressed. My lining was somewhat thick, but that should shed some more in the next couple days. Dr. L (my RE) will see the ultrasound and blood results this afternoon, and hopefully, I'll get the green light that I can begin my Vivelle Dot patches tomorrow. My donor also has her baseline ultrasound tomorrow morning, so I'm hoping that goes well too.

It's so hard to believe that we are at this point now! A couple months ago it seemed like this day would never come. This may sound silly, but I feel so lucky to even have this opportunity to become a donor egg recipient. Don't get me wrong, I much rather have created a sibling for my daughter the natural way, but this opportunity is better than none at all.