Week of Luxury

So, my week of rest is coming to an end and it has been quite the week.

On Sunday, we had some visitors. Jamie and RJ brought me a bowl of chocolates which, unfortunately, have already been eaten. The Rebecca and Robert came over and brought me a fertility Dragonfly to put in our yard. And Jon's hometeaching companion and family brought us dinner.


On Monday, my friend Heather came over with her cute little girl and Jamie's little boy and had lunch with me. It was a great way to break up the day. That night, my sister in-law, Ashley, brought us chicken enchilada's for dinner. So yummy!! Also, on Monday night, Jamie came over to watch The Bachelorette: Men Tell All. It was a great night for fun drama.

Tuesday night, we got chinese for dinner from Jamie and RJ and then Jon and I watched Man v. Food. Not sure how I'm able to watch that while I'm eating at the same time, but we did.

On Wednesday, my friend, Amber, came over to visit and she brought me the most delicious, sinful cupcakes I have ever eaten. See picture below. After Amber left, I took my first outing with Jon to Del Taco. It felt so good to get out of the house.

Chocolate cupcakes with white chocolate chips in the middle and mint flavored frosting and mini chocolate chips on top. YUMMY!!!

On Thursday, my friend Dawnita, brought over a cake that is so rich and so good that it should not even be legal. Three layers of chocolate cake with peanut butter in between each layer and chocolate/peanut butter frosting. I could not even finish my first slice. Jon took a slice and just scraped off the frosting and could not even finish the frosting. Seriously the best cake I have ever had.That same night, Heather brought us homemade pizza and eggless cookies. I am not kidding when I say this pizza is better than take out.

The other things I have done this week is Facebook, blogging, rest, and read.

"Trash" magazines, crosswords, and books.

Watched Gilmore Girls and King of Queens. I have never seen Gilmore Girls, so my friend Heather has been letting me borrow her season's and I am now addicted.

It has been quite a week and I am sad to see it end. But we have felt so much love and kindness from so many friends that it has been overwhelming. I hope all of these people realize how much they mean to us and how grateful we are for their friendships.

2 Little Embryos Are Home

So, Thursday was the egg retrieval and they retrieved 23 eggs. Friday morning, we received a phone call to tell us these results:

5 were immature
18 were mature
ICSI was done on 18, but 7 didn't fertilize and 1 just disentegrated
10 fertilized

They said they would call us on day 3, which is today the 25th, to give us an update.

We received a phone call at 8:45AM this morning and were told that the doctor is recommending transfer for today. They said we had two really good embryos that were ready for transfer and didn't see the point in waiting any longer. We have two more that they are going to continue to grow out for possible freezing. The two they transfered were 8 cell and 7 cell which is really good. I do have a picture that I will have to post later.

So we had 45 minutes to get showered and dressed and be out the door. I was not even awake when they called. I just starte crying after I got the call because honestly, I wasn't ready for this.
I was excited, nervous, and freaking out at the same time. I also had to arrive with a full bladder so I chugged as much water as possible. Before we left, Jon and I offered a humble, heartfelt prayer and then we were off. We both could no stop crying because we could not believe we had made it this far. I text and called everyone we could think of.

We got to the doctors, signed in, and sat with Dr. Heiner and went over how our embryos were doing. They gave me 3 valium and I am so glad because they had to use a catheter to implant. It seriously took like 10 minutes. Jon had to cover his clothes and wear a hat and booties. I put on my hospital gown with my hat and booties. After Dr. Heiner was done, I rested for about 15 minutes and then I decided I would be more comfortable in my own bed.

After we left, We we went to Einstein Bagels for a treat. Yes, I know. It's Sunday. We got home and I am camped out on my recliner.

What a whirlwind of a day. It feels so unreal. But we aren't out of the woods yet. Now we wait to see if it worked. But, 2 little embryos are in their home where they can relax and grow. And I can look forward to a week of reading, watching movies, and sleeping as well as relaxing.

Please continue to keep up in your prayers. And stop on by. We'll be here all week.

Egg Hunt

Today was egg retrieval. Last night, we had a friend come over to give me a blessing to calm my nerves and I am most grateful for that extra support. This morning, we woke up about six and started getting ready. We left the house about ten to eight because we were concerned about traffic. We got to the clinic at 8:00AM and because we were early, we decided to drive to a park and say a quick prayer.

We arrive at the clinic and sat out in the waiting room for about 15 minutes and then the nurse took us back. She went over some instructions for after retrieval, things that were normal, and things that aren't normal. She also went over the progesterone inserts that I will be starting tomorrow. Dr. Heiner came in and talked to us a little bit about the procedure and that he was expecting to get about 12 to 15 eggs. We also discussed a possible embryo transfer for Sunday, depending on how the embryos were doing outside of the womb. If not Sunday, then the transfer will be on Tuesday.

Afterwards, a nurse took me back to a dressing room to change and the andryologist took Jon back to do his thing. They started my IV and took me into the OR. I am proud to say I didn't freak out when I got my IV. I was more anxious to sleep. I asked how long the procedure would take and was told about 5 to 10 minutes. So they prepped me around 8:45 or so, knocked me out, and I came out of the anesthesia about 9:30. Jon was there when I woke up which I was so grateful for. As I was coming out, I vaguely remember asking Jon the same things over and over. Some people can be pretty interesting when they are waking up.

After I got dressed, we went out to the nurses station where I was told I did great and gave me the total of eggs found. 23 EGGS!!!! They were pretty surprised and excited about this as was Jon and I. However, because more than 20 were retrieved, they gave me some medication to take to prevent ovarian hyperstimulation. They honestly did not expect to find that many. So tomorrow, we will receive a phone call to from the doctor and they will tell us how many fertilized. We, of course, are hoping that a majority of them fertilize and that we will have some leftover to freeze.

I am still sore and tired, but Tylenol and heat seems to help with the cramping. I've slept almost all day and have watched alot of tv. After we left the clinic, we went to In-n-Out and got hamburgers and shakes. And then tonight, we received Cafe Rio for dinner. We have some great friends.

We are still shocked by how many eggs were retrieved and keep asking each if what we heard was real. We are optimistic that there will be plenty of eggs to use. So, it's been a pretty good day. Now we wait.

Second Big Step

So, tomorrow morning, we will not be going to work. Jon and I will wake up early and head over to the reproductive clinic to do the egg retrieval. We have to be there at 8:30AM and the procedure will be at 9:00AM. They will give me some good stuff that will knock me out. Jon will give his sample and they will do the ICSI and let the embryos sit in a little petri dish for 3 to 5 will days. Depending on how things look, they transfer the embryos on either Sunday or Tuesday. I am just grateful that we have made it this far.

Let me just give a little overview of my appointment from yesterday. I went in for my blood draw and ultrasound. Dr. Heiner and I were both optimistic that this would be my last day of monitoring. He did the ultrasound and follicles at about 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19 millimeters. However, he didn't feel I would be ready for retrieval for Thursday. He told me we would need at least one more day of monitoring and give the follicles another day to grow and for my levels to go up. I was a little discouraged but set up my appointment for today, Wednesday. As I was starting my car, one of the nurses ran out to get me and told me that Dr. Heiner wanted to talk to me. I went back in and he informed me that on the report that printed out, there were two follicles he missed, one at 20 mm and the other at 22 mm. He said depending on my estrogen levels, he would do the egg retrieval on Thursday. I was really happy to hear this. He said he likes the levels to be over 2000 and that I should be right about there since my levels were jumping about 500 every day.

So, I sat down with a nurse who went over the HCG "trigger" shot. This helps the follicles in there final stage of maturing. This also meant I wouldn't have to do any other shots but this one. This shot has to be taken at an exact time which was 10:00PM last night. The shot has to administered 35 hours before retrieval and we did it right on time. Then today, I took a pregnancy test and the result we were looking for was positive. This will show that my body reacted to the HCG with a false positive. I did two of these test's because the positive was really faint. The nurse said as long as it was there and I could see it no matter how faint, it was positive.

Anyway, back to the appointment. When the nurse called me back with my levels, Tuesday night, she said they were 1856. But because two of my follicle's were so large, the doctor was concerned if we waited one more day, I could be in danger of ovarian hyperstimulation and they didn't want that to happen. So here we go.

I'm nervous and excited and after I got off with the phone with the nurse, I just started crying because I was so grateful that we had made it this far. We have had so many prayers answered through all of this. It's just another small victory.

I am so incredibly grateful and overwhelmed for all the prayers and faith from out family and friends. This journey has been amazing so far. And throughout all of this, I have been at peace, calm, and not had a moment where I just freaked out. Everytime I stressed about something, this little voice kept telling me, 'Not to worry. Everything will be o.kay.' I just have to keep believing that.

Quick Update

So, this is just a quick upate. I started my shots on Saturday and they aren't to bad. But they make me tired and achey. This past Tuesday, I went in for a quick blood test so they could see where my Estrogen levels are after starting on the medications. The levels came bacck at being 74. The nurse had told me that they were looking for them to be at 100 to 150. I was a little discouraged and a little dissappointed. However, the nurse told me not to be discouraged because I had just started the meds and he started me on a low dose of the follicle stimulator hormone to prevent ovarian hyperstimulation. So, she increased the dose of the Gonal-F from 225 to 300.

Today I went in for an ultrasound and another blood draw. I think I'm starting to look like a drug addict. The ultrasound went really well. The doctor said my follicle's were growing and I had 11 follicles so far. I really think I can feel my ovaries being stimulated. Then I had my blood drawn. The doctor said he would most likely need to increase my dosage again by another 75 units. I talked to the nurse to talk about ordering additional meds to get me through the eekend. We went over my estrogen levels a little bit more and then she said she would call me later with my blood results.

I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting a huge change. I mean, my levels only went up by 50 from Friday to Tuesday. But we were hoping it would at least double which would put me between the 100 and 150 range. When the nurse called me, she said my levels went from 74 to 220 which she said is really good. She also explained that I wouldn't start the Ganirelix, which prevents ovulation, until my largest follicle hit 14 millimeters. I asked her big they were measuring now and she told me 10 millimeters. So, the drugs must be working and doing the job. I was ecstatic to get these results. She did say that egg retrieval would most likely be next Thursday or Friday. So that has been pushed back a little which will push back the embryo transfer and bed rest. Which is fine with me. I'm just happy that everything is going good. So there is my update for now. More later.

I Can Do This

So last night I took my first two shots. 20 units of the HCG and 225 of the Gonal-F. We had gone to a class yesterday morning where they did and overview of the IVF cycle. What to expect, what not to expect, side effects. We saw pictures of different embryos such as what they look like when they're good quality and when they're poor quality. Things like that. Then we practiced doing injections. They give you this little round disc that has a foamy middle that feels kind of like skin. We learned how to draw the medicine from the vial and inject it. Pinch, inject, pull out. Super simple. The nurse told us that in the first class she ever did, she let the women practice on their husband's. I don't think I would have minded doing that. Then we signed all of our consent forms. We are pretty much in this from here on out.

The medication has to be taken between 7 and 10 at nigth. So, last night, around 7:30, we put the medicine together. Some came already premixed and some we have to mix ourselves. I got a piece of ice to numb the spot on my belly and then Jon and I just started laughing. I mean, we were laughing so hard we were shaking. To me, it was just weird having my big, football player, of a husband give me a shot with this tiny needle. And I think Jon was just as equally nervous. Then all of sudden, I started crying because I psyched myself out. When I started crying, Jon laughed even harder. I kept telling him not to hurt me. We finally both calmed down, I closed my eye's, and Jon started laughing again. He finally calmed down again, I closed my eye's again, and before I knew it, he was done. I was like, "That's it?" and he said, "Yeah." O.kay.....I didn't even FEEL anything. So I started laughing again and I felt pretty silly. So the second shot was no big deal.

I can TOTALLY do this!!

Good to Go

Today I had my first suppression ultrasound and blood draw to start off the IVF cycle. First of all, the blood draw really hurt. I have started getting use to it and it's getting easier, but I swear the lab tech was a freaking sadist. She jabbed the needle in and then when she was done, she put the medical tape on so tight to hold the cotton ball in place it just hurt. My elbow all the way down to my hand hurt. I kept it on through the rest of the appointment, but as soon I got outside I was ready to take the damn thing off. So I took off the medical tape and took some skin with it too. I have this nasty, red bruise where the tape was and a bruise from the needle. My arm is still hurting after 4 hours. And I get to have this done again at least 4 more times. However, the goods new from the blood work was that my Estrogen levels were less than 25% which wsa what they were looking for. They actually want something less than 75%. So when the nurse called she sounded really optimistic.

The ultrasound wasn't as bad as the first one and it was really quick. He counted 18 eggs which he said was good. And he also checked the lining of my uterus. I had told him that after the progesterone pills and the birth control pills I still hadn't started my period and I ws concerned. He said if my lining was thick, then we would have to wait for my period to start. However, he said if the lining was thin, then there wasnm't anything to shed and we would be good to go. Luckily the lining was thin so we can proceed as normal. i had asked the nurse about women not starting their periods before the IVF cycle and she said it was completely normal. with all the hormone meds, the lining of the uterus just thins out and there's nothing to shed.

The nurse then did a quick overview of the meds. How to draw the medicine from the vial, how to inject the medicine, etc, etc. She also went over my levels from the Clomid test and she said that everything was exactly where they wanted it to be. I love my doctor's nurse. She will take the time to answer any question I ask her. It's such a good feeling. I scheduled my next blood draw for next Tuesday and things are just taking off. Tomorrow is our class for the medications and we'll sign the all the consent forms.

In some ways, this feels so unreal. I feel like I'm having a really nice dream and I'm waiting to wake up. However, I know that this is really happening and our lives will most likely change for the better. I know that everything has fallen into place for us and we have had so many prayers answered. I truly know that Heavenly Father has his hand in this and he is blessing our lives. This has already been and I'm sure will continue to be an amazing experience.

Special Delivery

Today I got a special delivery from the UPS man. But it wasn't your typical, brown box. Instead, it was white, foam, refrigerated box. Like the one below.

Inside, were all of my IVF medications. The needles, syringe's, alcohol wipes, and bandages. I have to admit that I started getting a little woozy taking everything out due to my phobia of needles. So, I quickly just took everything out, made sure it was all there, and put it on the counter. Then I came back an opened up the boxes and looked at the needles and decided I wasn't going to do this. That decision lasted all of two seconds. I knew this was going to be worth it. I think I have looked at everything 5 times and I am starting to get a little braver. In fact, I wanted to start tonight. But I have to wait until Saturday. But it's interesting to go through.

Here was what was inside:

This is a drug called GANIRELIX (ga-ni-REL-ix). This is a releasing hormone. It's used to help regulate hormone response in the treatment of infertility.

This next drug is called GONAL-F. This medicine is a human follicle stimulating hormones used to treat infertility in women by stimulating ovaries to produce eggs. It's a follicle stimulating hormone. This is the one that has to be refrigerated.

Another drug I will be taking is called NOVAREL or human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). This is a hormone that supports the normal development of an egg in a womens ovary and stimulates the release of the egg during ovulation. The last drug is called CRINONE 8% Vaginal Gel or Progesterone. It's a hormone used to treat infertility due to progesterone deficiency. It helps to prepare the uterus for implantation and development of a fertilized egg.

Along with all this wonderful stuff, I received my own sharps container so we can dispose of the needles and syringes properly So now we have our own little pharmacy and clinic going on in our kitchen. It's pretty intersting. And the more I think about it and see all this modern medicine sitting on my table, the more excited I get about everything. Just two more days, and I can finallly get started.

Finally......JULY

So it is finally July and I have to be honest, it didn't start out that well. On Friday, I had a complete breakdown. I literally cried all day Friday and Saturday morning. We're getting down to the wire and I am very excited. But I think all the stress just had built up and needed to be released. Which is a good thing. I was also stressed because even though we were able to pay for our treatment, we were short on cash for medications. And to top it off, when I went to pay for the treatment, the total was $300 higher than the original total. I just looked at the billing lady and said, "Your joking, right?". Then I showed her the paperwork she gave us with a different total. We ran the numbers five times and kept getting the higher total. To say the least, I was a little frustrated. But I still paid the full amount because this is important to us and it is definitely worth it.

Then I went home and cried some more. When Jon got home, he pretty much told me, in his own nice way, to straighten up. He said that we have been going on faith this whole time and we needed to just keep having faith. And if this is meant to be, it would work out. I hate to admit it, but he was right. But it did take me a little while to feel better. I also pulled out my scriptures and read the story about Jesus feeding the five thousand with 2 fish and five loaves of bread and how everyone had enough to eat and were no long hungry. I thought if Christ was able to that, then we would find away to pay for my meds.

So Saturday morning, we went to breakfast with his parents, and then he and I went to a movie. We saw Knight And Day, which is pretty cute. We took Dixie to Murray park, had dinner with his parents and then hung out for the rest of night. Sunday we prayed and fasted that things would work out the way they were supposed too. We took Dixie to the park again and then watched a movie at home. I think Jon was trying to keep me busy. Monday, we took a truck full of stuff to Savers, went to breakfast, walked around Ikea, took a long nap, and met up with Jamie and RJ for dinner at JCW's. Afterwhich, Jon and RJ watched a dvd about Fractals (don't ask) and Jamie and I watched The Bachelorette.

This morning, I was determined to have a better attitude about everything. I was still really worried, but I decided whatever was going happen would happen.

A few weeks ago I had applied for a Compassionate Care Program that helps couples with the cost of their medications either by donation or what have you. I didn't think we would qualify but I thought it was worth a shot. They called me today and told me we wouldn't qualify...Shocker!!! But then they told me some good news....that our insurance will cover the medications with just a copay. My chin literally dropped to the ground. I didn't think insurance would cover the meds since they don't cover IVF. So I called my doctor, got a list of all the meds I would be taking, called the pharmacy department for my insurance, went over all the meds with them and found out, to my relief, that the meds would not cost as much as we originally thought. I truly feel blessed and know without a doubt, that this was an answer to our prayers.