Today is cycle day 35. Still waiting on Aunt Flo to arrive.
Sun. Aug. 28th, 2005
cycle day 1
Aunt Flo arrived today finally. I called my nurse today to inform her of the arrival of Aunt Flo. My Assistant at work is on vacation this week....this is day-ja-vo from last year. Only this is a different Assistant. The one from last year got transferred to a different store. Last year I started my cycle when my assistant was on vacation and I ended up working several hours. Tonight for dinner we had a fish called Tilpia, it is like a fish fillet. On the bag it says it tastes a lot like catfish. I got really bad cramps while I was cooking and popped two Aleve. (Which I have taken several times before in the past and it didn't bother me). The fish tastes good; however I wasn't able to finish it. All of a sudden I felt itchy from head to feet with a burning sensation. I felt so hot. All of my skin was a bright red like sunburn. Only I didn't have sunburn. Bob was trying to find the blood pressure monitor that we have. I thought I would help him find it and went down stairs to his office then back upstairs. When I got back upstairs I felt dizzy, weak, and faint and felt like I was going to vomit and my fingers felt numb. Then when he found the blood pressure cuff, I was 107/66 pulse of 52. When we got home from the hospital 6 hours later I was at 117/83 pulse 70. He didn't get my temperature though. The doctor and I said it could have been an allergic reaction from the fish. I'm going to through that fish away. I won't know for sure what happened, but I don't want it to happen again.
Mon. Aug. 29th, 2005
Cycle day 2
I went to pharmacy to get refill on the Prenatal Plus this morning. A little while after I got back to work my nurse called to give me info of my upcoming appointments and information on the meds. The meds are going to be the same as IVF #1, plus two more additional ones this time to be taken along with the progesterone shots. When I got home from work I called my family doctor to make an appointment for physical and pap, since this needs to be done before the suppression check. Before I went home, I made another trip up to the pharmacy. This time I had to pick up Solia birth control pills. Before dinner tonight the online pharmacy we get the meds from called and told me of the delivery due date of my meds and to take my payment. Today at work I didn't feel well. And I wanted to go home so bad. Even had a doctor note to that said to stay home? With my Asst. manager on vacation and my boss said that he couldn't come in since he had to take his wife to the doctors. (I had no choice but to work, nobody to cover me). I never call out sick ever either. Always seems when I do need a day off I have to work it anyway. OH well.
Tues. Aug. 30, 2005
Cycle Day 3
I went to the lab today to get my blood drawn. I should say a lot. It was 14 vials of blood! They had a hard time getting my blood again and had to go in through my hand with the butterfly one. There were three nurses trying to get my blood today. One taking my blood, handing over the next tube and the other the head nurse was transferring my blood into separate vials to be sent to the lab for testing. They were so patient and nice to me. I understand it is their job to do the best they can for the patients. However, I feel they are doing a great job. Even the woman that sits at the desk knows me by name now, since I have been there so often over the past year. She is always so helpful. Especially when my paper work is no where to be found and she knows they should be. She made all the calls necessary to get me in there for my lab and ultrasound and my previous visits. I was so happy with the way they treated me I brought them in a Box O' Joe and a Dozen donuts from Dunkin Donuts. I knew they loved Dunkin Donuts since I was in uniform when I went in for my lab work and they were saying how they loved the coffee. At the front of the Main entrance the man working there (the parking attendant) said “I didn't know Dunkin donuts delivered?” I explained to him we don't. Maybe we should though. I'll mention it to the boss. I started taking the birth control pills tonight.
Wed. Aug.31, 2005
CD 4
My meds arrived by FedEx today. Did inventory of all of them and check my supply of gauze pads and band-aids. Almost out of stock on these items, My Drug Supply: Lupron, plus the needles for Lupron Repronex, plus these needles Progesterone in oil and needles Follistim (already have follistim pen from first IVF) Ovidrel and needles for these Tetracycline methyprednisone Thurs. Sept.1, 2005 CD 5 I went to pharmacy to pick up yet another medicine today. I will start taking Doxycycline in a few days.
Fri. Sept. 2, 2005
CD 6
Had Pap and physical today at my family doctor's office. Showed her my feet and explained they I get corns and calluses really bad. I have been that way for a long time. I'm on my feet a lot. She is referring me to a foot doctor. My psoriasis has gotten a little worse, so she gave me a prescription to take for that. Need to ask my doctor doing the IVF if I can take this med. also found out I gained about 18 pounds since visit last year. Last year I also found out that I had high cholesterol, so she gave me papers to get that check again. Hopefully it is lower than last year. But, due to my wait gain I'm assuming it is going to be higher. I also explained that I still get heartburn everyday. She told me to wait 2-3 hours before going to bed at night. And of coarse eat healthy and exercise. As for dinner, by the time I get home from work it is late and then cook dinner and then it is bedtime. On the rare chance I do get home at a decent hour Bob ends up working late again. The PA at my doctor's office also explained it would also be easier to lose the wait by eating a bigger lunch and smaller dinner.
Sat. Sept. 3, 2005
CD 7
Sun. Sept. 4, 2005
CD 8
Nothing new today and work went ok today too. Well, except for the fact that I can't eat or drink anything for 12-16hrs. Which shouldn’t be too bad, since I will be going to bed in awhile and in the morning I don’t usually eat breakfast anyway? However, I am going to start. Oatmeal, wheat toast and orange juice should do the trick and lower my cholesterol. I still have a bruise on my hand from my last trip to the lab from the first attempt they tried to get my blood in my right hand. After putting a warm pack on left hand they found a spot to draw from.
Mon. Sept. 5, 2005
Labor Day
CD 9
I went to the lab this morning. Only this time was to check my cholesterol. Bob came with me, since he was going to do his blood work and specimen today. He had to pre-register for tomorrow since they weren't able to do his test today. I started taking the drug Doxycycline this morning. An hour after I took it I didn't feel to well. I felt dizzy and at one moment I thought I was going to vomit. I need to take this pill twice a day for five days. I thought 8am and 8pm would be good times to take it. If probably would have been had I eaten. I took a break and went to get something to eat and then I felt much better. Starting tomorrow morning I think I will have that oatmeal I was talking about yesterday.
Tues. Sept. 6, 2005
CD 10
When I left work tonight I had 101 hours without a day off. I now have the next 4 days off to relax a little.
Wed. Sept. 7, 2005
CD 11
Drove about 2-2.5 hours today to go see my infertility doctor. She did a sonohystrogram and it looks as if I may have two polyps’ that need to be removed. This polyp was similar to the polyp from last year. My nurse will call me back on Monday or Tuesday at the latest. Tuesday night I am to start Lupron shots if all goes well with the polyp situation. I also showed my doctor the medicated cream I was given for Psoriasis. She told me not to take it yet. Since, it may cause complications. About a year ago I started chatting by email and phone with a woman that is also trying to have a baby. She has had 5 IUI's and is now going through her first IVF attempt. Well, we finally met today face to face. It was so nice to be able to meet. She is so nice and we have so much in common. We even have the same doctor! Except for right now, we don’t since she is in part of a study of a new drug. Anyhow, she is about a week ahead of me in her cycle. It would have been exciting if our retrieval and transfer were the same date.
Thurs. Sept. 8, 2005
CD 12
Today I spent most of the day at the hospital with my dad. For the past 10 years or so he has had heart trouble. He has 14 stents put in. They did a Hearth Cath today, but no stents were put in. I wonder how many is the most you can have put in? What is the most anyone has had put in so far?
Fri. Sept. 9, 2005
CD 13
Well today I went shopping for a few groceries starting to run low on a few things. Then, I went back up to the hospital to see my father. He is doing a little better. Except, his potassium is still low and his face and feet are starting to swell.
Sat. Sept. 10, 2005
CD 14
Went to the hospital tonight to pick my dad up and bring him home, since he was being discharged. He was only in my truck for a couple minutes, when his arm started bleeding like crazy and soaked through all the napkins I gave him. He was bleeding from where they had taken the IV out. He is also on blood thinners. My mother brought him back inside to the emergency room where they bandaged him up and was finally able to go home. Well until we were trying to drive out of the parking area.....they are doing construction near the hospital so we waited at least 20-30 minutes in a long line of cars while they paved the road. I turned my engine off to save gas. (Smile) When I got home and checked my mail I got good news. My results from the cholesterol test, pap and physical are in. My pap said I was Normal (grin), my cholesterol drop from last year. Yes! I must be doing something right? The past year I have been taken Prenatal Plus and Calcium vitamins. I have cut back on the amount of red meats I eat. Now eat mostly fish or chicken. However, we do eat a lot of those Home bake meals or other pre-made boxed foods. They are cheap, quick and easy to make. Which can often times are loaded with lots of salt, cholesterol and calories. Instead of white bread we eat wheat. Oatmeal is good too. Really the only thing we changed in our diet is cut back on red meat. And I now eat oatmeal a little more often than I used to.
Mon. Sept. 12, 2005
CD 16
My nurse called and gave me excellent news tonight! She said that it turns out that I won't need surgery for the polyps. They are not polyps after all. Phew! Yeah! We are starting to finally get some good news for a change. No polyps and lowered my cholesterol. Plus I start my Lupron shots tomorrow night.
Tues. Sept. 13, 2005
CD 17
I started 10 units of Lupron shots tonight. (This will down regulate me also known as the suppression Stage)Bob gave me the shot. My friend Dana gives the shot to herself. Wish I could be as brave as her. Maybe tomorrow I'll give my own shot? The shot doesn't hurt, but does feel like being pricked by a safety pin. I also have one more week left of birth control pills. Between the birth control pills and lupron it down regulates your body and makes your body feel as if you’re going through menopause. Below is what I found online about Lupron Suppression Stage Lupron Depot (leuprolide acetate for depot suspension) is a GnRH agonist -- a hormone that works in two distinct phases. Phase one stimulates the ovaries causing them to produce more of the most potent of the three estrogens produced by women -- estradiol. In phase two the messenger hormones that tell the ovaries to produce estrogen decline dramatically. This causes a significant reduction in estrogen levels, and causes women to experience menopause-like side effects. During the suppression stage of the IVF cycle, you take a GnRH Agonist (Lupron, Suprefact, Synarel etc.) to suppress your ovarian function. The average length of time it takes to get suppressed is 10-12 days. . The side effects from the suppression medication are similar to that of going into menopause. Some women are very sensitive to the effects of the medication while others experience hardly any changes. I may experience some of the following side effects below. Mood swings breast tenderness hot flashes headaches changes in sex drive Leuprolide is an injectable, man-made hormone that is used for treating prostate cancer, endometriosis, central precocious puberty, and fibroids. It is similar to but stronger than human gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH). GnRH is made in the hypothalamus (a part of the brain) and travels to the pituitary gland where it causes the production of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). LH and FSH are released by the pituitary into the blood and stimulate the production of testosterone by the testes in men and estrogens by the ovaries in women. The release of GnRH, LH and FSH is governed by negative feedback which means that when there is too much testosterone or estrogen being produced, the body sends a signal to the pituitary gland to reduce the production of GnRH which, in turn reduces the production of LH and FSH. This results in reduced production of testosterone and estrogen. When given continuously, leuprolide initially increases the production of LH and FSH as well as testosterone and estrogen; however, after a few weeks of continuous leuprolide, the levels of LH and FSH drop because the pituitary gland stops responding to GnRH and leuprolide. This leads to a decrease in the production of estrogen and testosterone. Testosterone promotes the growth of prostate cancer. Therefore, leuprolide is used in treating prostate cancer to slow the growth of the cancer. In children with central precocious puberty (puberty caused at an early age because of too much LH and FSH) leuprolide, by suppressing LH and FSH, reduces the levels of estrogen and testosterone and allows for more normal timing of puberty. Estrogens promote the growth of fibroids (benign tumors of the uterus) and areas of endometriosis (abnormal uterine tissue that exists outside of the uterus). Leuprolide is used to reduce the production of estrogen and treat both fibroids and endometriosis.
Thurs. Sept. 15, 2005
CD 19
Well, I went to the foot doctor today. He helped make my feet feel better. I get corns and calluses so bad. It hurts to walk, especially in my bare feet. When I get home from work and take my shoes off, Bob says I walk like a penguin. I'm on my feet several hours a day and lots of walking back in forth. So anyway, he cut out the corns and calluses.....ouch. It hurt so badly. He also told me that another cause for the pain in my feet is due to my arches. He said that I need the molded inserts put in my shoes. Which are expensive? Not sure yet if my insurance will cover them. He put a temporally inserts into my shoes to get me by until I get the molded ones put in. He also gave me some cream that contains alcohol. Which I haven't used yet because of the IVF treatments, I don't want to take any chances on anything. The only medicated stuff I want to take right now. Is only that that is IVF related?
Fri. Sept. 16, 2005
CD 20
Went shopping for awhile today and while out I got really hot. Today was a chilly and raining day too. Got home and my face felt hot. I am experiencing hot flashes today. With Lupron you do get the same symptoms you would go though menopause.
Thurs. Sept. 22, 2005
CD 26
Over the past week I have been experiencing hot flashes. One minute I feel cold, the next minute I'm hot. At work a couple of time I even went into the freezer to cool off. My cheeks were so red and hot. At night I sleep fairly well for most of the night. I occasionally feel sweaty though. Then I toss and turn about two hours before I normally get up to get ready for work.
Fri. Sept. 23, 2005
CD 27 becomes CD 1
(Read below to find out why today turns into CD 1) Today I went to the lab and again they had a hard time getting my blood. When I left there I had tape on both hands. My right hand still feels sore and has a little bruise. The nurse said sorry and I told her it was ok...the most important thing is that we got the blood. From there I walked down the hall to the BOC Dept. at the hospital for my ultrasound, today was the Suppression check. In the ultrasound room the sonographer had routine questions for me. Such as when was your last period, any cramping, have you ever been pregnant, to which I explained yes, however both were ectopic in the tubes. In our conversation about the ectopics I explained that they had also taken one of my ovaries. I also told her I couldn't remember which side. During the ultrasound she kept pushing down hard and to the left with the transvaginal stick thing. It actually hurt. She then stopped and said she needed to do a pelvic exam on me. At this point I was confused. She said she was trying to find my left ovary....I explained to her again that I only have one ovary and can't remember which side was gone. She asked me if I was sure. I said yes. She said ok...because I couldn't find the left one and the right one looks excellent. She then had me get dressed and I was free to leave. We got the phone call from the Reproductive Science Center today around 5:00pm. My regular nurse is out of the office, so this nurse was making the calls for my doctor. They are a group of doctors and nurses that help one another out when needed. (Teamwork!) The doctors also rotate shifts for the transfers. I would be honored if my doctor (Dr. Beth) would be the one doing the transfer. Anyway here's the latest news. Tonight is the night to start the stims, which today will become CD 1. The stimulation process. Bob & I each take 4 Zithromax all at once. Then for the shots, I will get 5 units of Lupron, 75 units (1 vial) of Repronex and 225 units Follistim (using the follistim pen). ......Just took all the shots. Wasn't too bad the only one I felt was the Repronex which takes forever to get it all into my system. I didn't really feel it until after the needle was removed. That's when I felt the sting. The Follistim, didn't even know Bob had done it already. LOL. Oh ya, today my endometrial stripe was at 6.0 mm, my right ovary was measured at 17.6 x 29.8 x 18.5 with 9 follicles all of which are less than 10 mm. We are looking for 10 mm or bigger.
Sun. Sept. 25, 2005
CD 3
AF arrived today. Not the typical flow though. It was a different color. I had some some cramps and a headache too. Tues. Sept. 29, 2005 CD 5 the past two days I have felt so bloated. Ultrasound and Lab tomorrow.
Wed. Sept. 28, 2005
CD 6
Today I left work for awhile to go to the lab and ultrasound. At the lab today they didn't need to go into my hand. This time she was able to go into my arm. At the ultrasound it was a different area in the hospital, however it was the same woman as the last ultrasound. I have had a headache off and on since Sunday. Today my belly didn't feel too good. And I had a minor case of diarrhea. My endometrial stripe is at 4.8 mm my right ovary is now at 22.2 x 36.8 x 21.4 with 11 follicles all under 10 mm. My friend Dana had her retrieval today. Her transfer will be on Saturday. I am so excited for her. (I'm praying for you Dana!) We were hoping our cycles would be at the same time. AF had other plans for us. We are still fairly close though.
Fri. Sept. 30, 2005
CD 8
Bob & I went to the lab this morning at 8:00am. They had a hard time with me again. She had to go in through my hand with the butterfly. She was having hard time with that too. She took it out and got someone else to get it. The other woman put a warm pack on both of my hands and finally was able to get blood from my left hand. Phew....my right hand still has a bruise from last week. After leaving the lab, Bob and I went to the ultrasound room. I had a 9:00am appointment for an ultrasound. Different woman this time, she was really nice and explained what she was doing and counting follicles out loud for us. We also watch on the monitor. The sonographer and Bob position the mirror for me so I can watch too. Today my endometrial stripe was 7.4 mm My Right Ovary measured 33.5 x 25.8 x 28.6 I have 13 follicles. Six of the follicles measured today were 10mm and greater. They averaged from 10.0 - 12.5 on the bottom of my print out it says "Trace of fluid visualized adj. to Rt. Ovary". I don't know if that is a bad thing or not? When we got home around 9:30 - 10am I first called my nurse to ask how many Follistim Cartridges she thought we might need. I was guessing two. But knew we needed at least one cartridge. She called back about an hour later and said to order enough to get through until Monday. I then called the pharmacy where we get my meds from online. However, I called them since I need the meds within 24 hours. I only have enough Follistim for tonight’s shot. The pharmacy told me it should arrive around noon on Saturday. My nurse called back around 2:00pm while I was out running errands. She left a message on the answering machine that said to continue with Lupron at 5 units, continue with Follistim at 225 units, and to increase the Repronex to 2 vials = 150 units. She didn't mention the fluid can't be anything really bad then.
Sat. Oct. 1, 2005
CD 9
Wow, took longer than usual to get all the meds last night. The Repronex goes in slowly and Bob had two vials to give me instead of one. We did the Follistim and Lupron first and saved the Repronex for last. We usually do the Repronex first. The Repronex went in the left side and the other two on the right. Every night we switch sides. However, Bob didn't want to give me all four shots on the same side. He said he didn't want to hurt me. My belly is bruised from the shots. The side effects I have had since the beginning of treatment until now are: hot flashes, one minute hot the next minute cold, headache, tired, fatigue, nausea sometimes, dizzy sometimes. When I got home after running some errands today I had a message on my answering machine from one of the nurses that makes the calls on the weekends when the office is closed. The message said I was to go to the lab this morning and that the lab said I was never there. She said I must make sure I go to the lab on Sunday for sure. My regular nurse said I had lab and ultrasound on Monday....I replayed the message from Friday. It said, "The doctor would like for you to increase the Repronex to 2 vials and remain the same for Follistim at 225 units and Lupron at 5 units. And we will see you back for an ultrasound on Monday".
Sunday, Oct. 2, 2005
CD 10
Went to the lab again this morning, they are not allowed to take your blood unless your name and birth date is on the orders label. My birth date wasn't on the label for some reason. Something about it happens a lot on the weekends for some reason. Anyway, I explained that I had a standing order if that helps them any. As usual, they had a hard time getting blood from me and went in through my hand with the butterfly. Bob called me at work around 1:00pm about a message that I had on the answering machine from another nurse that makes calls on the weekends when the office is closed. This message said to continue with the same meds routine as last night at Lupron 5 units, Follistim 225 units and Repronex at 75 units (1 vial). This message was very confusing since the meds I was told to take last night were Lupron 5 units, Follistim 225 units and Repronex 2 vials (150 units). On the weekends since the office is closed all you get is voice mail or the phone just rings and rings with no answer. I understand this may have just been an error in speaking. My chances of having a baby and my health are in their hands. As with any IVF patient, I am happy with the IVF staff, however I feel that all patients like me should be given a phone number of a nurse that is available on weekends to answer any and all questions and concerns.
Mon. Oct. 3, 2005
CD 11
Went to the lab and ultrasound again this morning, As usual had a hard time getting my blood. Got poked in both hands and in my arm with the needle to draw my blood at the ultrasound 15 Follicles were discovered and 10 of them average 10mm or greater. The smallest follicle today was at 10.95 and the biggest follicle at 20.25. My Endometrial Stripe is now at 9.9mm which 11 days ago was only at 5.0 My right ovary is now 37.0 x 58.1 x 43.5 and 11 days ago it was only 17.6 x 29.8 x 18.5 Got a phone call at work today from my nurse she apologized for the confusion over the weekend. I understood, I wasn't angry just really confused. My nurse called me again around 4:30-5:00pm tonight with GREAT NEWS!! Tonight I don't have to take Lupron, Follistim or Repronex. YEAH!! However, I do have to take the Trigger Shot Ovidrel (Chorionic Gonadotropin 10000u) at 10:30pm. Well, better go get my things together and I'll talk to you more tomorrow.
Tues. Oct 4, 2005
CD 12
Well last night shot didn't go well at all. We were both tired. I'm usually in bed by 8-9pm. We were to inject 1 cc of the HCG trigger shot into me either SubQ or IM either was. We did SubQ in the belly. Well we got the 1cc of injection into me; however what we did completely wrong was add all the diluent to the powder then took out 1 cc of mixture to inject into me. See with Repronex you add all the diluent to powder. We got confused argued for awhile. Tried calling for help. Called the 24/7 pharmacy online where we get the meds from....operator system. If you leave a message someone will get back to you at next business day. I hang up and called my friend Dana that has also done IVF. She was in bed and there was no answer. After crying 2-2.5 hours and doing research online we discovered that we did indeed screw up on the meds. I went to bed crying....I was so scared we just ruined our last chance at having a baby. I called and left a voice mail to my nurse. She called me back and I explained what we did. She said not to worry that she will tell my Doctor when she gets in and she will take of things for me. She called back later and said that the doctor was calling around to other Doctors she knows to see if I may need more of the trigger or if maybe by chance I have enough in me to mature my eggs. On our way to the Reproductive Science Center, we stopped by to see my nurse real quick at 4:00pm-ish.I explained to the receptionist that we were on our way to RSC and I would like to see my nurse if I could. That she is trying to get a hold of me. I also told the receptionist that we were willing to wait as long as it takes to see her. (Bob and I didn't have an appointment.) My nurse came out and we were sent to a room where we talked about what we were going to do and we waited for the doctor's opinion. Then awhile later my doctor came in and we talked and between us and the other doctors she knows...we all voted on doing another trigger shot tonight and do an ultrasound tomorrow to check my follicles (where the eggs are). The doctor and nurse than said that at 8:00pm tonight we will need to do the trigger shot. (This time 1cc of diluent into powder, and than 1cc of the mix goes into needle for injection). It was now a little after 6:00pm. We thanked the Doctor and nurse and said we better hit the road for the Hotel room. We made it! 7:45pm. (speeding a little) Got in the room and pulled down my pants, while Bob washed his hands and got the needle ready for injection. Ok time for shot....ok...felt a sting. It's working. Went down to the truck and got our luggage. Then, we went in town for a bite to eat. Relaxed a little, and than we went to bed.
Wed. Oct. 5, 2005
CD 13
My nurse called this morning and told me I need to be at RSC at 1:15pm for an ultrasound. At around noon I went to the bathroom and noticed I was spotting blood and started crying again. I am so emotional right now. During the ultrasound the sonographer women was so friendly and talked all the way through the ultrasound explaining everything she sees to us. It appears my follicles are still growing. Are biggest one at Monday's ultrasound was 20.25 and now is at 24. (This is a good sign). Called and left a voice mail to my nurse and told her how much better I feel knowing they are still there. Later my nurse called me back and said that tomorrow morning I will have another ultrasound to check on the follicles. Based on what we find, such as if the follicles are still growing and not getting smaller. Example, if they haven't collapsed than I haven't ovulated). “Thank-you.....Thank-you so much!” I said into the phone. I am so happy and so emotional. When my nurse called me back she said she was going to save my message to play for my doctor. There was such happiness in my voice. We are still not out of the woods yet, since we still have tomorrow’s ultrasound and hopefully the retrieval too. Please pray for me and may God Bless You Too.
Thurs. Oct. 6 2005
CD 14
We went in for the ultrasound this morning at 6:45am. The follicles haven't grown since yesterday and have only dropped in size a little bit. So far so good, we all hope. At 7:00am or little after we went upstairs to the retrieval room. By 7:30am they were ready to poke me with the IV's and fill out paper work. They had a hard time finding where to put the IV's in me. Then I felt hot, sweaty, faint and sick. I didn't vomit, but pretty close. They put a cold pack on my head and that helped a lot. At 7:50 or 7:55am Bob went to the other room to go give in specimen sample. By 8:00am I was ready to go to the restroom and empty my bladder than walk into the retrieval room. My legs were put up in stirrups...different ones than from a pap. These ones your legs go in the holders not your feet. Before being put to sleep and before the restroom I was given some nasty tasting medicine, because I get bad heartburn on daily basis. Once in the room, the anesthia guy was up near my head, some guy behind a desk to my left and the retrieval guy sitting in a chair to my right waiting for the nurse to get me into position and got me lying down. Then once I was in position, my cervix was then washed out and the retrieval part begins. I don't remember anything from the retrieval part since they put me to sleep. By 8:30-9:00am we were ready to leave and head back to the Hotel. Now, I can eat and drink. Bob went in town to get us breakfast. After I eat, I am going to lie down and take a nap and be lazy. It is bed rest for me today. Oh, almost forgot to mention the most important part. At the retrieval they were only able to snatch 3 eggs from me. It's better than zero, but we were hoping for a better number. Now let’s pray that all 3 become embryos or atleast two. Based on my age they will only transfer 2 anyway. I feel we would better my odds by transferring all three if the do in fact become embryos. So now, I relax until Saturday's phone call with the grades of the embryos, how many there are and the time of the transfer scheduled for Sunday.
FRI. OCT. 7, 2005 CD 15
Yesterday I started taking the pill Tetra 1 of them 4 times a day until gone. I also start taking the pill Medrol tonight 4 pills all out once at night with dinner or before bed until gone. Both pills will be gone by Sunday night. I also started the progesterone injections in the butt last night too. Ouch that is a big needle. It hurt a little going in and I used an ice pack. Afterwards we rubbed the area to dispense the progesterone better. Progesterone in oil injection is very sticky and gooey since its purpose is to make the uterus wall very sticky. And therefore the embryos will be more likely to attach to the wall. Yesterday we were also getting beginning to feel a little closed in the motel room. So we took a drive over to where the other hotel is located where we will be staying Fri & Sat. The hotel we stayed at Tues-Thurs is booked this weekend. RSC pays for most of the stay. They usually only pay 3 nights though. So the next two nights we are on our own. This is ok with us. We are just happy we found a place to stay. My nurse called me today to explain that one of the three embryos didn’t make it and Saturday we will get the phone call between 3:30pm-6:00pm from RSC about our embryos. Often times they make their calls earlier. I'll fill you in as we know more.
Sat. Oct. 8, 2005
CD 16
Today RSC nurse called I need to be at RSC at 10:40am and the transfer will be at 11:40am tomorrow. We still have two embryos, so far, so good.
Sun. Oct. 9, 2005
CD 17
This morning the nurse from RSC called to confirm the transfer is still on for this morning. Once we got there they gave me some water to drink and Valium to take. The bladder needs to be full to make it easier to view on the ultrasound in insert the catheter and release the embryo (s). Once in the transfer room, the doctor and embryologist each check my bracelet against my embryo to make sure the numbers match. A tube of liquid and a Petri dish are brought in for the doctor to compare ID’s on. The doctor also explained to us that one of the two embryos stopped growing cells. He said you do have one here that is 4AF (this means that the little one has 4 cells, grade A and is fair.) to transfer. That is if you want the transfer. Yes, yes I said. Once everything was explained and verified I was then to lay down on the table with my legs in holders similar to stirrups. The clamp then goes onto the vagina, similar to a pap smear. (This was a little painful, even with the valium). The cervix then gets cleaned out. Then the catheter goes in. A nurse stands by the door waiting for the embryologist. When the embryologist arrives the nurse opens the door and lets him or her in. The embryo is now in the thin tube catheter. At this point the sonographer is pushing on my belly with the ultrasound probe and the screen now shows my uterus. The catheter has a white highlighted tip that can be seen on the ultrasound screen. The doctor and sonographer work as a team to insert the embryo in just the right location. Meanwhile Bob is holding my hand for comfort. Once the embryo was released, the little one started moving back towards the catheter. Like it wanted to go back to where it was. The doctor then moved the catheter out of the way a little and the embryo went exactly to the location where the team wanted it to be. The team then waits for the embryologist to yell out “Clear”. This means that there are no embryos left in the tube and they can now take the clamp and catheter out of me. Now, I must lie on the table for 15 minutes relaxing and staying as still as possible. While laying there I held the picture that was given to me by the team of our embryo. Also while on the table with my knees elevated up waiting for the timer to go off. I thought for sure I was going to urinate on the table. I didn’t but came close. Wonder if anyone ever has? The timer went off and it was time to get dressed, go to the restroom and then go home. Due to the fact that my bladder was so full, I had a hard time getting dressed. When we opened the door to the transfer room, a nurse pointed around the corner, and said “restrooms that way!” LOL. I couldn’t walk straight. Aaahhh, feel much better now. Before we left to go home we took a few pictures of us standing next to the RSC building with a picture of our little embryo. Maybe, I’ll put the pictures on here for you all to see. We both really were honored to have the doctor that we had. He is the one we had wanted before. We had mentioned to our Infertility doctor. (Dr. Beth) Thank-you, Thank-you so much for (Dr. Issac). Before we left, we thanked (Dr. Issac) for doing our transfer and that we have read so much about him online. He then thanked us and wished us well and good luck. He is a very nice man. During our whole process, mostly everyone has been very friendly and understanding. Dr. Beth is laid back, friendly and a down to earth, smart woman. RN. Laura Jean is also very friendly, understanding, helpful and funny. Dr. Issac acts in a professional manner, yet at the same time friendly and funny. Since he was funny, I wanted to say. “Was that as good for you as it was for me doctor?” But I chickened out. Hee/hee. He has probably heard that one before anyway. Now we wait two weeks until the blood pregnancy test.
Sat. Oct. 15, 2005
Took a home pregnancy test today it came up negative. Maybe its too sooon to take one. Or maybe it can only detect it through a blood pregnancy test.
Thurs. Oct. 20, 2005
Took another home pregnancy test came up negative again.
Fri. Oct. 21, 2005
Couldn't sleep last night. Tossed and turned all night and was up every hour. went into work for a couple hours just to see how everything was going. Then headed down to the lab around 7:30am. Around 1:00 or 2:00pm the nurse filling in for my regular nurse called and left the message on the answering machine with the results. It was another negative result. After I heard the message I cried so hard it made me sick to my stomach. After I vomitted, which was mostly dry heaves. I couldn't stop coughing.
Sun. Oct. 23, 2005
One of my employees at work just couldn't wait to share her news with me this morning. She told me that she just found out that she is pregnant and that she doesn't want to be??? I'm sure I don't need to explain how I felt. I couldn't wait to get home and cry my eyes out.
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