Bad Day!

Ok, after a doctor visit on Friday, I had to take 3 shots, both
Saturday and Sunday. 3 needles, in roughly the same area, horrible
day. I am already miserable from the bloating pain in my abdomen,
that everything else just irritates it more. All 3 shots caused
bleading for the first time, one needle WOULD NOT break skin (had to
change syringes) and the last one IRRITATED the injection site.
Itches, burned, and hurt like everything!! Luckily, I had no bad
reactions to the ganirelex (the lupron replacement). I am just ready
to be finished with this part, I feel completely miserable! And I
know Randy is freaking out with the shots - blood, didn't break skin,
and trying to find a tummy location without bruises. I really hope we
don't have to do this again. And if it works, when the child is a
teenager, I will forcefully remind them of the expensive torture we
endured to have them! :)

First Ultrasound Check Up, Day 7

I went to the doctor today for my first ultrasound on stimulants.  I was nervous but I think it's just because I've come to expect the worst!  I knew the medicine was doing its job, because I can feel it working.  I know exactly where my ovaries are!  It's a weird tugging, tingling, twitching feeling with a lot of pressure.  If I could just unbutton my pants and walk around like that all day, it would be fantastic!  But according to the nurse/ultrasound tech, I am developing really well.  I have 5-8 clear follicles per ovary after 3 days, and one is already 12mm.  The nurse thinks they will go ahead and put me on the LH surge suppressant to keep me from ovulating.  I will know when they call me this afternoon.  The way the office works, is we all do our ultrasounds and blood work in the morning, and once results are in, the doctors all together review the results and agree on guidance each day.  It is really kind of neat, having multiple opinions instead of one.  So so far so good!!

Beagles sure do have it easy!

Tentative Schedule

We started stimulants yesterday.  The Gonal-F comes in pre-filled pens with multiple doses.  You click it to your prescribed dose, and pull the end all the way out.  Well long story short, Randy didn't click it all the way down the first time, so we only had a partial dose.  So he had to stick me again.  We definitely love each other for having to go through all this! 

Here is the tentative schedule thus far.  We are now doing the stimulants and doctor visits where they monitor the follicle development.  And sometime between Monday, 2/1 and Thursday, 2/4 they will do the egg retrieval in Metairie.  Luckily I will be "consciously sedated" because I don't want to remember it.  Then 4 days later normally, Thursday 2/4 through Sunday 2/7, they will but the embryos back in.  I have to be bed rested for at least 2 days afterwards.  The nurse explained it as "once they put those little embryos back, they don't want them going anywhere!"  And I do agree with her logic!  So only allowed to get up for restroom breaks - I am sure Randy is looking forward to that part of it! 

There will be dosage changes, and different injections added at some point, but I won't know all of that until it happens.  It all depends on follicle development and how blood work looks.  But it looks like around February 15th is when we will know if it was successful or not. 

Keep Praying!!!!

We may be in the clear...

We spoke to the nurse and doctor about it all yesterday. Neither of
them had ever seen this reaction, but they of course don't want to
risk it. And I am glad being that I found a blog on a woman who Lupron
actually caused her to have a stroke. We get to continue with this
cycle, and use an alternative medicine (can't spell it yet, I've only
heard it once!) But I will call at the start of this cycle, and start
my stims (Gonal-F) 4 days later. And then a couple of days after that
I start this new suppressant. So let's pray that it was just Lupron
and I am NOT allergic to this new stuff! Without it, I can't do IVF.
It would be horrid to make it this far just to find that out. Being
me, I'd probably tough it out and not tell anyone! (and yes, I'm
waiting on the reprimands from all the moms out there...)

When Things Are Going Well, It Never Fails

Apparently, I am allergic to Lupron, or something in it. The first night, my right leg just felt like it was asleep. Last night, my entire left side of my body went tingly and numb. It was frightening. I could hardly lift my arm. We were driving back from Mississippi, and I was googling side effects. This was one of those call your doctor immediately side effects. We called FINO's emergency line and spoke to the on call doctor. After verifying my breathing was ok, he told us to take a double dose of benadryl and not take the shot tomorrow, and
call my doctor first thing Monday. So will this stop this cycle? I don't know. Is there an alternative? I don't know. Will this be no big deal, or could it prevent us from doing IVF all together? I don't know. Please start praying.

Randy Did Well!

I am not going to lie, we were a little nervous on that first needle! We read the directions and filled the syringe. We then went back and forth over whether or not there was a bubble. Then well, does it matter?? Then after redoing it once and promising not to do it again, we were ready! So we just kind of stared at the needle like "what now?" I believe Randy's response was "glad it's not me!"But we did it! Right in the thigh. And I didn't even feel a thing. Until after, and my leg is now crossed between asleep and itchy. So everyone, give Randy a congrats! I know his first time to stick a needle in his wife had to have been hard - he's a good husband!

Let the Prayers Begin!

Good news folks - the cyst is gone and we start IVF today.  I was actually very surprised because I still felt some slight pain, so I assumed it would still be there.  I was actually setting myself up for waiting another week, just to not get my hopes up!  I have found I much rather prefer expecting the worse, then getting excited when it's good news.  Not being hopeful just to be let down once more.  While I prefer this method, I know Randy doesn't because it causes a lot of unnecessary worry on my end - causing extra consoling on his end!  So Lupron will start this afternoon, and we'll continue those injections for just over a week I believe.  Now I can really start writing and keeping our blog up to date.

Now let's let the injections and prayers begin!...

No Needles Today

Bad news...  We have to postpone it for a week, possibly two.  I have a cyst on my left ovary, so that prevents me from starting the stimulation medication.  Stimulating with a cyst could cause it to rupture and damage your ovary.  They weren't worried, apparently it happens (and apparently has been happening to all their patients today.)  So let's just pray that it goes away enough this week to start next Friday!  I go back Friday to check on it - and it usually doesn't take more than 2 weeks go away. 

So now I just have ANOTHER week to terrify myself once again.  Think happy thoughts...