On Our Way

We are on our way to the Egg Aspiration (retrieval). Say a prayer!

Pain, Pain and More Pain

This is not fun at all!  I just want to get my whining out of the way initially - it hurts to walk!  Every step I take I can feel pain in my ovaries they are so large.  I went to the doctor Monday morning, and it was borderline.  I had one or two 18mm (the magic number) and a lot of 16s and 17s.  After getting my blood work, they decided to give me one more night of stimulants and I had to go back Tuesday morning.  It was only 2 more shots, and they weren't that bad.  So I went back for another ultrasound and blood work, and once finished I was sitting in the room waiting on my nurse.  The nurse at the station was looking at my file and said "Good Lord, Ashley!  Are you hurting?"  My reply of course was, "Well yeah! How come?"  She said I had at least 7 on one side and 8 on the other that were already ready (at least 18mm or higher)  And those were just the ready ones, I had QUITE a few more on each ovary.  Once Jackie came in, she said once I trigger (Ovadril) they mature and I'll have more mature, so she is guessing at least 9 eggs per ovary.  Some could be empty or have multiple, but just looking at it, we could get around 20 eggs.  This is good, because not all eggs will fertilize (apparently you are born with 1/3 of your eggs capable of fertilization.)  So Thursday, 2/4 will be our egg aspiration.


So everything is going great!  The two nurses said I am responding fantastic to IVF, which is expected due to age and issues.  Ok, the bad news - the day of the aspiration, I have to start taking an intramuscular injection for progesterone.  It's an oil going into the muscle, so it's  THICK needle.  I about stroked.  I spoke with Dow's Medical department, and they can give it to me during the week.  And I've asked my Sunday School teacher Lenna (a retired nurse!) to at least start us on the weekend and maybe show Randy how.  After seeing the needle though, I love my husband dearly, but I am not sure if I want him coming at me with that thing.  It's huge!  So we'll see what happens.  The funny thing is I have had 2 people say to me after telling them this "Well I bet Randy sure is relieved he might not have to do this!"  My response?  Randy?? If he messes it up it's an oops - but for me it's an OUCH!  I think their sympathy might be sliiighlty misplaced, because I am sure the "this hurts me more than it does you" doesn't apply!

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...)