Post-surgery Update

I went in at 7:15 yesterday morning for my egg retrieval surgery.  Long story short - they were able to retrieve 15 eggs during the procedure, which my husband and I were both pleased with.  After about an hour in recovery, I was able to go home.  I felt okay, until my pain pills started to wear off.  I'm one of those people who can't seem to take anything for pain without horrid side effects.  Hydrocodone (Lortab/Vicodin) makes me vomit, propoxyphene (Darvocet) makes my tongue swell, and apparently oxycodone (Percocet)makes me itchy.  And to think some people use these drugs recreationally.  No thank you!

We decided to go with the lesser of three evils and have my doctor prescribe Percocet.  We ran into a problem, however, when the pharmacy at the hospital (where James was planning on picking up my prescription during my surgery) didn't carry Percocet.  So, the doctor gave him a paper script and told him to take it to our pharmacy on the way home (they won't accept faxed scripts for heavy narcotics).  James dropped me off first and helped me get settled on the couch, then went to get my prescription filled.  Turns out, the pharmacy won' accept handwritten scripts for heavy narcotics, so they wouldn't fill it.  We had to make numerous phone calls to get things figured out and James ended up having to go across town, back to my doctor's office, to get a HANDWRITTEN script, then back to the pharmacy to get it filled.  In the meantime, I had a nice 2 hour long window of no pain pills in my system.  NOT GOOD!  Luckily, I had some ibuprofen that I was able to take in the meantime.

The rest of the day I spent resting on the couch.  Once I got the Percocet, I was able to stay on top of the pain for the most part, but was feeling really nauseous.  It's hard to say what was causing it...could've been the anesthesia, pain pills, other medicine, stomach bug (since I wasn't feeling very well the day before the surgery either).  Anyway, since then, that's been the biggest annoyance.  The actual pain from the surgery itself is nothing compared to the feeling of needing to vomit everytime you sit up or open your eyes

I slept okay last night and have continued to rest on the couch all of today.  I got a call around 11:00 from the embryologist.  Out of the 15 eggs they retrieved, they were able to inject 14 of them using ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection).  Out of those 14, 6 of them fertilized.  I'm kind of disappointed that less than half of them fertilized, but we can only hope that everything will go smoothly from here and on Day 5...maybe we'll still have 6 healthy embryos!

We'll get our next embryo report on Monday.  They're going to leave them alone until then so they can grow like crazy!

Hoping for a good report Monday!

For now...a fun pre-surgery pic:

This would be me pretending to be the Big Bad Wolf/Grandmother from Little Red Riding Hood.  The sad thing was that I wasn't even doped up yet when this picture was taken.  Gotta do something to pass the time!

Rough Night

These last 24 hours have been rough. I've already been feeling really uncomfortable. I feel like my ovaries are the size of canteloupes and could explode at any moment.  Walking around (particularly at work) has been a struggle and I've felt a tremendous pressure on my bladder.  I guess I'm getting a sneak preview of what it's like to be preggers.

Last night I did my trigger shot (Ovidrel) and started cabergoline to prevent OHSS since my E2 levels are high. I woke up at 1 AM feeling violently ill. I had to run back and forth to the bathroom 5 different times (finally just ended up sleeping on the bathroom floor). I never actually threw up because I was so worried I'd twist an ovary or something! Needless to say, it was not a restful night and it sure wasn't easy going to work today. First graders aren't very forgiving when you don't feel good...

I talked to my nurse and she thinks the nausea was most likely due to the cabergoline. She's now going to have me take it vaginally (TMI?) instead of orally. Not all that thrilled about this...but I'll do whatever it takes to not have a repeat of last night.

Tomorrow is the big day. I'll be heading to the hospital for surgery in T minus 9 hours!  I feel ready. Nervous?  Yes.  Excited?  Absolutely.  But mostly...I'm just ready to be done with all this.  It's been a long road.  Some parts of the IVF process were honestly not as bad as I expected them to be...while others were much tougher than I had ever anticipated.  It's an experience I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy but at the same time has brought me closer to my husband and has shown me how amazingly supportive my friends and family are.

And I think it's safe to say...this baby is going to be SO wanted and SO loved.

Cycle Day 10 - Retrieval Scheduled!

I went in for my final ultrasound and blood work today. They ended up counting 20 follicles (11 in the left and 9 in the right). 8 of those measured at 18 mm or higher, which means those 8 are ready. My nurse suggested waiting one more day to see if we could get more of them to that size. So we tentatively made the plan for a Friday retrieval, pending my estradiol results (if estradiol gets too high, you're at risk for OHSS - ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome).

Later in the afternoon, I got the call back from my nurse with my estradiol levels. They want them to be no higher than 3,000. Mine were 3829. They decided to bump our egg retrieval to Thursday morning. Another day of stims could result in OHSS and we definitely don't want to go there!

So, tonight I will take one final dose of Lupron (no Menopur, Gonal-F, or HCG). Then at exactly 9:45 (it has to timed perfectly), I will take Ovidrel, which is the trigger shot that matures the eggs. In addition to this, I will start an oral medication called Cabergoline tonight to help prevent OHSS. I will have to take this for the next 7 days. My nurse informed me that it can cause dizziness and if I get too dizzy from it, I can take it as a vaginal suppository. That doesn't sound all that fun to me, so hopefully I'll do fine with taking it orally.

Thursday morning, I report to Overland Park Regional at 7:15 AM.  We will know before I leave the hospital how many eggs they were able to retrieve.  They will give us an update the following day to tell us how many have fertilized.

I'm starting to feel both excited and nervous. I kind of wish we had that one more day to hopefully get more mature eggs, but I trust my doctor/nurse know what they're doing. I obviously don't want to put myself at risk of getting OHSS by stimming one more day.

Just hoping I have enough eggs for this to be successful and hopefully have some leftover to freeze for the future!

Cycle Day 6 - Good News!

Wow, what a day!  After hosting 20 people yesterday for Thanksgiving, I got up early this morning for my 7:45 AM doctor's appointment. Since I had family in town, James stayed home to entertain and I had my sister Maggie come with me.

Technically, the doctor's office wasn't open today (because of the holiday), but because there were women that had to have scans done, a couple nurses came in for a few hours to get everyone done.  I was kind of worried there would be a long wait since they told everyone who needed to be seen to come in at 7:45, but I ended up being quite impressed with how quickly I was able to get in and out of there.  I was first in line to get my labs done and I only had to wait like 5 minutes in the waiting room before going in for my ultrasound. 

During my ultrasound, they found 6 follicles in my right ovary and 11 in my left.  17 follies?  Not bad!  They measured kind of small, which my nurse said wasn't bad, it just meant they weren't quite ready yet.  We decided to change my Monday ultrasound appointment to Tuesday, when she thinks they should be more ready.  That means the retrieval will probably end up being next Thursday or Friday.

Nurse Marci called me later in the morning to inform me that my estradiol levels are looking great.  At this point they want them around 600 and mine were 783, which I guess is good!  This was a relief after hearing on Tuesday that they were still slightly low.  I was instructed to continue my shots as is for today and tomorrow.  Then starting on Sunday, I will start taking smaller doses of the Menopur, Gonal-F, and HCG.

So, it seems like we're on track with everything.  This time next week, I should be recovering from my retrieval surgery!  I'm really excited!

Thanksgiving 2012

We had a lovely Thanksgiving at our house yesterday with 19 of our family members (my parents, siblings, nieces, in-laws, aunts, and cousins).  Our house was full, but the weather was beautiful and the kids and dogs played out in the backyard for most the day.  We had a ton of food and it's very possible that I gained 10 lbs.

For the second year in a row, I had a turkey success.  I stuffed it with a granny smith apple, garlic, jalapeno, and sage leaves...and then wrapped it in an apple cider butter soaked cheese cloth.  It was moist and juicy and golden brown.  I heard from many that it was "the best turkey ever".  I must admit, it wasn't bad!

The night ended with my older sister drunk dialing another one of our sisters and me owning my family in Phase 10.  Good times!

And the cycle continues...(woohoo!)

I went in and had my E2 (estradiol) levels checked this morning. I was really nervous about this blood test, since this was the one that caused us to have to cancel our cycle last time. I had my phone on me all day at work waiting for "the call".

My nurse finally called around 1:30. She said my levels were much better than they were last time. I went from a 40 to a 95. This is still a little on the low end (they want them to be between 100 and 300 at this point), but she said we're fine to continue with our existing cycle. So the plan for now is to continue the same dose of shots that I'm taking right now. Then I'll go in Friday morning for an ultrasound to check the size of my follicles to make sure they're being stimulated enough from the shots. I'll have one final ultrasound at the beginning of next week, then (hopefully) we can do the egg retrieval later in the week.

The countdown is on. Come on, stims....work your magic!

Cycle Day 2

Yesterday (the official day 1 of my new IVF cycle), I started back up with the fertility meds: Menopur and Gonal-F, as well as Microdose Lupron and HCG.  It's a total of 5 shots a day (because I have to take the Lupron in the morning and evening), but my nurse showed me how to mix the Menopur, Lupron, and HCG in the evening, so I'm actually only giving myself 3 injections a day.  It took me almost 30 minutes to mix everything up last night (I feel like a chemist) but this evening I got it all done from start to finish in less than 15.

The shots are definitely not pleasant, but what's worse than the injections themselves is the constant headache I've had since Friday.  At first I attributed it to a stressful week at work.  Then on Sunday, I thought maybe it was a hangover because I had drowned my sorrows during the horrid K-State game (and because it was the last night I was allowed to drink).  Then today it was even worse.  I'm pretty sure it's the Lupron.  I follow quite a few fertility blogs and headaches seem to be a common side effect of this drug with many women.

I've also been really irritable today.  It could be a side effect of the drugs...or maybe I'm just grumpy.  It's hard to say.  It may have had something to do with the fact that I had to buy another $1500 of meds this morning.

Anyway, tomorrow's a big day.  I'll go in first thing in the morning for lab work.  They'll be checking my estradiol levels again and hopefully the phone call I get tomorrow afternoon will be a happy one saying I can continue my cycle.  Cross your fingers!

Week 3 - I'm Thankful For...

Day 15 - I'm thankful for Pay Day!
Day 16 - I'm thankful for my amazing para(s).  Jessica saved the day yet again.  Don't know what I'd do without her!
Day 17 - I'm thankful for my parents....and hoping my mama recovers soon from the stomach flu so she can come spend Thanksgiving at our place!
Day 18 - I'm thankful that I have a reliable car that is finally paid off!
Day 19 - I'm thankful for modern technology.  I can't imagine living without my DVR, iPhone, lap top, Kindle, etc.  It may sound materialistic, but life is just so much more convenient with these things in it.
Day 20 - I'm thankful that my labs came back okay today and that I'm able to continue my IVF cycle.  Along with this, I'm very thankful for Nurse Marci who has rooted for me every step of the way. 
Day 21 - I'm thankful that I have a job that gives me a 5-day weekend for Thanksgiving!  I'm SO happy to have the day off today!

FACEBOOK is like a TRAIN WRECK

Facebook is like a train wreck...no matter how crappy it might make you feel, you just can't seem to look away.

I'm having one of those nights.  My Facebook is being flooded with pictures of my friends with their new babies or with their cute little baby bumps or sonogram photos.  You would think that after looking for the first couple minutes and getting moderately depressed, that I would stop...but nope!

Why do we do this to ourselves?  I know for a fact that I'm not the only one who does this.  But seriously...why?  Why do we torture ourselves to look at things like this when we know it's just going to make things worse?  I wish I had the self-control to just stop...close the computer...and put it away.  I think I need to take a Facebook hiatus.

"Righty" Takes a Vacation

*Disclaimer - This post includes TMI words and phrases like transvaginal and inner parts.  If you're not into that, you may want to stop reading now.

I went in today for blood work and an ultrasound. All my ultrasounds (I've had 5 so far) have been transvaginal. So, in the movies when you see women go in and have the wand rubbed on their belly and then a cute picture of a little peanut shows up, and they're all emotional and happy and stuff...yeah, that's not really how my experiences have been.

Rather, I have to lay there, getting my inner parts probed while worrying that I might pee myself (it hasn't happened yet). And of course, there's never really anything to see...just blackness (and I guess a uterus and ovaries). Or in today's case, an ovary. While doing my ultrasound today, she looked and looked and was never able to find my right ovary. We've seen it before, so we know I have one...but I guess it was hiding. They didn't seem to be concerned about my ovary being on vacation, so I figured I didn't need to be either.

The rest of my appointment went fine. I sat with Nurse Marci and talked about the new meds I'm going to be starting soon. I start the microdose Lupron on Friday. I have to give myself morning and evening injections for that.

Then on Sunday, I will start taking Gonal-F and Menopur again. Instead of one vial of Menopur a day, I'm now going to have to take 3 vials a day. I will start HCG shots that day as well. So, as if we hadn't yet spent enough on meds, we're going to be ordering another $1000 worth.

As my nurse said today, if it all works and we get our baby...we won't care about the cost. And if it doesn't? Well, we're going to be one really poor pissed off babyless couple.

Next Tuesday I will go back in for bloodwork. That will be the big estradiol/progesterone test that will determine whether we can move forward. I'll be glad when that day is over, because I'm still feeling a little anxious about this whole thing happening again. We're definitely making changes to prevent the low estradiol levels, I'm just hoping it's enough! I guess we'll know next Tuesday...

Week 2 - I'm Thankful For...

My last post was getting rather lengthy, so I decided I should probably do these "I'm Thankful For..." posts by the week.

Day 8 - As silly as it may seem, I'm thankful for good well-written television shows (namely Homeland and Dexter).  AMAZING!

Day 9 - I'm thankful that I have awesome coworkers to help get me through the day.  I have a really tough class this year and honestly, I couldn't do it without the support of my A Pod Amigas!

Day 10 - I'm thankful to be an aunt to 5 nieces, 5 nephews, and 3 step nieces.  Today, I'm especially grateful for my oldest niece, Monica, who is celebrating her 21st birthday tonight!

Day 11 - I'm thankful for music.  We had the pleasure of listening to some live jazz down at 18th and Vine last night.  We had an amazing time!

Day 12 - I'm thankful for fellow IVFers who have helped me through this process.  As supportive as all my friends and family are, no one really understands what you're going through unless they too have been through it. 

Day 13 - I'm thankful for our house.  Even though we've lived here for a year and a half now, I still sometimes just look around and feel so grateful that this is where we live. 

Day 14 - I'm thankful for my student teacher.  Not only does she bring me lunch on Wednesdays, but she also busts her butt to teach our very tough class.  AND she puts up with my grumpiness which has happened more often than I'd like to admit.

Week 1 - I'm Thankful For...

The latest trend on Facebook is for people to post everyday what they're thankful for.  I don't want to flood Facebook with daily updates, so I decided I'll do it on here instead.

Day 1 - I'm thankful for my amazing husband.  We've been through A LOT in the past year and he's been by my side through it all.  I'm lucky to have him in my life.

Day 2 - I'm thankful for the support of my family and friends as we go through this whole IVF thing.  We had a pretty big setback this week, and I was amazed at how supportive everyone was.  My student teacher brought me a bottle of wine the day after I found out we were going to have to cancel our cycle.  A former student's mom (who has also been through IVF) left me a super sweet card and Starbucks gift card in my mailbox one morning.  And my good friend Kara sent me a card all the way from South Carolina with some encouraging words.  People have shared kind words, prayers, and hugs with me...and all of these things have helped me through this tough time.

Day 3 - I'm thankful for my alma mater.  We got to go to Manhattan for the KSU vs. OSU game and had a blast.  I've always been proud to be a wildcat, but this year that pride has been taken to a whole new level.

Day 4 - Despite all the medical bills that are piling up for us right now, I am thankful that James and I both have good jobs that are allowing us to be able to pay for IVF.  It's so tragic that some people never get the opportunity to be parents because they are in similar situations as us but cannot afford the treatment.  We are very fortunate for this to be an option for us.

Day 5 - I'm thankful for the snuggly pup that's keeping my feet warm right now.  Kahlua's had some health problems this past year and I'm just really grateful she's still with us.  Hopefully she has many more years ahead of her!

Day 6 - I'm thankful for Happy Hour.  Good drinks, good food, and good quality time with friends.  Nothing beats that!

Day 7 - I'm thankful for my sisters and that we can talk on the phone for hours!

New IVF Timeline

After the news we received Tuesday, I had to take a couple days to just be sad and mad.  Then I decided I was done with that.  The bottom line is, this all sucks...a lot.  I thought I was going to be going into surgery next week and now I'm not.  But I can't change any of it.  And being pissed off isn't going to make things any better.  So, I've accepted it. 

With that being said, we now have a new timeline for everything.  I'm currently back on birth control pills to restart the suppression phase.  It seems like such a setback, but again...it's beyond my control.  I will remain on the pill until 11/13.  At that time, I will have to go in for my suppression ultrasound and labs to check my progesterone and estradiol again.  Hopefully my levels will all be where they need to be at that time.

Assuming everything checks out normal, I will then start back up with the Dexamethasone and a new microdose Lupron on 11/16.  Unfortunately, I have to throw out the old $200 vial that I already have.  And instead of taking the Lupron once a day like I was previously, I will have to do morning and evening injections. 

On 11/18, I will add back the Gonal-F and the Menopur injections.  I will have labs to monitor everything on 11/20, 11/23, and 11/26, and I'll also have ultrasounds on 11/23 and 11/26.

Our new tentative date for the retrieval surgery is 11/28, 11/29, or 11/30 (depending on the results from my labs and scans on 11/26).  The transfer will be five days after the retrieval, so that'll end up putting it on 12/3, 12/4, or 12/5.

So, that's our current timeline.  Let's hope we can stick with the plan this time.