Picture time

Our beautiful embryos. I can't stop looking at the picture.

I'm PUPO!

I just got back from our ET. Everything went pretty well. When I got there, they did an ultrasound and my bladder wasn't quite full enough, so we had to wait about 20 minutes or so for my bladder to fill up. The actual transfer went smoothly - saw the catheter on the U/S screen. So now I have two beautiful embryos in me. They were both grade 1 and the embryologist said they looked great. She actually came in afterwards and went through a book of pictures with us that showed each stage of development, including where ours were at today. We had three that she was going to freeze today, and one she was pretty sure just needed another day to grow that looked good. There were a few others that they were watching too. So, we'll at least 4 frozen embryos too! They did give us a picture of our embryos, but I have to figure out how to scan it so I can post it.

The other exciting thing - they're pretty sure I won't have to be on bed rest anymore! My ovaries looked pretty quiet this morning, and my I&O was better yesterday. They have to look at my lab work to know for sure, but hopefully I'll be back to work tomorrow.

My betas are scheduled for 3/31 and 4/2, though they won't tell me anything until 4/2. They don't even run the one on the 31st. They just freeze the blood and then run them both with the second to see if the betas are doubling. I think I'm going to keep every part of me crossed until then.

Keep on Growing!

I just got off the phone with the my nurse at my RE. Things are still looking good. We have 8 that are 8 cell or greater, 2 that are 6 cell, 1 that is five cell and 2 that are less then four cells. So, one didn't develop at all. But that all sounds pretty good to me. My transfer is scheduled for 8am on Wed. And I'm still supposed to stay on bed rest. But, my mom came to stay with us to help take care of the dog and take care of me, so that's a big help. DH has pretty flexible hours at work for the most part, but Tuesday is his meeting day, so he's always gone all day. And today, his brother and sister-in-law happen to be moving back home from TN with their almost one year old. So he's there helping unload at his parents because they're moving in with them until they can get on their feet. I wish I could be there helping them!

I have now finished two books while resting. The first, The Constant Princess by Phillipa Gregory, I had started before the ER and was most of the way through already. But, I started Twilight yesterday and finished it this morning. I have been meaning to read it for awhile because I had heard so many good things about it. I actually asked for, and received, the whole set for Christmas. But, I had put off starting it until after my test because I didn't want to get sucked in like I had heard so many people had and have my studying suffer for it. Now that I've finished the first one, there's a small part of me that is wondering what all the fuss was. It was good, but it didn't draw me in that much. I think, though, part of it might just be my frame of mind right now. I have such a short attention span. I can only do something for a little while and then I get bored again and have to move onto something else. I keep bouncing back and forth between reading a book, reading blogs, checking Facebook and watching TV. With some cross stitch stuck in there now and then. I should have signed up for ICLW! I did start New Moon, though, so maybe I'll change my mind the further I get into the series.

Fert Report

Things are still going well. I had 14 fertilize normally!! Of the rest, 5 didn't fertilize at all, 2 died off, 8 were immature and they had two pieces that were just tissue, not eggs. The RE wasn't sure if he was going to do ISCI or not, and I forgot to ask what they ended up doing. They had set up for ISCI, so they were at least going to do some, but I'm not sure how many of the fertilized eggs were done by ISCI. I have to go in tomorrow for some bloodwork, so I plan on asking then. And for some reason, they still want me on bedrest today. I'm a bit bored since I feel perfectly fine. I think he's just being overly cautious since there were so many eggs retrieved. But, I really hope that I don't have to miss any more work. Transfer for now is set for Wed. Now back to watching boring weekend TV.

ER done

Everything went well today. We got started a little later then scheduled because it was busy at the office. The ER was supposed to start at 8, but it was a little before 9 until we finally got started. Since the PA was away today, the doctor had to see some of the office patients until we could get started. But then I went off to sleep ( I hope! ) and before I knew it I was waking up and being rolled back into recovery. The RE said it went really well. He expected it to take a little longer than normal because I had so many follicles. But, my ovaries cooperated and it took less than an hour. And the grand total of eggs retrieved - 31!!! I'm sure not nearly all of them are mature. But, it should give us a good starting point!

The only sorta bad thing - and minor in comparison to other things - is that I'm on bed rest for the day. So, no concert tonight. The nurse said that she was going to check with the doctor, because I only had a small amount of fluid. But, he's a very cautious doctor, so I doubt that he's going to agree to it. Oh well, I'll take 31 eggs for not being able to go to the concert.

Trigger tonight

I didn't post yesterday because I was afraid it would be way to "woe-is-me." I was getting annoyed that they kept teasing me with triggering, and was uncomfortable, and it just wouldn't have been pretty. They decided to hold off on triggering me until tonight to let some more follies grow. So, now my E2 is up to 3700ish so I'm hoping for a good number of eggs on Friday. I'm still triggering with Lupron, so I can POAS to my heart's content (though I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet.)

We had some interesting conversation during the U/S this morning. At one point there were four people in the room - the RE, his PA, the U/S tech and the nurse. It was getting a little crowded. Anyway, after the RE had left, the PA started saying that she was sorry she wasn't going to be there for my retrieval, because she was leaving for Florida to visit family. So, I brought up the fact that I had wanted to trigger the night before so I'd be able to go see a concert on Friday. When they asked what concert, I sheepishly admitted that it was NKOTB, but they actually thought it was pretty cool. The PA had seen them when she was in sixth grade, and would have considered going again if she hadn't been going away. But, they all said that I should actually be ok to go - just take some pain meds and don't jump around. I'm so excited! Now, I know I won't know how I'm feeling until after, but at least there's a chance I can go. We were also talking a little bit about how the sedation works for the retrieval, and they revealed that they did one yesterday where the girl kept talking the whole time and kept asking them if they liked her socks. I really hope I don't do that!

Slow Down!

That's what my RE yelled at me as I walked by him this morning on my way back to get my blood drawn. Apparently I was walking to fast and to bouncy for someone with ovaries my size. So now, I have to glide everywhere I walk. It's a lot harder to walk slowly then I thought it would be. It actually takes a lot of concentration to not walk my normal pace.

Other than getting yelled at by my RE (and he didn't really yell - just suggested strongly), the appointment went pretty well. The fluid they saw Saturday was gone, so I guess my laying around and watching America's Next Top Model all day was worth it. And I was able to go to work, which I was worried he might not let me go. There were 27 follicles on my left! I think only about 10 or so were a mature size. And I think there were about 15-20 on the right with five or so that looked fairly big. My E2 was 1555, so even though I had a follicle or two that was 20mm, I have one more night of stims and most likely will trigger tomorrow with retrieval on Thursday. Which means I might be able to go to my concert on Friday night!

I had some other good news today. I found out I passed my recertification exam, so I am officially a physician assistant for another six years! I was actually a little surprised by my results - I did a lot better then I thought I would. It's such a huge relief that that is over. Now, if I can only pass my other "test" in a few weeks, it would make for an amazing month.

New Meds

I had another appointment this morning. There were three other women there and I was the only one who didn't come with a significant other. DH couldn't have come this morning. He was at a conference about an hour away. But, he doesn't normally come with these appointments anyway. How about you? Does DH come to the RE with you? I must admit it would have been nice to have company this morning. Since there were four of us, and only one doctor, they had us come all at the same time to get the lab work started, but then we had to wait for the U/S. I think I was in the room about 45 min or so before the doctor came in.

Things are still going well. I only got a few numbers this time. I had a 15, 13, 11.5, 10 and 10 on the right, plus a bunch of smaller ones. And on the left, the biggest was 14, and again a bunch of smaller ones. My E2 was 794 and LH 3.6. So tonight, I'm going up to 200U of Follistim, starting Ganirilex and also adding Luveris. I'm not sure why they're adding the Luveris. I don't think that was in the original plan, because they didn't order that for me when they ordered meds. So, we'll see. I have another appointment on Monday.

He did see some fluid in my pelvis, so I've been ordered to take it easy. I was going to go to Philly tomorrow to go the the art museum with a bunch of friends. So now, I'm just catching up on TV and movies. I already watched August Rush, which I absolutely loved. I'm still waiting for my exam results to come back, too. The wait is driving me crazy. They said it can take two weeks, so I'll have just finished one 2ww when I'll be starting another one.

Lots of Follies

I had an appointment with the RE this morning. I didn't get any specific measurements of my follies. They didn't usually give them to me in the past for the IUIs, and I didn't ask today. They just said there were a lot of small ones, so I didn't ask for specifics. I think I will with my next appointment on Sat. They did keep me on the same dose of Follistim, and my E2 was 334. So I think everything is looking good. And I'm definitely feeling something going on. Today I've been getting all sorts of twinges and pains in the ovary area. I can't imagine what it's going to feel like once they really start getting big.

I started writing a post the other day about how I keep getting lapped at work. I had just found out the fifth co-worker was pregnant. And she was the second one who became pregnant for the second time since we started trying. Today, though, I found out the other girl who was "lapping" me is going to miscarry. There are just so many conflicting feelings. The girl who is miscarrying is wonderful, and a great mom. I feel guilty for being jealous of all of these girls. And yet, I really want it to be my turn. I wanted to be the sixth, and complete this cycle of "they always come in threes" But now we're back down to four. Such confusing feelings.

Slight Delay

I had my baseline appointment with the RE this morning. Lining looked good - nice and thin. I didn't get an actual antral follicle count, but saw the paper they take notes on, and it looked like there were a decent amount - I'd guess at least ten on each side. The delay comes in that I just got off the phone with the RE and they're pushing back the day I start my stims a day. I start tomorrow instead of today. Not because any issue with me, but with the way things are looking with two other women in the clinic, they would have three potential egg retrievals on the same day, which they would have trouble doing because he's a solo practitioner. So, one more day of reprieve from giving myself shots. I'm starting on Follistim 125U and I go back again on Thursday. I can't believe this is actually starting!

I really wish that my local Fox station would stop showing this one commercial. One of their news anchors is pregnant, so they've been doing this series called "...... is having a baby" and it's just getting really annoying. I watch a lot of shows on Fox, too - Nascar races, American Idol, Bones, House. Well, maybe not a lot. But Nascar and AI take up a lot of time. I'm not sure why I find the commercials so annoying. Usually baby things don't bother me - there's just something about this one.

Obligatory Med Picture (plus a few just for fun)

Well, minus three meds that I won't get until I go back to work next week. They arrived today, though unfortunately, AF hasn't. It's making me a little nervous. Since my exam is Monday, I can't go the RE that day. So hopefully, they'll either still see me Sunday, or it can wait until Monday. I'd hate to put everything on hold for another month. Now that I have my meds, I'm ready to go.


Lacey (on the left) and Darcy were curious, but not quite sure what I was doing as I was looking through the box.

But they've had fun keeping me company as I've been studying!

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Meds

I've had a busy few days going back and forth with my RE, the pharmacy they tend to use, and pharmacy at the hospital I work at. I don't have any prescription drug coverage through work, but we get a decent discount at the hospital. Monday afternoon, I got a call from the pharmacy the RE uses, saying that my RE had called in the order. For some reason, we hadn't gone over the actual list of meds I'd be using at the RE, so when the lady from the pharmacy started going over the list of meds, I realized I could probably get some of the "normal" meds at work - like Lupron, doxycyclin, Terazol. So I looked them up, and not only can I get them, they are formulary, so I only pay 15% of the wholesale cost. I had to find out from the RE which Lupron it was because there were about 6 or 7 on the list. And she didn't know which one it was for sure, so was going to call me back the next day. Little strange, but we got it all straightened out. So now instead of paying almost $500 for the Lupron, I only have to pay $60! The other two weren't as big a savings, but even bit makes a difference.

DH was also concerned with the amount of Follistim they had ordered for us. It's not a ton, just 3 600U cartridges. But the last IUI I did I only used 330U. I know I'll need more for an IVF, but almost 6 times as much does seem like a lot. So, we're starting with just two vials for now. My IVF nurse explained that they usually started with three because in people that have medication coverage, once they order, they can't order any more. At least that's what she said. But, since we're self pay - we can order more any time that we need it.

So, my meds will be here Friday! (Or at least most of them.) And I'll actually be home because I took the day off to study, so I'll be here to sign for them.

This is totally random, but I'm so glad I'm done with the BCPs. I think they've been making me a little too emotional. Lately, every time I hear the Taylor Swift song "Love Story" I start crying in the last verse. I don't know why. I mean, I like the song, but it's not that sentimental. And it doesn't help that the song is on the radio ALL THE TIME.

We Are a Go!

I had my appointment the RE yesterday. Everything looked good, so I take my last BCP tonight and will likely have another appointment on Saturday! It's so exciting to get things going! Longer post when I have a little more time.