We Have a Plan!

We went in this morning for an ultrasound and blood work and it went really well! Dr. Petersen saw at least 8 follicles on the ovaries nearly ready, but he said he'd like to wait until Thursday to do the retrieval because by then, he thought there should be at least another 4! He wanted to check my estrogen levels before deciding, so I had to wait until around noon and the nurse called to set up an appointment for tomorrow for another ultrasound. She said I should plan on getting the HCG shot tomorrow night for a retrieval on Thursday. I'm so glad that everything looks good, there are so many eggs and we now have a plan!

I'm feeling pretty good! I haven't had any more headaches and the shots haven't been too bad. I definitely feel like my lower abdomen is more full. I feel a little bloated and crampy. I imagine that it's a bit like actually being pregnant. I went to another acupuncture appointment today. It is supposed to help improve my blood flow and focus energy in the reproductive area. I believe it's helping me!

Fortune Cookie

So, last weekend we went to Pei Wei for dinner and my fortune cookie message said something to the effect of "You will receive the support you need this week". So True! Monday I received messages of encouragement from my dad and sister. I've had calls from my mom and multiple e-mails with well wishes from our family and friends. Today, Helena sent us a little package with a good luck note and this cute onesie. Isn't it darling? It's Joey's first gift! It was so sweet of her and we really appreciated it!

We wanted to say thank you to everyone for all the support! We always talk about how fortunate we are to have such great family and friends! We love you all!

Week 3

We got back from Oregon on Sunday night and we had a great time! We visited with Wynton and Tony, walked around Portland, ate at some nice restaurants, golfed, went to the beach and to the 2nd largest Oktoberfest in the world (next to Munich)! The game was very disappointing, but it was a wonderful weekend! We travelled with the Lupron, which had to be kept cold, but it was pretty easy and just kept refilling baggies with ice. The clinic gave me a note to travel with medication and needles in case there were any questions.

Monday morning I started 3 shots a day. I am now taking 1/2 the amount of Lupron and have added the Follistim and Repronex. The Follistim is easy with the pen. The needle is smaller and I don't have to measure the dose myself. Each dose of the Repronex has to be mixed daily. I mix with the larger needle and then replace with the smaller one. Thank goodness! Both of these new shots take longer to administer and they hurt more. I'm starting to get a little bruising and a few welts. Other than headaches and slight cramping, I haven't felt any side effects. I had an acupuncture appointment yesterday and she did a special treatment on me for headaches. I'm sure I looked quite comical with all the needles in my head. A bit like Hellraiser! :o)

We found out that I do not have the cystic fibrosis gene, so that is a relief! They recommend avoiding caffeine, alcohol and heavy exercise or twisting (like in yoga). I'm sure that cutting caffeine out has a bit to do with my headaches! My ovaries are growing so large that they could twist or be harmed in some way. I can go on walks, which I love anyway! I will just need Clay to take Oscar in case he pulls or chases after another dog.

We are getting new carpet in the family room on Friday, so we'll be busy cleaning up and putting everything back in it's place. Clay's going to need some help since I won't be able to move anything big. This weekend should be pretty mello though. We do have a U of U game on Saturday (no tailgating for me!) and visiting with friends and family on Sunday. We go in next Monday at 8:00 am to see how my ovaries are doing and check the number of eggs. The doctors will then decide if I'm ready for the egg retrieval or if I need an adjustment on the dosage of the Follistim. Hopefully, I'll be ready for the egg retrieval sooner than later!

Week 2

So, everything is going well. No side effects from the Lupron at all. I've been giving myself all my shots at 7 am each morning. Clay is glad that he doesn't have to get up early with me. It really hasn't been too bad at all. It's strange, I'm almost excited to get the shot... it's like I'm one step closer to the ideal end result... a healthy little Joey!

We went in for an ultrasound this morning so the doctor could look at my ovaries and determine the correct dosage of the stimulating drugs. He said that my ovaries are "dainty". Although I loved being called "dainty", it's not exactly a compliment in this situation. So, the doctor is going to have me take a higher dosage of the Follistim. We ordered all of the rest of the drugs that we'll need. They will arrive tomorrow, but we don't start taking them until next Monday. I'll then be taking 3 shots (Lupron, Follistim and Repronex) until the retrieval. The nurse said the Repronex is going to be painful and I'll have welts at the injection sites. It is also one medication that I have to mix every day. Fun! The Follistim is easy... it comes in a pen to make the injection easier and the dosage more exact. Clay will start taking an antibiotic (Doxycycline) on Monday as well. He'll take that until the day of the fertilization.

We are leaving for Oregon tomorrow and will enjoy the last few days before we really get into it. We are looking forward to the trip with Mom and Craig to see the U of U play the Oregon Ducks! We'll get a little golfing in and a trip to the coast one day! GO UTES!!!

Ready...Set...Go!

First things first... we were very excited to get Clay's test results back on Wednesday. His sperm penetrated 15 out of 15 eggs! They are just looking for 50%, so this was great news! We also learned that there was an average of 10 sperm that penetrated each egg and anything above 2 is considered normal! The morphology report showed that less that 1/2 the sperm weren't normal size and shape, but it seems that the ones that are normal are really good at doing what they are supposed to do! We were very happy!

Today was the first shot of Lupron at 7 am. I take 10ccs and the shot goes in my tummy. The needle is pretty small and I barely felt it go in. It went okay though it was a little itchy afterwards. I have to take the shots at the same time everyday, so I had to pick a time that would work for the next weeks. I was pretty nervous about the first shot so Clay gave it to me. I think I'll be able to give it to myself soon.

It was explained to me that the Lupron turns off my body's natural production of Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing Hormone (LH). Basically, I'm in menopause for a few weeks so the stimulating drugs that I'll be taking in 2 weeks take over and overproduce eggs. Here are pictures of the drug and the needle:

We went to our injection class last Thursday. We were there with another couple and a woman alone who is using her husband's frozen sperm because he's in Iraq. I can't imagine doing this by myself!!! We had samples of all the different drugs and we went through each one learning about the purpose of each drug and how it is administered. We learned about how we take care of each one (refrigerate or not) and how much to expect to pay. They told us that we needed to eat a diet as if I were already pregnant (less caffeine, no alcohol, prenatal vitamins and lots of fruits and vegetables). I was also told that once I start taking the stimulating drugs on Monday Sep 21st I will get very bloated (retaining water) and my ovaries will grow to be 2-3 times their normal size. That means that I won't be able to exercise at all and shouldn't do any twisting (like Yoga). The reason is the ovaries can get twisted which would be really bad. Take it easy... oh okay... no problem... Clay can help out! :o)

The University Fertility Clinic uses a pharmacy named IVP Care and they overnight the drugs to us. The University Pharmacy had the Lupron, so we picked up the 2 week supply after the class. I also had my blood drawn to screen for cystic fibrosis, which is a recessive gene. If I have the gene, then we test Clay. We would both need to have it for us to produce a child with it. We have a very small chance of having the gene so we're not too worried about it.

So, we will go in next Tuesday morning for an ultrasound to see how things are progressing. We are going to Oregon on Wednesday.

Anxiously Awaiting!

We haven't received the results from the Hampster Egg Penetration Test (HEPT) yet, so we're waiting for that and for our injection class on Thursday. I just want to get going on this. It is so hard waiting for our start time! I know it is important because we want to make sure it is timed right. I'm sure that in the next few weeks when I've been pricked, poked and prodded multiple times, I will be wondering why I was ever so anxious to get started.

We are trying to enjoy the last few days of being unrestricted. We have enjoyed some nice dinners and special wine (I can't drink for most of the IVF time period) and we're heading out to Wendover on Saturday. Gotta win some money to pay for this whole thing! Just kidding! We just want to go have some fun before the shots start! We are also excited for the first University of Utah football game on Thursday! We have season tickets this year!

Stay tuned for more information soon!

The Plan...

Clay and I went to our IVF consultation on the 12th and talked to Dr. Gibson and one of the nurses about the process and our calendar. We had to work around our trip to Portland, so we will start injections on Sunday, Sept 6th. We have an injection class on Thursday, Sep 3rd to learn about the whole process. The doctor also suggested that we may want to get a genetic screening for cystic fibrosis, so I’ll have that done in the next few weeks. I’m sure it will be fine.

Next week we’ll know if Clay’s sperm is able to penetrate a hamster egg. That will determine whether or not we will have to do ICSI, which basically means they take the sperm and insert it directly into the egg. It’s over $1000 more, so we’re hoping the little guys are strong at infiltrating eggs!

I’ll be taking Lupron for up to 4 weeks. The 3rd week, I’ll start taking Follistim and Repronex. This is all to produce as many eggs as possible. I’ll go in for ultrasounds and bloodwork every morning during the 4th week until they set a date for the egg retrieval. The embryos will then be watched and the best one will be transferred 3 or 5 days after the retrieval. I start taking Progesterone right away to help the embryo stay implanted. If all goes as planned, I should know if I’m pregnant right after my birthday!

Typically, during a regular IVF they transfer 2 embryos, but they have asked if we want to be part of a study where they will only transfer one. They will cryopreserve the other embryos for up to three years and I can have them transferred at no cost. It sounded like a perfect plan for us!

I’m just getting anxious about getting started. This will be a very long 8 weeks! More updates to come!

Oh, by the way… the bean growing has been interesting! One has really flourished and the other is struggling, but has finally poked his head about the soil. I’d like to think it’s representative of our long wait and struggle to be parents, but when it happens, it will be worth it!