....said the Doc as he stuck the good ol' ultrasound doodad up my hoo-hah.....
So I guess all is looking relatively well. I have 7 follicles "cookin," ranging from 6-10.5 mm. Mostly in the 8-9ish range. However, he says my lining is still a little on the low side: only about 4.4 mm. The nurse poked my arm once again to test my estrogen levels, so they said they will call me later on today to let me know whether I need to go up to 2 amps Menopur, or still stay at one.
The injections have been treating me pretty good. I have been icing my tummy before and after the Menopur and it definitely helps. I think I'm slowly becoming a "pro" at these shots, although the other night it was possibly a little over-confidence that led to a little mishap. The first 2 nights the Follistim was treating me well, and I only got a small bruise from the 1st night of the Menopur. However, night 3, after I did the Follistim, I was on my way to grab the ice pack from the freezer before the last shot, and noticed I was feeling a little more stinging than I expected from the Follistim. So I lifted my shirt and saw I was bleeding like crazy! (Ok well, maybe not THAT bad, but it was quite unusual). So I had to clean that up, yet it managed to leave the biggest, nastiest bruise of all thus far. My best guess as to what happened is I probably took the needle out too quickly and/or at the wrong angle and ended up ripping a bit more flesh (if that's possible?) Yuck. That's not happening again.
As far as the symptoms, SO FAR I have only felt a *little* cramping. The few times that I've felt slightly nauseous, I usually attributed it to other reasons at the moment (i.e. "Oh I just didn't eat breakfast yet" or "Oh I just gotta use the toilet"). Hmm, maybe I'll be okay during the 2ww?.....Nah, I'm pretty sure come the 2ww (our first ever LEGITIMATE 2ww at that) I will be going absolutely nuts analyzing every symptom.
Next appointment is on Thursday, and we may possibly see even more follicles then. Yay!
Update: Turns out, my estrogen is low, so tonight I did the 1 amp Menopur, but as of tomorrow I'm bumpin' it up to 2
Monday, August 8, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Surprise!
What a fun Thursday:
This morning I wake up relatively early, on my own. I decide to just be lazy for a good while, and *maybe* do a little cleaning before my 12:15 eye appointment. So 9:30, I'm just chillin' at the computer when I get a call from the RE's office. My appointment is not until tomorrow, but the Dr has decided he wants me to come in and start stims TODAY!
So I take a quick shower and ask DH if he wants to tag along. He agrees and slllllllloooooooooowly gets out of bed. We look over the consent forms once more (and have a nice little spat about the whole what-to-do-with-potential-frozen-embryos-in-the-case-of-our-death thing) and head to the office. Dr comes in and profusely apologizes for wearing jeans since he didn't originally intend to see patients today. Does the ultrasound, everything looks good. Get poked in the arm again, fun times.
Then I go to my eye appt and *supposedly* my last eye doctor had me over-corrected in my right eye. I apparently should be wearing -6.5 instead of the -7 I have been wearing (yes, I'm about as blind as a bat!)
After that appt, we go to UCLA for DH to run a quick errand, then he drops me off at the pharmacy. I pay a whopping $860 for 4 days worth of Menopur and Follistim. Then I come right back out and DH is not waiting for me outside, so I try to call him. But whaddya know, I'm stuck in the middle of Westwood and can't get any service on my phone. So I borrow a phone from someone, and of course DH's phone won't ring either. So I'm just left waiting outside, slightly annoyed. Annoyance turns into slightly freaking out about where the hell he could be and why the hell he is taking so long. 45 minutes later he comes around the block, and says he was stuck at one light for the last 30 minutes (although I suspect he probably drove a lot further away then he needed to!) I come home, relax a little more, then have my little injection party around 7:30.
Gotta say, I think the Follistim pen is pretty nifty, although clumsy ol' me ended up stabbing myself afterwards while trying to unscrew the needle. I had a little trouble mixing the Menopur; probably should have used the Q-cap to draw up the meds instead of that long needle it came with. And I had heard that one stings quite a bit so I sure am glad I saved it for last!!
So even though this was one hectic busy day, I'm glad the appointment is out of the way. Now I can use that free time tomorrow to.......CLEAN! My sister & BIL are coming to visit from San Jose. Hooray Hooray! I get to be someone's "tour guide" in LA! :)
This morning I wake up relatively early, on my own. I decide to just be lazy for a good while, and *maybe* do a little cleaning before my 12:15 eye appointment. So 9:30, I'm just chillin' at the computer when I get a call from the RE's office. My appointment is not until tomorrow, but the Dr has decided he wants me to come in and start stims TODAY!
So I take a quick shower and ask DH if he wants to tag along. He agrees and slllllllloooooooooowly gets out of bed. We look over the consent forms once more (and have a nice little spat about the whole what-to-do-with-potential-frozen-embryos-in-the-case-of-our-death thing) and head to the office. Dr comes in and profusely apologizes for wearing jeans since he didn't originally intend to see patients today. Does the ultrasound, everything looks good. Get poked in the arm again, fun times.
Then I go to my eye appt and *supposedly* my last eye doctor had me over-corrected in my right eye. I apparently should be wearing -6.5 instead of the -7 I have been wearing (yes, I'm about as blind as a bat!)
After that appt, we go to UCLA for DH to run a quick errand, then he drops me off at the pharmacy. I pay a whopping $860 for 4 days worth of Menopur and Follistim. Then I come right back out and DH is not waiting for me outside, so I try to call him. But whaddya know, I'm stuck in the middle of Westwood and can't get any service on my phone. So I borrow a phone from someone, and of course DH's phone won't ring either. So I'm just left waiting outside, slightly annoyed. Annoyance turns into slightly freaking out about where the hell he could be and why the hell he is taking so long. 45 minutes later he comes around the block, and says he was stuck at one light for the last 30 minutes (although I suspect he probably drove a lot further away then he needed to!) I come home, relax a little more, then have my little injection party around 7:30.
Gotta say, I think the Follistim pen is pretty nifty, although clumsy ol' me ended up stabbing myself afterwards while trying to unscrew the needle. I had a little trouble mixing the Menopur; probably should have used the Q-cap to draw up the meds instead of that long needle it came with. And I had heard that one stings quite a bit so I sure am glad I saved it for last!!
So even though this was one hectic busy day, I'm glad the appointment is out of the way. Now I can use that free time tomorrow to.......CLEAN! My sister & BIL are coming to visit from San Jose. Hooray Hooray! I get to be someone's "tour guide" in LA! :)
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Subcutaneous gold
5 days of Lupron injections and so far giving myself the shots have been a piece of cake. I haven't had a whole lot of side effects: I definitely had hot flashes the 2nd day but that was the only time. I usually feel slightly dizzy or lightheaded afterwards, and also feel a little funny in my stomach, but I can't tell if that's actually from the Lupron or just leftover indigestion issues from the trip. The first few days I only got a little redness and a small bump at the injection site, which went away within an hour. So I was all happy thinking I would get another 2 weeks with an inconspicuous tummy, but then last night I bled a bit when I took the needle out and it left a bruise. Pretty sure my abdomen will look like a battlefield before this is all over.
And once again, I am irked with my insurance. At the appointment on Friday, DH and I were both asked to do an infectious diseases/STD screening that they need by the 10th. The nurse recommended we go through our primary doctor since most insurances won't cover it if we go through their office. DH had no problem with his student insurance and just went to the clinic on his campus. (We'll see if we get any nasty bills though...) However, I call my assigned PCP (whom I have yet to even see), and they don't even have a single appointment available until the middle of August. Scratch that. Then I tried to find other doctors who are supposedly within my network and none of them will take my insurance. This whole thing has got me thinking what is the point of insurance anyway? Ugh. I'm thinking I just might as well go through the RE's office anyway.
Other than the irritation, DH and I are just trying to enjoy our summer at home. Yesterday we went to the Harry Potter movie (cheeeeeeeeeeeesy!) and then went to our local farmer's market for the 1st time (never got a chance during the school year). I think today I'll do some laundry to earn myself a chance to be lazy and lay out by the pool. :)
And once again, I am irked with my insurance. At the appointment on Friday, DH and I were both asked to do an infectious diseases/STD screening that they need by the 10th. The nurse recommended we go through our primary doctor since most insurances won't cover it if we go through their office. DH had no problem with his student insurance and just went to the clinic on his campus. (We'll see if we get any nasty bills though...) However, I call my assigned PCP (whom I have yet to even see), and they don't even have a single appointment available until the middle of August. Scratch that. Then I tried to find other doctors who are supposedly within my network and none of them will take my insurance. This whole thing has got me thinking what is the point of insurance anyway? Ugh. I'm thinking I just might as well go through the RE's office anyway.
Other than the irritation, DH and I are just trying to enjoy our summer at home. Yesterday we went to the Harry Potter movie (cheeeeeeeeeeeesy!) and then went to our local farmer's market for the 1st time (never got a chance during the school year). I think today I'll do some laundry to earn myself a chance to be lazy and lay out by the pool. :)
Thursday, July 21, 2011
And the ride begins....
We just got back from Bangladesh yesterday morning (which will be a post for another day) aaaaaaaand we are ready to go:
Tomorrow morning I am going in for the baseline u/s and starting the Lupron. I am excited and at the same time freaking out a little about the thought of giving myself injections. Hopefully it's a lot easier than it sounds. And if I completely chicken out, I can always make DH do it (if he doesn't chicken out too). Teehee.
The egg retrieval & MESA will be Aug. 15th or 16th. So I'm glad the timing worked out so that our urologist will be in town. However, looking at when my potential betas would be, will most likely be the week I have to report back to work, so that might be a little tough depending how everything turns out. I just keep trying to remind myself to leave it in God's hands.
Sidenote: It's hard to believe that it's already been about a year since we moved. I never even updated my expectations, but I guess the "culture shock" from OK to Cali is nothing after going to Bangladesh. :)
Tomorrow morning I am going in for the baseline u/s and starting the Lupron. I am excited and at the same time freaking out a little about the thought of giving myself injections. Hopefully it's a lot easier than it sounds. And if I completely chicken out, I can always make DH do it (if he doesn't chicken out too). Teehee.
The egg retrieval & MESA will be Aug. 15th or 16th. So I'm glad the timing worked out so that our urologist will be in town. However, looking at when my potential betas would be, will most likely be the week I have to report back to work, so that might be a little tough depending how everything turns out. I just keep trying to remind myself to leave it in God's hands.
Sidenote: It's hard to believe that it's already been about a year since we moved. I never even updated my expectations, but I guess the "culture shock" from OK to Cali is nothing after going to Bangladesh. :)
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Hooray for Healthy Uterus!
I went in for the sonohysterogram on Thursday. Everything looks great and ready to move forward!
Gotta say, the procedure was a *bit* painful/uncomfortable. As soon as he put the catheter in I instantly got really crampy and sweaty and feeling very impatient, wanting to get up and move around already. I was thinking to myself "Oh crap, what am I getting myself into if I can't even stand just this one little thing?"
So the plan for now is: we are going to Bangladesh for a month, and I will continue the BC there. Dr. wants me to call as soon as we get back, and then start on Lupron, and then start stims. He was a little concerned that our urologist may be out of town at the very end of August, so we're hoping the timeline will work out perfectly.
I'm starting to actually get excited about this, like holy moly this is really gonna happen!
Gotta say, the procedure was a *bit* painful/uncomfortable. As soon as he put the catheter in I instantly got really crampy and sweaty and feeling very impatient, wanting to get up and move around already. I was thinking to myself "Oh crap, what am I getting myself into if I can't even stand just this one little thing?"
So the plan for now is: we are going to Bangladesh for a month, and I will continue the BC there. Dr. wants me to call as soon as we get back, and then start on Lupron, and then start stims. He was a little concerned that our urologist may be out of town at the very end of August, so we're hoping the timeline will work out perfectly.
I'm starting to actually get excited about this, like holy moly this is really gonna happen!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Change of plans
So it turns out, we will not start cycling at the end of June....
Remember back in August when I was contemplating whether or not we should put off IVF and visit DH's parents? Well recently, DH had been bringing the idea up again, or rather, trying to see if there was any way that we can do both this summer. Particularly because both of his parents are not in great health right now, and as he hasn't seen them in over 3 years (and I have yet to meet them in person).
Last week, we found out DH's dad has a prostate tumor, and will be getting a biopsy this week. No ifs, ands, or buts about it, we are going to fly out there to be with them through the operation and to help them out. We'll be leaving pretty much as soon as school gets out in a few weeks, and will be there about a month. So this past week has been full of hectic planning and trying to get our emergency passports and visas.
I'm excited that this will be my very first time out of the country, and that I finally will get to meet DH's family. But the circumstances just suck. I wish this didn't have to be the reason we were going.
DH is determined that we will be able to still do IVF after we come back. I'm hoping we can....we had all the money saved for the procedure, and have somebody who was going to be helping us out with the cost of meds and having something for back-up. But this trip is taking a good chunk out of our savings of course.
On the one hand, I can't bear to think of waiting any longer. But on the other hand, I'm still trying to be as realistic as I can about this.
In the meantime, IVF-wise, we'll still procede as if it will happen. I called the RE to see if we can do the SHG before we leave. I should be getting AF this week, so he says to start my last pack of BC on the 3rd day, then call to schedule the SHG 2 weeks later. And when I come in, let him know how long I'll be gone. He says "I can go ahead and start you on Lupron, and I can manipulate your cycle any way I need to."
Boy that sounds scary...
Remember back in August when I was contemplating whether or not we should put off IVF and visit DH's parents? Well recently, DH had been bringing the idea up again, or rather, trying to see if there was any way that we can do both this summer. Particularly because both of his parents are not in great health right now, and as he hasn't seen them in over 3 years (and I have yet to meet them in person).
Last week, we found out DH's dad has a prostate tumor, and will be getting a biopsy this week. No ifs, ands, or buts about it, we are going to fly out there to be with them through the operation and to help them out. We'll be leaving pretty much as soon as school gets out in a few weeks, and will be there about a month. So this past week has been full of hectic planning and trying to get our emergency passports and visas.
I'm excited that this will be my very first time out of the country, and that I finally will get to meet DH's family. But the circumstances just suck. I wish this didn't have to be the reason we were going.
DH is determined that we will be able to still do IVF after we come back. I'm hoping we can....we had all the money saved for the procedure, and have somebody who was going to be helping us out with the cost of meds and having something for back-up. But this trip is taking a good chunk out of our savings of course.
On the one hand, I can't bear to think of waiting any longer. But on the other hand, I'm still trying to be as realistic as I can about this.
In the meantime, IVF-wise, we'll still procede as if it will happen. I called the RE to see if we can do the SHG before we leave. I should be getting AF this week, so he says to start my last pack of BC on the 3rd day, then call to schedule the SHG 2 weeks later. And when I come in, let him know how long I'll be gone. He says "I can go ahead and start you on Lupron, and I can manipulate your cycle any way I need to."
Boy that sounds scary...
Friday, March 18, 2011
Documentary trailer and more updates
The other day I happened to stumble across this video on youtube:
This looks like it will be a really awesome infertility awareness documentary! Another cool thing is that one of our doctors is one of the experts in this film. It's great to know we're in an area where we have these doctors who are real leaders in this field!
In other news: My 100-panel CF screening was negative. Hooray! Plus the glucose test was normal so I don't have to think about taking Metformin. Yippee! The Dr. did however recommend I repeat glucose tests every 2 years to monitor my health. Makes sense to be on the safe side, as my dad developed type 2 diabetes and I have a sister with hypoglycemia. So I get to look forward to more good times downing a bottle of what tastes like orange gatorade with a buttload of sugar in it. It's cool, I've done worse....
So it looks like we should be able to cycle the very end of June/beginning of July. Dr. wants me to do a sonohysterogram about a month before. (Dear insurance, please cover it). And there's the financial stress on top of our prior plans for the summer.....but that is a post for another time.
This looks like it will be a really awesome infertility awareness documentary! Another cool thing is that one of our doctors is one of the experts in this film. It's great to know we're in an area where we have these doctors who are real leaders in this field!
In other news: My 100-panel CF screening was negative. Hooray! Plus the glucose test was normal so I don't have to think about taking Metformin. Yippee! The Dr. did however recommend I repeat glucose tests every 2 years to monitor my health. Makes sense to be on the safe side, as my dad developed type 2 diabetes and I have a sister with hypoglycemia. So I get to look forward to more good times downing a bottle of what tastes like orange gatorade with a buttload of sugar in it. It's cool, I've done worse....
So it looks like we should be able to cycle the very end of June/beginning of July. Dr. wants me to do a sonohysterogram about a month before. (Dear insurance, please cover it). And there's the financial stress on top of our prior plans for the summer.....but that is a post for another time.
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