Blow Fish

Half asleep but chugging Gatorade

On my way this morning...

I feel like a blow fish except I'm not filled with air. I'm filled with fluid. I've been downing Gatorade all day which leads to emptying my bladder every few minutes. I ate 3 bananas and now I'm on my second glass of orange juice. That should cover my potassium. I've followed my RE's recommendation of salty foods: country ham biscuit with a side of country ham (ha!) and pepperoni pizza. I don't know what else to do but pray that I don't get severe OHSS.

My nurse called a few minutes ago. She said my estrogen is quite high -- over 7,000! She wanted to make sure I had my prescription filled for tomorrow. It's called Dostinex. I'll start it after my ER. She said they give it to all patients that have an estrogen level above 5,000. I asked her if I would be okay but I really meant could the transfer be cancelled. She said everything would be fine. She said I would be really bloated and everyones body handles things differently but things will be fine. She made me feel better.

We're going to bed early tonight. We're excited about the ER. We've got to be there at 8:45 AM. So we'll be leaving here at 6:30 AM. It's going to be an early morning but hopefully an uneventful day after the ER. I'll update as soon as I'm able with details from my experience.

Say a prayer. I'm praying for you!

Worried About OHSS

Yesterday in Savannah

So after 9 days of stims I have an estrogen level of 5,614. My ultrasound revealed tons of mature follicles: 18 on my right ovary and 15 on my left ovary. That's 33 total and they are all above 16 mm. The ultrasound tech had me scoot off the table which she said helps you relax. I barely felt anything! It was a nice relief because I was worried it would be painful. The ultrasound tech also kept saying "Wow! More just keep popping up!"

After the ultrasound I met with my nurse. She said that I responded very well to Follistim which resulted in many mature follicles. She told DH and me about OHSS and the symptoms to look for this week: nausea, vomiting, extreme bloating, shortness of breath, etc. She said call with any of those symptoms. She told me to drink 1 liter of Gatorade a day, eat foods with high sodium: chips, pepperoni, pickles, bacon, etc. and eat foods with high potassium: bananas, tomatoes, dried fruits, etc. This little pep talk freaked me out. I really don't want to get severe OHSS but I guess there's a high chance since I have so many follicles and such a high estrogen level. She told us the negatives of OHSS: draining fluid with a needle inserted in your stomach or canceling the transfer. Crazy! Scary! I'm going to start praying!

Oh and she did say I am getting a prescription in the morning to help prevent OHSS. It's something that starts with the letter "d". She said the generic started with "hyper...". She said I'll start taking it the day of the ER.

So any advice to share about OHSS and ways to prevent it?

My trigger is tonight at 10:15 PM. The ER is set for Tuesday morning at 9:15 AM. DH and I are supposed to get there 30 minutes early. I'm not supposed to drink anything after midnight tomorrow night. I've got to go back to Charleston in the morning for blood work. I think they are checking my HCG level.

After 7 days of stims...

...I have an estrogen level of 2000-something. The ultrasound revealed that my follicles are growing as planned. My ovaries are filled with tons of eggs ranging from 13 mm to 18 mm. Most follicles are in the middle but a couple are at 13 mm and a couple are at 18 mm. My lining is at 11 which is great news -- awesome little home for growing babies! The nurse said everything looks textbook. My ultrasound was actually a little uncomfortable. I guess that's because my ovaries are enormous. I just remember pressing so hard on those stirrups while thinking "Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Get that out of me!"

My nurse called this afternoon. She said to lower my Follistim to 175 IU and come back on Sunday morning for blood work and another ultrasound. Q is going to skip out on Sunday's appointment since DH doesn't have to work. He'll be going with me. I'll be squeezing his hand while I'm being probed and about the scream. Just kidding! It's not that bad.

I'm still really excited and hopeful. I'm so ready for the ER and transfer...oh, and the BFP.

***

I wanted to share my side effects: headaches, nausea and uncomfortable/sensitive ovaries. It hurts to turn over in bed, run after my dog and empty my bladder. I'm actually happily experiencing them because IVF may hold the key to our dreams coming true. I'm sure the side effects would be worse if I were working right now. They seemed worse during my IUIs and I was taking less meds. My job as a teacher is stressful and overwhelming on a daily basis. I couldn't handle teaching all day and staying on top of an IVF cycle (shots, monitoring appointments, procedures, bed rest, etc.). So anyway I think the timing of this cycle worked out for the best. At least I know that my mind and body can successfully handle this IVF cycle. If it fails I won't have any regrets. But it's not going to fail, right?

***

My parents are visiting this weekend. My Mom surprised me with two cute little outfits from Old Navy. Aren't they precious?

After 5 days of stims...

...I have an estrogen level of 1075. It really jumped, didn't it? My ultrasound went well this morning. I had several follicles that ranged between 11 mm and 14 mm. It was exciting to see all those big black dots on the ultrasound screen. It was also nice to hear the ultrasound tech say "Looking great!"

My friend Q went with me. We had the best time, as always! She's my cheerleader. While waiting in the ultrasound room we practiced the cheer:

Give me an E...E!

Give me a G...G!

Give me a G...G!

What does that spell? EGG!

What do we want to see? EGGS!

Q is going back with me Friday. Thank GOD for her friendship! She's heaven sent and I really feel that God put us in each other's lives for a reason. She is also struggling with IF. This August will mark her second year of TTC. She's going to do an IUI in the fall. I'm praying a miracle happens before she has to do an IUI.

My nurse called on our way home. I'm going to continue my AM meds at the same dosage and change my PM meds. I'm going down to 200 IU of Follistim. I've got another blood test and ultrasound on Friday morning.

After 3 days of stims...

...I have an estrogen level of 275. My nurse just called to share the news. She said it's at a good level so my meds will stay the same: 10 units of Lupron in AM, 10 units of Micro HCG in AM and 250 IU of Follistim in PM. I'm going back in on Wednesday morning for another E2 and my first ultrasound since I started stimming. I'm looking forward to seeing those little follies!

Guess what? I turned 25 yesterday! I can't believe I'll be 30 in 5 years. I'm getting old. DH gave me the sweetest card. I must share it with you.

Once there was this guy.

A nice guy, really.

And he met this girl.

An incredible girl-truly amazing.

So naturally the guy falls

head over heels in love with her,

and pretty soon they're picking out

china patterns and rings

and there's a wedding

and the starry-eyed couple
rides off into what will surely

be a rosy future.

Okay, so now some time has passed

and the guy is living in that future.

He's still married to this girl,

but now their life includes a lot of stuff-

appliances and bills and loads of laundry

and home repair projects.

But between all the to-dos and have-tos,

there are these moments

when the guy stops for a minute

and looks around him.

He looks at his wife,

who is still truly amazing,

he looks at their life together,

all the ways and different

directions it's grown,

he looks at all

the responsibilities he's got,

and he thinks to himself,

so, this is my life.

And then he thinks,

I am one hellva lucky guy.

Happy Birthday!

Reading my card from DH

So this card made me want to cry. It was so sweet! I love DH more and more each day. I can't imagine life without him. DH surprised me with a present (pictured above: wrapped without a bow). I was really surprised because I thought IVF was enough of a present. It was a Canon Rebel T1i. I was shocked but instantly in love. I've been snapping pictures all day and I can't wait to snap pictures of our baby(ies)!

Any Canon Rebel tips or web sites to help with using all the cool features?

Treasure Chest

Everything went well during yesterday's appointment. According to the ultrasound tech my uterus and ovaries look beautiful. She said my ovaries are keeping quiet which means I'm suppressed. I had my blood drawn and then met with the nurse. She looked over my ultrasound results and said I've got a treasure chest of eggs: 27! 15 on one side and 12 on the other. She said it was a great way to start an IVF cycle. She said to continue 10 units of Lupron with something new! I'm adding 10 units of micro HCG. So first I put 10 units of Lupron in the syringe. Then I insert the needle into another bottle and add 10 units of micro HCG. She said the needle will be dull from going in two rubber stoppers. So she gave me some advice: hard and fast! She said it will be less painful. I'll let you know how it goes in the morning. By the way it's actually still Thursday night. When I got home from my appointment I ate lunch and then watched some TV. I was sleepy and my head and foot/lower leg had been hurting all morning. Weird, I know! I'm use to having head aches on all these fertility meds but not foot/lower leg pains. Anyway I fell asleep until 9 PM and when I woke up DH was getting in bed to go to sleep! So now it's 2 AM and I'm wide awake.

Back to my appointment I'm starting Follistim at night: 250 IU. I'm going back in Tuesday for blood work: E2. My nurse said my RE will make decisions on what's next based on the results. I'm getting so excited. I know we've got to make it through a lot: successful ER, transfer, betas, ultrasounds and a PREGNANCY but I'm already having visions of our baby in our home. I can't wait!

Update -- The Lupron/micro HCG hurt this morning! Hopefully it was just a one time thing and it won't hurt again. If not then I'm not looking forward to my morning "wake up" shot. Ouch!

March Baby

Yay! AF is in town! She arrived today and I was happy to see her. I know my cycle will be a little different than someone conceiving naturally. But if today is considered CD 1 (which would be the first day of my pregnancy) my due date would be Wednesday, March 24, 2010. Exciting, huh?

I've got an appointment in Charleston on Thursday morning. They are doing blood work, an ultrasound and explaining meds. I start stimming on Friday.

Baby Purchases

Latest Baby Purchase - Wicker Bassinet

Empty for Now!

I'm always on the look out for cute "must have" baby items. I've been purchasing these "must haves" items for several months now. I think the first purchase was made the Christmas before we started trying: December 2007. I ordered the Chicco stroller because I loved the pattern: 70s. DH just laughs when I call them "must haves." I used to shop more in the beginning when I thought we were actually going to get pregnant right away. I went through a few months this past spring without browsing at all. I didn't have any hope. But the hope is slowly coming back with this upcoming IVF cycle. So that leads to an explanation for the above pictures. I was driving by a baby consignment shop the other day. I didn't have any desire to go inside but I noticed this bassinet on the sidewalk. I could resist and had to check it out. I fell in love with it. Although it was used it was in excellent condition. So I got a $400 (cost with shipping) wicker bassinet for $150! I want to pick out a cute fabric and have bedding made but I'm going to wait on that wish. I'm going to wait until we get pregnant and find out if we're having twins (if so, I'm probably going sell it because it won't work for twins).

So anyway I just wanted to share it with you because it makes me smile. I can't wait to use it one day! It's beautiful. It's kept upstairs in one of our guest bedrooms.

Teaching and Infertility

What is up with teachers struggling with infertility? I'm definitely an educator that has spent the last three years of my life completely stressed out over my job on daily basis. I'm struggling with unexplained infertility and I've often wondered if it could be related to stress from work. I know of four or five teachers at my school that struggled with conceiving or conceived with help. Last week I met a neighbor that teaches kindergarten and is struggling with unexplained infertility. I ALWAYS come across teachers that have infertility blogs. There are sooo many out there! I wonder if there is a correlation to teaching and infertility. I wouldn't be surprised if stress is the culprit. A career is education is beyond stressful and those of us that are struggling do not deserve this sentence -- if in fact it's due to the stress of teaching!

Hatin' Lupron

Wow! Did I just finish my third year of teaching? Today was the last day of school. Summer has officially begun! Instead of celebrating I just want to crash on the couch which is what I'm doing right now. I'm exhausted and feeling "ugh!" I don't feel like doing anything and I've lost all patience. I've also noticed that I wake up at night drenched in sweat. DH is cool as a cucumber. Are these side effects of Lupron? If so I don't love Lupron any more, I hate it. I just want to feel normal again.

I finished my BC pills yesterday. It was exciting to check that off the list! Stimming begins this time next week. Hurray! It's all progressing so quickly.

Lovin' Lupron

My alarm went off at 7:15 this morning. I anxiously woke up to take my first Lupron injection. I've decided to take it each morning at 7:30. I'm injecting 10 units which is a tiny amount. It was easy peasy! The needle was tiny and it was painless. Afterwards I got back in bed to happily tell DH that it was just like Follistim shots -- easy, painless and simple.

I've got four days left of BC pills. And I'll continue Lupron until the ER...I think! So nothing exciting is going to happen for a few days. I've got an u/s, b/w and med instructions on June 18th.

By the way, only four and a half days left of school. I've never been more ready for a summer break -- two lines in the summer of '09! I'm praying for you and me. I really hope this is the best summer of our lives!

SonoHSG & Trial Transfer

I am happy to say that yesterday's procedures were a breeze. My RE started with the SonoHSG because my bladder wasn't completely full when he came in to do the Trial Transfer. I guess the 32 ounces of water I chugged 15 minutes before my appointment didn't do their job. Oh well! I didn't drink anything all day except those two bottles of water because I didn't want to feel miserable and about the bust during the procedure. When I have to go I have to go and I can't hold it. My RE said my body was probably a little dehydrated so the 32 ounces of water were absorbed and not sent directly to my bladder. He said for the actual transfer I must have a full bladder so I guess I'll drink water throughout the day and then chug 32 ounces before my appointment.

The SonoHSG wasn't bad at all. I felt a tiny pinch and cramp when the catheter was going in my cervix but that was it. After the catheter was in he removed the speculum and inserted the u/s probe. The saline solution was injected through the catheter. We watched the saline solution enter and fill my uterus. I didn't feel it at all and it was cool to watch it on the screen. It maybe lasted 2 0r 3 minutes. He said my uterus looked great. Afterwards my RE did the Trial Transfer because my bladder was a little more full. I didn't feel anything at all. It maybe lasted 5 seconds.

DH and I went to downtown Charleston after our appointment. We had our anniversary dinner at the famous Hyman's Seafood. I love their She Crab Soup! I also enjoyed Firefly with pink lemonade. If you haven't tried it you should. It's a favorite around here! DH gave me the Anniversary Willow Tree Angel. They are so sweet and always make me smile. We had a really great day together.

I've taken two weeks of BC pills. I've only got one week left. I start Lupron on Sunday morning. I'm getting excited about our IVF cycle!

Outrageously Expensive

IVF Meds and my new Orchid

Our outrageously expensive IVF meds arrived on Friday afternoon. The grand total was $3,997.37. Can you believe it? It makes me sick to think about it. And no, we didn't pay that total (we couldn't afford to pay that total). Thank GOD for IF insurance! Anyway, the interesting fact is that the Follistim costs $3,326.31. So the rest of the meds weren't really that expensive. By the way my RE ordered THREE 900 IU cartridges of Follistim. Doesn't that seem like a little much? Maybe not. I know I'm starting at 250 IU of Follistim a day for the first three days of stims. So maybe that's right.

In other IVF news I've got my SonoHSG and Trial Transfer on Wednesday afternoon. I'm supposed to drink 32 ounces of water an hour before the Trial Transfer. I hope they do the procedure quickly because I have a small bladder. I'll post my experiences with those procedures later this week.

I was doing so well on my diet and exercising but the end of last the week was hectic at school. I was ready to eat everything in sight -- a problem I have when I'm stressed. I didn't want to exercise either. I'm regretting a lazy weekend but oh well!

On Friday night I made a delicious southern dish called Poppy Seed Chicken. I've made it before and it's serious comfort food. I was going to post the recipe on here with my pictures but Kelly's already posted it on Kelly's Recipes. Kelly is the author of Kelly's Korner and I highly recommended a lot of her recipes. And no, I don't know her personally. I just love her recipe blog. But I do have to say, instead of boiling the chicken breasts I would just buy a rotisserie chicken and pull off the pieces. They are freshly baked from the deli of a grocery store. It makes it's much easier!

My Poppy Seed Chicken that was heavenly!

I served it with rice -- Carblicious!