Trigger Happy

Ladies and Gents...(well, whatever gents would care to read about my gonads on a daily basis)... I am RIPE! My follicles are mature and my uterine lining looks "beautiful" according to my doctor. All of my follicles did a lot of growing overnight and they counted 6 at maturity today. After speaking with my nurse, my estrogen level has jumped from 800 to 2500 which is supposedly where it needs to be. However, because of my estrogen level, they said that there are more than 6 follicles. Not sure where they are hiding, but they better cooperate this weekend!

I have been instructed to stop all of the injections that I've been taking for the past month (my poor bruised belly loves that idea) and administer my "trigger" injection tonight at 10:00 p.m. sharp. I already have it mixed, in the fridge, and waiting to be drawn up! I have to be in Columbia at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow for my last round of bloodwork because my Augusta doctor will not be open. Surgery for my retrieval will be on Sunday at 8:30 a.m in Charleston.

We'll probably head down to Charleston tomorrow evening so that we will already be there and ready to go. I can't believe this is actually happening...I never thought that I'd be able to do IVF! Yay!

A big shout out to my Sister-In-Law who is in labor right now...good luck and we love you! Can't wait to meet our niece Haley soon!

I will probably be zonked from anesthesia on Sunday, but I will update as soon as I'm back to my old self. I hope they give me some good drugs. Wish us luck!!!

This Is Your Ovary...And This Is Your Ovary On Drugs.

***Note: These are not my ultrasound pics...however, this is very similar to what I see each time I get an ultrasound. Each black area is a follicle on the ovary. The bottom half of the pic is a stimulated ovary***

We are almost there!!! Yay! I have about 5 mature follicles along with quite a few smaller ones. My labs look really good and they told me that I was almost ready for retrieval. I was told to take another stimulation shot tonight, then my other injections in the morning before going back to the doctor for more labwork and another ultrasound. My nurse believes that I will have to "trigger" tomorrow night and have the retrieval on Sunday morning in Charleston. My appointment tomorrow will give us the final answer. Let's hope I don't have to wait almost TWO hours to be called back like I did today! I guess they don't care that you have to take off work every other day to do this.

The trigger injection is one of the most critical parts of the cycle. It induces the final maturation of the eggs, loosens the egg's attachment from the follicle wall, and allows for timing of the egg retrieval. It basically prepares my body for ovulation...however, my doctor will manually ovulate me before my body does the deed itself. I will have the retrieval exactly 36 hours after I give myself the trigger.

The trigger is called HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) and is the same hormone that is present in pregnancy. This hormone is what makes a pee stick turn positive when you are preggo. Therefore, if I try to pee on a stick (too much info, I know) in the next couple of weeks, it will say that I'm pregnant. The only way to confirm that the IVF works is through a blood test 14 days after the retrieval.

I know this because I had to take this injection with all 6 of my IUI's and made the mistake of testing too early. It is pretty cool to see a positive on a pregnancy test though. Sometimes I would just do it for the fun of it, haha!

And P.S...My ovaries don't feel like peaches, they feel like WATERMELONS!

Insane!!!

Just read this article and thought I would share. Absolutely incredible. Hopefully we'll have some frozen embryos for the next litter!

Celine Dion Pregnant With Embryo Frozen for 8 Years

Just Peachy...

I have been a nervous wreck all day. I have got to stop reading IVF horror stories on the internet. I even had my mother on the brink of throwing up all day. Sorry mom!

I don't really remember much from today up until my nurse finally called me back around 2:30 this afternoon. When I went in this morning, they measured 4 medium follicles (cysts containing eggs) ranging in size from 11mm to 15 mm. This is the exact size they want them to be at this point in time. There were several smaller follicles that may contain eggs, but they don't measure those. They may "catch up" before retrieval, who knows. Of course, I've learned how to read the ultrasound monitor and saw a big black blob on the left ovary! They hate me. Nurses can be the worst patients. Anyway, there is a big fat follicle measuring about 22 mm on that side....which translates to almost an inch. I knew I felt something...I've been going through this long enough to know my body all too well. The Augusta doctor can't give me his opinion because he's not technically my doctor, so I got to play the waiting game all day!

I picked up the phone when the nurse called expecting to hear that I was going to be cancelled, as I had spent the entire day convincing myself that this was the case. Not to be pessimistic, but I have to mentally prepare myself for bad news because, unfortunately, it is the norm when it comes to infertility. She wasn't concerned about it right now!!! Thank you God. She referred to it as a mature follicle and said that we would continue to push through the cycle. My estrogen came back normal at 800 which is good. She said we will keep our fingers crossed that everything continues to go according to plan, and that I will be rechecked on Thursday morning. I've read that some women go in for the retrieval surgery and they were able to obtain more eggs than were seen on the ultrasounds. Let's face it, I'm not 21 anymore...Four eggs are better than nothing, but the more I can get the better the chances of a successful outcome.

Another interesting tidbit I learned from my doctor today...an ovary is normally the size of a grape. In a patient undergoing stimulation for IVF, it is about the size of a peach. Hmmmmm....

Migraines and Gonads

This morning, I went to the doctor to have my bloodwork drawn. I must say that it's a lot easier to drive through downtown on a Sunday morning. My appointment was originally scheduled to be yesterday, but my Augusta doctor was only scheduled to be open this morning. Instead of making me drive to Charleston, they let me delay my labwork by a day. My nurse called me back this afternoon to tell me that my estrogen level looks good! I will take the same dose of medications tonight and in the morning, but I will have to decrease the night med (Follistim) beginning tomorrow night. Don't ask me why...I just do what they tell me to do, haha! My guess is because they don't want my estrogen to go above a certain level, so they have to titrate the dose to keep it where they want it to be. My next appointment will be Tuesday morning and will include labwork as well as an ultrasound.

I was feeling pretty good up until about Friday...I woke up nauseated with a massive migraine and I'm pretty sure it was either from stimulation meds or caffeine withdrawal. I couldn't even function at work for most of the day, but was able to get through it. I'm not supposed to take any ibuprofen or aspirin products because it may affect the lining of my uterus, but I had to do it. Excedrin Migraine is my new best friend.

I'm also feeling a bit of pressure and bloating in the gonad region...I just think that gonad is a funny word. Anyway, I know it's because I probably have, like, 18 eggs growing on my ovaries at this very point in time...but I can't seem to get it out of my mind that the cyst is growing back. I will know once I have the ultrasound Tuesday morning. I'm not sure what they will do if I have a cyst...I know they can do surgery to aspirate them, or....cancel the cycle. Dear God, please let it be 18 eggs. I think that I'm just stressing, which is human nature considering all that we have been through to get to this point. Just like I said before, I have to put it in God's hands.

In other news, I was able to attend my little sister's first baby shower on Saturday. It was hosted by our second mom and sistas from another mister...the Thomas girls. Thanks for a great time...y'all are the best!

Holy Medicines, Batman!

The cyst is GONE and my hormone levels are non-existent!!! Popopowwwww! My nurse called after my appointment this morning to let me know that my labs look great and that we are ready to begin the stimulation phase tomorrow! How's that for answered prayers?!?

My medications have arrived and have literally taken over my bedroom dresser. I'm a bit overwhelmed by it all, but I have instructions typed out by my doctor to let me know what to take and when to take it. The two medications that I begin tomorrow are Low Dose HCG and Follistim. These drugs will mimic two hormones that are normally present in egg developement, FSH and LH. The amount that I get via injection is higher than the levels a woman would produce naturally, which will result in my body producing multiple eggs as opposed to only one.

I will start mixing the HCG with my Lupron injection and give that to myself every morning. The Follistim came with a fancy cartridge and injection pen which I will give to myself every evening. I had to watch a few videos from my pharmacy's website to learn how to load the cartridge and administer that one. It's the most expensive one out of the bunch, coming to a whopping $1800...Ouch! I sure don't want to mess that one up!

At this point I will start going to the doctor more often for labs and ultrasounds. They will adjust my doses every couple of days depending on how my hormone levels and follicles respond. My next appointment is on Saturday...fun! If my Augusta doctor is not available, I will have to go to Charleston for this appointment. I will know more later this week. I guess it's apparent that my reproductive system doesn't operate on a Monday-Friday schedule!

Andy gets the honor of starting a medication tomorrow too...it's an antibiotic that we will both be taking to prevent any germs from interfering with the process. For example, we would hate for a simple UTI to mess everything up.

We are excited to finally get started with this cycle. I'm not sure how long I will have to take the stimulation medications because it all depends on how I respond. In an attempt to decrease the stress of it all, we will just put it in God's hands and take it one day at a time.

The Little Cyst That Could...

I went in for another ultrasound/labwork this morning. As it turns out, the "Little" cyst is still hanging around. My nurse called me this afternoon to inform me that my estrogen was still elevated and that the Lupron had not suppressed it. From what I understand, I probably ovulated through the birth control pills. Because of this, the ovulation left a cyst on my ovary which is producing estrogen. This probably explains why I have yet to start my period...the estrogen level has to drop in order for it to occur. Also, if I were to begin the stimulation meds without my estrogen being low, then that would put me at risk for OHSS (ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome). You can read about it here:
http://www.ivf-infertility.com/ivf/standard/complications/ovarian_stimulation/ohss.php


Hey, atleast we're dealing with elevated estrogen instead of elevated testosterone! I don't need anything else to shave:)

Instead of beginning my new medications tomorrow, I will continue the Lupron injections to try to suppress my system. I have to go back Tuesday morning for another ultrasound and more labwork to see if we've made any progress. If so, I will begin my stimulation meds next week. If not, I will probably continue Lupron until the cyst is gone and my hormones are null and void.

So far, I am feeling good. We are a little disappointed that this cycle is being delayed, but there is a reason for everything! I was so scared that they were going to cancel it, which means a lot of moolah and emotional investment would have been flushed down the toilet. We have been through a lot thus far, so it is easier to mentally prepare for setbacks. We have learned that this entire journey is about playing the waiting game. God doesn't give us more than we can handle, and patience is extremely hard but definitely a virtue when it comes down to it. As you may have guessed, our original dates for egg retrieval and transfer will be changed. Hopefully, we will have a better idea next week!

We would also like to give a shout out to Andy's sister, who will be having a little girl any day now!!! This is her first baby, as well as the first niece in the family. We love her and wish her the best of luck with delivery!

I think I can...I think I can....choo choo!

Back To Reality...

Annnnd...we're back from the beach! It was sooo good to get away, but I feel like I need to sleep a week to recover! I was able to "let loose" for the last time to get everything out of my system. Our vacation was filled with lots of bike rides, beach time, beer, sunsets, beer, excruciating sunburn, beer, good food, beer, and the obligatory Hucko drama. Speaking of excruciating sunburn...my mother, father, brother, Andy, and myself were confined to the beach canopy, a.k.a. "Burn Unit", for the last half of the week because of our irresponsiblity with sunblock. Must have been the beer. We arrived each day donned with SPF 50 and packed ourselves in like sardines underneath the canopy. I must say it was pretty humorous. Note to self: reapply sunscreen after 2 hours.

I stopped my birth control on 7/23 and began my Lupron injections on Sunday 7/26. My belly is a little bruised and sore, but not too bad. As suspected, I have had the hot flashes, irritability, and a little nausea. One thing that I have noticed is I am extremely anxious and having trouble sleeping. I'm not sure if it is the medicine or if I'm just nervous about the rest of the month in general. Today, I called my mail order pharmacy to request that the next round of medications be shipped. The pharmacist says, "Oh wow, your doctor called in quite a few medications this time." She then proceeded to spout out a list of about 7 medications that I couldn't even pronounce if I tried! They'll be calling me back tomorrow with the final price and to collect payment before they ship them out. Do you think my insurance company will not recognize them as infertility medications and cover them by accident?!? Fat chance, but it would be pretty entertaining to rip them off for once:)

I go back to the doctor on Friday for more labwork and another ultrasound. They also told me that I would have another menstrual cycle this week as well, so I'm waiting on that to happen. I'm praying that the cyst has disappeared, but we will know for sure on Friday! They are also supposed to counsel me on how to give myself those other medications. If all goes well, I should start those on Saturday.

After much persuasion, we were able to get a few family pics on the beach! These are our first family pics in over 10 years as well! I've posted all of them on facebook, but here are a few of my faves. Enjoy:)

With momma...

The Aunts and Grammy lovin' on my sister's baby bump


With our sweet daddy:)

Annnndddd....The Burn Unit:)

A "Little" Cyst

I had an ultrasound today so that they could make sure that the lining of my uterus and ovaries were cooperating. There was a "little" cyst on my left ovary, and I was told that I probably ovulated while on the birth control pills...hah! Imagine that. They said that hopefully it will resolve on its own, but there is a chance my cycle can take longer than anticipated if the cyst chooses to be stubborn. Fingers crossed!

I was expecting to be extremely late for work today, but surprised at how fast they called me back into a room. They must have heard my credit card vomiting inside of my wallet. I'm lucky to be able to have my ultrasounds/labwork done in Augusta and the results transmitted to Charleston. However, we have to pay for ultrasounds and labwork on top of the fee we paid to our Charleston doctor...so the less I have to go, the better!

We're so excited to be heading to the beach with our family next week...this will give us a chance to relax before things get really busy around here! I probably won't post any updates until afterwards because this next week should be pretty uneventful.

Hopefully the sun, saltwater, and fun times with my family will make that "little" cyst deflate! Love to all!

A Spoonful of Menopause...

I received my first shipment of medication today!!! It's called Lupron, and it's a medication that I give on a daily basis to men who have prostate cancer. Last time I checked, I didn't have a prostate...so I was a bit concerned as to why I have to take this drug. Apparently, Lupron "shuts down" the female hormone system in preparation for the stimulation drugs I will have to begin in a few weeks. Let's give an applause to early menopause! Beginning Sunday, I will be injecting myself daily with this medication for a majority of the cycle. It's a small injection that I will be administering in the fatty tissue around my belly button...got plenty of that to go around. In the latter part of my cycle, it will prevent my ovaries from prematurely releasing my eggs before they are ready to collect them.

So, being the nurse that I am, I had the ingenious idea to look up the side effects that I may experience. Let's begin. Hot flashes...Okay, I can deal with that. Clomid made me wake up in a pool of sweat every night. No biggie. Headaches...Awesome. Nothing a Tylenol can't fix. Mood Swings...Whoa. Too bad I'll be at the beach next week for our first family vacation in over 10 years. Lucky them. Mix that with the hormones from my pregnant sister and we may not be going on a vacation together for another 10 years. I have a feeling that the male counterparts of the family will be fleeing to the golf course on a regular basis.

On another note, we would like to extend our sincere appreciation for the overwhelming support we have received since starting this blog. We have realized that we cannot do this alone, and we are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends in our lives. Thanks for all of the prayers and the words of encouragement. You guys are the best and we love you all!

A sign?

I know in my heart that God has a way of telling you things, even if he has to send it via junk mail. I found this coupon for infant formula in the middle of my front yard when I got home from work today.

A sign? I would like to think so.

So far, the pills have not affected me in the least bit. I'll be taking them for 2 more weeks, so that buys me more time with my sanity...sweet!

Here we go!!!

It's finally time for my first, and hopefully last, IVF cycle! If all goes according to plan, a cycle should take about 6 weeks. For the next few weeks I will be taking birth control pills. This is to suppress my system so that they can time everything just perfectly. Wow, birth control pills....didn't I get off of those things for a reason? I haven't taken one in over 4 years, so I'm a little anxious as to how they will affect me. From the looks of all of the injectable medication side effects, the pills should be the least of my worries. So, we'll see!

In a few weeks I will start incorporating different injections, but for now I will just concentrate on this part. One day at a time, right? I will keep you all updated!

For Sh*ts and Giggles...

A little glimpse into an evening with Jessica and Andy...

Me: WTH is this?

Andy: An avacado core.

Me: Um...what are you doing with it?

Andy: Just trying to see if it will sprout.

Me: Okay...um, why?

Andy: Just for sh*its and giggles.

Me: Um. Okay.

Andy: Yeah, you laugh when you see me eating fresh avocados from my tree and you have none.

My IVF calendar is booked!

Since I started my cycle earlier this week, I had to contact my nurse at our fertility center to let her know. We received a message earlier today with our tentative dates for this IVF cycle!!! If all goes according to plan, my egg retrieval will be on August 19 and the actual transfer will occur on either August 22 or 24.

Keep in mind that these dates all depend on how I respond to the stimulation medications. If I recall correctly, my ovaries were about to explode with eggs when I was going through IUI with the lowest dose of Clomid. They will be monitoring me VERY closely throughout this cycle to ensure that everything goes as planned.

I will do my best to keep you all updated through each step. In the future, I think it will be fun to go back and compare my current mood to the moods I will be having over the next 6 weeks. Aweshome! I apologize in advance.

The Secret of Infertility...

RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association has been an awesome resource for us...this one particular article helped with the decision in starting this blog. Check it out!

http://www.resolve.org/site/PageServer?pagename=cop_tainf_tsoi


The following link is also good...It's a link for family and friends to learn how to help and support a couple dealing with infertility:

http://www.resolve.org/site/PageServer?pagename=cop_tainf_jffaf