My third beta was Wednesday and it was 1,569. I have my pregnancy ultrasound scheduled for Dec 13, which they told me is 6weeks, 3 days. I filled in my google calendar with each week marker, all on Saturdays. Tomorrow marks 5 weeks.
I've been having a hard time knowing how to refer to the embryo/embryos. I'm really caught up on the fact that I don't know if it is one or two. I asked my IVF Nurse her thoughts on a single or twins and she said she has seen it go both ways. P says the nicknames will come to us organically. This week we're using Poppy and next week will be Sesame based on size, what is the analogy for week 6?
They have been testing my estrodiol and progesterone along with my beta. Since the levels are doing well in all areas and because they don't like the fact that the Progesterone IM injections make me itchy, starting yesterday they switched my progesterone injection to an oral progesterone. My nurse called in the script and I took a break from work to pick it up. When I got back to the office and went to take one I realized the instructions said to place vaginally twice a day. I'm already on endometrin suppositories so I called the nurse and I swear the nurse said this was oral so I called her. She explained that, strangely enough the same capsule can be taken orally and vaginally. She used one of their standard forms, which indicates vaginal, but yes I got the right thing and yes I should take it orally. It was hard to get my head around that, but I took the pill. Monday I go in for another blood test to make sure I am getting what I need from this form of meds. Cross your fingers for me; if they aren't at a satisfactory level I will have to go back to the injections (I think).
Showing posts with label Meds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Meds. Show all posts
Friday, December 2, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
I am a Chemistry Project
I am long overdue for a post. First there wasn't much to report, then life got crazy, then Blogger wasn't playing nice with my iPad.
This morning a friend asked how I'm feeling, since my body is a chemistry project right now, and I am feeling quite well. On the medical front we are chugging along as expected. At my supression check everything was quiet, as we would hope. We also had injection training during that visit and since P's biggest question regarded location our nurse drew target circles on me with a sharpie!
Life got busy as we prepared for a trip to visit P's sister A and family in Nashville. It was a poor choice of timing on my part, with a board meeting at work on the day I got back, so there was a lot of details to nail down at work in addition to all of the laundry, packing, putting mail on hold, etc. at home. Ultimately we got it all done and had a great visit. We carved pumpkins, went bowling, played games, explored the Opryland Hotel and Cheekwood Botanical Garden. P and I took a day trip to Hunstville one day because it was just 2 hours away and Alabama was the only state I had not visited. While we were gone a lifelong friend of my family passed away following a long battle with heart disease. So, I flew home Wednesday, worked Thursday, attended our friend's funeral with my parents and brother north of Seattle on Friday, and took the train back home yesterday. P is on her way home from Nashville today and I can't wait to see her!
Given all of the travel in the last week, P gave me my first intramuscular shot was Monday in Nashville and my mom gave me the second one in Seattle on Friday. P, who works in the medical field, is pretty comfortable giving shots, my mom not so much! She was really nervous but I just kept telling her she could do it and it would be fine. We watched the online training video of delestrogen injections and she bravely did it. Once the needle was in and she was holding it while pushing the thick med I could feel her hand shaking! Thus far I don't have any bumps, welts, or discomfort - I think those come with the progesterone more than the delestrogen.
I am looking forward to getting back into the comfort and routines of home. The last week has been filled with emotional highs and lows, relaxation and stress, and I feel tired from all of it. I am thrilled for the Momma L and Momma B on their double dose of joy and the ladies over at Insert Metaphor on their new arrival.
This morning a friend asked how I'm feeling, since my body is a chemistry project right now, and I am feeling quite well. On the medical front we are chugging along as expected. At my supression check everything was quiet, as we would hope. We also had injection training during that visit and since P's biggest question regarded location our nurse drew target circles on me with a sharpie!
Life got busy as we prepared for a trip to visit P's sister A and family in Nashville. It was a poor choice of timing on my part, with a board meeting at work on the day I got back, so there was a lot of details to nail down at work in addition to all of the laundry, packing, putting mail on hold, etc. at home. Ultimately we got it all done and had a great visit. We carved pumpkins, went bowling, played games, explored the Opryland Hotel and Cheekwood Botanical Garden. P and I took a day trip to Hunstville one day because it was just 2 hours away and Alabama was the only state I had not visited. While we were gone a lifelong friend of my family passed away following a long battle with heart disease. So, I flew home Wednesday, worked Thursday, attended our friend's funeral with my parents and brother north of Seattle on Friday, and took the train back home yesterday. P is on her way home from Nashville today and I can't wait to see her!
Given all of the travel in the last week, P gave me my first intramuscular shot was Monday in Nashville and my mom gave me the second one in Seattle on Friday. P, who works in the medical field, is pretty comfortable giving shots, my mom not so much! She was really nervous but I just kept telling her she could do it and it would be fine. We watched the online training video of delestrogen injections and she bravely did it. Once the needle was in and she was holding it while pushing the thick med I could feel her hand shaking! Thus far I don't have any bumps, welts, or discomfort - I think those come with the progesterone more than the delestrogen.
I am looking forward to getting back into the comfort and routines of home. The last week has been filled with emotional highs and lows, relaxation and stress, and I feel tired from all of it. I am thrilled for the Momma L and Momma B on their double dose of joy and the ladies over at Insert Metaphor on their new arrival.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Time to Be Quiet
We had an appointment with Dr B this morning to make sure everything looked okay, and we got the green light to start the suppression meds for our FET. I woke up feeling a little stressed, afraid of hearing my body isn't be ready after the OHSS and we would have to wait another month, but thankfully all is well!
So, tonight I start lupron and baby aspirin (do your docs have you take that?). It is the same as the start of the IVF cycle, making us old pros!
So, tonight I start lupron and baby aspirin (do your docs have you take that?). It is the same as the start of the IVF cycle, making us old pros!
Friday, September 16, 2011
Freeze it, Sister
It's offical, there will not be a fresh transfer.
Dr B called me during her lunch hour so she could talk to me directly and said she does not recommend doing a transfer, it is just too risky. Today it just feels like a bummer, since we cried our eyes out about this when she talked to us a week ago. P and I want to do a transfer and have a baby, but we know we should be safe about it and wait. So we'll freeze all of the embryos that make it to blastocysts by Tuesday.
I will be stopping all meds as of today and AF should show up in a week and a half. Dr B said flow will be heavier than usual and probably more cramps than usual. We'll call the clinic with day 1 of AF and make an appointment to discuss a FET calendar.
I still feel quite uncomfortable in my abdomen, which Dr B said is normal and will probably continue through Monday. Walking around seems to be too much "bouncing" so P and I are going to lay low watching movies and reading books this weekend. I'll keep drining my gatorade and protein drinks to help keep OHSS at bay. Cheers!
Dr B called me during her lunch hour so she could talk to me directly and said she does not recommend doing a transfer, it is just too risky. Today it just feels like a bummer, since we cried our eyes out about this when she talked to us a week ago. P and I want to do a transfer and have a baby, but we know we should be safe about it and wait. So we'll freeze all of the embryos that make it to blastocysts by Tuesday.
I will be stopping all meds as of today and AF should show up in a week and a half. Dr B said flow will be heavier than usual and probably more cramps than usual. We'll call the clinic with day 1 of AF and make an appointment to discuss a FET calendar.
I still feel quite uncomfortable in my abdomen, which Dr B said is normal and will probably continue through Monday. Walking around seems to be too much "bouncing" so P and I are going to lay low watching movies and reading books this weekend. I'll keep drining my gatorade and protein drinks to help keep OHSS at bay. Cheers!
Monday, September 12, 2011
Hard News to Swallow
The short story: I look like a classic case of OHSS even though I feel fine thus far and Dr B says freeze.
My follicles are big enough that we are doing the trigger shot tonight and retrieval Wednesday morning. After the measurements Dr B had a heart to heart with us. She is really worried about me and thinks we should freeze all of the embryos. Although she has been trying to prepare us for this, I still started crying. Dr B was quiet and just looked at us. P said we want to do what is safest and this is why they pay Dr B, to tell us what is safest even if it isn't what we want to hear. She likes to look on the bright side, so this isn't easy for her either. Then she said the only way they might do a transfer is if it somehow turned out I only had 3 eggs and 1 mediocre embryo that they didn't think would survive a freeze and thaw, and even then she would be really worried about me.
After I had my blood draw we met with the nurse to talk about the retrieval schedule and protocol. She didn't know what Dr B had just told us about having to freeze, so when P started asking questions about timing for a frozen cycle she was caught a little off guard. She was very sympathetic and I got all teary again. When we were done with our conversation she left us alone and I started sobbing. Somehow this news is harder for me to swallow than previous BFN's have been. At best we'll wait 2 months, but more likely it will take 4 or 5 to get back to where my body is today, ready for pregnancy.
Later in the day they called with my blood results and estrodiol is down to 4000. They had me take a dose of menopur and 50 units of follistim, too. I am an eternal optimist and can't help but wonder if the drop in estrodiol and lack of physical symptoms changes the OHSS picture. Of course, I let the call go to voicemail because I was at work, so I didn't actually ask the question. Am I crazy to hope this is a good sign?
My follicles are big enough that we are doing the trigger shot tonight and retrieval Wednesday morning. After the measurements Dr B had a heart to heart with us. She is really worried about me and thinks we should freeze all of the embryos. Although she has been trying to prepare us for this, I still started crying. Dr B was quiet and just looked at us. P said we want to do what is safest and this is why they pay Dr B, to tell us what is safest even if it isn't what we want to hear. She likes to look on the bright side, so this isn't easy for her either. Then she said the only way they might do a transfer is if it somehow turned out I only had 3 eggs and 1 mediocre embryo that they didn't think would survive a freeze and thaw, and even then she would be really worried about me.
After I had my blood draw we met with the nurse to talk about the retrieval schedule and protocol. She didn't know what Dr B had just told us about having to freeze, so when P started asking questions about timing for a frozen cycle she was caught a little off guard. She was very sympathetic and I got all teary again. When we were done with our conversation she left us alone and I started sobbing. Somehow this news is harder for me to swallow than previous BFN's have been. At best we'll wait 2 months, but more likely it will take 4 or 5 to get back to where my body is today, ready for pregnancy.
Later in the day they called with my blood results and estrodiol is down to 4000. They had me take a dose of menopur and 50 units of follistim, too. I am an eternal optimist and can't help but wonder if the drop in estrodiol and lack of physical symptoms changes the OHSS picture. Of course, I let the call go to voicemail because I was at work, so I didn't actually ask the question. Am I crazy to hope this is a good sign?
Sunday, September 11, 2011
A Well Worn Path
We are wearing quite a path to the RE clinic these days. The Nurse Practitioner was on duty this weekend and when she came in the room she said, "Dr B warned me about you!" She was referring to the hyper stimulation concern.
I have followed several TTC blogs in IVF and it seems like most people get measurements for each follicle. I don't know if my clinic just does it differently or if they just handle me differently, but they only measure 6 or 7 follicles in each ovary and calculate an average size, which is 16.5mm today. Then they try to count how many follicles are growing and today was 25 in each ovary - total 50. The NP told us she didn't see any "free fluid," which is a good thing. That is another indicator of hyper stim. Since my follicles aren't quite big enough for the trigger tonight we will see Dr B tomorrow morning.
When the nurse called with my blood results Friday she said they don't like to see estrodiol levels over 5,000. That is when you are at risk for hyperstim, but it doesn't mean you absolutely will. On Friday I was at about 3,500 so they cut the follistim to 25 Friday night and none on Saturday. Today my estrodiol is 7,054 so I will not take any follistim tonight.
I'm feeling pretty good, drinking my gatorade and eating my protein. P reminded me, though, that the risk for hyper stim continues after retrieval and increases with the transfer, because your estrogen goes up with pregnancy. So, we continue to wait and monitor. I feel my stress/worry rising the longer this uncertainty of whether I'll hyper stimulate goes on. I continue to practice my IVF meditation daily, which is helpful and makes me optimistic about getting pregnant when we do get to do a transfer.
I have followed several TTC blogs in IVF and it seems like most people get measurements for each follicle. I don't know if my clinic just does it differently or if they just handle me differently, but they only measure 6 or 7 follicles in each ovary and calculate an average size, which is 16.5mm today. Then they try to count how many follicles are growing and today was 25 in each ovary - total 50. The NP told us she didn't see any "free fluid," which is a good thing. That is another indicator of hyper stim. Since my follicles aren't quite big enough for the trigger tonight we will see Dr B tomorrow morning.
When the nurse called with my blood results Friday she said they don't like to see estrodiol levels over 5,000. That is when you are at risk for hyperstim, but it doesn't mean you absolutely will. On Friday I was at about 3,500 so they cut the follistim to 25 Friday night and none on Saturday. Today my estrodiol is 7,054 so I will not take any follistim tonight.
I'm feeling pretty good, drinking my gatorade and eating my protein. P reminded me, though, that the risk for hyper stim continues after retrieval and increases with the transfer, because your estrogen goes up with pregnancy. So, we continue to wait and monitor. I feel my stress/worry rising the longer this uncertainty of whether I'll hyper stimulate goes on. I continue to practice my IVF meditation daily, which is helpful and makes me optimistic about getting pregnant when we do get to do a transfer.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Proceed with Caution
After my last post I was going with the helpful comment, "If they're not worried, you don't need to be worried." You are a great community and I deeply appreciate the support.
This morning we were at the RE again; my follicles are an average of 13mm and there are lots of them. I go back on Sunday and if they are fast growers we will trigger Sunday and retrieve Tuesday. Dr B wants to see the average at 18mm and the average rate of growth is 2mm per day, so it is possible I won't get to 18 by Sunday and we'll go back Monday for one more check .
After the U/S and conversation about retrieval Dr B let us know she is concerned I am on track to hyper stimulate. Crap. She explained that I have lots of follicles and my estrogen level has been doubling each visit even though we've been decreasing the follistim (Wednesday was 1,500, so it will likely come back around 3,000 today and 6,000 by Sunday), which are classic with OHSS. She doesn't want to call it too early, but we need to be prepared for the possibility. She instructed me, "Not to be stoic," and we'll keep monitoring. She will make the decision as early as possible, but even if things look good they will watch me closely and the transfer could be cancelled right up until the day it is scheduled.
As I said before, I am really tired of waiting to get pregnant and I just want to get the show on the road. I don't want to wonder whether or not we'll be able to do a fresh transfer, especially right up until the last minute. That means 10 or 11 more days. Dr B said, "It's too early to call it, but it looks like that is the track you are on." So it seems to me like I have to shift my thinking to a frozen transfer in early November. There went my June baby and here comes being hugely pregnant in the summer (because remember, I will be getting pregnant my first IVF try!).
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Immaturity, I'd Like Some Immaturity, Please
We made another trip to the RE clinic bright and early this morning. Dr B was out of the office so we saw the nurse practitioner. She measured 15 follicles between 8 and 10mm. As I watched I kept wondering, how does she know she isn't measuring the same dark spot on the screen multiple times? (I guess that's why she went to school!) The part that has me worried is that she told the nurse, who was making all of the notes, that there were about 25 follicles on one side and 18 on the other. Hello, that is a total of 43. We know I have PCO so it could be that, but I worry about hyper stimulation (OHSS). I asked the NP about it and she said OHSS is a concern and the goal is to keep my meds low enough that all of those follicles don't mature. They started me on 150 of follistim and dropped it to 75 after 3 days. I just got a call about my blood work from this morning and we are dropping the follistim back to 50.
Has anyone else out there gone through IVF and had lots and lots of follicles? If so, did you end up with OHSS or not? I am grateful my local clinic happens to be one of the top clinics in the nation and I know they are watching me very carefully. I just have to say, I don't want to get truly sick from this process and I really don't want to have to put the transfer off another month or two so my body can recover. This journey has been long and I'm ready to be pregnant.
Has anyone else out there gone through IVF and had lots and lots of follicles? If so, did you end up with OHSS or not? I am grateful my local clinic happens to be one of the top clinics in the nation and I know they are watching me very carefully. I just have to say, I don't want to get truly sick from this process and I really don't want to have to put the transfer off another month or two so my body can recover. This journey has been long and I'm ready to be pregnant.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Early
We had our first check after starting the stimulation meds today. It was actually two early morning visits. We got a call yesterday to let us know their blood machine was having problems so I would have to go in for a draw at 6:45, that they would send out, and come back at the already scheduled time of 8:30 for the U/S. When I got there for the bloodwork they gave me a $10 Starbucks gift card for the inconvenience - nice! During the U/S Dr B said she had us come in sooner than most patients because she wants to stay ahead of any potential hyper stimulation. Every thing looked good, I think there were 9 follicles in the 6-8mm range and they would call with the blood results around noon. Well, my estrogen turned out to be high so we are going to cut my follistem dose in half. When we were in the office Dr B said she didn't expect to need to make changes based on what she saw on th U/S so I am thankful she started seeing me early and hopefully cutting back on follistem now will keep me from hyper stim.
In other news, P and I went to the outlet mall today. I had said I wanted some looser fitting tops so that as my belly grows it won't be obvious immediately. There is a maternity store at the mall and I went in and tried a couple things on, but I couldn't bring myself to purchase anything. It felt too much cart before the horse, even though we are going with the, "I'm pregnant unless proven otherwise" approach. P, however, saw such a good deal on a cute sweatshirt that she bought it and says she is practicing for when I'm pregnant! Later in the day she bought a child's dish set too - she likes to be prepared and she loves a good deal. It makes me a little nervous in an I-don't-want-to-jinx-this kind of way, but it makes me smile, too.
Okay, time for more shots, gotta go.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Fortunate
Earlier this week P got a fortune cookie with her lunch and the fortune read, "Your greatest wish will come true this month." Wow! We are are feeling the love from the universe!
We are also feeling fortunate that everything looked good and the blood tests came back normal at my supression check Thursday. Hearing all of that gave us a sigh of relief, even though it didn't really feel like we had a been holding our breath. I think the meditation is really helping me stay relaxed with each step. Yesterday I started the stimulation meds, boy does that menopur sting! Our first U/S is tomorrow morning and hopefully we'll see those follicles beginning to grow.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Mixin it Up
We attended IVF class #2 tonight. This was a much smaller class (6 couples incl us), in which we learned how to prepare and administer our medications. They had samples of everything so we could practice mixing the meds that need mixing, as well as practicing the injections. We also learned a little about the side effects of each drug and how to schedule them all into our day. I found out confirmed lupron can cause headaches.
Now I am listening to the baseball game (being a Mariners fan is a great test of optimism!) and thinking about an "IVF Mix" to take with me to the retrieval and transfer. I am starting with my meditation session and then looking for relaxing music and inspiring lyrics. I'm thinking 'New Flowers' by Catie Curtis, 'Shepard Moons' by Enya, 'Return to Pooh Corner' by Kenny Loggins, and "May I Suggest' by Red Molly so far. Have any of you done this? Do you have any suggestions? I also sorted my music library by song title and some of the titles are great: A Baby Just LIke You, Everything Waiting to Grow, I Feel Lucky, Little By Little, No Stoppin' Us Now, A Whole Lot of Hope, This Baby, Breathe, and Something Worth Fighting For to name a few. I'll have to listen to those and see if they fit the relaxing bill, but the names sure are fun.
Now I am listening to the baseball game (being a Mariners fan is a great test of optimism!) and thinking about an "IVF Mix" to take with me to the retrieval and transfer. I am starting with my meditation session and then looking for relaxing music and inspiring lyrics. I'm thinking 'New Flowers' by Catie Curtis, 'Shepard Moons' by Enya, 'Return to Pooh Corner' by Kenny Loggins, and "May I Suggest' by Red Molly so far. Have any of you done this? Do you have any suggestions? I also sorted my music library by song title and some of the titles are great: A Baby Just LIke You, Everything Waiting to Grow, I Feel Lucky, Little By Little, No Stoppin' Us Now, A Whole Lot of Hope, This Baby, Breathe, and Something Worth Fighting For to name a few. I'll have to listen to those and see if they fit the relaxing bill, but the names sure are fun.
Monday, August 29, 2011
What A Headache
AF showed up yesterday, pretty light but that was the case last month on BCP's, too. She brought with her the most miserable migraine I've had in a long, long time. I usually get headaches with AF and I probably didn't drink enough water yesterday, and it all added up to a doozy of a migraine. I took meds last night at dinner, woke up twice during the night with it, and by this morning it had made me nauseous. I called in sick to work and took a second dose of meds this morning before it finally broke. Fortunately I already have an acupuncture appointment for the end of the day, kind of like a one-two punch to make sure it's completely gone.
I started my lupron injections and dexamethasone last Thursday and we're just checking all the little boxes on our calendar each day. I have had a little difficulty waking up in the middle of the night, so I adjusted the timing to earlier evening and that seems to have helped. I don't know if the meds increased the severity of the migraine, but all in all I'd say things are going well.
Saturday I got to spend the day with my BFF and her almost-two-year-old. We had a great time exploring the farmer's market, playing at the park, and catching up while the little one napped for a few hours. I only get to see her a few times a year so it is always a treat to spend time together and we continue to scheme about living closer to each other again like when we were kids. Maybe someday...
I started my lupron injections and dexamethasone last Thursday and we're just checking all the little boxes on our calendar each day. I have had a little difficulty waking up in the middle of the night, so I adjusted the timing to earlier evening and that seems to have helped. I don't know if the meds increased the severity of the migraine, but all in all I'd say things are going well.
Saturday I got to spend the day with my BFF and her almost-two-year-old. We had a great time exploring the farmer's market, playing at the park, and catching up while the little one napped for a few hours. I only get to see her a few times a year so it is always a treat to spend time together and we continue to scheme about living closer to each other again like when we were kids. Maybe someday...
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Party Pack!
P picked up the meds and they're like a party pack! She came home and gave me lessons on everything they told her. She is so good to me! I don't know if I have fewer meds than other TTC bloggers or what, but somehow I was prepared for the pile to be larger. Not that I'm complaining, I'll take what I've got thankyouverymuch. And now, my first attempt at posting a photo:
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Questions
As I mentioned, P and I went to dinner with friends of friends on Saturday. They invited us to their house and we had a great time getting to know each other. Toward the end of dinner we got the question, "Do you want to have a family?" P laughed and gave them a warning. I am quite free with information and my philosophy is that if people are ready to ask a question they are ready to hear the answer. Some might say I do more than answer the question, you know, put a nickel in and I won't shut up! P is more private (example: she thought it was tmi that I noted my request for the extra small speculum in this post) and not as free flowing with information. She is also better at talking around a question than I am.
The conversation over dinner was fine and it is nice to talk about the process sometimes. I am kind of waiting for the day when someone at work asks me why I have so many appointments, though, how do I get around that? I won't lie, so I need to come up with a line that answers the question generically. I have no intention of spilling the beans to my co-workers until I'm through the first trimester. I am a little worried I'll show sooner than that so I better get prego soon, that way I'll be able to hide my belly under winter sweaters.
In other news, we are scheduled to pick up our meds tomorrow night and the swimmers will be shipped tomorrow as well. We are ready to roll!
The conversation over dinner was fine and it is nice to talk about the process sometimes. I am kind of waiting for the day when someone at work asks me why I have so many appointments, though, how do I get around that? I won't lie, so I need to come up with a line that answers the question generically. I have no intention of spilling the beans to my co-workers until I'm through the first trimester. I am a little worried I'll show sooner than that so I better get prego soon, that way I'll be able to hide my belly under winter sweaters.
In other news, we are scheduled to pick up our meds tomorrow night and the swimmers will be shipped tomorrow as well. We are ready to roll!
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