28 weeks today! Over the hump into the third trimester, but still seems ages away. Haven't been posting muchas I've been trying to stay busy and make the time go by faster - and went on vacation, TWICE! It felt great as I don't usually take too many days of vacation in general.
On a more sour note - I failed my 1 hour glucose AND my 3 hour glucose. The 1 hour at my lab requires a level less than 135. Guess what mine was? 135! And then I failed two of my 3 hour tests, one of them by only 4 points. But if you exceed the numbers twice, then you fail. So I'll be checking my blood sugars for a while now. No medicine as of yet, just monitoring.
I'm hoping to get some things dones this week (nursery, taxes, other "stuff") and then spend some extra time with my new DSLR camera so I can be ready for some nice pics once she's here. Standby for practice pics!
Showing posts with label IVF. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IVF. Show all posts
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Saturday, December 20, 2014
21 weeks 6 days
Is it possible for the time to seem to go by quickly and slowly all at once? Because that's how I've been feeling lately! When I think back to starting the IVF cycle, it seems like yesterday, but I'm also watching the time tick by waiting to enter the third trimester as well. Of course, I'm sure I'll want time to stop as my due date gets closer.
Yesterday was amazing. I was sitting on the couch feeling little kicks and punches. They're getting a bit stronger now, but I still can't feel them from the outside yet. As I was sitting there watching my stomach, she kicked a nice one right in the center of my belly and I saw the bump on my shirt! I laughed out loud and it made me smile! I'll just consider that my Christmas present from her to me.
Yesterday was amazing. I was sitting on the couch feeling little kicks and punches. They're getting a bit stronger now, but I still can't feel them from the outside yet. As I was sitting there watching my stomach, she kicked a nice one right in the center of my belly and I saw the bump on my shirt! I laughed out loud and it made me smile! I'll just consider that my Christmas present from her to me.
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Dusting Off The Blog - IVF Recap!
A lot has happened since I seriously neglected the blog. I did a total of 2 more IUIs after my hysteroscopy and multiple polyp removal. Both of which were a big fat negative BTW. Big surprise there. Right before I triggered for my last IUI I got a notice that my RE would be leaving the practice and all of his patients would have to find a new doctor, which would have meant an even farther drive than the hour and a half each way I go now. So that was my big sign that IVF was definitely a go and in the works for the Jul/Aug cycle I signed up for.
Sorry to say, I've been a bad little girl and already completed my whole IVF cycle without posting any updates here. SORRY! I am currently 7dp3dt and maybe I'll make up for the lack of posting with some exciting news soon.
So here's the lowdown of the IVF cycle I just had:
I ended up going on birth control pills soon after I started my period with the last IUI. I think I took a total of maybe 3 weeks worth or so. The IVF done at Fort Bragg is usually 4 times a year, so everyone is placed on the same cycle with the BCP and we all get our appointments pretty much on the same day, plus or minus a day or two once we all start growing our follicles. I went for a baseline scan, and everything looked great. We all had to attend an introduction class before starting, which included a full demo of how to give ourselves (or our SO) the meds. Since I do that for a living I pretty much made DH do everything just in case he needed to be on standby for whatever reason. He whined at first, but quickly gave in. I'm not sure if it was the mini-spat we almost had in front of the other couples about it, or the fact that he had already raised his hand to ask the IVF nurse if I would "be as much of a bitch as she was on Clomid." Hahaha!
My injections were twice a day. The first day was only 10 units of Lupron 12 hours apart, and then the rest of the time was 10 units Lupron, and I think 75 units each of Gonal-f and Menopur twice a day. Don't worry, the meds were all mixed in one syringe so the sticking was pretty minimal and I didn't get much bruising at all.
I think I did a total of 4 or 5 scans and my retrieval date only ended up being one day later than the tentatively scheduled one on our calendar. My first scan we saw about 10 follicles between the two ovaries, and by the end there were around 20. The last few days of stims I was completely miserable. I felt so full and my left ovary hated me so much I could barely lift my left leg to put my pants back on after the scans. The term human incubator came out of my mouth a few times. Funny thing is, I was begging for the egg retrieval thinking that I would feel so much better after. But I happened to miss the fact (or maybe I just selectively ignored) that the bloating and miserable feelings would only get worse! I chugged my gatorade like a champion and ate as many salty foods as I could find.
They ended up getting 17 total eggs, which my husband informed me that as I was waking up from the procedure I kept demanding to know where the rest of my eggs were. I don't even remember that, or much of the rest of recovery. Versed, Fentanyl, and Propofol treated me very well. I know there was at least one other woman who only got 4 eggs or so, and I really hope she wasn't there to hear me complain about a lack of eggs cause I'd feel like a REAL jerk. Anyways, we had to do ICSI since I had failed IUIs, and ended up with 14 good embryos, most 8 cell grade 1 (excellent) quality.
The valium they had us take for the transfer day really helped me to relax. We were able to see pictures of our embryos, and picked the 2 (!!!) we were going to put back in. Two is their limit for my age group and the fact that this is our first IVF cycle. Otherwise I might have even been convinced to go for three at this point.
The transfer wasn't bad. The worst part was having to come with a full bladder, then wait, and then have the nurse press on my stomach for the ultrasound while the doctor placed the catheter. I saw my two shooting stars on the screen as he injected them into my uterus and got to take home a picture. It was all over so fast, almost anticlimactic. I wish it were like the Sims, where you pretty much get the good to go about 30 seconds after the deed is done. Alas, no.... here I sit about 7 days later (7dp3dt) still wondering if this is actually going to work.
For whatever reason, I decided I wasn't going to play my usual role of psycho POAS girl leaving trails of cheap home pregnancy tests everywhere I walked. My HCG beta tests are scheduled for Monday and Wednesday, 5 days from now. My nurse told me on the transfer day that I could try an HPT on Friday and if it was positive they could move my beta test up a bit earlier. But I also got another HCG shot on my transfer day, and I forgot to ask what the dose was. So there's always the chance that any positive I might get could still be the trigger/HCG shot in my system. Technically today is the equivalent of 10dpo, when I started to faintly see all of my other positive lines. I've good up until this point waiting, but now it's just killing me!
Being the planner that I am, I was doing more research into the realms of unexplained infertility. Two subjects that caught my interest were endometriosis and reproductive immunology. I know that my mother had an early hysterectomy, but she's a horrible historian and so I'm not 100% what the reason was. From what she describes it does sound like endo. There can be a genetic link, so there's a possibility that I have mild endo undiagnosed since the only surgery I've had was my recent hysteroscopy. And endo has been linked to a toxic pelvic environment. Which means even if you ovulate with patent tubes, the egg travels through the toxic fluids or the tube villi are affected, or... you get the picture. IVF would be the solution for that problem.
And as far as immunology, I was reading up on uterine NK cells and DQ alpha/alloimmune implantation dysfunction. Those sound a little scarier, but also controversial. I've read articles that claim uNK cells are always present, and rarely attack an embryo, and others that claim it could be a cause for miscarriage or implantation failure. I need to read more about the DQ alpha but the barney-style idea seems to be that the female and male both have two of these markers. If the markers end up matching each other, it could mean that the uterus will basically attack the embryo. Even IVF seemed sketchy in that situation, which is the part that scares me. I told my husband that if this cycle ended up negative I may look into further immune testing for us. But I leave it at that, because thinking any more into it would mean being more negative about this cycle than I want to be.
Overall I was in denial for a while that I was even at the point of doing IVF. I couldn't even believe we were actually doing it. It sounds strange, but the years really creep up on you and it almost feels like I'm cheating somehow. But I know that it's been long enough. And I'm just tired of having to listen to people telling me how I need to just relax, and it'll happen. If 4+ years isn't long enough for you, I don't know or care what is.
Sorry to say, I've been a bad little girl and already completed my whole IVF cycle without posting any updates here. SORRY! I am currently 7dp3dt and maybe I'll make up for the lack of posting with some exciting news soon.
So here's the lowdown of the IVF cycle I just had:
I ended up going on birth control pills soon after I started my period with the last IUI. I think I took a total of maybe 3 weeks worth or so. The IVF done at Fort Bragg is usually 4 times a year, so everyone is placed on the same cycle with the BCP and we all get our appointments pretty much on the same day, plus or minus a day or two once we all start growing our follicles. I went for a baseline scan, and everything looked great. We all had to attend an introduction class before starting, which included a full demo of how to give ourselves (or our SO) the meds. Since I do that for a living I pretty much made DH do everything just in case he needed to be on standby for whatever reason. He whined at first, but quickly gave in. I'm not sure if it was the mini-spat we almost had in front of the other couples about it, or the fact that he had already raised his hand to ask the IVF nurse if I would "be as much of a bitch as she was on Clomid." Hahaha!
My injections were twice a day. The first day was only 10 units of Lupron 12 hours apart, and then the rest of the time was 10 units Lupron, and I think 75 units each of Gonal-f and Menopur twice a day. Don't worry, the meds were all mixed in one syringe so the sticking was pretty minimal and I didn't get much bruising at all.
I think I did a total of 4 or 5 scans and my retrieval date only ended up being one day later than the tentatively scheduled one on our calendar. My first scan we saw about 10 follicles between the two ovaries, and by the end there were around 20. The last few days of stims I was completely miserable. I felt so full and my left ovary hated me so much I could barely lift my left leg to put my pants back on after the scans. The term human incubator came out of my mouth a few times. Funny thing is, I was begging for the egg retrieval thinking that I would feel so much better after. But I happened to miss the fact (or maybe I just selectively ignored) that the bloating and miserable feelings would only get worse! I chugged my gatorade like a champion and ate as many salty foods as I could find.
They ended up getting 17 total eggs, which my husband informed me that as I was waking up from the procedure I kept demanding to know where the rest of my eggs were. I don't even remember that, or much of the rest of recovery. Versed, Fentanyl, and Propofol treated me very well. I know there was at least one other woman who only got 4 eggs or so, and I really hope she wasn't there to hear me complain about a lack of eggs cause I'd feel like a REAL jerk. Anyways, we had to do ICSI since I had failed IUIs, and ended up with 14 good embryos, most 8 cell grade 1 (excellent) quality.
The valium they had us take for the transfer day really helped me to relax. We were able to see pictures of our embryos, and picked the 2 (!!!) we were going to put back in. Two is their limit for my age group and the fact that this is our first IVF cycle. Otherwise I might have even been convinced to go for three at this point.
The transfer wasn't bad. The worst part was having to come with a full bladder, then wait, and then have the nurse press on my stomach for the ultrasound while the doctor placed the catheter. I saw my two shooting stars on the screen as he injected them into my uterus and got to take home a picture. It was all over so fast, almost anticlimactic. I wish it were like the Sims, where you pretty much get the good to go about 30 seconds after the deed is done. Alas, no.... here I sit about 7 days later (7dp3dt) still wondering if this is actually going to work.
For whatever reason, I decided I wasn't going to play my usual role of psycho POAS girl leaving trails of cheap home pregnancy tests everywhere I walked. My HCG beta tests are scheduled for Monday and Wednesday, 5 days from now. My nurse told me on the transfer day that I could try an HPT on Friday and if it was positive they could move my beta test up a bit earlier. But I also got another HCG shot on my transfer day, and I forgot to ask what the dose was. So there's always the chance that any positive I might get could still be the trigger/HCG shot in my system. Technically today is the equivalent of 10dpo, when I started to faintly see all of my other positive lines. I've good up until this point waiting, but now it's just killing me!
Being the planner that I am, I was doing more research into the realms of unexplained infertility. Two subjects that caught my interest were endometriosis and reproductive immunology. I know that my mother had an early hysterectomy, but she's a horrible historian and so I'm not 100% what the reason was. From what she describes it does sound like endo. There can be a genetic link, so there's a possibility that I have mild endo undiagnosed since the only surgery I've had was my recent hysteroscopy. And endo has been linked to a toxic pelvic environment. Which means even if you ovulate with patent tubes, the egg travels through the toxic fluids or the tube villi are affected, or... you get the picture. IVF would be the solution for that problem.
And as far as immunology, I was reading up on uterine NK cells and DQ alpha/alloimmune implantation dysfunction. Those sound a little scarier, but also controversial. I've read articles that claim uNK cells are always present, and rarely attack an embryo, and others that claim it could be a cause for miscarriage or implantation failure. I need to read more about the DQ alpha but the barney-style idea seems to be that the female and male both have two of these markers. If the markers end up matching each other, it could mean that the uterus will basically attack the embryo. Even IVF seemed sketchy in that situation, which is the part that scares me. I told my husband that if this cycle ended up negative I may look into further immune testing for us. But I leave it at that, because thinking any more into it would mean being more negative about this cycle than I want to be.
Overall I was in denial for a while that I was even at the point of doing IVF. I couldn't even believe we were actually doing it. It sounds strange, but the years really creep up on you and it almost feels like I'm cheating somehow. But I know that it's been long enough. And I'm just tired of having to listen to people telling me how I need to just relax, and it'll happen. If 4+ years isn't long enough for you, I don't know or care what is.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
IUI #1 after surgery (Femara + Hormone injections)
So I've got the go-ahead from my Dr. to start back up on my IUIs. I told him I wanted to be aggressive since the IVF isn't that far away and I'd kind of like to try whatever I can before I shell out a whole boatload of money towards IVF. He understood, so now I'm taking Femara and in a few days I'll be injecting FSH to plump up those eggs!
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Change of Plans
I went for my saline sonogram this week in preparation for IVF coming up in January, which caused a hefty change of plans! The Dr. found a polyp or fibroid in my uterus, and recommended having it removed before continuing with IVF. Actually, he suggested that I continue at least 3 more IUIs after it's removed, because it could be what's been preventing me from getting pregnant for the last couple years after my miscarriages.
Interesting that regular ultrasounds and even the HSG dye procedure did not see it in there. The saline sonogram was honestly a quick and painless procedure, I wish I had gotten it much sooner. Things like this are what frustrate me, I could have handled this problem so much sooner. The Dr. apologized for giving me the bad news, but I ended up telling him it was bittersweet because at this point bad news is better than no news. At least I've finally found something I can act on.
I'm going to need a hysteroscopy, and removal technique will depend on if they find a polyp or fibroid. From what I can tell, a polyp would be a better deal since it's just an overgrowth of the outer endometrium. A fibroid, on the other hand, can be from deep inside the muscle and require a bit more work and can complicate future pregnancies as the uterine wall could be weakened. I'm crossing my fingers that it's a polyp.
On a completely unrelated note, my Vitamin D levels were very low. I take a prenatal every day that includes Vitamin D, so it was a little surprising. It could have something to do with the fact that I work nights. I looked into extra Vitamin D supplementation, or possibly going to a tanning salon a few times a month. I'll need to find out if the beds around here radiate UVB, which is what prompts production of Vitamin D.
Interesting that regular ultrasounds and even the HSG dye procedure did not see it in there. The saline sonogram was honestly a quick and painless procedure, I wish I had gotten it much sooner. Things like this are what frustrate me, I could have handled this problem so much sooner. The Dr. apologized for giving me the bad news, but I ended up telling him it was bittersweet because at this point bad news is better than no news. At least I've finally found something I can act on.
I'm going to need a hysteroscopy, and removal technique will depend on if they find a polyp or fibroid. From what I can tell, a polyp would be a better deal since it's just an overgrowth of the outer endometrium. A fibroid, on the other hand, can be from deep inside the muscle and require a bit more work and can complicate future pregnancies as the uterine wall could be weakened. I'm crossing my fingers that it's a polyp.
On a completely unrelated note, my Vitamin D levels were very low. I take a prenatal every day that includes Vitamin D, so it was a little surprising. It could have something to do with the fact that I work nights. I looked into extra Vitamin D supplementation, or possibly going to a tanning salon a few times a month. I'll need to find out if the beds around here radiate UVB, which is what prompts production of Vitamin D.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Unique ways to fund IVF
So as I was sitting here thinking about ways to rearrange the budget, I came across a website for donations: GoGetFunding.com. People post their stories, can offer rewards for certain donations, and it allows donations as low as $1.00.
I know people who throw away more than that in change in a day. I figured it couldn't hurt and I made an account and put a link on my blog. I even added my baby blankets as a reward! :)
I really don't want to ask family and friends, I don't want them to feel pressured to give money based off of a personal relationship. I'd rather have someone WANT to donate for a good cause. I poked around a little and I even donated $1.00 to another couple who are trying for IVF. It's only a dollar but I just wanted them to know I was thinking of them.
I know people who throw away more than that in change in a day. I figured it couldn't hurt and I made an account and put a link on my blog. I even added my baby blankets as a reward! :)
I really don't want to ask family and friends, I don't want them to feel pressured to give money based off of a personal relationship. I'd rather have someone WANT to donate for a good cause. I poked around a little and I even donated $1.00 to another couple who are trying for IVF. It's only a dollar but I just wanted them to know I was thinking of them.
New IVF news!
Maybe it's because I work with new moms and babies all night long, but once I got the IVF bug in my brain I had to get the information right away. I'm glad I did, because the IVF program at Ft. Bragg has cycles 4 times a year and the next one is in January. I called to get some information about it, and got myself put on the list for the cycle! This will give me time to still attempt the next IUI, and possibly even a third. I'm going to see what my current reproductive endocrinologist says about it before I decide to do a 3rd IUI.
I'm blessed being a military nurse in that I can take advantage of Ft. Bragg's IVF program. While it is expensive, most of the cost of the medications will be covered. Depending on what procedures we will need during the cycle (ICSI, assisted hatching, freezing embryos) it will cost anywhere from $5,500 to $10,000. I'm really hoping we won't need the assistance of ISCI or AH and it will be on the low end. It's a shame that most of the insurance companies in the U.S. don't cover fertility procedures like IUI and IVF. (Yes, I have to pay for IUI out of pocket too) It's even scarier that IVF done out in town (non-military) is probably close to double the amount I will have to pay, because the medications can cost close to $10,000 alone!
I started a savings account with Smarty Pig and made the goal $10,000. You need a $10.00 minimum to fund the goal, so that's where we're at! Haha not really, we do have some money saved but I haven't deposited it in there just yet. I've been thinking about ways to raise some extra money for the procedure, and sewing baby blankets has crossed my mind a few times. My friend and I sewed some blankets for a silent auction and one for our boss for her new baby. Everyone at work loved them and they are so soft! The ones in the picture are made from flannel. We also made matching pacifier clips with cute ribbon and snaps! What do you think?
I'm blessed being a military nurse in that I can take advantage of Ft. Bragg's IVF program. While it is expensive, most of the cost of the medications will be covered. Depending on what procedures we will need during the cycle (ICSI, assisted hatching, freezing embryos) it will cost anywhere from $5,500 to $10,000. I'm really hoping we won't need the assistance of ISCI or AH and it will be on the low end. It's a shame that most of the insurance companies in the U.S. don't cover fertility procedures like IUI and IVF. (Yes, I have to pay for IUI out of pocket too) It's even scarier that IVF done out in town (non-military) is probably close to double the amount I will have to pay, because the medications can cost close to $10,000 alone!
I started a savings account with Smarty Pig and made the goal $10,000. You need a $10.00 minimum to fund the goal, so that's where we're at! Haha not really, we do have some money saved but I haven't deposited it in there just yet. I've been thinking about ways to raise some extra money for the procedure, and sewing baby blankets has crossed my mind a few times. My friend and I sewed some blankets for a silent auction and one for our boss for her new baby. Everyone at work loved them and they are so soft! The ones in the picture are made from flannel. We also made matching pacifier clips with cute ribbon and snaps! What do you think?
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