I spoke with Dr. D and as expected, we are a go for triggering tonight. I'll be doing my Novarel (HCG) trigger shot at 12:15am tonight/tomorrow morning and my retrieval will be Tuesday at 12:15pm.
Dr. D went over my follicles with me and made me feel a little better about the ones we've got. He feels that since we got 4 solid embryos from our 4 best follies last cycle that it's perfectly reasonable to believe that these top 4 follicles will have healthy mature eggs in them that could be our next 4 embryos. It's an optimistic viewpoint and I'm choosing to share it and believe that these are the ones.
The prime three are the 20, 22 and 22. The 26 might be a little overcooked but the 17 could catch up between the trigger and retrieval, it's very possible. I'd like to see it at least 18 or 19 on retrieval day but I don't think they bother with measuring, he'll just take everything he sees.
I've definitely got stuff going on in there too, I'm hungry, beyond exhausted, still have that friggin' pressure head ache and feel all sorts of twingey cramping around my uterus. My ovaries don't feel too uncomfortable, no huge grapefruit feeling, so I think the estrogen the follies are putting out is to blame for the random sharp twinges in my lower belly. And I still have to pee over and over.
Now I just need to stay awake for my trigger! I've got an alarm set just in case but I think I'll be okay. I've been trying to nap all day without success so I just keep yawning and dragging my feet. We're so close, we just need to make it through this retrieval, get some healthy test results, and have a successful FET.
Showing posts with label follicles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label follicles. Show all posts
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Cycle 2 Trigger Time
I slept pretty poorly last night, which isn't a terrible surprise given my nerves, and didn't get to take full advantage of the time change and extra hour of sleep. I think I got up three times to pee (thanks hormones) and finally gave up on going back to bed around 7:30am. I had been worried about how I was going to take my morning meds since my appointment was at 8:45am, I usually start prepping my shot at 9 and inject around 9:25am, but I neglected to take into account the time change. With the extra hour, my shot clock was moved up to 8am and I was able to finish both injections before I had to leave.
The clinic was pretty much empty with only a couple other people there for monitoring and I got in to do my blood in a flash. The lady tech was working today and she was able to get my arm vein in one go, giving my poor bruised hand a much needed break. She's gotten pretty darn good at finding that vein, I know certain techs have better luck with different patients, it's too bad she only works over the weekends.
After bloodwork it was on to the ultrasound, where I got to spend a few minutes waiting for the tech and admiring the fake sky ceiling tiles. When all these cycles are done and I'm good and pregnant, I'd like to go back to Hawaii with E and enjoy some real tropical skies. I think we've definitely earned it and as long as it's safe to fly, I can't see any reason why a little bean couldn't bake just as well on the beach in Hanalei Bay as it can here at home.
The tech for this ultrasound was really thorough, I think she knew I was disappointed with the results we've been getting and she checked and double checked to make sure she wasn't leaving out any potential follicle that could be hiding. I'm still waiting to hear back from Dr. D with the results of my lab work, but from what the nurse said, it looks like we're going to be taking a stab at 4-5 follies - the 17, 20, 22, 22 and 26. Unfortunately the 26 is likely too mature to fertilize and the 17 is probably too immature but I'm not giving up on them just yet. We could still get 4 good eggs that turn into 4 good embryos to add to our batch.
My lining has also finally picked up which should be another sign that the follies are putting out a good amount of estrogen and it's time to trigger. I don't have the grapefruit sized ovaries feeling since I have so few follicles but I am still feeling bloated with the same weird temple pressure head ache I've had for a week. S says the pressure is dampness in my body so I'll probably ask her to put those needles in again when I go for my acupuncture appointment before retrieval.
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| My view from the ultrasound table |
After bloodwork it was on to the ultrasound, where I got to spend a few minutes waiting for the tech and admiring the fake sky ceiling tiles. When all these cycles are done and I'm good and pregnant, I'd like to go back to Hawaii with E and enjoy some real tropical skies. I think we've definitely earned it and as long as it's safe to fly, I can't see any reason why a little bean couldn't bake just as well on the beach in Hanalei Bay as it can here at home.
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| 12.6mm lining, nice and thick |
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Nervous
Oh man, I'm feeling so nervous about tomorrow. It doesn't do me any good to speculate on the next ultrasound but that logic hasn't stopped me from running through all the "what ifs...?" in my head.
I'm trying to be positive and hopeful that these 5 follies I have will look wonderful and mature and have healthy, perfectly fertilizing and growing eggs in them. That said, I can't not consider all the possibilities when the cycle looks so disappointing compared to last time. I think if Dr. D were going to cancel he would/should have done so already, instead of letting me stim for almost two weeks, so I don't see this happening. But, if we do have to cancel, the cycle rolls over and we are out the services/medications that we have already used. For this cycle, that would be:
Come on follicles. Come on eggs. I need you to be good and healthy in there. I don't think E could take cancelling a cycle and I couldn't handle giving up on getting more embryos to test. I've put too much of myself, my marriage, my heart, my hope, my love, my health, my body, into this to give up on one crappy cycle.
- What if we have even less follicles than yesterday?
- What if the follicles aren't growing?
- What if all the follicles arrested?
- What if Dr. D wants to cancel the cycle?
- And in that vein, if he does want to cancel, how much will we be out?
I'm trying to be positive and hopeful that these 5 follies I have will look wonderful and mature and have healthy, perfectly fertilizing and growing eggs in them. That said, I can't not consider all the possibilities when the cycle looks so disappointing compared to last time. I think if Dr. D were going to cancel he would/should have done so already, instead of letting me stim for almost two weeks, so I don't see this happening. But, if we do have to cancel, the cycle rolls over and we are out the services/medications that we have already used. For this cycle, that would be:
- All monitoring appointments that I've had including ultrasounds and labs
- All medication I've used thus far
- ICSI take two which we've already paid for
- Embryo Biopsy
- Egg Retrieval with anesthesia etc
- Cryopreservation and storage
- Any unused medication, in this case it would be just the Novarel and a day of Menopur
- Any unused money ear marked for monitoring
Come on follicles. Come on eggs. I need you to be good and healthy in there. I don't think E could take cancelling a cycle and I couldn't handle giving up on getting more embryos to test. I've put too much of myself, my marriage, my heart, my hope, my love, my health, my body, into this to give up on one crappy cycle.
Friday, October 31, 2014
Happy Halloween
I wish I could start this post with better news but it looks like we've actually lost two of the follies we had on Wednesdays ultrasound. The 8 that was hanging out on the right side has basically shrunk to nothing and disappeared and one of the 12s on the left side appears to be arresting - it was only a 10 today. This leaves us with 5 follicles that could potentially have eggs but they're still not big/mature enough to trigger.
I'm telling myself to be positive: quality over quantity, those five follicles could have perfect, mature eggs that grow into five strong embryos. Still, I'd sure feel a lot better if we had 10 fabulous, mature eggs to pick from instead of just 5. I've been feeling really junky lately, a lot of uncomfortable pressure in my temples, one shoulder randomly going numb, sore lady bits and I need this cycle to be worth it. Come on eggs, I need you to grow, we need more embryos to test.
With the extra Menopur I bought from Kaiser, I have enough to stim for 13.5 days - enough to get me through the weekend. Depending on what my blood work comes back at, my next appointment will probably be way too early on Sunday morning. If the follies are ready then and I have to trigger Sunday night, the pharmacy won't be open so I stopped in at Roxanne after my appointment.
In better news, I finally found a use for all these obedience classes
I've been doing with Milou: Posing her for photos. After Halloween last
year I picked up a couple pirate costumes for her on the clearance rack -
she's usually a large or extra large in brands that make tiny dog
costumes or a medium in brands that make costumes for larger dogs. I think these two came from Petco for a couple bucks a piece and are both larges, definitely a good score.
I think the red and white costume is my favorite, it has a tiny pirate sword sewn to a black belt and is closed with two velcro straps which makes for a nice snug fit. She so sweetly let me pose her sitting or standing and even let me pose a too big pirate hat on her fuzzy head. That bit didn't fit all that well since it's technically my hat, but she put up with me like a champ. I love this girl so much.
Since costumes with straps probably aren't the most comfortable things to wear, Milou wore her second pirate costume to her agility and obedience classes. This one is a soft puppy t-shirt that slips over her head and two front legs and is super comfy. It also glows in the dark which is insanely adorable when we're walking at night - Trick "Arrr" Treat with a puppy skull and crossbones.
I hope everyone has a happy, safe Halloween filled with lots of delicious treats and merriment. If you have a few seconds to send some positive thoughts/vibes/prayers/good juju my way, I would much appreciate it. Happy Halloween!
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Disappointing Ovaries
Today we had another ultrasound and I'm trying really hard not to be super bummed. My right side, which is usually packed full of beautiful follicles, has basically pooped out in the most disappointing fashion. My left side is definitely more dominant this time and is picking up a bit of the slack, but not quite enough.
I was so bummed and distracted that I didn't take a legible photo of our sticky note to post. So, I decided to rewrite a more festive version to bring in some positive vibes. Last cycle we had 10 follies at this point and as you can see, we only have 6 this time and they're on the small and peaky side. My estrogen came in supporting their scrawniness at only 486 so we've still got a long way to go.
Since the follies are coming along so slowly, I'm going to need to stim for longer than I'd planned. I bought enough Menopur for 11.5 days, through Saturday morning, and the nurse suggested that I'd need enough to get through the weekend. That means three more 5 vial boxes of Menopur from the Kaiser pharmacy for a total of just shy of $900. I was short on Omnitrope as well, I only bought enough for 8 days instead of 12 with the increased dosage, so I picked up a third cartridge of that which Kaiser was wonderful enough to cover for the second time. Small victories, I'll take them where I can get them.
Last night was also day one of Cetrotide and I'd managed to forget in the past 5 weeks how badly this stuff itches. It only lasts about 2 hours but my skin turns red, swells up like crazy and I feel like I need to scratch my skin off. I also hate the pre-filled syringes it comes with, they never prime properly and always leave a nasty bruise. Instead, I prefer to inject the liquid into the powdered vial, switch it out for a regular 3ml syringe, use the included mixing needle, and use one of my own 27 1/2 gauge needles to inject. My 3ml locking syringes are always reliable, easy to prime, and the 27 1/2 needles almost never bruise like the too small 30 gauge or too long 27 3/4 needles. The smaller needles cut capillaries = bruise and the longer needles are the same thickness but go just deep enough to bruise too. Bleh.
I just finished injecting tonight's meds and I'm wishing, hoping, and praying that more follies pop up and that they all mature. I don't think the cycle is poor enough to cancel but I'm so worried we won't get enough mature ones to get our good embryos. Come on ovaries, you can go it. Grow follies, grow!
I was so bummed and distracted that I didn't take a legible photo of our sticky note to post. So, I decided to rewrite a more festive version to bring in some positive vibes. Last cycle we had 10 follies at this point and as you can see, we only have 6 this time and they're on the small and peaky side. My estrogen came in supporting their scrawniness at only 486 so we've still got a long way to go.
Since the follies are coming along so slowly, I'm going to need to stim for longer than I'd planned. I bought enough Menopur for 11.5 days, through Saturday morning, and the nurse suggested that I'd need enough to get through the weekend. That means three more 5 vial boxes of Menopur from the Kaiser pharmacy for a total of just shy of $900. I was short on Omnitrope as well, I only bought enough for 8 days instead of 12 with the increased dosage, so I picked up a third cartridge of that which Kaiser was wonderful enough to cover for the second time. Small victories, I'll take them where I can get them.
Last night was also day one of Cetrotide and I'd managed to forget in the past 5 weeks how badly this stuff itches. It only lasts about 2 hours but my skin turns red, swells up like crazy and I feel like I need to scratch my skin off. I also hate the pre-filled syringes it comes with, they never prime properly and always leave a nasty bruise. Instead, I prefer to inject the liquid into the powdered vial, switch it out for a regular 3ml syringe, use the included mixing needle, and use one of my own 27 1/2 gauge needles to inject. My 3ml locking syringes are always reliable, easy to prime, and the 27 1/2 needles almost never bruise like the too small 30 gauge or too long 27 3/4 needles. The smaller needles cut capillaries = bruise and the longer needles are the same thickness but go just deep enough to bruise too. Bleh.
I just finished injecting tonight's meds and I'm wishing, hoping, and praying that more follies pop up and that they all mature. I don't think the cycle is poor enough to cancel but I'm so worried we won't get enough mature ones to get our good embryos. Come on ovaries, you can go it. Grow follies, grow!
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Getting Ready For My First Egg Retrieval!
According to this mornings blood draw, the HCG trigger was properly absorbed and I'm good to go for a Monday morning retrieval! I'm so excited/nervous/bloated/sore/tender that I don't know what to do with myself. Time seems to be crawling and flying by at the same time and I still can't button the jeans that were falling off my ass a week ago.
I never understood what people meant when they talked about sore ovaries and IVF bloating until now. I guess I never made enough eggs in my previous cycles for my ovaries to swell up like balloons but they're definitely there now. I'm not concerned about serious OHSS (Ovarian Hyper Stimulation Syndrome), it's definitely a mild case, but I look like I'm at least 6 months pregnant, it hurts to bend over and my lower back is tender too. I'm also peeing like crazy since I need to keep guzzling water to ward off OHSS.
Mild OHSS usually comes with the following, per Mayo Clinic:
Our trigger for this cycle was Novarel, which contains 10,000 units of HCG, way more than the 1,000 units in my last trigger, Ovidrel. Just think of the positive pregnancy tests I could get with this much HCG running through my system!
I'm unclear as to why the manufacturer felt the need to include such a huge bottle of diluent. Even splitting it into multiple doses, I can't imagine any circumstance that would require 30mls of liquid. Since I was taking the whole dose, I used just 1cc of liquid with the powder and injected it into my belly at exactly 10:45pm.
Like the Menopur, this one is definitely a stinger. It burned going in and unlike my other injections, has had a lasting effect. My skin is red, hot, and tender even 18 hours later and I can't stand anything touching it. Major ouchies.
I try to avoid posting photos of my bare flab, especially crazy bloated bare flab, in public places but I
figured it was better to be honest about the reaction so other people
know what to expect. The photo ended up washed out, but my reaction is red/purple, streaky, raised and hurts like a bitch. But again, it's unfortunately normal.
Since my retrieval is only hours away, I'm trying to get everything ready tonight. You're supposed to drink large quantities of sport drinks like Gatorade or Powerade, but since I'm not super into those, I'm going for PH water and other electrolyte infused waters. They're supposed to help flush the hormones out of your system so the OHSS symptoms don't get worse and go away quicker. You also have to watch out for super constipation from the anesthesia which I'm really, really hoping to avoid. That sounds like the last thing you'd want when you have tons of needle holes in your lady bits and ovaries. I'm hoping tons of regular water, PH water, watermelon and soup are enough to ward off that unpleasant side effect.
I'm also prepping soft, stretchy clothes to wear tomorrow since my jeans feel awful and tight. I've got my lucky panties, rainbow cheetah print trimmed in hot pink lace that I've worn to all my IUIs and I'm thinking of upping the ante with new blue, puffer fish toe socks with googly eyes and pink glitter shoes. Now that's a lot of good luck :)
Since I'm still crazy hungry despite the incredible bloat, I think E and I are going to get some meaty take out for dinner. I'm craving steak like nobody's business and once midnight comes I'm cut off from food and water.
Please send all the positive vibes, thoughts, prayers, and energy you can muster my way tomorrow morning. I've got everything crossed for these follicles to contain healthy, mature eggs that fertilize perfectly and turn into healthy, viable, Fragile X free embryos. I know that's a tall order but come on follies, I know you can do it! We need some healthy blasts!
I never understood what people meant when they talked about sore ovaries and IVF bloating until now. I guess I never made enough eggs in my previous cycles for my ovaries to swell up like balloons but they're definitely there now. I'm not concerned about serious OHSS (Ovarian Hyper Stimulation Syndrome), it's definitely a mild case, but I look like I'm at least 6 months pregnant, it hurts to bend over and my lower back is tender too. I'm also peeing like crazy since I need to keep guzzling water to ward off OHSS.
Mild OHSS usually comes with the following, per Mayo Clinic:
- Mild to moderate abdominal pain that may come and go - Check!
- Abdominal bloating or increased waist size - Check!
- Nausea - Check!
- Vomiting - No, thank goodness!
- Diarrhea - No, but I'd take it over the projected constipation O_O
- Tenderness in the area of your ovaries - Check!
Our trigger for this cycle was Novarel, which contains 10,000 units of HCG, way more than the 1,000 units in my last trigger, Ovidrel. Just think of the positive pregnancy tests I could get with this much HCG running through my system!
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| Stock photo since I used mine last night |
Like the Menopur, this one is definitely a stinger. It burned going in and unlike my other injections, has had a lasting effect. My skin is red, hot, and tender even 18 hours later and I can't stand anything touching it. Major ouchies.
 |
Since my retrieval is only hours away, I'm trying to get everything ready tonight. You're supposed to drink large quantities of sport drinks like Gatorade or Powerade, but since I'm not super into those, I'm going for PH water and other electrolyte infused waters. They're supposed to help flush the hormones out of your system so the OHSS symptoms don't get worse and go away quicker. You also have to watch out for super constipation from the anesthesia which I'm really, really hoping to avoid. That sounds like the last thing you'd want when you have tons of needle holes in your lady bits and ovaries. I'm hoping tons of regular water, PH water, watermelon and soup are enough to ward off that unpleasant side effect.
I'm also prepping soft, stretchy clothes to wear tomorrow since my jeans feel awful and tight. I've got my lucky panties, rainbow cheetah print trimmed in hot pink lace that I've worn to all my IUIs and I'm thinking of upping the ante with new blue, puffer fish toe socks with googly eyes and pink glitter shoes. Now that's a lot of good luck :)
Since I'm still crazy hungry despite the incredible bloat, I think E and I are going to get some meaty take out for dinner. I'm craving steak like nobody's business and once midnight comes I'm cut off from food and water.
Please send all the positive vibes, thoughts, prayers, and energy you can muster my way tomorrow morning. I've got everything crossed for these follicles to contain healthy, mature eggs that fertilize perfectly and turn into healthy, viable, Fragile X free embryos. I know that's a tall order but come on follies, I know you can do it! We need some healthy blasts!
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Trigger Time!
I'm so excited, the follies look absolutely wonderful! I woke up this morning feeling bloated, tender and sore so I knew my ovaries must be ready to pop, especially that right one. A quick ultrasound confirmed that I still have 9 follies on that right side so no wonder I'm sore. I took my 4 vials of Menopur before my appointment and immediately felt it, plus I look like I'm about 6 months pregnant and I'm too tender to bend over @_@
There were so many follies there that it took the tech a bit longer to measure each of them, but the scan showed the fabulous fourteen were in prime condition, with 9 synched up, mature and ready to go. They looked like a bunch of overlapping grapes, I was really impressed she was able to keep track of them at all.
Our doctor was really pleased too. He said that day 12 was the best day to trigger for the best quality embryos and we are likely to have mature eggs in at least the nine out of fourteen, 21, 20, 20, 19, 19, 19, 19, 19, 18, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12. Numbers 14, 15 and 16 might have mature eggs as well, but we aren't counting on that since they were later recruits.
My retrieval is going to be Monday morning at 10:45am so I am triggering tonight at exactly 10:45pm. I have my Novarel ready to mix up and I'm so glad I only have one shot this evening. I also have a double check appointment tomorrow to run labs and make sure the HCG was properly absorbed into my system and I'm trying to squeeze in an acupuncture appointment afterwards. You're supposed to do a back treatment on your ovaries before a retrieval, but since my acupuncturist S is out of town, I need to get in and see one of her coworkers.
After over 2 years TTC I can't believe we're actually getting ready for our first retrieval. I am so hopeful and excited and jittery, I just know these embryos are going to be good!
There were so many follies there that it took the tech a bit longer to measure each of them, but the scan showed the fabulous fourteen were in prime condition, with 9 synched up, mature and ready to go. They looked like a bunch of overlapping grapes, I was really impressed she was able to keep track of them at all.
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| Fabulous Fourteen Follies! |
My retrieval is going to be Monday morning at 10:45am so I am triggering tonight at exactly 10:45pm. I have my Novarel ready to mix up and I'm so glad I only have one shot this evening. I also have a double check appointment tomorrow to run labs and make sure the HCG was properly absorbed into my system and I'm trying to squeeze in an acupuncture appointment afterwards. You're supposed to do a back treatment on your ovaries before a retrieval, but since my acupuncturist S is out of town, I need to get in and see one of her coworkers.
After over 2 years TTC I can't believe we're actually getting ready for our first retrieval. I am so hopeful and excited and jittery, I just know these embryos are going to be good!
Friday, September 19, 2014
Holy Follicles!
I think you could knock me over with a feather right now.
I have 14 follicles.
FOURTEEN follicles
Holy Shit!
I am totally and completely in shock. Where did they come from??? I only had 7 antral follies at my baseline, where the hell did the other 7 come from?!?! For someone who was told they'd never have more than 3 eggs to harvest I just can't wrap my mind around 14. Um, have I mentioned holy shit??
As you can see, they range from about 11-19, with one teeny one measuring -3 which is actually 7mm . I think 14/15mm is the smallest size that can contain a mature egg, so they still have some growing left to do before I can trigger. Originally I thought I might get away with only 9 days of stims but it looks like I'm on the hook for at least 12 days. My poor belly isn't thrilled but I'll do whatever it takes to get these eggs to mature. My lining is also looking excellent, 11.6 today which is wonderful. I'm super hopeful that once we finally make it to transfer, our embryos will have a nice cushy home waiting for them.
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| Beautiful follies!! |
Since I'm out of some of my supplies and meds, my nurse went through the cabinets to try and find some samples. She scrounged up one injection of Ganirelix, which is another brand's version of Cetrotide for me to take tonight. That saves me about $105 so I was really pleased :) The only problem is the packaging. I'm sure I've written before about how I'm allergic to Latex - I'm not deathly allergic, but it does give me a fairly unpleasant rash and I can't take the flu shot or other meds that contain Latex. This package of Ganirelix says right on the box that the "packaging" contains natural rubber latex. I asked both the nurse and the doctor about it and they all said I should be fine to take it but I'm still a little worried. Does that mean the rubber plunger on the syringe is latex? Will I react to the liquid since it's been in contact with the plunger, or will it be no biggie since the plunger itself wont touch my skin? I'm skeptical but will give it a go since they both said it should be okay.
My next appointment is tomorrow morning to check in and see how quickly those smaller follies are catching up. If everything looks good, I might be able to trigger on Sunday for a Tuesday retrieval. If they need another day, I'd trigger on Monday for a Wednesday retrieval.
Come on follies, grow, grow, grow!
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
10 Fabulous Follies!
This mornings appointment yielded even more good news - I have ten wonderfully growing follicles! TEN!
I'm not sure if the ultrasound tech was counting the left over cyst as one of the follies though, I had a new tech today and asked her about it. She was a really nice, positive and gentle tech but she tried to give me a bit of a lecture on how all follicles are cysts -_- I asked again specifically about the SIMPLE cyst, the opaque little circle, not the dark, clear follicular cysts, and she said it might have shrunk down so much that it looks like a regular follicle. I left it there but I just can't believe that I have 10 legit follies after being told I should never expect more than 3. It seems too good to be true.
They seem to be growing more slow and steady this cycle than they did last time. Last cycle they jumped from 13 to 19mm from CD 7 to CD 9, with a decrease in medicine, and this time the largest follie was still only ~16. This means I'm on the hook for at least two more days of stim injections but I think slow and steady growth is a good thing.
As I understand it, a mature follie is 18-20mm and several of mine were still 10-12mm. I know we won't be triggering until as many of them as possible are in that range. When Dr. Danzer called today he said he thought I might be on track for a Saturday trigger and a Monday retrieval, so my next appointment is Friday morning.
I've also read that larger follies are better quality in "younger" women (under 35) but poorer quality in "older" women (over 35). The big question is - do my ovaries make "young" eggs or "old" eggs? Do they act like 27 year old eggs or does the premutation make them older/poorer quality? What is the ideal size for 27 year old, premutation eggs? If they're all committed to growth, they should grow 1-3mm per day so that lead follicle could potentially be 22mm after two more days of stims. I guess we'll just have to see!
In the meantime, it looks like I'll be enjoying my 4 injections per day for a little bit longer, including the wretched Cetrotide. Every time I inject it I dislike it more and more - this last shot was ridiculous, it wouldn't prime and I wasted a ton of drops and still had a bubble that wouldn't get out. I'm actually thinking of using a different syringe all together for tomorrow and just chucking the glass one that you're supposed to use. Definitely not worth the hassle.
ohmyfuckingholyhellmindofficiallyblown
I'm not sure if the ultrasound tech was counting the left over cyst as one of the follies though, I had a new tech today and asked her about it. She was a really nice, positive and gentle tech but she tried to give me a bit of a lecture on how all follicles are cysts -_- I asked again specifically about the SIMPLE cyst, the opaque little circle, not the dark, clear follicular cysts, and she said it might have shrunk down so much that it looks like a regular follicle. I left it there but I just can't believe that I have 10 legit follies after being told I should never expect more than 3. It seems too good to be true.
They seem to be growing more slow and steady this cycle than they did last time. Last cycle they jumped from 13 to 19mm from CD 7 to CD 9, with a decrease in medicine, and this time the largest follie was still only ~16. This means I'm on the hook for at least two more days of stim injections but I think slow and steady growth is a good thing.
As I understand it, a mature follie is 18-20mm and several of mine were still 10-12mm. I know we won't be triggering until as many of them as possible are in that range. When Dr. Danzer called today he said he thought I might be on track for a Saturday trigger and a Monday retrieval, so my next appointment is Friday morning.
I've also read that larger follies are better quality in "younger" women (under 35) but poorer quality in "older" women (over 35). The big question is - do my ovaries make "young" eggs or "old" eggs? Do they act like 27 year old eggs or does the premutation make them older/poorer quality? What is the ideal size for 27 year old, premutation eggs? If they're all committed to growth, they should grow 1-3mm per day so that lead follicle could potentially be 22mm after two more days of stims. I guess we'll just have to see!
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| Cetrotide, Menopur and Omnitrope |
In the meantime, it looks like I'll be enjoying my 4 injections per day for a little bit longer, including the wretched Cetrotide. Every time I inject it I dislike it more and more - this last shot was ridiculous, it wouldn't prime and I wasted a ton of drops and still had a bubble that wouldn't get out. I'm actually thinking of using a different syringe all together for tomorrow and just chucking the glass one that you're supposed to use. Definitely not worth the hassle.
Itchy Sitchy
Today was day two of adding in Cetrotide to my IVF protocol and I have to say it's not my favorite medicine. I've been pretty lucky to only experience a few side effects from the various meds but the Cetrotide is one of the most annoying.
Thus far, I've had:
Our protocol now looks like:
CD 1: Nothing
CD 2 - 14: BCPs
CD 15 - 17: Nothing
CD 18 - 22: 600IU Menopur (2 injections), 0.25cc Omnitrope (1 injection) and 1mg Dexamethasone
CD 23 - 24: 600IU Menopur (2 injections), 0.25cc Omnitrope (1 injection), 0.25 Cetrotide (1 injection) and 1mg Dexamethasone
We also need to get the saliva kits shipped out for my mother and sister. They need to be over-nighted there which I'm sure will run us at least $50-$100, and means I need to get them collected and shipped on the same day. This has been a bit more difficult than you'd think since we need to coordinate three schedules and collect samples on the same morning. It's on my to do list for tomorrow so hopefully everything works out.
In the meantime, all my energy is directed at those 9 follicles maturing in my ovaries. Come on follies, grow, grow, grow! I need good, healthy, mature follicles at my appointment tomorrow.
Thus far, I've had:
- Head aches - I can't tell if these are from the Menopur/Omnitrope or from the insane heat we've been having. I've only had two that were really unpleasant and I'm trying to drink a ton of water in case it's the heat since I can't take Advil
- Cramps - These I think are mostly from my period take two, the withdrawal bleeding you get after you stop birth control, but I've had twinges after every injection as well. They're more in my uterus than my ovaries so who knows what is causing it. My bet is on the Menopur.
- Numb toe - This one is definitely the Omnitrope. One small section of my right big toe went numb, it was the weirdest thing. I had no idea it was a common HGH side effect.
- Sore joints - Again the Omnitrope. Mostly my right knee and it's only been a couple times, another common side effect.
- ITCHING - ding ding ding, we've reached the Cetrotide! The Menopur burns while you inject it, but the Cetrotide itches for at least an hour after. The problem is the itch is under your skin so you couldn't scratch it even if you wanted to scratch a fresh injection site. Gah.
Our protocol now looks like:
CD 1: Nothing
CD 2 - 14: BCPs
CD 15 - 17: Nothing
CD 18 - 22: 600IU Menopur (2 injections), 0.25cc Omnitrope (1 injection) and 1mg Dexamethasone
CD 23 - 24: 600IU Menopur (2 injections), 0.25cc Omnitrope (1 injection), 0.25 Cetrotide (1 injection) and 1mg Dexamethasone
We also need to get the saliva kits shipped out for my mother and sister. They need to be over-nighted there which I'm sure will run us at least $50-$100, and means I need to get them collected and shipped on the same day. This has been a bit more difficult than you'd think since we need to coordinate three schedules and collect samples on the same morning. It's on my to do list for tomorrow so hopefully everything works out.
In the meantime, all my energy is directed at those 9 follicles maturing in my ovaries. Come on follies, grow, grow, grow! I need good, healthy, mature follicles at my appointment tomorrow.
Monday, September 15, 2014
It's Time for Cetrotide
E and I got so much accomplished this morning! We had a really tight schedule and just managed to fit everything in before he had to go off to work but we got to check a bunch of things off our list. As usual, my first task was this mornings injection - 4 Menopur to the right of my belly button and 1 swallowed dexa. Couple that with a shower, feeding the poor starving cats and dogs (2 had been fed only 2 hours previously while the others hadn't eaten since dinner, you know, a lifetime ago) and we just barely made it out the door in time to get to our vial pick up.
Just like last time, CA Cryobank was perfectly prepared. Our vials were waiting for us in their filled transport tank and I was in and out of there in under 5 minutes. We confirmed our donor number, the number of vials we were picking up (3), and signed the paperwork promising to return the tank, a errand I need to remember in the next couple days.
With our pick up complete, we headed straight to SCRC. They were really, really busy this morning but their lab tech D was ready and waiting for me. He took the tank to hold on to so I didn't have to lug it around to different rooms and I went in for my ultrasound first.
Today is day 7 and I had to look back through my notes to compare apples to apples but it looks like we're in almost the exact same place this cycle as we were last cycle. We saw NINE lovely follicles, eight maturing together between 10-13mm and one that was just a bit under 10. I am thrilled to tears with these numbers, even if it's likely the 9th one may not mature in time for collection. It's still way better than I was expecting and I am so hopeful that these eggs turn into healthy, viable embryos. Grow follies, grow!
After the ultrasound I went to get my blood drawn and chat with lab tech D. D is awesome, he had all my paperwork ready for me to read over and sign for SCRC and Reprogenetics, the vials for my estradiol and PGD probe sample ready to be filled and he managed to hit the vein in my arm in one go. I was just resolving myself to do all my blood draws from my wrist but now that I know D is such a rock star, I will be sure to ask for him again. He got a direct hit, perfectly into the vein and had those 3 vials filled within seconds. I am so, so appreciative of good techs.
D is going to be sending out one of our donor vials and two purple topped vials of my blood out to Reprogenetics today. I haven't received the saliva kits for my mom and sister yet, so getting those and sending them out is next on my list of to dos.
I also got my marching orders for my medication and it is time to add in my Cetrotide injection. This brings my daily total up to 4 injections, and since I've already done my morning shot, unfortunately means I'll be doing 3 in one sitting. This messes up the careful balancing act of rotating injection sites that keeps me from getting bruised and sore, I was hoping to balance it out to 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening but once you start at a certain time they prefer you keep it at that time. Ugh.
I've been doing:
It's hard to believe that I'm running out of injection sites, especially given how large the injections are making my belly -_- I'll have to give it a shot (ha!) tonight and see if I can pick a good spot that doesn't overlap with any other sites.
Just like last time, CA Cryobank was perfectly prepared. Our vials were waiting for us in their filled transport tank and I was in and out of there in under 5 minutes. We confirmed our donor number, the number of vials we were picking up (3), and signed the paperwork promising to return the tank, a errand I need to remember in the next couple days.
With our pick up complete, we headed straight to SCRC. They were really, really busy this morning but their lab tech D was ready and waiting for me. He took the tank to hold on to so I didn't have to lug it around to different rooms and I went in for my ultrasound first.
Today is day 7 and I had to look back through my notes to compare apples to apples but it looks like we're in almost the exact same place this cycle as we were last cycle. We saw NINE lovely follicles, eight maturing together between 10-13mm and one that was just a bit under 10. I am thrilled to tears with these numbers, even if it's likely the 9th one may not mature in time for collection. It's still way better than I was expecting and I am so hopeful that these eggs turn into healthy, viable embryos. Grow follies, grow!
After the ultrasound I went to get my blood drawn and chat with lab tech D. D is awesome, he had all my paperwork ready for me to read over and sign for SCRC and Reprogenetics, the vials for my estradiol and PGD probe sample ready to be filled and he managed to hit the vein in my arm in one go. I was just resolving myself to do all my blood draws from my wrist but now that I know D is such a rock star, I will be sure to ask for him again. He got a direct hit, perfectly into the vein and had those 3 vials filled within seconds. I am so, so appreciative of good techs.
D is going to be sending out one of our donor vials and two purple topped vials of my blood out to Reprogenetics today. I haven't received the saliva kits for my mom and sister yet, so getting those and sending them out is next on my list of to dos.
I also got my marching orders for my medication and it is time to add in my Cetrotide injection. This brings my daily total up to 4 injections, and since I've already done my morning shot, unfortunately means I'll be doing 3 in one sitting. This messes up the careful balancing act of rotating injection sites that keeps me from getting bruised and sore, I was hoping to balance it out to 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening but once you start at a certain time they prefer you keep it at that time. Ugh.
I've been doing:
- 1 Menopur in the morning to right of the belly button with my dexa pill
- 1 Menopur in the evening to the left of the belly button
- 1 Omnitrope in the evening high and to the right of the belly button, though I have done the left once or twice
 | |||
| An injection site diagram. I use both Menopur sites every day and change up the HGH sites. I'm thinking the Cetrotide should go down at the bottom. |
It's hard to believe that I'm running out of injection sites, especially given how large the injections are making my belly -_- I'll have to give it a shot (ha!) tonight and see if I can pick a good spot that doesn't overlap with any other sites.
Saturday, June 21, 2014
A Loooong Morning
At 6:45am this morning I found myself driving around in circles looking for parking. There was a massive construction zone in front of the hospital and my usual parking place was "No Parking" till after 8am. I ended up finally parking up the street at a meter that didn't start till 8, but was happy to accept every silver coin I had to get to 2 hours in case I wouldn't be able to come back down.
The ground floor was empty, not even the security guard was there, and I went up to the third floor lab to find that dark and deserted too. Not only was the floor empty, but the lab was closed on the weekend, despite what the Phone Nurse had told me yesterday. I was not at all amused and went up to the next floor where my RE's office is to ask one of the nurses if I should try another lab. This is what I saw when I stepped off the elevator:
As you can see, that door is clearly locked. There wasn't a soul on the floor to ask and even the door to the stairs was locked. I pushed the call button to get another elevator back down and the cabin was full of cheerful construction workers who were happy to joke about my appointment screw up but who said they weren't planning on unlocking the door until 11am. Well, Fuck.
I got back down to the ground floor and decided to try the medical offices next door, which I knew would have an open lab on the 3rd floor and hopefully someone I could talk to. Thankfully the lab was open, if busy, and I was able to get my E2 drawn by 7:30am. The techs were really nice but had no idea when the neighboring building would be opening back up so I went back to the ground floor and just as I was leaving, I saw a security guard who was heading out the front door. She was exactly the kind of person I had been looking for and she told me she was on her way now to unlock my floor! Yay!
We walked back over and as she was letting me in, one of the nurses showed up. By the time I had sat down in the waiting room, 3 couples who were clearly doing their IUIs today rushed in. Three more nurses followed them and another 3 couples, packing the waiting room and making it look as if the place had been open for hours. Everyone was quietly talking to their partners but it was obvious they had been super worried when they couldn't get in. Normally Saturday is reserved for IUI procedures and I was the only one there being checked.
My ultrasound showed that my 7 follies are still in excellent shape and have grown so quickly over the past day that they surpassed our wildest expectations. Normal growth is about 1-2mm per day, but my biggest follicle had boomed from 15mm to 19mm with several 18mm and 17mm friends to keep it company. The dominant follicles are starting to edge out and steal resources from the smaller ones, Nurse C made a joke about survival of the fittest, and I think the smallest two are now 12mm and 13mm. I was a little bummed they didn't get a nice boost in growth but it's normal progression once the dominant follicles get this large.
My E2 came back at 1476 which is fabulous, that's 210 for each of the 7 if you assume they're equal which they're probably not. I think those bigger 19, 18, 17 follies are probably putting out more than 200 now. I'm waiting now for confirmation that I'm triggering today and am planning on the IUI happening on Monday!
So excited! We should be triggering with several mature eggs, I really think this is our month!
The ground floor was empty, not even the security guard was there, and I went up to the third floor lab to find that dark and deserted too. Not only was the floor empty, but the lab was closed on the weekend, despite what the Phone Nurse had told me yesterday. I was not at all amused and went up to the next floor where my RE's office is to ask one of the nurses if I should try another lab. This is what I saw when I stepped off the elevator:
 |  |
As you can see, that door is clearly locked. There wasn't a soul on the floor to ask and even the door to the stairs was locked. I pushed the call button to get another elevator back down and the cabin was full of cheerful construction workers who were happy to joke about my appointment screw up but who said they weren't planning on unlocking the door until 11am. Well, Fuck.
I got back down to the ground floor and decided to try the medical offices next door, which I knew would have an open lab on the 3rd floor and hopefully someone I could talk to. Thankfully the lab was open, if busy, and I was able to get my E2 drawn by 7:30am. The techs were really nice but had no idea when the neighboring building would be opening back up so I went back to the ground floor and just as I was leaving, I saw a security guard who was heading out the front door. She was exactly the kind of person I had been looking for and she told me she was on her way now to unlock my floor! Yay!
We walked back over and as she was letting me in, one of the nurses showed up. By the time I had sat down in the waiting room, 3 couples who were clearly doing their IUIs today rushed in. Three more nurses followed them and another 3 couples, packing the waiting room and making it look as if the place had been open for hours. Everyone was quietly talking to their partners but it was obvious they had been super worried when they couldn't get in. Normally Saturday is reserved for IUI procedures and I was the only one there being checked.
My ultrasound showed that my 7 follies are still in excellent shape and have grown so quickly over the past day that they surpassed our wildest expectations. Normal growth is about 1-2mm per day, but my biggest follicle had boomed from 15mm to 19mm with several 18mm and 17mm friends to keep it company. The dominant follicles are starting to edge out and steal resources from the smaller ones, Nurse C made a joke about survival of the fittest, and I think the smallest two are now 12mm and 13mm. I was a little bummed they didn't get a nice boost in growth but it's normal progression once the dominant follicles get this large.
My E2 came back at 1476 which is fabulous, that's 210 for each of the 7 if you assume they're equal which they're probably not. I think those bigger 19, 18, 17 follies are probably putting out more than 200 now. I'm waiting now for confirmation that I'm triggering today and am planning on the IUI happening on Monday!
So excited! We should be triggering with several mature eggs, I really think this is our month!
Friday, June 20, 2014
Cycle Acceleration!
While on my way to acupuncture this afternoon, I got a phone call from one of the nurses in the Kaiser infertility office. She had my marching orders for the next couple days and wanted to give me my instructions. I was driving so I had her on speaker and was listening for confirmation of Nurse C's instructions when this phone nurse said something completely different.
To Recap, Nurse C's Instructions:
During my appointment, Nurse C said I would require at least a couple more days of stimulation and had me order 10 more vials of Menopur. She guessed that we would be doing my IUI on Tuesday or Wednesday, and that I would be triggering on Sunday or Monday, with another appointment to check growth on Saturday. I would be continuing with my 6 vials of Menopur.
Phone Nurse's Instructions:
Take the usual 6 vials of Menopur today and trigger on Saturday, with an IUI schedule for Monday. There would be no need to come in on Saturday.
This information did not at all jive with what Nurse C said. My E2 was good, yes, but with 7 follicles it was not the 200+ per 18mm follicle that we're looking for. It did not seem like a good idea to skip Saturday's ultrasound, this cycle and those follicles are too important to screw up. This also meant that we needed to have our donor vial on hand stat so I called the bank and placed our order over the phone. I'm so glad they store purchase history and credit card info, I never would have been able to place the order if the customer service rep didn't already have all my info in front of him.
When I got to acupuncture, I shared my concerns with my Acupuncturist S. Since she's a Certified Nurse Midwife at Kaiser, who has been there so long that she taught most of the OB/GYNs how to deliver babies (including my OB/GYN who is now the head of the department), she has an excellent relationship with most of the doctors, including Dr. K, and also happens to have her personal number. While I was on the table, having a treatment on my back this time, she gave Dr. K a call and talked over my procedure with her. I'm not sure if Dr. K had missed some notes or if she wasn't completely aware of the instructions given by Phone Nurse, but she agreed with me and S that I should be monitored on Saturday. At the very least, this would give us confirmation of the correct time to trigger so as not to leave viable eggs behind. I am incredibly grateful to have S on my team and feel much better about moving up the timeline as long as we check and make sure my eggs are mature first.
The new plan is to take 6 vials today, which I just did, and go in for another E2 draw and ultrasound at 7am tomorrow. I'm really not going to enjoy leaving the house before 6:30am but it's worth it to me to make sure these follicles are mature. If everything checks out, I have my trigger ready to go for Saturday and E has a rare day off on Monday. If they're still looking a little runty, I have more Menopur ready to go to give them a boost. Our vial will be picked up tomorrow and will be good and frosty for 5 days which gives us plenty of time. Whatever happens, we're prepared.
To Recap, Nurse C's Instructions:
During my appointment, Nurse C said I would require at least a couple more days of stimulation and had me order 10 more vials of Menopur. She guessed that we would be doing my IUI on Tuesday or Wednesday, and that I would be triggering on Sunday or Monday, with another appointment to check growth on Saturday. I would be continuing with my 6 vials of Menopur.
Phone Nurse's Instructions:
Take the usual 6 vials of Menopur today and trigger on Saturday, with an IUI schedule for Monday. There would be no need to come in on Saturday.
This information did not at all jive with what Nurse C said. My E2 was good, yes, but with 7 follicles it was not the 200+ per 18mm follicle that we're looking for. It did not seem like a good idea to skip Saturday's ultrasound, this cycle and those follicles are too important to screw up. This also meant that we needed to have our donor vial on hand stat so I called the bank and placed our order over the phone. I'm so glad they store purchase history and credit card info, I never would have been able to place the order if the customer service rep didn't already have all my info in front of him.
When I got to acupuncture, I shared my concerns with my Acupuncturist S. Since she's a Certified Nurse Midwife at Kaiser, who has been there so long that she taught most of the OB/GYNs how to deliver babies (including my OB/GYN who is now the head of the department), she has an excellent relationship with most of the doctors, including Dr. K, and also happens to have her personal number. While I was on the table, having a treatment on my back this time, she gave Dr. K a call and talked over my procedure with her. I'm not sure if Dr. K had missed some notes or if she wasn't completely aware of the instructions given by Phone Nurse, but she agreed with me and S that I should be monitored on Saturday. At the very least, this would give us confirmation of the correct time to trigger so as not to leave viable eggs behind. I am incredibly grateful to have S on my team and feel much better about moving up the timeline as long as we check and make sure my eggs are mature first.
The new plan is to take 6 vials today, which I just did, and go in for another E2 draw and ultrasound at 7am tomorrow. I'm really not going to enjoy leaving the house before 6:30am but it's worth it to me to make sure these follicles are mature. If everything checks out, I have my trigger ready to go for Saturday and E has a rare day off on Monday. If they're still looking a little runty, I have more Menopur ready to go to give them a boost. Our vial will be picked up tomorrow and will be good and frosty for 5 days which gives us plenty of time. Whatever happens, we're prepared.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
IUI #2 Is On!
I got a chance to speak with my RE today and she is recommending that we move forward with another IUI for this cycle! This means that if everything goes well and they continue growing, we'll be triggering with 7 mature little eggs in the next few days.
Seven follicles might seem like a lot for your average person and I can definitely see why. I have no intention of becoming the next octo(septo)mom and the potential for 7 little embryos to implant seems crazy. Most doctors suggest you trigger with one or two eggs, if you're okay with the possibility of twins, and might even cancel a cycle that showed 7 follicles. For us, this is not the case.
Back when we were first discussing IVF vs IUI, our RE Dr. K said she would be thrilled to see a 30% fertilization rate from my eggs. I'm only 27 but we don't know what shape my eggs are in because of the FXPOI, and from what I've researched, there's definitely a drop in quality in cycles where you produce tons of eggs. Someone without FXPOI might see 7 out of 15 eggs harvested fertilize and maybe 5 might make it to day 5 for freezing. I might be lucky to get 2 out of 7 and we're expecting those same odds, if not less, for IUI since the sperm won't be hand delivered to their eggs.
My hope is that with 7 potential targets for our sperm to hit, we might get super lucky and have 2 fertilize and implant. Three would give us better odds, but it's probably too much to ask for. Statistically, if our 50% odds held, one embryo would have Fragile X and the other would be healthy. Unfortunately, we all know that statistics don't hold up in small sample sizes. With two embryos we would really be just as likely to get two affected fetuses as two unaffected fetuses, and my fear is that we might end up having to terminate the whole (potential) pregnancy.
I have been mentally preparing myself for a TFMR (termination for medical reasons) since I got my Fragile X Premutation diagnosis, and although it's horrible and gut wrenching to even think about, I think it would be a lot easier to cope with if we get to take home a baby at the end. With a twin or triplet pregnancy, assuming we can get pregnant at all, I would be incredibly happy to end up with just one healthy baby. It would be horrible to have to terminate one or more affected fetuses, but we'd still get one child in the end so it would all be worth it. Getting pregnant with an affected singleton, or affected twins, having to terminate and come home with no baby, would be devastating.
For now, I'm trying to stay positive as usual, hang with my fuzzy babies, and send lots of good vibes to my follicles. I took 6 vials of Menopur today in a single injection, boy did that burn like hell, and I'll have my next appointment with my RE or nurse tomorrow morning to see how the follies are growing. They'll either be nice and mature and (just about) ready to trigger, or not quite grown and I'll need to continue stimming for a couple days. I think I have 10 vials of Menopur left so I could do one more day of 6 or 8 vials before buying more, or two days of 5 vials if she wants me to reduce further. I'll also have acupuncture a couple hours after my appointment with Dr. K so I'll ask my acupuncturist S to do everything she can to increase blood flow to my ovaries and uterus. Fingers crossed for good results!
Seven follicles might seem like a lot for your average person and I can definitely see why. I have no intention of becoming the next octo(septo)mom and the potential for 7 little embryos to implant seems crazy. Most doctors suggest you trigger with one or two eggs, if you're okay with the possibility of twins, and might even cancel a cycle that showed 7 follicles. For us, this is not the case.
Back when we were first discussing IVF vs IUI, our RE Dr. K said she would be thrilled to see a 30% fertilization rate from my eggs. I'm only 27 but we don't know what shape my eggs are in because of the FXPOI, and from what I've researched, there's definitely a drop in quality in cycles where you produce tons of eggs. Someone without FXPOI might see 7 out of 15 eggs harvested fertilize and maybe 5 might make it to day 5 for freezing. I might be lucky to get 2 out of 7 and we're expecting those same odds, if not less, for IUI since the sperm won't be hand delivered to their eggs.
My hope is that with 7 potential targets for our sperm to hit, we might get super lucky and have 2 fertilize and implant. Three would give us better odds, but it's probably too much to ask for. Statistically, if our 50% odds held, one embryo would have Fragile X and the other would be healthy. Unfortunately, we all know that statistics don't hold up in small sample sizes. With two embryos we would really be just as likely to get two affected fetuses as two unaffected fetuses, and my fear is that we might end up having to terminate the whole (potential) pregnancy.
I have been mentally preparing myself for a TFMR (termination for medical reasons) since I got my Fragile X Premutation diagnosis, and although it's horrible and gut wrenching to even think about, I think it would be a lot easier to cope with if we get to take home a baby at the end. With a twin or triplet pregnancy, assuming we can get pregnant at all, I would be incredibly happy to end up with just one healthy baby. It would be horrible to have to terminate one or more affected fetuses, but we'd still get one child in the end so it would all be worth it. Getting pregnant with an affected singleton, or affected twins, having to terminate and come home with no baby, would be devastating.
For now, I'm trying to stay positive as usual, hang with my fuzzy babies, and send lots of good vibes to my follicles. I took 6 vials of Menopur today in a single injection, boy did that burn like hell, and I'll have my next appointment with my RE or nurse tomorrow morning to see how the follies are growing. They'll either be nice and mature and (just about) ready to trigger, or not quite grown and I'll need to continue stimming for a couple days. I think I have 10 vials of Menopur left so I could do one more day of 6 or 8 vials before buying more, or two days of 5 vials if she wants me to reduce further. I'll also have acupuncture a couple hours after my appointment with Dr. K so I'll ask my acupuncturist S to do everything she can to increase blood flow to my ovaries and uterus. Fingers crossed for good results!
 |
| My waiting buddies. They're sleeping so sweetly because they jumped up on the counter while I was on a conference call and ate the four bowls of food I had laid out for dinner. Or more accurately, Fuckie(the white one) ate three bowls of dinner while Cillian ate his own. Now I get to defrost more food for the other two hungry kitties. Thanks Fuckie. |
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
SEVEN
I am in so much shock after my appointment this morning that I feel like I might cry. I can’t
believe it, but we have SEVEN, SEVEN!!! follicles! At the beginning of this cycle,
we were told not to get our hopes up for more than 1 or 2 and BAM!
SEVEN beautiful, perfect follicles! I have 5 on the right, and 2 on the
left and there might even have been another hiding on the left since
it’s tough to get a good picture because your colon gets in the way. They looked like little bunches of dark grapes on the screen, I couldn't believe it when I saw them.
This is more than I ever thought my body would make. With FXPOI, 7 follicles might as well be a million and you’re lucky if you get even 1. After tons of Menopur injections yielding only 1 follicle last month, we figured this cycle would be, the nuclear option, would be a hail mary to see if I was even capable of making multiple eggs. I hoped that maybe 3, or secretly even 4 out of the original 5 small follicles would continue to grow, but I never dreamed it would work this well. I'm over the moon, completely overwhelmed and so, so hopeful.
They’re all growing at the same rate, between 10-14mm, and my E2 was 537 so all this Menopur is paying off! This is fabulous growth after only 2 more days of stimms and she didn't bother putting in another order for more Menopur, I might not need it! This makes the 2 daily injections, the bruises, the stomach pain, the crazy bloat, the blood draws and early mornings all worth it. We could really have a shot this month to get a baby.
I am waiting on my call back now to see if I’m going in tomorrow or Friday morning and E and I need to discuss our options. He’s leaning towards doing IUI and hoping for multiples, with the hope that if we got pregnant with twins or triplets at least one might be healthy and unaffected. I do agree it would be a pretty good shot, but I’m hesitant to lose the chance to potentially harvest 7 eggs. We could always follow the same protocol next month if we’re unsuccessful this month and harvest then, but it almost seems like too good an opportunity to pass up!
Either way, I’m so hopeful that this will be it!!
This is more than I ever thought my body would make. With FXPOI, 7 follicles might as well be a million and you’re lucky if you get even 1. After tons of Menopur injections yielding only 1 follicle last month, we figured this cycle would be, the nuclear option, would be a hail mary to see if I was even capable of making multiple eggs. I hoped that maybe 3, or secretly even 4 out of the original 5 small follicles would continue to grow, but I never dreamed it would work this well. I'm over the moon, completely overwhelmed and so, so hopeful.
They’re all growing at the same rate, between 10-14mm, and my E2 was 537 so all this Menopur is paying off! This is fabulous growth after only 2 more days of stimms and she didn't bother putting in another order for more Menopur, I might not need it! This makes the 2 daily injections, the bruises, the stomach pain, the crazy bloat, the blood draws and early mornings all worth it. We could really have a shot this month to get a baby.
I am waiting on my call back now to see if I’m going in tomorrow or Friday morning and E and I need to discuss our options. He’s leaning towards doing IUI and hoping for multiples, with the hope that if we got pregnant with twins or triplets at least one might be healthy and unaffected. I do agree it would be a pretty good shot, but I’m hesitant to lose the chance to potentially harvest 7 eggs. We could always follow the same protocol next month if we’re unsuccessful this month and harvest then, but it almost seems like too good an opportunity to pass up!
Either way, I’m so hopeful that this will be it!!
Monday, May 12, 2014
And Then There Was One
So today's appointment showed that I'm down to one good follicle.
The opaque or weird follicle on my right ovary was actually a collection of
small follicles grouped together so they looked like one larger follicle. There are now 3 follicles on the left ovary, but only one is growing
and developing while the other two aren't really developing at all.
The big follicle, the one with baby potential, is about 15mm which is a decent size for CD8. My estrogen was 185pg/mL so it is going up, but still isn't ready to go. I think each mature follicle produces at least 200pg/mL of estrogen so my labs confirm just the one viable follie. I go back in for more labs and another ultrasound tomorrow morning which should give me an idea of when we're doing the actual IUI. I'm pretty sure Wednesday is now off the table and we're looking at Thursday or Friday.
One thing that's concerning to me - I ovulate by myself every month. That's one egg developing each month without help from fertility drugs. It takes a little bit longer, I don't ovulate till day 16ish, but I do ovulate. Now I'm injecting 6 vials of Menopur, like $300 into my belly every day, and I'm still only developing one egg.
Does this mean I'm technically not responding to the Menopur at all? What does this mean for us if we need to do IVF? If I can only get one egg off of this many hormones, how am I going to get enough for IVF with PGD?
Hopefully we won't need to go there. This cycle is going to work. I'm going to get pregnant with a healthy baby from that lovely little follicle on the left. This is going to work.
The big follicle, the one with baby potential, is about 15mm which is a decent size for CD8. My estrogen was 185pg/mL so it is going up, but still isn't ready to go. I think each mature follicle produces at least 200pg/mL of estrogen so my labs confirm just the one viable follie. I go back in for more labs and another ultrasound tomorrow morning which should give me an idea of when we're doing the actual IUI. I'm pretty sure Wednesday is now off the table and we're looking at Thursday or Friday.
One thing that's concerning to me - I ovulate by myself every month. That's one egg developing each month without help from fertility drugs. It takes a little bit longer, I don't ovulate till day 16ish, but I do ovulate. Now I'm injecting 6 vials of Menopur, like $300 into my belly every day, and I'm still only developing one egg.
Does this mean I'm technically not responding to the Menopur at all? What does this mean for us if we need to do IVF? If I can only get one egg off of this many hormones, how am I going to get enough for IVF with PGD?
Hopefully we won't need to go there. This cycle is going to work. I'm going to get pregnant with a healthy baby from that lovely little follicle on the left. This is going to work.
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Jinx
At my ultrasound appointment yesterday, the nurse asked me if I was having any side effects from the Menopur I've been taking. Apparently it can cause cramping and a whole lot of other unpleasant side effects in many people. I was happy to report back that I felt just fine, no cramping, and the injections *didn't even hurt OMG yay!* as long as I did them slowly! I felt like I could ride off into the sunset on a rainbow shitting unicorn on because I felt great! *insert some rainbows, sunshine and glitter shit here*
Yeah. Because that's not painting a big huge target on my back for fate.
So, naturally, the second I left the doctor's office I started to feel sick. Then I remembered that I had had some digestive upset when I woke up that morning, but I'd attributed it to nerves. I sucked it up, blamed nerves again, and went to my acupuncture appointment. I told my acupuncturist, S, all about the insurance woes and my low estrogen and she told me she'd already received a call from my RE, Dr. K, that morning.
Dr. K actually called S, personally, because she believes in what she does. Even though S sees Dr. K's patients and is a Nurse Midwife at Kaiser, S said she's never had a doctor personally call about a patient before. Dr. K asked her to please do whatever she could to help me, to try and get as much blood flow to my ovaries as possible because we have to help my follies develop and get my estrogen up or this wasn't going to work. This really choked me up, I don't know how my chances are looking for this cycle but I really love my infertility team. I couldn't ask for better, more supportive doctors.
With specific marching orders in hand, S began my treatment to clear out the cold and phlegm and get my blood flowing. I also told her about my weird stomach pain so she added on a stomach treatment for that. And for the first time ever, those needles hurt. She put the first one in my foot and my leg nearly jumped off the table. "I'm sorry," she said, "you're much more sensitive today. The Menopur can do that, make your skin much more sensitive". Ow.
This was the 4th time I've done acupuncture and the first time it's ever been uncomfortable. Each needle hurt a bit going in and was sore during my hour, although I was able to ignore it and focus on visualizing all my energy going to my ovaries. S strongly believes that you need to put positive energy out there so I'm sending every positive thought I've got down to those follies. Afterwards, the points in my left wrist and left foot were actually too sore for me to put my watch or sandals back on, another first. I usually feel relaxed and refreshed after a session, not sore.
Before I left S also told me that she had a patient who might have some extra Menopur. She had been planning to donate it to another woman who ended up not needing it so it might be available for me! This would be so, so wonderful, with the increase to 5 vials a day, I don't think the stash I just bought is going to get me through this entire cycle. I might also be one of those people who are slow to stimulate and require a couple extra days of injections, which would mean I'd definitely be short. I should know on Monday if she still has the Menopur available.
As for the side effects, they continued for most of the day. S's stomach treatment worked for a couple of hours, but the general stomach pain eventually came back. I didn't feel nauseous, crampy, and I didn't have ovarian pain, my stomach just hurt. The injection was also much more painful last night, the needle itself was really uncomfortable for the first time and it took me a good 5 minutes to inject all the liquid. Even though the acupuncture hurt, I somehow wasn't expecting my injection to hurt and was completely surprised when I stuck the needle in and my skin went OWWWW. I hope this is a temporary side effect because I have at least 5 more injections to go.
 |
| Ha Ha. Not. |
So, naturally, the second I left the doctor's office I started to feel sick. Then I remembered that I had had some digestive upset when I woke up that morning, but I'd attributed it to nerves. I sucked it up, blamed nerves again, and went to my acupuncture appointment. I told my acupuncturist, S, all about the insurance woes and my low estrogen and she told me she'd already received a call from my RE, Dr. K, that morning.
Dr. K actually called S, personally, because she believes in what she does. Even though S sees Dr. K's patients and is a Nurse Midwife at Kaiser, S said she's never had a doctor personally call about a patient before. Dr. K asked her to please do whatever she could to help me, to try and get as much blood flow to my ovaries as possible because we have to help my follies develop and get my estrogen up or this wasn't going to work. This really choked me up, I don't know how my chances are looking for this cycle but I really love my infertility team. I couldn't ask for better, more supportive doctors.
With specific marching orders in hand, S began my treatment to clear out the cold and phlegm and get my blood flowing. I also told her about my weird stomach pain so she added on a stomach treatment for that. And for the first time ever, those needles hurt. She put the first one in my foot and my leg nearly jumped off the table. "I'm sorry," she said, "you're much more sensitive today. The Menopur can do that, make your skin much more sensitive". Ow.
This was the 4th time I've done acupuncture and the first time it's ever been uncomfortable. Each needle hurt a bit going in and was sore during my hour, although I was able to ignore it and focus on visualizing all my energy going to my ovaries. S strongly believes that you need to put positive energy out there so I'm sending every positive thought I've got down to those follies. Afterwards, the points in my left wrist and left foot were actually too sore for me to put my watch or sandals back on, another first. I usually feel relaxed and refreshed after a session, not sore.
Before I left S also told me that she had a patient who might have some extra Menopur. She had been planning to donate it to another woman who ended up not needing it so it might be available for me! This would be so, so wonderful, with the increase to 5 vials a day, I don't think the stash I just bought is going to get me through this entire cycle. I might also be one of those people who are slow to stimulate and require a couple extra days of injections, which would mean I'd definitely be short. I should know on Monday if she still has the Menopur available.
As for the side effects, they continued for most of the day. S's stomach treatment worked for a couple of hours, but the general stomach pain eventually came back. I didn't feel nauseous, crampy, and I didn't have ovarian pain, my stomach just hurt. The injection was also much more painful last night, the needle itself was really uncomfortable for the first time and it took me a good 5 minutes to inject all the liquid. Even though the acupuncture hurt, I somehow wasn't expecting my injection to hurt and was completely surprised when I stuck the needle in and my skin went OWWWW. I hope this is a temporary side effect because I have at least 5 more injections to go.
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