Saturday, March 30, 2013

Round two

My next round of meds arrived yesterday well the half i ordered. I will start this new one Monday if all my blood work is ok. It's called bravelle. It is a powder (green top) that I have to mix with what I'm guessing is saline (white top) and inject in my belly each box has 5 doses and i get to take 3 doses a day 3 vials of powder to one vial of liquid a day. I've graduated to a 22 gage needle from the 28 gage insulin needle. One week till New York.

Otherwise its been an exciting week at the millers. Kid lost her first tooth. Nate decided to make room for a baby(s) by moving our room down to the main level into the craft room/toy room and moving M to our room upstairs with all her toys. She started throwing our stuff down the stairs as soon as nate asked if she was ok living up there. We will see how long the toys stay there. It will be weird having the smallest room in the house rather than the largest. We also took jack on his first walk this spring. He had tons of fun playing in the mud but was a pain to clean after.

Oh forgot the best part of bravelle? It is extracted from the urine of post menopausal women... Thank you dr google.







Saturday, March 23, 2013

Practice

Later in this process Nate will have to give me shots. I have started making him practice since it is in my stomach and I can see it also cause the needle is much smaller then the one he will be using later. Last night I told him to do it at a 90 degree angle he aimed at a 30 some degree angle. I then said straight in straight out. The straight in worked fin then out he pulled his hand down and ripped apart my guts... Maybe not that bad but it still hurt and I had a large bump. The diagram below shows the needle paths. The orange was it going in the pink was coming out.... AGAIN OUCH!!!

Today we tried again and he did straight in straight out with a pause in between but somehow I managed to leak. Now I have a hard lump like if someone cut a marble in half and put it right under my skin.

He may need more practice before we move on to the tough stuff!!


Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Hello side effects!!

Everything was going well. A little heart burn here and then then all of a sudden.... Wham!!!! Right before dinner horrible nausea, headache, hot flashes and a little teary-eyed.

On a happy note we booked our flights for egg retrieval. We are leaving 4/8 and staying until the retrieve eggs. If they take them by the 9th or 10th we may just stay through transfer as well. This seems to moving so fast.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Injections day 3

Last 3 days of injections has gone well considering I've never stabbed myself before. Crazy I know.

I have been icing my belly as best I can but I think it might do more harm then good so I'm going to try to stop.

The first night it was quick and painless until the needle came out then oh my did it burn on yeah and left a big o' bruise I laid down for bed and my whole side was twitching. That has since stopped thank goodness otherwise I may have chopped off the right side. M ran and hid in her room like she does when I run the vacuum.

Day two I iced but this time did not pull the needle out in the same direction I put it in so I bled more then I feel I should have. M decided to be adventurous and help out. She alcohol swabbing my injection site. She then put a bandaid over it. Well kinda, she missed it by about a half inch.

Today M helped out again but no bandaid was needed. I'd like to say it burns after and is sore because I'm injecting into rock solid muscle but we all know thats a bold face lie.

I haven't had any of the symptoms I'm supposed to have. Little headaches but I've also cut caffeine so I blame that. So far so good!


Till next time

Saturday, March 16, 2013

THEY'RE HERE

My meds are here. Well first part anyway. I start nightly injections tonight. Doing them at night is supposed to help with the side effects.






My Next Month

For the next month this is what I get to suffer through look forward to...

Today through April 1: Daily Lupron injections (suppress). The side effects include headaches and mood swings!!!! YAY mood swings. The person in charge of the study, Matt, said not to be surprised if I start crying out of nowhere. I said "at least I wont wanna throw someone out a window" He said that if I do to make sure I record it in my weekly wellness survey. When I told him I cry at commercials he told me to stay away from TV, Books, Movies and talking to people who may have any news good or bad.

So here I am patiently waiting pacing back and forth at the window waiting for Fedex. Then I'm going to to store to get some alcohol swabs, gauze and coffee creamer. Oh yeah next subject...

NO MORE COFFEE...

April 1: First local appointment. It is supposed to be "Visit 2" in New York but my Dr agreed to do it here. There will be blood work and an ultrasound. If everything goes well I move on.

April 1 until Egg Retrieval: Daily Gonadotropin injections and Daily Lupron injections (stimulate). I will take 3 doses of Bravelle and 1 dose of Lupron daily until my body is ready for egg retrieval. I will be monitored 5, 7 and 9 days after starting the Bravelle. Some time between there we will fly back to New York and do the monitoring there until I'm ready. M will becoming with Nate and I and we will try to make a fun vacation out of it.

Between 9-10 days after starting Bravelle: I will give myself and HCG injection to force my body to ovulate when the clinic wants me to.

2 days after HCG: If everything goes as planned I will have the egg retrieval. If my body hates me I will have to take Progesterone in Sesame Seed Oil (which I hear is super painful) if it cooperates I will not have to take it. That day the eggs will be fertilized. I will get a fertilization report and pictures of the embryos.

5 days after retrieval: I will go back to NY solo and have a transfer of 1 or 2 embryos. Protocol says to do 2 but it all depends on estrogen/progesterone/ultrasound results. At this point I will be considered Pregnant Until Proven Otherwise (PUPO)

7 days after transfer: I will have a beta pregnancy test done. Anything over 5 is considered pregnant. I wish I will wait till then to do pregnancy tests but you can bet your bottom I'll be testing every day between transfer and blood draw.

I dont really have any pictures that go along with this post.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Visit 1

Had my visit 1 appointment yesterday. All blood work looks good. I pulled the conventional arm (arm b). I start taking meds tomorrow. They will transfer 2 embryos so there is a higher chance of multiples. Maybe ill get a 2 for 1 deal?!?! Nate,  M and i will be taking a week and coming to nyc for the egg retrieval the second week of April and then ill return 5 days later to have the transfer. Its getting real!

My dad came with to this visit and we saw a lot in 3 days. Grand central station, times square, rockefeller center, 5th avenue, the today show and central park. My dad managed to sniff out an apple store and i found a best buy. We have about 5 more hours of wondering around so we may find a boat and take a tour.

Im posting from my phone so this is all i have for now.

Friday, March 8, 2013

IVF in the eyes of a 5 year old

M has been very curious in the whole process and we have been over what is going to happen a few times. On the way home from school one day this is the conversation that happened:

M: Mommy how is the doctor going to get a baby in your tummy again?
Me: I think you know. What happens first?
M: The doctor takes a big needle and takes out all your eggs.
Me: Right
M: Then he puts them in a little jar
Me: Right
And here is where I started losing her
M: And then he uses another needle and puts one baby in each egg, when that is done he will put the eggs back into your tummy. BUT before it can become a baby we can bring home the egg has to hatch and attach itself to your tummy. If it gets stuck to your tummy it will have to cook for a bit. 
Me: Mostly Right
M: If it doesn't attach to your tummy you will poop it out like a chicken does and you can start all over
Me: Not exactly
M: MOM!!! that's what happens!!! I have a question though
Me: Whats your question?
M: Where do the babies come from that the doctor puts in the eggs?
Me: *Face Palm* Ummm we will talk about that at a different time

Later at the dinner table:
M: Daddy I know how we are going to get a baby in New York.
Nate: Oh yeah?
Then M goes on telling him everything that she had told me earlier
M: And this is all cause mommy is broken. But I have a question
Nate: What's that?
M: Where do the babies come from that the doctor puts in the eggs?

Nate just got up and left the room...

I'm pretty sure when we talk about it this is what see sees: