Producing Estrogen like a bandit!

Well, this is the doc's phrase, not mine. Apparently, he put me on a reduced dose of Gonal-F (he usually gives everyone 300 or 350, but only gave me 225), but I'm making a lot of eggs anyways. Which in turn, is producing more estrogen (btw, my level is now over 3300). No one in the office could believe it. When I went in today, I talked to several nurses who couldn't believe it. They said on my first reading, I had progressed what took everyone else 1 full week. That is why they called yesterday to confirm I was taking the correct dosages. I am only supposed to take 37.5 tonight.

So, what that means folks is..... They are moving up my surgery date. It is possibly going to be on Friday or Saturday, instead of Sunday or Monday.

Also, what this probably means is... I will have the eggs or egg (not all of them!) transferred back into me on day 5 after the surgery.

Responding a little too well to meds

Well, I just had another lab and sono today. The nurse called, and sounded a little concerned, and was asking if I was in pain (which I'm not). But she said I was responding VERY well to the medications, so well, in fact that I'm not supposed to take any today, and supposed to go in again tomorrow for another lab and sono.

My estrodiol level is at 2335! That is very high. I don't know what that means, but I guess I'll see tomorrow when I can actually talk to the doc this time, instead of a sonogram tech.

Only about 1 week to go....

First Estridol Lab and Sonogram

Well, I had my first estridol (check estrogen level) lab today, along with my sonogram. My estridol level is at 493 (which, I don't know if that is good or bad), but they said I'm progressing right along. And in my sonogram today, they found 26 follicles!!! Whoa!! That is like 26 possible eggs! That is crazy.

The doc lowered my Gonal-F to 150, 225, 150, for 3 consecutive days, then I do another lab and sono on Monday.

We also met with the financial person today, and she went over what we should charge to insurance, etc. She also mentioned that we may be able to use DH's insurance for the IVF fees! That would be GREAT! I know it is a slim possibility, but I'm praying for it.

Thank you for your prayers!

I want to personally thank everyone who has been praying for us. This is so encouraging, since my husband and I don't have to go through this alone. We have you - Family members, current small-group members, past small-group members, and close friends.

We know that accoring to Matthew 18:20, "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.". God is with us when may are praying together.

We know that prayer moves mountains, and glad to have you guys helping us move them. :) We are so blessed have a loving family, and an awesome church family -- so many people who care about us.

Here comes the hormones

Well, this whole process is really exciting if you look at the end result, but there are a few things in which I had to apologize in advance to my husband for. I don't know how my body will react to these meds, and I just really wanted him to know that I love him no matter what. And don't get upset about anything I say or do over the next two weeks, as I cannot be responsible for my emotions, and have no clue what it will be like. Also, I told him starting on Tuesday, he will just have to be more sensitive to my needs, because I don't know that I'll be able to control myself.

I found this passage from one of the IVF sites, and it is so true... The following are the things we must put ourselves through in order to have the baby that comes so easy to everyone else....

the drugs, have my body probed, apply the patches, eat certain foods, jab myself with sharp instruments, drink special tea and tonics, visit alternative practitioners, have my hormones altered, feel tired, become uncontrollably moody (to name a few)

Started Gonal-F on Tuesday

Well, I have now done 2 Gonal-F injections, and it is a little more difficult to give than the lupron. The injections come from a pen, in which you need to change out the needle tips. But the part that makes it more difficult, is it has to click at every 75 units. I have to do 225 units, so lots of clicks, so it hurts a little bit, since I have to do the clicks, try not to jab it in too far, since there is a plastic tip that could bruise me. I guess it is all about coordination.

The only cool part is, that I only have to think about my doseage for 3 days at a time. I go in on friday for another sonogram and estrogen lab, and depending on my numbers, they will change my dosage for another 3 days.

Baseline Sonogram

I had my baseline sonogram today. The Dr. showed up 2 hours late, since he was held up in surgery. Unfortunately during my wait, they didn't have wireless access, so I couldn't work while I waited.

However, other than that, the sonogram was good. No cysts, and have follicles already developing. I am to start my Gonal-F injections tonight, and cut my lupron down to 5 units, instead of 10.

So, now, I will have Dr. appointments every 3 days for the next 2 weeks. And before those appointments, I will have to get an estrogen lab to check my levels. Based on the levels, they increase or decrease my stimulation meds (gonal-f).

One weird thing happened today, though. I brushed it off on my last appointment when they said I didn't need to pay, since it was only $40, but today, I was supposed to owe $1650, and they said I didn't owe anything, since I still had a credit. Oh, well.... guess I need to call the financial person anyways.

2 weeks left to go

Well, I since I ended my BCP last Thursday, I started AF today. I never thought I'd be so excited for my cycle to start again. This means, I should be good to start stimulation tomorrow as planned.

And I have my baseline sonogram tomorrow, so he should tell me whether or not I'm ready to start another set of injections daily. (love those shots! - not really) Once I start the 2nd shots, I'll have one in the morning (lupron), and one at night (gonal-f).

Last BC Pill Today

Wohoo!! Today was my last BC pill. It has been causing me to break out like a bad acne commercial. Thank goodness that part is over.

The Lupron shots are still going ok every day, and I should be ok to start my Gonal-F (stimulation drugs) in 5 days.

Another bible verse

I found another GREAT bible verse:

Exodus 23: 25-26, "Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and NONE will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span."

It is very encouraging, since it comes straight from God's precious word. I know this is going to happen for us.

First Lupron Shot

Well, I had my first Lupron shot on Sunday. The whole night before, I had nightmares about the shot (that I would butcher my stomach, that the needle got bigger, that I overslept, etc). I kept waking up every 2 hours thinking it was time for the shot. I prayed each time, and it allieviated my anxiety, and I woke up at exactly the right time (10 min before my alarm). I mechanically gave myself the shot, and was like "that is it?". It wasn't too bad at all. The 2nd night, I dreamt peacefully. :)

As a reminder, the lupron supresses my cycle, so that I don't ovulate on my own. It has to be given at the EXACT same time every morning(within a 30 min window).

P.S. This weekend was fabulous. We stayed at an awesome B&B, and relaxed. It was definitely the break we both needed.

Weekend Away

Well, my sweet DH has setup a romantic mini-getaway for us before all this stuff kicks in full force. He is so sweet, and I am so lucky to have him. He wanted to get my mind off of everything, and have a mini-break before the madness begins.

Although, I do have to remember to take my first Lupron shot on Sunday.

My IVF Schedule

So, here is my schedule:

6/27/07 - First day of cycle
6/28/07- Start BCP
6/29/07-7/19/07 - Continue BCP
7/15/07 - Start Lupron - inject every morning
7/24/07 - Go see doc again for baseline sonogram
7/24/07 - if everything is good, start Gonal-F (superovulation)
7/27/07 - First estrogen lab, and followup sonogram (This will happen every 3 days for 2 weeks) - this is to make sure I don't have too much estrogen. If I do, they lower the dose of Gonal-F.
Week of 8/5 - Retrieval and implantation

Doc Appointment and IVF Orientation

Well, I had another doctor's appointment today. He did a sonogram, and measured my uteris/mock transfer today (the 2nd part, he didn't tell me beforehand that he was doing it, but they measure your uteris, so the day of transfer, it is much easier, apparently). It was very painless, and everything checked out just fine.

After the sono, I chatted with my IVF nurse. She is really cool. I talked with her for an hour, and she explained everything. My whole schedule was given to me (when to take what meds when), when to come back in for the doc appointment, and labs, etc. I had to keep stopping the nurse, and asking her to explain in "people terms", as she was going really fast and using a lot of fertility jargon that I'd never heard before. But she was really nice, and showed me how to give a shot, and we even got to waste a whole pen of the superovulation drugs (which costs about 1k per pen) - It was fun!!!

A little later after that, I picked up DH, and we went to IVF Orientation. I took a lot of notes. Most things I already knew from reading, and I learned some new things. The biggest take home items from this Orientation are as follows:

• 10-12 eggs during retrieval is average
• In those 10-12, it is average to have 1-2 children from that
• For under 35 age range, the success rate (live baby) is 70% (Holy crap, that went up 10% from 2005).
• For under 35 age range, they typically transfer 1-2, and if they think 1 will stick, they give the couple an option to do only 1, and freeze the rest. We are still talking about how many we want to do.

Bible verses and prayer

Throughout this whole process, I've been praying a lot, and reading the bible, particularly Psalms, and clinging to certain things that God is saying. I thought I would share some of them:

Romans 5:3-5 - Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Psalms 37:4 - Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalms 128:3 - Thy wife shall be as fruitful vine by the sides of thine house; thy children like olive plants round about thy table.

John 14:12-15 - I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Overall, though, I've learned a lot about myself, and grown a lot spiritually through all of our fertility struggles. My husband and I are closer than we have ever been, and we started praying together, and discussing important issues on a more consistant basis.

Meds arrived today

Well, I just got a BUNCH of meds in today. And wohoooo, I only got charged $140. I was expecting like $2k, but it seems my insurance covered extra. Great news!!!

I received:
Ovidrel (for ovulation simulation)
Methuulprednisolone (not sure what this is for)
Doxycycline (antibiodic)
Propoxy - Darvesett (um, I hope I won't need this for pain)
Gonal-F (super-ovulation)
Leuprolide (supress ovulation)
Progesterone in olive oil (to keep in balance)
And a LOT of needles

Insurance and costs

My insurance (thankfully) covers infertility treatments (3.5k for medical, and 3.5k for Rx). The whole IVF cycle is supposed to be about 12k, which is CRAZY!! - But worth it, if it works.

And hoping that our medications are covered, and we don't have to pay too much out of pocket.

But believe it or not, for this first one, we are only out 1.5K, since we have about 3k in our flex spending account at work.

August IVF - starting BCP

Well, in June, the nurse called me, and we started setting up everything to get ready for an August IVF cycle. After I started my period in June 27, 2007, I was instructed to start BCP on Day 2 of my period. The RE said it would make all my eggs line up. LOL.

IVF Journey Begins

Well, we begin here with my IVF Journey. We have been TTC #1 since Dec 04. I am 26, and DH is 29. In December, we had decided to get off birth control to "see what happens". I had a chemical pregnancy in Feb 05, and have been TTC ever since.

We have charted, used ovulation predictors, check CM, used ovulex/amberoz, preseed, etc, etc, etc. And through all of this, nothing worked.

Poor hubby has been restricted to boxers, hot tubs, baths, etc for over 2 years.

We are both Christians, and let me tell you this has helped us drastically in our journey for a baby. I prayed, and God instructed me to quit all of the above (charting, etc) we were using. It was stressing us out, and taking away all spontaneity. In God's word, He gives promises that we can have children, and those are what I'm clinging to.

In August of 06, we finally decided to start pursuing fertility treatments. I went to my GYN, and had an HSG done. Man, this is like 100 times more painful than your most painful period. But it showed everything ok. DH went to the urologist, and it showed low numbers in all areas. The doc put him on clomid for 3 months, which didn't help his numbers, so then sent us off to a RE.

In May 07, we finally met with the RE. He took all our info into account, and said DH's hormone levels were fine, so that is why the Clomid didn't work. The RE also said that I looked fine - as far as we can tell. In his 2nd consult with us, he said that IUI would be pointless, since they typically like 15M good sperm to put in, and DH is only starting with 5M (which would drop once they spin it), so he suggested that we go the IVF route.

And the journey begins................