Retrieval Day...

04.20

We have passed through another gate on our IVF journey. YES!!

Retrieval is when they go into my ovaries and retrieve the follicles that are in there. The whole procedure isn't so bad. I had to go in a little early and get a DDAVP infusion from the Cascade Cancer Infusion Center due to my Von Willebrand's. The DDAVP medication will help my blood clot during and after the retrieval. Everything went great with the infusion! After, Sarah from NWRS picked me up in a wheelchair and swooped me on over the clinic. Here we go....

The retrieval procedure went great! I was in and out of the surgery room in about 30 min. Of course I don't remember any of it because I was under anesthesia. The nurses and the anesthesiologist said that when I woke up I was talking about sewing curtains and Taco Bell!! HAHAHAHA!! Too funny! I guess we knew what I was dreaming about while I was under! They all said that I was such a delight, full of happiness and chatter! That was really sweet of them to say that.

The nurse said that it was normal to feel pain and have a little spotting, but I wasn't feeling either of those things!! Blessing!! Before we left the clinic we were able to find out how many eggs they were able to retrieve........and that number is.......5 eggs!!!!! WAHOOOO!!!! That is pretty good considering they only had one ovary to work with. Tomorrow they will be able to tell us how many were mature enough and how many fertilized. Cross your fingers!!

Guess where we made a stop before we headed home....TACO BELL!!! Love my husband!!

Trigger Day...

04.18


Trigger day? What's trigger day?

Well, trigger day is the day when all the good stuff starts to happen!! The term "trigger" refers to a hormone injection that basically tells your ovaries to release the follicles. Once the follicles have reached a certain size, or are "mature" enough then it is time for retrieval. The trigger happens 36 hours before scheduled retrieval. So, today being trigger day (Sunday) that puts retrieval day at Tuesday @ 10:30 AM!

SO EXCITED!!! In order for everything to be times perfectly I had to do the trigger injection at 10:30 PM! It was a little nerve racking thinking that this one shot was going to start the "BIG" week, but it was exciting as well. I have a blood draw tomorrow morning to see how the meds are doing in my system.

Week FOUR...

04.11-04.17


WOW! This has been a very busy week! Since I have started the stimulation medication I have been going into the clinic for a blood draw and ultra sound every other day. Traveling back and forth to the clinic has definitely made this week fly by! All of the blood draws have been great! The meds are doing what they are supposed to be doing and my estrogen levels are rising which stimulates the ovaries to produce follicles. So everything is right on track in that department. In the ultrasound department...not so super!

Here is a little back story on why. A couple of years ago I had a 9cm cyst removed from my right ovary. With that large of a cyst they Doc wasn't able to remove all of the tissue, because he was trying to save some of my ovary. Well, the part of the ovary that is still there isn't very viable. In layman’s terms...it isn't going to produce jack crap!! So, when the IVF cycle started we knew that we weren't going to get much from that ovary. My left ovary "the good one" is doing just fine! Producing those follicles!! Go left ovary, GO! I know that we are not going to get the same amount of follicles as the average couple, but then again...are we the average couple...not at all...we have to make it a little exciting for the doctors and nurses!! =)

Excited for the next week!! That's when all of the good stuff happens!!

Be Blessed Everyone!!!

Week THREE...

04.03-04.10


Happy Easter Everyone! I hope you had a wonderful weekend with you loved ones!

I wish I could say that this was a mellow week, but of course with my body you never know what is going to happen. I have a blood disease called Von Willebrand's Disease. Nothing super serious, it just means that my blood doesn't clot very well and that I need help with medication to help it clot. I am so grateful that there is a medication readily available for me to take...a quick fix to this little problem, the only issue is that I have to take it every six hours and it makes me crazy dizzy! That sure doesn't help with the fatigue that I am already experiencing, but what can I do...it is what it is.

We had our suppression check (an appointment where they want to make sure that my ovaries are nice and quiet before they super stimulate them) on Friday and everything is right on tract. The 4cm cyst that they saw during the ultra sound in week one was totally gone!! WaHOOO!!! Thank you Lord!! Now it is time to start the stimulating medication! This step super stimulates the ovaries allowing them to produce as many follicles as they can. Cross your fingers for tons of follicles.

Can I tell you that I love LOVE love my family and friends! Ever since I have been (sort of) out of commission they have really stepped up to help us out where ever we need anything, even if it is just being a sounding board when I am feeling frustrated. I have had very many visitors at the house and it has been nice having company! I had quality time with two of my sisters (in-laws) this week (oh. and the nieces!) Another neat thing to mention this week is that a good friend of mine had a couponista class at her house. Amber from Coupon Connections NW http://www.couponconnectionsnw.com/ came over and taught us how to cut our grocery budget in half with savvy couponing!! Learned a ton!! Now I am ready to be a savvy couponista!!! I know this will put a BIG smile on Jared's face. =) He actually said that it was "cute" how excited I was about couponing!! What ever makes me "cute" and saves us money...I am all game!! LOL!

Well, that is it for week three. Getting ready and rested for week four!!

Week TWO...

03.28-04.03

The injections begin!

With the first injection being on Monday, I was really nervous all weekend long. Finally, on Monday morning, I got the medication ready, poked my belly, injected the meds, and I was done! No biggie at all! What was I even worrying about?!?!?! I guess I am alittle weirded out about having to stick a needle into my tummy every morning. It really helps having Jared by my side telling me that I am brave!! Little does he know, I put on a brave face for him because I don't want him to worry.

That was the first shot! The next couple of shots for the week turned out a little bumpy. The needles hurt going in and the medication burned a little, but we got the job done. I guess it takes a little while getting used to. It is all going to be worth is....so all I can say is "bring it on!!"

One of the many things that I am grateful for is that I have been able to keep my emotions in check. And I know that Jared is thanking Jesus every moment he gets. So glad that I am not wigging out, but it is only week two...lets wait and see what week three and four bring. LOL!

On a little sweet note, my sister took me out on a date this week! Love her! We headed to the movies and watch "The Last Song" Let me tell ya...if you haven't seen this movie, you need to go out and watch it...oh, and don't forget to bring tissue! It is a tear-jerker!!

Week ONE...

0.3.21-03.27

Here we go!!

I can’t believe that we are actually physically starting IVF! AHHHHH!!! So excited! God is so good!! His had is in every part of this and Jared and I are truly blessed.

Nothing too exciting in the first couple of weeks, but awesome none the less. We start birth control pills (BC)first…I know that sounds a little weird…you ask your self “wait, what? they are trying to have a baby, but then why are they starting BC pills?” I thought it was crazy weird too when I first heard. So here is the low down of how this whole IVF thing works…

First step: Suppress ovaries (with BC)
Second step: Super stimulate ovaries (allow the ovaries to produce as many eggs as possible)
Third step: retrieval – they go in and get as many eggs as the ovaries produced
Fourth step: Party in a petri dish!!! (I know that you are all creative enough to figure this one out! HAHA!)
Fifth step: Transfer – they take the viable eggs and try to make a cozy home for them in my uterus.
Sixth step: We wait and wait and wait…for two weeks exactly then we go in for a blood draw to see if the babies stuck..

Whew! I know that is a lot, but I know that it is all going to be worth it! This is a 47 day process from start to finish if everything goes according to plan!

We went in on day 2 for an ultra sound and a blood draw to see where all of my hormone levels are and to take a look at my ovaries. During the ultra sound they found a 4cm cyst in my left ovary!! I could have started to cry right then and there, but didn’t. The doc said that we needed to wait for the labs to come back to see if the cysts us producing hormones. I guess if it was producing hormones then we would have to stop the IVF cycle and take care of the cyst. PRAISE GOD! The cyst wasn’t producing hormones and on we go with our cycle! That mad us very very happy! The rest of the week was pretty lame. Taking the BC pills and being as chill as possible.

Us Time...

Before all of the exciting madness starts Jared and I thought it would be a good idea to take a mini-vacation to Vancouver BC. So, off we went for an extended weekend in March. everything about our trip was perfect, the condo, the city, the sleep, the food, the sites, the aquarium, the park, the Olympic sites, and of course the company…my love!

We didn’t talk about IVF or babies the whole trip and that was refreshing. Actually, I didn’t really even think about what was going to happen in the next month, I just enjoyed the time with my hubby.

One of my favorite stops on our trip was Granville Island! This perfect little treasure is the best farmers market that I have ever been to. The selection on meat, cheese, fruits, chocolate and bread was endless! I could have stayed there the whole time and just ate! We picked up fresh goat cheese and a flakey baguette to enjoy later in the day..YUM! Another favorite of mine is always the aquarium! I love LOVE love the baby beluga whales! They were stinkin’ adorable!

We spent a lot of the time walking all around the city and let me tell you…Vancouver is a beautiful city! There are many different sections of the city that are totally unique, but beautiful and lively in their own way. Vancouver just hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics (We missed it by a week), but a lot of the sites and the cauldron were still up, so it was really neat to be able to experience that.

We had a wonderful time. And now we are energized and ready to recieve God awesome blessings!