IVF, still a "go"

As far as I know, we are still set to go for IVF. I had my baseline ultrasound last Thursday here in town, and this wouldn't be my story if it had actually gone off without a hitch.

When I spoke with SIRM at the beginning of my cycle, they told me that if I didn't hear back from them the day after my baseline ultrasound (Friday) to call the following business day (Monday) to find out if I was ok to start stim meds (Tuesday). I didn't hear from anyone on Friday, so I called on Monday and they said they never got the reports from the ultrasound or the bloodwork. So on Tuesday morning before work I ran over to the hospital and got a copy of the lab work as well as the print out from the ultrasound, no report, and scanned and sent them myself. I was relieved to receive an almost immediate response that I was good to start meds that night.

I have been on Lupron shots now for nearly 2 weeks, as well as dexamethasone (steroid pill). I take these in the morning in addition to my pre-natal vitamin, prescription folic acid and selenium (to help with the anti-thyroid antibodies from my Hashimoto's). I also take my Synthroid pill each night before bed. On Tuesday and Wednesday I added Follistim injections to the mix, which I inject right after dinner. Today I add Menopur, which I can take anytime in the PM. I will probably do it right after the Follistim.

I'm over giving myself injections, it's no biggie, just second nature now. I can't imagine having to rely on the husband to give me all of these injections, it's just easier to do it myself. I can also do it without giving myself huge bruises. Only one bruise to speak of from the Lupron 2 days ago, I think I was too close to my naval and have a bruise the size of a dime that is now fading.

My travel plans are also in place. I fly to LV on Sunday and have an appointment on Monday (unknown time) for a scan and some bloodwork. My parents should be driving in from LA sometime that day to spend a week or so with me. Nate will fly in right before retrieval, as soon as we know when that will be. We will be staying at the Luxor Hotel on the strip. It was cheap and everything we could want should be within walking distance. Might as well stay on the strip if I'm paying to go there. It will mean taxi rides to appointments though, unless my parents are there when I need a ride. I'm not looking forward to riding in a cab post-anesthesia after egg retrieval though.

It will be interesting to fly with medication and needles and syringes. I've googled TSA regulations and think I know the procedure. Has anyone else had to fly during treatment? How did it go traveling with all your supplies?

We actually saved some money!

Just heard from SIRM that my doc in El Paso sent our records. This means that we don't have to repeat the semen analysis! Hooray for saving a few hundred bucks.

We also signed, had notarized, and sent our IVF consent forms today. One more box checked off the list.

That's all for today! 

IVF is boring (maybe pics of Tuscon help)

I really thought that finally getting to do IVF would be fantastic and exciting. While I am excited, I wouldn't call the process exciting. There has only been one thing that was even remotely exciting but was actually rather frustrating. That was the process of trying to get my meds on time before going on a business trip this weekend. And that's not even worth going into detail about.

I received my calender a few weeks ago and technically my cycle started last Wednesday with Lupron. I'm also taking a daily steroid as well as my daily birth control pill. I thought it would be a good time to update today.

Today was my last birth control pill, I continue the Lupron and the steroid this week and regardless of a period or not, I go for a CD 3 baseline ultrasound locally on Thursday. If I get the all clear I start the rest of the meds, ie Follistim and Menopur next week.

I'm a freaking champ at giving myself injections now. I hope that the Follistim goes as well as the Lupron and I've done Menopur before so that should be just fine. I'm even stretching and getting good at yoga to be able to give myself the HCG trigger and the Progesterone shots in the butt. Just kidding, I'm not stretching, but I do think that I could do the shots myself if I had to.   

I just got back from a trip for training to Tucson. It was interesting to room with a co-worker and explain why I had to give myself an injection each morning as well as what that injection was because I had to keep the Lupron in the mini fridge in the room. She knows we're doing fertility treatments as she is one of the front office staff who do my scheduling.

I'm trying (unsuccessfully, I believe) to convince everyone that I am going to Las Vegas for 2 weeks just to consult with the doctor and not actually to do IVF. I just don't want to have to tell them about early pregnancy. I would like one thing to be normal and I'd like for that to be the ability to tell them if/when we are around 12 weeks, not the day after I find out myself. 

I alternate between extremely hopeful for this cycle as well as cautiously optimistic.  I want this to work, I don't want to do fertility treatments anymore. I want to be pregnant and parent and the like. However, I know it might not happen. I know we might have to prepare for a FET or even another IVF. It's just me being realistic, but I'm keeping that at the forefront of my mind, rather than in the back.

I'll update you guys on Thursday, if not before about how things are going. But I thought I'd leave you with some photos from my trip.

Fuzzy iphone photo at a Mexican Restaurant where I thought that the ceiling lights were cool

Pulled pork tacos at said Mexican restaurant

Koi fish (approx 2-3 feet long) in the pond at the hotel

Me in front of a Saguaro cactus at the hotel, This was the best photo due to glare, but unfortunately, I'm standing awkwardly

HSG or HSG

I guess that, before now, I didn't know the difference between a Sonohystogram/Hysterosonogram and a Hystereosalpingogram, but I definitely do now!

Yesterday I had to have a Sonohystogram/Hysterosonogram done for the first time. Rather than a Hysterosalpingogram where they inject dye and also different from the Hysteroscopy that I had done while I was under anesthesia. For the Sonohystogram they inject saline solution into your uterus through your cervix and then insert the transvaginal wand to do an ultrasound.

HFS!

That's probably all I should say, but I feel I must go on!

I am anything but a wimp when it comes to this suff, but I really didn't find the HSG to be painful at all. The recovery from the Laparoscopy, easy-peasy. Both were completed without pain meds, although I was knocked out for the Laparoscopy. However, this Sonohystogram shit ain't for the faint of heart though, that is for sure!

They had to manually dilate my cervix to fit the catheter in. Did you read that? MANUALLY DILATE!!! Like with some metal instrument that MANUALLY DILATES your cervix. Unmedicated...

I was not prepared for this! I actually had second thoughts about going through with IVF if they really needed this procedure to be completed. They didn't have a lighted speculum so although they had manually dilated my cervix, they had to take it all out and REPEAT IT so that they could get the catheter in. I actually asked the doctor to stop at one point, my legs were shaking so bad!

When I got up, there was blood, everywhere, on the giant paper towel they give you, on the giant paper towel you are sitting on, on the floor, and on all the instruments they had used.

I swear that if I have to have that done again, we will give up on future fertility treatments. Or, they are going to have to knock me out for it.

IVF has already started

It didn't occur to me that two weeks ago, when I picked up my prescription for birth control pills and popped one later that day, that it meant that we had officially started IVF.

I have only conversed with Dr. F over the phone twice and only once recently. Even then, I was at a restaurant trying to rapidly take notes on a piece of scrap paper I found in my purse so that I wouldn't forget any details.

...I wrote the details of my IVF on the reminder card for our dog's next grooming appointment...

This also meant that I wasn't able to ask all of my questions either. I have no idea what the protocol is, or what drugs I will be on, or even when I will start. I don't have an idea of what will happen when I get to LV, or whether we will do a day 3 or day 5 transfer. I guess I can ask the questions to the nurse who I will speak with tomorrow. Also I have Dr. F's direct e-mail, but I feel uncomfortable asking questions with so little information to base my questions on.

I have a rough, fuzzy mental outline of how it should go from reading all of your blogs, so I am not overly concerned.

I'm currently trying to keep zen about the whole thing. I trust this Dr. and this clinic to do what is right for me or at least to attempt a best first guess at what will work for me. I am also trying not to worry too much about work and how this will all interfere with work. Work can live without me, my patients can live without me. Who has ever heard of a hearing aid emergency anyway?

I am to call the clinic today to make a final decision on which IVF plan we are going with and we have decided upon the standard IVF plan through the reduced cost "Access" plan. It's a ton of money and I just can't get over the cost of it all, even though it will cost less than I had originally thought. Forking that money over, even by way of a credit card is really, really difficult.