Maybe soon?

I don't know if anyone has even subscribed to this blog or bothers to follow it. I know I haven't posted a damn thing in months. I think about our next IVF almost daily. Despite my bitching and whining about how hard life with two kids is we definitely want more kids. And not "someday" kind of want but soon. It just seems like the timing for a cycle is never right. Knowing that even a FET cycle involves bed rest, no lifting for two weeks, no bending from waist, etc. makes it nearly impossible with two kids.

We are thinking maybe next month. Not sure if it will come to actualization but we're hoping the cards all fall the right way so we can give it a shot during the summer.

The same

The spotting has continued and is getting a little heavier tonight. Thinking the end is here. Oh well...

Trigger is gone

I tested yesterday just to make sure the trigger HcG was gone... and it is. From here on any positive I get is the real deal. Not sure when I will test. In my previous IVF and IUI cycles I was so patient. This time around I am so ready to test. I guess I just want to know and get the heck on with it. Strange how naive I was thinking I would get through this without any of that old anxiety and stress. ;>)

Tired and achey

In previous IV cycles I have spent the bedrest portion of the cycle laying in bed stressing over whether the cycle would work. I also felt pretty ok. By the end of the second day I would feel a little sore from laying still for so long. This time has not bee so easy. I miss being a full time Mom to my kids. The OHSS is extremely uncomfortable (to say the least). My body aches terribly from laying in bed too long. When I do get up I feel tired and weak. I guess it doesn't help that I went into this sleep deprived and exhausted. It also doesn't help that I hyperstimulated so much.

I am just ready for this portion to be a thing of the past so I can get back to my normal routine. Tomorrow I am allowed to get out of bed but I do have restrictions. No vacuuming (YAY!), no bending from the waste (not easy with two kids) and no lifting over 15 lbs (hmm... I have a 16 pounder and an 18 pounder... not sure how that will go). This whole IVF thing is definitely a lot easier without two kids in tow.

16 Embryos

I went this am for b/w and to get randomized into the study part of this IVF. I would either get the progesterone gel or the ring and I got the ring. I talked to the embryologist and they managed ICSI on 17 eggs, 16 of those fertilized... way more that we have ever had. They are freezing 6 today and leaving 10 out to choose the best 2 for Wed. After Wed. the remaining 8 will be frozen so we will have 14 snowbabies. Guess it's good we always wanted a big family.

21 Eggs

Out of my 27 mature follicles they got 21 eggs this morning. The procedure went well but I am hurting much more than my previous 2 fresh cycles. They gave me Tylenol 3 to help with the pain for now. The good news is that they are allowing me to go ahead with the ET on Wed. and will let us transfer 2. Ok, back to the couch.

Nerves

So, now the nerves are setting in. I am nervous about:

- OHSS
- Being in pain and having to be a Mom to my girls
- The ET being cancelled and having to move on to a FET
- The IVF working
- The IVF not working
- The anesthesia
- Having another kid
- Not having another kid
- and on and on and on.

Guess I need a decent nights sleep and to just get tomorrow over with.

Hcg...done!

I finally got my callback today and I was allowed to trigger. At 10:30 we did the trigger shot and those damn IM shots hurt as much as I remember. My estradiol was still ridiculously high so we will be keeping our fingers crossed the OHSS isn't too bad. I go first thing Sunday morning for my ER. Then my ET will be Wednesday morning.

For the first time today I got a little panicked about the thought of another set of twins. We plan to transfer 2 since 1 hardly seems worth it for me. Then I started thinking of the logistics of 4 kids instead of 2. It was a little too scary to think about. ;>)

Waiting, waiting, waiting... yet again

Here is my u/s results from today:

Lining - 13mm

Right - 23.3, 18, 18.3, 21.3, 17, 23.6, 22, 22.6, 22, 27.6, 21.3, 16, 22.3, 16, 17, 15.6 and 7<10

Left - 22.3, 20.3, 19, 18, 22, 16, 14, 16, 16, 22.3, 20.3, 16.6 and 6<10

I am still waiting for my callback to see about trigger. I am guessing tonight.

Holding Pattern

Today's results:

Lining - 14mm

Right - 24, 27, 19.3, 21.3, 20.4, 19, 19, 19.3, 17, 13, 15, 18.3, 20.7, 14.3 and 8<10

Left - 19, 18.3, 20.7, 14.3, 20.3, 16, 17.8, 19, 18, 20.7, 17, 18 and 6<10

E2 - 4300... yup, it went up again so no trigger tonight.

I go back tomorrow morning for u/s and b/w AGAIN! Probably will trigger tomorrow (unless the number climbs) and have the ER Sunday. I really was hoping to do it Saturday so I would have Bry home to help the day after. Guess no such luck.

Tons of follies

Here is todays u/s results:

Lining - 14mm

Right - 19.6, 21, 15, 17, 13, 13, 15.6, 19, 16, 15, 15, 14, 16.6, 17 & 6<10

Left - 17, 17, 16, 13.3, 19, 12, 13, 13, 17, 13 & 7<10

All I can say is no wonder I am hurting. ;>)

Another ultrasound - Updated

Here are the results of this mornings ultrasound:

Lining - 11mm

Right Ovary - 11.6, 12.3, 14, 17, 14, 12, 12.3, 17.3, 13.3, 4<10

Left Ovary - 14, 15, 13, 13, 11.3, 12, 10, 4<10

Still waiting on my callback for instructions. I am starting to feel a little uncomfortable... kinda like two bags full of rocks in my belly. Fun, fun, fun!

Updated:

Got my callback and E2 was at 864 so everything is looking good. I go back Wednesday for another u/s and b/w. For comparison's sake here is my info from my stim day 6 from my last cycle:

Right - 13.3, 14.3, 14, 10, 11, 11.6

Left - 15, 2<10, 3<6
E2 - 572
LH - 3
FSH - 11
Prog - 0.7

And this one is from stim day 7 of my first fresh IVF cycle:

Right Ovary - 18.3, 16.3, 14.3, 15.3, 15, 15, 12, 18.6, 10
Left Ovary - 12, 10.3, 16.3, 12.3
Lining - 9 mm

Blood work and Ultrasound

Today I had another ultrasound and blood work. I had to get up eat 7:45 after being up late for our anniversary yesterday so I was BEAT tired! Things looked good so far. My lining was 12mm. Right ovary follicles were: 11.7, 12.7, 13.7, 13, 13.7, 14.3, 12.7, 11, and 8 <10mm. Left ovary had: 11.7, 11.3, 12, 11.3, 10.7 and 10 <10mm. This is way more follicular growth than I have had in the past. When I got my call back this afternoon they said I was over-responding with a high Estradiol level and so many follies. The are dropping my Follistim back to 75 iu starting tomorrow.

I go back on Monday for more b/w and another u/s.

Exhausted

Ok, so I am not sure whether I am chocking up my general exhaustion to the meds, my job being insane or to my two wild monkeys but boy am I tired. I feel like I have to remind myself to take my shots. The first time around I was almost excited when it was shot time. It was like every shot got me closer to meeting my future child (children). This time it just feels plain different. I am excited and I really want this to work but it seems like some of stress is not there that was there before. An IVF not working does not seem as earth shattering once you have had a child. I still have babies to love and hold and oogle over. Before if it didn't work I felt like I had nothing. It is kind of nice to get to approach it in this lower key way.

Stims tomorrow

Starting tomorrow I will be taking 5 units of Lupron in the morning, 75 iu Menopur in the morning and 150 iu of follistim in the evening. I went or b/w and u/s this morning and the u/s tech told me I was going to have a lot of eggs. That made me nervous because she said we are looking at possible OHSS eggs (not again!). They are doing a lower dose of stims than I did last time to try to control it. Guess we'll see!

Am I ready for this?

Tomorrow morning I go for my suppression check blood work and ultrasound. If all is well I will start my stims in the afternoon and be on my way. Bry and I talked for a little while about if this does work, if it doesn't and all the possible scenarios in between. I REALLY hope it works. We want more children and it would be so wonderful to not have to start saving for a FET. Approaching IVF now that I have two daughters changes everything but I still want it very much.

My Protocol

I thought I would post this as much for myself as for everyone else. Someday I might look back and think hmm... what the heck did I have to go through for this damn IVF stuff to work. :>)

CD 3 - Started BCP's
CD 20 - Started Lupron injections at 10 units. Continue BCP's until pack finished
CD 31 - Ultrasound & Blood work. Start 150 IU Menopur & 150 IU Follistim (dosage may change). Drop Lupron to 5 units.
Stim Day 12 - 14 - Retrieval
3 Days Later - Transfer

I will try to update this as it changes.

And so it begins

I started my Lupron today. Felt very weird to be back here again.



It's a much smaller pile than last time. Follistim sure eliminated a lot of the work for you.

Meds

I went today for my appointment to get my meds and have injection instructions. Looks like my protocol will be Lupron from CD 18 on. I will start stims on the 27th if everything looks good. I will be using Follistim (for the first time) and Menopur again. My retrieval will likely be June 6-8th. I am getting super excited. Not sure what I am going to do about the whole "don't lift more than 15lbs thing" though.

Starting Lurpon

This week I begin my Lupron injections. I go to the clinic on Thursday to get all my meds and start injects on Friday. When I signed up for this it felt like it was years away. It is hard to believe that we are getting ready to start.