Momentum

I think I'm finally getting the hang of the Lupron shots. I got balsy enough to do the shot this morning without icing up first. I definitely felt the pinch going in, but I survived. Thankfully taking the bubbles out of the syringe this morning was a lot easier and took much less time.
I finished my last birth control pill last night. One less thing to take and I feel like one more thing to check off on my way closer to getting IVF. Now it feels like we're gaining some momentum in the process. We just have two more days of Doxycycline and we'll be done with that too! I can't wait! Those things are upsetting my stomach.
I think the Lupron is starting to really build in my system because I'm experiencing more side effects as the days go by. Now it's breast tenderness and enlargement. I feel like I have a second chance at puberty again. LOL!

So Much Better

Today's Lupron injection went so much bettter. No pain, just a spec of blood, and it didn't ooze out. I iced up as usual, kept the ice pack on for a longer period of time like Friday, and then removed the needle from the bottle to bang the syringe against the desk and then with a pen. I think I was so irritated with the bubbles the past few days and by the time I got them out the needle was a little bent and I was tense. This morning the needle was straight, I reminded myself to relax and didn't squeeze my thigh as tightly. Hopefully that's the trick!
This afternoon I was very tired. I actually felt winded while walking up a small hill during my daily walk. How pathetic. I wonder if this is a side effect starting to kick in. Then late this afternoon after taking my last dose of doxycycline for the day, I started feeling really nauseous. Ugh!! I guess it's great preparation for when we finally get our bfp!

A Little Traumatized

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. The first day of Lupron on Friday went so well. Yesterday's injection didn't go as smoothly. I had a difficult time getting those darn bubbles out of the syringe and then it was difficult to push the needle into my thigh. After the injection, it bled a little but only for a few minutes. Then the area felt a little bruised and tender. I had the same experience with today's injection only in addition, a little bit of the Lupron oozed out when I pulled out the needle, the injection stung going in, and bled a little (not as bad as yesterday). The area is now a little itchy and there's a raised bump. I need to figure out what I did Friday so that it doesn't continue this way. I'm thinking I'm pinching the area a little too hard compared to Friday and maybe pulling out the needle too soon after I push the plunger all the way down.
As for side effects, hot flashes throughout the day, fatigue, irritability (could've been caused by the fatigue), and bloating. Not bad. I thought the side effects would have been worse. I can deal with this. We'll see how well things go with tomorrow's lovely injection.

The First Day of Shots

I did it! I did it! Giving myself the first dose of Lupron this morning was sort of surreal. I guess it was probably because I was numb from the ice pack I put on my thigh before I gave myself the shot. Although it numbed the area, it was difficult to determine if the alcohol had dried, so I waited a little while just to be sure. Happily, I didn't feel a thing. The area turned into a little pink bump, but went away.



No side effects yet. Hopefully there won't be any.

The Beginning

At today's appointment, we did an ultrasound to check the antral follicle count. There were 9-10 on my right ovary and 7-8 on my left ovary. I asked about the results of the SA and the count went up to 90 million (yay!), however the morphology was borderline low at 6%. So I asked about doing ICSI since the morphology was low. He said that they will probably do some naturally and some with ICSI just to make sure we get some fertilized eggs.
After my ultrasound, I met with Loreen to get my first injections lesson. It was a little overwhelming to remember the steps. Thankfully, I have a step by step cheat sheet just in case I need a refresher. Beginning Friday we both need to take Doxycycline for 7 days and I need to start giving myself Lupron shots and taking Dexamethasone.

So the beginning of the rollercoaster ride begins for us this Friday. It's kind of bittersweet because I'm happy about progressing and beginning the treatment, but at the same time I'm not looking forward to giving myself daily injections and experiencing all those lovely side effects. But if I look at the big picture, all this will be worth it when we finally have our baby or babies in our arms.

Yes! We Have Dates!

Ryan's SA was today and we finally received our IVF schedule. Loreen's going ahead with ordering the fertility drugs. I go back next week Wednesday for an ultrasound and lesson on injections (yikes!). I asked how the test results were and she said everything came back great. I'll be starting Lupro, Doxycycline (both of us), and Dexamethasone next week Friday and finally finishing my last birth control pill on April 29th. Thank goodness! Stimming starts on May 6th and my estimated egg retrieval will be on Friday, May 16th.
Now that we have a schedule and I know that the test results came back great, it feels like this is finally going to happen.

Clean Bill of Health

I went to see my nephrologist today for my 6 month check up. Everything is the same - kidney functioning normal, no protein in my urine, and my cholesterol level is fine. My next 6 month check up is scheduled for October. He did say that if I should get pregnant, I will probably need to be monitored on a monthly basis just to be sure that my kidney functioning remains the same.

Knowing the results of this 6 month check up is a relief. I was worried that things may have changed and we wouldn't be able to proceed with IVF.

Today was the first day I tried Yoga 4 Fertility. It is definitely not as easy as it looks. There were certain poses that were very relaxing and felt good. However, there were also many poses that were uncomfortable and not as relaxing. I guess with time and practice, it should get easier. Hopefully I'll be able to move tomorrow.

Still Waiting...

Today is cd21 and the 18th day of birth control pills. I'm getting a little ansy waiting to hear from the dr's office on what we're doing next. I'm almost finished with my first pack of birth control pills. I tried to refill it on Thursday, but the pharmacy said it was too early to fill. So Monday it is.



While I've been waiting, I've been trying to keep myself busy focusing on other things like our new house and my new position beginning in July. In the midst of trying to keep busy, I've rediscovered on-line shopping..almost went off the deep end. I guess I've convinced myself that it's okay since it's for the house and it's helping to take my mind off this waiting.



I just received my first order, a DVD, Yoga 4 Fertility. I watched part of it last night just to kind of familiarize myself with it before I start on Monday. It's definitely going to teach me to be more patient and remind me to relax which is a good thing since I'm usually neither. Hopefully it helps.



Dh comes to town next week Thursday for the weekend to do his SA and to visit. I'm excited as we haven't seen each other since he left March 24th.

Waiting in Limbo...

Still no word from the dr.'s office on our next step. The one good thing to report is that I finished taking the Doxycycline pills on Sunday. Yay! One less thing to take throughout the day. I've also noticed that my BBT has been pretty stable and nice. If I weren't on bcp I'd think I might be pregnant. Wishful thinking...



Just 7 more days left of bcp in this pack of pills. I'm hoping Loreen will call me before I finish the pills to say I can stop. I'll keep my fingers and toes crossed until at least Sunday. If I don't hear from them, then I guess I'll need to call in for my refill.

Waiting...

It's cycle day 13, the 10th day of birth control pills, and the 3rd day of Doxycycline. Loreen was right when she said that the beginning and ending portions of IVF are long because all you're doing is basically waiting. Ryan did his bloodwork today. Hopefully they call me in next week to go over all our test results and the next step.


In the meantime, I've been reading a couple of books on fertility that I found at the local library. What to Do When You Can't Get Pregnant by Daniel Potter, M.D. and Jennifer Hanin, MA and Fertility & Conception by Zita West. Both books offer a more thorough explanation of the IVF process, including all the testing and results. It's a good refresher and gives a better explanation for me since the consultation was an overload of information in an hour.

Sonohysterogram

Boy was yesterday and last night a doozy! I think the birth control pills are really affecting my moods because I was really irritable...especially last night. I seem to feel better this morning and a little nervous in anticipation for the unknown today with the sonohysterogram.

I'm back from my sonohysterogram. It was a little uncomfortable. Thank goodness it was only a short procedure. It was neat to see my uterus inflate like a balloon. I also got to see all the follicles in my ovaries. My left ovary had 10+ follicles while the right ovary had 6 follicles. Dr. said everything looks good. I had to do my bloodwork to check for HIV, etc. I guess once all the results come back, I'll have to go in for an office visit to discuss the results. In the meantime, I've been asked to continue the birth control pills (a sarcastic...yay...) and start taking 100mg of Doxycycline twice a day for 5 days. Hopefully it doesn't cause more side effects.

Let The Preparation Begin!

It's day 7 of birth control pills. I haven't taken these since we were trying to avoid getting pregnant years ago. It's kind of ironic/weird to be taking them now as part of trying to get pregnant. I can't wait to be done with them. I've suffered at least 3 headaches in the past 7 days. Argh! I just have to keep reminding myself of the pot of happiness at the end of a long rainbow.
Tomorrow I will be going to the dr. to have my sonohysterogram done. I'm hoping everything will continue on track and we get the green light for our first IVF. Fingers and toes crossed!