BETA Results

We had the hCG BETA done today. Sarah 2 called around 11 AM (much earlier than in the past) so I was a bit nervous. My BETA number is 166.7! She said that at this point they want to see at least a 50, so I'm pregnant! I can't believe it!! Of course, I had to check the number out on the web, and it seems that I'm in the normal range. The 2nd BETA is scheduled for Tuesday AM. I hope we see a nice doubling.

I took the CB digi I was saving until after the results and it came up with "pregnant" right away.





We waited to call my folks until nighttime as we thought my dad would be home from work. He wasn't so I told my mom and we called later to tell my dad. I called the friends that know about the IVF and reached 1 of them. The other two will hopefully call me back tomorrow so I can tell them the good news. I also called my sister that wasn't at home when I spoke with the folks.

I'm heading back to church tomorrow and planning to take it easy. I am so grateful to the Lord for this precious miracle that I am carrying. I hope that our little one continues to grow and develop normally and that I can start relaxing and enjoy this once in a lifetime experience.

This has been a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend and a great way to kick of the holiday season!

More Pics

This is the darkest +++ HPT so far. It's from last night 9dp 3dt (9 days past the 3-day transfer).






This is the test from this AM, which is 10dp 3dt. In real life it's about the same darkness, maybe a bit lighter.




DH and I are remaining cautiously optimistic that Luke and Leia are still around. The BETA can't come soon enough. I've had VERY light spotting today. Just twice. I'm hoping that is normal. When I called about the cramps last weekend the nurse said I may spot as well, but it is still a bit upsetting. We both need this blood test to confirm that we are indeed PG. We'll then fill in all of the family and friends. I'm still in shock that this may have actually worked. My prayers have been non-stop and have been a combination of thanks to the Lord for this possible pregnancy and the other half of the time begging the Lord to let these little ones stick around, grow and develop normally.

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm still cramping on and off and having crazy hot flashes. I did another FRER this AM and within 30 seconds this came up:





The line is very faint and easier to see in person. (DH also messed with this in photo shop to increase the contrast.) But I believe it is a line. All the other FRER's I've taken since Sunday have been COMPLETELY white- no line at all. I'm hoping it's the real deal. I saw it and instantly started crying and thanking the Lord for this miracle.

I've sent DH to the store to get more FRER. I only have 1 left and 1 CB digi that I wanted to save for the day of the BETA. I believe it is appropriate that my first ever BFP was done on Thanksgiving. I am so thankful that I live in a place and time where IVF is available to us to help us create our family. I am so thankful for all of the family and friends that have been praying and supporting us through our many infertility trials. I pray that this little one is sticky and still there on the day of the BETA. I pray that my cramps don't dislodge the little one somehow and that I can relax once we get the BETA and enjoy this miraculous pregnancy.

Cramps, Cramps, Cramps

I'm freaking out. I've had cramps now for 2 days. They started yesterday AM and feel EXACTLY like my regular pre-AF cramps. AND they are starting at exactly the same time that my regular pre-AF cramps start. I decided to call the RE today and finally got through to the nurse. It was a new nurse, and she didn't know if it was normal or not so she told me she would ask Dr. K and get back to me. I am concerned that my progesterone level is not high enough and so AF is able to arrive. The nurse called back and told me that Dr. K said it was normal. I feel like they aren't taking me seriously. Anyway, I asked if I should call once I start bleeding since in my mind AF is on her way. She said that yes, I should call if I do, but that spotting is normal.

I'm heartbroken. I feel like this is the beginning of the end. I'm trying to believe them, but these cramps are JUST like the ones I normally get. I have a feeling that AF will show by Tuesday or Wednesday.

I've tested out the trigger and had two negative HPT now. I plan on testing on Monday, Wednesday and Friday if AF hasn't shown. I pray that this isn't it for us.

Embryology Report

One of my favorite nurses, Sarah 1, called a few minutes ago to update me on the status of our embryos that were still growing in the lab. Unfortunately, none of them made it to the blastocyst stage and there aren't any to freeze. It makes me sad. I was hoping that the two that were doing so well on Tuesday would make it, but they didn't. I feel stressed a bit now that L & L are our only hope now. I wish this whole process was less stressful somehow...

Little L & L

I'm taking it super easy right now. I've been mostly on the couches for the past two days. I had a hard time sleeping the first night after the ET as I was afraid every time I rolled onto my belly that I would smash the embryos. I'm still a bit hesitant that if I move wrong, I will jeopardize implantation, but I think I'm a bit less neurotic today.

DH and I discussed a bunch of different names for the embryos. These are names we can call them until we find out if we are having 1 or 2 and then beyond that if it/they are boy(s)/girl(s). We finally settled on Luke and Leia ala Star Wars. Yes, I am a complete geek like that. :) I'll upload photos of them at 3-day old embryos once I'm back on the office computer and not the laptop.

Yesterday my best friend K came by with baby A to keep me company. It was a lot of fun to talk with her and see the little one. Her visit really cheered me and helped me keep busy so that I was not going crazy.

I'm trying to avoid googling and looking up everything having to do with IVF and this 2ww period. It's really, really hard not to obsess. I've been keeping busy with crafts. I finished the binding on the faith baby quilt and it's adorable! I'm planning on working on our doggo's Christmas stocking tomorrow and hopefully visiting with some other girlfriends tomorrow.

I constantly talk to Luke and Leia and ask them to snuggle in for the long ride. I hope they are feeling very welcome and getting cozy in there.

PUPO!

I'm officially knocked up until proven otherwise.

We arrived at our appointed time for acupuncture, but it turns out that the acupuncture place (not where I normally go, but they work with our clinic all the time) booked the wrong day. My fabulous nurse Sarah 2 called the acupuncturist and got her to hurry over, and they pushed our ET back an hour. Luckily, we were the only ET today, so Dr. Opie had time for us later.

The acu was relaxing, especially after stressing about possibly not being able to do acu. Dr. Opie then came in and handed me a picture of our two perfect embryos. Our clinic does a 5-point rating scale with 5 being the best and our two were both 4s. We have yet to come up with names, but I'll post their picture and names later. He suggested we transfer 2 as I am now technically moved from the "good" prognosis category to the next lower category due to my previous cancellations and poor ovarian response. This means the statistics for the clinic drop a bit in that category. We are hoping to beat the 41% rate he showed us. We still have our other 5 embryos growing too. 3 of them aren't doing that great and they don't expect them to make it to freeze on Friday. The other 2 have every chance at this point of making it to freeze.

I then guzzled some more water and DH, and I suited up for the transfer. We got into the transfer room and got positioned. The embryologist brought up a picture of our embryos on the screen and had us verify all of our info. Dr. Opie came in and did his pre-ET stuff, and we were good to go. The catheter went in easily and the embryos went in easily too. I then moved over to the rolling bed and was sent back to the recuperation room. The acupuncturist came back for the post ET session. By this point I really had to pee! But I stayed relaxed and after she was done, we were discharged and I hit the bathroom.

DH drove me home and I'm now resting on the couch as he runs errands and grabs us some food. It still surreal to me that I have babies inside me right now. I'm praying that this all goes well and thanking the Lord that I live in a time where I have access to IVF at all.

ET Today!

I slept pretty well last night considering the importance of today and the fact that with all the liquids I've been drinking to ward off OHSS I'm up every 45 minutes to use the bathroom. It's been an exciting and nerve-wracking morning. We have NOT heard from the embryologist which means that the ET is a "go" for today! We are planning on leaving in the next half hour. When I return home, I will officially be PUPO!!!

PIO

The progesterone in oil shots are going well. DH is a pro at doing them. I've had a little bit of pain, but not the stuff that others have mentioned. Sarah 2 gave us a couple of tips that have helped the whole process.

Today I felt much better in the morning. I spent the time catching up with chores: laundry, paying bills, tidying up. I then crashed and felt awful plus started cramping and spotting. I took it easy the rest of the day. I scheduled acupuncture for before and after transfer tomorrow.

It was a strange day. The reality that we have 7 babies right now hasn't hit yet. It is hard to think of them growing outside of me. I want them back in me where they can hopefully grow and live for the next 40 weeks. I'm hoping all goes well tomorrow.

Egg Retrieval & Fert Report

I didn't post yesterday as I was still woozy and sore from the ER. It was a quick process. My favorite nurse, Sarah 2 was there and Dr. K performed the ER. They retrieved 13 eggs! DH took me home and took good care of me the rest of the day.

Today I'm feeling sore, but not as bad. I'm trying not to take the prescribed pain pills and just tough it out. The RE called and of the 13 eggs 10 were mature. The donor sperm upon being thawed didn't have the motility they wanted so they ended up doing ICSI with it. Of the 10 eggs that were ICSI'd we have 7 embryos growing! I'm in shock. I can't believe we have made it this far. I'm so relieved that it's going well. We are tentatively scheduled for a 3dt on Tuesday at noon. The embryologist won't check on our babies again until Tuesday morning. They will then decide if we move forward with the 3dt or push out to a 5dt. I think with 7 embryos we will most likely have a 3dt. I feel so blessed that we've been given the opportunity to undergo IVF and that we've had such a good result this time around. The Lord is certainly blessing us immensely.

1st HPT

I took a HPT this AM to make sure that the hCG was in my system. To my amazement it came up ++ right away. This is a great sign. It means the hCG is in my system and allowing my eggs to release from the follicles in preparation for the ER tomorrow AM. Here is a picture of what I hope will be the 1st of many ++ HPT:



I had a hard time sleeping last night. I finally fell asleep around 11:30. I then woke up at 3 and was wide awake. I stayed in bed until 4 and then got up. I watched my girl shows and then went back to bed at 6:30 only to have the alarm wake me at 8.

My appointment this AM was a blood draw. This is normally a quick appointment. I got to the office and gave the front desk gal (new girl) my name. She said "you're all checked in." I sat in the almost deserted room and waited to be called. 25 minutes later I STILL hadn't been called back for my blood draw. I checked in with new girl again. She tells me, "We've had an emergency here this morning and it has pushed everything back." I tell her, "I'm just here for a blood draw, was the phlebotomist involved in the emergency?" She says, "yes and thank you for your patience." My FAVORITE nurse Sarah 1 walks by and sees me through the receptionist area. She yells to me (as she is back by the exam rooms) "Emily, haven't you been here a long time? I thought your appointment was for 9?" I stand up and walk over and tell her that I have been there since 9. She says "that's ridiculous. Give me 2 minutes and I'll fix this." Less than a minute later the phlebotomist comes to get me. She tells me that I wasn't checked into the system, so she didn't' even know I was there. She tells me that Sarah stepped in to grab her and that if I ever wait more than 5 minutes for a blood draw to just come back there and find her. The blood draw was quick. (I checked with the phlebotomist- she was NOT involved in the emergency as I figured.)

I headed home and hit the store on the way to pick up some of my favorite foods/drinks for the weekend recovery. I'm feeling VERY bloated, sore and a bit nauseous. I'm trying to take it easy today but there are so many craft projects I want to work on that it's hard to just lay around.

Ouchie! MDL Day 13- Stim Day 11- Trigger Day

I just did the hCG trigger. It hurt! But it means I am one step closer to the goal of creating our family!

My appointment went well today. The blood draw was so-so; she had to dig around for a vein. The ultrasound revealed the same 13 follicles, only bigger. Dr K told me we would probably trigger today.

I headed home and worked on the faith quilt a bit and then went out to lunch and fabric shopping with my friend C. It was fun. She's been such a great support to me this week. She has really helped me keep busy through all of this. On the way back home Sarah 1 called. I told her I was driving and she said she would call back at the house in 15 minutes. 1hour later, I called her. She told me she realized that she didn't have the full instructions for me and that she was waiting for the Dr.'s to come out of their meeting. She then called me back around 4. She told me how to do the trigger tonight and that I needed to do one more dose of gonal-f, but no more MDL.

I go in tomorrow for blood work. My ER is scheduled for 9:30 AM on Saturday. I can't believe we've made it this far! I'm so excited!

MDL Day 12- Stim Day 10

I'm sick today. I have a full-blown cold. I took it easy all day, drank lots of fluids and rested. I'm hoping by tomorrow morning I'll be feeling much better.

I'm also hoping that tomorrow will be the last stim monitoring appointment.

MDL Day 11 1/2 - Stim Day 9

Well, I didn't do my MDL this morning (which is why I'm on day 11 1/2) as per my nurse's instructions to me on Sunday. After the blood work came back today it looks like I am stimming for a couple of more days, so I need to be back on MDL to prevent ovulating on my own.

Now... the ultrasound. I have almost doubled the number of measurable follicles! I can't believe it. There are 9 on the right and 4 on the left. That means I went from 7 follicles on Sunday to 13 today! That's great! My estrodial is rising and all looks good... but the follicles are still small. I'm to stim for 2 more days and go back on Thursday and then hopefully that is it.

I spent the day sewing with my girlfriend C again. She finished up her apron, and I worked on the faith quilt some more. I love, love, love my new sewing machine. It does free-motion quilting very easily. I ended up doing a combo of stitch in the ditch and free-motion quilting on the faith quilt. I think it looks great. I started applying the hippo applique and have now decided to call it quits for the night as my back/neck area is super stiff & sore.

DH is out for the night with friends from his old place of employment. This means I get to relax and watch a girlie movie. Awesome!

MDL Day 10 - Stim Day 8

Last day of MDL!! Starting tomorrow I only have gonal-f to take. Today was a relaxing day. I spent the morning cutting out pieces for a new Christmas quilt. I then headed over to acupuncture. We did an intensive follicle stimulating and ovary stimulating treatment. She also worked on my shoulders and upper back as I was carrying a lot of stress there.

I then came home and spent the afternoon sewing/hanging out with my friend C. It was a blast! That is, until my sewing machine broke. :( My sewing machine was a present from my parents when we were married. I've had it for 13 years. We (DH, C & I - with the help from my mom on the phone) tried to fix it. It was unfix-able by us. I called a repair shop and planned to take it in. We then started discussing at what point it would be better to buy a new machine. I decided to look at Costco online and I found a great machine that does more than my current one for not too much $$. After my friend left DH and I headed to Costco and picked up the new machine. We ate a quick dinner out and came home. I've been playing around with it since.

I'm a bit nervous for tomorrow's appointment. I'm hoping all looks well and tomorrow will be the last day of stimming. If that is the case, then we would most likely trigger on Wednesday with a Friday retrieval and if all goes well a Monday 3dt.

MDL Day 9 - Stim Day 7

We (DH & I) woke up SUPER early for our appointment today. It was for 7:30. Luckily, they weren't running behind yet as we were one of the 1st appointments.

The blood draw was a piece of cake, but then again-- it was a different gal who has NEVER had a problem getting blood from my veins.

The ultrasound was quick. Right before heading into the room (they have you disrobe in one room and go through a connecting door to the ultrasound room) DH took a picture of me and Mortimer. Here it is:

It was Dr. K and a new nurse working the ultrasound room. She quickly found 5 follicles on the right side. The left side had 2 that were measurable. My lining is where it should be now... 10.2. She said that I had to stim some more as none of them are big enough yet. She pulled up my stats from last cycle at this point and it's pretty similar. She wants me to come back on Tuesday AM for more blood work and an ultrasound.

So.... the MDL protocol has not yielded better results thus far. Crap. But I have a few more days of stimming and hopefully that produces better results. My estrodial was 537, which the nurse assured me (via voicemail... what is the deal with them not consistently calling the same phone!?!) that everything looks good. I'm on the same drug protocol until Tuesday AM and then that morning I drop the MDL.

I spent the day finishing my apron project. I also pinned my faith quilt top to the batting. I'm hoping to quilt it together tomorrow. Here is a picture of it so far:

It's a bit busier than I thought it would be, but I still love all of the fabrics, so I'm going to go with this. I'm going to try stippling it together (a technique to sew the quilt top, batting, backing together) versus how I usually sew it together-- stitching in the ditch. We'll see if it works out. I also need to add the hippo applique (do you see a theme?) and then the binding. I plan on sewing the binding to the back of the quilt by hand while on bed rest.

I also spent the morning with DH playing Beatles rock band on the Xbox. It was fun hanging out with him. Plus, he got lots of boy Xbox time while I was sewing today which made him happy.

I'm excited that tomorrow I have an acu appointment and get to spend the afternoon with one of my best friends crafting and sewing.

MDL Day 8- Stim Day 6

AM Meds:

Antibiotic

Baby Aspirin

450 units Gonal-f

10 units MDL

PM Meds:

Antibiotic

150 units Gonal-f

10 units MDL

Today was a good day. Side effects were minimal. The bloating has gotten worse, but I'm taking that as a good sign that maybe my follicles are getting bigger. I spent the day relaxing. I finished piecing the quilt top to my faith quilt. I started a new sewing project, an adorable apron. I got a pedicure. Super, super relaxing. I then got my hair cut. It was nice to take some time for myself. DH and I then went out to dinner and did some window shopping at the mall. All in all, a good day.

Here is a pic of my matching bruises on my arms. These are from the blood draws when the phlebotomist couldn't find a vein. Hopefully tomorrow morning will be better.

Late Update

This is a recap of yesterday. I forgot to post it. Oops!

I had a blood draw and ultrasound done yesterday. My estrodial was at 307 (tracking a bit higher than last time around) and I have 9 follicles on the right and 7 on the left with 2 that are measurable at this point on the right ovary. My lining is almost where they want it... it's at 7.9 and it should be between 8 and 12. Sarah 1 was there and so was Dr. Opie. They both reassured me that it all looks great and where it should be for this point in the cycle. Sarah 1 called me with medication instructions later and I did my last dose of menopur last night and moving forward I do the same in the AM: MDL 10 units and gonal-f 450 units and then at night MDL 10 units and gonal-f 150 units. I go back tomorrow (Sunday) for another ultrasound and blood draw.

I have a little mascot that is now accompanying me to appointments. His name is Mortimer and he is adorable. Here he is:

He is a little blue hippo from pottery barn kids. I ended up getting two. One I ordered online, and thought would be here on time, but it didn't show it had shipped so I went into the store and got one. That day when I got home the other Mortimer was on my front porch. Oh well. Now I have two. :)

MDL Day 6- Stim Day 4

Same Dosages.

Side effects seem to be intensifying:
*Dizziness
*Tiredness
*Abdominal bloating
*Forgetfulness
*Ovary "twinges"

The first ultrasound to check out the follicle stimming is tomorrow AM. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all looks well.

MDL Day 5 - Stim Day 3

AM & PM meds the same as yesterday.

I had the blood draw this AM. It left a nasty bruise to add to my collection of bruises from this cycle. Sarah 1 called with the results. Estrodial is 137. They seem happy with that. I'm back for ultrasound and blood work on Friday AM. Until then the meds stay the same.

I went to acu this afternoon. It was nice and relaxing. My liver qi was again wacky, so she focused on that. I'm feeling even keeled right now. I'm still suffering with the dizziness and tiredness, but that's all thank goodness.

MDL Day 4 - Stim Day 2

AM:
Lupron 20 units
Gonal-F 450 units
Antibiotic
Baby Aspirin

PM:
Lupron 20 units
Menopur 150 units
Antibiotic

I'm feeling about the same as yesterday. I'm very tired and dizzy all of the time. I'm hoping that all is going well in there. I have a blood draw tomorrow AM to check estrodial.

MDL day 3- Stim day 1

Micro-dose lupron is going so-so. It is now day 3. Last night after my shot I was very dizzy. The room was spinning. I did a quick check on WebMD, and it appears to be a side effect of lupron. I didn't have it last go round, but it's here now. I was again dizzy this AM after the shot and just did the lupron shot 1/2 hour ago and am again dizzy. With the micro-dose I am doing 10 units in the AM and 10 units in the PM until ER.

Stims. I am on gonal-f this time to try to avoid the allergic reaction. Dr. Opie is starting me out at the max dosage of 450 units. I am doing the gonal-f in the AM. I am back on menopur and doing that at night 150 units. So far, no side-effects from either of these. I've got my first blood draw to check my estrodial on Wednesday. If it looks ok, then I go back on Friday for more blood work and an ultrasound. If the number is high, I'll be in on Thursday for an ultrasound and blood work. Sarah 2 warned me that many MDL patients stim much faster so I may be in daily for monitoring.

I am in awe that this is happening. I am very emotional (oh another side effect I'm sure) and so grateful that I've been given the opportunity to pursue IVF. I'm feeling optimistic as this cycle has progressed as planned thus far. I am trying to take it 1 day at a time and focus on what needs to be done on that day and not look too far ahead.

I've got substitutes figured out for the next two Sundays. While I will miss being at church, I am glad that it is for a good reason... getting my family started.