I just heard from our coordinator with the big report, and I am on cloud nine right now! Out of our 41 eggs 34 of them were mature and 29 of them fertilized! I am beyond excited right now! They have me scheduled for transfer on Sunday (day3) at 10:30, but she said that they'll monitor the growth and change and will call me if they want to bump it out to a day5 on Tuesday. I am definitely excited and ready for the transfer, but I would really like to be able to do a day5. Not that there's anything wrong with day3, but I think our odds would be slightly better with a day5 if we can make it that long.
Anyway, that's where we are! I'm so excited about how well everything has gone to this point, and we keep hoping and praying our good fortune continues! I can't help but believe that this really is God's plan for how we are to have a family! The road to IVF was a little rocky, but once we made the commitment to the procedure everything just fell right into place. I truly believe this is His plan for us! Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!
Friday, April 8, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Retrieval Day!
Well, to say that today was the egg retrieval would be the understatement of the year. Now that I have your attention, I'll come back to that statement in a bit while I walk you through the morning. Annoyed with me?!?! :o)
The retrieval was scheduled for 9:00 and I had to be at the office by 8:15 for procedure prep. We arrived and were the first couple there. Turns out my retrieval was the first of the day as well. I liked having the first one, the doctor was nice and fresh that way! We signed the anesthesia payment form, so they could submit everything to insurance. Nurse Luanne took me back and I changed into my lovely hospital gown. She took my BP, pulse, and temp, had me sign the anesthesia release form, and I had to fill out a medical questionaire. She went over my new protocol calendar with me, and also gave me a paper with info for what to do after the retrieval and transfer, as well as warning signs of OHSS to watch for. Hopefully they are nothing we have to worry about! She had me lie back on the gurney and then started my IV. While I was being prepped, Matthew was off doing his business, and when he was done they let him come back and sit with me while we waited for the procedure to start. And now because I'm sure you're just dying to see my before pics...here I am waiting to be taken to the procedure room!
The anesthesiologist came in to talk to me real quick, checked my heart and lungs, asked a couple of questions and said that everything looked good, and he'd see me in the room. A few minutes later Nurse Jo came to get me. She let me use the bathroom one more time, and Matthew went to the waiting room. I walked into the procedure room and she helped me sit and get situated on the table. I was all ready to go when Dr. H came in and the anesthesiologist told me that it was time to go to sleep. The last thing I remember is the speculum, which as it turns out, when you're in the process of being put under, the speculum isn't bad. ha!
The next thing I knew I was back in my prep/recovery room and one of the nurses was waking me up. I kind of remember telling her that this was an improvement from the last time I was put under, I wasn't crying as I came out of it this time, and she laughed. I'm sure they hear all kinds of crazy things when patients are coming to. They hooked me back up to the blood pressure and heart rate monitors to check my vitals for a while afterwards, and I was in and out of sleep. I really don't know how long I was in recovery, but Dr. H came in to check on me at one point and asked how I was feeling. He then told me (and here's what the first sentence was referring to) that he retrieved 41 EGGS! I said, how many? And he repeated 41, I was shocked! I knew I had over 40 follicles but I figured several of them would be so small that there wouldn't be eggs in them.
The nurses checked my vitals a few more times, took out my IV and helped me sit up to try and regain my balance. Matthew came back and helped me get dressed. Once I was dressed and could stand up, they gave me the "hallpass" back and told us we could check out with the receptionist and we were good to go. They told us again that I did great and to call if there were any concerns or questions.
So now I'm resting, and trying to be as patient as I can. Merry Kay, my coordinator, will call tomorrow morning with the fertilization report. Even though we got 41 eggs, not all of them are mature and therefore can't fertilize. If they aren't mature the embryologist will just dispose of them. I'm so anxious to hear how it went! One thing's for sure, the embryologist is going to be busy today! Matthew has been home taking care of me today. He went to get me lunch, gatorade and a new thermometer. I have to take my temp every day until the transfer. If I have a fever the transfer can't happen because my body will reject the embryo(s).
One last thing, sorry this is getting long. Thank you SO MUCH to everyone for their positive thoughts, words and prayers. It means so much to me to have your support! You have really helped make this process easier! Stay tuned for tomorrow's news!
The retrieval was scheduled for 9:00 and I had to be at the office by 8:15 for procedure prep. We arrived and were the first couple there. Turns out my retrieval was the first of the day as well. I liked having the first one, the doctor was nice and fresh that way! We signed the anesthesia payment form, so they could submit everything to insurance. Nurse Luanne took me back and I changed into my lovely hospital gown. She took my BP, pulse, and temp, had me sign the anesthesia release form, and I had to fill out a medical questionaire. She went over my new protocol calendar with me, and also gave me a paper with info for what to do after the retrieval and transfer, as well as warning signs of OHSS to watch for. Hopefully they are nothing we have to worry about! She had me lie back on the gurney and then started my IV. While I was being prepped, Matthew was off doing his business, and when he was done they let him come back and sit with me while we waited for the procedure to start. And now because I'm sure you're just dying to see my before pics...here I am waiting to be taken to the procedure room!
The anesthesiologist came in to talk to me real quick, checked my heart and lungs, asked a couple of questions and said that everything looked good, and he'd see me in the room. A few minutes later Nurse Jo came to get me. She let me use the bathroom one more time, and Matthew went to the waiting room. I walked into the procedure room and she helped me sit and get situated on the table. I was all ready to go when Dr. H came in and the anesthesiologist told me that it was time to go to sleep. The last thing I remember is the speculum, which as it turns out, when you're in the process of being put under, the speculum isn't bad. ha!
The next thing I knew I was back in my prep/recovery room and one of the nurses was waking me up. I kind of remember telling her that this was an improvement from the last time I was put under, I wasn't crying as I came out of it this time, and she laughed. I'm sure they hear all kinds of crazy things when patients are coming to. They hooked me back up to the blood pressure and heart rate monitors to check my vitals for a while afterwards, and I was in and out of sleep. I really don't know how long I was in recovery, but Dr. H came in to check on me at one point and asked how I was feeling. He then told me (and here's what the first sentence was referring to) that he retrieved 41 EGGS! I said, how many? And he repeated 41, I was shocked! I knew I had over 40 follicles but I figured several of them would be so small that there wouldn't be eggs in them.
The nurses checked my vitals a few more times, took out my IV and helped me sit up to try and regain my balance. Matthew came back and helped me get dressed. Once I was dressed and could stand up, they gave me the "hallpass" back and told us we could check out with the receptionist and we were good to go. They told us again that I did great and to call if there were any concerns or questions.
So now I'm resting, and trying to be as patient as I can. Merry Kay, my coordinator, will call tomorrow morning with the fertilization report. Even though we got 41 eggs, not all of them are mature and therefore can't fertilize. If they aren't mature the embryologist will just dispose of them. I'm so anxious to hear how it went! One thing's for sure, the embryologist is going to be busy today! Matthew has been home taking care of me today. He went to get me lunch, gatorade and a new thermometer. I have to take my temp every day until the transfer. If I have a fever the transfer can't happen because my body will reject the embryo(s).
One last thing, sorry this is getting long. Thank you SO MUCH to everyone for their positive thoughts, words and prayers. It means so much to me to have your support! You have really helped make this process easier! Stay tuned for tomorrow's news!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Ugh, the bloat!
I've been really quite happy with how everything has gone throughout our cycle. It's all seemed to go very smoothly. I was even happier that I wasn't putting on a bunch of weight from the meds, like some people have mentioned. Well, let me tell you I have that weight now! This has to be one of the most cruel jokes to EVER play on an infertile person. Since my ovaries are so freakin huge and full right now, my stomach is distended. When your ovaries are approximately the size of tennis balls there's not really anywhere for them go to but out. I seriously look like I'm pregnant! Not like big time pregnant, but early pregnant. It's not fun to look in the mirror! Even Matthew this morning was surprised at how much my stomach has bloated the last day or two. What's even more unfortunate, is it will probably get worse before it gets better. Oh well...such is my life right now. Let's just hope that it's successful so that all of this was worthwhile! Only 15 1/2 hours to go! :o)
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Trigger!
Well the countdown is on! We went back to the RE's office this morning to go over the details and instructions of the trigger shot. Matthew came along today so that he could hear first hand from the nurse how to administer the injection. She showed us how to mix the meds, draw up the liquid, and inject. Seemed easy enough, but definitely nervewracking! Merry Kay said she'd call me later in the day with the EXACT time of the trigger tonight and the time of the retrieval on Thursday!
She called me a little before 1:00 and told me to do the trigger at 10:30 tonight. I was SOOOOO relieved. Sometimes the trigger has to be administered at some crazy time like 1 or 2 am. I was very happy that we had a normal injection time! She also gave me the time of the retrieval and the time to be there. Our retrieval is scheduled for 9:00 on Thursday. We have to be at the office by 8:15 to prep for the procedure. I really can't believe that it's almost here! It seems like we just started this whole journey!
So in preparation of this huge injection I googled several videos of giving intramuscular injections, specifically in the deltoid muscle, which is where mine had to go. Matthew watched the first couple happily, but then got a little annoyed with me. :o) At 10:15 I started to prep the meds and myself. Matthew practiced a couple of times, without the syringe in his hand, while we waited for 10:30 to appear on the clock. Those last few minutes seemed like an ETERNITY! But soon it was time. I had already mixed the meds, drawn it into the syringe, changed the needle (super important!!!) and we were ready to go. Matthew pulled the skin taut with one hand and quickly stuck with the other. I'd be lying if I said I didn't flinch a little bit, but he did very well.
So now that I've triggered my body is prepping to release the eggs! The retrieval is scheduled just ahead of when the eggs would all release on their own. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a very long day! As anxious as I'm getting, I'm also really ready for it to be here and done. I want to know how many good eggs I had, how many fertilized, and how well they're growing! Lots of good thoughts and prayers will be said the next few days!
She called me a little before 1:00 and told me to do the trigger at 10:30 tonight. I was SOOOOO relieved. Sometimes the trigger has to be administered at some crazy time like 1 or 2 am. I was very happy that we had a normal injection time! She also gave me the time of the retrieval and the time to be there. Our retrieval is scheduled for 9:00 on Thursday. We have to be at the office by 8:15 to prep for the procedure. I really can't believe that it's almost here! It seems like we just started this whole journey!
So in preparation of this huge injection I googled several videos of giving intramuscular injections, specifically in the deltoid muscle, which is where mine had to go. Matthew watched the first couple happily, but then got a little annoyed with me. :o) At 10:15 I started to prep the meds and myself. Matthew practiced a couple of times, without the syringe in his hand, while we waited for 10:30 to appear on the clock. Those last few minutes seemed like an ETERNITY! But soon it was time. I had already mixed the meds, drawn it into the syringe, changed the needle (super important!!!) and we were ready to go. Matthew pulled the skin taut with one hand and quickly stuck with the other. I'd be lying if I said I didn't flinch a little bit, but he did very well.
So now that I've triggered my body is prepping to release the eggs! The retrieval is scheduled just ahead of when the eggs would all release on their own. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a very long day! As anxious as I'm getting, I'm also really ready for it to be here and done. I want to know how many good eggs I had, how many fertilized, and how well they're growing! Lots of good thoughts and prayers will be said the next few days!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Surprising news!
Ok, so I realize I already posted once today, but I just got off the phone with my coordinator at the RE's office, and she gave me some news I was not expecting! She told me that my dosage tonight was to remain the same (which is good because my E2 must not be out of control!) but that instead of having an ultrasound and another E2 check tomorrow, I'm getting my HcG(trigger shot) instructions instead! I'm triggering tomorrow night! That means that the retrieval is probably going to be Thursday morning! Holy crap this is REALLY happening now! I've been so calm and collected throughout this whole process, but now I'm getting nervous. I was not expecting her to tell me to trigger yet! I guess one thing's for sure, we know I respond well to the meds! Here we go! Baby Kuntz PLEEEEEEAAAAASSSSEEEE be ready to join our family!!!!
HOLY FOLLIES!
Wow...well my day started with quite the surprise! I went to the RE this morning for my first ultrasound and blood work after starting stims. They check the progress of the follicles and estrogen levels throughout the cycle to make sure that things are growing and to try to prevent overstimulation (OHSS.) OHSS is bad enws and NOT something you want to have happen.
Anyway, back to my appt this morning. I had my u/s first and then they did the blood draw. Nurse Jo told me not to be surprised or worried if they weren't very big yet. I said ok, and then told her I've been feeling pretty uncomfortable and full lately. She relayed that message to Dr. H and when he came in he asked about it. I told him after the 2nd stim shot I was starting to feel stuff, so I figure it has to be working, and he agreed that it probably was working. So I get into the lovely stirrups and in goes the wand. He measured my endometrial lining first which was at a 9 (yea!) then he moved the wand to my left ovary. He started measuring the follicles and rattling off the measurements to Jo who recorded it on my chart. I tried to keep count but it was all going so quickly that I gave up, and I was in a little bit of shock at how many he was finding! Finally after what seemed like forever he moved the wand to my right ovary and started the process all over again. By the time he was finished I had OVER 40 FOLLICLES! That number is huge! he said we were going to wait to see what my E2 (estrogen) looks like and then decide on the medicine dose.
After the u/s I went back to the waiting room to wait for my blood draw. One of the lab techs, Brian, did my draw today. I LOVE when he does it. He is the best person I've ever had draw blood. I could barely feel the needle stick! He's drawn it once or twice before and always does a super job. Anyway, after Brian drew my blood, I met with Merry Kay my coordinator. She told me that unless they called and told me differently, to do my injections tonight at the same dose. They are focusing on making the almost mature follicles reach maturity, and the little ones are not important any longer. I have so many that they don't need to worry about the tiny ones! I have to go back tomorrow for another u/s and more blood work to continue to check the E2 levels. Hopefully they're not out of control! OHSS is not something I want to deal with on top of everything else!
Anyway, back to my appt this morning. I had my u/s first and then they did the blood draw. Nurse Jo told me not to be surprised or worried if they weren't very big yet. I said ok, and then told her I've been feeling pretty uncomfortable and full lately. She relayed that message to Dr. H and when he came in he asked about it. I told him after the 2nd stim shot I was starting to feel stuff, so I figure it has to be working, and he agreed that it probably was working. So I get into the lovely stirrups and in goes the wand. He measured my endometrial lining first which was at a 9 (yea!) then he moved the wand to my left ovary. He started measuring the follicles and rattling off the measurements to Jo who recorded it on my chart. I tried to keep count but it was all going so quickly that I gave up, and I was in a little bit of shock at how many he was finding! Finally after what seemed like forever he moved the wand to my right ovary and started the process all over again. By the time he was finished I had OVER 40 FOLLICLES! That number is huge! he said we were going to wait to see what my E2 (estrogen) looks like and then decide on the medicine dose.
After the u/s I went back to the waiting room to wait for my blood draw. One of the lab techs, Brian, did my draw today. I LOVE when he does it. He is the best person I've ever had draw blood. I could barely feel the needle stick! He's drawn it once or twice before and always does a super job. Anyway, after Brian drew my blood, I met with Merry Kay my coordinator. She told me that unless they called and told me differently, to do my injections tonight at the same dose. They are focusing on making the almost mature follicles reach maturity, and the little ones are not important any longer. I have so many that they don't need to worry about the tiny ones! I have to go back tomorrow for another u/s and more blood work to continue to check the E2 levels. Hopefully they're not out of control! OHSS is not something I want to deal with on top of everything else!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Things are moving...
Tonight was stim night #4. The meds have most definitely kicked in! In fact, after just two nigths of stimming I was already starting to feel a fullness in my abdomen and it was a little tender. I was walking down the hallway at school, kind of quickly, yesterday and everything felt like it was bouncing around and being jossled with every step I took.
It really surprised me that after only two days I'd be feeling the effects of the stims, but when I thought about it a longer, it made a lot more sense. For the January IUI I was only doing 50iu every night. I did that for 6 nights total and had 5 total follicles. Two of them were mature, and a third potentially matured by the time I actually ovulated. My dosage this time for the first two nights was 225iu each night, which means, in one night I had almost as much medication as I did in a whole week back in January. No wonder I could feel it working already!
Last night was the start of Menopur. That was quite the experience. My dosage of Follistim went down to 150iu and then I took half a vial of Menopur. Menopur is a little tricky in that it has to be mixed. It comes in two vials. One containing the powder, the other has the sterile solution. Once I got it all mixed I thought the hard part was over. Unfortunately my syringes have been kind of a pain in the rear and I've had a lot of air bubbles in the syringe. I tried to get as many out as possible, but I also didn't want to lose the medication. Since I'm not injecting into a vein it's not a huge deal to have air bubbles, but it definitely feels weird! As I'm pinching my skin to give Matthew a place to inject, I can feel the air bubbles underneath. It's a little disturbing, not gonna lie. It throws Matthew for a bit of a loop too.
The addition of Menopur last night plus continuing the Follistim made my belly even more tender and sensitive. I had to losen my belt at school from the normal notch because it was so uncomfortable. I'm really starting to see why people have told me to make sure to wear loose clothing by the time I get to the retrieval. They're not kidding about becoming really uncomfortable. I'm really starting to wonder what I'm going to feel like a week from now!
Needless to say I'm really anxious to see what kind of progress I've made on Monday. I think this is the first time ever that I actually want Monday to be here! I would be really surprised if there isn't much follicle growth. As much as I can feel right now, it just doesn't seem possible for there to be minimal growth. It's also getting hard to find a spot to pinch that isn't sore. I'm doing really well with the injections, but this evening between the sore abdomen/ovaries and the bruised tender skin, pinching for my two shots was a little painful. Oh well, WHEN it works and we finally have our baby it will all be worth it! Any extra positive thoughts and prayers for this cycle are greatly appreciated!!!
It really surprised me that after only two days I'd be feeling the effects of the stims, but when I thought about it a longer, it made a lot more sense. For the January IUI I was only doing 50iu every night. I did that for 6 nights total and had 5 total follicles. Two of them were mature, and a third potentially matured by the time I actually ovulated. My dosage this time for the first two nights was 225iu each night, which means, in one night I had almost as much medication as I did in a whole week back in January. No wonder I could feel it working already!
Last night was the start of Menopur. That was quite the experience. My dosage of Follistim went down to 150iu and then I took half a vial of Menopur. Menopur is a little tricky in that it has to be mixed. It comes in two vials. One containing the powder, the other has the sterile solution. Once I got it all mixed I thought the hard part was over. Unfortunately my syringes have been kind of a pain in the rear and I've had a lot of air bubbles in the syringe. I tried to get as many out as possible, but I also didn't want to lose the medication. Since I'm not injecting into a vein it's not a huge deal to have air bubbles, but it definitely feels weird! As I'm pinching my skin to give Matthew a place to inject, I can feel the air bubbles underneath. It's a little disturbing, not gonna lie. It throws Matthew for a bit of a loop too.
The addition of Menopur last night plus continuing the Follistim made my belly even more tender and sensitive. I had to losen my belt at school from the normal notch because it was so uncomfortable. I'm really starting to see why people have told me to make sure to wear loose clothing by the time I get to the retrieval. They're not kidding about becoming really uncomfortable. I'm really starting to wonder what I'm going to feel like a week from now!
Needless to say I'm really anxious to see what kind of progress I've made on Monday. I think this is the first time ever that I actually want Monday to be here! I would be really surprised if there isn't much follicle growth. As much as I can feel right now, it just doesn't seem possible for there to be minimal growth. It's also getting hard to find a spot to pinch that isn't sore. I'm doing really well with the injections, but this evening between the sore abdomen/ovaries and the bruised tender skin, pinching for my two shots was a little painful. Oh well, WHEN it works and we finally have our baby it will all be worth it! Any extra positive thoughts and prayers for this cycle are greatly appreciated!!!
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