Bloggin' From Bed

I just wanted let everyone know my egg retrieval surgery was successful this morning. I am feeling pretty sore but am recovering in bed with lots of extra attention from the hubs and my parents that are in town! Thank you everyone for all of your thoughts and prayers, they were definitely felt😊

Xoxo

Good evening:)

Well, tonight might be the last night of my injections!! The last few days has been full of a lot of trips the doctor's office, ultrasounds and blood draws.  At this point I am getting pretty uncomfortable.  It feels like my ovaries are ticking time bombs!  Thankfully today is the first day it's really been bad.  I started noticing it on Saturday and it just kept getting more noticeable.  What is MORE annoying than my ovaries are my allergies. Yikes.  I'm not supposed to get sick while doing IVF... I'm hoping I dont' have a sinus infection right now. I'll be at the docs again in the AM, I'll see if they can let me take a Z pack so I'll be finished before the transfer.


If tonight is my last night of injections; I'll 'trigger' tomorrow night and Thursday will be the egg retrieval surgery-- then either 3 or 5 days after that will be the transfer.

We are excited and SO ready to do this.  This process has been hard and we are tired, but we certainly feel His strength every day.  Glory be to God.

I wont' miss this!

Update

Hi Everyone! I'm writing this from my office which people can pass through at any moment and see my screen so I'll keep this short so I don't have anyone googling the "babylessblonde" out of curiosity, haha.

Friday I had my baseline ultrasound and blood work.  Both showed I was ready to move forward with the "stim" meds.  The ultrasound was a scene out of Grey's Anatomy with a gorgeous blond doctor in a hot pink dress and a handsome 30 something resident that was there to observe and a super awkward patient!  Then of course for some reason this office has a really hard time taking my blood. They stabbed me three times in each arm and couldn't' get anything...so I was sent off to a Labcorp where they would have more needle gauge's.  On the 7th attempt of the day, they finally drew my blood. I told that doctor I loved him. hehe.

I started stimming (adding my stimulation shots) on Saturday night. Let me just say it is not that much fun.  These needles are bigger, they hurt and my belly is starting to bruise and is super tender.  I called the nurse this morning to tell her about one of my injections that actually made me cry last night and she said I need to starting icing/numbing the area before I do the shot. I think the specific needles I'm using are a little dull. It's really weird.

So anyone out there preparing or thinking about doing IVF I would A) consult me first so you don't have to use the same type of syringe's I got stuck with and B) stop working out and start drinking milkshakes and eating lasagna. :)  I know there are plenty of people that have gone before me that are skinnier and more muscular than me, haha.  I think I can attribute this to crappy needles:/

This next week I just pray I can stay mentally strong and stress free.  I've already had to adjust my medication dose with my hormone levels not being where they need to be... and tomorrow is an ultrasound to see if my ovaries are responding to the meds.  D is thankfully coming with me.

Prayers are appreciated.  We are in the midst of this now and it certainly feels like it. Thanks again for your support.

XOXO

9 Days & Counting!

I can't believe it's been over a week since I took my first injection. Time is flying, this is a good thing for sure.  D & I have learned so much just in this past week with these shots-- I feel like a pro for now (until I guess the next stage rolls around).  For the most part it's really been fine-- we have found it's much better for me to give the injection to myself in the stomach.  We have done it twice where D gives me the shot in the back of my arm... one time it went well and the other it hurt... I think it reached my muscle.  I feel so bad for D. I know he hates thinking that he is hurting me; I think I have to remind him that really it is helping me!!  He has such a loving heart though; he can't help it❤.  These are all "Sub-Q" injections-- so just in fatty tissue.  Clearly, I thought my booty would be the perfect pin cushion but for some reason it's not one of the spots on your body that they recommend for these shots?!?! Go figure.   Anyway, we really haven't had any issues with the Lupron.  As far as side effects go-- if you search "Lupron Side effects" what you can come across is a little frightening but luckily I've just been more tired and have only had an irrational moment or two, hehe:)

So anyway, I am moving right along here.  Yesterday, I took my last birth control pill---so here's to lucky cycle #17!!! This week sometime I will go in for my baseline ultrasound to make sure the Lupron is doing it's job and everything looks good to add the Menopur and Gonal-F starting on Saturday.  Then I will have blood work and ultrasounds every other day until everything looks good for the surgery.

Someone was honest enough to remind me that sometimes even IVF cycles don't go as planned (and I'm not even talking about the pregnancy part).  Sometimes cycles get canceled because you don't' respond (or respond too much)enough to the hormones.  I think coming from canceled IUI cycles in my past-- since the IVF process is so much more controlled  you just assume nothing can go wrong ...but really anything can happen. I have to just keep praying that each stage of this process is successful and I can keep moving forward.  I know I will be a nervous wreck before all of those ultrasounds.

Other than that I'm just trying to take it kind of easy.  I've had to stop running for now at least.  Walking only.  Not that I ever was a real "runner"....  I jog two miles a day with the pup and that includes some walking for her 'potty' breaks and sniffing around in the bushes. So maybe I was just a "jogger", anyway :)

This past weekend was great.  We were actually in town for once and got to see friends and had a lot of laughs. <3

I finished off my Sunday by spending time with my nephews and SIL. My nephew was cracking me up--- he is going to be just like his Uncle D, loving boats and anything that goes fast!   I feel so lucky to have my brother and his family living just a few miles away from me.  I used to be so sad thinking my nephew only would get to see me a few times a year.  I love having family so close-- it's really a special thing.

Lastly, I had to just mention a thoughtful gesture from a couple very special to us.  They sent us a note in the mail to remind us that our faith in God will keep us strong and that "If He brings you to it; He'll bring you through it". How true is that?

“How can you say the LORD does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights? Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.  Even youths will become weak and tired and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:27-31 NLT)

I know God is listening to my prayers.  I have felt so much peace and love in my heart these last few days that I just know is because of Him and I couldn't ask for anything more....

He will see you through!

I came across this the other evening and thought I would share. I have been reading this everyday. It can certainly be applied to anything you are going through in life. "The Lord is with you always."

A Baby-Q, A Keg Stand & My First Injection!

Hi Friends:)

I am happy to say after a rough week I had a great weekend and finished it off with a successful first injection!

This past week was stressful.  On top of the craziness of work right now I was trying to get all my meds ordered/chosen and deal with our insurance company.  Little did I know I couldn't scoot over to our local Kroger Pharmacy to pick everything up--- all of the "goods" come from a medical pharmacy of your choice and it seemed they were all of of New Jersey (go figure)!  And of course just when I thought everything was all set, they called and said one of the injection brands I chose was not covered by our insurance but if I wanted to pay out of pocket for this one medication it would be $2,000.00.  Uhhhh, no thanks!  So I ended up switching to a different brand to save a few bucks... lol.  Everything arrived to me at work on Thursday morning.  I opened the box and took a look inside to see a ton of syringes, alcohol wipes and the "sharps" container.  How exciting:/

Friday afternoon D and I flew down to Atlanta for one of my best friends "Baby-Q".  It was a great, beautiful "co-ed" shower.  Honestly, the best baby shower I have ever been to.  Usually I have had one too many mimosas and am slowly sinking deeper into the couch hoping no one will notice I'm trying to rest my eyelids. Hehe.

Some of you may be wondering how or why the heck I went to a baby shower the weekend I'm starting my first IVF cycle, but I am so glad I went.  Honestly though, if someone had asked me if I was going to attend 6 months ago I probably would not have had a definitive answer.  When these things come up in an infertile person's life... it really has to be taken on a case by case basis.  For example, back when I was doing my IUI's it was the biggest roller coaster, it was terrible.  I wanted to run away from pregnant people... it was just a strange instinct. lol.  Remember learning about the "Flight or Fight" response?  That was (sometimes still is) me; flight.  Nothin' but flight.  And, really when you are going through infertility, if you are feeling like an event is not going to be a good idea to attend... it's best to listen to your instincts and not make yourself go through something just because.  I learned my lesson quickly as the day I found out my first IUI cycle failed--- I had already committed to going to someone's baby shower.  EPIC FAIL.  I left the house in hysterics (literally) and showed up 30 minutes late to the shower.  I walked in and it felt like everyone was staring at me... surely they could all tell I was a raging lunatic just 45 minutes prior!  I sat with a few girls I barely knew and slugged back a few glasses of champagne, didn't eat a thing, and if I recall correctly was trying to make jokes that no one was laughing at. Oh lawdy.  Anyway, I guess my point here is.... I have found people are so kind and if you are just honest and tell them how you feel..... if you can't see them right now or might have to miss an event they will be understanding.  Thankfully during this break inbetween my failed IUI's and starting IVF I have been able to come to a much better mental state in which I knew I could never miss this great friends Baby Q <3

So, back to the events of the Baby Q.  First, let me say I totally expected this to all go down the way it did just because I have come to know my friends' (let's call her K) group of friends down in Atlanta and they are a fun crew! By 9:45pm we were all outside enjoying the nice night, listening to music, maybe even attempting the "Wop" and then one of K's friends looks around the group of people.. see's me and yells, "Leanne... come start off the keg stands!!!"  Allllrighty then!   I thought to myself, "you just never know when your last keg stand is going to be!??!"  So up I went onto the little deck, in my dress (that D held)...... and did a keg stand, for all of 7 seconds!  Hopefully that is my last keg stand I'll be allowed to do in the next 10 months.

It was such a great weekend and it is amazing to see how much love there already is for this little girl due in September.  It's hard to beleive K, once dubbed "Spring Break MVP" is about to bring a baby into the world. She is going to be such a great (and fun) mama! <3  Before I flew to Atlanta this weekend I asked that the Lord granted me peace and put nothing but happiness and love in my heart for my dear friend-- I can definitely say that prayer was answered!

And lastly, my first injection is complete!  D and I were both a little nervous-- thankfully there are instructional videos online to take you through step by step.  The only thing that went a little differently then planned is that I couldn't give myself the shot-- D had to do it for me.  I sat there with it up to my belly and kept chickening out.  Thankfully, D (who usually can't even look at a needle) just calmly took the syringe from my hand and told me to close my eyes. And it was done in a few seconds of course!  I DO need to be able to give them to myself by the end of this week though as D is going to have to still travel over the next couple of weeks and I don't think I can rely on Penny :)

That's it for now.  I dont' know if I will have much more to update over the next two weeks.  I just have to take this one shot every evening up until August 17th.  Then it goes to three shots a night of the stimulant drugs. That's the serious stuff!

Thank you for your continued support, prayers, emails, gchats, texts... all of the above!

I can't wait to watch the Bachelorette finale tomorrow night even though I've read all the spoilers!!!:)


XOXO,
Mrs. P