Black Jack!

....It's set!  21 eggs retrieved today at my egg retrieval!  I call "Black Jack!" :)  Lucky 21.  I think I'll play the Power Ball tonight, lol.  The egg retrieval went fairly well--without a hitch.  We dropped Vanessa off this morning at school and went straight to the center.  Checked in at 8am and went over some paperwork with the RE Nurse, Brenda.  After signing off on the consents, Gregg then went to provide his "sample"...or as I like to say it, spit in a cup, lol.  I then went to change into my oh so lovely party hat, gown, and skidsocks.  Dan, the anesthesiologist came to prep me and to let me know how things would go in terms of sedation and signing off again on consents.  Gregg sat with me while they prepped the OR.  Dr. Dokras then came to let me know she'd be doing the egg retrieval and just prep me for that as well.

...They then whisked me off to the OR and then Gregg went to sit and wait for me.  We both had agreed to participate in an IVF study related to incubation of embryos and if there was any correlation with the percentage of oxygen exposed to the embryos while they were incubating...so I think Gregg got his bloodwork done for the study while I was getting the retrieval done.

...While in the OR, Dan and the head nurse, John were prepping me for the procedure.  They of course noticed my bedbug bitten arm and we talked about what a pain it is to have them and all that was necessary to get rid of them...as we were talking Dan was getting my I.V. ready and administering my lovely cocktail to sedate me...I remember talking about my appendisitis and then I was out, lol.

Obviously we didn't conceive naturally, but I still found this cartoon to be totally funny... :)

...According to the staff...I was aware and awake much quicker than most and they said everything went really well.  Dr. Dokras told me they were able to retrieve 21 eggs...how exciting!  She said I had many more follicles, but successfully, they aspirated 21 of them...yey!  They then wheeled me into recovery and had Gregg meet me in the room...where I was greeted with graham crackers, water, ginger ale and saltines...and pretty heavy cramping...and of course the chills as the sedation was wearing off.

...We sat for about an hour until we got the all clear for me to change and go home...and they said I'd get a phone call tomorrow with a progress report on how many fertilized and how everything is going. 

...So now I'm home...I've had lunch...my sister-in-law and her family are on their way here to go to the Phillies game and know nothing about our IVF so I am very thankful that I feel pretty good because if I would have bailed, she would've became suspicious so thankfully, I am gonna go and hang out and it's a baseball game, spent...sitting down so I should be OK but in case I'm not, we only live 10 minutes from the stadium so I can always go home, easy.

...I'm going to try to nap before the insanity begins and Gregg will have to give me my progesterone injection tonite at 10pm in my "bum" so we will see how that goes...I will be sure to update when I find out the stats on my eggs...until then, Go Phillies!

Elise_PG_Wannabe

All my eggs in one basket....

So...I triggered with 40 units of the Leuprolide 2wk kit last night at 10PM...and then went for bloodwork this morning at 9:30AM and am now waiting to hear back from the RE Nurse for instructions on what time we need to be in tomorrow for the egg retrieval...I am seriously excited and nervous all at the same time!  I can't believe that this month has come and gone so quickly and don't know how I will do during the 2ww to see that BFP on my pregnancy test!!!

I think the reality will be that I probably won't make it out to the Phillies tomorrow night, :(.  Although I'd really like to go since it is a family affair and would be so much fun but we will have to see if I am even "coherent" after the procedure tomorrow.  I am feeling nauseous today and very tired...I hate feeling this way...ugh.

I haven't been staying up-to-date w/my Flylady routines...which technically, most of my zone is fairly clean and clutter-free--I was hoping to get "ahead" so that I could afford to be a little lazy here and there so I know that definitely over the weekend, I will try my best to get everything prepared for next week as I will probably take it easy and rest after the egg transfer...

Not much to update now but much more to follow in the upcoming weeks...can't wait to share all the details with you guys!

Please pray for me, my eggs, and for a healthy and sticky implantation! :)

Elise_PG_Wannabe

Tennis balls, a trigger shot and then some valium to mix it up....

....So I am now Day 9 of my treatments...I've reduced my follistim from 200iu, to 125iu, to now 50iu...I am as they say, "aggressively" responding to my stimulation and so they are slowing me down a bit...along w/that stimming I am also doing Menopur 75iu and Ganirelix....tentatively I am due to do my trigger shot tomorrow night and then scheduled for egg retrieval for Friday....this is becoming more and more real by the minute and I'm super antsy for everything to proceed already! ahhhhh!

...At my ultrasound this morning, my doc said everything was looking great and that I had 13 follies on the right and 12 follies on the left so far and potentially a few more by tomorrow...she anticipates us moving forward very soon.

...Aside from the lack of sleep because of this constant rash I'm having...my whole abdomen feels like I have a kettle bell weight attached to it.  It's heavy and literally dragging me down.  I can feel my ovaries moving around like tennis balls...are rolling around...with a sputtered feeling every now and again.  My hubby is at the RE's office getting his instruction from the RE Nurse on how to administer the intramuscular injection to my "bum."  Hopefully all will go well and smoothly.  Thank goodness I also have some topical lidocaine for my butt so that it'll take the edge off the sting...wowza!

...With egg retrieval just around the corner....I'm trying to figure out what stuff to gather together to keep by my bedside to keep me busy for 24 hours after.  I may attempt to go to the Phillies game based on how I feel, but won't push myself...I'm not that much of a diehard yet I'd really like to go.  It'll be nice to get a valium to relax me as I know when I got lasik eye surgery, that stuff totally rocked! ha ha ha...

I don't have much of an update thus far, but am sure I will be blogging a lot by the weekend.  Stay tuned.

Elise_PG_Wannabe

Moving along....

....So I got the call back from my RE Nurse and she said to continue w/the same measurements for meds tonight and to go to the center tomorrow morning at 8AM to do more bloodwork and an ultrasound.  Wow..I knew they'd monitor me closely, but it's the third day in a row that I'll be getting bloodwork and I am hopeful that maybe I will trigger early next week and maybe do the egg retrieval by the end of the week, that would be a SWEET deal!!!  I am so excited about this path and can't wait to share with you more about this journey of mine.  I can't wait for the next chapter of my life to begin...I'm tickled and am beside myself and smiling from ear to ear...

Not those Three Amigos....These 3 Amigos.....

Not THOSE Three Amigos....



...These 3 Amigos....Follistim, Menopur, and Ganirelix are NOT my friend, ole!  Holy Guacomole, Macaroni & Cheese---every time I introduce a new injection, I get a WICKED and MASSIVE headache that can't be cured...and I'm afraid to take even Tylenol as I don't want to risk it conflicting with my IVF Cycle. Boo!

....Along with that, I found out today at my appointment for bloodwork that I can't take any medications, not even benadryl for my mystery bug bite rash that I have as that could possibly affect or interact negatively with my IVF Cycle as well so now I have a pounding headache and I itch like I fell into a poison ivy bush and I can't do a darn thing about it, grrrrrrrrrrrrr!  Not funny.

...I'm still trying to keep everything in perspective and know I truly only have possibly another week or week and a half to deal w/it and am optimistic so I won't let this stress me out or bring me down...I just have to better at managing my "pain." hmmmmmmm.....I need another distraction...oye oye oye.

...I'm excited about moving forward and about some opportunities that I may have on the horizon, but for now please send me soothing vibes to relieve me of this itch and calming sensations to free me from this headache.  I pray for courage to push through this.  As bad as this headache is...and craziness I'm having w/the itchy skin, I am sure that my side effects are wayyyyyyyyyyyyy minor in comparison to many other gals who deal with major complications during this ordeal.  I will not WHINE or wuss out...I will be okay...just had to get it out, lol.

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and truly am thankful for this opportunity so with that...I say good night and sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite, (ahem, apparently they've gotten to me already, but save yourself!) lol.

Elise_PG_Wannabe



And it went boom, boom and then the bloat...

...I had this never-ending dickens of a headache yesterday...talk about debilitating and rendering me useless!  It started in the early morning, I took some headache medicine and it semi went away long enough for me to get my cleaning done and workout in and then re-surfaced in a brutal way!  It was in the front of my head and felt like someone just dropped a cinderblock on me or gave me a killer head bunt...ugh...seriously made me angry cuz I hate it when I can't get stuff done...luckily I was able to finish 4 loads of laundry and pick up my daughter from school which really...I wasn't sure I could drive considering the constant throbbing that was happening.  I didn't want to whine or wuss out and called my RE Nurse and she pretty much said that headaches can be a side effect of the Follistim along with a list of other not so desirable "inconveniences" but so long as nothing was getting worse, I was OK....so I stuck it out...which just kinda blew my night.

....I did my 2nd injection of the Follistim last night and am happy that it is an easy process.  My headache continued all the way til when I fell asleep and it went boom, boom and then the bloat....set in.  My abdomen felt very "full" and it is true what they say, it does feel like you can feel the ovaries "growing"--so crazy especially since it's just the 2nd day.  Tomorrow, I will go in for bloodwork and then the RE Nurse will let me know if I need to increase/decrease the units in my medicine and then she will know more definitively the estimated dates of the next couple of weeks.  I am sooooo excited to be pregnant that I'm not quite sure what to make of it all.  I don't want to jinx anything and am just so hopeful to have the chance to focus on the possibility to adding to our family and having Vanessa be part of the process...she is thoroughly excited for me to finally be pregnant and I just hope I don't neglect her in the shuffle of the insanity.  Yesterday when I was having my insane headache, she was very concerned and hugged me and told me she loved me and just wanted me to be okay.  (Tear) my daughter is truly an amazing girl and I can only hope and pray that I will honor and respect her through her emotional teen years.  Holy Cannoli! lol.

...Since the onset of my crazed FlyLady cleaning mania, I've also become quite interested in Extreme Couponing which the series premiere is tonight on TLC!  I truly want to dedicate some time to studying this and applying it because I feel like it would benefit my family and truly ease alot of strain when we shop.  As of right now we usually do about 2 big trips each month that are between $150-250/trip; that doesn't include all of the "mini" runs we do or eating out either so reasonably it'd be nice to really SAVE $$$ and especially before having another baby.  One of my goals is to really learn and apply this successfully before giving birth to a new family member. :)

...Also, along with making changes around my home in regards to "going green"  I have also discovered the world of Scentsy Wickless Scented Candles!  I just finally got mine from my girlfriend that is a consultant over the weekend and I LOVE it!  The containers are very stylish and decorative and the wax melts in top via a lightbulb that can be used like a night light.  It truly makes alot of "scents" or "cents"--smells great and you're saving money, ha ha I know I'm corny but had to say it, lol.  If you want to learn more about it, here is my girlfriend's website, be sure to let her know I referred you!

Scentsy Wickless Scented Candles Her name is Maria Manogue and she will work with you, no matter where you are in the nation--you can easily host an online party to get stuff for real cheap or free!

...Changing the subject yet again....I am just feeling very chatty this morning...well actually I guess I am always chatty but I just seem to have alot on my mind today and want to get it all out so I can free up some "space" in my mind for other things.  I keep on becoming forgetful every now and again and it's truly annoying as I pride myself on always being "on top" of stuff and my schedule and lately it just seems I'm becoming more and more scatterbrained which I do NOT like, but I know I will have to accept...ahhh. 

But anyways, back to what I was saying...I used to journal every night when I was younger as a preteen and teen and I have to say it is so enlightening when you read over what you wrote--it's crazy to see what was important then totally isn't important now; different mindset and priorities...but anyways...I remember reading a journal I wrote when I was about 16 and I must have cried so hard and long over it because it was truly such an emotional time for me.  Since then I hadn't really journaled much after that...too busy going out and growing up I guess but every now and then, I would pick up a pen and write a few thoughts down...but never as diligently as I once did.  Fast forward to present day...in the last few years..I've done a multitude of different things...therapy just to get my stress managed and anxiety out...and off and on ...journaling, but it still just didn't resonate the same way it did when I was younger.  I have a journal that is...for..."venting" shall we say so that ...I had a place to just get all my frustrations out...like a running dialogue of the craziness of people or my belief of people w/no common sense....but reading it back, was always so...much anger and aggression and I didn't think it was really a good choice in terms of handling my disappointments and frustrations.  If anything, this journal brought it out, more which is not what I wanted...so okay, you're thinking, why this long-winded story....so what I'm getting at is...I've now decided to keep a Gratitude Journal. 

At the end of every night before going to bed, I write in for each day what I am always thankful for like my family, friends, my health. 

And then I list what traits I am thankful for of myself like: 
I am thankful for my continued patience in trying to understand the actions of others and not taking it personally. 

I also write what traits I am thankful for in my family like: 
I am thankful for Vanessa's maturity in understanding that I didn't feel well today and her ability to be helpful and concerned.  I am thankful to Gregg for his empathy and for his continued concern in my well being and for being appreciative of how great the house looks.

Like the saying always goes, don't focus on the negative, but reinforce the positive; we should continually try to see the "good" in people.  I have a habit of not being judgmental, but having a higher standard of conduct when it comes to my family and friends, but I don't alway express it...correctly and so I believe this will be a more successful way for me to communicate that to them and to myself.  I really do believe in the practice of The Golden Rule and strive to follow it everyday...it is much harder than you'd think...but I think in small strides, I am definitely making an improvement on myself and rubbing off on others... which makes me happy.

Ok so enough of my chattering...thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to cue in on what's going on w/me!  I am sure I will have more to report in the upcoming days and weeks.  Until then...Happy Hump Day, Wednesday!

Elise_PG_Wannabe

A shot in the dark...

...My red-headed slut friend decided to visit me, finally yesterday!  I never thought I would be sooo happy to see her!  I got up bright and early this morning so I could go see my RE for my baseline bloodwork for E2, FSH and also my ultrasound at 8AM.  Something about finally starting injections makes this all very exciting, tangible and like I am truly in control of it all...even though, between you and me...it's still a shot in the dark...whatever the outcome, I know that I am possibly doing one of, if not THE most invasive procedure assisting me in my attempts to get pregnant and throughout, if nothing at all, I will have a more detailed and indepth understanding of how my "insides" work so all in all, it's a win-win.

...So the start of my "stimming" as they say was today with Follistim at 200iu...and will continue to take it for the next 3 days until Thursday, April 7th.  The morning of the 7th I will then get some more bloodwork done to see how I am responding to the follistim and then they will decide what to do w/me from there.  My husband and I have also started taking the Doxycycline meds tonite with dinner and will take them 2x a day for 7 days.

...Administering the shot wasn't all that bad.  I'm lucky that I don't get bothered by needles much and am relatively (knock on wood) okay with these things.  I think the main concern is making sure you have the mesurments right in terms of the medicine.  Other than that, it's a-okay.  I am a little weirded out w/the HCG and Progesterone injections as the size of those needles are "hefty" and being that they are "intramuscular" injections...seems a little "wowza ouchie!" but I'm sure I'll get through it just fine and know that it will all be worth it when that healthy baby is brooding in my belly!  I'm hoping and praying for that BFP!!!

So this is just a short and sweet update and hopefully I will have more fun news to follow.  I also  may try to upload a video on the follistim injection just so you can see how easy it is.  I'll also have to remember to switch sides each time too.  So til my next update, stay tuned!