2nd Ultra Sound...

So today was my second ultra sounds but my first one since starting the FSH injections. So when I go into the room for my ultrasound the technician gives me a chart and tells me to write down what she says. She says I will not tell you anything under 10??? She says ok, we are on the right side 11x4, 12x9,  and 4 < 10 now we are on the left 12x8, 11x6 and 6 <10. (I think they are suppose to be around 15-18mm). Alright, you are good to go! I am still confused on what those numbers mean, but she acted as though they were good. She tells me to get dressed and meet with Dr. Freeman. Dr. Freeman? never heard that name, but ok. It turns out that Dr. Freeman was a sweet little lady doctor that I needed to meet with to see if I had any questions about my egg retrieval as well as tell me the details of the retrieval and give me some heads up on what to expect the day of my surgery. WOW! Is all I can say. It is amazing that anyone gets pregnant naturally, but it is almost equally as crazy to think that science has come this far and can do all of this, she was blowing me away. I could not say anything, but just listen to her and look at her pictures (this is your egg, your egg being fertilized, your egg on day one, your egg splitting, hatching, day 3, etc...So I left feeling a little overwhelmed and excited that it is all almost here!
Tonight I called and listened to our voice mail box. This is where the IVF nurse leaves messages for us telling us what we should be doing (as far as meds go) and then she gives us the results of my blood work and ultrasound. We got the green light for everything. I am exactly where I should be at this point. I will continue with my FSH injections, dexamethasone (steroid), and starting tomorrow I will take Ganirelix (another injection in my stomach-I think it is just a stronger form of FSH) with my PM injection.
I feel good and all is going well right now. Everything is tentative and totally an estimate, but they guessed that my egg retrieval will be next Wednesday if everything stays good and continues the way it should. I go back Friday for another ultra sounds and blood work. I will keep you posted! and you keep the prayers coming!! I know that it is because of all the love and support I am staying so sane right now. Love you all!!

Prayer is Powerful!

I just got back from a prayer group with some friends at church. It was specifically for me! I felt so honored and touched that this sweet friend from our Sunday school class offered to do this for me/us. She sent me this email, that I thought was so funny and sweet.

"Hey Kristi!  Thank you so much for being so open with our class and sharing your long journey over the past 5 years.  I can't imagine what all you have been through or how hard it's been on you, but I want you to know that I think you are an unbelievable strong woman with an incredible attitude that really is infectious!  I think you are a beautiful woman inside and out (with killer hair, too I might add--oh to have such body....but I digress!) and I am so glad your faith has been able to help you through this.  Now, I feel like it's OUR turn to step up too.  You put out the call, and I would like to answer.  I would love to have a women's prayer group for YOU at our house (in Hendersonville) sometime.  It won't have to last long, but I would think it would be early evening (so we can do what girls to best--socialize and eat!!) so we could get done at a decent time.  I would really like us to get together and pray over you and let you talk (if you want to) about anything you need prayers for at that time.  My goal is to do this every month (at least) until you can announce joyfully that you are pregnant!!!! 

You and Casey have been in my prayers and I know others are doing the same.  I truly believe in the power of prayer, but I also believe in the power of the gathering of believers and even laying on of hands.  If there is ANYTHING I can do for you, just let me know."

So we had an awesome night of fellowship, devotional, and prayer! It was powerful to me and meant so much for these friends of mine to take time out of there crazy busy schedule to come pray for me! /us and our baby! Thank you so much! Like I have said over and over, I have amazing friends! and I am truly blessed with them all in my life. Thank you for being my friend and having the faith with me to help us as we are on our journey. I love you all!~

Dr. appointment tomorrow to check on how the follicles are doing since starting the hormone injections. I will update you with that news tomorrow!
Here is a picture of me and the wonderful ladies in my prayer group.

First Day of Injections

Here are the drugs! A little overwhelming at first!






Here is just a closer look of some things

More drugs!

This is the FSH injection. I started this today. An AM and PM injection. I also take a oral pill (dexamethasone) with my PM injection.






So today was the first day and all went well. I was able to give both injections to myself. I was a little worried about if I could do it, but it was nothing. Just a little prick and sting when I was pushing the hormone into me, but not bad at all. I have to alternate sides for my injections. So I decided Right side for the AM for Rise and Shine (get it, R) and left side for PM for Late Night! HaHaHa! Yes, that is the elementary teacher in me! We must find a way to remember things. One day down and about 10 to go!!! Come on follicles and grow!

1st appointment for IVF cycle...

Well, today was my suppression check. The suppression check is blood work, an ultrasound (to check my follicles and make sure there are no cyst on my ovaries-I have PCOS which causes me to have cyst-so the birth control was suppose to help that! and it did). I also had a trial embryo transfer. That is where they act as if they are transferring my embryo. They are looking at my lining, the shape of my uterus, what size instruments they will need, etc...Very interesting! Especially when you are spread eagle on the table and they are discussing your insides to you! With out to much detail, I checked out and my uterus looks great! as well as my lining (apparently this is very important as well, so that was good news!)
When I left I got my voice mail box, this is where I will call and check on everything. How my blood counts looked, ultrasound results, egg development, embryo development, etc...This is how we stay up-to-date with everything that is going on with my body through this process.
We also go a new updated calendar. We start with injections (Bravelle) and dexamethasone on Saturday (7/17). I will take an injection in the morning and at night (12 hours apart) as well as take 1 mg of dexamethasone at night. My next appointment is next Wednesday (7/21). It is for an Estradiol (bloodwork) and ultrasound. I will have another appointment on Friday (7/23) for the same thing. I may have a few of the Estradiol and Ultrasound appointments over the next 10-12 days. They want to monitor me very closely so they will know exactly when the moment will be to retrieve my eggs.
Right now I am feeling great and very excited for this moment to be here. We have waited a long time for this magical moment and we are both so ready!!! We have such a great support team of friends and family that are behind us all the way. There are so many wonderful people that are praying for us everywhere (thanks to you all for spreading the word). Prayer is SO powerful and I truly believe in it! I know this is not the only case, but I was reading a friends blog and was so touched I just began to cry. She did not mention me by name, but told her blog readers about me and our struggles with infertility. She asked all of her bloggers to pray for Casey and I.  What she said was so sweet and touching, but then as I read the comments that her friends had posted I was completely in tears! It truly meant so much to me. I can feel the love and prayers all around me. Please keep them coming as our journey is REALLY here and these next two weeks are going to be an emotional roller coaster. I am excited and SO READY for this miracle to happen. I will continue to keep you posted.

It will be starting soon!

Well, we are still about two weeks away from getting this party started, but it feels like it will be here really soon. I am leaving tomorrow for Alabama to spend the 4th with some great friends and do a little relaxing on the boat, Monday morning I leave for Chicago (for work), the following week I have some professional development that I am presenting, and then the 15th will be here.

July 15th is my doctors appointment. It is called my suppression check (words you understand- blood test and an ultrasound). This is done a few days prior to the start of stimulation to ensure that all is ready. If everything checks out I will start my injections on July 17th. With the injections (follicle stimulation hormone) the follicles start to grow and once they reach about 12 to 14mm, they will grow fairly predictably at a rate of 2mm per day they say. During this phase (10-12 days) of growth I will be monitored closely, sometimes as often as daily and or every other day; just depending on how things look. Then when everything looks right and my eggs are “ready” I will have my egg retrieval. The Egg Retrieval is a minor surgical procedure that takes around 45 minutes depending on the number of follicles, I will have anesthesia. I will be on bed rest for two days and they will keep me updated on my eggs and then embryos!! Our embryos will only grow in an incubators for 3 to 5 days. At this time, they must be transferred back into me! I keep saying embryos, but it is just one. I may have more embryos, but they will transplant one and the others will be frozen. If you are under 35 years old they just transfer one, sometimes two, but never more than that. The transfer may be done either on the third day after retrieval or on the fifth day. The transfer itself is relatively easy they say and it only takes a few minutes. Then I will have office visits for follow up blood work several times over the next 12 days. During this time I will take Progesterone shots, which I am not looking forward too! but whatever I have to do I will. If you have ever seen Progesterone it is thick and oily, which means a thick, large needle. Oww!!

Well, that is the brief story of IVF. I am very excited about this journey and looking forward to what God has in store for Casey and I. I appreciate and love you all. Thank you so much for caring so much and going on this journey with us. I will update again once I start injections to keep you up-to-date with my progress. I truly feel all of your love and support!!! Love you all!

Well, apparently I was a little off with my dates. Yes, we are starting the IVF process, but I have to take birth control for a month first. Yes, I know that sounds a little off since we are trying to have baby, but they say that using birth control pills before a treatment cycle has been shown to decrease your risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (ovaries become dangerously enlarged with fluid. This fluid can leak in to the belly and chest area, leading to complications, Very dangerous!) and ovarian cysts and may even improve the odds of success. So I will be on birth control pills for a month (no sugar pills). So I take about a pack and a half and then I will start the FSH injections, egg retrieval (not till the end of July), and progesterone shots. I will update you then, but there will not be much to say for a month. All I can say is prayer is powerful and much appreciated from anyone and everyone. We are so blessed with our wonderful family and friends. We love you all!

OUR JOURNEY

I started this blog about a year and a half ago. It started as something for me to just type out some things I was going through with infertility. I have decided now to tell others about it and use it as a way to tell others of our journey. Some of this post may be repetitive from past post, but I was just going to bring everyone up to speed.
We have had a lot of bumps in the road for us. When Casey and I got married 7 years ago today! We had said that we would wait 3 years to have a baby, but then after only being married for a year and half Casey got the itch. He began talking about us trying to get pregnant. I had to think about it. I told him I would mention it to my OBGYN when I went for my appointment in April 2005. After talking to the doctor I decided I would go off the pill and we would just see what happens. This process is much different for a female. When this decision is made you really want to be pregnant yesterday! Nobody really wants to “try” to get pregnant. Well, maybe the first few months it is a little fun, but not after that; it becomes a job. We tried for about 4 months and then Mama C got sick. So therefore, we were not using protection, but there was not a lot of trying taking place. When I went back to the doctor in April 2006 I told the doctor that I was not really worried, but we had been off all forms of birth control for a year. That is when we found out that I was not ovulating. The doctor put me on chlomid to try and jump start me, hoping to make me ovulate. I did that for a few months and I had to go back to the doctor every 21 days to check my levels and see if I was ovulating. After doing this for about a year and a half the doctor realized I was an irregular ovulator. Then the doctor asked me if Casey had been checked. I said no, so he said that would be our next step. That took a little convincing. Finally Casey realized that he was being selfish and had the semen analysis done. Everything came back normal. So know we had ruled that out. I just had to be on fertility drugs every month since I was irregular. Oh joy! Being on fertility drugs cause you to gain weight, which I did, just as I was told. That was and is still very hard on me. No matter what I did I could not lose weight. I consistently gained about 8-12 pounds every year. So not only has it been stressful emotionally for me, but also physically.
The doctor called me in November 2008 and said that he has been reviewing my chart and he thought I may have endometriosis. Apparently, I have a high tolerance of pain and I had never really complained about the pain. I just assumed that is what every woman went through with her period. After my appointment he decided that I needed to have laparoscopic surgery. I had the surgery in December 2008. The surgery showed that I did have endometriosis and he cleaned me out and told me that my best chances of getting pregnant would be within the year. If I was not pregnant in a year than the endometriosis most likely was not the cause of our problem.
We had high hopes that this was going to be our year. Then November 2009 rolled around and still no luck for us. We got the call that we were being referred to the fertility doctor. This was so depressing to me. I really felt like we had lost. We were not able to get pregnant on our own, the natural way; the way that everyone else in the world seems to be able to get pregnant. Not to mention the prices we have heard that come with fertility doctors. We went for our consult and blood work and it cost $420 dollars. I also got the diagnosis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. PCOS is where your body produces too much insulin and testosterone, causing belly fat and cyst to grow on my ovaries. Not what I need!
With all of this news we scheduled an Intra-Uterine Insemination, IUI, which came with a nice price tag, and we tried that 3 times, unsuccessfully. After our third IUI attempt we got a call saying we needed to have another consult. We discussed everything that we have been through and then the doctor suggested an SPA, a semen penetration analysis, which makes sense, but seriously? She also told us that we needed to discuss IVF. So we scheduled our SPA, which was $650. This is where we got some news. We had Casey’s semen checked 4 times now and everything had come back normal, but when they did the SPA, to check the penetration, for the procedure the semen sits in an incubator for 24 hrs and then it is put with hamster eggs. This is how they tell whether the sperm knows how to penetrate the egg. Well, Casey’s sperm had all pretty much died within 24 hours. So we do not know if it knows how to penetrate an egg, they were unable to complete the test since so many had died. The doctor said that she thinks our problem is that the sperm is not living long enough to make it to my uterus. Not to mention my endometriosis and PCOS. So our answer: Anything can happen, but as far as the medical world is concerned our chances of becoming pregnant on our own is slim. It looks like In Vitro Fertilisation, IVF is our only chance of having our own biological child.
That is where we are now. Last Wednesday we had our IVF class. It was about 3 ½ hours long. We learned all about IVF and what we should expect. Casey and I learned how to give me my injections and learned about all the medication. We learned that we would start the procedure as soon as I started my next period, which should be this week for me. So wow! We are doing this and it is happening soon! Please keep us in your prayers.