Monitoring Appt 5 and Follicle Check

Had my final monitoring today and my e2 level was 3563! I have 21 follicles that are mature or close to mature and several smaller ones that won't be ready so I have no idea how many they will actually retrieve! Trigger is tonight at 12:30AM and egg retrieval is Friday at 10:30AM!! I am so ready for egg retrieval y'all! SIL estrogen is 354 and her lining is 11.5mm triple lined so she is ready too! Now we just need some mature eggs to fertilize beautifully and grow, grow, grow!! Will update Friday after egg retrieval sometimes, once I come out of my drug induced haze! Thank you for all of the prayers and well wishes guys, love y'all!

3rd Monitoring Appt for SIL

SIL had her monitoring appt this morning to measure her lining.. DRUM ROLL..................11.5mm!! BOOYAH! So she is good to go for transfer day! Now we just gotta get the go ahead for me to trigger (IT HAS TO BE TOMORROW!!) and get to egg retrieval I'm praying Friday! Will update on my results tomorrow when I get them. Super bloated over here ready to get these eggs retrieved!

Monitoring Appt 4 and Follicle Check

Back from another monitoring appointment and now there are 21 follicles! I saw some smaller ones that the RE didn't measure, so I don't think they will be ready come retrieval day. RE still thinks retrieval will be Thursday, so that means trigger would be tomorrow night!! Waiting on blood work to come back this afternoon and that will determine if they want my dose to be boosted up for today and tomorrow, same for both OR if I do meds today and coast tomorrow.. Not sure how that's gonna play out, but I already have another appointment for tomorrow morning, so we are definitely coming to the end of stims.. My SIL has her appointment tomorrow AM too, so we are hoping for great news all around! Will update later with my e2 level, I am thinking it will be over 2,000 by now!


UPDATE: E2 is 2043 today! go back in tomorrow morning! Will probably trigger tomorrow night or Wednesday, I can't imagine going longer than that!

Lunch Date!

So I got to meet Krystal today! She is as wonderful in person as she is on her blog! She's SO funny and so pretty! We had an awesome lunch and got to hang out for a bit, she got to meet my crazy hubby and we all hit it off! I hope we get to meet her hubby next time, we plan on hanging out again before I leave town! Such a fun time! I am now just laying around waiting until my appointment tomorrow to see when trigger is gonna be and how my follicles are doing! Nothing much going on just a lazy Sunday! Will update tomorrow when I have news from the RE!

Monitoring Appt 3 and Follicle Check

I had my THIRD monitoring appointment earlier today! RE measured 20 follicles! He is super pleased with my progress so far! Tonight will be my 8th day of medication. He kept my dosage the same and thinks egg retrieval will be Thursday now instead of Friday! I also found out my SIL lining was 6mm on 2/22 when she had her sonogram done. RE said he would have liked to see it at 7mm by then so that is why he doubled her estrace and added it in vaginally. Will update later with my e2 level!!

UPDATE: Got my E2 back it's 1267!! That's after 7 days of stims, I didn't hit this level until 10 or more days previously! I am a VERY HAPPY girl! :) :)

2nd Monitoring Appt for SIL

I realized that I don't much mention what is going on with my sister in law's side of things. I plan to correct that right now. "C" had a monitoring appt yesterday. She had been taking her lupron and decreasing the dosage in stages. She started at 20units and has decreased it to 10 and now finally 5 this past Saturday. She has also started Vivelle patches (these are estrogen patches, you wear them on your belly, they look like clear band aid squares) as well as estrace tablets orally twice a day. After her results were reviewed the RE decided she needs to up her estrace dose to 1 pill orally in the AM AND 1 pill vaginally in the AM as well as 1 pill orally PM and 1 pill vaginally PM. No change in her patches at this time. She goes back for a repeat scan on 2/28! We are hoping they see a great improvement at that time. Saturday I will ask what her lining measurement actually was. I was so focused on fixing the issue we were having with her OB (not wanting to be cooperative with getting us same day results, we have since fixed this problem) that I forgot to ask, I just wrote down the new instructions! So, that is where we are at with my SIL and the "uterus" side of things. Thankfully it's still early and it's not that big a deal, since we haven't even had egg retrieval yet! There will still be time to up her meds again if need be, but hopefully this will do the trick! Will update about that more once we get her repeat ultrasound on 2/28!

Monitoring Appt 2 Follicle Check

Had my 2nd monitoring appointment early this morning.. Today's appointment was a HUGE one because it was bloodwork AND ultrasound. This gave us our first look at what my ovaries have been doing since starting stims Saturday. I have been on stims for 5 nights now (tonight will be 6th day).. I slept well last night but not all the way through. I was nervous and anxious and a little worried, because if y'all know me by now, you know that's what I do best..WORRY. I had all kinds of thoughts running through my head. Dr. would see nothing. Only one follicle would be progressing and we would be cancelled. I know, I am crazy, you don't have to tell me.. Annnyway.. So, I get my labs drawn and then they show me to my room. Hubby was with me (such a wonderful change from previous cycles!) and as we sat there, he told me not to worry that all the hard work I have put in leading up to this cycle would pay off for us. God, I love that man.. Dr. walks in and asks if I am ready. I smile and say "yup!" then I hold my breath as he gets "wanda" ready.. He hands me a clipboard and says write down the numbers I tell you for each follicle. I was like wow ok that's kinda cool, it will keep me occupied. He starts on the right side. clicking off follicles and calling out measurements. I didn't have time to count until the end. SIX total on right! OK cool, since I started with 6 on each side at my baseline, I was already happy with that!! Then he shifts over to my left ovary and stops a second. Then I hear "Oh wow, there are TONS of follicles over here!" OH.MY.GOD. WHAAT!?! He starts clicking and measuring..and measuring..and measuring some more.. I counted when he stopped... 11 measurable follicles in left ovary!! 17 measurable TOTAL!! HELLLLLL YEAH!! I was so close to tears! I can't believe it!!! This is coming off of a cycle that I scraped to have NINE total and a miserable showing due to previous RE error the cycle before that!! I am so ahead right now that if this is all that showed up, I would still be happy.. BUT.. RE says I might stim for another SEVEN DAYS! WHAAAT!? I might be coughing up feathers by then!! He hasn't decided if he wants to lower my dose, keep it the same or INCREASE it yet. He is waiting on my e2 results to come in this afternoon.. Will update with that number once I have it! OK off to rest, I am feeling like I have bowling balls in my belly right now! I just keep saying my mantra *it's all worth it in the end*



UPDATE: Just got the call, my E2 is 393, dose stays the same today and tomorrow, somebody better tell my ovaries they are 38 and NOT 30 anymore, woohoo!! :-) I can't believe how well I am responding!! I will have blood and u/s Saturday to see if it changes then, stay tuned!

Stim Day 3 and Lab Results

Sorry for the delay, I got the call late (actually went to voicemail, why do they always call at the EXACT time someone else is calling!?!?!?!) Annnywho, my E2 was 117, up from less than 30 on Saturday so the RE was quite pleased, BUT... He decided to up my dosage to 375iu FSH and keep menopur the same at 75iu! I was kind of shocked, but I understood the reasoning once we talked. He wants to push me (and my ovaries) harder. He said it's better to jump start them in the beginning, rather than trying to play catch up later on, and I agree.. So we do the new dosing for 3 days and re-evaluate Thursday. I am having blood and ultrasound then, so we get our first peek at how many follicles are baking, I'm pretty excited to see what is going on in there! If how I am feeling bloated is any indication, it's gotta be something good!! On the weight loss front, there is no loss going on here, LOL! I have gained a POUND in a week!! These damn Texans and their good eating! CUUUUURSESSS (In my best evil genius voice!) So we are heading back to Dallas tomorrow afternoon and will be staying put until egg retrieval. I am SO looking forward to resting and also getting to see Krystal !!!! Will update you guys Thursday after my results come in!

Stim Day 2

Second day of shots down. The shots are hurting worse this time than I remember previously. AND I am bruising faster this time, so yeah not the awesomest of times.. BUT I can definitely feel something going on in there.. Since my dose is much higher than I have ever had I am hoping it is jump starting my ovaries. Tomorrow is my First monitoring appt, which will be blood draw only (e2 or estradiol level) and after that they will instruct me on if my dose stays the same or increases. The weather here in Dallas/Irving/Austin (the places I have visited thus far) has been COLD and WINDY! Definitely could have stood to pack some warmer clothes, so I might have to hit a store while I am here (plus none of my clothes fit, OH YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT! :-D ) Overall this trip has been pretty great so far, much more relaxed this time around than previous cycles and no stress from my clinic (always a good thing!) SO we are very hopeful that this cycle will be THE ONE! Will update when I have my labs back from monitoring!

Stim Day 1

Tonight will be my first day of stims! My ultrasound and bloodwork came back great! My AFC (antral follicle count) was 12 and my estrogen (e2) was 35. They normally want this number at 50 or below to start stims, so it couldn't have gone any better!! I go in Monday for my first monitoring appointment. I am on 300iu of FSH and 75iu of LH and Mondays appointment will determine if I need to lower or raise the dosages. The weather has been sucking here!! Rainy and cold. I am so ready for some sunshine!! I have been sticking to my diet too, even though the enablers have been trying to tempt me!! So that's about it until Monday!! Enjoy your weekend everyone!!

Small Update

Wanted to do a quick post this morning before I hit the road! I am so excited to be moving forward!! SIL had her labs and ultrasound and our nurse coordinator (NC) emailed me that everything was good and we are proceeding as planned! So kinda puts the pressure on me since she is on schedule. (Send some awesome stimming vibes my way and a few prayers wouldn't hurt!) I also wanted to update y'all on my weight loss! I am so bad about updating that, BUT rest assured I am still at it! I am 1/2 a LB away from 20lbs lost!!! I can't believe it! I might make my goal after all! So here is a run down of what will be happening in the days ahead with my cycle:

• Day 10 of Lupron: Ultrasound and Labs
• Day 12 of Lupron: Start Stims 300iu FSH and 75iu LH combo
• Day 3 of stims: Labs to check E2 level (ideally over 150-300 would be good) Get info for next monitoring appt at this time.. 

As with each cycle, I will be updating whatever info I get so y'all can follow along with how I am progressing! I am hoping that all these months of supplements, healthy eating, exercising and weight loss will have a positive impact on my egg quantity and quality! So bring on the stims!! Well, that's about it for today, the next time you hear from me will be from "DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS!" 

And for all you lovers out there.. HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!  I am spending the day perfectly.. Alone with my Valentine on a roadtrip! :) 

Lupron does not fight fair

I thought I was special and was not having any side effects from the lupron.. HA! Yeah right!! I woke up last night several times to some of the worst hot flashes ever!!! OMG!! At one point hubby got up to turn our ceiling fan off since it got down to 30 outside (yes in FL, cruel right!?!) I popped up and said turn that back on NOW! Sorry sweetie, but the lady getting jabbed with the needles wins, every..time.. so he shivered and i basked in the warm,lol! I will say I will take this over the headaches any day.. But man when you aren't expecting it, holy cow! This is my fourth time on lupron and the first time I have haf the flashes, i always get the headaches, so we shall see how the rest of my lupron sentence goes! Stims start in less than a week!!!

10 Years Ago Today...

I married, my soul mate, best friend, confidant. He continues to amaze me and become even more than I could have ever hoped for. I love watching him with the boys and hope we are blessed with a child together this year, that would be the best gift I could ever ask for, for him... I will leave y'all with the song I always play on our anniversary.. Off to spend some quality time with my Prince Charming before all the craziness ensues!

Tony Toni Tone - "Anniversary"

Lupron Take Trois

Who says 13 isn't a lucky number?! I sure don't! My progesterone level needed to be over 8 in order to start and it was 13 BOOYAKASHA! Aaaand we're OFF! Hubby has put in his leave request at work and now we just count down the days until it's time to gas up and head out! Not too much going on other than finishing up last minute packing and bills to make sure my house runs well while I am gone.. I am super tired, as I am working on about 4.5hrs of sleep, so I am making this one short and sweet! Will keep y'all updated of course! :) Til next time!

It's Officially Starting

Our cycle that is! SIL took her FIRST shot of lupron this evening!! I start Monday. We are heading to Texas soon and I will be updating from there of course, since I am bringing my laptop with me (I would die without internet for that long!) I have been running around like a crazy person all day and have no plans of slowing down this week, ACK! So much to do before I leave! Just wanted to do a quick update with what's been happening... So our FIRST FRESH IVF CYCLE is officially underway!! YAY!!!