5-Day Embryo Transfer Today

Today we transferred 1 4AA blastocyst embryo and 1 4BB blastocyst embryo. Tomorrow we find out if our remaining 2 blasts will make it to freeze for a future treatment. The transfer went very smoothly thanks in large part to the Valium I took and the great medical staff at our clinic. Today “our” doctor performed the transfer, which I appreciated. You never really know which doctor you will see for each procedure. In fact, our retrieval was performed by our former doctor who oversaw our previous cycles. Though unlikely, hopefully the dreaded two-week will go by quickly. I have a big work event this week and of course a short week next week which should be distracting. I’m going to do my best to avoid pregnancy tests, we’ll see about that.

Since I’m on bed rest I have been playing around (again) with our Thanksgiving menu. Tonight we are trying this recipe to see if it’s worthy of next week’s celebration.

Fertilization Report – 9 Embryos

For some reason I have been in a funk ever since we got yesterday’s fertilization report. We have 9 embryos which is 2 more than we had with our first fresh cycle. With our first cycle we had 3 embryos make it to perfect blasts and obviously none of them resulted in pregnancy. I’m definitely grateful but for some reason I thought this cycle would be overwhelmingly different than the last. Maybe it’s best to be cautious so that it will be that much more exciting when we get our positive beta. I’m still pretty sore from the ER and driving around downtown with uneven roads and speed bumps isn’t particularly helpful. Yesterday I had a constant headache which thankfully has disappeared. Let’s hope today I cheer up and get over myself.

Perhaps I should resume obsessing over Thanksgiving or even Christmas. I already have my bedside table stocked with magazines, books and even my Christmas cards to write while on bed rest. Oh, and I’m thinking about finally getting around to finishing my wedding album, 4 years later. Who am I kidding; I’ll probably end up watching re-runs of 90210 and Law Order for the 48 hours of bed rest.

18 Eggs Retrieved Today

Our doctor retrieved 18 eggs this morning. Last cycle we retrieved 13 so this is definitely an improvement. He said it looked like I had a very good cycle, which is reassuring. Beta is scheduled for Wednesday, November 26^th on the day before Thanksgiving. Tomorrow afternoon the clinic will call with our fertilization report. The doctor expects that I will have a 5-day transfer on Monday, we’ll know for certain on Saturday morning.

No News is Good News

Embryo retrieval will be tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. This means no food or water after midnight tonight. Going without water will kill me because anyone that knows me knows I am a water hog with my pink water bottle always at my side.

My IVF nurse sent me an encouraging e-mail out of the blue which really made me happy. Usually I am hounding her for an answer to a question but this was just a note of support from her.

Yesterday’s levels looked good and we did the trigger shot last night at 9:30 p.m. (my bed time these days). I went in this morning for my last round of blood work. The nurse had a difficult time today and had to prick me twice and call in for reinforcement, swell.

Yesterday I was told that no news is good news so I shouldn’t expect to hear from the clinic today.

I’ll post tomorrow with how many eggs were retrieved.

Egg Retrieval Wednesday

I have spent the last three mornings at my clinic for ultrasounds and blood work. Saturday’s follie check measured 17 and Sunday’s measured 23. No word yet on this morning’s visit but egg retrieval is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday. I’ve been steady at 250 IU of follistim and had a bit of a freak out on Friday night when I realized I was almost out of the liquid gold. Luckily, a good friend was in my neighborhood and I met her to pick up her leftover follistim from her successful IVF on Saturday. Thank goodness for donated medication, such a blessing!

The longer we are in this fight the more I realize how many of us there are. At Thursday’s appontment my husband ran into a former colleague and his wife. I’ve lost count of the people we know that we have come across at the clinic. I know several co-workers, acquaintances, friends and friend’s of friends who are suffering from infertility and are undergoing or have been through various types of treatments.

On Friday my husband catered an event for a local adoption group that deals exclusively with kids from Russia. Coincidentally, on Sunday we ran into one of the families and their two little boys on a grocery run. If this IVF doesn’t work (it will, right?) then I am may take this as a sign.

Follie Check & Kitchen Inspiration

Yesterday morning we went in for another round of blood work and an ultrasound. You know you have been in this game too long when you are introducing yourself new employees at the clinic. We found 9 follies at yesterday’s ultrasound and will be back Saturday morning for another visit. My follistim dosage is remaining at 250 IU.

I’m weaning myself off my crutches and am taking it slow when I walk. I’m planning on driving myself to work this morning for the first time all week. It’s been a busy and newsworthy week; we’re very ready for the weekend!

On a home decor note, I'm loving the November/December issue of Cottage Living. This kitchen makeover is fantastic and looks relatively doable as far as renovations go. I would love to replace our sink and countertops, raise our cabinets, add subway tile and get creative with hardware as this homemeowner did.

Does it Get Any Better Than This?

After a couple of Halloween parties and a girl’s night out in Charlotte, NC I ended the weekend with a (sober) slip down some stairs. It’s really the icing on the cake to an already stressful time for us.

I’ve sprained both ankles a few times and have lost count of which foot and how often. Luckily I have a set of crutches and my husband made a CVS run to stock up on a new brace, an ice wrap and some magazines. I can only imagine how standing in line at the polls will go tomorrow. Since the media is reporting record turnout (and lines) we are planning on going early and bringing folding chairs.

After this morning’s blood work we found out my estrogen level is 85, which is low. My doctor decided to aggressively increase my follistim dosage tonight from 187 to 250. Lupron and HCG will remain at 10 IU respectively.

My husband is having a tough time remembering to take his doxycycline with food. He already has a bit of a weak stomach, which is a bad combination with antibiotics on an empty stomach. I think he might have learned his lesson the hard way this morning, let’s just say it wasn’t the most pleasant ride in to work. Things can only go up from here, right?

Please excuse my lack of pedicure, it is November after all.