IUI Complete

So we get up at 5:45 a.m. Leave at 6:40 a.m. Drive is pretty chill till two roads left to travel and then we hit stopped traffic. But luckily we are close enough that it only makes us 5 minutes late. Not bad. So we sign in and Jimmy fills out his paperwork. Brings his folder containing his dirty magazine we bought the night before for just this purpose in with him. Gets the job done, and damn well. He has improved in every category. I am so excited and he is super proud of his swimmers. I know he's been stressing about this, and it's a relief that the numbers were all super high. We leave and head over to a scary Denny's in a bad part of town. Who knew. Not us. And there was another one two exits later that was really nice. Oh well. We have some breakfast and then head over to the mall to just walk around and waste some time till I have to be back. I guess they needed time to wash and spin Jimmy's sperm. So we head back to the office at 11 for my 11:15 appointment. I go in and undress. Doctor comes in and proceeds to drop the sperm on the ground. He yells out, "It's not contaminated!" and inserts it in me. And it's done. I have been inseminated. I lay there for about 15 minutes. Get up and get dressed. Drive the 1 1/2 home. And layed down and take a 3 hour nap. I was crampy and had a stomach ache all day. But I'm feeling good today. I have to test in 12 days. Well, 11 now :) I am feeling really positive about it all...hope I can hold onto that for the next 2 weeks.

Jimmy tells me that we have to change the middle name to reflect the little ones journey to the floor before insertion. He's so silly. Splat or some such nonsense was his first suggestion. Umm...I think not...but thanks for playing.

trying to find the silver lining

So we went for our first monitoring appointment. And found out that I only have one follicle. One. Yup...the same as if I had not stuck myself in the gut twice daily for the last week. If I had not take the horrible meds that make me feel sick if I eat or not. One. So the doctor I saw (not my RE, but a very sweet doctor) suggested that we cancel our IVF. That we do an IUI instead. So that's the plan. I went for monitoring #2 this morning and still just one. One that's ready to pop. So I am going to trigger tonight and we are doing an IUI on Wednesday. Never planned on an IUI, we were leaping frogging over it...but maybe this was God's plan and he just took us the long way around to it. Who knows. The sweet doctor said that she had spoken to my RE about my case and he agreed. They felt that we would get much more agressive when we do the next IVF protocol. Not sure what that means for me. But time will tell. Or not. If the IUI works, we won't have to worry about coming up with the funds for the meds or what it is doing to my system. I already look like a drug addict with my bruises and battered veins. But as the nurse who withdrew my blood today pointed out, I am a drug addict. Never really thought about it that way, but I guess I am. Shooting myself up twice daily. Yup, guess I qualify.

So we've set up for James to go to his Nani and Pa's house on Tuesday so they can get him to school on time. Since Jimmy and I have to be at the RE's on Wednesday between 7 and 8 for his SA. Then we will do the IUI around 11. At least that is the tenative info the sweet doctor told me, but I am waiting for my call from the office with the official info. I guess they have to wait on my E2 results to make sure that it is a go.

I was devastated on Saturday. Cried the whole way home from the office. And then slept for 3 hours after. Seeing Jimmy cry (for only the second time in our relationship) did not help my emotional state at all. But I am trying to find the silver lining now and thinking positive thoughts for this procedure. It WILL work!! It just will.

GRRRRR....

So I get a call from my RE's nurse saying that they could not get the results till tomorrow. So I call the lab and am told that they have the results and they should have been faxed to them and they would fax them again. Of course the doctor's office closes early on Friday. I just put in another call to the emergency after hours answering service explaining that the results should be at the office. Hopefully the nurse is still there and can get them and tell me what the hell is going on. I know this is no big deal for the lab or the doctor's and their nurse, but it is a HUGE deal for me. I want to cry right now. I am so frustrated and upset I don't even know what to do with myself.

On top of that Jimmy's old gym charged me for another month. I called them and the manager is out of town till Thursday and apparently no one else knows anything that is going on or where the paperwork is so I can't get a refund till then. Really? You make the mistake and I have to wait a week for it to be fixed. Get your heads out of your asses people. Really!!

I can't tell you the last time I had any alcohol, but I might be having a big old glass tonight!! Or maybe I'll just drink it right out of the bottle.

STAT

So I got up early. Got James up early. Headed out of the house early. Headed over to the lab for my E2 bloodwork. On a funny side note when we pulled into the parking lot, James says to me, "You're getting more blood taken?" I say yes. He says, "Pretty soon you're not going to have any more blood to give!!". He's is so wise :) Make sure I tell the tech that this needs to be STAT. She assures me that it will be. Puts a STAT sticker on the paperwork. I call the RE's nurse and remind her that I'm having the bloodwork done. I stupidly tried to save myself the hour and a half drive to the RE's office and had it done at a local lab. Big mistake. I get a call that afternoon that the lab informed the nurses that they don't STAT on E2 testing. Really? You couldn't have told me that prior? So they won't get my results till today (which FYI have STILL not come in). So the RE had to guess at what to adjust my meds to. Not giving me a warm fuzzy. Especially since I already screwed them up on my own the first time. Trying not to panic about the meds and if they are going to work with all the wonky things happening. I also need to know if they are keeping me on the same dosage of the one med, because if they are, I need them to call in another script for it and have it filled in time for Monday delivery. Grr.

Shots

So...I told you all about how I used the wrong needle and as a result, way too much of the medication. So that night I go to do my second (first of this med) shot. I insert the needle and push the button. Nothing. I take it out and check the pen/needle and it looks good. I insert the needle again and push the button and nothing. So I try a third time. I finally call Jimmy in and even though he is not a fan of needles he helps me figure out what I am doing wrong. So I insert a fourth time and finally get it to work. So I would say that Day 1 of shots was a major fail. I overmedicated on my first and had to try four times with my second. But I am a pro now and Jimmy calls me a rock star for (1) doing it over and over again when it didn't work without complaint and (2) doing it on myself each time. So I'll take the compliment and FYI, I did great on Day 2 and this morning on Day 3. I did however stick the needle into my finger last night. It sort of bent and when I tried to remove the cap it stuck my finger. But no biggie. I have my E2 bloodwork tomorrow morning. Super early. James and I have to leave 30 minutes early to make it there on time and then get him to school and me to work on time. So that should be fun. Trying to get an 8 year old moving in the morning is always interesting. But I'll work it out :) I always do.

::SIGH::

So...I was supposed to start my injections on Sunday morning. But I was also supposed to have my period prior and I had not as yet. So I called the doctor's office late Saturday night. Was told that I would get a call back. Two hours later I called again. I was told that the doctor would call me back before my morning injection. I have a two hour window. Just before the window closed I called again and was told I would get a call back. By the end of Sunday, no call and no period.

So this morning I took a pregnancy test...you never know right? I was a pill baby :) Not pregnant. Just before I left for work I went to the bathroom and had spotting. So I quick went and did my first injection. I was so freaked out that I did it wrong. And apparently my instinct was correct. When I finally spoke to a nurse, I had used the wrong needle. I had used the monster progesterone oil needle. So I gave myself too much. Yeah, I'm an idiot like that. She said that it should not be an issue, but once we see my E2 blood work we'll see if it will change any of my protocol. I am so mad at myself. And the office for not calling me back and leaving me on my own. The nurse apologized over and over. Said that there is an IVF nurse on call at all times and she doesn't know why my message wasn't put through to her. She was reporting it to the head nurse and the answering service coordinator. But I still spent all Saturday night in tears and all this morning freaking out that I screwed up (and with good reason :). So now everything shifts a day. My E2 will be on Thurday rather than Wednesday. My first monitoring will be on Saturday rather than Friday, etc.

Oh well...it is what it is, right? Fingers crossed that this was just a rough start and everything from here on out is smooth sailing. I deserve that, right? Right? Come on...RIGHT?

It arrived...

Package 1 of my meds that is :) I have two more delivers still to come. And I have to fill mine and Jimmy's antibiotics prescription at our local pharmacy. Sunday I start shooting myself twice a day. I have never been so excited in my life!!

Protocol

I had my protocol appointment yesterday. I stop my bcps tonight. So I should have AF in the near future. Start my treatment meds on Sunday. I have to pay (a) the full balance on the IVF to my RE's office by Friday (b) I have to order and pay for all my meds in the next day or so to have them in time and (c) pay the anestheteologist by Friday. It's a huge amount of money. I'm freaking out about all of it. I have my first monitoring appointment on Friday the 18th. My second on Sunday the 20th, which happens to be the anniversary of Jimmy and I's first date. My third on Tuesday the 22nd. At that point we'll probably find out when the ET is going to be. Most likely that week sometime. But we'll have to see how the eggs are cooking at that point. So I will be done with the ET/ER by the first couple of days of March at the latest. My head is spinning with it all. I have to talk to my boss about all the days off. I have to make sure the money is there to cover all the expenses. I have to start shooting myself first thing in the morning and at night. I found out I have to do progesterone shots after my ER. They go into the muscle in your hip. Ouch. I have heard they are painful and leave welts. My RE said it's only for 6 days. HA...like that's no big deal :) Then the fun suppositories follow. Blick. But we do what we have to, right?

Mani/Pedi fail

So I was so excited. I was going to treat myself to a mani/pedi. I usually do my own nails. But my feet, I get them done. And it was way past time. They were all jacked up. So I figured I would get my nails done as well. Or at least a polish change to go with my toes. So I'm going to try this place. I am always on the hunt for a convenient and not outrageously expensive place for my toes. I get there (after bribing James with a slurpee to keep him occupied :) and there is a sign that says "We have moved". And thier number to call. So I call and find out where they are and let them know what I am interested in having done and that I am at thier old location. So we jumped back in the car and drive to the new spot. I drive around and around looking for the name of thier shop. I finally call and tell them what I see. They decide to share with me that they are inside another salon. So, different name. I park and go in. I tell them I am the girl from the two calls and I want to get a mani/pedi done. It's about 5 till 3. The girl says that they have an eye lash and a hair cut at 3:30 so can I come back in an hour? Really? You couldn't have told me that when I called the first or second time when I was still in my car!! So I leave, irritated and decide to go home and try another day. Grr. Ended up redoing my own nails and figure I'll get a pedi and a hair cut instead this weekend. I hope I can work that out :)

Offical

So, my official protocol appointment is Monday, February 7th. That is all :)

Moving forward

So we got the call last night from the RE's nurse. Our pre-IVF bloodwork came back. Clean. All normal. I never had any doubt, but apparently Jimmy has been sweating it out. Funny. So I made my protocol appointment. But of course. Jimmy has a conflict with the day, so now I have a call into the nurse to see if we can bump the day. It's set for this Monday, but I'm seeing if I can make it Thursday (or Friday) instead. But one way or the other (Jimmy will have to make it work if I can't change it) it's next week. This is where we do a dry run of the IVF procedure. Get my med protocol and check my ovaries, yes, once again :) I have to arrive with a full bladder, but to quote my lovely husband, when don't I have a full bladder? It's ironic. I would go for my monitoring appointments and they would tell me to pee and empty my bladder and I would. Then they would start and each and every time comment on the fact that I already had urine in my bladder. I guess my screwed when I'm pregnant huh? But anywho, back to next week. So I have to arrive full bladder. Then we will go over the finances for the millionth time. We'll have a look see at my uterus and such. I'm not sure if Jimmy will have to do a run on his SA or not...that is yet to be seen. I still have some questions on snow babies that I will get someone to answer for me. Or several people. I need to feel okay about that. It's funny, Jimmy was raised Catholic, so you would think that he would be the one that concerns, but I guess I am the more religious of the two of us. Even though my religion is more lax...oh well. We'll figure it out. I would love to freeze them and have a second shot if needed. But I don't think it will be fiscally optional for us. But that's what next week will iron out. And one monthish from now we should be doing the ER/ET and it will be. One month. Insanity.