So I have a NEW guilty pleasure...

12.19.11

Well as of today I have had 2 acupuncture sessions and I am IN LOVE!!! I cannot begin to explain how wonderful and relaxed having a ton of needles stuck in me makes me feel. 

My first session was last Friday. First thing in the morning. I was unsure what to expect but it was great. Soothing music playing in the back ground a nice warm lamp to keep you comfy. And the best part is you CANNOT feel the needles go into the skin. The only thing you feel is the pressure of the tube that the needle is in, when it is tapped. 


First we did my back, then I just laid there for 15-20 minutes dozing in and out of sleep - then rotate :) 


I sure hope time keeps flying by as fast as it has been so we can be through with this! Only roughly 33 days to go til retrieval. 

And Thursday is our trial transfer!

Started the injections of Heparin

12.13.11

So today is day 2 of the Heparin and WOW love it so much better than Lovenox! That mess was mucho expensive and hurt and burned like fire while injecting.

Chris finally comes home tomorrow after being gone for 15 days. I am so excited, I have missed him like crazy. 


With him coming home things are starting to feel more real...like we are actually doing this. 


Just 1 more day til the acupuncturist appointment. I am really anxious to hear what they have to say. And if there's a chance that anything can give us a better chance of making this work I am all for it! 


And then we are just a little over a week away from the trial transfer! :) 


Kinda boring right now, which is good I guess. Being that it is almost Christmas and all.

Here we go!!!

12.9.11

Today is the first day of the up coming wild and wooly roller coaster ride that is IVF! 

Made the call to the nurse this morning to let her know everything was ready to go. So with that we are all scheduled and looking at an estimated egg retrieval date of January 23. And of course there is a lot to happen from now til then. 
 
Where to begin, where to begin....

The protocol we are to follow is...
*12.12 start the BC pill for 23 days and Heparin (a blood thinner) 5,000 2x a day
*12.15 start acupuncture (it was recommended?!?)
*12.19 go in to check TT levels while on Heparin
*12.22 trial transfer day (the doctor will map out the path to take to place the embryos when they are ready around January 26)
*1.1 start Lupron
*1.3 last day of BC pills
*1.3 injection teachings (which my wonderful friend Dana the nurse will be helping us with, as some of these medications are IM shots (in the muscle) and most of them are shots a total of 6 different shots some 2 times a day can we say I am going to feel like a pin cushion.
*1.11 b/w u/s and start stims (meds to make LOTS of follicles and eggs grow) the next day

and then after that more u/s and blood work leading up til the retrieval date!

I am anxious and very nervous about this entire process but have an amazing husband and we are more than ready to move forward with our hearts desire. I know he will be taking extra good care of me while all this is going on.

And here's just 1 months worth of 1 of the medications I have to inject 2x a day

So the journey begins... or does it end?

12.7.11

So this is our first entry in the IVF blog... exciting! I guess that means it's finally real. So to make a long story short here we go...

Chris & I married August 7, 2010. When we married we both already knew that "fertility" was going to be a challenge for us. We were very proactive in managing our infertility and went straight away to medical intervention when we were ready to add to our blended family.

We have done 3 iUis all failed, by December of 2010 we were told our last resort was IVF. That was a devastating blow. But wouldn't you know exactly one month to the day of that horrible news we were pregnant! That's right we finally had us a positive HPT and a baby on the way. And we did it by God's hand after we were told only a doctor could make it happen.

We had betas done one after another and every thing was looking good. Then  came time for the u/s to see the heart beat...nothing. The doctors tell us maybe it's still to early let's check again in a week. Longest week of my life passes...still nothing.

Sadly the precious gift from above returned to our heavenly father before know their earthly father. Was this hard, heck yes. Did we understand heck no. But did we realize God was in control and had a plan for us absolutely.

The miscarriage was a struggle in it's self. We lost the baby at 5wk 6d that was end of January. We opted in the beginning to let nature take it's course and let the pregnancy end naturally. However, that did not work. I was then but on medication after medication to induce a "abortion" (hate that word!) By mid March we were under the assumption that the pregnancy was totally over and done.

While waiting for a cycle to start, I tested with an HPT prior to beginning some medication. It was POSITIVE... could it be already we were pregnant again...oh no not even close. After several beta draws u/s and appointments it was determined there was still a significant amount of "genetic material" left in the uterus. What a slap to the face.

So here it is...we would have been almost 20wks into our pregnancy and finally it's decided "maybe" you need a d&c. MAYBE you think! Heart broken, scared, frustrated and angry we schedule the d&c. April 20, 2011 will be a day I never forget. After the d&c the doctor comes to Chris and tells him "most of the (here's that great verbiage again) genetic material from the pregnancy was still in the uterus. Yip your, thinking it. I carried my angel baby with me for 20wks. Fortunately no harm came to me.

Chris and I took time to recoop and heal we casually began to try again. Fed up with month after month of no baby we re-evaluated our options for IVF. We had LOTS and I mean LOTS of test done. We found out that I suffer from a blood clotting disorder and that my egg quality is not great. We met with Dr. Ke in October and scheduled our retrieval for January.

So, here we wait for the December cycle to start. Should start up here just in the next day. I called into the nurse to day to get our ball rolling. I will start my blood thinner Heparin and birth control as soon as "the witch" gets here.

I am totally excited, worried, and stressed over the journey that's about to begin. But I have the most terrific husband you could ever ask for, a loving family and great friends to help us through this.

So with that I guess really our journey is about to come to and end and hopefully come February there will be a new Lil' Loudenbeck (or 2) on the way.