Thanksgiving Gone!

Whoa!  Is it me or does Lupron make you really moody?  I'm so irritable lately, I think mainly because I'm always so nauseous from all these medications.  My belly is so so bruised already!  I'm really normally not a "Drama Queen", but oh how I've turned into one.

1. Lupron Injections 
2. Prenatal Vitamin
3. Slow FE Iron Tablets (AM and PM)
4. Questran Powder Mix (result of my endo bowel resection surgery)
5. Antibiotic (AM and PM)

My poor husband has been catching it and I don't really know if he deserves it this badly.   Thanksgiving was a blur, I'm sure I still came across as really bitchy no matter how hard I tried to suppress it.  We opted not to tell our friends and family that we are doing IVF, mainly because I didn't feel like answering a thousand questions.  So I'm sure my bitchiness did not go over too well.  

Things pretty much went down hill for me after one of my cousins announced that she was pregnant and not just a little pregnant.  She's about to be 8 months along, but says she just realized she was pregnant a few weeks ago when she passed out at work thinking she may have had "high blood pressure", went to the doctor and found out she was in fact pregnant.  She was not happy about her pregnancy, since she thought she was done having children (her son is 13-yrs old) and she certainly did not want anymore.   Honestly, I think she's still in absolute shock.  Wow, effortless!  While I, "the non-pregnant one" was walking around super sick and nauseous, she "the pregnant one" was prancing around with not one symptom.  Go figure!

Moving Forward!

My hysterosonogram and test transfer went well - I'm good to go!  My husband's semen analysis received a thumbs up as well.  I started my Lupron shots on Friday and will be taking my last BCP today!  I'm so happy because that's one less pill I have to take.

I was so nervous about the shots, yikes!  The good news is that is was not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be, just burns a tiny bit.  Except, I refuse to give it to myself - I make my husband do it because the way I see it, he needs to be completely involved in this process with me.   Believe me, he did not want to give me my shots, lol!  These people have been taking me through the ringer - not to mention my modesty is completely gone - I think everyone has seen my vajayjay!  The least he can do is give me my shots, damn it!

So, next I'm scheduled to go in on December 1st for an ultrasound and blood test, to determine if it's time to start my Menopur/Bravelle combo.  Hopefully by December 13th, I'll have a basket full of eggs for retrieval.

Emotional Roller Coaster

For the past week I have been an such an emotional roller coaster.  It's bad enough that this semester is quickly ending, my finals and comps are just around the corner, but to add to it all - the doctors office called last week regarding my infectious disease tests.  The nurse said that my Hepatitis C test had come back positive and I needed to get further testing to see if it was a false positive since the numbers were so low.  OMG!  What on earth????  I was freaking out, mentally going through every chapter of my life looking for anyway that I could have come into contact with such a disease.  I've never done drugs, I don't have any tattoos, and I don't know anyone with Hep C.  Well after a very long 4-day wait, I received the news that my other tests are negative but I am extremely anemic and may need an iron injection.  Ouch!  I was like can I please just give the pills a try, but other than that I'm good to go.  No Hep. C for me!

Today I am scheduled for my hysterosonogram, test transfer, and consents.  Then if all goes well I should start the Lupron injections on Friday and take my last BCP on Sunday.  According to my calendar, I should start the Menopur on December 2 and possibly retrieve on December 13.   I'm staying on the Lupron for an extra week, because I don't want to have my retrieval during the week of my finals.  I'm just hoping and praying that all goes smooth from here on out and there are no further problems.  Praying for a completed and successful cycle!

Waiting, Nausea, Books

Now I wait!  I started my birth control pills on Saturday and later that night I got really sick in the stomach and very nauseous.  I was thinking nooooooo, I can't be getting sick already, this is just step 1.  All day Sunday, I just felt kinda blah - I think I may be getting a cold or something.  My head feels like it's about to explode from the sinus pressure.  The good news is that I don't think the BCPs made me sick, since I took the second one about 4 hours ago and I haven't experienced any nausea or stomach problems.

If all goes well with my bloodwork, I should start my Lupron injections in a few weeks.  I'm kinda scared but excited at the same time.  By then I should be either done or finishing up with finals, so if everything pans out just right - I will be able to complete this entire cycle during the holiday break from school.  Now that's what's up! 

So I guess I should be hitting the books instead of blogging, lol!  Although blogging is much more fun!

It's Here

I feel like I'm moving at lightening speed!  My period came the other night - today is day 2 of my cycle so I had to go into the office for blood work and am scheduled to start my birth control pills tomorrow.   This whole thing is crazy wild....it's been like a puzzle just falling together.  I hope it continues this way!

First of all, on Tuesday my husband and I were initially set for a new patient appointment at the RE's office  inquiring about starting IVF, since we were pretty sure was our only option at this point.  Once we arrived we were informed that there had been a problem with our insurance referral and they were running around trying to get the issue resolved.  Turned out that my PCP had not completed the referral or it was held up in some business office or something.  I was so upset because I had moved so many things around in my schedule in order to make the appointment.  I work and attend law school so I don't have a whole lot of time.

My husband wanted to reschedule but I opted to just pay for the visit out of pocket and work on the reimbursement later - finals are quickly approaching and I don't have time to rework this thing again.  The way I see it is, our insurance doesn't cover IVF or meds anyway, the only thing covered was my initial consultation and diagnostic testing.  If I'm gonna spend $15,000, what's a thousand or so more gonna hurt?  So finally, we make it back and the doctor comes in after going through my file and history - apparently fully aware of the chaos.  She asked if we would be interested in participating in a marketing IVF study that was going on in their office, using FDA approved drugs - which involves a $3800 out of pocket cost to us only.  The good thing is it's basically a study comparing two leading drugs - I guess the drug companies are in a battle to see who has the best fertility drug.  OMG!  Yes, that day had just gotten 100% better - doctor you just saved us over $11,000.  Thank you so much, I'm so glad I didn't reschedule!

Hopefully, everything goes well with my blood work so that I can continue in the study.... I think ovarian reserve is one of the things being tested.  I'm 35, with stage 4 endo.....just hoping and praying I still have few good eggs.

Crappy Cramps!

I'm about to get my period at any moment now, which is good and bad.  Good because on Day-2 I get to start the blood work for my IVF.   It's bad because I have stage 4 endometriosis and these cramps have no mercy on me, but thank God for Tylenol 3.

I'm so excited and scared all at the same time because we have put off getting IVF for the past 3 years at least because I always hoped that there would be some other way.  IVF seemed to be much too invasive, all the needles, doctors visits, poking and prodding.  I didn't even want to think about the $15,000 (plus) out of pocket cost, since our health insurance does not cover IVF or meds.

Well now is the time - it's seems like a light bulb just all of a sudden popped on inside my head saying, "Hello!  You're 35-years old now!"  So I realized if we are really going to have a baby, now is the time to get on with it.

So the wait begins....come on Aunt Flo and quit torturing me with your PMS cramps!