After the egg retrieval my little eggs get fertilized for 5 days. Andrology calls and gives updates every couple of days. The Monday following by retrieval we went in for the implant.
I was so happy, Dr. Peterson was the one that was going to do my implant. It was basiclly the exact same things as before with an IV, same room, but Justin got to stay with me and we got to see everything on the monitor.
He showed us the two little eggs implanted when we were all done. It was a pretty cool day. I also got to rest for 3 days afterwards.
Showing posts with label IVF. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IVF. Show all posts
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Egg Retrieval
The egg retrieval was nothing like what I expected it to be. I really did not know what to expect. But the retrieval was Wednesday, it is now Saturday that I am typing this, and I still hurt. It fells like I have done a trillion sit ups. No joke. It hurts to walk, or sit. Most of the time the only comfortable position is lounging. Don't even get me started on trying to fall asleep at night.
But anyways. 8:45 Wednesday was our appointment. I had to take a shot at precisely 9:15 the night before so that it was in my system for 36 hours before the retrieval. I had to take the shot at Justin's Grandmothers house that night. I told her I was sorry, but I had to go shoot up in her bathroom real fast. We smiled, and she said, no problem, I don't mind as long as its you. I just love her. (She also told me that night she would find me another husband).
We got to the office, we went to the room, I got my vitals checks (my blood pressure was the highest I had ever seen it, normally its really good) and got in my gown. One of the doctors came in and told me all the wonderful things that could go wrong during the procedure and made me sign a consent form (also not good for my blood pressure) and then I got my IV.
The sad part was Justin was not able to be with me during the procedure. They told me most people just sleep through it. They give drugs to help with the pain, and they said it really only hurts with the initial poke through the ovaries. They were wrong FYI.
So they put you in a chair, in the normal position for a visit to your OB. But then they move the chair so your legs are above your head. Its cold and uncomfortable, but luckily they do give you drugs quickly. They also told me I would not remember the procedure, another lie. I remember, and I remember that I was in a lot of pain. I remember the nurse stroking my arm trying to calm me down. I did eventually fall asleep because I don't remember going back into the room. But I did wake up in my room, and Justin and the nurse was there.
It then was the normal waking up from lots of drugs in your system. They gave me crackers and juice, and when I was ready we went home.
Justin was really disappointed because the doctor said I would be really loopy and fun.Wrong, I was just really tired, and I remember having a hard time trying to talk.
In the end they retrieved 14 egg, 13 of which were mature.
But anyways. 8:45 Wednesday was our appointment. I had to take a shot at precisely 9:15 the night before so that it was in my system for 36 hours before the retrieval. I had to take the shot at Justin's Grandmothers house that night. I told her I was sorry, but I had to go shoot up in her bathroom real fast. We smiled, and she said, no problem, I don't mind as long as its you. I just love her. (She also told me that night she would find me another husband).
We got to the office, we went to the room, I got my vitals checks (my blood pressure was the highest I had ever seen it, normally its really good) and got in my gown. One of the doctors came in and told me all the wonderful things that could go wrong during the procedure and made me sign a consent form (also not good for my blood pressure) and then I got my IV.
The sad part was Justin was not able to be with me during the procedure. They told me most people just sleep through it. They give drugs to help with the pain, and they said it really only hurts with the initial poke through the ovaries. They were wrong FYI.
So they put you in a chair, in the normal position for a visit to your OB. But then they move the chair so your legs are above your head. Its cold and uncomfortable, but luckily they do give you drugs quickly. They also told me I would not remember the procedure, another lie. I remember, and I remember that I was in a lot of pain. I remember the nurse stroking my arm trying to calm me down. I did eventually fall asleep because I don't remember going back into the room. But I did wake up in my room, and Justin and the nurse was there.
It then was the normal waking up from lots of drugs in your system. They gave me crackers and juice, and when I was ready we went home.
Justin was really disappointed because the doctor said I would be really loopy and fun.Wrong, I was just really tired, and I remember having a hard time trying to talk.
In the end they retrieved 14 egg, 13 of which were mature.
Starting IVF
We had a really good consultation with Dr. Peterson about IFV and what to expect, and the drug to take. We were a little unprepared for how much those medication were going to cost us. It turned out to be about $2000.
The first step is I have to take birth control pills for a few weeks to calm everything down. After that you start lupron. Lupron causes my natural production of hormones to shut down temporarily. Then we can recreate the hormones in my system with lots of injections. Lupron is just a little injection (compared to the others). I did that for 14 days before I started the others. I used Gonal F again, and Repronex. Repronex is for stimulating follicle development and egg maturation, it also has something to do with pituitary suppression.
The normal procedure is to do these 3 three injection (stimulants) for 11 days. You go in for daily ultrasounds on day 8 of stimulants.
Our appointments are usually bright and early, around 6 or 7 in the morning. So on a Monday morning, day 8, we went in and were pleasantly surprised that we were ready to go. No more injections, and egg retrieval would be the coming Wednesday. The doctor took a blood sample to make sure my eggs were mature, and sent me on my way.
The only thing I like and dislike at the same time is that at the U you deal with more than just your own doctor. I have seen 3 other doctors through out the years at the U and Dr. Peterson is by far my favorite. But he has actually never done any of my insemination's. And he would not be doing the egg retrieval or the implant. Don't get me wrong, all the other doctors are really nice. But Dr. Peterson I just prefer over all the others.
So time to get ready for the extraction...
The first step is I have to take birth control pills for a few weeks to calm everything down. After that you start lupron. Lupron causes my natural production of hormones to shut down temporarily. Then we can recreate the hormones in my system with lots of injections. Lupron is just a little injection (compared to the others). I did that for 14 days before I started the others. I used Gonal F again, and Repronex. Repronex is for stimulating follicle development and egg maturation, it also has something to do with pituitary suppression.
The normal procedure is to do these 3 three injection (stimulants) for 11 days. You go in for daily ultrasounds on day 8 of stimulants.
Our appointments are usually bright and early, around 6 or 7 in the morning. So on a Monday morning, day 8, we went in and were pleasantly surprised that we were ready to go. No more injections, and egg retrieval would be the coming Wednesday. The doctor took a blood sample to make sure my eggs were mature, and sent me on my way.
The only thing I like and dislike at the same time is that at the U you deal with more than just your own doctor. I have seen 3 other doctors through out the years at the U and Dr. Peterson is by far my favorite. But he has actually never done any of my insemination's. And he would not be doing the egg retrieval or the implant. Don't get me wrong, all the other doctors are really nice. But Dr. Peterson I just prefer over all the others.
So time to get ready for the extraction...
One Last Insemination
Before we went to IVF we wanted to try one more insemination. I went back on all the drugs that I had previously been taking, plus one more. The doctor wanted to know if we were interested in trying something a little more aggressive. We agreed because even if it was a little more expensive, and if it worked, we then didn't have to do IVF which was 10X more expensive.
Dr. Peterson had me do a few injections of Gonal F. Gonal F is the hormone FSH that helps stimulate healthy ovaries to produce eggs.
We were really hopeful for this round. One Sunday I was curious to know if I was ovulating. With all these months of failure something had to be wrong. So I just took a test for the heck of it. It ended up being positive! I pretty much freaked out, called the nurse on call, and they had me rush in to get an ultrasound.
I drove over to the church and picked Justin up so we could ride up to the clinic.
During ultrasounds what they do is measure the size of the follicles, and record how many are growing. I had a ton! and they were big! But unfortunately that is not a good thing in this case. The University won't do an insemination if there is a chance of a crazy amount of multiple births. So they shut me down. They gave me a form of progesterone and said sorry. That was a really awful day. I don't think Justin knew how to calm me down. I just cried and cried. I cried in the doctors office, in the car, at the pharmacy, on the car ride home, and more at home. And a few days later I still was a little teary.
So with this fun day we knew there was no other option but IFV.
Dr. Peterson had me do a few injections of Gonal F. Gonal F is the hormone FSH that helps stimulate healthy ovaries to produce eggs.
We were really hopeful for this round. One Sunday I was curious to know if I was ovulating. With all these months of failure something had to be wrong. So I just took a test for the heck of it. It ended up being positive! I pretty much freaked out, called the nurse on call, and they had me rush in to get an ultrasound.
I drove over to the church and picked Justin up so we could ride up to the clinic.
During ultrasounds what they do is measure the size of the follicles, and record how many are growing. I had a ton! and they were big! But unfortunately that is not a good thing in this case. The University won't do an insemination if there is a chance of a crazy amount of multiple births. So they shut me down. They gave me a form of progesterone and said sorry. That was a really awful day. I don't think Justin knew how to calm me down. I just cried and cried. I cried in the doctors office, in the car, at the pharmacy, on the car ride home, and more at home. And a few days later I still was a little teary.
So with this fun day we knew there was no other option but IFV.
May 2013 to December 2013
This was probably one of the hardest times for me in last few years. I felt like my world had shattered!! The day Justin lost his job I broke down and cried and cried and cried. I went to work and cried some more. Luckily I had a great friend (and family member) at work that was compassionate and he told me everything was going to be OK.
It felt like everything we had worked for the last year had been lost. We had to stop, we could not afford to do anymore.
Justin worked really hard to find a new job, and I worked extra hours at my job to try and make up a little of the difference. But, we still could not afford the medical bills that were coming in.
Side note: the U has a great billing program! Just had to throw that out there.
We also felt very strongly that an IVF loan was not the way to go. We had already piled on the credit card debt for the insemination's, and we didn't want to add another $10,000 in debt.
It's funny how a life shattering event (at the time) can turn into one of your greatest blessings. Justin was able to find an even better job with a great company and great co workers.
Then in October we decided that I should try and get a job there too.
The best part was insurance premiums were paid for my the company. So starting in January we were both covered, with zero premiums, and we elected for $2500 each in flex money. So starting February 1st we were already half way to having the money we needed for IVF.
Hope
I debated a lot on if I should start this blog. But , I guess I finally decided on yes. Mainly because this has been one of the most emotional and trying times, and I felt it important to have some kind of record. Why not just keep a journal? I decided my answer to this question was because there are so many people out there that have gone through and will go through the same thing, that hopefully my experience can be some help to others. I have found that through this experience one of the most important things is to not loose hope.
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