Project: Joey

So, we are definitely going in on Thursday at 9:00 a.m. to do the egg retrieval. I am so excited and very ready! Tonight Clay is going to give me the HCG shot right at 9:30. This one is a bigger needle and goes in my back hip right into the muscle. They recommend that I take it pretty easy today and tomorrow since my ovaries are getting so large. I can definitely feel it!

Tomorrow I'll be shot free! I'll just start taking the Doxycycline tomorrow night with dinner and fast afterwards. I'll start the progesterone shots Thursday night and continue them for 6-8 weeks (as long as I stay pregnant).

After we leave Thursday we will at least know how many eggs were retrieved. They mix them with a fresh sperm sample, let them fight like crazy to fertilize the eggs and hopefully all of them will turn into viable embryos. The Embryologists will watch them for 5 days and will give us updates along the way. Then we will go in on Tuesday for the transfer. We're hoping for a number of perfect embryos just in case we ever have to go through this again, I can skip the egg harvesting part and just go right to the transfer. That won't happen for awhile since we are positive that this is going to work this time!

We went in this morning for an ultrasound and blood work and it went really well! Dr. Petersen saw at least 8 follicles on the ovaries nearly ready, but he said he'd like to wait until Thursday to do the retrieval because by then, he thought there should be at least another 4! He wanted to check my estrogen levels before deciding, so I had to wait until around noon and the nurse called to set up an appointment for tomorrow for another ultrasound. She said I should plan on getting the HCG shot tomorrow night for a retrieval on Thursday. I'm so glad that everything looks good, there are so many eggs and we now have a plan!

So, last weekend we went to Pei Wei for dinner and my fortune cookie message said something to the effect of "You will receive the support you need this week". So True! Monday I received messages of encouragement from my dad and sister. I've had calls from my mom and multiple e-mails with well wishes from our family and friends. Today, Helena sent us a little package with a good luck note and this cute onesie. Isn't it darling? It's Joey's first gift! It was so sweet of her and we really appreciated it!

We got back from Oregon on Sunday night and we had a great time! We visited with Wynton and Tony, walked around Portland, ate at some nice restaurants, golfed, went to the beach and to the 2nd largest Oktoberfest in the world (next to Munich)! The game was very disappointing, but it was a wonderful weekend! We travelled with the Lupron, which had to be kept cold, but it was pretty easy and just kept refilling baggies with ice. The clinic gave me a note to travel with medication and needles in case there were any questions.

Monday morning I started 3 shots a day. I am now taking 1/2 the amount of Lupron and have added the Follistim and Repronex. The Follistim is easy with the pen. The needle is smaller and I don't have to measure the dose myself. Each dose of the Repronex has to be mixed daily. I mix with the larger needle and then replace with the smaller one. Thank goodness! Both of these new shots take longer to administer and they hurt more. I'm starting to get a little bruising and a few welts. Other than headaches and slight cramping, I haven't felt any side effects. I had an acupuncture appointment yesterday and she did a special treatment on me for headaches. I'm sure I looked quite comical with all the needles in my head. A bit like Hellraiser! :o)

We found out that I do not have the cystic fibrosis gene, so that is a relief! They recommend avoiding caffeine, alcohol and heavy exercise or twisting (like in yoga). I'm sure that cutting caffeine out has a bit to do with my headaches! My ovaries are growing so large that they could twist or be harmed in some way. I can go on walks, which I love anyway! I will just need Clay to take Oscar in case he pulls or chases after another dog.

We are getting new carpet in the family room on Friday, so we'll be busy cleaning up and putting everything back in it's place. Clay's going to need some help since I won't be able to move anything big. This weekend should be pretty mello though. We do have a U of U game on Saturday (no tailgating for me!) and visiting with friends and family on Sunday. We go in next Monday at 8:00 am to see how my ovaries are doing and check the number of eggs. The doctors will then decide if I'm ready for the egg retrieval or if I need an adjustment on the dosage of the Follistim. Hopefully, I'll be ready for the egg retrieval sooner than later!

So, everything is going well. No side effects from the Lupron at all. I've been giving myself all my shots at 7 am each morning. Clay is glad that he doesn't have to get up early with me. It really hasn't been too bad at all. It's strange, I'm almost excited to get the shot... it's like I'm one step closer to the ideal end result... a healthy little Joey!

First things first... we were very excited to get Clay's test results back on Wednesday. His sperm penetrated 15 out of 15 eggs! They are just looking for 50%, so this was great news! We also learned that there was an average of 10 sperm that penetrated each egg and anything above 2 is considered normal! The morphology report showed that less that 1/2 the sperm weren't normal size and shape, but it seems that the ones that are normal are really good at doing what they are supposed to do! We were very happy!

Today was the first shot of Lupron at 7 am. I take 10ccs and the shot goes in my tummy. The needle is pretty small and I barely felt it go in. It went okay though it was a little itchy afterwards. I have to take the shots at the same time everyday, so I had to pick a time that would work for the next weeks. I was pretty nervous about the first shot so Clay gave it to me. I think I'll be able to give it to myself soon.

It was explained to me that the Lupron turns off my body's natural production of Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing Hormone (LH). Basically, I'm in menopause for a few weeks so the stimulating drugs that I'll be taking in 2 weeks take over and overproduce eggs. Here are pictures of the drug and the needle:

We haven't received the results from the Hampster Egg Penetration Test (HEPT) yet, so we're waiting for that and for our injection class on Thursday. I just want to get going on this. It is so hard waiting for our start time! I know it is important because we want to make sure it is timed right. I'm sure that in the next few weeks when I've been pricked, poked and prodded multiple times, I will be wondering why I was ever so anxious to get started.

We are trying to enjoy the last few days of being unrestricted. We have enjoyed some nice dinners and special wine (I can't drink for most of the IVF time period) and we're heading out to Wendover on Saturday. Gotta win some money to pay for this whole thing! Just kidding! We just want to go have some fun before the shots start! We are also excited for the first University of Utah football game on Thursday! We have season tickets this year!

Stay tuned for more information soon!