I’m Alive

So I have stayed away for a couple days. I ended up getting mild to moderate Hyper Stimulation so Momma was not happy.  I found out on Friday afternoon that our embryo’s weren’t developing as fast as they should so they moved me to a 3 day transfer.  I was so bummed because my body needed a break plus I wanted by babies to get to blastocyst stage.  I spent a lot of time praying Friday night that god would give me the strength to continue with the process.  So Saturday we spent a few hours getting our embryo’s transferred the best one was a 8 cell grade B embryo and 2 6 cell grade C embryo’s.  The  six cell are just insurance policy they say.  Because they really have a small chance of making it.  So we are banking on the strongest one.  Here they are:

Our Little Biddy's

The transfer room was very cool. I have never been awake in an operating room.  They kept me very warm, had relaxing music playing and Mark got to see the Little Biddy’s in the incubator.  So I am half way through the bedrest and can’t wait to leave the house.  One last cool thing to share. They gave us a photo of the embryo in my uterus.  If you can see the little plus sign it’s the white spot next to it. Isn’t that COOL!

Little Biddy Nesting

9 Fertilized

So I just called and checked my nifty IVF voicemail.  They were able to perform ICSI on 17 of the 22 eggs they retrieved. 9 Fertilized, oh man I pray that is enough.  I’ve told Mark that this is it for me if these embryo’s don’t turn into a pregnancy I am not doing a Fresh cycle.  I understands where I am coming from but was not in the mood to talk about adoption.  This road is going to a very interesting one not just for my marriage but my strength as a woman. 

The procedure went pretty quickly I’ve been through several other surgeries so I wasn’t scared.  I did get really nausea and week after the procedure.  I have been bloated for the last 36 hours now and I threw up last nights salad. Maybe it was the disgusting Medrol pill that tasted like I was swallowing a shit.  But onward and upward.  I will check again tomorrow to see how the 9 embryo’s are growing.  Then my transfer is scheduled for Monday, Nov 23 so I get to rest over Thanksgiving.

Triggered and SO ready

My body is so ready to get these eggs out. I feel like a chicken who hasn’t laid and egg in months.  Last night the cramps were so bad I wanted to throw up. But I just sat in the bathroom playing solitaire waiting for them to pass.  The trigger shot did help it has offered some relief from the bloating.  I will spend the next couple of days praying that I steer clear of OHSS.  I apologized to my body and how sorry I was for putting her through this. I pray she will forgive me.

Estrodial 4615, 20 Growing Follicles, and a big fat belly

So today was great movement day for me in this process.  I get to stop injecting 2 needles into my belly hopefully forever.  I get to take a break for a couple days from drugs, hormones, yipee.

I am scheduled for my egg retrieval on Wednesday, 11/18 at 9:30am. Nothing like a little surgery to get your day started.  So far things look really good. It’s so weird to say I will be pregnant on Monday, 11/23(until proven otherwise).  So if someone asks me if I’m pregnant I can say not this week but maybe next.

I did get my package of progesterone shots. Uggghhhhh is that needle big.  I told Mark I think we should give him a fake shot every night so he understands what it feels like.

On the side effects side: I feel like a stuffed animal and my belly is the size of a melon. Lord please protect my body from OHSS please allow my body to finish this road in peace. Also I am very crabby and can’t stand men right now especially Mark. Everything he says or does is so damn annoying.  I just want to cus him out every night I’m doing the shot. Lord please let my love for Mark overflow and not let my emotions get the best of me. Seal my lips so I can keep my negative thoughts to myself. I thank you for blessing me with a man to walk through this journey with.

Show and Tell

See what everyone else is showing and telling at Mel’s

My sweet old man

Today’s show and tell is my fur baby Gordy.  He turned 13 in August and he has been my baby since he was 8 weeks old.  He was a free puppy in the paper.  I went up to this farm, pulled in the long dirt driveway, worked very hard at not running over 1 of many puppies jumping around my car.  I got out and met the owner and said “How do you keep them from running away?”  She said “We have a little shed with a fence around it but they keep getting out except that one.” She pointed over at the pen and there sat my baby all by himself.  He was just sitting there staring at me.  He was so cute I didn’t even look at the other puppies. I said “I will take that one.” It was love at first sight he has gone and done everything with me.  He was my tissue when I cried over many broken hearts and stupid boys. He traveled on the road with me for 23 hours straight, crawling through a blizzard, on my way home to Minnesota for Christmas. Last year Mark and I took him to the beach and swim in the ocean. Swim is a loose term he basically ran from the waves but he loved smelling all the sea shells. In October 2009 he beat out 9 other dogs in our Nashville Dog Days event for best Frisbee catch.  He can still haul ass at 13 and I love him so much. Mark jokes that I would leave him before I gave up Gordy.  He’s probably right though when he married me he knew I was an animal lover and I made a committment to this little black dog behind the fence to love him forever. I pray the day never comes when I have to put him to sleep. We have a deal that he will just go peacefully in his sleep in about 10 years.  I am going to keep him at his word.

1st Follicle check and a Brazilian

So I had my 1st visit to Mr Wand yesterday. It went pretty quickly. The tech asked me to write down my numbers so it gave me a job.  She saw 8 on my right and 5 on my left all under 10(is it mm or cm?).  Then I headed to the only woman in town I trust my ya ya too. Mrs Amber. 

I decided to get a brazilian since my ya ya was going to be seeing alot of Mr Wand.  I prefer to be clean and hair free which is not a fun procecure but will look good for several weeks. Then hopefully if all goes well I will keep it plucked until the baby comes. I am not letting a random nurse shave me. Eeeeekkk. My Amber is so sweet and actually is use to seeing ya ya’s all day. Man you couldn’t pay me enough but she doesn’t mind.  I guess once you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all.

Finally my IVF nurse left me a voicemail in our clinics rather cool voicemail system.  She said “The Dr looked everything over and you are right on track. Your numbers are looking good and he saw 16 follicles.  My estrogen level was at 243 which she said is great.” So now I go in on Friday and have another visit with Mr Wand.  Grow Eggs Grow!

Fart, Gas, Bouf, Letting out steam, etc

So maybe it’s what I eat but I think the Follistim gives you gas.  I have had lots of gas since starting the injections on Saturday.  I was getting a pedicure trying desperately to hold it in.  Man if this is the only side effect I will take it. I don’t know about my husband! For me I will take farts over OHSS any day.  Not that I would know. Just listening to you ladies who have gone through it I can understand.  So if you have a cure for the gas email me.

Show and Tell

So one of my best girls and I took a Thanksgiving cooking class. I love to cook but have not ventured into the world of Turkey. So we cooked for 5 hours and created: 12lb Turkey with Sage Butter, Gravy, Greens beans with Bacon, Chive/Chedder/Corn scones, apple cranberry crumble, mushroom bread pudding.  It was a fun day! We named our Turkey George. Man was George tasty.

5 Hour Cooking Class

Finally moving

Today I had my estrogen level check to make sure I am suppressed or depressed not sure which. Haha nope not depressed quite at ease actually.  Then I had my uterus checked and passed with flying colors, thin lining which is suppose to be good right now, 10 follicles on each side. Then I had my trial transfer which was not so bad.  Then I met with the lab director whom was very smart and educated me on this whole process and what I should see.  I shared with her all I had learned via the Stirrup Queens and Mr Google. She was impressed with all I knew.  What a good embryo looks like, what size, what shape, how many cells I pray to see.  Then I met with my IVF nurse whom reminded me what the next few days will look like. Gave me a tutorial on the Follistim shot then off I went.  Man I had no plans for this to turn into a 2 1/2 hour Dr visit.  But off we go I am half way through and am excited to see what comes of this whole IVF process. Scientifically it is fascinating, spiritually it’s even more fascinating.  Man if you can’t see god’s hand at work looking at this process and what the cells become you will never see god.

Oh Kristi you have grey hair

So I walked into our copy room this morning where a couple of folks were standing at the copy machine. One of the lovely ladies says to me. “Kristi you’re getting grey hairs.” I said “Yeah they will be gone by Saturday. There are only a few.” She says “Oh no there are several, one, two, three, blah blah.” I said “Um thanks for pointing out my grey hair that is really nice of you.” Then she starts to feel bad and compliments me on my black nail polish I had on for Halloween.  It was the most depressing day I’ve had in a long time. Good lord I’m only 34 should people be able to count my grey hairs? So my hair is now up in a pony tail with grey hairs well hidden until I see my magician on Saturday, Glory will wash that grey right out of my hair.  It’s the first time in my life I’ve felt old. Like I should just pack up my belongings and call it a day.  By god she will not see a grey hair for as long as I can cover them up. 

Ok I am better now I got that all out of my system.