Do you remember watching Sesame Street and each day was brought to you by a number and a letter? And throughout the episode the number and letter kept appearing?
Well today is brought to you by the letter K: for K (that's me) and Kate at I Can't Whistle.
It's also brought to you by the number 8! Yep, we both got 8.
It's crazy weird, no? But all good, yes?
And the rest of my story...
8 - Eggs retrieved
7- Mature
7- ICSI'd
5- At 2pn
2 -Still viable but hadn't cleaved yet
Top Doc says she is happy with this. She also noted that the cyst that almost cancelled my cycle was still there so she aspirated it. And it bled. And she didn't know exactly what it was for sure (she threw out some theories) but that we should just watch it.
The bonus news for me was that this retrieval was WAY better than my last. I can't believe it, and that was after Top Doc had prepared me for a possible repeat performance of the retrieval at my last clinic. I think the cocktail was better. The procedure was quicker. I had relatively little pain and actually got up and walked the half mile back to the hotel afterward! (I couldn't walk for over 24 hours last time and I was brutally sick.)
Oh, and can I just mention I don't have to take PIO shots?? Today I started the peanut pellets, otherwise known as Pro.metrium. Tomorrow I start the Viv.elle patch. I've already decided that shoving a peanut up the hoo hoo and putting a sticker on the belly beats PIO in the ass any day. Now if I just put M&Ms up my nose, I'd be a 3-year-old all over again and I could yell at Big Bird on TV.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Twas the Night Before....
...retrieval and all through the hotel room. Ok, my mild anxiety is creeping through tonight. I don't know why. I am WAY prepared. I am ready. This is all good. And thank you everyone for your awesome comments and your shout outs on your blogs. I want to also mention that as I will likely be under the weather tomorrow (my last retrieval was miserable and Top Doc says this one will be no exception), I am wishing the best for meKate, T @ IF Optimist, Megan, Maddy, & Pundelina who are all on deck now or shortly. (Sorry if I forgot someone...)
So for today's post...I am going to list everything I did today. I know, this is dumb. But it's all I got.
1. Slept in. Then enjoyed my decaf earl grey with cream on the patio.
2. Watched the kitty cam
3. Argued with Mr. W about which flight back he was going to take.
4. Researched said fights since he has a choice of 5 airports.
5. Made Mr. W's corporate payroll tax and 401k deposits.
6. Did laundry in the bathroom sink of my hotel room.
7. Picked out what I'm going to wear tomorrow and what I want to wear to bed when I get back.
8. Stressed out over the pre-op instructions.
9. Argued with Mr. W about his flight some more. He tells me to change it.
10. More flight research. Override his decision and don't change it.
11. Feel tired and a bit grumpy.
12. Watch kitty cam again.
13. Emailed the niece who's in NY at grad school. She is bugging me to come visit. Might be dropping in on you, EB and Sprog!
14. Email the nephew who is returning from studying in Italy. I have just realized that the keys to his car are locked in my house and he returns they day after tomorrow. Nice!
15. Lay by the hotel pool for awhile until I notice the guy down the way has his hands in his pants. That's enough for me, thank you.
16. Walk to Trader Jo.e's to pick up some things I might consider eating tomorrow. Or not. Get things for Mr. W so he won't have to go out looking for food, and can take care of me full time instead. :)))
17. Decide I have been eating healthy enough and walking enough daily to splurge and order a pizza for my "last.supper."
18. Count down the last hour that I can have anything to eat or drink.
19. Consider going to pick up Mr. W at the airport. And then decide to tell him he can take a cab since it is almost 11:00pm.
20. Notice that I am achy and have these lemons rolling around inside me.
21. Find that Jay Len.o's new show is not as funny as his old one.
22. Read and comment on your blogs.
23. Set my alarm to get up in the middle of the night to take the 2 pills I am supposed to take with only a "sip" of water.
24. Admire the circle the nurse drew yesterday (that's still on my butt) so I could back myself up to a mirror and give my own damn trigger shot.
25. Checked out the lastest Face.book gossip. Which compared to what I'm doing, is really boring.
And with that, I shall load myself into bed. One sleep to go...
So for today's post...I am going to list everything I did today. I know, this is dumb. But it's all I got.
1. Slept in. Then enjoyed my decaf earl grey with cream on the patio.
2. Watched the kitty cam
3. Argued with Mr. W about which flight back he was going to take.
4. Researched said fights since he has a choice of 5 airports.
5. Made Mr. W's corporate payroll tax and 401k deposits.
6. Did laundry in the bathroom sink of my hotel room.
7. Picked out what I'm going to wear tomorrow and what I want to wear to bed when I get back.
8. Stressed out over the pre-op instructions.
9. Argued with Mr. W about his flight some more. He tells me to change it.
10. More flight research. Override his decision and don't change it.
11. Feel tired and a bit grumpy.
12. Watch kitty cam again.
13. Emailed the niece who's in NY at grad school. She is bugging me to come visit. Might be dropping in on you, EB and Sprog!
14. Email the nephew who is returning from studying in Italy. I have just realized that the keys to his car are locked in my house and he returns they day after tomorrow. Nice!
15. Lay by the hotel pool for awhile until I notice the guy down the way has his hands in his pants. That's enough for me, thank you.
16. Walk to Trader Jo.e's to pick up some things I might consider eating tomorrow. Or not. Get things for Mr. W so he won't have to go out looking for food, and can take care of me full time instead. :)))
17. Decide I have been eating healthy enough and walking enough daily to splurge and order a pizza for my "last.supper."
18. Count down the last hour that I can have anything to eat or drink.
19. Consider going to pick up Mr. W at the airport. And then decide to tell him he can take a cab since it is almost 11:00pm.
20. Notice that I am achy and have these lemons rolling around inside me.
21. Find that Jay Len.o's new show is not as funny as his old one.
22. Read and comment on your blogs.
23. Set my alarm to get up in the middle of the night to take the 2 pills I am supposed to take with only a "sip" of water.
24. Admire the circle the nurse drew yesterday (that's still on my butt) so I could back myself up to a mirror and give my own damn trigger shot.
25. Checked out the lastest Face.book gossip. Which compared to what I'm doing, is really boring.
And with that, I shall load myself into bed. One sleep to go...
Monday, September 14, 2009
Game On
All systems are go for Wednesday. Top Doc says things look good and today she was measuring 12 follicles. Some of them are smaller and it's likely they won't be mature. However, this is the best I have ever done and I'm excited about that (she says without trying to to get her hopes up too far.)
Today I was glancing over the paperwork and some of the chart details and noticed that our official diagnosis from Top Doc's clinic is Male Factor. This also makes me feel somewhat better. I might be a slow or poor responder to the meds but it doesn't appear that I have DOR like the last clinic tried to cram down my throat in effort to push me to DE. Yes, my clock is ticking, but not fast enough (in my opinion) to jump into the DE bed today.
I just have to say that Mr. W did the sweetest thing before he left home last time. We have a video security system at home so he moved the kitty food into view of one of the cameras. Now I can log into the system and peek in on my purry kids. And, I had to post this photo he snapped with his cell phone.
Today I was glancing over the paperwork and some of the chart details and noticed that our official diagnosis from Top Doc's clinic is Male Factor. This also makes me feel somewhat better. I might be a slow or poor responder to the meds but it doesn't appear that I have DOR like the last clinic tried to cram down my throat in effort to push me to DE. Yes, my clock is ticking, but not fast enough (in my opinion) to jump into the DE bed today.
I just have to say that Mr. W did the sweetest thing before he left home last time. We have a video security system at home so he moved the kitty food into view of one of the cameras. Now I can log into the system and peek in on my purry kids. And, I had to post this photo he snapped with his cell phone.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Here I Am
...in the hotel room hanging out by myself. The word for the day is flexibilty. Everyone say it together. It's what this cycle is all about. It started out that way, and it may very well end that way. But hey, I'm game. I'll be flexible. If that's what it takes.
I've had 3 appointments at Top Doc's clinic since I got here Wednesday night. Mr. W joined me on Thursday with the idea we'd have liftoff followed by orbit sometime late this weekend/Monday-ish. OK, not so much.
Top Doc is letting me a cook awhile. And, it seems her strategy is paying off. Little by little some new follicle comes out to play the longer we wait. So here I am, pushing stim day 12 tomorrow and it looks like I'll get the trigger for the 8 or so that are ready. This is good news because I'm starting to get uncomfortable. Not crazy painful swollen miserable. But achey full can't sit or twist or stand uncomfortable.
This was bad news for Mr. W. He had blocked out his schedule to be here Monday and Tuesday this week. But my retrieval is now Wednesday. After some discussion, we agreed he would fly home tonight, reschedule his Wednesday and Thursday patients for Monday and Tuesday now if they could, and fly back Tuesday night. I feel badly about this. Patients wait 4 months to see him and then he has to cancel at the last minute. It's frustrating for them and it burdens his partner and staff. Not to mention people will start to ask lots of questions about the urgent change. But at the same time, he is human. He has a life outside of work and this is important. Not to mention the selfish me wanted him to stay with me and cancel everyone, because it IS that important and because I miss him and because I am hormonal.
But, after a zip.car trip to my favorite place (just 60 miles to the North) for the day, I dropped him at the airport and returned myself to the hotel. So here I am. Being flexible.
I've had 3 appointments at Top Doc's clinic since I got here Wednesday night. Mr. W joined me on Thursday with the idea we'd have liftoff followed by orbit sometime late this weekend/Monday-ish. OK, not so much.
Top Doc is letting me a cook awhile. And, it seems her strategy is paying off. Little by little some new follicle comes out to play the longer we wait. So here I am, pushing stim day 12 tomorrow and it looks like I'll get the trigger for the 8 or so that are ready. This is good news because I'm starting to get uncomfortable. Not crazy painful swollen miserable. But achey full can't sit or twist or stand uncomfortable.
This was bad news for Mr. W. He had blocked out his schedule to be here Monday and Tuesday this week. But my retrieval is now Wednesday. After some discussion, we agreed he would fly home tonight, reschedule his Wednesday and Thursday patients for Monday and Tuesday now if they could, and fly back Tuesday night. I feel badly about this. Patients wait 4 months to see him and then he has to cancel at the last minute. It's frustrating for them and it burdens his partner and staff. Not to mention people will start to ask lots of questions about the urgent change. But at the same time, he is human. He has a life outside of work and this is important. Not to mention the selfish me wanted him to stay with me and cancel everyone, because it IS that important and because I miss him and because I am hormonal.
But, after a zip.car trip to my favorite place (just 60 miles to the North) for the day, I dropped him at the airport and returned myself to the hotel. So here I am. Being flexible.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Status Quo
I loved the comments about my last post. You guys rock. And I was feeling somewhat badly about my whole outlook on the matter. Ok, NOT! Thanks for letting me off the hook.
This morning was my day 5 u/s with Dr. OMC. Which basically amounted to only 3 1/2 days of stims. Things are moving along - better than the last two times, but still not perfect. But shit. If I was perfect, I wouldn't be in this mess in the first place. So, we're just going to roll with what we've got- 6 follicles out in front and 4-6 more bringing up the rear. I'm all clear for a Wednesday afternoon departure to Top Doc's clinic (with a shot of Gani.relix on the side) where I will camp out for the next week or two. Fortunately, Mr. W gets to join me on Thursday night and stay through retrieval. I'm very happy about this. And, since we used to live in Top Doc's city, I can't think of a better place to spend 6 days hanging out with the master of pizza ovens.
Here is what I can happily say about this protocol so far:
1) It's easier. The dosing is a bit simpler and shots are only 1 time per day. I actually feel like I can function the rest of the day because I'm not so obsessed about looking at the damn calendar to see if I forgot to take something.
2) There are NO STEROIDS or evil Lu.pron (as my dear EB calls it). I shouted it out before. I'm shouting it out again.
3) I am not as moody, grumpy, or otherwise miserable. (I reserve the right to revoke this statement later. Clearly, I do.)
4) My sleep is not as disrupted and I still have energy.
5) I am not swelling or gaining weight. (Yet.)
And so, in an effort to get my shit together so I can leave town peacefully, I have been task mastering. Behold, the harvest update:
14 - more quarts of tomatoes canned
2 - gallons of tomato sauce canned
(there are 125 tomato plants in 5 varieties)
12 - 1/2 pints of corn relish canned
15 - ears of corn sealed and frozen
5- batches of zucchini bread in 3 different recipes, including a low-sugar variety for Mr. W
This morning was my day 5 u/s with Dr. OMC. Which basically amounted to only 3 1/2 days of stims. Things are moving along - better than the last two times, but still not perfect. But shit. If I was perfect, I wouldn't be in this mess in the first place. So, we're just going to roll with what we've got- 6 follicles out in front and 4-6 more bringing up the rear. I'm all clear for a Wednesday afternoon departure to Top Doc's clinic (with a shot of Gani.relix on the side) where I will camp out for the next week or two. Fortunately, Mr. W gets to join me on Thursday night and stay through retrieval. I'm very happy about this. And, since we used to live in Top Doc's city, I can't think of a better place to spend 6 days hanging out with the master of pizza ovens.
Here is what I can happily say about this protocol so far:
1) It's easier. The dosing is a bit simpler and shots are only 1 time per day. I actually feel like I can function the rest of the day because I'm not so obsessed about looking at the damn calendar to see if I forgot to take something.
2) There are NO STEROIDS or evil Lu.pron (as my dear EB calls it). I shouted it out before. I'm shouting it out again.
3) I am not as moody, grumpy, or otherwise miserable. (I reserve the right to revoke this statement later. Clearly, I do.)
4) My sleep is not as disrupted and I still have energy.
5) I am not swelling or gaining weight. (Yet.)
And so, in an effort to get my shit together so I can leave town peacefully, I have been task mastering. Behold, the harvest update:
14 - more quarts of tomatoes canned
2 - gallons of tomato sauce canned
(there are 125 tomato plants in 5 varieties)
12 - 1/2 pints of corn relish canned
15 - ears of corn sealed and frozen
5- batches of zucchini bread in 3 different recipes, including a low-sugar variety for Mr. W
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Smut for the Day
I can't resist temptation to comment on this one. Much like I couldn't control the hand that clicked on the page.
First off, my own personal disclaimer, which really means very little:
I'm not a reality show watcher. I don't read the celebrity smut magazines. And, the only things I know about Jon and K.ate and Oct.omom and whomever else, are the things that flash before my eyes on the newsstand while I'm waiting at checkout, things I see in the only paper I read (the WSJ), and whatever Brian Wil.liams says on the nightly news when I happen to catch him. Otherwise, I prefer to have my head conveniently buried in the sand.
And then I flipped on my laptop yesterday. The last time I had it in for IT service, the guy set my home page to M.S.N.com. Something I never changed. So I popped open internet explorer and there it was plastered across the front. And what did I do? I swear a 2 ton brick could not have stopped my hand from clicking on it. There was nothing I could do but read and stare and gawk.
The Dug.gars are having their 19th child. What.the.fucq.
First off, my own personal disclaimer, which really means very little:
I'm not a reality show watcher. I don't read the celebrity smut magazines. And, the only things I know about Jon and K.ate and Oct.omom and whomever else, are the things that flash before my eyes on the newsstand while I'm waiting at checkout, things I see in the only paper I read (the WSJ), and whatever Brian Wil.liams says on the nightly news when I happen to catch him. Otherwise, I prefer to have my head conveniently buried in the sand.
And then I flipped on my laptop yesterday. The last time I had it in for IT service, the guy set my home page to M.S.N.com. Something I never changed. So I popped open internet explorer and there it was plastered across the front. And what did I do? I swear a 2 ton brick could not have stopped my hand from clicking on it. There was nothing I could do but read and stare and gawk.
The Dug.gars are having their 19th child. What.the.fucq.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Mistaken Identity
Or as Dr. OMC sheepishly stated at my second u/s yesterday...."Too many cooks in the kitchen."
After hearing I had a cyst on Tuesday (and being informed by Dr. OMC that if I was their patient I would be cancelled) Top Doc asked if it was "clear" or "cloudy" to which, Dr. OMC replied (several hours after the u/s) that is was clear. Meaning it was a follicle that had not ovulated, as opposed to the cloudy remnant of one that had just ovulated from the previous cycle.
Did I mention why I like Top Doc so much? For starters, she is THOROUGH. She was not satisfied with the u/s results and so I had another yesterday. (Yeah, it cost me another $500 to repeat.) This time, Dr. OMC informs me he will not be commenting on my u/s (uhm while he's there doing it and I'm watching) and instead says he will leave the decision making to Top Doc.
But at this u/s I have the unique benefit of having a resident present! Normally, I don't consider it a benefit. And in fact, I often decline the resident option. So what does this mean? Well aside from it means she is like the 8th or 9th person in the last 6 months to assist in the wand-waving in my hoo-hoo, it means Dr. OMC is giving a little teaching lesson! So much for his "no comment." As he proceeds to count the 7 follicles on the left and the 5 on the right, he points out a larger cyst on the left and mutters something about cloudiness under his breath and evidence of a corpus luteum. (Sludge left over from the last cycle.) BINGO!
And so I was given the green light last night by Top Doc! You gotta love a woman with the kahunas to ask questions and demand more. Of course, I had not been to the pharmacy yet, but I was prepared with enough leftovers to shoot up last night then high-tail it to the pharmacy first thing this morning to pick up the goods (and shoot up again in the parking lot.)
I've gotten smart in my IVF veteran-ness. My next u/s is Monday, so I bought enough drugs to get through Tuesday. Maybe I'm not being the ultimate optimist, but what the hell? In the event I get cancelled mid-cycle, I don't want to be dining out on extra Foll.istim in my fridge until the next round.
So it seems I'm headed out of town in a few days afterall to finish my cycle at Top Doc's clinic. Nothing like keeping a girl guessing...especially a hormonal one!
After hearing I had a cyst on Tuesday (and being informed by Dr. OMC that if I was their patient I would be cancelled) Top Doc asked if it was "clear" or "cloudy" to which, Dr. OMC replied (several hours after the u/s) that is was clear. Meaning it was a follicle that had not ovulated, as opposed to the cloudy remnant of one that had just ovulated from the previous cycle.
Did I mention why I like Top Doc so much? For starters, she is THOROUGH. She was not satisfied with the u/s results and so I had another yesterday. (Yeah, it cost me another $500 to repeat.) This time, Dr. OMC informs me he will not be commenting on my u/s (uhm while he's there doing it and I'm watching) and instead says he will leave the decision making to Top Doc.
But at this u/s I have the unique benefit of having a resident present! Normally, I don't consider it a benefit. And in fact, I often decline the resident option. So what does this mean? Well aside from it means she is like the 8th or 9th person in the last 6 months to assist in the wand-waving in my hoo-hoo, it means Dr. OMC is giving a little teaching lesson! So much for his "no comment." As he proceeds to count the 7 follicles on the left and the 5 on the right, he points out a larger cyst on the left and mutters something about cloudiness under his breath and evidence of a corpus luteum. (Sludge left over from the last cycle.) BINGO!
And so I was given the green light last night by Top Doc! You gotta love a woman with the kahunas to ask questions and demand more. Of course, I had not been to the pharmacy yet, but I was prepared with enough leftovers to shoot up last night then high-tail it to the pharmacy first thing this morning to pick up the goods (and shoot up again in the parking lot.)
I've gotten smart in my IVF veteran-ness. My next u/s is Monday, so I bought enough drugs to get through Tuesday. Maybe I'm not being the ultimate optimist, but what the hell? In the event I get cancelled mid-cycle, I don't want to be dining out on extra Foll.istim in my fridge until the next round.
So it seems I'm headed out of town in a few days afterall to finish my cycle at Top Doc's clinic. Nothing like keeping a girl guessing...especially a hormonal one!
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