Beta Results!!

WE'RE PREGNANT!

I can hardly believe it myself!  When Katie the NEDC nurse told me that I am pregnant, I actually yelled "Yes!!" on the phone.  It was kind of embarrassing.

My beta came in at 159 at 9dp5dt.  Katie said they usually like to see the numbers come in between 75 - 100.  If it was more than 100 that would be pretty good.  But mine was 159!  I asked what that means, singleton or twins?  She said she is usually pretty good about predicting the number of babies based on the number, but she said those in the 150's always throw her off.  I guess we will have to wait until Monday for my next beta to see what my numbers are.  The numbers have to double every 48 hours, and since my appointment is 4 days away, they want to see my number quadruple.  That would mean my pregnancy is healthy and viable, and they would be able to tell better if there is one or two little ones in there.  For now, 159 is a great number!

As soon as I got off the phone with Katie, I realized I HAD to take a home pregnancy test.  I needed proof that I am pregnant!  Before this, I have never been pregnant before.  This is the first time I have EVER had a positive HPT in almost 10 years of trying!

I was so happy!  And relieved!  I still can't believe it is true.  I started sobbing.  And laughing.  And thanking God for this miracle that he is letting me experience.

Proof that we have a little one (or two) brewing in there!

I have to admit, feeling that I had so much at stake, yesterday I emailed Angie the coordinator to find out if NEDC had received any new donor families that meet our needs since May when we were given our profiles.  I received an email this afternoon from her saying she was confused as to why I was asking about profiles since I don't know my beta results yet.

Then, when Katie called this afternoon, the first thing she asked was why I had inquired with Angie about new donor families.... was I looking for backups if this transfer or if I was looking for future siblings for those embryos we already adopted?  I sheepishly answered, well.... both.  I didn't want to admit to her that I was worried this transfer was not going to work.  Then she said let's put it this way, the only reason why you'd need to look at new donor families is if you are looking for siblings.  You're pregnant!  Oh man.... I can't even express how relieved/happy/excited I was!  This is when I yelled "Yes!!" into the phone.  Like I said, a little embarrassing.  Katie.... she's such a riot.  And I love her!

So this is the wonderful news we have so far.  If you are like me, and have gone through the infertility journey and/or loss, you know that with every good news, we have to be cautious and have to guard our hearts and emotions, until the next milestone.

For now, Babe and I are beyond the moon about this good news!  Please pray for us for good numbers again at our next beta on Monday.  I am so grateful for all of you who have been praying and rooting for us this entire time.

**For those of you who know me in real life or on FB, please do not mention any of this.  We have only shared this news with a few family members and close friends.  Thanks**

Beta #2

My hCG from my second beta came back at a whopping 4.  So instead of doubling, it dropped from 13 to 4.

I am officially no longer pregnant.  I get to stop all my meds including the dreaded PIO.  I should get my period in the next 3 - 7 days.

Katie said it was a chemical pregnancy, meaning an early miscarriage.  In a way, I'm glad I didn't test early at home, because I might possibly have gotten a positive result, only to find out that later that I am not pregnant.

We are already planning on going back in January for another try.  NEDC transfer dates in January are the 15th through the 21st.  I should be getting my protocol by the end of next week and we get to do this all over again.

Beta #1

I went to my local clinic for my beta this morning.  It was busy at the clinic as I'm sure lots of other people were like me, having to do the beta first thing Monday morning after the holiday weekend.

After waiting anxiously, I finally got the call from Katie, the NEDC nurse at a little past 3 pm.  My test came back positive.  TECHNICALLY, I am pregnant.  However, my hGC number only came in at 13.  NEDC likes to see the number at 75 by now.  So, it is not looking good.  For now, we are "cautiously optimistic", Katie's words.

Katie said sometimes the embryo may take a little longer to implant and therefore the number may be low.  However, I also know that I had cramping and spotting at 4 days past transfer, usually an indication that implantation was happening.  I'm fairly sure it's not delayed implantation.

So now we wait for my second beta that will take place on Wednesday.  If the number doubles then, then I may still be pregnant.  But honestly, though I know I should remain positive, I'm fairly sure this cycle is a bust.

The good news is this is the closest I've come to being pregnant.  In all my past IVFs and IUIs, my HCG numbers were 2 or less.  I even took a home pregnancy test to see if it would turn positive, since Katie said that I was technically pregnant.  But alas, it didn't show the 2nd line.  When Babe got home from work today, he saw a very faint second line, but that was hours after I took the test.  You are supposed to check only 2 minutes after.

So, we wait some more.  The bad news is I have to continue taking my pain in the ass PIO shots.  Only 2 more days.  I can do it!

Please continue to pray for me and my beta on Wednesday.   Though I'm sorely disappointed, I'm not giving up quite yet.

Oh My Bloatness!

Remember when I said I felt "full" last night?  Well I'm actually really bloated.

Didn't really think that I that bloated, was since I have been feeling pretty good this cycle.  Until I pulled out my suit last night.  I wanted to make sure that my pant suit still fit me.  The last time I wore the pants, which was not that long ago, it fit fine, in fact it was a little loose.  Last night, I could barely button them!  I'm not getting another suit so I just hope that I don't pass out in those pants!

At today's stim day 12 appointment:
  Lining: 12 mm
  Right ovary: 15.5, 15.5, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10 mm
  Left ovary: 18, 16, 14.5, 14, 14, 11 mm

I'm getting really close.  I will have my HCG (trigger) shot either tonight or tomorrow night.  I'm hoping it's tomorrow.  I want to give the 14's a chance to catch up.  The clinic likes follicles to be at least 15 mm before doing the HCG shot.

Unless the blood work comes back with anything different, I am to continue my current meds of 150IU Meno.pur, 300IU Follis.tim and Ganirelix, and go back for another ultrasound tomorrow morning.  I will most probably have my HCG shot tomorrow and egg retrieval on Friday.

If not, they will call me this afternoon, and let me know if I need to have my HCG shot tonight, and then egg retrieval would be on Thursday.

It's all going to work out, timing wise.  Though tomorrow will be a bit tricky - 8:45 am appointment at the clinic, and 10 am job interview.  It will be close!

I'm off to prep for my job interview.  Wish me luck!

Trigger Happy

I'm feeling happy right now because my Babe did an AWESOME job with the trigger shot tonight!  Hence, the title "Trigger Happy".

I mixed the HCG medicines and prepared the syringe ready for my Babe.  Then when I was relaxed, he stuck the needle in my butt.  I didn't feel any pain, in fact I barely felt anything at all when the needle went it.  We didn't get any blood when pulling back the plunger of the syringe, so we knew we didn't hit a blood vessel, so we were good.  The meds were slowly injected in and we were done.  Just like that.

I was so relieved when it was all done.  Actually I was quite excited.  I had been a little anxious about this shot because I was a little worried that it may hurt.  Not that my Babe would do it wrong, but feeling a little out of control since someone else is sticking a needle in me, and that person was not me.

Anyway, no worries.  It was piece of cake!  Awesome job, Babe!

My friend Kristi offered these tips that really helped:

• Massage the area before injecting
• I laid down on my front with 2 pillows stacked under my knees to help relax the butt muscles
• Take a deep breath, then stick the needle in when exhaling
• Stick the needle with a quick, decisive motion

Thanks for the suggestions, Kristi!

Having the nurse draw a circle on the target area also really helped.  So I'm TOTALLY done with shots now!  Yippee!!

Next up, EGG RETRIEVAL on Friday!

Show and Tell: Box O' Meds

It's Wednesday, which is also Hump Day, which also means it's time for Me'ls Show and Tell!

This week, I am showing my Box O' Meds that I received in the mail on Friday.  These are the injectibles that I will need for my IVF cycle, including:

• Lu.pron kit
• Follis.tim pen kit
• Follis.tim
• Meno.pur
• Generic HCG
• Various types of syringes and needles
• Alcohol swabs
• Sharps container

This doesn't seem like very much, because thankfully I am not doing PIO (progesterone in oil) shots.  If I did, there would be a lot more meds, syringes and needles.  Already with this, I feel like such a druggie.

As always, go check out what the rest of the class is showing at Mel's.

Thank You, Insurance Company

There are only a couple of mail order pharmacies that my insurance company will cover infertility meds through.  I just got done talking to the pharmacy a little while ago.

I ordered the all the injectable medication that I need for this IVF cycle:  Lup.ron, Follis.tim AQ, Meno.pur and HCG.

Grand total I had to pay?  A whole $240!!  OMG!

I almost could not believe it when the gal told me the amount over the phone.  This is approximately how much I would have to pay for one stinking 300IU cartridge of Follis.tim!

Thank you insurance company!

I will be receiving the meds on Friday, and start Lup.ron shots on Sunday.

A Good Couple of Days

Sunday was Valentine's Day and also Chinese New Year.  For my Babe and I, it was a fairly quiet day.  Though we don't really celebrate the much hyped Valentine's Day, we did have a small Chinese New Year (CNY) Celebration.  I am ethnically Chinese, so I was missing the CNY festivities at home.  After church, we met up with two other couples and their kids for lunch at a Chinese restaurant.  Being that it was CNY, we ordered a set dinner which included pork with watercress soup, Peking roast duck, pork chops in Peking sauce, steamed whole walleye with ginger and scallions, stir fried crabs with ginger and scallions, salt and pepper squid, chinese broccoli and dessert.  It's not often we get to eat like this!  Then my Babe and I came home and took a nap.  It was a nice way to just relax and eat.   Eating is a HUGE part of Chinese New Year.

Yesterday I got a call from Nurse Mary that did my annual exam.  The lab had found that some traces of blood and protein in my urine during my appointment last Thursday.  She asked me if I had experienced any increase in frequency in peeing, or any burning sensation, etc, symptoms of of UTI (urinary tract infection).  I said no, in fact I don't even remember if I've ever had UTI.  So she sent those my urine out to the lab to be cultured anyway, just in case.  So yesterday (Monday) I got a call from Mary, they found that I had a mild grade UTI or bladder infection.  She called in my prescription and I picked those up last night.  Talk about great timing, because by the time I picked up my drugs, I was starting to feel discomfort in pelvic area, nothing serious but just kind of an icky feeling.  I have been told that I am lucky that they found my UTI early and and did not have to suffer severe symptoms.  I am on antibiotics for 5 days.  I'm glad it was found now before I start my IVF.  What great timing!

Today, I had 2 appointments at the Dr. Hopeful's clinic,  a shots class and a nurse's consult.  There were just 2 couples, we first watched a video on how to do the shots for Follis.tim, Lupr.on, Men.opur and HCG.  Then the nurse went over our syringes and pens to show us how to do the shots hands on.  We didn't actually inject anything, but it was nice to be able to touch and feel the actual "hardware" before we got them from the pharmacy.  The nurse also showed us where to inject intramuscular (IM) shots so our hubbies don't stick us in the wrong spots!  The other gal that was there found out I am not doing progesterone in oil (PIO) shots, and using Endome.trin suppositories instead.  She was not happy, and wanted to switch!  I felt bad for her and I am so glad I am not doing the PIOs!  I guess she is planning to talk to Dr. Hopeful to see if she can switch too!  I have to say I think my Babe is kind of looking forward to the opportunity to stick a big-a$$ needle in my butt!  I am doing the rest of the shots myself!  We left the shots training with a Follis.tim pen kit.

After the shots class, we met up with Nurse Stacey who did our consult.  My Ovarian Assesment Report (OAR) results came back.  

• I had an Egg Retrieval score, or "chance of successful retrieval" of 9, which was "fair" .  This score indicates that there is a fair chance of obtaining 5 eggs or more through ovarian stimulation.
• Compared to other women 36 to 40 years old, my egg retrieval score is average.

I'm not really sure what this really means.  All the nurse would say is that they would not be changing my protocol.  So I'm hoping that this does not mean bad news.  Ughh.... I don't really like the sound of "fair" and "average".  Why can't it be "good" or "excellent"?

We then went over all our meds, dates of shots, ultrasound and blood work appointments.   I start Lup.ron on 2/21, Meno.pur and Follis.tim on 3/5.  Depending on how my stims go, I could have my egg retrieval on the week of 3/15.  We'll see how it goes.  We also went over instructions for HCG where timing is crucial.  And of course my Babe will make his "butt sticking" debut.  I am expected to do a Day-5 blast transfer and I am hoping that we will have some embryos to freeze for future use.

Before we were done, Nurse Stacey also gave me my "goodies" bag, a bag with 4 boxes of FREE 300 IU Follis.tim AQ samples!  Woo hoo!  Free meds!  That's about $1,000 worth of free meds!  I was so excited!

In a packet that was sent to me earlier, it was indicated on the drug list that it was possible to get Vi.velle and Endome.trin samples too.  Stacey said she would check into it as they don't always get those samples to give out.  I asked if I should wait to order those, to see if they get any in later since I wouldn't need those till later in my cycle.  She said she would check another spot to see if they had any.  She later came back with 3 boxes (6) of Vi.velle patches and 2 boxes (12) Endo.metrin samples for me.  Score!!  More free drugs!  My Babe was quite impressed with the way I was able to "finagle" more free meds.  See, I told him, ask and you shall receive!  And I did ask nicely =)

After the consult with Nurse Stacey, we met up with Melissa, our financial coordinator.  We put down our prepayment of around $7K.  We had decided we were not doing the shared risk program and would be paying by the cycle.  We thought we would be paying for everything out of pocket.  But there was a surprise waiting for us!  

We were told we had a lifetime maximum coverage for infertility treatment of $5K!  We will have out-of-network coverage of 60/40 for the actual IVF procedure (egg retrieval and embryo transfer), but the follicle monitoring (ultrasounds and blood work) will be covered by in-network 80/20 coverage.   Plus we also had a $5K lifetime coverage for infertility drugs!  Oh, such awesome news!!  Even though it is not a huge dollar amount, it makes such a huge difference.

We didn't realize that when I left my job last year, and switched our insurance to my husband's company, the benefits started all over.  We had maxed out our infertility coverage at my old company, but now we start afresh!  If I had not left my old job, we would be paying out of pocket for everything!

I am having a pretty good couple of days.  Early detection of infection, unexpected insurance coverage and free meds!   I am praying that this is a sign of more good things to come!