Day 8: Stims & Ultrasound

Quite of bit of growing in the last couple of days over here in the Hall house.  I went from 13 follicles to 20 follicles and from only 4 being over 10mm to 11 being over 12mm!  Yay!  I am very happy.  I found out today that they like to see a good number of the follies measuring 16mm or greater to be ready for retrieval but they again reassured me that I am right on track.  If I have as much growth in the next two days as I did from Saturday to today, I think I will be ready to trigger on Wednesday night.  The trigger is a shot of Hcg that ripens the follicles so they can retrieve them, exactly 36 hours after the shot.

The ultrasounds are getting really uncomfortable.  They aren't all sunshine and rainbows to begin with, but I was told my left ovary is twice the size of my right one and when they scan the left...OUCH!  Me no likey!  Okay, so fingers crossed and lots of prayers I will be ripe on Wednesday for retrieval on Friday!!

40 needles (I got an extra one yesterday since my fancy injection pen ran out of meds so I had to replace it and stick myself again), 37 days.

Day 6: Stims and Ultrasound

I guess we got good news today.  I'm not exactly sure what I expected from our ultrasound?  I knew and hoped that I wouldn't be ready for retrieval in the next day or two.  I knew that I would still have some cooking to do but I left our appointment today a little disappointed even though they said I was right on track.  So, my AFC was 15 (I said 16 before but I guess I remembered wrong).  Today they saw 13 follicles and they measure the follicles to see how mature they are.  Anything over 10mm is great.  Well, I had 4 that were over 10mm, 4 that were very close behind, and 5 that needs some catching-up.  Hmmm.

I admit I was really sad but they said I shouldn't be, I should be happy because I'm right within normal range for being on the stims for 5 days.  I still have about 5 days to go and I was told that others will probably pop up as well.  I asked a couple for fellow IVFers for a number comparison and they both only had 1 that was over 10mm at this point so I guess I'm doing okay.  I can't wait to go back on Monday, hopefully there will be a big change.

I'm starting to get anxious about all the variables in this process.  What if they don't get a lot of eggs? What if they are not mature?  What if they don't fertilize?  What if they don't continue to grow after they are fertilized?  There are so many major daily milestones.  I guess we just have to take it one day at a time.  I just want everything to go well and on transfer day, I want a couple of great embryos to snuggle in and few great ones to freeze.  That would be the ideal situation.

Day 5: Stims

Nothing much new today.  I've realized that my decreased appetite has not normalized yet.  I planned on eating a yummy lunch today but could not even begin to finish it.  Five bites and I was done.  You would think a pretty side effect from that side effect would be weight loss but no, I have managed to gain five pounds, regardless.  I'm pretty sure it's just water and fluid because I am so bloated.  But, really...I feel good.  I'm excited to find out how those little suckers are growing tomorrow!

Day 4: Stims

27 needles.  Still feeling pretty good.  The Repronex is getting on my nerves.  It's pretty difficult to draw up in the syringe.  I'm supposed to mix it first and draw up the solution that is supposed to equal 1mL.  It always ends up being a little less than that.  You think this would be somewhat easy for me since this is what I am going to be doing for living.  I'm hoping I'm not completely screwing it up.  And yes, Michael was right.  The Repronex does get worse as the time goes on.  Everyday it stings a little more going in and it gets more sore as the day does on.   Just two more days until our first ultrasound.  Fingers crossed that those suckers are growing!

California

Four words...RITE-AID ICE CREAM

or is it three words?  I don't know, don't care.

I went to California for 6 days and the only picture I took was of this...ice cream.  I said before, I'm a terrible photographer...mostly because I fail to get out the camera.

Rite-Aid bought out Thrifty drug stores forever ago but all the Rite-Aids that were originally 

Thrifty's still have Thrifty's ice cream.  Still cheap, still the cylindrical scoops, still soooo good.  Chocolate malted crunch.  The end.

I was able to eat at my favs like Los Jarritos, Vince's spaghetti, 21 choices and established some new favs like Fruizen and some Japanese place...I can't remember the name, Mom.

It was fun just hanging out with the mom and dad.  We shopped a little, ate A LOT, and I got to see some

old friends.  Mostly, we just talked about IVF and things to come.  It was a blast!

Day 3: Stims

24 needles down...approximately 21 more to go until retrieval and about 100 more after that...hopefully.  I feel very good today.  Still very aware of the egg machines but not nearly as uncomfortable as Monday.  My belly is really sore today.  I accidentally bumped it at work and oh, man!  That nasty Repronex is a killer!  The days are dragging because I count the hours until I can give myself the next shots.  Hopefully, a week from now I will have already been given my trigger shot (Hcg) and I will be done with the belly shots.  Michael and I can't stop asking eachother if the other can believe we are actually here.  It still seems so surreal that we are to the point of injections and less than 10 days away from the harvest!

On a non-IVF note...I started school again today.  My hormones are a little out whack these days and I teared up while watching an orientation video of Primary Children's Medical Center that was made in the early 90's.  I'm afraid OB will have some stiff competition because I think I'm going to love Peds.  I'm not so psyched for Psych (haha..get it?).  I'm going to have to use what brain power I have these days and refocus my attention on school.  I haven't wrapped my head around the fact that I'm back in it for 16 weeks of tests and clinicals and studying all the time.  I'm glad the IVF hoopla will be over in just a couple of weeks so I can be less consumed by what my ovaries are doing and more with what the kiddos and the crazies are doing.  I am quite excited to get another semester under my belt.  I have a feeling it will fly by.  Fall semester always does with holidays approaching and all.  By then I will have only two semesters left and be half-way through  my pregnancy...now that's crazy!

FOR MY OFFICIAL RECORDS, IT'S ACTUALLY DAY 32.  I DON'T KNOW WHY I STARTED NUMBERING THE STIMS AS DAY 1.  OH, WELL.

Wordless Wednesday

Tate, 2.5 years after an exhuasting with Aunt Danielle and Uncle Michael at the zoo.  I'm not so good at this "wordless" thing. 

Day 2: Stims

Well, I guess this is technically day 31 in the entire process but it's day 2 of the good stuff.  Okay, yesterday kind of sucked.  I felt really crappy just a couple of hours after I took the stims.  I really could feel my ovaries growing and I was cramping all day into the night.  I just felt very fragile.  I got a wicked headache, possibly from the sudden cessation of caffeine intake or the meds, I don't know.  It was so bad I felt sick to my stomach.  I am only allowed Tylenol right now which I was surprised to say it actually worked.  It didn't fully take the headache away but at least I stopped feeling sick to my stomach and it dulled the cramping.  I came home early from work and took some Tylenol P.M. and Michael and I were asleep by 10:30pm.  It was bliss!

It's been a couple of hours since I took my second dose.  So far, not as bad as yesterday's...so far.  I found out why everyone has been telling me the Repronex sucks.  Because it does!  It stings going in but the worst part is that it kills afterward.  The place where I injected yesterday is still so sore.  My belly is definitely beginning to show signs of wear.  If I get brave enough, I will post a picture.  I'm hoping today is better and I don't feel like I'm going to pop.

21 needles down!

Yay!

And it continues...

Day 1: Stims

We are to 3 shots a day now!  Woohoo!  I am actually excited!  I woke-up and Michael was still here so he got do my shots with me.  He even mixed one of the meds because I was having trouble drawing it up.  I was using the wrong needle!  There are over 80 needles so it's all little confusing still.  I saved the Repronex shot for last because everyone says it awful but it wasn't as bad as I was expecting.  It did sting when it went in and ached for a while after.  Not too bad...yet.  Michael reminded me it was only the first one and to give it time...thanks, baby.

Side Effects.


Oh, man.  I want to preface by saying that this all totally worth it and I'm loving the drama of it all...really.  I wasn't expecting any side effects from the Lupron and truthfully, if I wasn't paying attention, I would probably not even noticed them or chalk them up to something else.  The biggest one, I'm not sleeping!  I have NEVER in my life had trouble sleeping.  Anyone that knows me real well knows I can sleep anywhere, anytime and it takes a lot to rouse me.  I have not had trouble falling asleep but I wake-up on average 10 times a night.  I took an anti-nausea pill the other night that is supposed to knock you out...I only woke-up twice (and I slept in until 9:30a).  I woke-up a few mornings ago with more than a few lovely red spots all over my face...another glamorous side effect.

The hot flashes, oh my!  I will be fine one minute and next I can feel sweat streaming from every pore in my armpits...I know, gross.  Michael thinks I'm being dramatic (how do you stick out your tongue on a blog?).  It really is all not that bad.  The sleeping thing is bothering my though.  People tell me it's just preparing me for motherhood.  No, thanks!  I am fully aware that my nights of good sleep are numbered and I am supposed be enjoying every good night sleep I can have.  I'm going to call and ask about a sleep aid.  I'm generally against it but I have GOT to do something.  Last night I woke-up 7 times.  Ughh!

And all of this was just with the Lupron!  I am expecting some side effects with the stims (stimulation medications), but I was surprised by the Lupron.  On stims, the ovaries literally grow to the size of grapefruits so you can imagine how uncomfortable one can get.  One being me.  It's been a couple of hours since the shots and I don't know if it's in my head but I think I can actually feel my ovaries now.  I asked my friend, Karen about it and she said she could feel hers all the time, so maybe it's not in my head.  Starting today, I am not allowed caffeine (sniff,sniff), only mild exercise (no twisting, no heavy lifting, no crunches, heart rate not to go above 140bpm, nothing that targets the belly area), basically nothing you would do if you were already pregnant.  I have my first ultrasound on Saturday to see how the follicles are developing.  I'm just crossing my fingers that things go well and that I don't under or overstimulate.  Michael's little problem is taken care of the day of retrieval so everything is kind of up to me now.  No, I don't have any prior known issues but the doctors have no idea how I will respond to the medication.  It's a very delicate process.  Literally, we are putting all my eggs in one basket!

A visual of how big the ovaries can get.  No wonder I can already feel them!

Big Box o' Meds

That is 101 needles, people (I won't have to use them all, though). 18 down!

                                                    
                            

U/S...

I like visual aids. Not my ovary, not my u/s but the
little dots are follicles and the blue line is the ovary.
This is a "normal" AFC.

U/S is the abbreviation for ultrasound in the medical world. I have learned so much these past couple of years with all this IF (infertility) hoopla.  I feel like I have educated myself well enough that I am rarely caught off guard.  This was not the case today.  I had an U/S today.  They call it the "screening u/s" and they check my uterus and ovaries to make sure the Lupron is doing it's job and to make sure there are not any cysts that would interfere with the escalated hormone production that is about to ensue.  The doctor and resident came in and they did their very uncomfortable thing and looked at a bunch of squiggly lines and started to count.  I was wondering what they were counting because I was sure that the Lupron stopped all activity in my ovaries and that no follicles were being made.  Wrong!  It just stops the follicles from maturing and being ovulated.  In my head I was freaking out a little because I didn't think having follicles was normal.  I so desperately want to be normal through all of this.  I guess the number of follicles on the this u/s is important.  It's called the AFC or antral follicle count. Antral follicle counts are a good predictor of the number of mature follicles that will be able to stimulate in the woman's ovaries when given injectable FSH medications (I will be on Follistim).  My AFC was 16 which means I have 16 eggs just sitting there waiting to be matured with the medication.  I may have more, I may have less when harvest time comes.  But, apparently this is normal.  That is what I am shooting for during the cycle.  Normal.  Average.  I do not want to have a crazy number of follicles and risk overstimulation and immature eggs and too few is scary.  The docs seemed very pleased with what was going on and I was prescribed a very average dose of medication (150 IU of Follistim if anyone cares).  I did a crash course on AFC since I apparently was not aware that it was so important and this is what I found:

• Normal (good) antral count, should have an excellent response to ovarian stimulation.
• Likely to respond well to low doses of FSH product.
• Very low risk for IVF cycle cancellation. Some risk for ovarian overstimulation.
• Best pregnancy rates overall as a group.

These are things I like to hear.  Here's to being average! Woohoo!

Diet Coke...

                                                                        

Dearest DC,
My heart is breaking as I write this.  I want to start off by saying it's not me, it's you.  I'm taking a path that you just can't follow.  You're not good for me anymore, our relationship has become toxic and I want different things.  It's over.


I'm not going to pretend we didn't have some beautiful years together. You have been with me through thick and thin.  When I am down, you're the first to pick me back up.  When I am happy, you're there to celebrate with me.  You have pulled me through 8 hour lectures, you were there on long road trips and some short ones too.  There was a time that I thought you could change the world.  So, why does it seem that everyone is trying to convince me to dump you, you ask?  You're incompatible with my life.  I want to be a mother and you cannot help me accomplish that.  I will miss your sound, your taste, the way you could always make me smile and feel so at ease.  I know at first, it will seem impossible to live without you.  I can't live without you...but I'm going to.  No, I can live without you.  I just don't want to.  I know I will see you around and I will feel that longing.  I know there will be others who will shamelessly try to replace you (i.e. your evil twin, caffeine free DC).  I will think of you often as I sit in classes, wanting you to be by my side.  My friends say that soon, I will not even notice your absence.  Maybe true but I will miss you.  And when I do, I will miss you and then release you. So, citing irreconcilable differences, I am ending our love affair.  I'm sure you will make some other girl very, very happy.


All my love and sanity,
Me


P.S.  Maybe we can meet one last time on Saturday?  Just to properly say goodbye?

Wordless Wednesday

                                                                                                                              

Where are we?...

We are 1 day from our first ultrasound to make sure I have depleted all of my stored girlie hormones and that my ovaries are not doing anything.  My belly has a few purple and green bruises but it will get even more colorful soon as we are 6 days away from 3-a-day shots!  They will determine at my ultrasound how much of the pricey meds to give me.  We are 8 days from starting a new semester...I don't even know what to say...I'm numb to the idea.  I guess I am excited just to get going again but I can say I have not fully recovered from the summer and I'm trying to get my head around it.  We are 13 days away from RETRIEVAL WEEK and 18 days from TRANSFER DAY!  It's all going by at lightning speed.  Really.  I'm kind of mad that school didn't breeze by this fast.  I know the semester will begin as soon as I blink and then it's all downhill on an icy day from there...breathe, Danielle.

Wordless Wednesday...

I'm going to try to keep this up.  I find it quite difficult to get pictures from my camera to my computer so we will see how it goes. Since I don't have the time or a great picture to share (by the way, I am a terrible photographer), I'm sharing this...I have been trying to cry ever since my tooth drama and this helped a lot!

I don't know how to embed this video so just click here and watch, enjoy, and cry.

Not so wordless but I'm working on it!

Kick The Bucket List...

Things you have done during your lifetime:
(x) Gone on a blind date
(x) Skipped school
(x) Watched someone die
(  ) Been to Canada
(x) Been to Mexico
(x) Been to Florida
(  ) Been to Hawaii
(x) Been on a plane
(  ) Been on a helicopter
(x) Been lost
(x) Gone to Washington, DC
(x) Swam in the ocean
(  ) Swam with Stingrays
(x) Cried yourself to sleep
(x) Played cops and robbers
(x) Recently colored with crayons
(x) Sang Karaoke
(x) Paid for a meal with coins only
(  ) Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch
(x) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(x) Made prank phone calls
(  ) Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans
(x) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(x) Danced in the rain
(x) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(x) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(x) Watched the sunrise with someone
(x) Blown bubbles
(x) Gone ice-skating
(x) Gone to the movies
(  ) Been deep sea fishing
(  ) Driven across the United States
(  ) Been in a hot air balloon
(  ) Been sky diving
(  ) Gone snowmobiling
(  ) Lived in more than one country
(x) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars
(x) Seen a falling star and made a wish
(  ) Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser
(x) Seen the Grand Canyon
(x) Seen the Statue of Liberty
(  ) Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle
(x) Been on a cruise
(x) Traveled by train
(  ) Traveled by motorcycle
(x) Been horse back riding
(x) Ridden on a San Francisco cable car
(x) Been to Disneyland OR Disney World
(  ) Been in a rain forest
(x) Seen whales in the ocean
(  ) Been to Niagara Falls
(x) Ridden on an elephant
(x) Swam with dolphins
(  ) Been to the Olympics
(  ) Walked on the Great Wall of China
(  ) Saw and heard a glacier calf
(  ) Been spinnaker flying
(x) Been water-skiing
(x) Been snow-skiing
(x) Been to Westminster Abbey
(  ) Been to the Louvre
(  ) Swam in the Mediterranean
(x) Been to a Major League Baseball game
(  ) Been to a National Football League game
(x) Swam with sharks
(x) Seen Wicked in London
(  ) Been snow shoeing


This list was a good reminder for me of just how much I have had in my life.  Yesterday, Michael and I went to Murray Park for a little nanny reunion and was able to catch up with some dear nanny friends.  We reminisced about silly things we used to do and it got me thinking...I can't believe it's been 9 years since I left Utah the first time to be a nanny!  I also cannot believe how blessed I have been to have that experience.  It is one that I will never regret or forget.  Sometimes I think how nice it would be to be done with school since I was only supposed to be out in Connecticut/New York for 1 year instead of 4 years.  But, still I don't regret all that time I spent out there.  It shaped my testimony and made me realize who I wanted to be and what I wanted out of life.  I also learned invaluable life lessons, especially regarding motherhood.  I learned what kind of mother I want to be and what kind I DO NOT want to be.


This list also reminds me of the stuff I would still like to accomplish in this life.  There is so much!  Maybe I will actually sit down and write out a real bucket list.  That would be fun!  First thing on it is our latest special project...I gotta go give myself a shot now.

The Dentist...

I am in a viscous cycle.  I hate the dentist; therefore I don't go nearly as often as I should.  And since I don't go like I should, when I do go it inevitably leads to extreme pain and discomfort on my part. Friday, I paid the price for this vicious cycle...

About 8 years ago, a tooth on the bottom right started to really hurt but I was uninsured at the time.  I finally went to the dentist and he did a root canal on it and put a temporary crown on.  I could not afford $1200 for a crown so I left the temporary on for as long it would last and just kind of ignored it.  The temporary eventually fell off and what remained was a little stub of a tooth that really caused no problems.  Fast forward to now, the tooth needed to come out.  I was told in September of last year that it was broken.  I have made several appointments but have shamelessly cancelled them at midnight the night before.  I finally got up the nerve to go on Friday simply because I am looking at hopefully being knocked-up soon and I want all my dentistry taken care of before that happens.   

So, I went in early Friday morning, and had it pulled. It SUCKED.  The doctor took one look at me, saw my horror and offered me the gas which I graciously accepted.  Three minutes later I was floating on the ceiling and I felt nothing.  However, he then said, "forceps", and started pushing and pulling and twisting.  I about lost it!  Even though I couldn't feel it, I knew what he was doing and it freaked me out!  After an hour, he finally got it all out, and I was able to flee the office, running like a scared schoolgirl.  

However, the extraction was nothing compared to what I am dealing with now.  Yes, it hurts but that can be medicated.  I hate taking medicine but I have been doping myself up with ibuprofen 800mg once or twice a day and I'm fine.  The doctor put in a bone graft that is just sitting in the socket, waiting for my gum to heal over it.  It's this gooey, movable sack of bone paste that feels like a piece of chewed up chicken.  My tongue, of course, can't stop playing with it and I feel like it's going to come out or break open.  Every so often, I accidentally bite on it which makes me gag. And, every so often when it moves it releases fluid out of it that tastes like what I imagine cauterized battery acid to taste like.  Consequently, my breath is fowl!  I try to talk to people from at least five feet away.  I honestly would rather go through the extraction 3 more times than this.

My loathing probably started when I was a young  and I have been building on the fear for the last few years.  I never liked to go but my mom diligently took us every six months and I would have a cavity every now and then.  We had a great dentist as a child who was very good with kids and you always got to pick a toy after.  But, to this day, I hate "soft rock" and "Highlights" magazine because it reminds me of the dentist.  I hate the pain dentists cause in my mouth. I hate the sounds, the smells, etc. of the dentist's office. I hate the guilt I feel when I go in there and they give me a mirror and show me how to brush better and lecture me about flossing.  I hate having to hold my jaw open, it gets really sore.  I hate having to try not to swallow.  I hate those little x-ray things that you have to hold awkwardly in your mouth and dig into your gums.  

I have to go back in two weeks to check on the extraction site.  Oh, and to also get a new crown on a tooth that he said was poorly done a few years ago!  Ugh!

I have no idea why I told you this - I guess I just wanted to share my tale of woe ("misery loves company" and all that), and to confess my vicious cycle. I can make no promise to break this cycle at this time but I'm taking it one appointment at a time.  I have to go dope myself up again.

Freeeedoooomm!...

Freeeedoooommm!

...Wasn't that line yelled just before a disembowelment? Yes, I think it was but it's totally appropriate since sitting through Med/Surg was sometimes comparable.  I have a long list of things I would like to do before school starts again:

#1 Clean my dirty house!  My house has not had a good cleaning since the beginning of the semester.  Sure, I wipe counters down and do a some dishes now and then but I haven't had a Saturday to get on my hands and knees and scrub.  The weird thing is, I am actually excited to do this!

#2  Read!  I miss reading for fun.  I'm going to try to read this...
                                                                                                                    

and this

and I have to read this for next semester...don't really want to

#3  I want to work out while I still can!  I have a few weeks until I have to take it easy so I am going to try to lose 5lbs...I'm putting it out there.  We'll see how it goes.

#4  Go to California!!  I'm sad that Michael can't come with me but I am excited to spend some time with the parents and just relax.  I have a mini list of places to eat at while I am there.  It's not going to help to-do #3...

I'm eating here

and here

and here

and here (never been but I was told I have to go)

#5  Start my shots!  Yes, I'm so excited to start and be done.  Here is the first box I got in the mail...

Okay, I guess it doesn't look like that much but that is 60 syringes and that little, tiny box is the med that is supposed to last 3 weeks.

#6  Spending more time with these guys.  We are having our first sleepover soon...I did not have choice in the matter but it will still be a blast!...

Tate, 2.5 years

Graham, at 8 months

#7  Getting my Beez on!  I miss my little sister being so close...

Isn't she pretty?

#8  But mostly, spending lots of catch-up time with this guy...

                                                        

Michael, being silly while I was taking a pic of the box-o-meds.
*I love him!

Thank you all my friends who got me through some near melt downs.  We have learned so much about each other like when we need to be picked up and when we need to be left alone...ha ha, good times you guys!

*Brandi and Josh are missing.

I need to thank Michael for being my biggest support through this past semester because it was seriously crazy!  I can't count the number of times he said, "Don't worry about the______, I will take care of it. You just focus on school." He really is the greatest hubby anyone could ask for and I am so blessed to have him in my life!  I love you, baby.

P.S.-Top three things I do not want to do but have to...the dentist, the dentist, the dentist!  I am sitting here recovering from a tooth he pulled today and I have to go back in two weeks for more torture.  It's ugly, people and it hurts!  

Protocols...

So, I took my first birth control pill a couple of weeks ago.  I cannot say enough how excited I was to take that little red pill.  I used to hate taking birth control pills when we first got married.  I am not a huge fan of medicine and I never liked messing with my hormones, even though my moods were thankfully stable.  The idea of birth control right now is in one word, ironic.  But, apparently this how you kick everything off!  You have to start with your normal cycle and I just about had a mental breakdown because I was of course late by two days and almost didn't start in time to keep on our schedule.  Anyway, after I started the birth control I called the nurse and we got our official schedule! Yay!  I started making appointments, writing dates down and asking a million questions.  I am so thrilled to actually be starting this long process.  We have talked about this for so long that it almost felt like it would never happen and now it's finally happening.  This is my offical protocol:

July 25th-August 15th-Birth Contol Pills-this is to regulate my system and to stop me from ovulating and doing anything hormonal on my own. It's called "down-regualtion"

August 8th-Start Lupron-these are subcutaneous injections that I will be on for about three weeks.  I was pleased to find out our insurance coved it because it is also used for endometriosis and prostate cancer, not just infertility.  I also know this will be the only med that will be covered.  The stims will cost us around $2,500-$3,000. Yay!

August 18th-Ultrasound where they check my ovaries and make sure they are not doing anything on there own and then determine the amount of stimulation they will start me on.

August 23rd-Start stims!  I will on Follistim which comes in a fancy injection pen and is also a sub-q injection.  I will also be on Repronex, which is another sub-q stim.  I'll be on stims for at least 8 days and then they start monitoring me everyday with blood work and ultrasound to check the growth of my eggs.

August 30th-Sep 3rd-This is when I will be monitored and at any point this week they could tell me to do my HcG trigger shot (the shot that prepares the growing eggs for retrieval) and come back in 36 hours for the retrieval.  I am hoping for a September 3rd retrieval because that seems to be the norm.

September 6th-8ish-The embryo transfer!  This is all dependent on when my retrieval is and I am hoping it will be the 8th, if my retrieval is on the 3rd.  They do 3 or 5 day transfers and if all goes well, mine should be a 5 day transfer.  I feel like 3 day transfer are a last ditch effort if things are growing like they should.

Bed rest for 5 days after the transfer and that's it!  Piece of cake, right!?  I'm not afraid of needles generally and I have actually practiced giving myself that first shot while I was in lab.  It's not bad once you do it the first time.  I've heard some of the meds sting like crazy and you can get pretty uncomfortable.  I was also told I when I stated stimming I should got about my business like I was already pregnant.  No heavy lifting, no crunches, no high impact exercising.  Oh, and you also gain weight while on the meds...average of 8-10lbs!  That is the part that bothers me the most as I feel like I already need to lose 8-10lbs of nursing school weight. Oh well, I guess it's all part of the process.  Bring it!

Half-way there!...

Hall & Co. would like to make the official announcement that I am, as of today, officially half-way done with nursing school!  Yes!  I had my last final today and the relief is still setting in.  There were a few genuine moments of horror this semester, believing I might not pass.  Nightmares that I would have to wave to my friends as they moved on and I sat in the dust waiting for a new group to let me join.  This ended up being far from reality, thank goodness.  I didn't just pass, I nailed OB and I squeaked through Med/Surg with an A- because of a very nice, understanding teacher who believes in rounding.  I believe in rounding too!  It was the closest I have been to a B+ in a long time.  Nursing school is by far, one of the top two hardest things I have ever done.  Can you guess what the other one is?

Speaking of, we had our injection class today!  It's an appointment where the nurse teaches you how to draw up and inject the medication.  Not so much new information for me but I think it was good for Michael to get some more information about the process.  I feel bad because I think Michael feels kind of left out the process.  There is going to be so much going on with me in the next few weeks and I think he wishes there were more that he gets to do.  All I need him to do is be supportive (in which he is already an expert) and forgive me for any hormonal outbursts I might have as a result of my ovaries growing to the size of grapefruits.  I got my two week Lupron kit in the mail yesterday and I start that on Sunday.  There were A LOT of needles!  But, I have been told they are nothing compared to the amount of needles that comes with the next set of meds in a couple of weeks.  I was happy to learn that our insurance covered most of it. It was only $100 but every bit counts, right?  I did learn some new stuff today.  It had slipped my mind that I would be on two different stimulation meds instead of one, which means that for a couple of weeks I will be giving myself  THREE shots a day and not two like I had thought.  Yikes!  I have heard horror stories about weight gain, hormone induced raunchiness, and general loathing of the significant others (poor guys) but I don't care.  I hope for Michael's sake it's not THAT bad and I will try to keep my emotions in check but I'm just too excited to let anything make me feel uneasy about the process.

So, the next step is start Lupron injections on Sunday the 8th and then I will have an ultrasound on the 18th where they will decide how much stimulation medication to give me.  One day at a time I guess!