Eight is my new favorite number.

I haven't posted much about this IVF cycle. Well haven't posted anything about it. I feel like I talked SO much about the last cycle that it made it so consuming. Then having it fail, learning of my DOR diagnosis, and   having to tell EVERYONE that we talked with about it that it didn't work made me go into the closet with this one. My interwebz friends know what's going on as well as a very few select and wonderful people in real life. And that was enough for me this go around. I just didn't want to update everyone every single day and talk about it non stop. I think it would have made me batty.

So here's my update all in one post! We maxed out on stims from day 1. And lemme tell ya, that's a lot of drugs. LOTS. Thank goodness for insurance cause I probably blew through $8,000 in drugs this cycle. Yikes! Things started out slowly- but started improving relative to last cycle. My e2 levels were rising better, my follicle counts were higher, my attitude was better. We triggered Tuesday and had retrieval today.

8 eggs! Holy Shit! 8! I was hoping for anything over 4, but I was so relieved when the nurse told me 8. I'm in quite a bit more pain today than last time, but I'm taking my vicoden and rolling with it. I'm going to go into work tomorrow and just see how I feel. I should get the fert report tomorrow as well. At my last monitoring appointment on Tuesday they were all really close in size so I'm hoping that will lead to high numbers of mature eggs. J was also scheduled for a surgical extraction of sperm as a back up this morning and based on the SA from yesterday and the fact that we have frozen sperm as a back up- it was cancelled and we were told it wasn't necessary. So far- all good news. We're planning for a 3 day transfer on Sunday unless we hear otherwise.

Cross everything. Everything you have. I'm dangerously hopeful.

Today was a good day!

Today was a success! I've been up since 4am worrying about this weigh in. Ugh.

But I passed! I made it! We're moving forward! ::pats self on back::

I had my mock transfer today which went well. Oh how I missed the dildo cam. So happy it's back in my life. The only thing I was told was that my bladder was too full so day of transfer, they may ask me to empty it a bit. Oh, ok. I can handle that. PHEW.

And then we went to injection class. My brain is now full of medication mixing and drawing up and needle sizes. And it's all a huge jumble. I'm sure we'll be ok in the long run- just a TON of information. But they have videos and charts and all kinds of stuff to help you out, so no big.

Consent forms are signed and meds arrive on 1/29. EEEeeepp!! This still feels fake- like something is bound to screw it up and we'll be on hold again. Right? I mean are we doing this FOR REAL?!?! WTF.

8 more pills to go. I hate BCP. Hate.

Baseline is 1/30! Stims start 2/2!

The Irony of Having a Baby

I'm trying to have a baby and tonight I took these:

This is my very first time ever taking birth control pills. I hope they don't make me a crazy cakes. Ha! But the good news of all of this is that we are going to be able to cycle before the holiday! Woot! I got my period last Thursday so we are going to have plenty of time to work things out around our vacation. I'm waiting to get my schedule, but it looks like I will start stims right after Thanksgiving!!

Update!

I got the call early this morning. The egg fertilized normally!! It's a miracle. A real, real miracle. The nurse said that it was excellent news and things are looking good. I am scheduled for transfer on Friday morning. I am affectionately naming my embryo Playboy Bunny Folliea.

I know that this doesn't mean we're out of the woods, but this is such great news. I keep thinking that my baby is growing in a lab about 20 miles from here. And I already love that baby.

On a side note- Progesterone suppositories are gross. Panty liners are my friend.

Maybe the Tides Have Turned??

I had two whole long miserable years of nothing but bad news. One thing after the next- it was all bad news all the time.

And since the beginning of the summer, we've been riding the wave of constant good news. I almost don't want to talk about it because I've spent a lot of time waiting for the other shoe to drop. I don't have this much good news. It's like a totally foreign concept.

My list of goodness
1. J got a new job- and we got amazing IF coverage. Total game changer.
2. We really liked the new RE and decided to move forward with Natural Cycle IVF.
3. I was formally cleared by the Endocrinologist and was told there is absolutely no recurrence of my thyroid cancer.

And now #4- #4 is a good one. I got a new job! FINALLY! After seven full months of working in a call center- I got a new job. Oddly enough- I'm going back to work with the client that I worked with for 5 years before I was married. The contract is with a different company, but same idea and lots of the same people that I'll be working with. I got a raise, half the commute that I'm doing now, and a waaaay better work schedule. Amazing. It will change my life for the better in so many ways. Right now I get home around 7:15pm. J has to cook dinner every night or we would eat too late. And I have no time to do anything at night. And all that will vanish with this new job! It's very close to J's work (like 2 miles) so we can even carpool to work some days. I can go in early at like 6:30-7:00 and be home early too. AH-MAZ-ING. I don't have a start date quite yet- I'm just waiting for my security clearance to cross over and then I'll give my notice. I'm mentally preparing for that. Quitting when you work for a small company is not fun. They get super pissed off. But whatevs.

5. There are two houses in our neighborhood that are selling for what we would need to sell our house for to break even. That means we should be able to sell this house in the spring and peace outta here! We have only a very general idea of where we want to live so right now- the plan is to move in with my Mom (eeep!) for as long as we can tolerate- hopefully about a year- to save money and figure out where we really want to live. That could be a verrrrrrrrrry long year.

Do you believe in trends? Could this possibly continue? If it does- I really just need one more good thing. That's all I need. Please?

Best.News.Ever.

I AM CANCER FREE!!!

I went to the Endo today and he doth proclaim it that I am CANCER FREE!! I have a 99.6% chance that the cancer will never come back. Thems pretty good odds. YAHOO!! It's really the best news I've had in a long, long while. And any good news is welcome in this camp.

So here's the plan- I go back in 6 months for a follow up with blood work and a physical exam of my neck- just to make sure there are no lumps or bumps. 6 months after that, I'll have a specific set of blood work done- thyrogen induced thyroglobulin blood test done. Thyroglobulin is the "cancer marker" in the thyroid bloodwork. It should be very, very, very low. And right now- it is. So in a year- they will give me thyrogen to try to spike it. If it stays like it is now- we're in the clear! I expect no surprises.

And now I can return to my non-cancer having life. I'll take my synthroid and forget that the last three months ever happened.

A Note from my Endo

Hi Kathy,

Good news. Looks like what they saw in the lungs was an artifact. When they switched you to a different camera, the uptake in the lung disappeared. They are confident there is no metastatic disease. And certainly with your stimulated thyroglobulin being <0.5, that would support there being no spread of cancer as well.

JW


Translation: NO MORE CANCER!!!!!!!!