The Proverbial Square Peg - AKA Monitoring Update #2.4

We started a new medication yesterday. Ganirelix. I'm told that it's job is to prevent my oodles of follicles from releasing eggs too early. In other words, it delays ovulation. See - that's funny. Because I thought it's job was to burn and itch like a son of a bitch, but not until about 20 minutes after it's given. It first lulls you into this false sense of "Hey - this med isn't too bad". Then about 20 minutes later, you're all "son of a motherless goat... what the f is wrong with my freakin' arm?!!?!?!!?"

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As long as it does it's job, right, and keeps those suckers in there until Dr Z is ready to get them out.

So, yesterday, my nurse F did my monitoring u/s and it was great. I was an egg machine - she was finding them everywhere, and I LOVED the way they were measuring. This morning, Dr B (Dr Z's associate) did my u/s, and although I definitely LIKE Dr B, he's no Nurse F or Dr Z. And I definitely like the way Dr Z and Nurse F measure a little better. I don't know if they measure big, or if he measures small - but at least I still had about the same number of follicles today.

Here are my day 9 measurements, on day 2 of ganirelix, for anyone who's keeping count. My lining is 13mm and trilaminar.

Right ovary: 13x12, 12x11, 11x10, 16x14, 13x10, 14x12 and 3 small (less than 10)
Left ovary: 17x12, 14x10, 17x12, 12x9, 15x13, 15x13, 17x13 and a few small

The funny thing was that the 1st follicle on my left ovary looked like a square. I tried to find a good picture of one like it online, but this was the best I could do. It was sort of like the one in the middle on the right. But MUCH more sharply defined. Since it's 17x12, I guess it was more of a rectangle - but it REALLY looked like a perfect square. It was so funny.

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We're pretty sure that perfect square is half of our baby. ;) I like thinking that the funny looking ones can be our kid. We're such weirdos.

Anyway - no call from Dr Z's office this morning, which means they're not making any changes, and we have to be there again by 6:40 in the morning tomorrow. Yesterday, my E2 was 615, up from 480 the day before. Dr B says that's not bad at all. No call today means I don't get to find out today's E2 until tomorrow. Talk about pins and needles. Apparently the Ganirelix can also keep the E2 from rising and sometimes, even drop it a little bit. I hope it doesn't do that to me. I can't afford it. I just want this cycle to stay on the track it's already on. The good track. The working track. The "I have working ovaries" track.

In other news, the short term disability policy is a bust. Apparently, in the state of NJ, if you're infertile, you're all around screwed, regardless of how responsible you're trying to be. So, we're just not going to worry about it. There's nothing we can do about it. We can just hope we get pregnant, with all of the scientific and medical support we have, and do everything in our power to have a healthy perfect pregnancy that will allow me to work as long as possible.

Until then, i'll just be SO crampy. Headachey, nauseous, painful... I'm SO uncomfortable.

I'm so happy.

I'm a machine - AKA Monitoring Update #2.3

Okay, so I obviously don't have my E2 back yet, but that hardly matters. I'm not worried about it.

I repeat - i am NOT worried about it.

That's right. Me. Dandelion Bud... not worried. Did you just see that cow fly by? Seriously.

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I am an egg MACHINE today. My awesome Nurse F couldn't even stop counting follicles. We were up to 13 when Mr DB's voice recorder on his iPhone stopped recording, but there could have been as many as 15, if memory serves... there's 16s, and 15s, and 14s... oh my!

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My lining is 12mm trilaminar. Dr Z says not to worry about the lining. In his experience, there's no such thing as too thick. And honestly, I feel pretty darn good that everything is working right.

I started ganirelix as soon as I got home this morning, and will now be taking it once a day, with my gonal-F in the morning.

I'm starting to feel really achy and bloated. I can't wait to hear what my E2 is.

In other news, Mr DB and I are trying to get a supplemental short term disability policy in place for me before I get pregnant, because we realized that if I have ANY pregnancy complications, with my job, I'm going to get pulled out of work in a flash, and we will be in big trouble without my income (my STD policy through work sucks).

In NJ, it's fairly hard to get an individual supplemental STD policy. There are very few companies available that sell to anyone other than group/employer.

We met with an agent from Mutual of Omaha yesterday, who brokers for dozens of companies. He's going to double check with the underwriters in the morning, and get back to us, but it looks like because we've had treatment for infertility in the past 10 years, if I have any pregnancy complications, they will NOT be covered.

So essentially, because I can't get pregnant without IVF, and because I'm trying to be fiscally responsible and protect my budget, my home and my assets if I DO have a pregnancy complication, I'm screwed if I have a problem.

I will never understand why society is so damned concerned about how people get pregnant.

I'm going to leave you with this thought... I WISH this was still playing off-broadway. That would have been a great road trip! You have to check out the soundtrack on amazon.com... my favorite is "I have sperm in my pocket and I'm talking to Eileen" about collecting an SA.

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Hopefully, the next time I check in, I'll have great E2 news, and a good update about the STD policy... but i'm not holding my breath about that one.

Monitoring update #2.2

Wait – what is this bizarre emotion I’m feeling?

Is it possible that it’s…

I never updated the blog on tuesday after my first monitoring appointment, but somewhere around 3pm, I got a call from Dr Z’s office that my estrogen level (E₂) was 143! Comparatively speaking, at the first monitoring appointment last cycle, my estrogen was 52. Um, can you say significantly improved?

But what I really want to talk about is that this morning, I left my REs office without something to be concerned about for the first time since the beginning of my last uber failed IVF cycle. My E₂ HAD to be good, bunches of measuring follicles, uterine blood gone (without any bleeding, but who cares - it probably went out my tubes) and my lining is 9mm and trilaminar.

Check me out, all responding and crap. Who’d ‘ave thunk it?

I can’t remember the last time I felt this positive.

And then to find out this feeling could get better.

At 10:30 this morning, I got the call from Dr Z’s office. My E2 this morning was 480 on day 7 of stims. Comparatively speaking… last cycle on day 7 it was 80.

YIPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Ganirelix is most likely going to start tomorrow (my lead follicle is 13 today - and they like to start at 14).

I'm getting fairly bloated, and I love it!

Starting from the finish line

When Dr Z says we're not starting slow, he means we're NOT starting slow.

I just got home from my suppression check where I had my first official cycle vagcam/follicle check and blood draw. I also got my medication instructions for the next 4 days.

Vagcam/Follicle Check: All is well at this point. Lining is 6mm, homozygous and I have 12 antral follicles. Thats up from 10-11 at my vagcam 2 weeks ago, so I'll take it. Also, the bleeding has S-L-O-W-E-D down... it's still red, but I'm barely spotting at this point, so that makes me happy. If today is my last spotting day, i'll be thrilled. That would make 34 days bleeding all together. I'll be happy to stow the tampax - finally.

Blood draw: shockingly, they're checking my beta level. I laughed when Dr S (the embryologist that drew my blood this AM) told me that they were checking that in addition to my E2 level. Can you imagine if I were pregnant? Ridiculous thinking. But, they have to make sure. I know.

Instructions for the next 4 days: HOLY MEDICATION BATMAN. Dr Z warned me we were starting strong. I'm at maximum doses... for now. That's 2 vials of menopur (which burns like a bitch) and 300 units of gonal-f every day. Tonight the gonal will be in all one dose. Starting tomorrow, the gonal will be in 2 injections daily. We'll see where things are on tuesday. When my follicles hit 14-15mm, they'll add in ganirelex, which will prevent my ovaries from ovulating on their own.

Anyway - there's my update for now. We're starting from the top.... but we're on our way.

IVF #2 starts now.

2nd Follie Scan...

So after 6 nights of stims with Follistim, Menopur and Lovenox I added Ganirelix last night. At my u/s this afternoon I had 10 follies on my left about 11mm and at least 10 on my right around 11mm. So far my RE says we are right on track for an ER over the weekend. He is also watching my E2 levels closely to make sure I don't overstim. I start antibiotics tonight and I go back Wednesday. My IVF girls on the bump/nest were right, once you start the stimulation phase it does fly by...

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Until Next Time,