The Long Wait

I got the update call from my RE today and the good news is out of 26 eggs, 20 were mature and 16 were fertilized.  That is excellent news and now the next big hurtle will be to see how many make it to day 5 (blastocyst stage).  The wait until Monday will feel like forever and it is always scary wondering how many are going to "make it".

I had to go to work today because it is quarter end and I've got a huge reporting package that is due on Friday.  I felt okay today but I'm extremely bloated.  What normally happens is all the follicles fill up with fluid after the eggs are extracted.  The full fluid filled follicles make me so bloated that it is hard to take a deep breath.  It feels like something is pressing on my diaphragm.  I have to follow a low sodium diet to help with the bloating.  I go back to acupuncture on Saturday so hopefully that will help with the bloating.

Here are a few "fun" facts as to what it took to get to this point:  50 shots in the belly, 7 blood draws, 7 vaginal ultrasounds and countless acupuncture sessions.  Not to mention lots of very early appointments to avoid missing time from the office.

The Lonely Uterus

Today was the big day!  We had to be at the clinic at 6am and my retrieval was at 7.30.  My RE came in early so that he could personally do the retrieval himself.  Now for the VERY good news he got a whooping 26 eggs.  Not bad for someone that is 9 days away from turning 42 years old.  I am pleased by the awesome number and now I'm patiently waiting to see how many of the 26 are mature and will be fertilized.  The next report will be tomorrow afternoon.

The next major hurtle will be for the embryos to continue to grow and make it to the blastocyst stage which normally occurs on day 5.  Boring and feel free to skip -  definition of a blastocyst - an embryo that has developed for five to seven days after fertilization and has developed 2 distinct cell types and a central cavity filled with fluid (blastocoel cavity). The cells in a blastocyst have just started to differentiate.  The blastocyst embryo transfer done on day 5 - at a more "natural" time for the embryos to be in the uterus, and very shortly before actual invasion and embryo implantation.

However many embryos that make it to this stage (and these will be the creme de la creme) will be sent off for CGH testing.  This is HUGE news as I will be the first patient from my clinic to have their embryos sent for CGH testing.  This is the testing cutting edge for at the very famous Colorado (CCRM) clinic.  My embryos will be sent to the same lab that CCRM uses.  CGH testing allows for the testing of all 23 chromosomes vs. PGD testing that only tests 9 chromosomes on day 3.  

I'm praying for lots of my embryos to make it to the blastocyst stage.  I figure like any good party the more the merrier.

I headed back to the couch as my pain meds seem to be wearing off now.

Trigger Happy

At my appointment this morning I had 21 follicles and my E2 jumped to 5,149.  I got the go ahead to give myself the trigger shot at 7:30 p.m. sharp and my retrieval will be on Wednesday morning at 7:30 am.  My mom is taking me to the retrieval because my hubby has a hard time getting off work on such a short notice.  His patients get really mad when they have to reschedule.  Not to mention there is no one better than your mother when you don't feel well.  

Wednesday will be a long day because we have to BE at the clinic at six a.m.  At least I can spend the remainder of the day resting.  

Double or Bust

At this mornings appointment I still only have 17 follicles but they are growing.  I actually think I have a few more than that but I got the weekend u/s tech who measures on the light side.  The big (bad) news is my E2 (estradiol) increased to 4,368 which is 2,000 more than yesterday.  This is not good and my RE is letting me skip tonight's shot.  I have my shots in the morning at a reduced dosage and then I'm back tomorrow for my blood work and ultrasound.  I also have my H&P appointment tomorrow with the doctor himself.  (H&P - health and physical)

My uneducated guess right now is that I will take my trigger shot tomorrow and the eggs will be retrieved on Wednesday.

Fireworks & Explosions

The fireworks today will be in honor of Independence Day and the explosions are what is happening to me right now.

I had 17 follicles at my morning check up and my E2 (estradiol) is 2,335.  It is making a nice climb but is about exactly the same as my last cycle.

Dr G & I had a fabulous dinner last night and we are off to a cookout at my moms house today.  I'm dragging my English friend Sarah with me but I told her we wouldn't make a big deal about gaining our independence from her country.

And then there were 10

I had my follicle check this morning and I now have 10 (measurable) follicles.  I know there are more but the u/s tech this morning isn't one of the regular girls and she measures a bit different.  My estradiol was 1,687 - YIKES!  It spiked over 700 points last night.  I've already told my darling hubby that he needed to be extra nice to me today because I was not responsible for my actions.  I guess it is a good thing that we already had reservations at a nice restaurant tonight so I won't be complaining that he never takes me anywhere or that I have to cook dinner.  Ok, I admit I don't do much cooking to begin with.

I have another appointment at 8.15 am tomorrow, so much for sleeping in and enjoying the start of my holiday.

I need a bigger basket

I've heard a pictures worth a thousand words, well todays picture is worth 5.   What you see is a scan of my left ovary and the dark spots are the follicles.  Today's check up revealed 5 more follicles for a total of 9. My estradial was 896 and I'm doing my best to keep the emotions under control.  I warned 2 of my girlfriends before lunch today that if I burst into tears during lunch that they should just carry on and ignore me.  Luckily that didn't happen and we had a nice lunch.  

I will be going in every day from now until my trigger (the shot to "release" the eggs).  I'm still exercising but at a much slower pace.  I went for a 5 mile walk but I would not have won any prizes for my pace.  At least I was willing to brave the 90+ degree heat for a nice stroll around the Chattahoochee river.