Sunshine After The Storm

You know that wonderful feeling after you’ve been congested for a while and you can finally breathe again? That’s kind of how I feel today. I feel normal again and it feels GREAT! Everybody join me for the happy dance.

Early last week I started feeling like poop. Thursday was the big day – the egg retrieval – and it went as well as we could have hoped. Depending on the source, an average egg retrieval  yields around 10-12 eggs. Are you ready for it? We got 23!  Go me, go me!

Ordinarily, around 60-70% of those eggs are mature. We had 21 (91% - if you’re counting)! Of those 21 eggs, 18 of those fertilized normally (85% - versus 70-80% average) and became developing embryos.

We were thrilled when our doctor called on Saturday, sounding almost giddy, and said that almost all of our embryos were doing extremely well. Really exceeding expectations. I won't get into the details, but it was fabulous news.

Earlier this week, we transferred one single embryo into my uterus. The doctor recommended that we only transfer one because the embryos were doing so well. Although we had discussed having twins and agreed that it would be fabulous, the doctor cautioned against this because of the additional risks a twin pregnancy can present to me and to the babies.

She left the decision up to us but strongly recommended the single transfer. I still haven’t figured out exactly why, but she explained that transferring two would not increase our odds of becoming pregnant. Hmmmm.

Meanwhile, as I mentioned above, I was really feeling the effects of all of the procedures and medications I'd injected over the past couple of weeks.  I was so bloated that I could barely close my pants. Apparently, removing 23 eggs is a lot of poking with a needle, and every follicle that had an egg removed was now filled with fluid (as much as a golf ball). To say that makes you uncomfortable is an understatement. And then there was the nausea. Not fun at all.

Anyhow, enough about that. As I said, on Tuesday we transferred the embroyo (they even gave us a picture of it) and then I rested. More quality time on the sofa at the treehouse. I am happy to report that today I am feeling fantastic (and very optimistic)! So good, in fact, that I feel like I could run. But no running for me. Just light cardio for now.

Next step is the official pregnancy test on May 16^th. Nothing more for me to do between now and then except continue taking my meds (I don’t want to talk about it – they suck) and keep my fingers crossed. Also, the doctor mentioned that blood sugar is a factor so that it could help if I indulge in sweets like cupcakes and ice cream. So if anyone wants to bring me treats, it could really help. Okay, I totally made that last part up; she said nothing of the sort. But it couldn’t hurt.

The embryo will either stay where it is or it won’t. I feel really good about our chances with our overachieving embryo, but if it doesn’t work this time, it will work next time.

Fingers crossed. Happy day!

More Info on IVF

For those of you who haven't heard enough yet, here's a link to a really basic article from about.com about IVF. Even though I knew most of it already, I found it very helpful. I invite you to read it is you're interested.

My Knot Baby

I have another amusing story to share about my wacko body. Yesterday afternoon I went to the ladies room and as I unzipped my pants I noticed something on my stomach. It was right over one of my incisions and I thought it was weird but that perhaps it was a little bit of a a scab flaking off.

Nope. When I looked at it closely I noticed that not only was it a long (half inch), thin white thing, but it had a knot at the end. A knot! That's no scab. And it was coming right out of the middle of what I thought was a closed, and healed, incision.

Freaky! I felt like I was giving birth to an alien stitch baby. How the heck does that happen?

I called the doctor's office and the nurse said it was normal and I could cut it off. Okay. Fine. But why in the world and I projecting stitches at this point?

I explained to the nurse that I had run for the first time in three weeks the day before. She didn't think that was a problem. She said it would take months - MONTHS?!? - for me to get back to normal physically. And that was before I told her that I was in the middle of IVF. 2011 is going to be an interesting - but GREAT year.

Hormones Make You Do Funny Things

I know you’re all dying to hear the latest updates on my hormone levels, right? When I last reported, we were watching my e2 gradually climb. I kind of think of my body as a well-oiled machine. And like my car, I expect my body to follow certain predictable patterns. I also expect the doctors to be the body mechanics and be able to predict that x level of this medicine or hormone will cause x reaction. Yeah, I know, it doesn’t work that way – with cars or bodies.

Every day they take my blood to measure my levels and then do an ultrasound to count and measure my follicles. Then they call me in the afternoon to give me that evening’s dosing instructions. For a reason that is unknown to me, with the same doses that I’ve been taking for a few days, my estrogen level yesterday morning was super high. It went from 1570 on Sunday to 2441. If you recall, last Monday my estrogen level was considered a little low at 92. So yesterday my number was approximately 26 times what it was a week ago. Holy cannoli!

I don’t intend to share all of the nitty gritty details of this treatment here. I am more than happy to share with anyone who is interested. The point of this post is just to share what happened last night.

The Knight and I were watching Saving Grace on Netflix. I’ve watched this show since the first episode and highly recommend it. Anyhow, last night we watched the series finale and of course it was emotional. Ordinarily I am not really the sensitive type when it comes to the stuff that most ladies get emotional about. I am touched my movies and shows, but as the Knight pointed out, he has never seen me shed a tear over a touching story line.

Imagine his surprise when the show ended and he looked over at me and I was on the verge of a full out sob. I was a mess. I don’t think he knew what to do with himself. I then muttered something about it being time to shoot me up with more estrogen and we both lost it. We laughed for at least five minutes. It was pretty nice.

Just another funny moment to remember…

e2

e2 = estrogen

That is just one of the handy things I picked up over the last 30 minutes of doing exactly what my fertility nurse told me not to do: search the internet. But, you know, I just need more info. So I "cheated" and did some googling.

I think that Carrie, my wonderfully sweet nurse, wants to avoid what I'm sure everybody does. Enter whatever into Dr. Google and then get freaked out about all of the horrible possiblities.

So, you know I started my injections exactly one week ago. Since then I've been doing the shots nightly (I've missed my cookies since my last post b/c I got home too late to defrost them) and going in for monitoring in the mornings.

Monday morning Carrie called to tell me that my estrogen level was low. They wanted it to be over 100 and it was 92. I hate being an underachiever. They increased my dosage that night and whadayaknow, my estrogen level shot up to 342. Holy cow, I thought!

They decreased my dosage a little. Carrie just left me a message and said I'm up to 808 and they're decreasing me again.

Well, thank goodness for Dr. Google. According to my research, 808 isn't all that high. Well, it sounded high to me.

I'm feeling kind of icky. Just really crampy. Like PMS times five. A friend came by and knew something was wrong when he walked in the door. He said I was fidgety and quiet. I'm not sure if it is the hormones or the fact that I havent' worked out for THREE WEEKS. I'm planning to go for a light jog in the morning and see how that goes. I'm ready to get my sweat on.

All in all, things are going great. The current plan, which is subject to change, is that I'll do a trigger injection (an intramuscular shot which get the eggs ready) on Sunday. On Tuesday they'll retrieve my eggs and on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, they'll implant the embryos.  Then we wait two weeks to find out if it worked. I hear that is the hardest part of the process. Fingers crossed!

A cookie…in your purse????

“When things are bad and getting worse, keep a cookie in your purse.”

During a particularly stressful time back in my law school days, my sweet sister gave me this adorable card. It was shaped like a cookie and it had the above quote inside. It was so cute and it was just what I needed. Knowing Sis, I think the card may have been given with a cookie (or three).

Things are actually going pretty well. Thank goodness for Congress being out of session and my boss being out of the office. This week has been wonderfully quiet. Which is perfect since my new iPad arrived Monday night and yesterday I was a bit distracted by my new toy. Shhhhh….

Don’t worry….I’m getting back to the cookies. Stay with me.

So, the injections started Friday night and it was a little confusing but it actually went pretty well. Shady Grove Fertility gives you this 30+ page document that contains very detailed instruction for every possible medicine they prescribe. I’m using two different prescriptions, both with very different procedures for mixing and preparing. I’ll spare you the details but I will say it is challenging a little scary. And with each vial of medicne costing a few hundred dollars (yes, per dose), you really don't want to screw it up.

Saturday night didn’t go as well. For some unknown reason, I bled at the injection site after both injections. Not a lot, but just enough to freak me out (especially because I didn’t have that probem the night before). According the nurse I consulted on Monday, it's normal. Good thing, since I continue to bleed around 75% of the time.

Inserting the needles isn’t all that bad. But one of the medicines burns as you inject it and for a while afterwards. Not fun. Not fun at all.

It got to a point where I was really dreading the injections and I started saying that I needed a reward afterwards. You know, like the prizes you’d get at the dentist when you were a kid. Do you see where I’m going with this???

So yesterday when I read about these cookies on my feed from the Clarendon Culture blog, I knew they’d be just the thing to take the sting out of my evening (hahaha, I crack myself up).

I stopped by Trader Joe’s on the way home and picked up a box from the frozen aisle. Each cookie is only 75 calories but they are pretty tiny. After dinner I defrosted them on the counter (one for me, one for the Knight). Then after the tough stuff, I consoled myself with this deliciousness.

You know what? I’m looking forward to tonight so I can have another cookie. Mission accomplished!

For the record, yes, I am using food as an emotional crutch. Also for the record, I have gained 3 pounds (and 3 pimples) since beginning these hormone injections, and that was before starting the cookie plan. I suppose you could say that now is not the time to start adding cookies to my diet, but I disagree. Just a few more days of this…

Fetus cookies, anyone? Ummm. No thanks. Weird.

It's Almost the Weekend!

Deep breath. Ahhhh.

I love Fridays. So much.

I especially love Fridays that are at the end of tough weeks.

I guess I should catch up on everything since my last post. To say I was touched and overwhelmed by the response to my decision to share the details of the latest happenings in my life would be an understatment. Thank you all for reaching out with so much love and support. I feel truly blessed.

The recovery went very well. I enjoyed the downtime, much of which was spent on the sofa watching streaming netflix (love it!). For some reason I had ongoing headaches. That kept me pretty quiet most of the week. Since that was the worst of my worries, I can't really complain. I was so good about not unpacking, cleaning, or doing all of the other tasks that were calling out to me.

The first week back at work was fine. A little discomfort in the waist-band area, but fine overall. And that's about all I want to say about the workweek...

Going forward, here's what's on tap.

This weekend - the Face of America event, a 2-day 110-mile bike ride from DC to Gettysburg in honor of veterans. The Knight and many of my friends will ride along with wounded veterans for this amazing event. The Knight did it last year and hasn't stopped talking about it since. Since I'm still on the exercise ban :(, I'll be volunteering. I'm really hoping the weather isn't as bad as is currently forecasted. It is not fun riding (or volunteering) in rain or storms. Please consider making a donation to this wonderful cause if you haven't already.

Tonight - In my last post, I alluded to the whole baby-making procedure being a little "complicated." Well, tonight I will start injections so that we can prepare for IVF (in-vitro fertilization). I'm kind of undecided about how much of this to share, but it feels right to talk about it. I guess if you don't want to know, you can always stop reading.

I'm just a tad nervous about the injections. I'm actually fine with the whole needle thing. I went to a class on how to do the injections and I'm fine with it. I'm more nervous about the specifics. You have to mix this much of that substance, with a so many milligrams of that substance. I have an instructional brochure, so hopefully it won't be a big deal. It should be interesting.

Have a great weekend, everyone! Don't forget to donate if you can. Thanks!

Friday Fifteen

It's Friday. I'm bored. How about breaking tradition and having a Friday Fifteen?

1. The surgery this morning went well and I am feeling way better than I thought I would. I'm a little tender and woozy, but otherwise, I feel pretty good.

2. I've been awake for around 5 hours and I have to admit that I am already getting restless.

3. I watched Eat, Pray, Love on Netflix. I wasn't really entertained. The book was much better.

4. "Watching" the pilot of Thirtysomething now. The 80's hair and clothing is distracting me.

5. Earl Grey, aka smarty pants, is really freaked about something on my healing body. He keeps sniffing me and backing away when I try to pet him.

6. However, Pepper, aka the love cat, is oblivious that anything is up (as usual) and seems a little offended that I won't let him lay on my belly.

7. If anyone wants to come over for a visit or a walk, I think I'll be ready soon. Send me a note.

8.  Okay, so, many of you know that I had surgery this morning but I haven't really told many people the story. If you want to know a little bit, read on. If not, skip 10-12.

9. The Knight and I want to have a baby. For a variety of reasons, which I won't go into just yet, it will be a little more complicated than it could be. But no worries, we're Ironmen, and we can handle it.

10. In the course of doing some routine tests a couple of weeks ago, the doctor discovered a problem. One of my fallopian tubes was blocked. It isn't clear why or how it happened, but there are solutions.

11. The specialist checked out the scans and decided to to do surgery. He said there was a 50/50 chance that he could repair it. If not, he'd remove it. For some reason I just knew that he'd have to remove it and that's exactly what he did. At least I don't have to worry about it becoming a problem again in the future.

12. The surgery was done lapascopically. The put the camera in through my belly button and made two incisions in my abdomen. I've got soluble stitches and dermabond. They didn't put bandages over it and it looks kinda scary. I decided to stop looking at it.

13. I feel so incredibly fortunate that a) this was discovered before I got pregnant. It would have caused a miscarriage if it wasn't; b) we have good jobs and health insurance and we are in a position to be able to take care of all of this; c) I have such an amazing support system.

14. Another cool thing about this morning's surgery is that my friend and teammate, Dr. Pam, was at the surgery center this morning. Total coincidence! It turns out she's part owner of the facility and was doing a surgery there this morning, too. She put the word out and everyone who came by to care for us treated us like VIPs (and called us Ironpeople). It was so nice. [BTW, Pam is interested in racing IM Arizona. I remember reading something on facebook about a source for sold-out charity slots. Anyone know anything? Email Pam, Carol or me.]

15. The Knight just returned home from the commissary with lots of goodies including an electric blanket. No, they don't have electric blankets there; he stopped at the exchange, too. Now he's making me cheesy scrambled eggs. I'm so lucky!

I know there's a lot here. Just be glad that I didn't decide to do a Friday FIFTY :) You may be hearing a lot from me over the next week. I am scheduled to go back to work 4/11.

Thanks for reading and thank you so much for all of the nice notes and texts.

Lots of love,
Cat

P.S. - I am not on any medication at the moment - not even ibuprofen. So this post was done as lucidly as any other post I've made.

Thursday Thirteen: Randomness

1. Life is good. I am constantly aware of how fortunate I am and how fabulous my life is.

2. Surgery is tomorrow. To be honest, I’m getting a little nervous. I know it will be fine, but I’m still a little apprehensive. Think good thoughts for me.

3. The house is coming along little by little. It is fun to see the gradual improvements.

4. I am more and more in love with the neighborhood (and my neighbors). Several neighbors have stopped by to introduce themselves and bring us baked goods. I’ve never felt so welcome!

5.  Please donate to the Knight, who is once again participating in the Wounded Warrior’s Face of America ride. Read more here.

6. Work has been nutty lately. I have downtime occasionally, but in general it is really crazy. I have to say I like my job though.

7. I’m so excited for Spring to arrive (and stay). Daffodils and hyacinths are already blooming in my yard. We are planning to plant vegetables and herbs as soon as possible. It is going to be so great experiencing the seasons in the tree house.

8. I’m seriously craving fried chicken after seeing pictures of Bojangles Fried Chicken, which opens its first local shop in Union Station today.

9. Last Friday I took a sedative (just kidding) and went to the DMV to get my new license (new name, new address – the whole shebang).  Imagine my shock when they called my number less than 30 seconds after I sat down. I only had time to check 3 boxes on the form I had to fill out. The process was pretty quick and painless. It took me longer to drive there than it did to get in and out. Yay!

10.  I seriously cannot wait for my iPad to arrive. I’m so excited!

11. Have I mentioned how much I am looking forward to not going to work for a week? I have to keep reminding myself that this isn’t a vacation.

12.  I have no doubt that I will be well taken care of over the next week. The Knight has already promised to make me homemade macaroni and cheese; and my sweet friend Melody has promised to bring us a meal this weekend. I’m a lucky girl!

13. I’m all signed up for Netflix, and the Knight hooked up the Apple TV device (which is SO cool, BTW). I might be restless but I shouldn’t be bored. I’ve got lots of reading material, too.

Thursday Thirteen: Recovery Edition

1. Feeling great - It is four days later and I feel fabulous. I felt pretty decent after the race and I just kept getting better. I feel like I could run another marathon tomorrow...

2. ...But I won't. And I won't run one on Saturday either. I'm fighting myself on this, but if nothing else, I just want to sleep late this weekend  - for the first time in forever.

3. My surgery is next Friday; I'm really fine with it. I'm more worried about not exercising for 3-4 weeks than I am about recovering from the surgery.

4. On the plus side, I'm really looking forward to vegging for a week. It will be nice to spend some time at home and not in the office.

5. For my birthday the Knight bought me an iPad (yes, he spoils me!). It is on its way and I absolutely cannot wait. I hope it gets here it time for me to play while I have the time.

6. On Tuesday I was walking into my office feeling like an idiot because I was doing the post-marathon hobble.  I crossed paths with a co-worker who just returned to the office after being away for 2+ years. He was volunteering with the post-Katrina recovery efforts when he was hit by a bus and then dragged down the street. I don't know much more than that but I believe he had one or both legs amputated and wears prosthetic legs and walks with a cane. I was walking a whole lot better than he is and it really put things in perspective.

7. Marathons make you hungry!

8. Alcis is awesome. It is a medicated lotion that is not smelly or greasy. We picked it up a couple of years ago at the NY Marathon expo, and have bought more on drugstore.com. It works. I am allergic to mint (which also means menthol and eucalyptus) so most of those bengay type products are out for me. T

9. Monday night I was scheduled to lead the run at PRR. I kept waiting for Coach Ed to see what seemed to me as an obvious error and cancel the run. But since that never came, I showed up anyhow. Fortunately, one of my teammates I'd had emailed but never met before and her current running regimen was just what I needed to warm up my muscles: 4 min walk: 2 minute run (around 13-14 min pace). It was so rewarding to speak with her and give her the support that we all need now and then.

10. A wise Knight once told me that it is just as important to hydrate after a race as it is before and during. It is easy to forget, but he is right.

11. Another great thing for recovery is light cardio like walking or the elliptical. It is really helpful to get your blood flowing through those muscles so they can heal themselves.

12. Chocolate is also very helpful. Okay, I'm making that up. But chocolate is good for everything and I am seriously chocolate deficient this week.

13. I can't wait to get out and race again. Why am I so addicted to the torture?