Thursday morning we headed north to meet Dr. Morris, our new fertility doctor that donated the cycle of IVF for the Cade Foundation raffle. Change is not easy so there was a touch of anxiety as our appointment was growing closer. When we won the raffle this summer, it was an answer to the question of what do we do next. After our first cycle and miscarriage, I had no clue about what our next steps would be. The thought of going through everything again to lose it was a lot to think about, but my heart wasn't totally ready to give up on fertility treatments. It can be a bit overwhelming to think about how to manage another IVF, bed rest, and possible miscarriage again...it was just physically and emotionally draining. However, I've got a lot of faith that we won this raffle for a reason and there is a positive outcome waiting for us. It's that whole everything happens for a reason thing.
It took about four and a half hours to get to Naperville Fertility Center which will be where all appointments, monitoring, and procedures will occur. (I'm no city mouse, so this country mouse will need lots of prayers when I'm making this trip on my own!) We were an hour early because someone didn't mention that our appointment was Illinois time. Joe is a smart cookie so he suggested we go ahead and check in. We had to fill out our questionnaire prior to the appointment so there wasn't a lot of paperwork. The nurse wanted to check my blood pressure and weight. My blood pressure was normal which is unusual for these type of appointments. I'm down eight pounds from my first IVF beginning weight. While that was a year ago, shots, bed rest, and hormones are not kind to the waist line. I'm going to keep working on it thanks to our Biggest Loser contest at school!
We were able to get into meet Dr. Morris an hour before our scheduled appointment time. Dr. Morris has everything electronically, so he gave us back our 123 page history from Dr. Bopp. We jumped right in and he shared with us about different optional testing that could be done before the embryos were transferred. (After the appointment, we both decided that we would opt against the preimplantation genetic testing) Dr. Morris is on top of current research and best practices. He had a power point with visuals on all his talking points! Prior to our cycle, I will have some ovarian reserve testing to provide information that will help in adjusting dosage for medicine. He also wants a saline ultrasound or hysteroscopy to make sure the uterus is in good shape. TSH is also included in this day 3 testing, which is good because mine fluctuates so much. Dr. Morris wants my TSH between zero and 2.5, so when I visit Dr. Orrell I'll pass along our new range. Joe has to get his testing updated, too. It's only fair with all the poking and prodding I will receive!
When it comes to medication, we will use Follistim and Ganirelex again. Dr. Morris uses a low dose HCG protocol. The trigger shot will include HCG and Follistim. This is new for the trigger. I've done HCG (it's the one Joe gets to give me), but he uses the Follistim to trigger the FSH surge in addition to LH. (FSH and LH are hormones key to the process.)
Egg retrieval and embryo transfer are the same as our first cycle, so that won't be a new experience. I really feel confident that we are in great hands! One of the downfalls to our consultation was the harsh reality....Dr. Morris says NO CAFFEINE for either of us. Please pray for us as we transition to caffeine free life. My caffeine free diet coke is allowed though! We met with one of the ladies from Billing to get prices on the testing that we would need before our cycle. She also suggested contacting my local OB for the tests to help save us a trip. Everyone at the clinic was very positive and encouraging! I left feeling a lot better about things!
So, now we just have to get our testing done and figure out the costs we will have for medicine. Pray that all the tests are clear and that we will get the medication cost figured out. It's really amazing and a blessing when we think that the only costs we have is our medication. A typical IVF cycle can cost between $12,000-15,000. Thanks to the Cade Foundation for being an answer to prayers!!
As we plan for our next IVF cycle, I'm going in with a lot more faith! Thanks to all our friends and family for always giving us love, support, and prayers. It takes a village to overcome infertility and we are so blessed!
Have a wonderful fall week and stay warm!
Love,
Sarah and Joe
Truly hoping for the best outcome for you two.....sending lots of love your way.
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