Here's a little video that explains IVF in two minutes!
Saturday night after church, we ventured north again...I can now navigate us to Dr. Morris' office without Google Maps! We stayed overnight at PJ's in Crown Point. Our monitoring appointment was bright and early at 7:30 Sunday morning. All was looking good, we just had to once again wait to hear back after Dr. Morris reviewed the labs and ultrasound. Random IVF fact, all these hormones are to stimulate your follicles and produce eggs. That's all fine and dandy, but it leads to ovaries that feel like the size of Texas! We spent some time with the family while anxiously awaiting news from the doc. Cue a sigh of relief when Nurse Brittany called to give us our directions. Sunday night was going to be the trigger shot and retrieval would be on Tuesday morning. The trigger shot is done about 36 hours before the retrieval. We packed up, picked up the 4 doses of antibiotic I needed, and ventured down 65 again to make it home for the trigger shot. While I can do shots wherever, Joe was a man on a mission that we could do these at home. This trigger shot was HCG and Follistim...so a little different than I've done before. I am so thankful not to have any major side effects from the injections, just a headache here and there or some cramping compliments of my ginormous ovaries. I think I blocked out the part about being so lovely and bloated. Odds are if you see me in the next two weeks, I will be living in yoga pants that have never been to yoga!
Monday night we ventured north again. Our arrival time was 6:30 on Tuesday morning...oh goodness! On the bright side, since we had such an early time it involved less time for me to whine about being hungry and thirsty. We met another Nurse Alison! I'm a dork, but it made me feel better...that reminder of the familiar! Alison shared that she had been through IVF as well. Chit chatting about preschool helped distract my tired nerves. Around 7:30, they wheeled me back. I remember the anesthesiologist asking me what my favorite cocktail was. My response was a glass of sweet, red wine...he said it just so happens Dr. Morris has an amazing wine cellar. That's the last thing I remember!
There was a sticky note beside the bed with the number 18. Woohoo! Of course I still love Peyton even though he's not in Indy anymore. We had 18 eggs during our first IVF, too. After the grogginess wore off, we were wheeled out and headed home. They had given me some medicine for the pain, so the trip home and most of Tuesday are a little blurry. I slept a lot and missed Bible study.
Wednesday morning we received our alert that there was a message in Patient Portal. (Patient Portal is how we receive lab results, instructions, etc.) We had 11 of the 18 eggs fertilize. Another step in the right direction. My prayers have switched from fertilizing to having two of the best embryos ready for a day five transfer. (So, for my friends that pray specifically for us...please pray for two great embryos to transfer and that at least one will stick and give us a healthy baby!)My game plan has been to take off from the embryo transfer to the time of pregnancy test from the munchkins (and more specifically their germs). Getting ready to miss two weeks of preschool is a nice distraction from all the overthinking you can do while hormonal and waiting for the next step! I'm so thankful that Kathy Baryoh is able to sub for the majority of the time I'm out. Having someone reliable and trustworthy is just a huge relief! My staff at preschool is amazing, so I know my little guys will be in great hands. Being out and planning ahead does increase this ADD girl's focus and organization. I had lunch with my dear friend Christy. It means so much to have a friend pray for you, hold your hand, and give you encouragement.
On the way home from Marion yesterday, it hit me...the emotions and anticipation of the wait between transfer and test. I'd been able to distract myself with school stuff, I hadn't spent much time focusing on the emotional adventure ahead. It was a little time to drive, be overwhelmed, pray, and listen to some encouraging music. In one of the sermons for the Transformed series we are doing at church, Pastor Gregg talked about you control your thoughts. So, I'm really working on not letting myself get too anxious, freaked out, scared, etc. I'm just focusing on hope and faith!
We are overwhelmed with the support and love we receive along our journey. It means more than you know! As our family and friends pray for us in the next few days, please pray that we can stay hopeful, calm, and not get caught up in all the what if scenarios or what happened last time thoughts. Pray that our little embryos will grow and that we will have two perfect blastocyst embryos to transfer and that one or both of those little guys will implant and become a healthy little bambino!
We can always use prayers for safe travels, especially since the snow won't go away. Our plan is to head north in the morning, spend tomorrow with PJ, and then head home after the transfer. (Yes, I will probably have the seat leaned back and my feet on the dash)
I'm sure I will update Sunday or Monday!
Love,
Sarah and Joe
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