Baseline Appt.

Yesterday morning was a chaotic baseline appointment.  They were running behind at 8:15 a.m. and those people were in some type of panic mode!  They moved me from room to room with barely enough time to drop my drawers, much less ask any questions.  I did drum up enough courage to ask the -in a rush- u/s lady if she saw any cysts while she was completing the down there photo shoot and she did not.  Yeah!  Then I moved across the hall to have an endometrial biopsy too... something about ruling out inflammation.  My RE's understudy is all business, all the time.  [Short story-  I've only seen him crack a smile one time when he was doing an u/s and pointed something out to another intern (always on display, sigh) in the room about my fun--s and I said "excuse me, did you say fungus... like bacteria?"  You could see he was trying to stifle a laugh (gee thanks) and informed me that the top of the uterus is called the fundus.  Embarrassing moment.  I was thinking I would have to add "moldy" to my list of fertility problems.]  Back to the biopsy- Instead of "good morning" he says "this is going to cause some pain, did you take anything?"  Ugh.  Not as bad as the tubes test but it would be next on the infertility treatments pain-o-meter.
 
Nurse LLD called me a couple of hours later and said that while the u/s and labwork were okay, Dr. S. does not want me to start stims until she has the results from the biopsy.  The good news is that everything looks calm but the bad news is we're in a "wait to start stims" phase.  Patience is a virtue, blah, blah!

I must say thank God for Nurse LLD.  I showed her the syringes/needles that I have and told her I didn't think I had enough and she went around the corner and came back with some extras to help me out.   Then I showed her the vials of solution that came with Bravelle. They are tiny glass bottles with no rubber stopper.  Nurse LLD said "I haven't seen these in a long time.  They used to come with a file.  Hold on."  Around the corner she goes, and back she comes with some vials that I do know how to use until I can figure out these little things.  Love her and you all would too!

By the way, do any of you have vials of solution that looks like this?  What is the best way to open them?  I don't see a file and Nurse LLD said to wrap it in a dishcloth and push backwards?  I'm sure there's something out there on the Internet.  I'm confused about exactly how to get this mixed with the powder.  

Wish everyone a great weekend!  It's a rainy, cold Saturday here so that says "blog reading morning" and lazy day to me.  Hope to catch up with many of you soon! 

Baseline=Tomorrow!

I'm really worried about baseline being tomorrow.  It has been one of those weeks.  PC getting sick in addition to recovering from surgery.  Check.  Flat tire.  Check.  Major stress at work.  Check.  AF with a vengeance.  Check.  So I am hoping that baseline tomorrow morning does not add "big fat cyst" or something else to end what has been a really rotten week.  Nurse LLD said they hope to see a lot of nothing tomorrow... so that I can move on to stims!  So here's to nothing...nada...zilch...zero... just for tomorrow and then it's time for

What:  A follicle growing party

Who:  Follicles, preferably with eggs

When:  The next two weeks

Where:  Left ovary, right ovary

Forget the pain, what about the sperm?!?

I asked PC to "give me the middle finger."  Please allow me to explain.  I married a guy who went through his "battle" scars on one of our first dates.  Strange way of impressing???  Anyway, I was introduced to the ski accident scar, running into a pole scar, dog bite scar and (alas the middle finger) the changing a tire scar.  That one is my nieces favorite... they call it his "looks like a butt finger!"  I think it's a pretty good description, don't you?

So, this weekend PC's stomach pain turned into an ER trip which resulted in the new appendectomy scar! Oddly enough, this one might turn out to look like a smile:]

So, to get to the point of this post... PC is laying there in pain and the doctor is telling him what's involved in removing his appendix and here's my one and only question...

Is this going to affect his sperm?

Pause.  Strange looks.  Explain IVF.
Dr. assures me that PC should not have any problems with his part of the process.
PC says "I have an easy job."  Laughter.
This is one crazy ride.  

IVF Questions- Part 1

I have two days left to take progesterone.  I am on day 5 of Lupron shots.  I am supposed to call Nurse LLD when AF shows up after the last progesterone pill.  Disclaimer- I know that every cycle is different, every person is different and to 'expect the unexpected' over the next few weeks.  Nevertheless, I always have questions floating around in my head (hence the Part 1) and say "thank you" in advance to anyone who would like to share your thoughts about any of the topics below. 

1.  How closely does the antral follicle count predict number of eggs at retrieval?
2.  When I get to the stims, are their any foods/diet tips associated with reducing the risks of OHSS? 
3.  Did anyone else not take BCPs prior to an IVF cycle? 

Lastly, should I put this back under the counter or not?!?

 

It's had a home under the counter for a long time but my RE clinic is also connected to a university and my "delicate and sensitive areas" as described on the box will soon be on display for research purposes as well as IVF.  Prerequisite for IVF- keep your sense of humor about some things!  :]  

If to When and other random thoughts

Well, duh.  It just occurred to me yesterday that we have a nurse on staff where I work.  So, we met in the clinic this morning, she gave me the Lupron shot, no drama and I was back in my office in a matter of minutes.  She even offered to meet me on the weekends but I can call on SIL if needed.  This isn't cheating, it's using resources wisely!  Thank goodness for nurses, I have so much respect for them! 

CRAP with a capital "C" happened at work today... actually it's been that kind of week.  It calls for chocolate tonight.  It calls for this brownie that's the size of my hand!!!

I really want to work on moving from an "if" to a "when" attitude.  When we first started TTC, a lady at work said she had a bag of maternity clothes to give away.  I told her we were TTC and she brought them to me.  That was a long time ago when I thought "it didn't happen this month, but it will happen the next."  Yeah, right.  You know what happened... a few weeks later another co-worker became pregnant and I took those clothes to her.  That may have been my first cry.  That permanently put me in an "if" mindset.  I've never bought anything baby.  So, in efforts to start thinking "when" I'm going to do a little on-line window shopping.  Baby things that I like WHEN...