And the score is...

It's been 9 long days of trying not to parse every twinge or feeling.  It's hard to tell if any symptoms that could indicate pregnancy are because of hormone medication, because of pregnancy, or just in my head because I know that's a typical symptom.  Do my boobs hurt because that's what progesterone does or because the turkeys are cooking? (FYI if you didn't see my last post, I'm calling the embryos our turkeys). Am I tired and ready for bed at 8:30 because we walked around Six Flags or decorated the house for Christmas; or am I exhausted because the turkeys stuck? Crazy dreams because I'm stressed out or because I'm pregnant? We didn't want to test at home because we've never had good luck with those tests; my only positive, at-home pregnancy test was one I took after our positive beta last December. So we had to wait until my beta blood test today.

Blood draw was early this morning.  I got there a little early, so I got in and out before my actual appointment time. It was quite busy; the nurse said they had about 8 women in today for betas.  She told me that they would call with the results later in the day.  And thus began the excruciating wait for that one phone call.  I went back to work and tried to distract myself.  I carried my phone around everywhere I went so I wouldn't miss the call.  The more the day went on, the more anxious and nervous I got.  I convinced myself that when the nurse finally called, she would have bad news for us because I no longer felt any symptoms; they had just been in my head.

Finally, around the time I was getting ready to leave work, the nurse called.  I was shaking as I took the phone into the back hallway for privacy in our the conversation.  There was no dodging the issue.  The nurse told me that our beta came back at 344, a good strong positive. (25 is what will usually trigger a home pregnancy test for those of you wondering).  I'm to continue meds and order more if needed.  I go back on Friday for a second beta to hopefully see that number at 700 minimum.  Less than 700 would mean that the pregnancy is biochemical; more than 700 means the embryo(s) are growing like they should.

So we are again cautiously optimistic.  We had a good strong first number, so that seems to be a good sign.  I have plans to sit around all day tomorrow while at a training for work; hopefully that will provide an ideal environment for the turkeys.  We firmly believe that all of the positive energy from friends and family over the last month, especially the last few days, helped us get to this point. Please keep it coming.  And thank you!!

Turkeys are in the oven 😊

Today was transfer day!!

Here we go!

The lab called last week to confirm that my transfer would be at 1pm and to arrive by 12:15.  It's not the usual doctor's office in Southlake, but rather the lab in Dallas.  That meant an hour drive, so we left super early and got lunch out beforehand.  We got to the doctor's office a little early, where they had more paperwork for us to fill out.  Then we waited for them to call us back.

I expected a similar situation as at our old clinic.  There, the transfer was done in the same exam rooms the regular ultrasounds are done in.  The embryologist would bring in the embryos from the lab, carefully carrying them through the hallway when told to. Then I'd lay there after transfer for about 10 minutes.  

He wanted to take these home
 and wear all day...

My transfer garb...

This clinic is very different, but in a good way.  A lot of the details are the same- dark room, full bladder, ultrasound-guidance, no scented lotions, pictures of the embryos... But at this clinic, they took us into what looked like a surgery pre-op room.  I was told to change into the gown, put on special socks, and cover my hair.  Spencer got his own special outfit to wear as well. Turns out, this clinic does the transfer in an operating room connected to the lab.

Then we got to speak with a nurse, the doctor, the embryologist, and another nurse.  They answered questions and told us what to expect.  The embryologist gave us pictures of the embryos they'd thawed for us.  She said that one embryo looked good; the other one was still collapsed (I think that was the phrase she used) but she said that it'd likely continue to progress and get better.  After chatting with everyone, the nurse walked us back to the operating room.  I got on the table and the nurses got me into position.  The cool part about this transfer is that there is a TV in the OR that lets you see your embryos get sucked into the tube for transfer. I thought that was kind of neat.  The rest of transfer went as normal.  A nurse used the ultrasound machine to help the doctor guide a catheter into my uterus.  Once in the right spot, the lab brought in the tube of our embryos.  We got to see the little puff as the embryos shot in.  And that was it.  I scooted to the travel bed thing, and was wheeled back to the room.  I had to lay around for 20 minutes afterwards.  Then we got to change and head home with orders to take it easy until the first pregnancy test on the 30th.

Nervous/excited to get these turkeys in where they belong.

Our little turkeys.
The top one is still collapsed but ought to expand and get better soon.
The bottom on is rated well.

Almost halftime!

I had my check up today with the doctor to see that everything is progressing as they want. Even though it's never been a problem in the past, I was a tad nervous about this appointment since we are on a different drug protocol. However, like usual, those nerves were for naught. Everything has checked out ok (if the blood work comes back funky, they may call me later).

I got more instructions, as well as circles drawn on my backside to show where the shots go.  Those start tonight. I also was told to start taking low-dose aspirin every day. This is a technique doctors use with women who have had multiple losses. They think it helps prevent clots that could mess with embryo growth, but it's not 100% proven. But it also doesn't hurt anything, so we are trying it. So much new stuff this round we will never know exactly which part needed to change if it works. But at least we will have finally stumbled upon the right recipe for success (hopefully).

Anyways, there isn't much more to report. Shots and pills for 6 days, then we should transfer two embryos on Monday, Nov. 21st around lunchtime. Blood test is on Nov. 30th and hopefully I'll have more to schedule after that. Keep sending us good thoughts please!

Ready, set, go!

I went to the doctor on Friday for a follow-up to my follow-up appointment a few weeks ago. Originally, the doctor had said that he wanted to do an ultrasound in a few weeks to check that everything was healing ok. Then based on those results, we might be able to jump into another frozen transfer (FET) cycle. We never really spoke about specifics or paid any money, so I wasn't expecting much to happen really soon. Our last clinic was so methodical about stuff like that; we'd have paperwork and payment due (plus order meds) before ever getting scheduled for an ultrasound.

Boy, was I wrong about what to expect! My appointment started with a blood draw so they can check hormone levels. Then an ultrasound to check for cysts and see how my lining looks. Turns out everything looked ok, because the nurse told me to get dressed and meet her in the consult room when she finished the exam. She came in with the instructions for our FET cycle, much to my surprise!

We scraped the lupron we have used in the last few cycles. This saves us several weeks, about $500, and a couple dozen shots; so no tears over that change in protocol. I start taking Estrace (an estrogen supplement) twice a day for about two weeks. Then I go back to the doctor for another lining check. If that looks good, then we are all set to move onto the next step- progesterone shots. Not looking forward to these, but Spencer's always been good about giving them so I'm not concerned. Less than a week after we start the progesterone, we get to do the transfer. Then a 9-day wait before my first pregnancy test. It all takes less than a month, so it seems so much quicker than I'm used to. Kind of like a whirlwind.

In addition to the directions, I got consent forms to fill out and then sent to the front desk to check out and pay. It was a total of $2950, so a little more than our last clinic, but the lupron savings offsets the extra cost. I was still in a little shock by the time I left the office. If everything cooperates, we could do the transfer before Thanksgiving!

So, as usual, please send lots of good thoughts our way as we begin this process again. I'm feeling very confident that this is our cycle. The fourth one will be the lucky one. New doctor, cleaner insides, new protocol.