hope is a beautiful thing :)

Well, the roller coaster has continued for the past week, but I am thrilled to say that things are very much looking up right now!!

Heather had an ultrasound last Sunday, and the doctor (not Dr. Nash) told her that she didn't see a whole lot. This was discouraging, because Heather had been on her meds for almost a week, and we thought for sure there would be a bunch of growing follicles in there. She went back on Tuesday for another ultrasound, and Dr. Nash saw 4-5 follicles, with one being bigger than the others. He told her that she wasn't responding to the meds as well or as quickly as they had hoped she would. We felt pretty discouraged at that point. Michelle (Dr. Nash's nurse) told me on the phone that day that it was possible that the bigger follicle would continue to grow while the others stopped growing, and only one follicle would really not be enough to continue this cycle. Heather was pretty upset, feeling like she was failing and disappointing Brian and me. If only she could know how wrong she was. Yes, we were discouraged about the follicles (which, of course, Heather had absolutely no control over), but we couldn't be more thrilled that she agreed to give us this amazing gift, and we would NEVER be disappointed in her or feel like she failed us.

I had an ultrasound with Dr. Nash on Thursday. He said that the lining of my uterus was looking great, and my ovaries looked nice and quiet (meaning that the Lupron injections are doing their job). I expressed some concern about the follicle situation, and he quickly reassured me. He said that in the past, there was a lot of focus on a magic number of 10 follicles or more when doing an IVF cycle. In more recent years, there has been a lot of research that shows that quantity is not nearly as important as they once thought it was, and quality is really what matters. He said that maybe she was focusing her energy on a smaller number of follicles, and they are going to be really high quality. I like that! He assured me that he believes that the follicles will all still continue to grow, and that this will be a successful cycle. I left his office that day feeling much more encouraged and optimistic.

Heather had another ultrasound yesterday (Friday), and we got great news! Two of the follicles are ready, and three more will most likely be ready by the retrieval date. Yay!! :) Her estrogen blood level is also increasing nicely and appropriately, meaning that the eggs are good. She had another ultrasound this morning, and we got the best news yet ... 4 follicles are ready, and there may be 3 more ready by the retrieval date!! Yay!!! :)

Heather has one more ultrasound tomorrow (Sunday) morning, and the retrieval will be bright and early on Monday (3/12) morning. Brian has to be at Dr. Nash's Akron office (where the retrieval will take place) on Monday between 7-10 AM, to drop off his piece of the puzzle. :)

The eggs will be fertilized by an embryologist on Monday afternoon, and on Tuesday, I should get a phone call letting me know the transfer date. It will either be Thursday (3/15) or Saturday (3/17), at the Akron office. Brian and I will be heading up to my parents' house the night before the transfer. I have to be on 3 days of strict bedrest after the transfer, so my parents, Brian, and I are going to head to the lake for a few days of relaxation.

My managers at work have been incredibly supportive and flexible with me, and I am so grateful. They have allowed me to switch my schedule around at the last minute for the next two weeks, and it has taken such a weight off my shoulders. Brian and Heather's managers have been equally supportive and flexible, and we are all very lucky to work for such great employers. :)

As far as the meds go, Heather will take her last injections of Follistim, Menopur, and Ganirelix tonight, and she will take her HCG trigger shot (which will trigger the follicles to "finish" and be ready for retrieval on Monday morning) tonight. I will take my last Lupron injection tomorrow. I have to continue the estrogen patches through the end of the first trimester (assuming I get pregnant!!), and I will start the intramuscular progesterone-in-oil injections on Monday (eeek!). Those would also continue through the first trimester, and possibly the entire pregnancy.

We are feeling very optimistic, and are hoping for the best over the next couple weeks. The official pregnancy test (a blood draw) will be on Monday, 3/26 in the morning. I will know by that afternoon if I am pregnant. I can't believe I am 2 weeks from hopefully being pregnant!!! It's so hard to believe that we are finally at this point in our long journey. I am trying to stay composed on the outside, while jumping up and down and squealing with excitement on the inside. :)

Se, we are accepting all positive thoughts and good energy sent our way over the next couple weeks ... I will update soon!! :)