I have been taking daily Lupron injections for 2 weeks and 3 days. The hot flashes, bone and joint pain, and mood swings have been interesting, but I dare say they haven't been as bad as I thought they would be ... maybe because my reproductive hormones were already diminished? The worst side effect has been terrible headaches. :( I had a baseline ultrasound and blood work last Thursday, and Dr. Nash said that everything looked great. On Friday, I added several more medications to my daily regimen ... transdermal estrogen patches, estrogen tablets that are taken vaginally, aspirin (to prevent blood clots from all of the estrogen that I'm taking), folic acid and vitamin B12, and a prenatal vitamin (I have already been taking those daily for the last 2 years). My Lupron dose decreased by half on Friday, when I added all of the other meds. I will continue these meds until March 8, when I will go for another ultrasound and blood work. My daily progesterone-in-oil intramuscular injections (ouch!) will begin on the day of Heather's retrieval.
Speaking of Heather, she had a prolactin blood draw on Thursday. She had a baseline ultrasound and blood work today. She found out today that her prolactin level is NORMAL (yay!!), and everything with the ultrasound and blood work looked great. She will begin her daily injections of Follistim and Menopur tomorrow, and she will go back for another ultrasound on Sunday. Then, she will have daily ultrasounds until her follicles are ready to go. At some point (I'm guessing maybe Sunday?), she will add a daily Ganirelix (a drug that is similar in function to Lupron) injection to her regimen. This drug will keep her from ovulating prematurely. I taught her how to give herself the injections this weekend ... she will do great!! :)
The tenative egg retrieval date range for Heather is March 8-10. Brian will also have to go to the Akron office the same day as the retrieval, to drop off his excellent and high quality swimmers. :) haha! Then, the embryologist at the office will work his magic and hopefully create some beautiful embryos. :) The embryo transfer into me will be 3-5 days after the retrieval. If the embryos are high quality and divide the way they should, the transfer will be 3 days after the retrieval. If the embryos are good quality, but don't divide as quickly as they should, the transfer will be 5 days after the retrieval. Apparently, day 3 embryos tend to have a higher pregnancy rate, but Dr. Nash said that plenty of women still get pregnant with day 5 embryos.
So, that's about it for now. I have been trying not to let myself get too excited, while still trying to stay optimistic. Brian and I talked about baby names the other day, which of course got me excited. But, I'm also very nervous and trying not to get my hopes up too high. It's a balancing act, for sure. I will update again soon!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Here we go ...
Heather had her prolactin rechecked last Friday. Her prolactin is actually too low now (go figure!!), so Dr. Nash is decreasing her daily bromocriptine dose. By the time she starts her injectible meds, her prolactin level should be normal. So, Dr. Nash said that we can move forward with everything!
I have to say that I thought I would be incredibly excited upon hearing these words from Dr. Nash. I suppose that I am excited somewhere deep inside, but more than anything, I am scared and nervous. I know that this is our last ditch effort ... our last chance for me to experience pregnancy and to have Brian's baby. This is a scary reality for me. We have so much vested in this (emotionally, physically, and financially), and I just can't stop thinking about everything that could still go wrong. I'm normally an optimistic person, but I feel like this infertility journey has changed that. That makes me sad. I am trying to work on it, but one disappointment after another can really damage one's "glass half full" perspective on life.
Anyway, Brian and I have an appointment next Thursday (2/2) to sign the consent paperwork and pay a very large sum of money. We have to pay the entire balance on that day, which is a bit terrifying. Once the consent paperwork is signed, I will stop taking my birth control pills so I can have a period. Then, I will start taking my meds. I have to take daily subcutaneous Lupron injections, which will essentially shut down my body's production of estrogen and progesterone. I'm not sure how long I will take those ... I am guessing I will take them until right before the embryo transfer. At some point, I will start daily intramuscular (big, long needle = OUCH) injections of progesterone in oil, as well as estrogen transdermal patches. Because the Lupron will stop my body from making estrogen and progesterone, I will be giving myself very specific doses of these hormones to prepare my body for pregnancy.
In a couple weeks, Heather will stop taking her birth control pills so she can have a period. Then, she will begin her injectible meds. She will be taking daily subcutaneous injections of Follistim, Menopur, and Ganirelix. Those meds will all help Heather grow multiple follicles, which will then be retrieved once they are mature.
If everything goes according to plan, the egg retrieval will be sometime around the first weekend in March, and the embryo transfer into me will be within a week after that.
So, that's the plan. I will update periodically over the next month. I can't believe this will all be done in a little over a month. It seems like there is so much to do, but I guess it will start moving very quickly very soon.
If all goes according to plan, we may be looking at an late November/early December baby. Now THAT makes me excited ... :)
I have to say that I thought I would be incredibly excited upon hearing these words from Dr. Nash. I suppose that I am excited somewhere deep inside, but more than anything, I am scared and nervous. I know that this is our last ditch effort ... our last chance for me to experience pregnancy and to have Brian's baby. This is a scary reality for me. We have so much vested in this (emotionally, physically, and financially), and I just can't stop thinking about everything that could still go wrong. I'm normally an optimistic person, but I feel like this infertility journey has changed that. That makes me sad. I am trying to work on it, but one disappointment after another can really damage one's "glass half full" perspective on life.
Anyway, Brian and I have an appointment next Thursday (2/2) to sign the consent paperwork and pay a very large sum of money. We have to pay the entire balance on that day, which is a bit terrifying. Once the consent paperwork is signed, I will stop taking my birth control pills so I can have a period. Then, I will start taking my meds. I have to take daily subcutaneous Lupron injections, which will essentially shut down my body's production of estrogen and progesterone. I'm not sure how long I will take those ... I am guessing I will take them until right before the embryo transfer. At some point, I will start daily intramuscular (big, long needle = OUCH) injections of progesterone in oil, as well as estrogen transdermal patches. Because the Lupron will stop my body from making estrogen and progesterone, I will be giving myself very specific doses of these hormones to prepare my body for pregnancy.
In a couple weeks, Heather will stop taking her birth control pills so she can have a period. Then, she will begin her injectible meds. She will be taking daily subcutaneous injections of Follistim, Menopur, and Ganirelix. Those meds will all help Heather grow multiple follicles, which will then be retrieved once they are mature.
If everything goes according to plan, the egg retrieval will be sometime around the first weekend in March, and the embryo transfer into me will be within a week after that.
So, that's the plan. I will update periodically over the next month. I can't believe this will all be done in a little over a month. It seems like there is so much to do, but I guess it will start moving very quickly very soon.
If all goes according to plan, we may be looking at an late November/early December baby. Now THAT makes me excited ... :)
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
new year, renewed hope ...
Happy New Year! I am happy to put 2011 (and for that matter, the last 4 years) behind me and start fresh. I believe that 2012 will be a good year.
A lot has happened since my last post. Heather and I are both now on birth control pills, which means that our cycles can be manipulated as needed by Dr. Nash. I had my sonohysterogram a couple weeks ago, and Dr. Nash said that everything looked great.
Unfortunately, we recently encountered a big and unexpected hill on this infertility roller coaster. This time, it involved Heather. I seem to have spoken too soon in my last post regarding her lab work. As it turns out, her prolactin (a hormone produced by the pituitary gland - in the base of the brain - that stimulates breast development and milk production in women) level came back high when she had her initial blood work. This level should be low in a woman who is not pregnant or breastfeeding. Dr. Nash had her go for a redraw, just to rule out lab error. Unfortunately, the level doubled during the two weeks between blood draws. This can indicate a tumor on the pituitary gland that causes an overproduction of prolactin. Of course, we all went into high alert when we found out there was the possibility of a brain tumor. We all did way too much internet research, which more often than not results in some misinformation and worst case scenarios. I learned that these tumors (called prolactinomas) are almost always benign (not cancer), and can usually be treated with medication (more uncommonly, with surgery). I also read about some other, much more scary brain tumors and diseases that can cause elevated prolactin levels. Needless to say, we were all very worried.
Dr. Nash scheduled Heather to have an MRI of her brain, which would give us some answers. The 1.5-week span between the first elevated prolactin level and the MRI results seemed to drag on and on. Finally, on December 19th, Heather and Mom met with Dr. Nash to discuss the MRI results. NO TUMOR!!! Apparently, there are some cases in which the elevated prolactin level truly can't be explained (for my fellow medical nerds, this is called idiopathic hyperprolactinemia).
Words can't begin to describe the relief we all felt. Dr. Nash explained that he will be Heather's doctor for this issue going forward. He started her on a medication called bromocriptine, which causes the pituitary gland to produce less prolactin, thus lowering the prolactin level in the blood.
Dr. Nash assured Heather that she can still be our egg donor, and that moving forward with this process will not cause any additional issues for her. High prolactin can cause issues with infertility, so we can't move forward with this journey until Heather's prolactin level is normal. Because of potential negative side effects of the medication, Heather has been gradually increasing her bromocriptine dose. She will be at her full dose in about a week, and after she has been on the full dose for a full week, she will have her prolactin level checked. If it is normal, we can move forward. If it is still elevated, I'm guessing Dr. Nash will adjust the dose accordingly until the level is normal. Heather will have to take this medication until we are done with the egg donor process, and then she can stop taking it until/unless she starts having symptoms of high prolactin (menstrual irregularities and/or milk production when not pregnant or breastfeeding) or wants to have a baby.
I never would have imagined that a hormone called prolactin would turn our lives upside down for a few weeks! I guess the upside is that this prolactin issue was only discovered (and subsequently treated) because of Heather's generous decision to be our egg donor. :) For now, we are waiting for her prolactin get back to normal, and then we'll be full speed ahead (albeit cautiously, since we seem to have a tendency for bumps in the road) with the next step in our journey ...
A lot has happened since my last post. Heather and I are both now on birth control pills, which means that our cycles can be manipulated as needed by Dr. Nash. I had my sonohysterogram a couple weeks ago, and Dr. Nash said that everything looked great.
Unfortunately, we recently encountered a big and unexpected hill on this infertility roller coaster. This time, it involved Heather. I seem to have spoken too soon in my last post regarding her lab work. As it turns out, her prolactin (a hormone produced by the pituitary gland - in the base of the brain - that stimulates breast development and milk production in women) level came back high when she had her initial blood work. This level should be low in a woman who is not pregnant or breastfeeding. Dr. Nash had her go for a redraw, just to rule out lab error. Unfortunately, the level doubled during the two weeks between blood draws. This can indicate a tumor on the pituitary gland that causes an overproduction of prolactin. Of course, we all went into high alert when we found out there was the possibility of a brain tumor. We all did way too much internet research, which more often than not results in some misinformation and worst case scenarios. I learned that these tumors (called prolactinomas) are almost always benign (not cancer), and can usually be treated with medication (more uncommonly, with surgery). I also read about some other, much more scary brain tumors and diseases that can cause elevated prolactin levels. Needless to say, we were all very worried.
Dr. Nash scheduled Heather to have an MRI of her brain, which would give us some answers. The 1.5-week span between the first elevated prolactin level and the MRI results seemed to drag on and on. Finally, on December 19th, Heather and Mom met with Dr. Nash to discuss the MRI results. NO TUMOR!!! Apparently, there are some cases in which the elevated prolactin level truly can't be explained (for my fellow medical nerds, this is called idiopathic hyperprolactinemia).
Words can't begin to describe the relief we all felt. Dr. Nash explained that he will be Heather's doctor for this issue going forward. He started her on a medication called bromocriptine, which causes the pituitary gland to produce less prolactin, thus lowering the prolactin level in the blood.
Dr. Nash assured Heather that she can still be our egg donor, and that moving forward with this process will not cause any additional issues for her. High prolactin can cause issues with infertility, so we can't move forward with this journey until Heather's prolactin level is normal. Because of potential negative side effects of the medication, Heather has been gradually increasing her bromocriptine dose. She will be at her full dose in about a week, and after she has been on the full dose for a full week, she will have her prolactin level checked. If it is normal, we can move forward. If it is still elevated, I'm guessing Dr. Nash will adjust the dose accordingly until the level is normal. Heather will have to take this medication until we are done with the egg donor process, and then she can stop taking it until/unless she starts having symptoms of high prolactin (menstrual irregularities and/or milk production when not pregnant or breastfeeding) or wants to have a baby.
I never would have imagined that a hormone called prolactin would turn our lives upside down for a few weeks! I guess the upside is that this prolactin issue was only discovered (and subsequently treated) because of Heather's generous decision to be our egg donor. :) For now, we are waiting for her prolactin get back to normal, and then we'll be full speed ahead (albeit cautiously, since we seem to have a tendency for bumps in the road) with the next step in our journey ...
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
The power of positive thinking ...
Sorry for the delayed update! Heather and I went to see Dr. Nash on 11/21. He is very nice, and we were quite impressed with him. We discussed the whole egg donation process. Heather and I both have to take birth control pills to sync up our cycles. Once we are synced up (hopefully by January), Heather and I will both take several different meds. Her meds will be similar to the injectible meds I took during the insemination cycles. The goal is for her to produce many mature follicles that can be retrieved and mixed with Brian's sperm via in vitro fertilization. My meds will effectively suppress my hormones and chemically prepare my body for the embryo transfer. The goal is to do the embryo transfer by February, which means we could potentially be welcoming a Fall baby!
Heather, Brian, and I met with a counselor who specializes in infertility last Saturday. This is required by Dr. Nash's office, for anyone who is preparing for in vitro fertilization and specifically using donor eggs and/or sperm. We talked about the complexities of using donor eggs, and the unique complexities of using a known donor (Heather).
Since I don't have periods anymore, I have to take 10 days of Provera, a pill which will make me have a period. I just started those yesterday, because Dr. Nash wanted me to wait a couple weeks to make sure I didn't start a period on my own. I didn't. :( Once I am done with the Provera and my period starts, I will start the birth control pills. Heather has already been taking birth control pills for a couple weeks. Heather already had bloodwork done. The bloodwork has to be timed correctly, and it must be drawn on day 2, 3, or 4 of the cycle. All of her blood levels look great, which means her ovaries are working well and she should respond well to the fertility meds. :) I will have the same bloodwork done after I start my period, although I already know how those levels will turn out based on all the lab draws I've had over the last year and a half.
After I start taking birth control pills, Dr. Nash wants to do a procedure called a sonohysterogram. He will insert a catheter through my cervix into my uterus, and inject saline solution. Then, he will do a transvaginal ultrasound to visualize my uterus while it is filled with saline. This will allow him to see any fibroids, polyps, or other abnormalities that could potentially interfere with a pregnancy. Hopefully he won't find anything abnormal.
I know this road may be bumpy, with plenty of potential detours, but I am feeling more hopeful than I have in quite a few months. I can't believe that this time next year, I might actually be a Mama!
I read several infertility blogs, and I came across a post that really spoke to me. I am going to change it up a bit to fit my situation.
--------------------------------------------------------------
People keep asking me, "What will you do it if doesn't work?".
C'mon people, give me a break.
It IS going to work ... I've come too far for it not to.
And what kind of thinking is that anyway? What answer are you expecting me to give you?
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
I want it to work, more than I've ever wanted anything in my life. I am hoping for the best. I just really don't have the time or energy to prepare for the worst, to worry about what if it doesn't work. That whole way of thinking is completely counterproductive, in my opinion.
The power of positive thinking.
Please, stop asking me what I will do if this doesn't work.
It doesn't help me to force me to think about that.
Instead, please share in my joy and optimism.
Please think good thoughts for me.
Please wish and hope along with me.
I remain hopeful.
I remain positive.
In my mind, there is no other way to be.
Heather, Brian, and I met with a counselor who specializes in infertility last Saturday. This is required by Dr. Nash's office, for anyone who is preparing for in vitro fertilization and specifically using donor eggs and/or sperm. We talked about the complexities of using donor eggs, and the unique complexities of using a known donor (Heather).
Since I don't have periods anymore, I have to take 10 days of Provera, a pill which will make me have a period. I just started those yesterday, because Dr. Nash wanted me to wait a couple weeks to make sure I didn't start a period on my own. I didn't. :( Once I am done with the Provera and my period starts, I will start the birth control pills. Heather has already been taking birth control pills for a couple weeks. Heather already had bloodwork done. The bloodwork has to be timed correctly, and it must be drawn on day 2, 3, or 4 of the cycle. All of her blood levels look great, which means her ovaries are working well and she should respond well to the fertility meds. :) I will have the same bloodwork done after I start my period, although I already know how those levels will turn out based on all the lab draws I've had over the last year and a half.
After I start taking birth control pills, Dr. Nash wants to do a procedure called a sonohysterogram. He will insert a catheter through my cervix into my uterus, and inject saline solution. Then, he will do a transvaginal ultrasound to visualize my uterus while it is filled with saline. This will allow him to see any fibroids, polyps, or other abnormalities that could potentially interfere with a pregnancy. Hopefully he won't find anything abnormal.
I know this road may be bumpy, with plenty of potential detours, but I am feeling more hopeful than I have in quite a few months. I can't believe that this time next year, I might actually be a Mama!
I read several infertility blogs, and I came across a post that really spoke to me. I am going to change it up a bit to fit my situation.
--------------------------------------------------------------
People keep asking me, "What will you do it if doesn't work?".
C'mon people, give me a break.
It IS going to work ... I've come too far for it not to.
And what kind of thinking is that anyway? What answer are you expecting me to give you?
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
I want it to work, more than I've ever wanted anything in my life. I am hoping for the best. I just really don't have the time or energy to prepare for the worst, to worry about what if it doesn't work. That whole way of thinking is completely counterproductive, in my opinion.
The power of positive thinking.
Please, stop asking me what I will do if this doesn't work.
It doesn't help me to force me to think about that.
Instead, please share in my joy and optimism.
Please think good thoughts for me.
Please wish and hope along with me.
I remain hopeful.
I remain positive.
In my mind, there is no other way to be.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Appointment is made!
After lots of thought and discussion, Heather, Brian, and I have decided to switch to a different reproductive endocrinologist. Dr. Nash (and his practice, Reproductive Gynecology, Inc.) comes highly recommended by several friends of Heather's and mine, and the best part is that he has an office in Columbus (where I live) AND Akron (where Heather lives)! So, Heather and I can go to whichever office works better for our schedules. This will make this whole process much easier. I am definitely sad to be leaving Dr. Schmidt's practice, but I think this is for the best.
Heather and I have an appointment together on Monday, 11/21, at the Akron office. At that time, we will find out more about how this will all play out. I'm excited, nervous, and a whole bunch of other emotions. It's hard to believe that this is really happening!!
Heather and I have an appointment together on Monday, 11/21, at the Akron office. At that time, we will find out more about how this will all play out. I'm excited, nervous, and a whole bunch of other emotions. It's hard to believe that this is really happening!!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
still here.
I'm ready to focus on having a baby once again. I had a chance to spend time tonight with two amazing babies (Brandon, the almost 10-month-old bruiser with a head full of black hair and the most munchable cheeks and thighs I've ever seen, and Iris, the 6-month-old petite peanut with the prettiest smile and dimples ever), and that definitely made me jump right back on the bandwagon. :) My sister, Heather, has told me once again that she absolutely wants to be our egg donor, and Brian is on board with this. So, it looks like that is the direction we will go. As much as I would like to do this with CCRM, it just doesn't seem feasable. None of us (Brian, Heather, and I) have the ability to "drop everything" at our jobs and fly off to Colorado at a moment's notice, which is how it would be. The stress of trying to orchestrate that would certainly not be conducive for trying to get pregnant, anyway. So, we are going to go with Dr. Schmidt. I trust him completely and know that he is an excellent doctor. I have to schedule an appointment for Heather with Dr. Schmidt, so that is the next step. We will go from there. This is a very costly venture, though I certainly cannot put a price tag on having a baby. That said, we are trying to figure out how to come up with the money to pay for this. As great as our insurance benefits have been thus far in the infertility journey, they all but stop once donor eggs come into play. I have gotten mixed information on what is and is not covered going forward, but the general consensus is that the majority of this will be out of pocket. The general ballpark figure seems to be around $15,000 - $20.000, for everything (procedures, meds, appointments, and labwork for Heather and me). That is for one cycle. We will also have to pay to store any extra embryos (for possible future babies) as well as future IVF cycles with the aforementioned embryos.
So, things are moving forward, and I am wishing and hoping that 2012 will be the year that we get our miracle baby and become parents ...
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
the end of a dream.
I had my phone consultation with Dr. Schoolcraft (founder of Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine) yesterday at 5PM. He was incredibly nice. We talked for about a half hour. He asked me to tell him about my infertility journey, so I did. When I was finished, he told me that he agrees with everything that Dr. Schmidt has done with us, and he also agrees that there is nothing more we can do with my eggs. He said that he has seen a surprising number of thyroid cancer patients in the last few years who are not able to conceive. He is certain that the radiation treatment is the cause of this infertility. He told me that my only chance to get pregnant is with donor eggs. Although some part of me already knew this to be the case, it was still heartbreaking to hear him confirm my worst fear. I had to leave for work right after I hung up with him, and I had a crazy busy night at work, so I didn't have a lot of time to let all of this really sink in. It's sinking in now. I can't believe that I will never be a biological mother. I feel like a failure ... not just as a mother, but also as a wife. My broken body can't give Brian a baby. I am so incredibly sad. As much as I tried not to get my hopes up about yesterday's phone call, I really did have hope that Dr. Schoolcraft would be able to help me. Infertility is such a roller coaster of hope and disappointment ... two extremes that mix and mingle on a regular basis. I'm tired of the disappointment. I am feeling such regret about not trying to have a baby when we were younger. What were we waiting for?! Oh, if I only knew in my 20's what I know now ...
So, Brian and I have some big decisions ahead of us. Should we pursue donor eggs? Should we use the eggs of someone we know, or someone we don't and will never know? Should we go to Dr. Schmidt (who only does 20-30 donor egg cycles per year), or should we go to Dr. Schoolcraft (who does over 200 donor egg cycles per year and has the highest success rate in the country (90-95%) for donor egg cycles)? So many decisions. My head is spinning, and I just want to stop thinking about all of this for awhile. For now, I just need to figure out how to say goodbye to my dream and start our next journey ...
So, Brian and I have some big decisions ahead of us. Should we pursue donor eggs? Should we use the eggs of someone we know, or someone we don't and will never know? Should we go to Dr. Schmidt (who only does 20-30 donor egg cycles per year), or should we go to Dr. Schoolcraft (who does over 200 donor egg cycles per year and has the highest success rate in the country (90-95%) for donor egg cycles)? So many decisions. My head is spinning, and I just want to stop thinking about all of this for awhile. For now, I just need to figure out how to say goodbye to my dream and start our next journey ...
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