and things are pretty normal. I feel fine, a bit lazy though. I haven't held Chace since last Wednesday and I think he's starting to get mad at me! Maybe I'm imagining it, but I like to think it upsets him!! I've found some really good books, so that is helping. Since the transfer, I have been on progesterone in oil injections (Bill gives them to me every night), prednisone, doxycycline (an antibiotic), dexamethasone (to thicken my uterine lining), prenatals, and tomorrow I will add hormone patches. Wowza. So, I'm feeling a bit medicated. My butt hurts from injections every night, but I don't mind! Bill has been very supportive and understanding through all of this. Which, a good husband should be...and he certainly is!
I have to brag on my brother in law, Shawn for a minute. The day I had my retrieval last week, Amy had to work and Bill had to go with me, so that left Shawn to baby sit Grace for us. We stayed at Amy's pretty late that Friday and Grace spent the night. She was so excited she could hardly stand it....I'm not really sure why, I guess because it was something different! Anyway, Saturday they got up and Amy went to work and Shawn took Grace and Chace to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. When the waiter came and asked what she wanted, she ordered FRIED SHRIMP! When the waiter asked if she wanted anything to go with it, I guess her reply was simple enough, "Ranch". She knew she could get away with that with Shawn! Next, he took them to the mall so Grace could go to Claire's. He and Chace waited outside the store so Chace could ride some rides (RIGHT next to the store, it's small and all glass windows so he could see inside).....and he sent her in with $25. I cannot even IMAGINE how excited and grown up she felt shopping, being able to get anything she wanted.....we always oversee her purchases and try to talk her out of nonsense ones! Well, this day she had free range! And woudl you believe it, she didn't have enough money. So, what does she do? Goes out of the store and tells Shawn there was this purse she HAD to have but that she needed 11 more dollars. Apparently, it was on sale! Sucker that he is, he bought it for her! What a dream she was living! After we got home, Bill went to pick her up and she came back to show me her loot. She got the very cute purse that she couldn't live without, a diary, a cool pencil, a change holder shaped like a little sock, maybe some lip gloss?, some candy.....oh, I can't even remember it all. All in all, she had such a good time. She even got to sleep with Amy in her bed and told Shawn the next day that she farted on him twice the night before....and he still spoiled her! That's love.
our story of life, love, and imperfect happiness while raising a couple of kids! We are complete!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Tick Tock....
goes the clock! My IVF is going well, it just seems in a way that time is dragging on! In other ways time is flying by. Depends on how busy my day has been!
I'm finished with half of my meds and my eggs grew all they would. They drug out the process just a little longer and stressed "quality over quantity". I went in for my retrieval on Saturday the 23rd. I was a little sore afterward but we ended up with 8 eggs. Everyone else that was there were getting 3 and 4. I was pretty excited about this. They told me (as well as everyone else) that fertilization rate was normally about 80%. They called the next day to let me know my fert rate and it was 100%! We are very excited about this. This still does not mean that we are guaranteed anything, but I'm feeling a little better about it.
My transfer date is scheduled for this Thurs, the 28th. I have a feeling that the doc will suggest transferring 2, and we will freeze the rest to use later if we wish. After Thurs I am to take it easy and wait for 2 weeks for a blood test to confirm pregnancy. I am going to go insane! I need some suggestions for some good books/movies!! I'm trying to not get worked up over too much (thought the $382 electric bill I got today didn't help!) but for the most part, I'm doing ok!
So, that's about it for IVF right now. On another note, my Uncle Jerome is a celebrity. Check out the article the Benton Evening News did on him:
http://www.bentoneveningnews.com/news/x190610100/Sesser-man-relies-on-ingenuity-to-manufacture-snow?popular=true
How cool is that?!
Since time is ticking away in the Fralick household, I have lots that needs to be done. I don't really feel like it though, maybe I'll just sit in the chair and listen to the clock tick tock......it may be some of the last silent moments in this house this year....hopefully!
I'm finished with half of my meds and my eggs grew all they would. They drug out the process just a little longer and stressed "quality over quantity". I went in for my retrieval on Saturday the 23rd. I was a little sore afterward but we ended up with 8 eggs. Everyone else that was there were getting 3 and 4. I was pretty excited about this. They told me (as well as everyone else) that fertilization rate was normally about 80%. They called the next day to let me know my fert rate and it was 100%! We are very excited about this. This still does not mean that we are guaranteed anything, but I'm feeling a little better about it.
My transfer date is scheduled for this Thurs, the 28th. I have a feeling that the doc will suggest transferring 2, and we will freeze the rest to use later if we wish. After Thurs I am to take it easy and wait for 2 weeks for a blood test to confirm pregnancy. I am going to go insane! I need some suggestions for some good books/movies!! I'm trying to not get worked up over too much (thought the $382 electric bill I got today didn't help!) but for the most part, I'm doing ok!
So, that's about it for IVF right now. On another note, my Uncle Jerome is a celebrity. Check out the article the Benton Evening News did on him:
http://www.bentoneveningnews.com/news/x190610100/Sesser-man-relies-on-ingenuity-to-manufacture-snow?popular=true
How cool is that?!
Since time is ticking away in the Fralick household, I have lots that needs to be done. I don't really feel like it though, maybe I'll just sit in the chair and listen to the clock tick tock......it may be some of the last silent moments in this house this year....hopefully!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
As the collage here shows, it goes without saying that we had a great time with the snow that we got here! By the time it wasn't so cold that your boogers would freeze, some of the snow had melted, but not enough that the kids didn't have so much fun riding 4 wheelers and sledding. It was still pretty cold that day, but nothing like the single digits we'd been having. And nothing that my "best hot chocolate in the whole world" (as stated by Katie) couldn't fix!
I've been back to E'Ville a couple of times since my last post, and things are chugging along. I wish I could be as optimistic as others would like me to be, but it's hard! I went today for an ultrasound and have never seen so many growing follicles from myself ever! They did up my dosage and I am supposed to go back on Tuesday. I was lucky that Amy got to go with me today (the drive gets terribly lonely by myself since everyone is always at work)! She "accidentally" brought along her Baby Name book. Yeah, accidentally. She said it fell out of the closet. Mhm. Anyway, it's hard for me to be at that point yet. Though after some discussion, I will not be naming my kid DeShawn or Meadow. I know that's not in me!
Well, I've been up since 4:30 and it's becoming a really long night! I'm hoping to just relax tomorrow, Bill has to work, and I've rented Julie and Julia. Look for a movie review in the future...it's supposed to be about one of my favorite things...blogging!! Good night!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
IVF
Im Very Freakedout
I know I've posted some IVF stuff before, but I was apprehensive to keep posting about it. I've had so many disappointments throughout this journey, I wasn't sure if this time doesn't work if I really wanted to share that with everyone. But, the more people I have that know what is going on that can wish, hope, and pray for me the better; in my opinion! Besides, those that care would find out anyway! There are people I love dearly who read this that I don't get to talk to often, so this is my way of keeping you informed. If you have any questions, please ask me!
Ok, so this is what's going on. The Lupron at the top left is making my hormones shut down so I will not ovulate (which I don't normally do anyway, but just to be sure). I have been on it since Dec. 22, giving myself 20 unit injections every night. I went for a baseline ultrasound on Monday and they said it did what it was supposed to do and that my ovaries looked good, so my dose was lowered to 5 units a night.
Beginning this Sunday, I will add 2 more injections. I will start 150 units of the Bravelle and Menopur, which are intended to make my follicles (eggs) grow big. I will still take the Lupron to make sure that while these are growing, they do not go anywhere. Also, I will start a med to make my uterine lining thicken to make it ready for pregnancy. Bill and I will both start antibiotics at this time to prevent any infection so the process will not be hampered by sickness!
I will go to Evansville on Thursday the 14th for a blood draw to test my estrogen. Hopefully it will be going back up. Sadly, that is the only thing I will be making the 4 hour round trip there for. 5 minutes of waiting to have my blood drawn! But, there isn't a lab in all of Southern Illinois that will draw and have the results back the same day....oy. Depending on the numbers, my doc will either increase, decrease, or keep the same dosage of med.
I will go back on the 16th and the 18th for ultrasounds to measure my ovaries/eggs. Frequent scans are needed to prevent ovarian hyperstimulation. If the medicine causes them to get too big, they could burst, resulting in serious business....but we won't go too far into that!
Keep in mind that while these eggs are growing, they are meant to not go anywhere, so when they are ready (to be decided by doc) I will be given a shot of Novarel, which is a "trigger" shot to make me ovulate. Within 36 hours of that shot, I will go back for egg retrieval. This date is not decided yet, but will be approximately around the 22nd. Retrieval will take approx 30 minutes and I will be sedated, then will be in recovery for 1-2 hours. As soon as eggs are retrieved, they are immediately taken to the lab to be with Bill's "sample" (how romantic, right?). We will be called the next day to know the fertilization rates.
3-5 days after this, I will go back for a transfer. We won't know how many we will implant until we discuss it with the doc. I don't know how long transfer takes, but I will be in recovery for about 1 hour.
Somewhere in the mess of all of this, I will also get shots of progesterone and I will have prednisone to take.
Now comes the toughest part. The 2 week wait! It will make me crazy!!! I'm thinking we will know something by the 2nd week of Feb. Of course all of this depends on everything else playing out like it should, which I have came to doubt, but I am trying to be optimistic.
So, there you have it! I will try to update progress, as long as there is some! Please keep Bill and I in your thoughts for all of this. It is overwhelming and is consuming my thoughts. My heart aches for nothing more than to be a mother to my own child. Let's hope that the new year will bring me what I long for!
I know I've posted some IVF stuff before, but I was apprehensive to keep posting about it. I've had so many disappointments throughout this journey, I wasn't sure if this time doesn't work if I really wanted to share that with everyone. But, the more people I have that know what is going on that can wish, hope, and pray for me the better; in my opinion! Besides, those that care would find out anyway! There are people I love dearly who read this that I don't get to talk to often, so this is my way of keeping you informed. If you have any questions, please ask me!
Ok, so this is what's going on. The Lupron at the top left is making my hormones shut down so I will not ovulate (which I don't normally do anyway, but just to be sure). I have been on it since Dec. 22, giving myself 20 unit injections every night. I went for a baseline ultrasound on Monday and they said it did what it was supposed to do and that my ovaries looked good, so my dose was lowered to 5 units a night.
Beginning this Sunday, I will add 2 more injections. I will start 150 units of the Bravelle and Menopur, which are intended to make my follicles (eggs) grow big. I will still take the Lupron to make sure that while these are growing, they do not go anywhere. Also, I will start a med to make my uterine lining thicken to make it ready for pregnancy. Bill and I will both start antibiotics at this time to prevent any infection so the process will not be hampered by sickness!
I will go to Evansville on Thursday the 14th for a blood draw to test my estrogen. Hopefully it will be going back up. Sadly, that is the only thing I will be making the 4 hour round trip there for. 5 minutes of waiting to have my blood drawn! But, there isn't a lab in all of Southern Illinois that will draw and have the results back the same day....oy. Depending on the numbers, my doc will either increase, decrease, or keep the same dosage of med.
I will go back on the 16th and the 18th for ultrasounds to measure my ovaries/eggs. Frequent scans are needed to prevent ovarian hyperstimulation. If the medicine causes them to get too big, they could burst, resulting in serious business....but we won't go too far into that!
Keep in mind that while these eggs are growing, they are meant to not go anywhere, so when they are ready (to be decided by doc) I will be given a shot of Novarel, which is a "trigger" shot to make me ovulate. Within 36 hours of that shot, I will go back for egg retrieval. This date is not decided yet, but will be approximately around the 22nd. Retrieval will take approx 30 minutes and I will be sedated, then will be in recovery for 1-2 hours. As soon as eggs are retrieved, they are immediately taken to the lab to be with Bill's "sample" (how romantic, right?). We will be called the next day to know the fertilization rates.
3-5 days after this, I will go back for a transfer. We won't know how many we will implant until we discuss it with the doc. I don't know how long transfer takes, but I will be in recovery for about 1 hour.
Somewhere in the mess of all of this, I will also get shots of progesterone and I will have prednisone to take.
Now comes the toughest part. The 2 week wait! It will make me crazy!!! I'm thinking we will know something by the 2nd week of Feb. Of course all of this depends on everything else playing out like it should, which I have came to doubt, but I am trying to be optimistic.
So, there you have it! I will try to update progress, as long as there is some! Please keep Bill and I in your thoughts for all of this. It is overwhelming and is consuming my thoughts. My heart aches for nothing more than to be a mother to my own child. Let's hope that the new year will bring me what I long for!
Follow up from previous post...
Clockwise L to R....
We got dad a Nintendo DS for Christmas....I think he likes it!
Erin, Amy, Me, and Tiffani at our T'Ville Christmas. We were probably gossiping!
Grace watching her video Santa sent her that was very personalized. She loved it!
Raymond, Bill, and Shawn....they are way cool!
Grace and Ava playing
Chace thinks Aunt Lisa is hilarious!
MaKenzie, Miki, Katelyn, Me, and Grace at our final Christmas!Katelyn may be about 20 years (minus a few) younger than Bill, but she is almost as tall. I feel like a shrimp around these people. Ok, maybe I feel that way around most people anyway, but they all tower over me!
Bill with his sister and his dad
I wrapped Katie and MaK's gift card in about 50 Wal Mart sacks before I wrapped them, it was funny! It didn't take them as long as I thought it would. I'm gonna have to rethink my whole strategy next year!
Bill, Miki, and Katie
Christmas at a glance....
A very small glance! We had such a big, long, fun, exhausting, wonderful, happy, merry Christmas! I have tons of pictures, but not a lot of time to pick and choose what to share. So, here is a little glance!
Clockwise from top left:
Grace closing her eyes because she was too excited to see what big thing Santa had brought her.
Of the hundreds of dollars in toys that she received, she was most excited about the cheapo wand that came in the magic kit that Aunt Patty got her. Hopefully, she will practice magic enough that I won't have to do housework again, ever.
Since Grace won't ever be at our house on Christmas day, and I'm afraid "Santa" days will be drawing to a close, she made PB&J and left it out for Santa the night before Christmas Eve in hopes that he would make an exception for her and come a day early. Guess what? He did!
I think this is the ONLY picture I have of all 3 of us from all of Christmas. I had even said that at some point I was going to make sure I got someone to take a picture of us because everything always gets so busy that we forget! Guess what? I forgot. But, at least I remembered to set the camera up and take our own. So what if I'm in my work clothes and the dogs had to get their butts in the picture?!
Me, Amy, and Raymond AKA My best friends!
Uncle Jerome, Dad, and the Grandkids. Next year there will be a couple more to add to the picture....hopefully one will be mine!
All the grandkids with Santa! It was really funny because Chace was excited, Libby was scared, Grace was old enough to know better (at least that it was Bobby), and Baylee couldn't care less!
....Come to think of it, I need to make another collage cause we did a lot more at Christmas than just this! More to come!
Clockwise from top left:
Grace closing her eyes because she was too excited to see what big thing Santa had brought her.
Of the hundreds of dollars in toys that she received, she was most excited about the cheapo wand that came in the magic kit that Aunt Patty got her. Hopefully, she will practice magic enough that I won't have to do housework again, ever.
Since Grace won't ever be at our house on Christmas day, and I'm afraid "Santa" days will be drawing to a close, she made PB&J and left it out for Santa the night before Christmas Eve in hopes that he would make an exception for her and come a day early. Guess what? He did!
I think this is the ONLY picture I have of all 3 of us from all of Christmas. I had even said that at some point I was going to make sure I got someone to take a picture of us because everything always gets so busy that we forget! Guess what? I forgot. But, at least I remembered to set the camera up and take our own. So what if I'm in my work clothes and the dogs had to get their butts in the picture?!
Me, Amy, and Raymond AKA My best friends!
Uncle Jerome, Dad, and the Grandkids. Next year there will be a couple more to add to the picture....hopefully one will be mine!
All the grandkids with Santa! It was really funny because Chace was excited, Libby was scared, Grace was old enough to know better (at least that it was Bobby), and Baylee couldn't care less!
....Come to think of it, I need to make another collage cause we did a lot more at Christmas than just this! More to come!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)