End of April

I made this little reminder yesterday.  There's also a daily reminder in my phone that says, "My new motto!  As we approach transfer day and all the unknowns that come up with that (and possibly pregnancy), I'm going to start taking things week by week."

At the beginning of the year, May felt like a long ways off.  Yet here we are.  A little less than 3 hours and it's May 1st.  I am so excited for this month.  Not only is it our FET, but Seth turns 30!

My bum has been so sore the past few days.  I actually said a swear word during today's progesterone shot because it hurt so terribly bad.  The first shot got my hopes up for this being a mostly painless process, but today and yesterday have proved otherwise.  I have to make sure I sit and lay carefully now too.  I can only imagine what it will feel like a week from now.

Day 1 of Progesterone

Unfortunately I ended up at Urgent Care today, but probably not for the reason you are thinking.  I have had a sore throat since Tuesday and it is getting progressively worse.  I mentioned it to a nurse at my IVF clinic and she made a big deal about it.  Apparently if it was the flu or strep I would have to cancel or change my transfer.  Thankfully it's just a Sinus Infection.  The urgent care doctor didn't want to give me any additional medicine though so I just have to tough it out.  She said I should be feeling better by Sunday.

I am actually on 5 things right now--the progesterone shots, baby aspirin, azithromycin (a 4-day antibiotic), medrol (a 4-day steroid), and progesterone suppositories.  The antibiotic and steroid are supposed to prevent me from getting sick before the embryo is transferred in, but now they'll apparently help treat the sinus infection I now have going on now too.

I am so glad that I haven't had a negative reaction to the progesterone.  I'm crossing my fingers that it stays that way.

Before Seth went to work this morning he gave me my shot.  I think it really helped us both to have the square guide lines drawn on my toosh.  Every day I will go over it with a marker so it stays.  We are going to do the 4 corners, middle, then repeat.  

I met with someone today who gave me some good advice.  She told me, "Don't borrow trouble."  I am really going to try and apply it.   I have a habit of worrying about the future and things I can't control.  I worry about what bad things can happen while pregnant (miscarriage, Zika, Still Birth) and the things that can happen after (disease, bullying, the unknown).  It causes me a lot of stress.  So my goal is to take it week by week.  For the current week, all I need to "worry" about is the progesterone shots.  Once next week hits I can "worry" about the transfer.

Feelings

I'm currently feeling this before tomorrow morning's first progesterone shot--

NERVOUS

I was told a few years ago by a dermatologist that I may be allergic to progesterone.  It's a hormone that occurs naturally in your body and becomes more prevalent in the days leading up to the end of your cycle (period).  It's needed to carry a healthy pregnancy too.  For several months I was getting strange red rashes/bumps on my body about 10 days before the end of each of my cycles.  It was like clockwork.  I occasionally still get a red bump here and there so I am really hoping that I do not have a reaction to the shots.    

Happy News

The doctors.  The bottom guy is my main doctor.

This morning I went to the doctor by myself.  I was so nervous that I ended up crying when the doctor walked in.  I told him I was nervous for the results of the ultrasound.  I really just want the process to work.  He listened for a minute and was really nice.  I eventually got my ultrasound and then did blood work, but not before I got black squares on my booty.  I made sure to bring my own permanent marker so my nurse, Chelsea, could mark on my toosh where the shots are supposed to go.  Progesterone therapy starts on Thursday!

Later this afternoon I found out that my lining is at 10.7 and my estrogen level is at 399 (they just wanted it above 300, but my body went above and beyond).  These results mean we have a transfer date set!  Our embryo will move into my uterus on Tuesday May 3rd!  If emojis worked on this blog I would add the excited and shocked faces right here.

Update on Lupron Shots--They've been causing me a lot of pain the past few days so I went with no ice tonight and it was better.  Apparently my body just likes variety--before I couldn't do it unless I had ice!
I am so glad I got that second bottle because last night I had to use it!

Funny note-- While volunteering this afternoon I introduced myself to someone new.  They responded by saying that was an unusual way to pronounce my name.  I thought that was a strange thing to say until I looked down and realized I was wearing the wrong name tag.  At least it had the same letters, but my name is Carlie!  Claire is actually on our baby list.  Kind of ironic, eh?

BTW--I am not the only one doing shots right now, Seth has had 3 of 4 antibiotic shots.  Tomorrow is his final one!

We are 1 in 8

It's National Infertility Awareness Week.  I am glad I've decided to open up about our fertility experience.  It's been a freeing thing for me and hopefully has helped others understand what some people go through to have children.

I took this on Snapchat right after Ride today.  I hope I can continue to do Spin and Pilates while I'm pregnant.

Today started 4 patches on my stomach.  I find out tomorrow when our transfer date is and when progesterone treatment starts this week.  I am super nervous for that big needle to go in my booty.  I'm not so worried about the progesterone suppositories because it should just feel like what you do for OTC yeast infection treatment.

$7 Refill

I spent several days this week on the phone trying to figure out how I could get more Lupron for less money.  Dealing with the insurance company and a specialty pharmacy can be quite annoying.  I was surprised on Thursday morning when I had a delivery of Lupron waiting for me.  I had told the pharmacy to only mail it to me if I was going to get it for less than $15.  I ended up getting it for $7!  That is huge savings since they were going to charge me $379!!

I am really glad it came in case I need it!  It would be very disappointing to run out when we are this close to the end of the round.

2 Off, 3 On

Today I started 3 patches.  All the hormones are starting to get to me and I am feeling on the edge of tears often.  I've cried numerous times the past couple days over little things (my Nia Moves teacher moving) and big things (feeling stuck because my life is paused while we wait for results).  It's not fun feeling this irritable and emotional.  I also feel like there isn't much I can do about it right now either since I don't have all the information I need.  For example, I had a friend text me this week about a third grade opening at a really good school.  If I did get pregnant from this round I would be due in late January or early February.  I would not want to write sub plans for maternity leave (talk about time consuming).  But if this round doesn't work, it will be another 4-5 month process to get to this point again and I would be at the end of the school year before a baby would be born.  I  am leaning towards waiting it out since I should know if I'm pregnant in about 3 weeks.  And hey, at least I am getting closer to the end of this "waiting round." =)

On Schedule

You can see the mark another patch left.  Today is my first day doing two patches.

I flew in last night and woke up early this morning so that I could get my blood work done.  My estrogen level is 103 which means I keep to the calendar.  On Saturday I go up to three patches and on Tuesday I go to 4.  I will continue on 4 patches indefinitely (well until the doctor says to stop which I think is at 10 weeks).

Update

Well the weather in Houston decided to go crazy and start flooding on Monday (the 18th).  Thankfully, I found out before I went to the airport.  My flight had a layover in Dallas that took off on time to get there, but the flight from Dallas to Houston was cancelled.  It would not have been fun to be stuck in Dallas!  I was able to change my flight to Wednesday and now it's direct!  I call that a win!  Extra time with my parents for free!

I was freaking out a little bit (common occurrence when everything is date and time specific) since I would be missing my Tuesday check-up.  Thankfully, the doctor/nurses said it would be okay and I could go in on Thursday.

Everything else is going well.  The shots are down to 5 units and I put on another new patch this morning.  I was a little worried about how much Lupron I have left, so I put as much as I could into one of my syringes to measure it out.  It looked like 45 units.  I am assuming I have enough until the 28th.  I have made several phone calls to the insurance company and pharmacy trying to figure out if I could get another one with just a copay (instead of paying the $379.90 again).  I finally got a pre-authorization and I am hoping that they'll call me tomorrow to tell me it's covered.

I also called to see if I could get away with doing something besides the progesterone in oil shots (after the FET).  They said no.  So it looks like my butt will be quite sore for the next 11 + weeks.

Good Thing I'm Not Hairy

I am now on my third patch.  I was worried that the patches would easily fall off in the shower or from daily activities.  I was wrong!  They must make them with gorilla glue because they're pretty difficult to take off!  I actually need to use Goo Be Gone since it leaves a sticky residue on my skin.

  

Thankfully, my skin has been holding up (no rashes or extreme discomfort).  I just have a bit of redness at the patch location.  

Tuesday I go in for blood work and an ultrasound!  Hopefully my body is responding to everything. 

BTW--I am grateful I took the week to spend with my parents in California.  It was so rejuvenating!  

Patches

I am actually writing this post on the BART.  On Sunday night I decided I wanted to fly out to see my parents before things get too crazy with my shots and (hopefully) being pregnant.  I flew out on Monday morning.  It has been great spending time with them, exploring the area, and seeing their new place. They were really interested to see how I did my shots too.

Today felt like a big day.  I started wearing my estradiol patches.  For some reason, that makes the transfer seem more real.  It will happen the first week of May.

The patch has not been bothersome on my skin yet (it's only been about 7 hours though).  I was worried about how my skin would react since I have extremely sensitive skin.  I will wear the patches constantly now (even in the shower).  Luckily they're hidden on my stomach because otherwise it would look like a nicotine patch! ;) The patch(es) get changed every other day and I'll eventually make my way up to wearing 3-4 a day. 

Overall--my main complaint would be the massive headaches I've been having, but otherwise I'm feeling pretty good! 

Medication Update

I took the final birth control pill on Friday (hopefully it is my last one for a while).  Now we just wait for the BB so I can start Vivelle Dot patches on Day 3.  My insurance only covered the generic brand and so my patches are called Estradiol.  These patches are an estrogen replacement therapy.  We have to manufacture my monthly cycle so that my body is ready to receive the embryo at some point in May.  

So far, this round of frozen embryo transfer (FET) medications has been a lot less expensive than the retrieval drugs. My retrieval drugs were $671.78.   My most expensive medication for the FET is a progesterone suppository that is taken nightly when it gets closer to the embryo transfer date.  My out-of-pocket cost for the suppository was $105.

The crazy thing to me is how expensive all these drugs are (and we have good insurance).  Thankfully I didn't throw out any of my unused medication because reusing a couple from the retrieval round saved me $280 for the FET round!  I had exactly 4 azithromycin antibiotic pills left (corresponding with the number of days needed this round) and more than half of my Lupron left.  Each of these drugs would have been an additional $60 and $240 respectively.  All I had to do was ask my pharmacy for additional needles and those are free!

Lesson Learned--Never throw out any leftover medication out!  It may save you several hundred dollars!

Day 2 of FET Shots

While prepping my nightly 9 PM shot, I ice my leg to reduce the amount of pain.  As soon as the shot is over, I put the ice back on for a few minutes.  Even though I iced it tonight, it took me tree tries on different parts of my leg before I finally could push it in all the way.

Sometimes during the day (especially at night) I think of our one healthy frozen embryo hanging out on ice.  I wonder if he/she is up in heaven just as anxious as me for the transfer.  I will sometimes try not to get my hopes up, but other times I can't help myself.  I'll randomly giggle thinking about our little ice baby.  It is amazing that science is allowing us to grow our family this way.  As I told a friend on Facebook yesterday, the shots are temporary, but a baby is forever.  So though needles are one of my least favorite things in the world, it is not the end of the world. =)  

The first of many leg bruises.

I don't remember bruising after the first day of shots last round, but I woke this morning to my first bruise!  They're my baby battle wounds, and I'm sure many more are to come!

#CarlieThePinCushion

This picture makes me laugh.  It's kind of like, "Are you sure I have to stick these things in me again?" =)

Real Smile

I thought I was done with the Lupron shots, but alas, they're needed for a frozen transfer too.  It's like the cold you can't shake. ;) Luckily, they're done with a pretty thin needle.  It's also a way to prepare myself for the larger needle coming to my body soon (more specifically, my behind).  The progesterone shots are supposed to be pretty uncomfortable.  It's crazy to think that this set of shots are the final steps before transferring in our embryo.  Hopefully it will lead to a healthy pregnancy.

Today it hit me that I could be pregnant in a little over a month.  That is so wild.