Round Two Completed

I was scheduled for a pregnancy test this morning at seven. Not many knew about this but I was hoping to have some great news for Christmas and was going to hold out until then. I decided this time to cheat before going and took a home pregnancy test, it came out negative. I was hoping it was wrong but in my heart I kinda knew. I got to the Dr's office the ladies were full of sunshine, as always. I love going there. Ashley, Lynn and Sara have been AWESOME through this. I confessed that I did cheat and it was negative. They said they are sometimes wrong. After taking my blood Ms Lynn said she would pray over that blood before it left to go to Birmingham. To know that is such a comfort. I can't brag on these ladies enough.

I am emotional so many thoughts going through this little brain of mine. I have said before that I know God has a plan for me and David and I truly believe that. The first of January will be ten years of trying to have a baby so it has been a long journey. I will continue to pray for God's guidance to fill this desire that we have. I also pray that he will open my eyes, ears and heart to His will for me.

We have an appointment with the Dr on the 28Th to discuss options and where we go from here. We do have one embryo frozen so its not over just yet.

I want to thank everyone for the prayers and the love we have been shown. We love you!

P/S I have to tell my co-workers story. A week ago I was suppose to start a new med that morning but had totally forgot. As I got my first patient back I realized what day it was and went to my office manager to say I had a problem. I really needed that med. So my co-worker Cindy said she would go to my house and pick it up. So I cleaned my patient which takes an hour and Cindy wasn't back yet. A few minutes later Holly got a text saying Cindy had the meds but she hit a feral pig so it may be awhile. I was almost in tears, what if it messed up her car or what if she was hurt. Turns out the guy in front of her hit the pig about a mile from our house. She thought it was hilarious. Thanks Cindy!!!

Freezing results

Janet called today to say we didn't have any to freeze. So hopefully of the two we placed we will get a positive pregnancy test.

Now we wait

David and I went to Birmingham this morning for the embryo transfer. Dr Allemand came in to talk with us about the number and the quality of the blastocast. When I signed my consents for this retrival I said I wanted to place three blastocast this time. Dr Allemand went over their quality. It is based on a scale from one to five, five being best. This time I had a two and a one. So, not exactly what I wanted to hear. I had another that was also a one. The Dr said he would normally place two with a woman of my age but he also understood that I have been trying for a long time and didn't want me to have any regrets. Well, here comes the tears. I don't know what to do, I look over at Dave and he has tears in his eyes. I ask him what to do and he said it is up to me. Can you say pressure. WHEW!! Dave said he felt I would regret it if I didn't put all three. I said yeah your probably right so we went with three. So we have to sign consent forms changing it from two to three. Everythign kinda happened fast. I said a quick little prayer and started to think what was the best thing to do. I told Dr Allemand I had a question so he walked back over to me and I asked him what would he do if I was his wife. He chuckled and said that scientifcally speaking he would place two but he has never had to go trough what we have. I asked for the negative things of going with three and he went over the risk of muliple births and all the risk that go with that and that it may cause the other two from having a better shot of implanting but he really couldn't say. So, I changed my mind again. I went back to two. I want to do what is best, I want this more than anything but I want to be smart about it. I asked the nurse how my lining looked, she measured it and said it was a 1.2 and anything over a .9 is good. So, there have been two embryos placed. I will continue my crinone in the mornings and my progesertone shots in the evening until I take the pregnancy test in two weeks. So now we wait......

Embryos

On Thursday we had eight embryos and on Friday we had seven. I will not get a call today,however David and I will be heading back to Birmingham in the morning for the placement of the embryos. Then,we wait two weeks and see if we get a positive.

Fertilization Report

Janet (IVF Coordinator) called this morning with the fertilization report. There were thirteen eggs retrieved yesterday and today twelve were mature and of those eight fertilized. I will get another report tomorrow on the status.

Egg Retrieval

David and I headed to Birmingham this morning for the egg retrieval procedure. The nurse had a little trouble with getting my IV started but other than that everything went well. Compared to the last retrieval this one didn't hurt like it did last time. Dr Honea was performing the procedure today and was able to retrieve thirteen eggs. That is a few less than last time but we are focusing on the quality not the quantity. I will receive a call tomorrow to let me know how many eggs have fertilized. Just getting this procedure behind me has lifted a little stress. I am so happy that I don't have to have a shot again until Thursday night. YEAH!! We are scheduled to return for the implantation on Sunday.

Stim meds

On November 22, I started my stimulation medication which is 150 IU Follisim and 75 IU Menopur. On the 24Th, I added Letrozole and the 25Th I added Ganirelix. We had an office visit yesterday for bloodwork and ultrasound. They measured my four largest follicles on each side, there were two ready on each side. The tech said I would probably take my meds one more night and come back the next morning depending on what my blood work showed. After looking at my blood work results they were concerned with my estrogen level, that is was to low. The nurse said, I may not be able to continue with the IVF at this time, that we could still do an IUI. I told her that I was taking Letrezole and it could lower my estrogen. She told me she would see what my blood work showed today. I have prayed and prayed about this. I have come way to far to start over, this is suppose to be my last time of the shots. I wanted to keep going!!
Today, David and I were up again at 5:00 heading to Birmingham. After blood work we went back for the ultrasound. The nurse said, that Dr Honea left a note on my chart that we would proceed with the IVF. What an answered prayer. The tech took the measurements of the follicles and everything looked real good. We started our antibiotic today and will have the HCG shot at 10:45 tonight. We will go to Birmingham on Tuesday for egg retrieval. So, that is where we are. I will update after the retrieval. Thanks for the prayers and encouraging words.

Acupuncture

After taking a road trip its back to IVF. This past week has been tough my hormones have been all over the place. I have been having alot of headaches and Tuesday I had alot of pain in my stomach. After going to the Dr on Wednesday, I was told I had cyst on both sides that had ruptured. That explained the pain. My bloodwork came back fine and Janet told me to start my shots of Menopur and Follistem on this Sunday. I had my first visit for acupuncture on Friday. I have to say I was not real sure that it would help. I was told it could help thicken the lining. I went into it not really expecting anything. I had been in tears all the way there and when I left I didn't have them anymore. My mother in law went with me and when I came out she said I looked like I felt better, and I did. The Dr explained that with acupuncture it helps to balance the body and I was really stressed. She placed the needles, starting in my forehead, and moved to my head, chest, stomach, legs, and my feet. There were a few that felt like electrical shock, she said that was the energy. I will continue the acupuncture. I will go back to the Dr on Wednesday for bloodwork and ultrasound. I will also be returning for acupuncture on Wednesday as well. I know with the last IVF cycle I had such a peace about the whole thing as we start this last cycle I have felt an unweighing amount of stress. Its hard to explain, but to want something so bad and have wanted and tried to get it for the last nine years and to know this is your last good chance its almost more to bear. I know God is in control and I have to trust Him. Please to continue to pray for us as we continue this journey.

Road Trip Pictures

Pictures from Road trip

Road Trip

David and I took a ten day road trip with his family. On Friday, David, Gloria, Chuck and myself headed to Huntsville to pick up Chuck's sister, Evelyn. From there we travled on to Arkansas to Aunt Donna and Uncle Harvey's. After talking for hours we finally said we needed to get in the bed since midnight was approaching. Five o'clock came early and we pulled out around seven that morning in the fifteen passenger van. We still had to pick up Uncle Vick so we were headed to Indiana. After picking up Uncle vick we made are way to Kentucky where we would spent the night. Again it was a late night. Let me just say during this trip it was close to midnight when we would turn in and five-ish when the alarm would go off. We finally made it to Pennsylvania to Aunt Edna's. Aunt Edna and her daughters Mary and June had a wonderful meal for us when we arrived. That was another thing we did a lot of was eating. Monday, we went to Hershey Park. We took the tour and bought lots of chocolate. Hershey Hotel was breath taking. It was the first hotel I have been to that had their own ice skating rink. The next day we went to see the Amish. I learned that the men that have facial hair are married and the clean shaven were single. Tuesday was wash day, they all had there clothes on the line. To watch them plow there fields with their horses was like going back in time. We ate at a Dutch smorgesboard, Shady Maple. I have to say they had everything you could imagine. They are known for their Shoo Fly Pie. We tried it, it tasted alot like molasses. There were things I had never even heard of, such as raisen pie then there was the rubarb pie that wasn't so good. After all that good eating we went shopping. The next day Mary took me shopping to one of my favorite stores, White House Black Market. She really knows fashion. I had the best time shopping with Mary and Dave. We joined the rest of the family at the casino and Aunt Edna's friend Bill, who treated us to lunch. I bummed $40 dollars off of Dave and hit for $200 so I gave Dave his money back and left with more than I came with. The next day we went to Gettsburg for a little history. Then it was time to head back and begin to drop off the family one by one. I have to say my first Sellers road trip was a blast. Thank you to the Sellers for a great time. I love you all!!!!

IVF Calendar

Round two, here we go. I received my calendar today and I will remain on the NuvaRing until November 17th. My next office visit will be on the 18th. Soon after that visit the fun begins, by that I mean the shots. I will be taking 150 IU Follistim, 75 IU Menopur and adding Letrozole 2.5 mg by mouth twice a day. The Ganirelix 250 mcg will be added around the 25th. Tentative egg retrieval will be somewhere between December 2nd through the 4th. David and I will be leaving this weekend for a ten day road trip with his family. We are both excited to spend time with them and to just get away. So, next update will be around the 18th of November.

Round Two

I went to the Dr on Friday for bloodwork and ultrasound. Everything checked out fine. I had 12 pre follicles on one side and 8 on the other. I was given the nuva ring (birth control) which I started Friday night. Janet will mail me a copy of my calander to let me know my meds and when to start them. I asked if I would be able to take a trip the first of November with David and his family. Ms Sara said it should work out and recommends it. I am so excited about that. SO, now we are just waiting to get the calander to see what meds have changed and when we start them.

Adoption

Where do I start....over the last nine years I have always considered adoption. In the last few weeks it is like it is on me. (If that makes sense.) In my heart I can't imagine a child not being loved like I was loved. Last Sunday, I had a very emotional day not sure why but my heart was heavy because of this. David and I have talked about adoption through the years and he has always said we'll see when we get to that. Well, this past Sunday as I was shedding a few tears and Dave was comforting me he said you know I have been thinking about that and he said he was ready for it. Well, as the last blog posted I stated we had our Dr appointment on Monday and that afternoon I had a patient that asked how the IVF was going and I gave him the update and somehow we started talking about adoption and he was telling me that once a week that have a child featured in the newspaper. They describe the child and the child always tells what they want and it is always the same he said "they just want to be loved." I told him I had heard about that and had looked but never found the article. On Wednesday, I was waiting for the Dr so we could start surgery and I went out to the lobby to look at the paper and see if I could find the article but it wasn't there. It is in the paper on Thursday which I did finally got to see. Along with the above there were several other things that happened the past week that was guiding us in that direction. But we are going to continue to pray and seek His guidance. Later that morning I was given a message that a patient had called and wanted me to call her back. I tried calling her later that afternoon and after playing phone tag she finally got in touch with me that afternoon on the way home. OK ...... she asked about IVF and then said Heather, God laid you on my heart and I need to share something with you. I was like ok. She proceeds to tell me that she has a neice that is 19 years old and is pregnant and is unable to provide for the baby. She is going to put it up for adoption. She gave me more info and asked that I talk to Dave about it and let her know either way. I was in complete shock. I called to share the news with David, he was just as shocked as me. I cried and cried and my mom asked why are you crying I said I was scared. She wanted to know why? I told her that this wasn't my plan. She asked, are you scared its not His plan to have one of your own.And I said yes. She said it could be both. WOW!!! WOW was the word of the night for me. It was so much to take in and my mind was going ninty to nothing. Everytime I thought of something, what about this or what about that, I would be like well that doesn't matter. There are still alot of things that could change but as for right now Dave and I are persuing this. It is just day by day. If it is God's WILL it will come about if not I am sure I will be learning something along the way. God is so good and has perfect timing to go with HIS plan. Please continue to pray for us and the other family involved.

Video Consult with Dr Allemand

David and I went to the Montgomery office for a video consult with Dr Allemand. He said on paper everything looked good. We did get to a chemical pregnancy, it just didn't stick around. Dr Allemand wants to add another med, it is called Letrozol. It is giving to women with breast cancer but also used to help with infertility. He may also change the doses on my meds but will let me know about that later. Dave asked about how many embroyos to place next time and the Dr said he would only place two being that everything looked good up until the implantation. We will wait til I have a cycle again which should be mid October. At that time I will go back for bloodwork to see if my ovaries are ready for another round. He said he may have me take a baby aspirin daily or even heperin shots depending on what my bloodwork showed. He wanted to do the bloodwork today to look even closer to make sure he hasn't overlooked anything. After talking to the Dr we went in to the Nurse Practioner she talked to me about Accupuncture. I don't know how I feel about that, will research that a little more. Ms Lynn came in said we had a bunch of blood to get. I looked over at the counter and there was so many valves. I thought surley those aren't all for me butu they were. She wanted to know if I had eaten anything, luckily I had a piece of cheese toast and orange juice. She said you may want to come lay down so I did. There were fourteen valves seh had to take. I got a little pale but did fine. So, we will be on a break until mid October and then we will find out when we will proceed.

The Results are in......

Janet called with our results, the beta number needs to be greater than 20 to be positive and if it is less than 5 it is negative. On Wednesday, I was at 9.8 and today I was 7.5. She told me to discontinue the meds tonight since the number was going down. The Dr will call next week. I think there will be a small break to let my body rest but not sure until we speak to the Dr. We do have another opportunity to try the IVF again so that's good. I so know that God is in control and if it is His will it will happen, if not He will have something else in store.

I wanted to thank everyone for the prayers, thoughts, phone calls, emails and text messages. The love that was shown has been amazing. I am so thankful to have family and friends that love us so much. I couldn't have made it without the prayers, they were definitely felt. I know I may share more than some of you may want to know but I felt at one time that I was the only person who couldn't get pregnant. A few years ago a friend at church shared with me that she to had tried and tried. That was such a comfort to me not that she couldn't but to know I wasn't alone. Gradually there became more and more women that I met that had the same trouble. So, anyway, that's why I speak so openly of our journey. I hope it can help, encourage or touch someone.

I will update next week some time after talking to the Dr.

With love,
Heather

YES, NO, MAYBE............

Heather went to the Doctors office this morning and took her blood test and while we were waiting throughout the day for the results phone call, Heather decided to drop her cell phone into the toilet bowl. So guess what, Heathers phone no longer worked. So, she had to go to the Verizon Wireless store to get a new phone so we could get the results of the blood test. Well we finally got them! It was a MAYBE!! I'm like, What does that mean? Well the beta levels they measure in the blood test were not exactly what they wanted to see at this point and time. Heathers Beta Level test showed up at a 9.8. If it would have showed up less than 5, Heather would have not been pregnant and if it showed up greater than 20 she would have been pregnant. So, as you can see, she was in the middle. Heathers pergesterone level needed to be at least a 25 and it was 44, good to go there. Her Estradial needed to be 100 and it was a 50, not so good there. So, the doctor perscribed her some Estradial to take over the next 2 days before she goes back to the doctor on Friday to have a second Blood Test and then maybe we will know if Heather is pregnant or not. So, I ask everybody to continue to pray for us and Hopefully we will no foresure Friday.

Blood Test

Tomorrow is a big day. I go in for bloodwork at 7:00 and I will not get results until 4:30 or 5:00. I am still debating if I want to receive the call at work or have them leave a message at home so that Dave and I can hear it together. Some people tend to think I wouldn't wait on Dave.....WHAT?!?!? me not wait??? LOL Either way I probably will cry. If it is a positive I will still be high risk. If I am not then I know I have another cycle of IVF to try. So either way there is HOPE. Well, its time for my nightly shot of progesterone. I will update tomorrow around 6:30 or 7:00 pm. Thanks for all the prayers!!!!! They have been felt......with love Heather

Freezing Embryos

Yesterday, Dr Allemand told us we would possibly have four embryos to freeze. Today I got a call to say there was only one that made it to that stage. I was a little sad to hear that but I am not going to dwell on it. I have been taking it easy today and plan on going to Selma tomorrow to visit family. Then, its back to work on Thursday. My next Dr visit will be on the 16Th.

Now we wait........

On Saturday, the embryologist called to say of the 13 that made it through the process of cell division we then had 12. Of the 12, 10 were top grade category and of those 8 were really really good and making their way to the blastocast stage. On Saturday we went to Opelika to be with family. I started to get a little emotional on Saturday and by Sunday it was time to let it all out. After a good cry on Davids shoulder I put this back in the hands of God. I am still taking progesterone shots every night and will until the pregnancy test. This morning we went back to Birmingham for the embryo transfer. An hour before the appointment I was to drink 24 oz of liquid and to keep a full bladder for the procedure. I was given an option of Valium to help me relax. I decided to take it so that my body could be as relaxed as possible. Dr Allemand came in and said we would be placing two embryos and we would probably have four to freeze. David was able to stay with me through the procedure. We were given a picture of the two blastocast. How cool!!! Now comes the hard part. The WAIT!!!!!!!!!!

Embryo Results

Janet called to say we have 13 embroys. Yesterday we had 11 that fertilized so how did we end up with 13 today. She said that after she called to give me the report yesterday that two more fertilized. We will get a call from the embroyolgist tomorrow with more information. We are still scheduled on Monday to place them at 9:45. I did a little to much yesterday (walking) so I am back on the couch. Taking it easy is so hard to do. But, whatever it takes. Thanks for all the prayers, phone calls, and text messages. Loves to all!!!!

Egg Retrieval Results

Janet the IVF coordinator called to say out of the 17 they retrieved yesterday 16 were mature and 11 fertilized. She will call tomorrow to let us know how many embryos we have.

Egg Retrieval in Birmingham

Heather, Gloria (Mama), and I woke up at 5:00 A.M. this morning to make are way to Birmingham. We got to Birmingham around 8:00 A.M. They took Heather and I back to the procedure room where they hooked her up to all the machines. The nurse explained to us that the egg retrieval would only take about 10 mins. then she would be in recovery. After they took Heather back to retrieve the eggs, I went and took care of my little part in this baby making miracle. After the egg retrieval, Heather came out of the procedure room with some minor pain but she was doing great. The nurse told us that they retrieved 17 eggs. The nurse explained to us that not all the eggs would mature, nor will all the eggs retrieved be of good quality. They will inform us tomorrow of how many eggs that are mature at the time of fertilization. Heather is recovering nicely here at home. Blaze has not left her side since we have been home. We have to return to Birmingham on Monday for the Embryo Transfer. We will then make the decision on how many embryos to place in Heather. We will update everybody on Monday Night.

Egg Retrieval

I went to the Montgomery office this morning for blood work and ultrasound. The ultrasound showed the endomeatrium lining was thickening and I had 21 follicles. The size of the follicles should be 1.8, I had at least eight that measured that or greater. Janet, the IVF coordinator called this afternoon with my blood work results. She said to discontinue my Follistem/Menopur injections and to take the HCG injection tonight at 9:15. This shot is given IM, thank goodness I have a neighbor who is a nurse and loves me. Thanks Jen!!! The egg retrieval is scheduled for Wednesday, September 2, 2009. Dave will update the blog after the egg retrieval.

Update on IVF

Last Sunday I started my shots of Follistem and Menopur in which I am still taking every night. On Thursday, David and I went in to see Ms Sara in the Montgomery office for blood work and ultrasound. The endomeatrium lining was thin and I had 21 follicles. I was responding to the meds a little faster then they expected so they reduced my dosage of the follistem from 150 to 75. They added another injection medication, Ganirelix. Saturday, Dave and I went to the Birmingham office for more blood work and ultrasound. Everything looked good, the lining was thickening and the follicles are growing nicely. We will return to the Montgomery office in the morning for even more blood work and ultrasound.

Davis' 3rd Birthday

Davis had a cookies and milk party from 10:00 until 12:00. The kids had fun in the pool, slip and slide, inflatable water slide and bouncin jump castle. I, myself, had fun with the water guns. I was asked to take Davis to another birthday party at the Premiere gym while the clean up began. Little man was so tired he was almost asleep before we got there, however, he got his second wind and had a great time. I really enjoyed spending the weekend with the family and friends. Happy Birthday Davis!!! Love you bunches!!!!!!!!!!!

The past week.....

On Wednesday, David and I had appointment in the Montgomery office. We both had blood work and I had an ultrasound. The blood work was fine and the ultrasound showed the endometrium lining was thin and that is a good sign. We signed the consent forms and made the payment. I will start my shots tomorrow of Follistem and Menopur and return to the office on Thursday for ultrasound and more blood work.

Baby Update

David and I have been trying to have a baby for nine years now as most of you know. I thought it would be easier to use the blog to share info. I know that times after telling the story over and over again I may leave something out and this way everyone gets the same information. I am going to be sharing about every step, good or bad and funny or sad. Its all about the journey. So, to bring everyone up to date. In May, Dave and I met with Dr Allemand at the ART program in Birmingham. We had been through five + IUI's at this point and no luck. Dr Allemand said on paper everything looked good. It was time to move on to the next step which is IVF. David and I had a trip planned to the Dominican Republic for the first week of July, we all agreed to wait til we returned before starting the IVF process. On July 31, I had an appointment with Ms Sara here in the Montgomery office for blood work and ultra sound. I was given a neuva ring (birth control) to use until the 18th of August. So, thats where we are. I am very excited to move forward with this process. I know that God has a plan for us and its all in His timing.