Today has been a good day…starting out this morning I wasn’t sure how today was going to go. We had some severe storms last night so we were woken up several times because of the rain and thunder. Zoey (our dog) does NOT like thunderstorms. She thinks that if she barks loud enough they will stop. No matter how often we tell her that’s not the way things work, she never listens. Chris left for work before I woke up. He had a job interview this morning for another role in his department. Fingers crossed!!! That would be AMAZING news if he was offered this position. They say everything happens when it is supposed to so hopefully this is the right time!
All day, err day – Chris
I had to arrive at the doctor’s office this morning for 8. I had been fasting since last night and was sleepy because of the thunder storms. Needless to say I desperately needed coffee but wasn’t allowed. I am needle phobic and faint at the sight of blood. That’s what makes this IVF journey all the more fun!! I was taken back for the first blood draw and asked how many vials she was going to take. The answer….was 12!! Yes, 12 vials of blood. They were testing for HIV, Hepatitis, Syphilis, all hormones and several other diseases that I don’t remember. The phlebotomist was very nice and I was very proud of myself. For the first time ever, I did not feel light headed or nauseous. I did not get hot flashes or feel clammy. Maybe I am getting over this phobia which would be great considering the amount of blood draws I am facing over the next several weeks!!
After the first round of blood I had to drink the glucose drink. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. I wouldn’t choose to drink it frequently, but it was tolerable. I did feel nauseous for a bit afterwards and I think it was just due to the amount of sugar. I sat in the waiting room for two hours watching Netflix until I had my blood drawn for the last time then I was free to go.
Handled bloodwork like a boss!!!
I had a relatively uneventful rest of the day at work. When I got home look what came in the mail today!!!
Yup 🙂 my Erin Condren life planner arrived and I LOVE IT!! The IVF stickers from Etsy are still on their way and I cannot wait to get everything organized!! It will seem more real when we are able to get dates on the calendar! Hopefully we will be able to do the HSG and SIS soon, then our protocol will be assigned and we can get our meds. I think that since our cycle start date is May 22 that if I am on the Lupron Long protocol (the most common) then my Lupron injections will start sometime around May 7th. Which is WAY sooner than we anticipated but we will work it out. We are going to Rock On The Range from May 15-17 so the Lupron shots may put a damper on that, but we will still have a blast!!
Yesterday when I came home I also had some surprises waiting for me. It was like Christmas!
Oliver is saying Hi!!
The first box I opened was a surprise from my bestie Katie! I love Lush and I thought it was so sweet of her to send me a care package.
Isn’t it cute?! It was so thoughtful! She told me she wanted me to be her guinea pig and bought me products she wanted to try…little did she know that she bought me my favorites! In there is the Wiccy Massage Bar, Twilight Bath Bomb and Rose Jam Bubbleroon Bubble Bar. If you haven’t tried Lush I highly recommend it!! I had a wonderful relaxing bath last night in preparation for all the needles today.
So the rest of the stuff that arrived yesterday was my IVF Care Package for myself! I bought some coconut water, Folic Acid and Airborne as the doctor requested. I have already drank two bottle of the coconut water! I really like it! I decided it was time to get some new cotton undies since there will be so many doctors appointments and procedures, plus I don’t think I will be wanting to wear anything fancy during the hormone injections. Next, I bought some comfortable clothes that I can wear to work while stimming. From everything I have read I will be bloated and uncomfortable so jeans will be out of the question. I bought a maxi skirt, black palazzo pants, loose jersey knit top and a pretty maxi dress. I am very pleased with everything we have gotten so far. This weekend we are also getting cotton balls and bandaids. We are on our way to getting everything to make this as least stressful as possible.
From here, Chris will have his bloodwork on Monday and then we are just waiting for Mother Nature before we can schedule the HSG and SIS. I hope it is soon! I want to get those over with!! That is all for now!! If you haven’t checked out my previous post Sock It To Me please read and if you are wanting to send me some socks please go to the Facebook page Sock It To Me: Sock Drive for more information!
Much love and baby dust!
– A
Maybe Baby... 
WOOHOO!!! Once the ball gets rolling it goes pretty quickly!!!! I start stimming May 5th! We will be on the same cycle! oh and I ordered one of those planners a couple days ago lol great minds think alike! they were on a good sale right now I’ve been price shopping for months and this seemed like the best deal by far! When do your meds come in or was that one of your boxes 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I still have the HSG and the SIS tests to do hopefully this week. AF is on the horizon and I have to wait until CD3 to call and schedule those. I will also go on BC on CD3. Once those are out of the way and the blood work comes back we will be in the all clear. The doc will then decide what protocol to use. I am assuming based on my age and reason for going through IVF that I will be put on the Lupron Long Protocol. Our IVF cycle start date is May 22nd since they start all the women for that month at the same time. I believe that is when the baseline us/bloodwork will be done and stimming will start a few days later. If I am on the Lupron Long Protocol I will start those shots 1-2 weeks before May 22nd. Of course all of this is speculation and my best guess at this point. I know things are going to move fast for us because we have an insurance infertility benefit that will pay 50% once deductible has been met (which it has) and then 100% after maximum out of pocket is met (which we are close to thanks to Chris’s surgery). Here’s the catch. Our plan year rolls over on July 1 so that benefit will go away. The fertility clinic knows this so they are pushing us along fairly quickly. I would imagine that we will have the meds ordered within the next week or two and the pharmacy will overnight then to us. Looks like you will be starting your cycle a bit before mine so you can tell me all the wonderful ups and downs!! What protocol are you on?
LikeLiked by 1 person
WOohoo for your clinic trying to work with your your insurance! We will still be close to being cycle buddies!!! I will be on the regular protocol on a low dosage of my meds to start should be starting shots on may 5th and staying on them til the 18th so it’ll be fun… my meds should be here on the 21st and I am so excited!!! I will for sure let ya know about the crazy side effects lol I will actually be making videos of the process I’m a bit obsessed with watching them so I figure I will make my own especially since I never find much info about the procedure PESA that my hubster is doing so I figure I’ll make a video and keep track of what he goes through as well 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s a great idea! We have thought about videoing our journey as well. We haven’t decided if we for sure will or not. I haven’t heard of PESA. Hubby would have had to do TESA if his surgery hadn’t corrected his azoospermia. I’m so excited to see your videos! Will you be posting them on your blog or starting a YouTube channel?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I started a youtube channel but when I have an update that I haven’t already written about I will add the video to the blog… I think you should make a video journal even if you don’t post it then someday you can add it to your pregnancy videos 🙂 PESA is a lot like TESA just represents the specific area they are “going digging” TESA they search everywhere in the testicles but PESA they basically go right behind the vas defrens tube… After the urologist apt on friday Dr. said that everything looked good between his blood results and what he felt so he thinks it will be a pretty quick procedure
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love love this! Its nice to know that someone else LOVES coconut water as much as I do. I also thought about the undies! I’m going to do that as well. I too got some more comfy pants today for work. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one thinking about this stuff!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely! I want to make sure I am the most comfortable I can be in an uncomfortable situation! I have never drank this much coconut water so consistently and I definitely feel I have more energy! I love the sock idea my friend had. That really helped make this morning a little more light hearted. The doctor and techs loved them. When does your IVF cycle start?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I want to be as comfortable as possible. I’m about to go off my birth control and that has made me gain a few pounds…not happy about that, but it’s totally worth it! I get the coconut with pineapple…YUM. I start the shots a week from today. They will be here in the mail and I’m going to post a picture of them! We are looking at a mid June egg transfer. When do you plan on starting yours?
LikeLiked by 1 person
We are set to start stims on May 22nd! We won’t be far behind you! Our clinic does the antagonist protocol so we suppress during the end of stimming. Less shots!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I will be done stimming the second week of June I believe. With a mid June transfer. I find out Wednesday what all my shot schedule is. I’m a bit overwhelmed, but it’s all worth it in the end!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: Sock it to me!! | Maybe Baby...