Home Sweet Home (now with test result update) July 28, 2006
We are now officially homeowners. Yesterday Dan and I kept asking each other what the hell we were doing. Buying this house has been a pretty surreal experience.
Closing went smoothly and was easier than I expected. We got the keys to the house shortly thereafter and got to hang out in it for a bit in order to figure out a few things. We even managed to fit in a trip to the store to order our appliances, a new fridge and washer/dryer, yesterday afternoon before hitting the road to head back to Lafayette.
Dan’s got to finish up his job here so we won’t be moving for a couple of weeks, but we’ll be making the trip back over to Houston next weekend so we’ll get to visit our new home again then.
Unfortunately I still do not have my ultra-screen test results yet, and it’s driving me batty. Each day that passes without those results makes me worry even more. I really, really hope they come back today because the thought of having to wait another weekend is something I don’t want to think about right now.
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I was supposed to get my test results through a medical voicemail system. I finally had enough of dialing the darn system over and over again and called the lab. It looks like I’ve been worrying for an extra week. My results were actually back on the 20th. AAAHHH!
What happened was that the voicemail system tells you to input your home telephone number. Well, when they inputted mine into the system they put a 1 before my area code since it was an out of state number. No one ever told me to put an extra 1 in there when I was to call for the results. It’s just insane to me that I had to wait an extra week over a 1.
So, onto the results. Before the screening, my odds for Down’s were 1:713. After the screening, they went to 1:2094. Before the screening my odds for Trisomy 13 and 18 were 1:1299. After the screening they’re 1:>10,000. So, definitely good news.
My early sex determination b/w result was back, too, and it looks like the u/s tech was right with her guess. According to the DNA test, there’s a >96% chance that it’s a boy.
It is such a relief to finally have these results. I think it might even be starting to feel a little bit real now.
But I’m So Good At It July 26, 2006
There are two things that I’m pretty darn good at, worrying and being impatient. It’s just how I’m built. Dan is always telling me that I don’t need to worry. My reply is always “yes, I do.” Not that I like to, but that’s how it is.
My ultra-screen results aren’t back yet, and it’s making me antsy. I had the bloodwork done with my nuchal translucency appointment a week from yesterday. This feels like an eternity to wait for the results. Especially since I was told that they would take a week.
My anxiousness over the situation is showing up in my dreams. Last night I dreamt of two not so pleasant things: not being able to find the heartbeat with the doppler and of a second trimester delivery/loss. It was horrible.
The other thing adding to the mix is the fact that we’re closing on our house tomorrow. TOMORROW! Oh my goodness. It’s beyond insane to me, and it’s making me nervous.
So, yeah. I’m a big ball of nerves for the moment. Hopefully things will get better soon. I would love to get some wonderfully relieving test results back soon and then have a smooth closing tomorrow. That would definitely help.
There is one big milestone that’s helping right now, though. I’m 13w3d today. Now, there are multiple ways to calculate the trimesters, but if you go by the gestational method (40 weeks of gestation divided by 3) then today is the start of the second trimester for me. I really feel like I need pinched. I have officially made it out of the first trimester. Unreal.
So, I’m hanging onto that while waiting (ever so impatiently) for the other stuff. Hopefully by the end of the day tomorrow I will be a homeowner with test results in hand. We shall see.
Practice Makes Perfect July 23, 2006
Dan and I have shared the shooting up responsibilities throughout our cycles, but he’s ended up doing the majority of them. That shot giving expertise came into play nicely when Dan gave Muffy her fluid treatment yesterday. I was impressed.
The largest needle I’ve ever had plunged into my flesh is a 22g for the PIOs. Muffy gets an 18g. Ouch. Plus, it’s not like a shot where it’s in for just a second or two. Poor kitty has to sit there for multiple minutes while the fluids drip in. Both she and Dan did a great job, though. I’ve been overwhelmed at the thought of giving her these treatments, but I think we’ll be able to do it. I just hope they help.
On a completely unrelated note, I’m starting to get nervous about our ultra-screen test results. After making 49 embryos, 21 of which made it to transfer, with only 4 of those implanting, with only 1 of those sticking around for more than a few weeks I’d be crazy not to suspect that some kind of chromosomal issue might have been at play.
Oh, and I have a little vent to add, too. The doctor/genetic counselor I saw after my nuchal translucency ultrasound told me that I should think of myself as only having had one loss, because if I was a normal person that’s all I would have known about. What? As far as I know, chemical pregnancies are thought to be caused be chromosomal issues a good amount of the time. Isn’t that relevant? Plus, having gone through seven IVF/FET cycles pretty much knocks me out of the “normal” ballpark, don’t ya think? I won’t even get into the emotional aspects of just trying to erase those from my history. Ugh.
So, yeah. I think I have at least one or two reasons to worry. My age is something I’ve got going for me, but there are several other issues at play here. While the nuchal measurement was in the normal range, I happen to know that it was on the high side of normal. That info doesn’t help.
I know that whatever the results are that they won’t be definitive. They’ll give us our odds, and we’ll go from there. I just hope that things are ok in there. I can’t stand the thought of the alternative.
Sending a Good Friend Into Retirement July 20, 2006
For all seven of my cycles, I’ve used a homemade heating pad for my PIO shots. I got the idea from beaver girl (who I hope is doing well). She posted the idea of filling a sock with raw rice that could be reheated in the microwave for heating pad purposes. Hers was all crafty, coordinating with the current season or holiday if I remember correctly. I’m not that talented in the craft department, so I just made mine out of one of Dan’s old workout socks.
That heating pad sock has seen me through more PIO shots that I care to count. It’s seen better days having been spotted with blood that leaked through my post shot gauze pads. It’s done it’s job well, though.
Tuesday night was my last PIO shot. That thought is still completely unreal to me, but I am now officially done with them. Now I have no need for my dear friend, the sock. I haven’t gotten rid of it, though. That’s not surprising coming from someone who still has a mostly used bottle of Lupron from this last cycle in her fridge. I can’t throw that out either.
Three Posts In One July 18, 2006
I had my nuchal translucency scan today. Apparently everything looked ok, but the odds won’t be calculated until my blood work results come back. That should take about a week.
After I walked into the ultrasound room the first thing the tech asked me was, “Is this your first pregnancy?” I replied that it was actually my fourth. She then asked, “So, you have three kids at home then?” Um, no. Gotta love being a freak.
After the tech was done with all of the measurements she asked if I wanted to know the sex. She then said that she “thought she saw something down there.” She printed me a picture of it, and there’s definitely something. Still way too early to know for sure, of course.
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Saturday we received an invoice in the mail from our clinic. It was for the storage fee for our frozen sperm. The letter said we could pay the $300 or sign the enclosed form to have the sperm disposed of.
We only have one vial left, but it’s still a vial of hard won sperm. Dan had to go through surgery for us to get that.
It didn’t take us long to decide what to do. $300 is a drop in the bucket to keep our options open. I think that if this cycle hadn’t worked then we would strongly think about having it disposed of. We would be moving on to other options anyway. Having this cycle work (so far-knock on wood) changes that.
We don’t know if we’ll actually get a kid out of this, and we certainly don’t know if we’ll go insane enough to jump back on the damn IVF roller coaster to try for a sibling should things actually work out. It’s good to know that we have the option to do so if we so choose, though.
All I know is that I can’t even wrap my brain around the current situation. There’s no way I’m about to make any major decisions about future plans. I consider that $300 a way to postpone any major thinking on the issue.
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I found out yesterday that my brother and SIL have found my blog. My brother sent me the nicest email about wanting to respect my privacy, etc. He said that he was glad that I’ve found such wonderful community of understanding women. So am I. I still haven’t emailed him back. I don’t know quite what to say. At least it’s not as strange of a situation as when my in-laws found my blog.
What a Day July 15, 2006
Man, yesterday was a long day. It was quite productive, though.
First up after we got to Houston was my OB appt. It was so weird being in the waiting room. I turned to Dan and said, “Um, there are people with bellies in here.” So surreal.
We both really liked the OB. She works with IVF patients a lot, and you could tell. She said she liked us because we were persistent. I replied that we were really just stubborn. It seems like she gets the IVF veteran war wounds stuff as much as anyone could without going through it themselves.
We discussed a couple of my main issues including the MTHFR stuff and my wonky cervix situation. She was familiar with all of the MTHFR issues and was more than fine with my Lovenox usage. We also discussed the need for prenatal testing given our IVF history and miscarriage history.
I’ll be having the nuchal translucency/ultra-screen test done on Tuesday, so I’ll be making the trip back over for that. The lab that does those tests is also doing a study on early fetal sex determination through a DNA blood test. Apparently it’s about 95% accurate. They do that test when they do the ultra-screen, so I’ll be having that done as well.
Assuming I somehow manage to make it to the 18 week mark, my OB wants me to consult with a high risk OB when I go in for the level II ultrasound. She wants to bring someone in to weigh in on both the Lovenox issue and the cervix issue. My OB said they’re going to watch me like a hawk after everything we’ve been through, and she obviously means it. I’ll also be going back for my next regular appointment in three weeks instead of the usual four.
Amazingly enough I didn’t have to have any blood tests yesterday. I had scrounged through my massive file of test results and pulled out everything I thought was applicable. Sure enough, I’ve had everything they normally test for. Fine by me. I did get another ultrasound yesterday which is always a good thing. Things looked great, so that was reassuring.
I have to admit that the appointment was pretty overwhelming to me. I left there with my head spinning. It still doesn’t feal real. I’m going to be 12 weeks tomorrow, and it still hasn’t sunk in yet.
After my appointment we grabbed a quick bite to eat and got our insurance stuff worked out at the agent’s office. Then it was on to the house. It was good seeing it again. It had been a while.
Our inspection went well. He found mostly minor stuff common to new construction. Nothing majorly worrisome, though. The one big thing that he found was that they forgot to put in roof vents. Oops. We had the meeting with the builder right after the inspection, and we’re getting upgraded ones for free because of it.
We went through a ton of stuff with the head builder like where all of the shut off valves and stuff were. I hope Dan remembers all of that. After we were done with all of the house stuff we hit the road again and headed back home.
I think I was delirious when we finally stumbled through the door. It was well worth it, though. It was quite a day.
Best. Invention. Ever. July 13, 2006
My doppler arrived yesterday, and I have to say that I’m in love. It took me a while to find the heartbeat at first, and of course I have to admit that not so wonderful thoughts crossed my mind while lying there searching for it. I finally found it, though, and man that is some sweet relief. I even found it again this morning with minimal searching. I think that’s the best $25/month I’ve ever spent.
It makes me feel better going into my OB appointment tomorrow knowing that things aren’t dead in there. Of course, I still feel totally weirded out by going to a normal OB instead of my oh so familiar RE. I mean, I am so not normal.
Tomorrow is going to be an action packed day. We need to hit the road by 7:00 in order to make it over to Houston in time for my appointment. We also have our house inspection scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. I imagine neither one of those are going to be quick. We also have to squeeze in a trip to the insurance company and a meeting with our head builder. We might even manage to find a minute or two for a quick meal while we’re at it. Then it’s back on the interstate for the long drive back home tomorrow night.
I imagine we’ll be stumbling through the door around bedtime, so there probably won’t be any updates posted until Saturday. I really hope things go ok tomorrow. On a different note, here are a couple of updates.
House update: We got our appraisal info yesterday and all looks good. The house appraised for more than we’re paying for it, so we have one more thing we can cross off of the list.
Kitty update: I took Muffy to the vet yesterday for her fluid treatment. She was not a happy camper as evidenced by the slashing she gave my arm. We’re going to do one more treatment at the vet’s office at a time when Dan can accompany us and then we’ll try to do it at home from there on out. I think it will be less stressful for her that way. Hopefully the subq fluids combined with the continued use of her prescription food will keep her feeling ok for the time being.
Furball Update July 11, 2006
I just got back from a quick trip to New Orleans. Dan’s last sitting of his clerkship is this week, so I tagged along for the first half. Unfortunately, I came home to not so great news. I knew the streak could only last so long.
Saturday Dan and I took Muffy to the vet to have her kidney bloodwork redone again. I got her results today, and they weren’t as great as last time. Her numbers stayed stable from December to April but have now started to increase. They’ve gone up enough that the vet wants to start her on fluid treatments. I’m bringing her in tomorrow to start that.
It just makes me so sad to know that my kitty is getting sicker. Renal failure is fatal. We can only hope to keep her feeling well for as long as we can. I know that the fluid treatments will help do that, but oh, it just hurts me to put her through that. I know I need to do what’s best for her, though.
I guess I’ll talk to the vet tomorrow about doing her treatments at home in the future. I think it would be less stressful for Muffy. Now, I’m a pro when it comes to sticking myself with needles. I can do it anywhere at anytime. Sticking my cat is another story all together, however.
I’m sure we’ll figure all the details out eventually. I’m going to attempt to leave that for another day, though. Right now I just want to snuggle my kitty.
Progress July 7, 2006
We’re making a little progress on several fronts. I went back to the eye doctor on Wednesday, and it appears that the drops have done their job. I even get to start wearing contacts again starting tomorrow. Thank freaking goodness, because I’m beyond sick of wearing my glasses.
Things are starting to come together on the house front. We found out this week that our appliances and backyard sod have been installed which means we can get a few other things going now. Our inspection is scheduled for a week from today, the 14th. That seemed like a good day since we’ll be over in Houston anyway for my OB appt. The completion of those installations has also allowed for our appraisal to be ordered.
It’s nice to have grass in the backyard now. It makes it look like a real house instead of a construction zone.
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AFTER:
It’s also nice to see what the kitchen looks like with appliances as opposed to seeing it with holes.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
We still have a lot to get done before we close at the end of the month, but we’re getting there. I’m just glad things are moving forward.
Officially Kicked Out July 3, 2006
Ok, so my clinic calls it graduating, but it feels a bit like getting kicked out. No more ultrasounds every 7-10 days. No more special treatment. Out into the real world, I go. It’s truly frightening.
Oh, but it’s for such a good reason, though. Everything looked good at today’s ultrasound. I’m 10w1d today, and things measured two days ahead at 10w3d. The heartbeat was still present at 188 bpm. We even saw cool things like umbilical cord blood flow and arms and legs. So unreal.
Dan was able to take today off and come with me. I was so glad he was able to be there. The last ultrasound he was able to make the trip for was four weeks ago. Things have definitely changed since then.
Both of my RE’s were there for my ultrasound and subsequent send off. It’s so nice having doctors who care that much (and who are actually awesome at their jobs.)
But I’m officially kicked out of the IVF clinic world now. At least for the time being. (Let’s not get ahead of ourselves and assume anything now, ok?) I’m scared to be RE-less, but it’s so amazing to realize that we’ve overcome another hurdle. It still doesn’t feel real, and I still don’t feel like I can expect anything in the future, but I can definitely appreciate how far we’ve come.