Follistem, Menopur and Ganirelix....

The last week has a been a whirlwind to the Hale family. We are so thankful to report that Pierson's surgery went very well. They were able to fix the issue with his heart and he is recovering very quickly. Last I heard he might even be able to go home tomorrow. Lots of prayers needed still as this precious little boy recovers.

I began my nightly injection routine on Sunday of Follistem and Menopur. The side effects haven't been unbearable but noticeable. It has made me really sleepy and a little nauseous but nothing I can't push through. I am so thankful that these side effects haven't been more severe. Yesterday we had our first follow up sonogram and blood work to see how the medication is working. We had a great report of 20 follicles on each ovary with the follicles measuring around a 9. The Radiologist told us that each follicle grows about 2 mm per day and they classify them as mature when they are between 18-20 (which we already knew, this ain't our first rodeo). The prayer is that all of these follicles will grow at the same speed so that Dr. Douglas can remove all mature follicles.

The radiologist was very please with the follicles he saw which made me very happy. I was pretty nervous that they would only find a few so my legs were shaking the entire time. I told the Radiologist I was sorry but I was just a little nervous. Once we jumped that hurdle it was time to have my blood taken. All my levels ended up being great so we were able to keep my medication dosage the same.

Here is what tonight's medication looked like.

Tomorrow we go for a follow up sonogram to check the follicle sizes and find out if we can begin the 3rd nightly medication, Ganirelix. After that appointment we will go back on Monday and Tuesday to determine when the egg retrieval will be. They way it looks now it will either be on Thursday or Friday of next week. We will not know the date of the transfer until the embryos begin to grow and divide, which is so hard for me since I have to plan everything. God is definitely teaching me a lesson on patience.

Earlier this week I received a book from my company, Heaven is for Real. I truly work for the best company,  I can't even tell you how blessed I have been by FMS. Every year we are sent a new book around Fourth of July as a fun gift. I started reading the book and couldn't put it down. Basically, the story is about a little boy who became really sick and almost dies. During this surgery he visits heaven, although his family only begins to find out the details of his trip later on.

Growing up a christian I was taught about heaven and Gods love but this book really made me think. One of the things that this little boy Colton came back from heaven was God's love for children. I can't tell you how many times as a I child I sang "Jesus loves the little children", more times than I can remember. While in heaven the little boy met his sister who had died at 6 weeks during a miscarriage. She knew him and loved him even though they had never met. I never in my mind doubted that unborn children are in heaven. It made me think even deeper because of all the things Kevin and I are going through as well.

Many people argue that life doesn't begin until there is a heartbeat, but I don't agree. I can't wait to see how many of our eggs fertilize, and I believe that everyone of those embryos are our children. I know that not all of them will make it to transfer and some will not make it to freeze but we will one day meet these precious children in heaven. I have faith that the will be with Jesus until we get there and will be surrounded by Kevin and my family who are already in heaven.

God touched my heart when reading Colton's story and it gave me a greater peace that God is truly in control and loves us unconditionally. God has a purpose and a reason for Kevin and I going through this struggle to conceive and he has made our walk closer with him. We are both excited, scared, nervous and anxious about next week but I am thankful our heavenly father is in control.

Ready, Set, Go!

Today was the big appointment Kevin and I had been waiting on. During the sonogram we basically had a good report. We did have one cyst on my right ovary that was measuring around 4 mm but Dr. Douglas didn't think it would interupt our round of IVF.

Before our appointment we stopped off at the ART (Artificial Reproductive Technology) Center which is next door to our doctors office. This is where both the egg retrieval and embryo transfer will take place. It took us right at an hour to fill all of the documents and consent forms. We were shocked with a few of the questions it asked about our religious beliefs  and if we needed religious counseling before our procedure.

One part of the form we had to fill out was frozen embryos. If something were to happen to Kevin and/or I they ask what you want to do with the frozen embryos (if you happen to have any left over after your transfer). This was an easy decision for Kevin and I to make. After going through fertility treatments we understand how it feels and how frustrating it can be. We also understand financially how hard it can be on the couple. We decided to donate our embryos if something were to happen to us. Were not even sure we will have any to freeze but we are happy to have that option if we are faced with trying IVF again. The transfer of frozen embryos is half the cost of a normal IVF cycle. Its also a lot easier on your body since you don't have to take all of the FSH (stimulate) medication.

After we paid the hospitals fees and got our instruction packet we headed over to our appointment. After the sonogram our nurse took us to a room to teach us how to mix one of the injection medication (Menopur) and how to give the injection. I will start out taking Follistem and Menopur on Sunday. We will go back to the doctor next Thursday to see what our progress looks like. They expect you to have 10 days of stimulate medication before the follicle is large enough to take an ovulation stimulant. When we go back they will then teach us how to use another injection which we start on the fourth day. I am so thankful we didn't have to learn all the medications at once, it was so much information to take in all at once.

We also went through the process of how the egg retrieval will work. Basically, I will take the Ovidrell injection (ovulation stimulant) 36 hours prior to the ER. That morning I will go in and they will put me in a room. I will have a IV anesthesia and they will take me back to the OR. In the OR Dr. Douglas will use a vaginal sonogram probe to guide his way around to my ovaries. A very long needle is injected from the probe into my ovary and it sucks out a fluid containing the eggs. With my age he expects to get anywhere for 8-15 eggs. I am praying I have just the right amount of eggs and do not get hyper stimulation. Hyper stimulation can make you really sick and can lower the quality of eggs they receive. Once the eggs are removed they will wake me up and put me in recovery. After that I'm free to go home and rest the remainder of the day.

After the procedure they put the eggs and sperm in a dish on an incubator set at 35 degrees and allow them to fertilize. Once fertilized the egg is called an embryo (hence when life begins). They are then monitored every day by the doctor and lab specialist as they grow. They either do egg transfers on day 3 or day 5. They prefer to do them on day 5 because the embryo has formed more cells and is at a better stage. They will call us each day and let us know the progress and when we should expect the transfer to be. I have heard many different answers to what will happen, so we will have to play this one by ear.

Before transfer I will begin really high doses of progesterone injections (the glue that makes the embryo stick to your uterus). When its time for the transfer I will go in to the ARTs Center and will have a procedure very much like a IUI. Basically, they insert a long catheter into the uterus and release the embryos to attach. Because of my age Dr. Douglas will only allow us to insert two, because the high risk of multiples. After the transfer we won't know for two weeks if it worked. We are not allowed to use home pregnancy tests because of the sensitive hormones I will be taking.

Here is a great video of how the IVF process works!

I got really overwhelmed when reading the hospital instructions and had to put it away. I am fearful of three things (which may seem small, but are a really big deal for me). The first thing I am most fearful of is having my blood taken each time. I tend to faint so they have to lay me down, which is super embarrassing. They are so sweet to me and make sure I am comfortable but its still hard to do. Second thing is the IV for the anesthesia, I am terrified of passing out in front of the doctor. The third thing is sometimes when I don't eat and have IV meds it makes me nauseous. I was told they can give me something for that but I am still really nervous about it. Kevin told me to pray and ask God for strength to complete these things and not fear, but sometimes its easier said than done.

I know I have come so far with so many things in my life but some of the little things are hard to beat. Please pray for Kevin and I during this next couple of weeks. Please pray for strength, courage and peace. We have to remember to remain calm so that my body can do all it needs to do. I am so thankful for a loving support system who is praying me through this IVF procedure.

Medications, Appointments and Prayers....

This Thursday is our first appointment back with Dr. Douglas after our month off with the failed IUI. We both are really excited about this upcoming visit which will layout the plan for our IVF. I have tried to stay positive but some days the basket of medications sitting on our kitchen counter looks overwhelming. I feel like we will be more prepared after our appointment and sonogram on Thursday. During that appointment we will be trained on to use the injections and when to use them. We are blessed with the love and prayers from friends and family over the last week.  I'm a true believer in the power of prayer!

I also have a special prayer request for my sweet nephew, Pierson. Next Wednesday he will have surgery on his heart. Please keep him and his parents in your prayers during his procedure and recovery. I am so thankful for wonderful doctors and technology who can fix problems such as Pierson's.