And they are in!

Well, we made it to the blast stage and I now have two embryos resting (hopefully comfortably) inside of me.

Here is the update: The morning after surgery I woke up and had gained about 3 pounds. Since I was suffering from OHSS, the doctors wanted to see me the next day to make sure things were alright. We went in on Sunday and I had 7cm of free fluid behind my uterus and my ovaries were HUGE. No wonder I looked like I was in my second trimester. Anyway, they said we need to keep up the salty foods and drinks. She even told me she has done surgery to remove the fluid and taken a gallon of water out of a woman before. OMG! If they should need to do the surgery, we would most likely not do the transfer. So, I ate a ton of french fries, pretzels, and Gatorade. Hmmm...kinda enjoyable.

On Monday I was feeling a bit better, had not gained more weight, but was still looking preggo. We got a call from the doctors and of the 22 embryos that fertilized, 18 were looking good at Day 3. Yippee!

On Day 5 (Wed) the doctors selected the best two and put them in. The process was a bit painful and long, as my uterus is curved and it was difficult to get the catheter inside. Of course having a full bladder did not help make things more comfortable. I was asked to "relieve myself" a bit (that is so hard to control!) and that seemed to do the trick. We watched our multi-celled (one at 100 and the other at almost 80) organisms plop in and hoped for the best. I did go to acupuncture before and after the transfer. If anything it was extremely relaxing as always.

The next morning we got a call that 7 of our other embryos made it to the blast stage and were frozen. The doctor said this was incredible and that she had been hopeful for 4. I guess we made a good lot this time!

I have been on bed rest since Wednesday and have had a bit of cramping. Apparently this is due to my larger than life ovaries bumping up against my uterus and pushing inside me. Of course I am scared, but am trying my best to not think of it.

DH has been amazing and doting on my every need. I have had wonderful friends and family call, email, and drop by with their well wishes and support. Of course these next couple weeks will be difficult, but we are staying positive. Heck, why can't it happen for us??!!

And they are out!

Friday morning we went in for my IVF retrieval. I was way less nervous than last time and things seemed to go a bit smoother. Once I was alert after surgery, the doctor came out with the good news. She took out 30 eggs! I was so excited that I started to cry. Unfortunately I had to get a Hespan infusion and they were concerned about OHSS. I had nausea all day and felt pretty crappy. As the day went on my stomach started to swell up and breathing got a bit harder. The next morning I had already gained 3lbs. I kept up the salty drinks and food, and protein all day. I didn't even eat much all day, but I kept getting bigger and bigger. The doctor called and based on how I was feeling, and with the weight gain, wanted me to come in on Sunday. The good news was that 22 of my eggs fertilized. Thrilling!
We went in this morning and I got weighed again. More weight gain. Ugh! They did an ultrasound and I do have some free fluid behind my uterus, but luckily my ovaries look good. So, we still have to wait and see how things go. More salt for me! They are planning for a day 5 transfer as long as I lose this fluid. I feel huge and like I have lost all muscle tone. I guess this gets me ready for the real deal.
So, Wednesday we go back in again and make some babies!

Make that 37 follicles!!!!

Okay, I thought I was feeling even bigger each day. Today's sono showed 37 (nope, I am not lying), 37 follicles. Imagine shoving those into two almonds. Crazy!
Anyone who has gone through this knows what I mean when I say it is "heavy". Even walking from one side of the house to the other causes this awkward feeling of movement inside me...like I have some weights attached to my intestines or something. Hmmm...wonder if this counts as exercise??!! Again, thank God for loose fitting tops.
So, now I am waiting for the call from my nurse manager to see when they will be taken out. Not sure if I will continue my Follistem and Repronex tonight or not. My guess is one more day. My largest was at 18mm and the smallest around 10mm. Lining was at 9mm+
The fingers are still crossed....

Getting 'em out Friday or Saturday

Well, having 26 foreign objects each larger than 1cm in my ovaries has proven to be a workout. Man, can I feel them! Not only that but the bloating is way worse than any other cycle. I had heard to purchase loose clothing, but never understood why until this week. Saturday I woke up feeling like I had eaten a large pizza by myself. This feeling has not subsides since. Oh well, thank goodness for baby doll tops.
The doctor thinks I will stim for about 2-3 more days and have my retrieval on Friday or Saturday. Good - get those puppies out and fertilized!
Wish me luck!

26 follicles, and I look like a junkie

I went in today for my U/S and they found 26 follicles (the most ever!). The sizes ranged from about 6-10mm. I can only imagine how I will feel a week from now. I am already starting to feel rather full inside and can feel those puppies when I move around. I guess the Elliptical will be out of the question at the gym tomorrow morning.
We are hoping and praying that at least 50% of the follicles have an egg. Last time we were unlucky in this department. At least my meds are staying stable and I am not having to increase dosages. Hopefully this is a good sign.
My blood draw this morning left a huge bruise on my inner arm. Shopping in Neimans today I was embarrassed when a man offered to spray my wrist with perfume and saw the spot. I truly hope he didn't think it was caused by something recreational. Ugh!

Let the injections begin!

Friday morning we starting our injections. I am on 175 of Follistem in the morning, 250 of Follistem mixed with 150 of Menipur in the evening. Adding Dexomethosone and keeping with the Metformin. Of course we throw in some baby aspirin and prenatal vitamins to the mix.
Poor DH has a horrible time giving me the shots. I wish there was a way to keep him out of this part...but I just can't bear to do it myself. I can't even rip off a band-aid!

My belly is already sore and it has only been 36 hours. I'm hoping I continue to feel good like I did the last cycle. But then again, I didn't see a BFP, so maybe feeling bad is better? My mind does crazy things about now. Alas....

Two hours until the next shot. Good times!

Please say three...errr...four's a charm.

This week officially starts my fourth IVF cycle. I went in this morning for my baseline sonogram to start my calendar. There were two follicles there. What the heck??? Where did those come from? Apparently they are nothing and I am told to continue with our schedule. Whatever, as long as we are on track, I am happy. I'll start stim meds on Friday morning. Oh how much husband loves this part.
We will be going with an "antagonist protocol", whatever that means. I've also added Dexo to boost my immunity and will add an injectable blood thinner. Hopefully these new cocktails will be just what I need to become a mommy. Fingers crossed.