Embryo Transfer (7/25/2012)

Embryo transfer completed! We met with the doctor yesterday to go over the status of all 42 embryos. They are all looking really good and maturing well, so the doctor decided that today was the best day for the transfer. We made an educated decision with the doctor on how many embryos he felt would be best to transfer for our particular situation. However, we have decided to wait and share that information with everyone until we have better results. Ryan and I had the opportunity to watch the embryo transfer be completed and Dr. Foulk walked us through each step of the procedure. It was such a neat experience that we will never forget. I have had no pain following the transfer and it is actually hard to be on bed rest when you feel just fine. I am down on bed rest for 3-4 days and I am suppose to lay down as much as possible. After the first few days I can return to my normal activities,  but I can not be involved in physical activities that raise my heart rate or body temperature for a few weeks. The lab at Dr. Foulk's office called us today to let us know that they froze 14 healthy and mature embryos which is a large amount. Usually they only have 4-6 embryos to freeze per transfer.

Egg Retrieval (7/22/2012)

Well, I had 58 eggs retrieved, 42 of them fertilized and are looking really good according to the lab! They will call us for an update everyday on the embryos and to let us know when they will be transferred back into my uterus. It is usually 3-5 days after the retrieval. Dr. Foulk said surgery went very well. I was in a lot of pain when I first woke up but Dr. Foulk gave me a pain pill and had a heating pad on my stomach to help ease the pain. I spent the day in bed with a heating pad, movies and slept as much as possible!

Ultra Sound Appointment

Well, we are officially full force in the IVF process. I am given two shots a day by Ryan, take a prenatal pill, metformin and baby aspirin. The shots I am receiving are called Bravelle and Menopur. They are hormones that help the follicles turn into eggs. The shots BURN going in, but after a few minutes I can't even feel where Ryan gave me the injection. Of course there are the side affects from the medications, HORRIBLE headaches, stomach aches, sleepiness and the occasional emotional breakdown!

7/17/2012

Yesterday was the first of many appointments we have this week. They did blood work to check my hormone levels. We were told no news is good news, but if my hormone levels are not high enough they will call us to up my dosage of Bravelle and Menopur. My symptoms of headaches, stomach aches and sleepiness are all "normal" and good signs. Well, we got a phone call from Dr. Foulk's office. It turns out my hormone levels are higher than normal so I did not have to do an evening injection and they decided to lower my dose for the morning! I was so happy I got to skip an injection.

7/18/2012 

Today, we did an ultra sound to see the size of the follicles that are turning into eggs. They are already measuring at 13mm, which is really good. The nurse practitioner counted 25 in my right ovary but did not specify how many were in my left. She told Ryan and I that the average IVF case has 15-20 eggs extracted at the day of retrieval. She said it's looking like they will be extracting 40+ eggs on me. They wont all be fully matured, but they will need to be removed. My body has gone into Ovarian Hyper-stimulation Syndrome, which means my ovaries are swollen from being over stimulated by the medications. This is causing me to have cramps and feel very bloated. This is common with PCOS. They also did more blood work on me today and my levels are still a little high, so I will not have to do a night injection tonight or tomorrow night! So far we are right on track with our IVF calendar and things continue to look promising for us!

7/19/2012

Well, today's ultra sound went great. The eggs are maturing and getting bigger just as they are         suppose to. I now have 59 eggs. YES, 59!! Which is a ton, but it will give the doctor more eggs to choose from. Everyone at the doctors office was shocked to hear how many eggs I have. I guess "go big or go home" right?! I have also been officially cut off all hormone medications! Dr. Foulk's Nurse Practitioner called me and told me that I do not need to take anymore injections of the Bravelle or Menopur. Today, I started a new shot called Ganirelix. It is used to stop my body from releasing the eggs. I only have to inject the Ganirelix once a day, but at the same time each day. I also have to drink at least 20 oz of Powerade which is used to counteract the water in my tummy. The electrolights in powerade help break down the fluids in my stomach to help reduce pain and swelling.

7/20/2012

And then there were 72! I now have 72 eggs, but not all of them are mature and will need to be extracted. The most eggs Dr. Foulk has extracted is 92. We are hoping I am not his new record! My estrogen level has skyrocketed due to the amount of eggs I have and my body going into ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome. To help bring down my levels I must drink a 30mg protein shake a day and drink lots of powerade and very little water. We will have a better idea of when we have my eggs extracted after we get the result of my blood test later today.

Dr. Foulk's office called tonight to let us know that my estrogen levels are great and we are going to have the my eggs retrieved on Sunday July 22, 2012 at 9:00am. Today, I had to have a "trigger" shot called Lupron which is like HCG and gives the eggs a last minute maturity boost before being retrieved.

7/21/2012

Today, was an easy appointment. I was literally at the office for a 2 minute blood draw. They checked my estrogen levels to make sure they did not skyrocket again. Everything was perfect and I will have my eggs retrieved tomorrow morning.

Fundraiser Lemonade Stand and Yard Sale

On June 30th and July 1st we had a "Fundraiser Lemonade Stand and Yard Sale" that was held at our house. First and foremost, THANK YOU SO MUCH TO OUR PARENTS AND SIBLING for putting together the yard sale. We had such an amazing turn out, better than what anyone could ever anticipated. We also want to thank everyone for all the donations made to us to help make the yard sale so successful. Ryan and I were so overwhelmed with all of the love and support our families and friends have shown us, we can not thank you enough.