Sunday, August 18, 2013

Hysteroscopy

Friday was my hysteroscopy.  I have written about the entire experience but if you just want to skip to the results and aren't interested in the process itself then skip down to the 5th paragraph.  The hysteroscopy uses a thin scope so they can see inside the uterus, take pictures and video if necessary and if they find polyps or fibroids they can remove them as part of the procedure.

My appointment was at 9:30 and we were to get there 30 minutes prior so we got to sleep in a bit Friday morning.  I wasn't to eat or drink anything (although I did have to drink some water for my medication) and we arrived right on time.  This appointment was at their Scottsdale office rather than the Tempe location.  The building they were in is huge and we walked down this long hallway to get to their offices.  Once there I realized I was going to have to pee in a cup so they could run a urine pregnancy test (just in case - I mean I've been on birth control so I'm pretty sure I'm not pregnant) and I didn't know if I could so I drank a few sips of water and was able to get enough for them to run their test.  Handsome and I met with one of the nurses to sign the consents and then sat in one of their waiting rooms.  They came and apologized for the wait, but their anesthesiologist was running a bit behind with a earlier procedure at a different facility.

It wasn't a long wait - perhaps 10 minutes and they said the procedure should be quick.  They could have taken me back but as the nurse said - she didn't want me to have to just sit there naked just to wait.  As soon as he got there they took me back.  I met the anesthesiologist and went into the room to "undress from the waist down" and wrap myself in a sheet.  The anesthesiologist was very young and handsome which actually makes me feel less comfortable but he was friendly and put me at ease quickly.  (Why is it that the cute ones make me NOT want to be naked in front of them?  I have no problems with they are old or if they are women but save me from young attractive male doctors!)  I went into the surgical room and hopped up on the table.  The IV was put in my arm (near the elbow) and didn't hurt at all.  After I had signed more consents for the anesthesia, Dr. Behera came in and they started to put me under.  It felt like passing out...  And then I was awake.  Due to the anesthesia it felt as though no time had passed.  They said they were done and helped me back to the recovery room.  I still don't remember if I walked or took a wheelchair.  I do remember telling them I had to pee but they wanted me to wait until I recovered a bit.

Handsome had come in and as soon as he walked in the door I told him I had to pee because I knew he would make them let me.  He said okay and helped me to the bathroom where I made him turn around so as not to watch me - all this he had to do while holding my IV bag.  Turns out I didn't have to do much I just felt as though I did because of the pressure and pain.  It wasn't horrible pain just cramping that made me feel like I had to go.  I got dressed and we told the anesthesiologist that I had pain and he gave me pain killer through the IV.  I don't remember that, I remember asking for it and then later Handsome telling me it had been done.  The nurse had told me that the anesthesia messes with your short term memory and while I was recovering quickly I did miss a few things. 

Due to the short term memory thing Dr. Behera went to tell Handsome about how the procedure went.  He told me she walked up in what he described as space boots - booties that covered her shoes and went up her pant legs.  She said everything looked normal, she saw no polyps or fibroids that needed to be removed.  I had asked Handsome to ask her about the condition of my uterus and she told him that everything looked normal, that she saw no structural/mechanical reasons why I wouldn't be able to sustain a pregnancy and told him she had fluffed up the lining a bit to help with implantation.  I recovered very quickly, even the nurses noted it, and soon was on my way.  I felt up to walking so I didn't have to take a chair down.  All in all we arrived at FTC around 9:00am and were in the car and leaving around 10:40am.  Handsome said that the procedure took only 5 - 10 minutes tops. 

We went out for lunch and then back home where I rested on the couch.  We had to go out and pick up my medication since I would be starting the Lupron Saturday.  We picked up all the other medication at the same time.  The Lupron is to be taken each morning and is a subcutaneous shot that I get in the belly.  Handsome administers the shot each morning around 7:30am - I figure if I have to get the shot he has to give them.  As I have said before I can't imagine shoving a sharp implement into my own stomach.  It's not bad at all.  I think that's about it for now. ttyl

"And, in the very moment when she felt the prick, she fell down upon the bed that stood there, and lay in a deep sleep." - Briar Rose
Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (2011-11-29). The Complete Brothers Grimm’s Fairy Tales (Illustrated) (Kindle Locations 3451-3452).  . Kindle Edition.

Monday, August 12, 2013

Va Va Voom

Giant BOOBS!!! That is what I am dealing with right now.  They are swollen and tender and LARGE and while Handsome might love them right now I could use a break!  I went back on birth control to sync my cycle to the upcoming transfer in September.  The brand is Reclipsen and while I haven't had any negative effects like nausea, fatigue, tec. my breasts have swollen and are fairly sore.  And to think when I was younger I thought my boobs were too small!! 

We had our FET scheduling and consultation with FTC today.  I won't go over my entire schedule, I'll update when my medication changes or after an appointment though to keep you all up to date.

Handsome and I really appreciated our appointment today, they seemed to be very organized and on the ball.  The schedule is laid out in an excel spreadsheet format with all the medications I have to take and all the appointments I will have.  The medications are different and we both feel as though this cycle is much more individualized compared to our previous cycles.

Some basic information about the transfer. They will be transferring both blastocysts which are day 5 blastocysts of good quality.  FTC typically deals with day 4 blastocysts but have adjusted my schedule to accommodate this.  FTC uses their own catheter for transferring the blastocysts which their embryologist invented and patented.  They will be performing assisted hatching on our little embryos to help them break out of the shell.  There is some risk (as there is with any medical procedure) but it is low and has shown to improve implantation and pregnancy rates. 

For the rest of this week I will be taking one birth control tablet, one low-dose aspirin (81mg), my thyroid medication, COQ-10 (100mg), prenatal vitamin and prenatal DHA, B-complex and folate supplements.  I have a pap smear scheduled for Wednesday and a Hysteroscopy scheduled for Friday.  During the hysteroscopy they will use a scope to look inside my uterus and can correct any polyps or fibroids they may see.  They may also perform an endometrial disruption which in some studies has shown to improve IVF/FET success rates.  I will be in twilight anesthesia so won't be able to watch but Dr. Behera will speak to my husband and I afterwards to let us know how everything went and what she saw.

Busy week!  I will try and update this weekend after the procedure.  ttyl

"Jessica Rabbit: You don't know how hard it is being a woman looking the way I do.
Eddie Valiant: You don't know how hard it is being a man looking at a woman looking the way you do.
Jessica Rabbit: I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way." - Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Monday, August 5, 2013

Moving the Nest

Now that we are ready to try moving forward with a new doctor and fertility treatment center we needed to move our blastocysts.  Unfortunately it isn't simple and easy ( you would think it should be!).  First we were given old information that FTC would provide us with a cryotank (also called a shipper) to take and collect the blasts with.  There was documentation that Handsome and I had to fill out together either in front of ARMS personnel or in front of a Notary Public.  We stopped at the bank and filled out release documents from ARMS and I took them in to speak with the embryologist.  He asked if FTC had all the necessary information about the blasts and I said they should since we had directed ARMS to send over all of our medical records.  However we found out later that they had not sent ANY information about the blastocysts.  At this same time we found out that FTC doesn't provide a shipper for blastocysts only for sperm but they gave us the name and contact info for a reputable cryo shipping company.  It changed our plans somewhat but ended up being simpler than asking Handsome to go to FTC pick up a shipper, take it to ARMS to pick up the blastocysts and then take it back to FTC.  There were only a few hitches.  ARMS had more forms than whatthey ask for online to release the embryos so Handsome had to go down and sign his portion (I had signed mine when I dropped off the first forms).  Then I couldn't get a hold of the embryologist to get his information for Cryoport (the cryo shipping company), I got so fed up that I told Handsome to get the information (which he did) and then everything was set up to go. 

Cryoport has a great set up - you get real time tracking information sent to your email address.  SO I knew when the shipper was dropped off at ARMS, when it was ready to be picked up, when it was picked up and when it was delivered to FTC.  The cost was fairly reasonable as well at $390.  I got upset again when FTC contacted me to ask if I knew the quantity and quality of the embryos they would be getting as they couldn't get ARMS to respond to their queries!!!!  This was the limit!  I was so pissed, it is one thing for me to get the run-around from ARMS but another medical professional!?  I told my husband I just couldn't take it any more and he called ARMS got more information from them than I ever had (such as the QUALITY of our EMBRYOS!! - Why were we NEVER told that?!!) and told me that if anything else came up he would handle it because I think I saw that I just couldn't take it anymore.  Whew!

Now our two little embryos are at FTC and we have already started scheduling our next FET.  We have an appointment on August 12th to go over the process and forms (of course) as well as any needed blood work.  On August 14th I will get a pap done by my regular doctor (they asked if I could do this since it has been a while since my last pap).  On August 16th I am scheduled for a hysteroscopy and then on September 13th the FET is scheduled.  As I know more I will blog more.

I know last time I promised pictures so now I will ramble about some of the other things that have happened to me since I last regularly blogged.

Bremen, or "Big" as some of you know him as needed to have some growths removed.  He had one on his ankle that he would NOT leave alone and would lick until it bled.  Two others he scratched at and we were pretty sure that if we removed one he would just move on to the others.  We watched him over the weekend and he was doing pretty well.  We had his ankle wrapped up so he couldn't get to that one and he didn't seem to care much about the other two sites so we just bandaged them.  Well Monday when I got back from work he had gotten the bandage on his knee off and had managed to remove two of the 3 stitches!  I took him back to the vet and they wouldn't re-stitch him (our normal vet wasn't there, SHE would have done it because she knows that Bremen is laid back and wouldn't mind getting a quick stitch or two) she super-glued it instead which lasted all of 45 minutes on a joint wound.  It was a small wound and not gaping so we just had to make sure he left it alone.  This led to "THE CONE OF SHAME"
I would get him set up on the couch, pop the cone over his head and then move the coffee table away so he wouldn't bump the cone on it when he got on and off the couch.  He was pretty pitiful and had to wear it for 2 weeks.

One of the weeks was while we were on vacation to see family in Louisiana.  We had a great time although I went off my gluten free diet (I mean how was I supposed to turn down the best Crawfish Etouffee in the U.S.?  Every year my cousin has a reunion/get together for family and friends for the Fourth of July at her house.  This year I made her one of my owls.  The good news was she said she loves it.  The bad news is now my other cousins want owls too.  So I am working on those.  You can see a picture of the owl's front and back below.  I had initially named him Jefferson (I always give them names but the new owners can always choose new ones) apparently my cousin and her family discovered Jefferson was a girl and renamed her Liberty.


 Last but not least I went to a paint bar with a girlfriend.  We had a great time and got to chat, drink and paint.  It was for an ASU alum event so it was less than normal and we had a good time.  The only drawback was that it wasn't a picture we would typically choose for ourselves.  See the way it works is everyone at the session is given step by step instructions on how to paint the sample picture.  You can add your own flourishes or colors, add or subtract stuff, but typically the pictures look pretty similar.  Regardless of the picture it was fun.  I think my friend's came out great - I really like her sunset and her trees.  The more I look at mine the more I think it looks like a volcano.

ttyl!