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!