It's been so long since my last post, I had to read the last one to refresh my memory. I feel like I may have said what I am about to write here on this blog about 640 million times (and NO my lottery numbers didn't win, dang!) but saying it is never as therapeutic as writing in down.
We had our calendar review! I was really looking forward to this day and it did not disappoint! The "calendar" turned out to be a 3 page excel spread sheet detailing each coming day with injection schedules, lab work and ultrasound appointments, when we can and CANNOT have sex (Ian was a little aghast at this point, we couldn't have sex, whaaat?), and when our impending egg retrieval and implantation would occur. It was AWESOME to say the least - the detail was astounding! It just lay there in front of me, so white, clean and crisp, eagerly awaiting for me to highlight, draw arrows, take notes and re-transcribe in various other formats for easy identification of key points. This was the nerd in me un-stifled by any inhibitions or worry about "how I might look" (Ian wanted to leave the room at this point just to escape the embarrassment); I was made for this kind of regimen!
Keep in mind that the ENTIRE excel spreadsheet is contingent on Ian's TESE procedure happening April 20th. Poor guy, it's like the slap bet countdown on How I Met Your Mother when Marshall set a timer for when he would next slap Barney (please reference your Netflix account and if you're not currently watching, really, your missing out on something great). He is pretty stoic about the whole thing and I just keep chanting "live sperm, live sperm, live sperm....." over and over in my head; the universe WILL hear me!
So, WHEN they get live sperm from Ian we will be in full fledged IVF mode. The medications for me start on April 16th (my mother-in-laws birthday, good sign). It is a shot called Lupron which helps suppress follicles in the early stages. It is injected into the subcutaneous fat each day (Yay!). Soon after, I start FSH which recruits multiple eggs and is administered also as a shot. The Lupron continues at this time, but at a smaller dose to prevent ovulation. Based on the frequent ultrasounds and lab work results, I will start hMG which is a similar shot that helps to mature the eggs so they will be ready for fertilization!! At this point, I am on a total of 3 shots/day, in case anyone didn't catch that :) When they see under ultrasound that the ovaries are ready to pop with mature eggs they give me a "trigger shot" and do egg retrieval and fertilization with Ian's sperm within 36 hours!! Then, 4 days after, they implant the embryo(s) and we wait 11 whole days for a positive pregnancy test. It looks like implantation will occur sometime around Mother's Day (also, another good sign).
We are both so happy that this day has come, we are more than ready to do whatever it takes! We are like a covalent bond (recently referenced in 21 Jump Street, also a must see), each needing something that the other has. Not just in the simple terms of eggs and sperm but also strength, love, encouragement, and bravery, just to name a few.
We love our friends and family very much. Thanks always for reading!
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