We're everywhere

So I've been doing Jen.ny.Cra1g for the about a year and a half to try and lose the weight I put on after our wedding in 2004 and through 2005/2006 with the meds for the IUIs. Anyway, when I'd gone in to sign up again (I've done it before with great success) and mentioned to the program director that I had wanted to lose the weight because we were planning IVF with a donor. Needless to say I hadn't expected it to take so long, but you all know that already.

Fast forward to today when I was in the centre picking up food. (I'm down to 2.5 days of JC food as I work towards being off completely when we get to the start of the protocol.) I'm talking to the same program director explaining that I'm down to the 2.5 days of Jen.ny food because of the upcoming IVF, which she rememebered. It came up that she's one of us! She's 37 and had been trying for about three and half years with no success. She'd been through the usual stuff, seen an RE, had her tubes checked multiple times, and they didn't know what the problem was (hubby had already been checked out as fine). She said they had scheduled her for surgery to see if she had endometriosis when they found out she was pregnant naturally with twins! She's about 13 weeks I believe so we got to talking. It turns out the twins are identical and twins do run in her family. She commented how people kept telling them to "just relax" which totally pissed her off. She said they just don't understand that it's not that easy for everyone. She's thrilled with where they are now, but like the rest of us, doesn't consider it a foregone conclusion that she will be going home with two babies in 6 months.

I wish them well and good luck and hope it all works out for her and her husband. :)

Since everyone else is doing it...

No bad words were found.

Damn! Guess I'm not risque enough ;)

Weekend Update

So, it appears that the agency sends out weekly updates so you don't have to wonder about the status of your donor.

I just wanted to send you a quick update letting you know that your donor is completing her medical testing kit and is on track to travel and have the retrieval in the last half of August. Please call or email me if you have any questions or concerns. Have a great weekend, and I hope all is well!

So it looks like when I thought it would be. I was hoping with timing and such we'd be more into July but looking at the calendar, that's just not possible. I was looking at Daisy's schedule and it looks about the same as what ours will be, but I think, from what I've seen that we'll be on a slightly longer protocol. I was once told that it takes about 6 weeks from starting to retrieval/transfer. So that puts us at 2nd or 3rd week of July for the start for the donor. I'll know more in a couple of weeks.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Pam needs....

I got this from Gil and thought you all might get a kick out of some of these. Try it yourself.

Go to Google and type in "your name" needs? (ie. "Pam needs?") and then list the top 10 entries. I found that it worked with or without the quotation marks around the question. So here's mine:

1. Pam needs sperm donor. (no, thank you, I don't)
2. Pam needs no net to net a man!
3. Pam needs a bigger bra! (hmmmm)
4. Pam needs to tell Bill that it's Carl or her. (who's Carl?)
5. Pam needs 4-6 weeks to complete a basket for you. (I could do it faster than that)
6. Pam needs dynamic loading (what's that?)
7. Pam needs our help!
8. Pam needs some of these http://www.zchocolat.com/ (Yes, yes I do!)
9. Pam needs something in between (get your minds out of the gutter, thank you)
10. Pam needs to wear pants - she looks like a hooker (gee, thanks)

Cruisin'

Not much to report. I went in this morning for CD3 blood work and ultrasound. Totally uneventful in that regard. I've discovered that I will have to leave the house by 7am if I am to get downtown in a reasonable time, get through the various monitoring and doctor discussions, and then get to work on time. As it was, I left at 7:40am, got there at 9:10pm and then got out just over an hour later. Not bad really. Only an hour late for work.

In any case, the doctor didn't put me on birth control at this point because the donor is still getting screened. So she's either done her CD3 tests or will be very soon. It sounds like the donor's cycle is really close to mine. I paid the deposit for the donor's meds which will allow the clinic to send down her meds when it's time. I'm to go back in for my next appointment on CD2 of my July cycle, so that's around July 17th. At that point I'll be given the protocol, prescriptions for whatever meds I'll be taking, and we should know by then when the donor will be traveling. All we know so far is that it will be an August retrieval/transfer but nothing more specific than that. We do know as well that there won't be any need for us to do ICSI as we don't have male factor issues.

That's it for now.

Baby steps

Well, it's started, sort of.

I've been in touch with the donor coordinator at the agency and she said that the medical testing kit has been sent to the donor (yeah!) and she is in the process of completing her bloodwork and other required testing. She said our clinic is aware of our match and I should get in touch with them. The agency ill let me know when the donor's CD1 in July is, and the exact dates she'll be travelling for retrieval in August.

I then got in touch with the coordinator at the clinic. My CD2 is supposed to be early next week and I was advised to call her at that time. However, I didn't want to wait so I emailed her today and she said that I should come in for bloodwork and ultrasound then. There is information to be given to me, contracts to sign, money to pay, and I'll probably be put on birth control. The doctor at the office at that time will also discuss the protocol with me. I guess this means we'll get tentative dates for everything.

Woohoo!!! It's moving forward.

Not much going on

There isn't much to report on the donor front. I did get a call from the agency, from the Donor Coordinator yesterday to basically tell me she's in the process of updating the donor's information. She said she would call me back in a day or two. Since I didn't hear from her today, I'm hoping I hear from her Monday with an idea of timing. She said to me "it says you are able to start in August". I corrected her and said we were good to go asap, so I believe she's marked that down. I'm expecting that it's going to be another month or two before we begin the protocol, but I'm hoping it's sooner. What's funny is that yesterday morning I found two pennies on the ground and picked them up. You know that old rhyme "find a penny, make a wish", well I found two and so I made two wishes. The first wish was "I hope I get a call from the agency today" and I did! So let's hope my second wish comes true. I can't tell you what that was or it won't. :)

Anyway, that's all that's going on right now.

I also wanted to thank all of you for your kinds words about Gina's death. She was a great friend and V. and I will miss her greatly. I've been thinking that I want to do something to remember her. When I was a kid, I remember the big thing was planting a tree in Israel. However, there is an organization that plants fruit trees in developing countries as a low-cost, self-renewing source of food that also protect the environment. There is also an organization that plants trees in the US and Canada (you can say where you want it planted) as part of reforestation and conservation projects. I'll have to talk to V. about it and see what he thinks. Otherwise we will be making a donation to the Canadian Cancer Society.

That's it for now. I'll update when I have something to say. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Updated: V. and I decided to go with the fruit trees in the developing country.

Too soon.

On May 30th my oldest, closest friend lost her battle with breast cancer. She was 46.

She first battled the disease in 2003 and appear to have won when she went into remission before V. and I got married. She felt well enough at that time to be a part of our wedding party for which we were very grateful. We just wanted her at the wedding, but having her be able to participate made it that much more special. About a year ago, she had a relapse and the cancer came back. She requested of her husband and family that people not be told and they honoured that request. When she lost her battle is was a shock to many people.

As the youngest of five, she has a large close knit family as well as many many friends. Her family was very important to her and she was loyal to her friends. We met in University during our first class on September 4, 1979. We quickly became fast friends and have been friends ever since. I am proud and honoured to have been able to call her my friend.

She touched everyone who knew her. She was funny, smart, intelligent and beautiful. She had a smile that would light up the room and she loved to laugh. She had a sense of humour and wit that not everyone knew about. She loved to travel and enjoyed life. Her spirit will always be with us.

Gina, I will miss you.