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Monday, October 29, 2007

CD2

So today is CD2 and I've got a killer migraine. Gotta love those hormones. Anyway, I was back at the clinic today. Everything is still on track. I'm now on estrace - 4mg three times a day, orally. He was telling me to take them when I get up in the morning, when I go to bed at night, and mid day and then he says "and don't forget!". I guess he's had a number of patients that have forgotten. So, anyway, I'm back for a lining check on November 5th which is 8 days from now. We should have a much better idea if retrieval will be the 7th or if it will be shifted off a day or so. That all depends on the donors response to the stims. I checked with the nurse today and she said I can email or call her and get an update on the donors response any time. So, I'll probably do that in the next day or so. Will update when I find out anything.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Fortnight

That's right. If we stay on track for a November 7th retrieval, that's just shy of a fortnight. :)

I took my last bcp yesterday so now I'm just waiting for my period. That should be Sunday if the last 4 cycles are indicative. At my acupuncture appointment last night I ask for extra needles that move blood and chi (apparently they go together) in the hopes that my period would come quicker. I don't expect it to but with the additional needles last cycle, I had a flow that was better than anything to date on while on the pill. It will be interesting to see just how light this one will be given that my last was 2 weeks ago.

If the donor is on track she should be starting stims tomorrow as she would be starting 12 days before the estimated retrieval date. I've emailed the agency to ask if I'll be getting updates on follicle count and such but I've not heard back. I've been getting updates on everything else, so I'd like to think that we'd get this information as well. If not, you know I'll be asking when I'm at the clinic next week.

Anyway, that's all for now.

Friday, October 19, 2007

Midway Point, sort of

Not much to report. I'm on day 7 of the pill and have 5 more days to go. It's just a matter of waiting, but I have to admit time is passing fairly quickly. I'm still going to acupuncture twice a week. Except for a couple of points, I find it relaxing.This time next week I'll be waiting for my cycle but will be about 2 weeks away from transfer!

I've added a new blog to the blog roll over on the right. Not an egg donor blog, but one written from the man's perspective. Frank has a wicked sense of humour and a way with words that will have you laughing out loud. Go and take a peek.

And finally, Patti and Mark have just completed their first IUI and got a positive beta. Woohoo!! Go and congratulate them!

Monday, October 15, 2007

Donor Update

So, I wasn't going to email the agency (since she had yet to reply to my last emails), but I figured I could probably get the information about the donor's protocol I wanted. So I emailed and got a reply within 15 minutes!

She started lupron last Saturday and is set to start gonal-f twelve days before her estimated retrieval date of November 7th.

So if course I start looking at the calendar and counting days and start stressing because the timing just seems off to me, not that I'm an expert.

By my calculations:

Lupron start October 13
Gonal-f start October 26
This means she's on lupron for 13 days where everything I've read says 7-10 days. Has anyone been on lupron for this long?

For me, I'm currently on day 3 of the birth control package. I'm to take it for a total of thirteen days which makes it October 25th. At that point, I wait for my period (which takes 4 days on the pill) and on CD2, go back to the clinic. That puts me back at the clinic on October 31st. At that time, they put me on estrace. (He is not going to be putting me on lupron.) But from all my reading, I should be on estrace for about 10-11 days which essentially is the same timing period as the donor is on gonal-f. Well, if she starts stims on October 26, and I'm not going to be starting estrace until October 31, something seems amiss. I know that when she gets her HCG shot, the amount of estrace I take would be decreased and I'd start taking progesterone

Plus, what if her retrieval date is moved up because they start her stims earlier than the 26th or she reaches maturity ealier, then what?

So of course, I called my nurse but I knew she wouldn't be there. Left her a somewhat rambling message and then told her I'd follow up with an email. I send her a fairly detailed email with the dates and my concerns. I hope to hear from her either by phone or email tomorrow. Will update when I find out.

But the donor has started lupron!

Update:
I spoke with the nurse this morning. She checked out the dates and said we should still be okay with the current protocol, but she did say to take the pill for one day less. So I'll be taking it for twelve days, then stopping, getting my period and going in on CD2 which is October 30th. Oh, and she did say the other recipient is on a similar protocol.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Halloween Came Early

Mel had this great idea to have a candy exchange. Being a huge choco-holic, I decided to participate. Who knew what I'd get? I had so much fun being able to go to one of our local stores that carries all that cool candy from when I was a kid (remember Popeye cigarettes and the licorice stick thingy that you dipped in all that powdered sugar?) to pick treats to send. Anyway, I got paired up with Dmarie (check out her post of what I sent her) and received her most amazing box of treats today.

I got home today to find that V. had picked up the mail and there in the living room was a rather heavy box. I opened it up and, well just look below to see what yummy treats she sent. :) Of course, as soon as V. saw the Butterfingers he begged to have one. He's a huge Peanut Butter and Chocolate fan, so I will have to ration when he gets a Butterfinger or a Peanut Butter cup. :)

Thanks D!!


Monday, October 08, 2007

We have lift off!!!

It seems that we're good to go, finally!

V. and I went into the clinic today. The doctor said "you know the drill" and headed off to get the status on the donor. He was only gone a few minutes. He walked back into the room and said November 7 for retrieval. I of course did my internal happy dance and said I guess the donor's bloodwork came back the way he wanted and he responded with something like "everything is where it should be".

So, I'm to stop the pill today, wait for my period and on CD2, start a new package. I'm to take it for 13 days, stop the package and on CD2 go back into the clinic which looks to be on or about October 31st. The timing seems off to me if retrieval is currently estimated to be 7 days later. We'll have to wait and see.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

This is killing me

Yes, by that I mean we still aren't any further along that yesterday.

I went into the clinic this morning for the usual blood letting and wanding. I got in there at 7:20am with the hopes that I would get out within 2 hours so I could actually make it to work on time (haha, I kill myself). My clinic has a first-come-first-serve policy, so when you arrive you sign in on the necessary sheets. So for me that's always blood, ultrasound and my doctor's sheet. I was #26 for blood, #28 for ultrasound and #8 on his list. It didn't take long for the blood work mostly because there were a number of people not sitting in that waiting area when their name was called, and then it didn't take much longer for ultrasound. So I was sitting in the main waiting room, reading my book waiting for the doctor. Now the other doctors in this clinic all seem to arrive between 8 and 8:30 but my doctor decided that arriving at 8:55am was a good idea. So, even though I was 8th on his list, he didn't call for me until almost 10am. I think I read almost 50 pages.

Because we're using a donor he usually has to go and check with the donor coordinator at the clinic to see what the status is. So off he goes, and I pull out my book because it usually takes him 5-10 minutes. It was about 10 today because he called the agency himself to see what was going on. He came back to say that he has lit a fire under them because the donor hadn't gone for the tests that she was supposed to have done last Monday on the 24th!!!!! Apparently there had been some storms in the state she lives (he mentioned the state, but I won't say here). I find it difficult to believe she couldn't have found the time to have gone at some point. In any case, he said they've made the request again, and he's obviously gotten somewhat annoyed with the agency coordinator because I think she's dropped the ball a bit on this issue. He should have test results by my next visit.

So, I'm to go back next week on the last or second last day of the pill package I'm currently on in case he needs to have me continue a little longer. That makes it Monday or Tuesday. They should have an idea by then where the donor is in her cycle and he said that we may be able to go forword without waiting for her to have a period. Isn't there something he can prescribe to her to jump start it? Anyway, I decided I'm going to go on Monday because it's Thanksgiving here and I don't have to worry about being late for work. An added bonus is that V. is going to come with me because he doesn't get to very often and he wants to talk to the doctor and make sure it still makes sense for us to continue with this donor. I still feel good about her, and we've been told they've had success with her in the past. I don't think we'll be told to change donors at this point, at least not yet.

That's it for now...oh, and I got to work at 10:45am.

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Job has left the building.

Anyone that really knows me knows that I can be THE most patient person in the world, even to ridiculous and unnecessary lengths. Those people also know that once my patience runs out... DUCK!

My patience has not run out yet but it is wearing thin. I have the position of worrying on my own and dealing with my wife's concerns as well; it wears you down after a while. Now I know that shite happens sometimes and when manipulating nature, there is no exact science. That said, when you are told certain things and given certain paths to feelings of assurance, it is a bit of a letdown when it all does not go as planned and run as clockwork.

I realize that life is going on for the donor too but that does nothing to minimize our angst in the process as we wait to get to the step we have been waiting to get to for years. There is nothing left to hold us up financially, emotionally, spiritually or even physically. The oven is hot and ready for the bread to be baked. It just seems a little unfair and cruel that the yeast has yet to show up. :) I know it is not a deliberate act or change of heart or anything like that but it is still very frustrating.

On the weekend, we were over by Pam's aunt for a gathering of to celebrate Sukkot. One of the guests had recently adopted a child at birth, a cute little boy, who was now nine months old. Pam did not say a word about it but I know my wife. We just want our turn to show off our child at the next gathering. We want to give all those who pledged free babysitting services the opportunity to fulfill those pledges. We just want that little bundle of joy to nurture into a fine, productive (and powerful) adult who will help (and rule) the world.

Is that so much to ask? Anyhow, we continue to wait and I continue to be patient.

For now.

V