Anniversary and updates

Yesterday was MrBeep’s and my anniversary.  We’ve been married for two years, but we have been together for over fourteen.  We decided to have the ceremony and “make it official” because we were seriously going for help in making our family.  We had our ceremony in the local state park in a grove covered with trees and surrounded by ferns.  Here is a picture of us after the ceremony, walking from the fern grove to the reception building.  My dress was green and the top had gold and copper embroidery.  It was hand made by a local shop in Bellevue, WA.  We are both so glad we got hitched because we have an official day where we enjoyed a big party with a small group of our favorite friends and family.  We both decided amid the planning that we didn’t want a wedding cake because most wedding cake isn’t very good…and really…when it comes right down to it.  Wouldn’t you rather have pie?  We love pie.  We had a wedding pie. 

A pear and almond tart, it was fun and yummy and topped with Penguins in Love

Last year, I came up with a system for our anniversary.  We both decided was a fun idea.

MrBeep is in charge of odd year anniversary celebrations (1, 3, 5, 7, 9…)
I am in charge of even year anniversary celebrations (2, 4, 6, 8, 10…)

If the anniversary date falls on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday we make a mini-vacation out of it.  If the date falls on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday then we have a little evening of dinner or a movie. Last year MrBeep selected a weekend in Portland, OR. This year I chose to go out to a restaurant in Seattle called Bizzarro.  We shared the best risotto I have ever enjoyed.  It was served with a seared duck breast.  We also had some hand-made pasta with Bolognese.  Dessert was strawberry and balsamic vinegar ice-cream.  Mmmmmmmmm.  We both had a really fun time and we love new eating adventures. I’m very lucky to have such a great best friend and love in MrBeep.  I am a better person for meeting and knowing him he is the best thing that has ever happened to me. 

Cycle status update:  Sorry for the delay in reporting what is going on with me and eggs and the cycle.  I have been swamped with a new cool film project. I promise to write about that another time.  Tuesday we hadn’t quite made it so we waited another day.  Today I went in to see DocO for an ultrasound and blood work.  Ultrasound finally revealed enough follicles over 19mm to go for trigger.  I have 16 follicles measuring above 10mm on with a half dozen smaller ones around for good measure.  DocO thinks we may get 10 or 11 good sized ones out of the bunch given their current size.  My E2 level was 2585 so we have some going on for sure.  MrBeep mixed my trigger shot while I watched and we took it at 9:30 pm.  We are scheduled for egg retrieval on Friday morning.  WOWZER! 

Simply stimulating my dear

Things are moving along, time is rushing by.  I enjoyed a blood letting and coochie cam extravaganza at 7:45 am on a Saturday morning.  Boy, did I love getting up that early, lemme tell ya.  No coffee, eyes barely open.  I let MrBeep sleep in and keep the bed nice and warm for my return.  DrKAwesome checked me out and declared my endometrium “nice and thick” which I will assume is OK.  Then she checked both ovaries and started measuring follicle sizes.  Lefty was in a funny position and hiding, but we measured 6 follicles at 8 – 12 mm.  Righty measured 8 follicles at 8-12 mm too.  So it looks like the growth is pretty even. There are no cysts or follicles measuring way ahead of the rest of the bunch. My E2 numbers are at 598, so that went up nicely from two days ago (221).  My meds have stayed steady since the beginning of the stim cycle so I think that is good too.  I am nervous about these things because last cycle we ran into drug issues so hopefully that won’t be the case this time.  So far it seems things are working OK.  (Knock on wood) 

MrBeep is so wonderful.  He prepares my meds every morning and evening while I watch (as an added quality assurance check).  Sometimes we mix it up and I mix/prep the injections while he verifies the protocol (I know, we’re wild like that!)  He refuses to ever just prep the meds like last time, he has to double-check the doctor’s website to make sure that none of the medications or dosages have changed.  He’s thorough and very scientific.  I highly recommend having that quality assurance checker, it really helps make you feel like you’ve done everything right and no important steps were forgotten, plus you get the added bonus of hugs and kisses on a job well done.

I was a good girl and finished the rest of my boring work that I was procrastinating on today.  I think writing about it to y’all embarrassed me enough to finally get it done.  Now hopefully I can move on to a few more things that are fun or at least mildly interesting, like cleaning my desk and doing bills…or maybe I will just go for a walk in the sun.

What’s the buzz? Tell me whatsa happenin’

I’ve been on the micro-dose lupron protocol officially since Sunday.  I took small doses of lupron (.1 cc ) in the morning and evening on Sunday and Monday.  Then I had a quick ultrasound check on Monday to make sure the aspirated cyst was indeed gone and

<drumroll please>

WOOO HOOO it was nice and flat and deflated.  Both ovaries are showing no cysts and 10-15 follicles each, so hopefully I’ll have a “good crop”.  On Tuesday I continued the morning micro-dose of lupron but added a 375 unit dose of gonal-f.  In the evening I take another dose of lupron and 150 units of menopur.  That makes me stimming now for a couple of days.  I had no idea how I was doing until today when I had my first blood draw.  My E2 level is at 225, which I am told is good.  I go back for a (ugh!) 7:45 am appointment on Saturday to get another blood draw and an ultrasound.  Hopefully these eggs are baking along quite nicely.  Every day I take a prenatal vitamin along with a RE recommended low-dose aspirin -- my belly is black and blue from the injections and thin blood.  MrBeep looks at me, sticks out his lower lip and pouts on my behalf.  Then I get kisses and hugs and words of encouragement.  The menopur stings sometimes but other times it doesn’t at all.  I couldn’t tell you why.

On the “other parts of my life” front I am not accomplishing as much daily as I would like, but that’s just the way the cookie crumbles around here.  I need to finish a tremendously boring aspect of what I am doing right now and I know I’m procrastinating.  I’m getting just enough done to avoid total embarrassment…but it’s really not good enough.  I need to just get the damned thing out of the way.  Maybe tomorrow I will put my nose to the grindstone and not be distracted by…hey, look a  shiny thing in the corner of my eye <wander>. 

On more creative fronts, I received final copies of four Japanese children’s stories I helped rewrite with my friend and his mother.  My friend’s mother produces and records audiobooks in Japanese for the blind.  This year they decided to do some classic children’s folk tales with readings in both Japanese and English.  I received the first draft of four different stories from the Japanese version and rewrote them to add dialog and fix some of the awkwardness from the original transcripts.  I listened to the finished CDs for the first time on Wednesday and it was really fun.  They have asked me to do four more stories in the next few months.  Yay for fun and creative stuff to do!

Spa goodness & pole dancing partytime

Just a quick note to thank everyone for their great comments and sense of humor on my posts. The aspiration was quick and I really felt 100% the next day. It sounds much worse than it is.

My girlfriend Alli was having her bachelorette party on Saturday and we started with the local Korean Spa.  For $35 you can hang out in the rooms and sauna and pools all day long.  I decided to get a scrub and a massage.

It was freaking fabulous. 

Really, it was heaven on a plate.   You should check out the spa tour photos.  What a great and relaxing transition to our crazy party evening that included learning to dance on a stripper pole/lingerie house party.  Everything was going along really well when a “police officer” showed up and broke up the party.  He insisted on arresting our lovely bachelorette.  Somehow whilst the handcuffs were applied all of his clothes fell off.  I got it enjoy the whole thing without the advantage of alcohol goggles. I did make sure be the awesome friend who holds your hair back, assures you everything will be OK and tucks you into bed when you are able to crawl back into the house. 

I got home at 4am on Sunday and rolled very tiredly into bed. I started my protocol and took a micro-dose injection of lupron at 8am in the morning and then stumbled back into bed for several more hours. Tomorrow I start stims. All is going well. I don’t seem to have any adverse reactions (knock wood)…well actually my butt hurts from too many hours of dancing in high heels. ;-)

How was YOUR weekend?

Be careful what you wish

Awhile back, it seems live forever-and-a-day ago, I wrote in a post called, “Are you kidding me?” that I had a cyst on my right ovary and it seemed to be caused (rather than prevented) by the birth control pills I was taking for the start of my IVF #2 protocol. In the post I joked about someone coming over to punch me in the ovary to pop the bastard, but alas…no one came over to try.  So I had to wait it out for the danged thing to disappear on its own.  Next cycle it seemed fine.  Righty had no large follicles. I started birth control pills and again, this time 9 days later, I had a nice juicy cyst on the right ovary. Just big enough to cause problems. After the ultrasound I joked with DocO and said, “OK Doc.  How about you just punch me as hard as you can in the ovary and we’ll see if we can pop it.  Think that will work?”  Honestly he looked a bit surprised, realized I was joking and said back, “Well, there have been no scientific papers published on that method.  We could try to start a study, but I think it would be very difficult to find volunteers.”  We laughed and I agreed to try it their way, all science-y and proven and get the cyst aspirated.

I got my favorite ladydoc for this procedure, DrKAwesome. The cyst aspiration prep is similar to egg retrieval.  You undress, get into a gown, booties, hat.  They put yummy warm blankets on you and get an IV going and shoot you full of some happy drugs that are quite similar to having 2 double-martinis. Did I mention that I’m a happy drunk?  When the proper amount of loopyness sets in, they wheel you into the procedure room.  First you scoot onto the fancy mega stirrup table. Then you get a “WHOA good morning!” wake up call from a cold speculum and a special ultrasound wand with a retractable needle attachment is welcomed into the party.  DrKAwesome used the ultrasound image to line up the cyst and

***WHAM!**** punched me in the ovary

…or at least that is what it felt like.  Unluckily for me, stubborn ole righty shifted and rolled a bit during the punch (it was bobbing and weaving like a champ).  DrKAwesome had to do it a total of 3 times to get that bastard popped.  It felt exactly like getting punched multiple times in the ovary.  Luckily it is only uncomfortable for a brief time, there is a minute amount of bleeding (like a 1/2 tsp) and then you are given yummy crackers and sent home.  Afterwards you get to watch as much TV as you want and fall asleep on the couch and have MrBeep take you out for delicious Pho because it’s your pick for dinner.  Mmmmmmmm spicy beefy noodly soupy goodness.

So, um, yeah…being punched in the ovary?  Don’t ask for that and don’t joke about that, OK?

High aspirations

Sorry I am writing so late.  I swear I am not doing this to build for dramatic tension.  I went in this morning for my blood work and follicle ultra sound and…

flucking
cyst
was
bigger

That’s right folks.  Now that I took a couple of extra days of birth control pills it has made the cyst a tiny bit bigger, by about a millimeter.  Nice huh?   DocO said that they would need to get the labs back and discuss options in their noon meeting.  They said that they would call and let us know whether they recommend delaying or aspirating the cyst.   I waited forever, then fell asleep on the couch when the phone rang at 4:15 p.m.  It was MrBeep wanting to know what the plan was.  I called the RE office and talked to Katie (I was next to call on her list, grumble grumble).  My E2 is even better (staying nice and low).  The plan is that I am going in tomorrow for a cyst aspiration about noon.  It is similar in prep to an egg retrieval and I have to get IV’ed and doped up a bit.  MrBeep will need to drive me home and be there in case I have any bad reactions to the medicine. 

After the aspiration, the plan is for me to start injecting micro-dose lupron starting on Sunday.  Finally, FINALLY I get to do something. 

There is so much going on right now.  mekate is going for egg retrieval tomorrow, K was retrieved today and should get her egg/fert report soon, Megan is holding out for a day 5 transfer hopefully on Friday, Pie is starting MDL a couple of days ahead of me (cycle buddy!), The Infertile Breeder (my friend from resolve boards) just got back a good 2nd beta after a first one that was a little scary.  Mad Hatter has given the finger to doctors who didn’t believe in the power of her ovaries and ovulated on her own.  She is currently in the 2WW.

Sprogblogger got heartbreaking news today, Shannon is remembering a sad anniversary, Sarah had devastating news this week too.  Please go give them all some support and love.

The universe is expanding, galaxies are spinning.  We are all along for the ride.  Love and hugs and magic sending out on the night’s wind and through the Seattle rain to you all.

I have a comment…fluck

I went in this morning for my suppression check.  I finished the last of my 9 days of birth control pills on Sunday morning and this was The Big Day…and…we found another cyst.  It is borderline in size and may be on its way out.  I told DocO and the nurse I was feeling pains and pangs on my right side for several days about 2-3 days ago but things have quieted down for the most part.  Those pains have gone away, but there was still a cyst on the ultrasound.  I asked, “it’s on the right side, correct?”  Nurse Sara was surprised and said, “That’s right.  You’re just like the princess and the pea, aren’t you?”  “Yeah, I am by now” I told her.  It’s funny how much this ride can make you in tune with your insides.

So I’m a great IVF patient on paper.  My lab results came back great…again.  I am well suppressed, the cyst doesn’t seem to be causing an estrogen spike.  My E2 is at a nice low 37.  My FSH is 8.1.  I have 10-15 follicles on each ovary (yeah, we’re talking like 20-30 eggs percolating in there gals).  There is so much to raise my hopes, so many good things that hint at a great start, but here come the cysts in to make my princess bed all lumpy and uncomfortable.  <sigh>

So here’s the current plan, I took another birth control pill today and will do so for 2 more days.  I am supposed to go back on Wednesday for another ultrasound, and hopefully the cyst will measure smaller and we can get this show on the road.  If it is unchanged or bigger..well I dunno.  I guess I’ll have to lay on that bed after I make it.  Peas and all.

I was reading and commenting today and I got a word verification that summed up my thoughts on this exactly…

Yes ladies and germs…fluck, which could mean what we think of first or the optimist in me says it can be a compound word for follicle and luck, which is exactly what I need right now.