Here We Go- Again!

At my monitoring appointment with Dr. V today, he greeted me by saying "let's see if we have any 16mm follicles!" He is so pumped up about this sloooow and steady growth.

As he moved the sonogram wand around, two things were evident:

*My left ovary continues to be very, very lazy.
*My right ovary is apparently picking up the slack for the left, and seems to have exploded (in a good way) in the past two days!

Today's counts:

Lazy Left Ovary: 12, 10 (Dr. V stopped at that, as it was clear there was nothing to see over there)
Rockin' Right Ovary: 22!!, 19, 17.5, 10

And like a crazy fertility patient proud mother, I had the nurse make a copy of my top two follies' sonograms:

First photo! Aren't they precious? May they become babies who are equally as precious.

Dr. V and I were both shocked by how fast those right follicles had grown in 2 days- to the effect that he asked me if I'd been sneaking extra medicine (I have to admit I'd thought about it; alas, I've been an A+ patient, administering 37.5 iu of my prescribed meds Monday, 75 yesterday). I did feel the need to mention I'd had sweet potatoes to eat last night (in a batch of West African Peanut Soup- YUM!), which, you know, are known for being high in estrogen? This was met by blank stares & a small chuckle. Hey, it's all I could come up with to explain this rocket speed growth (that and my all day every day prayers & visualizations, but I didn't want to freak Dr. V out too much with my frou-frou ways).

So tonight is TRIGGER TIME with good 'ole Ovidrel! We'll have our back to back IUI's tomorrow and Friday. I am grateful we're squeaking them in before the weekend- I suspect my right ovary is crushing on Dr. V and wanting to make sure it is he who assists us this cycle, not some random weekend on-call doc. I'm totally on board with that- thanks, ovary!

February 17th will prove to be a monumental (and hopefully auspicious!) day indeed; not only is it the day my House Hunters episode premieres (link here), but it is also the day I'll do my blood work to see if this month's endeavors were successful and Baby Lambert is on his or her way.

Your prayers & baby dust are welcomed and appreciated... here we go- again!

Ovidrel + IUI #1

Last night I took my Ovidrel trigger shot. That sucker hurt much more than the Gonal-F shots! I'm thinking maybe the needle was a bit thicker:

                                                 More needles! Oh boy!

I also really appreciated the verbiage in the package insert, referring repeatedly to Ovidrel users as "infertile women." Thanks for the hope, Ovidrel Makers. Real helpful.

                                  Ovidrel knows how to charm the ladies


Today started with a lovely phone call from a dear friend who moved away last year. She is expecting her 2nd little one this January, and is one of those lucky ladies who got pregnant pretty much instantly with both kiddos. It's been a treat seeing her and her husband become such conscious & amazing parents. I have a lot to learn from them!

After we got off the phone, I called my fertility clinic to see if exercise on the day of one's IUI was OK. Specifically I was debating whether or not to attend my noon Pilates class, and secretly hoping they'd tell me I shouldn't go. Alas, they were all for me continuing with my regular routine, so without any further excuses, off to Pilates I went.

Pilates was followed by acupuncture and then my afternoon IUI. Dr. V commented that I "have this IUI routine down." Not sure that is a good thing, but it sure ain't my first time at the Rodeo. BC's noontime donation looked good- not the highest counts we've had (81.7 million motile), but definitely great numbers to work with! He got a 4/4 rating. I actually compared the last 3 IUI donation sheets we've gotten (yes, I'm a freak), and realized that his insanely AMAZING donation back in September (250.4 million motile!) was the cycle following our drink-fest in NYC. Go figure. Just another way the Universe is telling me we are totally not in control (as I advise him to cut back on drinking and take his daily vitamins).

Tomorrow morning is my 2nd IUI, and should be ovulation day. Dr. V warned me I may have cramping with this month's ovulation, due to all the partying follicles making a run for it. I will hopefully also get a sonogram to see how many eggs actually released- which I am super curious about.

In closing, a picture of my kitties. Because they are cuter and more entertaining than Ovidrel needles & instructions:

                                         This fertility stuff is for the birds!

Trigger Time

Now I have MC Hammer's "You Can't Touch This" in my head..... "Stop- Hammer trigger time!"

I had my appointment with Dr. Vaughn today, and after 10 days of injectables, here's today's roll call:

Right ovary: 20, 16, 15, 13, 12
Left ovary: 17.5, 17, 13, 9. 7

Dr. V was happy to see we had our 20mm babe ready to roll! He wants me to do my Ovidrel trigger tonight, with an estimated ovulation date likely Thursday (those follicles will continue to grow about 2mm/day). He feels good that the 3 biggest follicles will release, and *possibly* the next 2 largest as well- and just in case that happened he gave me another talk on how we'd then need to selectively reduce *if* all took (which is pretty unlikely, but he still has to say his peace).

We will have our IUI procedures tomorrow and Thursday. And as timing would have it, tomorrow is REALLY difficult with BC's schedule- he is going to have to leave work to do a noon drop off, and will likely have to use the lab's "special room" to aid his sample. Cha-cha-cha! So romantic. Both IUI appointment times also directly conflict with my 2 acupuncture appointments this week (what are the odds of that?!). Happily the acupuncture clinic was able to adjust my times slightly to accommodate- those appointments are HARD to come by and always booked weeks in advance.

I had about 2 hours to pass between my morning closing (hooray for a closing!) and my afternoon doctor appointment, so I thought I'd check in with a psychic friend of mine, Cristy, who had donated a 15 minute session for my birthday. She was home and available! I was so excited, thinking that it would be perfect timing to check in psychically on the little ones.

Cristy checked my chakras/energy centers and said I was all clear (yay!). She felt there might be a small block still with BC- and was getting that he was holding back his hope/excitement somewhat as a protective mechanism for me. She said we should make sure to be united/connected in the next couple of days through all these procedures.

Cristy has always seen and heard a strong little girl coming through, and about 6 months ago that little one started talking to her about wanting to bring in a "sister-friend" twin with her. When we checked in today, this little one (let's call her "A") was anxious and really ready to come. She was pulling the other little one, "B," behind her (Cristy sensed B wasn't sure if she was ready to come yet). A was feeling frustrated and wanting B to come with her now. She said B was stubborn (hmmm- maybe like her father?), and if she wouldn't come with her now, then she wanted a little brother! (said with the effusiveness only a little one could have).

When Cristy told her that she should still come- and that BC and I would definitely welcome little B at a later time- A expressed a lot of sorrow (Cristy said the emotion was as if a pet had died). I felt that sorrow- I actually was overcome with a feeling of grief and got tears in my eyes, sensing her sadness. We worked to communicate to A that BC and I loved her and wanted her to come, and that she needed to release B and allow little B to decide for herself if she was ready now or not (maybe this was part of the hold up?).

Cristy actually said to me not to be surprised if I got pregnant with twins, but had one leave early in the pregnancy (so little B could keep that window open and fully decide- if she stayed we'd have twins, if she ultimately wasn't ready, that 2nd fetus would not stay viable). If little B is like her father, she would decide to still come now (since people have backed off the pressure and are allowing her to decide for herself!) According to what Cristy was hearing, we'd either have twin girls now, or one girl now followed by a little brother soon thereafter.

All this psychic stuff is totally fascinating to me (obviously- since I've devoted several posts to it!). It is the ONE THING that has continued to give me hope through this whole crazy fertility process. And it will be incredibly interesting to see what predictions come to fruition! Time will tell- but the psychic consensus is that I am open & clear, and that the little one is ready.

My fingers and toes are crossed!

Injectables Day 6: Follicle Roll Call

I had my 2nd check-in for the Lucky 13 this morning. I wasn't thrilled to have to get up at 6:45 on the day after Thanksgiving for a blood draw, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do (boys truly do have it MUCH easier when it comes to fertility- Babycakes was slumbering soundly away as I departed at the crack of dawn).

I've come to call the main lady who does blood draws Snake Eyes. She wears green contacts over what I assume are brown eyes, giving her a serpent like quality. Old Snake Eyes was the one who couldn't find my vein last month (referenced in this post), and she's also the one who drew me last Tuesday and sparked a migraine (apparently the clinic was out of butterfly needles that day, so she had to use a torturous regular one on me).

This morning I said a little prayer before arriving to the clinic: Please let it be quick and as painless as possible. And please let Snake Eyes be off for the Holiday.

Well, one out of two ain't bad. Old Snake Eyes was there behind the glass partition, gossiping and complaining away about having to work (per her norm). Awesome. Please Snake Eyes, don't take it out on me! 

She also asks me EVERY TIME I go to the clinic if I've been there before. Apparently those Snake Eyes don't see so well (as evidenced in her vein finding abilities).

Thankfully she had a butterfly needle (she seemed annoyed when I asked), found my vein, and got to business quickly. No migraine! Much smoother this morning, but I am still seriously considering going to a different clinic for my next draw. With people who have normal eyes and might actually remember me.

I also noticed last night & this morning an early abundance of EWCM. I hardly ever get much naturally, much less on Day 9 of my cycle! It is an indication that those elevated estrogen levels are definitely cranking (and making me cranky).

So without further adieu, here is today's follicle role call (in millimeters), brought to you by the offices of Dr. Vaughn:

Right ovary: 7, 8, 11, 11, 12
Left ovary: 6, 6, 7, 7, 9, 10, 12, 12

Hmmm- I just noticed we had a couple side jumpers- still 13 follies, but the left ovary is taking the lead with an 8/5 split (8 total over there- my lucky number!) Hopefully there weren't an additional 2 missed on the right side....there were 7 there last Tuesday (where did they go?)

My follicles are distinguishing themselves into two groups- we have the three front-running 12mm babes, with the two 11mm close at their heels. Ideally, we want *only* the top 3 to release, hoping that 1, maybe 2, take.

                                                         Go top 3!!

The plan right now is to keep me on very low nightly Gonal-F doses (75ml/night), since I am having a good response. Dr. V says- and I quote- that he "doesn't want me to make National News." So slow and steady we go, with an estimated trigger date for mid/late next week. The office wants me back again Sunday for my next follow up (there go my brunch plans! Oh boy- early morning blood draws & doc visits, now spaced every TWO days. BC will surely sleep through them all).

At our Thanksgiving gathering yesterday, I treated all those who were interested to a Gonal-F administration viewing (my mom, aunt, and cousin partook- we squeezed it in between dinner and dessert). And at the end of the night, everyone sweetly said farewell to me and to my 13 eggs.

Little ones, we have a lot of folks rooting for you! Let's do this.