January 30, 2004
Sharing the news with family
Today is Dale's 30th birthday, and this evening, at his dinner party, he announced the news to his family. Needless to say, everyone was thrilled. :D
Dale's Aunt Vonna and cousin Race didn't make it to the dinner because Race has been sick. But Uncle Mark promptly called Vonna and told her, "Dale just told us Pam is knocked up!" Dale's Grandmother looked ready to explode from happiness.
We were nervous about telling them because of the current circumstances, but I was just so excited to be pregnant, I didn't want to wait any longer. Now that it's out, we don't regret sharing the news.
January 29, 2004
It doesn't feel quite real
Although I've had several blood tests that confirm it, Dale and I are still finding it hard to believe that I'm pregnant. It doesn't quite feel real, to either of us. Mostly, to me, because I've had no symptoms yet. Nothing at all in my body is telling me there's something different going on.
I still half-expect the doctor's office to call up and say, "oops, silly us, we made a mistake! You're not pregnant at all!"
Progesterone Monitoring, 2nd test
I was out this afternoon when I got the call with today's test results, so the message was brief and I didn't really ask any questions. It was good news, though. My progesterone and hcg levels are both up, but Dr. Vaughn wants to keep monitoring me, so I'm to continue the progesterone supplements and have more blood drawn Monday morning.
My hcg is up to 64 and progesterone is up to 18.5.
Monday we told our parents, my sister, and two of our closest friends. Friday night, at Dale's 30th Birthday dinner with his family, we're going to announce the news. Next Monday, if the test results are good again, I'll publish these posts.
I don't know what I'll do if the news is bad.
January 26, 2004
I'm Pregnant!!
Yes, the test results came back positive, but with some issues. My progesterone and hcg levels were much lower than the doctor would want to see (20 and 7), so he's putting me on progesterone supplements starting tonight, and I go in for more bloodwork on Wednesday morning.
Of course, Dale and I are thrilled, but we're very scared as well. Our internet research shows a link between low progesterone levels and miscarriage. Because of this, we've opted to tell only a few people. And this post will go live some time in the near future, but not yet.
But, I am pregnant!!
Still waiting
I had called TFC a couple of hours ago, but they didn't have the results of my progesterone test from the lab yet. I just tried calling again, and they're closed for the day. So I called the medical exchange to have my doctor paged and was told again that they didn't have the progesterone results and I'd be called when they got them.
I had my blood drawn at 7:35 this morning. How damn long does it take to get the progesterone level read?? I am going crazy!
January 12, 2004
Gonal-F Cycle 1, IUI #2
Dale's specimen drop-off went smoothly this afternoon. Then, because I wasn't on planning to take a lunch break since I was leaving early, he surprised me by bringing me lunch. Yay for Smokey Mo's pork tenderloin sandwich!
We got to my appointment a few minutes early but they seemed to be busy and running behind. I think it was after 5:00 before we were called back. Dale had even fallen asleep in the waiting room.
Dr. Vaughn asked if I felt like I'd ovulated. I said I didn't know, but my lower abdomen had felt really bloated all day. He said that was probably it. My uterine lining had thickened some more and looked good to him. When he checked my ovaries, Saturday's 19.5MM follicle was gone, so it looks like I ovulated.
After shuffling me to another room, Dr. Vaughn did the IUI. We waited the requisite 10 minutes then checked out. We were sent off with two lab slips. On the 19th I have my progesterone level checked again. On the 26th I have a pregnancy test done, if my period hasn't started.
Waiting out the next two weeks is going to be tough.
January 11, 2004
Gonal-F Cycle 1, IUI #1
Poor Dale. He had to get up before 6:00 AM this morning and produce a sperm specimen. Then he had to deliver it to the clinic before 7:00 AM. My IUI appointment was scheduled for 8:30, but while Dale was gone, the doctor called and asked if we could come in sooner. So, almost as soon as Dale returned, we were heading out the door.
The IUI went about as smoothly as my last couple of blood draws. The doctor said my cervix was hidden up behind my pubic bone, and she was having a hard time getting a good view of it. She even switched out speculums (Dale told me they were very different shapes/sizes.) Finally, she saw what she needed to and did the insertion. The whole process was mildly painful and highly uncomfortable. Once it was over, I had to rest in place for 10 minutes. Then we checked out, went home, and went back to bed.
January 10, 2004
Gonal-F Cycle 1, checkup 4
By 10:00 AM, it had already been a long day for me and Dale.
I got up shortly before 7:00 AM and woke Dale about 10 minutes later. We dragged ourselves to the car and drove to St. David's by the University to get my blood drawn. The draw didn't go too smoothly. Two butterfly needles and two fresh holes in my left arm, the phlebotomist called for backup. She'd tried twice and only got a tiny amount of blood, so she didn't want to try again. The second phlebotomist disdained using a butterfly needle, but before I had time to panic she'd zeroed in on a vein and filled a test tube in a matter of seconds.
We then went to my 8:15 AM appointment. Dr. Vaughn isn't on call this weekend, so another doctor did the exam. She was pretty brutal with the ultrasound wand, but my ovaries were playing hide-and-seek behind my uterus and were harder to find than usual. The right ovary still hadn't produced any really big follicles (I think the largest was 10mm) but the promising one in my left ovary had reached an average of 19.5mm. She said that meant we could proceed because the follicle would reach 20mm by the time I needed to get my hCG injection in the evening.
We left the clinic with a prescription for Ovidrel, two steril specimen cups, and appointments for me and Dale for Sunday and Monday. Unfortunately the pharmacy didn't open for another 30 minutes, so Dale and I went in search of breakfast.
We went back to the drugstore at 9 and picked up my prescription. We went back home, napped, and then re-started our day.
Dale went out this afternoon, so I got to inject the Ovidrel myself. Once again, I had to get the needle in place then close my eyes before I stabbed with it. Yeesh, I really hate doing that!
January 09, 2004
"there's never NO reason!"
Tonight at dinner, Dale reminded me of a bit of the conversation we had with the doctor yesterday. Dr. Vaughn said, "all right, Friday night is the last night for intercourse." (Because we'll probably be doing IUIs on Sunday and Monday.) "Sometimes the follicles want to release early, and if one does, then you'll have sperm inside already."
We nodded. Then he said, "Worst case, you'll have had intercourse for no reason."
I looked at Dale, and he just burst out laughing. I knew he was thinking something along the lines of "there's never NO reason!" I turned back to Dr. Vaughn who looked amused and added, "well, fertility-wise."
January 08, 2004
Gonal-F Cycle 1, checkup 3
The visit to Dr. Vaugn's office went much better than the visit to the lab. The ultrasound revealed that a follicle in my left ovary had reached 18mm by 14mm, so averaging 16mm. Several other follicles in both ovaries had grown as well, but none that much. Unfortunately, the follicle still isn't large enough to be released, but Dr. Vaugn said that once they're about that size, follicles tend to grow at a rate of 2mm per day.
When I asked Dr. Vaughn what my next two dosages of Gonal-F should be, he said, "I'm still thinking about it." He was debating between two doses of 150 UIs or 225 UI and then 150 UI. I asked if there was any risk of me taking the higher dose and he said, "Well, not really. I guess I'm not worried about overstimulating your ovaries."
No kidding, since I only have one follicle even close to ready. So, I have two more nights of Gonal-F injections, then Saturday morning I have blood drawn and shortly after, another checkup. If the follicle has grown enough, then I'll have an hCG injection and Sunday and Monday we'll do IUIs. After that, it's a two week wait until I can do a pregnancy test.
Bloodwork (a rant)
This morning's blood draw didn't go well (in my opinion). As I have done for over a year now, I suggested the use of a butterfly needle to facilitate the blood draw. The tech ignored me and pulled out a regular needle and a syringe. She proceeded to stab this much larger needle into my elbow (in the same spot that was used for the last two draws), and then move it back and forth and in and out slightly while trying hard to suck out my blood with the syringe.
It HURT! Way more than any other time that I can remember having blood drawn, and it seemed to take forever. She was having a difficult time getting blood, which is probably why she kept wiggling the damn needle. I was just about to tell her to take it the fuck out when she removed it.
My previous visit, the tech used a butterfly needle and it took one small poke and about 15 seconds to get enough blood. This time, the bitch took almost a minute to get half as much blood as they usually take.
I left the lab in pain and mightily pissed off. If that woman ever ends up as my tech again, she's either going to use a butterfly needle or she's going to get someone else to do it.
January 07, 2004
Self-inflicted
Tonight I had to self-administer my injection. It was only the second time, but I'm still not anywhere comfortable with it. Once everything was prepped and I'd pinched a fold of skin on my thigh, I put the needle near my leg then had to close my eyes before jabbing it forward. I couldn't even watch me inject myself.
Thank goodness Dale's been so willing to do the injections for me!
January 06, 2004
Gonal-F Cycle 1, checkup 2
This time, Dr. Vaughn had my lab results in time for my appointment. (Yay for the Round Rock lab.) My estroidal level was 149, up a bit from the previous bloodtest. He also found more developing follicles, ranging in size from 5mm to 8mm in my right ovary and from 4mm to one that was 12mm in my left. Obviously, the 12mm is the one we're pinning our hopes on for this cycle.
Dr. Vaughn says that it needs to get to 20mm by Friday. I didn't ask for clarification, but I think that's the minimum size needed if we want to proceed with another iui. He also wrote up a plan for us to inject 225 UIs Monday night, then 150 UIs for Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday I'll have more blood drawn and another checkup.
Hopefully, that follicle in my left ovary will be at least 20mm by Thursday.
January 04, 2004
Call me Pincushion
Well, since Tuesday, I've had 5 Gonal-F injections and blood drawn once. I got up early on Friday morning to get to the lab so the bloodwork would be ready in time for my 3:30 appointment. Unfortunately, after we got to the clinic, we learned that the lab results hadn't arrived yet. I told Dr. Vaughn that I'd gone to the Seton clinic on 1431 in Cedar Park and he said, "oh, no, not there! Don't go there anymore. They can NEVER get it right, so we've told them to direct patients to another lab."
The ultrasound showed that I have had some estrogen activity because my uterine lining is thickening. Also, the largest visible follicles in my ovaries had grown from 4mm to 6 and 7mm. But lacking the lab information on my estrogen levels, Dr. Vaughn opted to have me inject the same dose Friday night, hoping the report would show up on Saturday.
It did, and I received a call from Dr. Vaughn this afternoon. He said that the report shows my estrogen level to still be low, so tonight we injected 225 IU of Gonal-F. Tomorrow night (Sunday), we're to dose me with 150 UI again, then Monday morning I have more blood drawn and follow up with an afternoon appointment.
Dale's administered all but one of the shots. On New Year's Eve, some family arrived, and I had to take care of the injection alone while he entertained. This was only my second shot, and though it didn't really hurt when Dale did it the night before, it hurt when I did it. Making myself actually insert the needle was pretty damn hard. Afterwards, the spot on my thigh hurt and burned for about 30-45 minutes, which it hadn't done before or since.
Dale's injections haven't really hurt, until tonight. And even though I know it's not going to hurt, I can't watch and I flinch when he inserts the needle, though that feels like little more than a push.
I think what happens is that he can't help flinching when he jabs in the needle, and that makes me flinch in turn. The start of the injection tonight was no different from the other times he's done it. Since there wasn't any pain, I looked down while he was doing the injection, and it started to hurt. I looked away, told Dale to slow down, and it stopped hurting. I looked down again, and it started to hurt again.
"When I look down, it hurts."
"Well then, stop looking!"
"Oh, ok."
I didn't feel him removal the needle, but I felt his other hand lift from my thigh, where he'd been squeezing the flesh to aid the insertion. Then he said, "this one was bad." I looked down and saw blood, not more than a watery drop, but it was more than we'd ever seen and there was a purple thumb-sized bruise already visible. Most other times I hadn't bled at all. Dale disposed of the needle, stood up, and said, "I feel woozy." I voiced my surprise saying that it wasn't much blood, but he just said that he doesn't like doing that to me.
Poor guy. I think the injections are harder on him than they are on me. At least they haven't seemed to produce nasty side effects like the Clomid did.