Tuesday, August 12, 2014

All Aboard!




Let's get this train moving... we have some news from RE.  Protocol for our PGS cycles has just been released to my patient portal.  It looks like we'll be doing our baseline appointment on 8/18 and the plan is "Micro Ovidrel Down Reg" which I have never heard of, but I am excited to try it out and see what miracles it might produce for me.  Estimated retrieval week of 9/8.  I won't get my meds list until baseline appointment, and there is nothing about this type of protocol that I can find online.  Has anyone tried something similar?

As I've mentioned before the plan is to do 2 banking cycles for PGS and transfer any normal embryos that we may have come out of that.  If we don't have any "normal" embryos we move into Plan B which is donor eggs and because of all the first-round success with donor eggs I am seeing in blogland I am more and more excited about this which is tempering the amateur genealogist in me who is still mourning a little over the loss of a genetic child.

Toot!  Toot!*  Let's get rolling!!

*That's right... I just tooted...

ETA:  Prescription list is in hand.  More on this tomorrow... I have to actually do some work today.  Ugh...  

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

I think we've found HER...

Was catching up with a good friend yesterday. She asked how things are going with IVF and I gave her the update - we're doing PGS, possibly moving to donor eggs after that, but struggling to find a donor who matches our main requirements.

She immediately started telling me about her cousin who she has always told me looked just like me. She sent me a pic. This girl is gorgeous! Not as tall as me. I don't think she looks LIKE ME perse but she checks most of the boxes. Over 5'7, curly blonde hair, big blue eyes. 

I have some concerns. Firstly she is 19. I don't know that a decision like this is something she's ready for. At 19 I was a child. Secondly she has a full ride at one of the nations top colleges for her musical talent. I would hate to interrupt that in any way. Thirdly, how do I feel about a "known" donor? 

My friend spoke with her briefly by text and explained our situation and asked if she'd ever considered donating eggs. She replied, "If they needed someone I'd be happy to help! How's life otherwise."  So yeah... I dunno if she thinks my friend is serious. Anyway, I gave my friend my donor coordinators email address. Told her to give it some thought and if she feels able to help please contact my DC who can answer questions, etc. I don't want to have direct contact with her until she has thought this over and made decisions about her contact comfort level, etc. What is the protocol on this?? Can anyone advise? Part of me wants to present her with a brochure of our life - who we are and why we'd be great parents and do the hard sell. But again, she's so young and has so much going on and I don't want to be pushy, but am I being too blasé? 

I don't want to get my hopes up, but y'all she is a better match than I could have ever dreamt of!

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Post Lap Surgery

Yesterday went well. I checked in to the small surgery center down the road from my RE's office, stood in the beautiful lobby that reeked of eau de old age home and filled out more paperwork. Answered questions about a living will and no, I don't have children.

Went to the back, filled out MORE paperwork answered more questions... No, I don't have kids. Yes, we're trying.

Anasthesiologist assistant came to ask questions. Yes I've had many surgeries in the past. No, I don't have kids.

Waited for them to send Mr R back and listened to the patients around me answering their questions. 3 other women. All of them in for tubal ligation. "Oh God yes we have kids. That ends today!" "Yep, our last one is 2." 

Finally Dr S comes in and I say, "Jeez doc, bad day for the infertiles to be in surgery! Listen to all the mommies talking about their tubals..." He apologized. I try not to be super sensitive about this stuff, but surgery jitters and all the kid questions... I dunno.

They gave me the pre-surgery happy stuff and I don't remember anything until I came around from surgery. Dr S spoke to Mr. R about the findings. Erg... He is awful with that stuff.  Here's what he remembers... 

There wasn't a lot of endo but he removed it all. I had some pre-polyp tissue which was removed and will be sent for biopsy. Mr R thinks he said my ovaries looked "great". He did a D&C and  closed me up. 

I won't hear from him until 8/26 because he is out of the office in 2 weeks when biopsy will be back.

We're still waiting on our protocol. I'm getting mildly impatient to be honest... Hopefully we'll get this soon. Also waiting on my AMH levels.

Next stop was urologist. What a waste of time that was... We waited, finally got in to see him and he said that he doesn't think he can help us. Yup. $50 copay. Rushing through big city traffic right out of surgery, spending 45 excruciatingly painful minutes in waiting room, followed by fighting to keep a clear mind during the consult only to discover that he met with our RE last week on our case and has decided to refer us to "the best" urologist in the country. The father of urological microsurgery. He feels that a standard vasovasectomy is not going to work in our case, and instead we need to do an epididymis-something-something. Basically, we're going to bypass the vas and reconnect directly into the epididymis.  Avoiding sludge. Tubes are slightly thinner, but we have a 50% chance of an acceptable SA using this method. While still sitting in office with Dr B I called (at his insistence) the new doctor, Dr L, trying to get an appointment. Earliest we can get? 9/25... Holy crap! We requested to be contacted if anything earlier opens up. I'll check in in 2 weeks. Don't want them to forget.

That's it. That's all the news we have. Today I am still in a little pain. Mostly stinging around wound sites. A little cramping but nothing even remotely close to my period pain, so I am fine. 

Friday, August 1, 2014

Lap on Monday

Lap is scheduled for Monday and what a logistical nightmare this has turned out to be. Because of the far drive to our clinic and doctors, and Mr R having run out of vacation and sick days, on top of everything else we're also trying to limit the number of trips we make up there. 

So here's Monday's plan:

0845 - Mr R endocrine blood draw

0900 - pick up pre-op packet from RE office

0930 - Check in at surgery center

1030 - Laparoscopy

0130 - Drive time

0330 - Mr R urologist reversal consult

I'll be waiting in the car for his consult which scares me, but we don't have a choice.

So far so good with the timeline. Now we just need to hope that urologist will schedule Mr R for surgery right away. Ideally I'd LOVE it to be on Fri next, but Friday the following week will be okay. (Hoping it's a Friday so he doesn't have to take any days off for recovery).

So that's it. We're off to the races!

Btw... Still haven't received my schedule or meds list. Dr S is still conferring with his colleagues on the best approach. Take that prefab protocol filed under "Over 35, DOR"! Three days in on 21 days of BCPs, so we have time...