Still going....

I am still plugging away at those bcp's and the side effects I am experiencing are not pleasant. The headaches have improved but my breasts have been so tender its annoying. Plus I have been pretty bloated which I think is causing me to gain weight. I really need to watch my salt intake. That's easier said than does, as there is salt in EVERYTHING! Ok not everything but it sure seems like it. My baseline appointment is this coming Thursday and I am praying that my ovaries are quiet and that my uterus looks great. I am also praying that my small fibroid goes away. That would be an awesome blessing.

Another update...

I talked to the nurse today to see when I am supposed to stop bcp's and she said Feb 2nd as long as everything goes well on Feb 3rd. Basically that means that when they do the ultrasound everything should be nice and quiet. As long as my ovaries are silent, and there are no other issues we should be good to proceed. This appointment is so the doctors have a baseline to compare my ovaries on the stims. This way they know how much medicine I should be getting and if my doses will need to be changed.

I am praying that everything is good and we get the green light to continue on Feb 3rd so please keep that day in your prayers. Thank you!

Still a go...

It has been quite a stressful weekend full of worrying about whether or not we would still be able to do the cycle in February. AF finally started today, yay! I think this is the first time in my life that I have been excited for it to start. Usually it's a dreaded occurance. I called the IVF nurse and she said that Feb 3rd should still work as my baseline date. I am very excited. I can start bcp's tomorrow, although now I have to pick a time where I won't forget to take them.

Ugh...

Being sick is definately not fun. I thought it was finally going away but for the past 2 days I have had a seriously sore throat. Still no AF which is frustrating and I am afraid that we may not be able to cycle in Feb after all. If that is the case then we will have to wait until April. I guess I wouldn't mind because its not like we haven't had to wait before. Plus that would give me time to do everything I should be doing. Like taking prenatal vitamins, and eating a high protein diet. Please keep everything in your prayers as life seems to always be full of chaos for us.

TMI Warning!

Ah! Talk about frustrating. Still no AF. I am thinking my calculation was off a little and it doesn't help that I didn't chart it last month. So still waiting. Hopefully by tomorrow. Maybe I am thinking about it too much, but it's hard not to.

Anyways, I was doing some research and it turns out a high protein (at least 60mg/day) and high healthy fat diet is supposed to help IVF. Soooo.... I am going to try that. It is not easy ensuring that you have that much protein considering its supposed to come from vegetable sources. I went to the grocery store and tried to stock up on some healthy vegetables. I am also supposed to avoid caffeine, preprocessed foods, and high sugar foods. No more chocolate. That is difficult for me but I am hoping I can do it.

If anyone has a good recipe for Lentil soup or other high protein meals that feature vegetables please let me know.

Update!

Call from Nurse D today about my cycle. As long as AF comes on time and we can start bcp's.


My tentative cycle:
Feb 3rd - baseline, bloodwork, sonogram, dr review
Feb 4th - injections class
Feb 9th - blood test
Feb 11th - blood test, sonogram, pre-op


The blood testing will continue about every other day.


Feb 17 or 18 - Egg Retrieval (ER)


Egg transfer would be 3 to 5 days after retrieval depending on quality of embryos.

All Clear

Today we got a call from Nurse D the head IVF nurse and she stated that our chart has been medically cleared. She wanted to know if we wanted to do the Jan/Feb cycle which of course we do but it is dependent on when AF (Aunt Flo) arrives next week. Otherwise we might have to wait until the April/May cycle. We are trying not to rush things and to just put them in God's hands so if he wants us to cycle now, everything will work out. We also were able to get financially cleared today. That takes a lot of pressure off of us. We were quoted under $5000 which means that we don't need ICSI. Yay! Keep us in your prayers as we head down this adventure.

Orientation

We attended orientation at Walter Reed for IVF. We turned in all the required paperwork and even asked if it was too late to get into the Jan/Feb cycle. The IVF nurse stated that we would be cutting it close so she gave us our prescription for birth control pills (BCP). Most people would think that BCP's are counterintuitative but they actually serve a medical purpose in IVF besides preventing pregnancy. We are still waiting to get medically and financially cleared so fingers crossed and lots of prayers.