In-Vitro Calendar in full swing!!!

Last Thursday (2/19) I went to see my infertility Dr's nurse, LeeAnne. By the way for those of you who asked..I am seeing Dr. Gordon Bates at UAB Kirklin Clinics Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility. So far I love Dr. Bates he has great bedside manner & his nurse LeeAnne is incredible! She made the calendar you see below so I have a guideline of the craziness that is about to occur! I know ya'll cant read it since it's small so I'll keep you posted! Besides going over the calendar of "events" she had me bring in all my medicine to show me how to administer all the shots. (and Ryan since he'll have to give me one in my hiney for 2 weeks later on!) He really started listening when she said that! :-) The nurse told me she loves to see how the patients bring in ALL their drugs. She said sometimes they bring a big box full or a huge bag etc. So..I told her I would surprise her! I had actually forgotten I told her that until it was time to go. I hurried to my gift bag container & found this ESPN bag that plays there them song when you open it! Luckily I was able to cram it all in there b/c that was the perfect bag to take. My nurse had no clue is sang (b/c we took that sticker off) :-) so she died laughing when she opened it...ran out of the room...with my bag...to show her co-workers. All of a sudden you hear people dying laughing! We have to make this light hearted some how? :-)

Today (2/25) at 9am I went to have labs drawn to check my estrogen level which was 20. The nurse said that's considered low which is what they want it to be right now and that explains why I have been feeling depressed & "emotionally fragile". :-) That Lupron shot I have been doing for the past 3 weeks caused this..which is normal..just ugh! Today they also did an ultrasound to check the follicle growth on my ovaries. I had 12 follicles (potential eggs) on my right ovary! yowza's! and 5 follicles on my left ovary. Normally only one of those follicles would produce an egg. I will be starting my follistim injections on Friday which will help those 17 follicles all turn in to eggs!!! That's what we hope for anyways!

If you can see the calendar for the 1st week of March that 's a busy week. I will be full swing with all my drugs. Basically my ovaries will be working so hard with all this stimulating medicine that I have to be real careful. The nurse put it like this...normally a womans ovaries are sort of floating up...well since mine will be working extra hard to produce lots off eggs they will be "heavy." Therefore, mine will sag..it will feel like they are being pulled down. I have experienced this feeling before and it IS NOT FUN! I remember last time I was doing fertility & were on some of these drugs I couldn't even plop down in a chair I had to slide myself down! That makes sitting in the pew at church glorious. :-) It will be over in no time though..so I can do it!!! Tuesday of next week (3/3) I will go back in for another ultrasound to check out those potential eggs & for more labs. Depending on how that goes I may have go to the Dr. every other day next week or everyday..it just really depends on lab levels etc.

Today Dr. Bates also talked with me about my egg retrieval surgery. That is tentatively scheduled for Monday, 3/9. This part will be the most risky part for me. As I have mentioned before, I have 3 blood clotting factors, therefore I am on blood thinner medicine for life. The process of retrieving the eggs involves a long needle that they put in to pull them each out. So if I have 17 eggs that's a lot to pull out! I will be knocked out of course but the risk comes from the chance of internal bleeding. The needle could scrape me inside and with me being on blood thinners that makes my chance of bleeding even greater. So..my infertility dr is talking with a group of Hemotologist(blood dr's) at UAB & my Hemotologist at the Bruno Cancer Center at St. Vincents to determine the best course of action. Should they take me off one dose of blood thinners the night before? But last time a Dr. took me off blood thinners I developed a clot in my leg again and I had only missed like 2 doses! Or should they keep me on them completely & hope they don't knick anything and that I won't bleed easily? Glad you're not the Dr. right? :-) I trust all my Dr's but I also know they are human...but more important than that...I trust God to take care of me. So I ask that you please pray that God will handle this issue and make it not an issue at all! The good news is..if I do bleed internally they just give me a blood transfusion & it might require some laparoscopic (sp) surgery. No biggie! :-)

Well...that's all for my In-Vitro update...next week will be full of progress so keep posted! This whole process will be over the 3rd week of March. So keep up! :-) You may remember my organizing efforts for my shots..where I tape my ziplocks to the towel bar? Well...some of you suggested for a cuter look to use some ribbon! :-) That idea became a necessity when my tape broke! So..here's a shot (no pun intended ) of my ribbon tied organized shots! Luckily I had just the right color to go with my hideous peach bathroom that will be redone...one day...

Yes..I do have a life other than infertility! We went to Pensacola, my hometown this past weekend. My newest nephew Eli was there with my Sis & her hubby..so it was a great visit with them & the gazillion other family members I have there. I was anxious to take some pictures of him. I went out in the yard at my grandparents house scouting out a photo op! With winter comes dead grass..no flowers...and cold weather. But I still managed to conjure up an idea! The bird bath!!! Once I saw it the idea came to me... I wanted him to lay face down in it with his lil' face turned towards me...but he's a little chubby :-) so my idea didn't pan out so well. Some of them turned out but the best ones are of him sitting up. I need a newborn for my original idea....I gonna try & steal Jake (Ashley's boy) to use him for my idea since he is still tiny...I have my own bird bath so we won't have to haul him to Pensacola for that photo shoot! :-)

This is one of the laying down ones that turned out.

He's just 2 months old...and starting to show some smiles..he was so cute!

Look at those chubby cheeks...oh they're great to kiss!!!

Look at those big brown eyes!!!

He looks like he's trying to be muscle man here!

I had to capture this moment! My hubby feeding a baby! Who got him to do this? (me...of course!) He needs the practice he might have his own soon! :-)

Okay...so babies then toes? I know! Since my sister was in Bham for a couple days we went and got pedicures. My work had a Networking Lunch In and after that we are always exhausted...so my sweet..wonderful...awesome....boss, Stephanie Whitaker, takes us sometimes to get pedicures afterwards! She didn't mind my sister tagging along...and I was excited they could all meet one another! I had told my sister I wanted to get polka dots b/c after watching The Real Housewives of Orange Co. I saw one of them do that & loved the idea! :-) (I know I can't believe I watch that show either..but look what I learned!) :-) Right after I tell my sister that she says..she wants to get the Channel logo in rhinestones after seeing Lauren off The Hills have that done...boy are we two peas in a pod! :-) They turned out adorable though! We were thinking of all the other things you could do...DG (Dolce & Gabanna), Louis Vitton..etc etc. :-) What will be next?

On our way back to Bham from Pensacola my brother & his fam were actually on their way TO Pcola! So we just so happened to be crossing paths in Montgomery, AL on Sunday so we met at Starbucks..imagine that? :-) I am glad b/c I was about to cry not thinking I would see my first nephew Mason who is 16 months old.

He keeps developing more & more personality...If you ask him to do his mean face...this is what you get :-)

If you ask for the happy face...you get a surprised look! :-)

His Uncle Kevin (my sister's hubby) & Mason...

Ryan was trying to make him look like LL Cool J! :-)

It was a quick coffee & visit..but worth it. Check back next week for updates on our In-Vitro Journey...hope you're enjoying it! KK