Full Steam Ahead!

I think I have a smile still on my face after our little getaway to St. Louis to see the doctor.  I didn't sleep very much last night as I was so nervous about finding out if my dreams were going to be dashed.  When we walked into the place, I immediately was welcomed by a nice, clean, and modern office.  It was very welcoming and I felt at ease.  Chris of course was more on edge, but that is to be expected since he gets to do all of the appointments with me as we both have to travel to St. Louis together.  The nurse came and got me and asked me a few questions.  I of course, immediately asked if they have my blood results and she said still no.  I was to nervous to dwell on that too much, but I did think that was over a week ago and they should have the results.  When I was brought into the room for the ultrasound, I couldn't believe how nice it was.  The computer ultrasound machine was new and there were other high tech gadgets that my other office didn't have.  I know I need to quit comparing the two offices, but I do that all the time.  Any how, when Dr. Ahlering came in, which seemed like forever, he immediately put me at ease.  To be honest this was my first appt with a male doctor.  Chris just sat in the corner and was grossed out.  :)  Any how, he said that we were going to do a couple of tests.  I reminded him that this was day 13 for me and I was more than concerned that my follicles or eggs would be gone already and told him about my first month that I was to do IUI years ago and how my eggs just disappeared.  He said that we will just see what we see.  He did a test first that involved looking at my cervix and taking a specimen....not fun, but it was easier than it had been in the past it was very similar to IUI and how they will implant the embryos back in.  Then came the dreaded ultrasound.  I was so nervous just laying there and Chris just kept looking at my face.  First thing he looked at was my uterus and it looked great is what he said.  Then he said my lining was nice and thick which is good.  Then came the part I was dreading. looking at my ovaries to see if I had any follicles.  He looked at my right one and I still can't believe what I saw...  10 follicles or eggs!!!!!!!!!!!  I couldn't believe it with my own eyes.  Here I thought I was only having like 1 or 2 follicles a month and to see this.  I had one that was rather large that he thinks I will ovulate later this week.  He told me to buy a predictor kit and try on our own later this weekend.  :)  Then he looked at my other ovary and there were 20 more follicles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Alright the downside to this is now I have to have more bloodwork to see if I have PCOS, but to be honest that isn't a big deal right now other than going on the metformin which will make me sick, but I have EGGS!  He said that this is fantastic news as it shows my ovarian reserve may be deplenishing, but it isn't gone just yet and it is still working hard.  :)  I am so happy!  He said that this is the best case scenario as we want to be able to retrieve like 20 eggs for an IVF cycle.  The fact that I had almost 30 with no drugs, just means that I won't have to do as much drugs as some people and he thinks that this is going to work and we are going to get the end result that we want.  I started to tear up hearing this.  Did he just say that he thinks I am going to get pregnant!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I just looked at Chris and he was beaming from ear to ear.  We really feel like everything is falling into place.  I told him that we want to do this and what is next.  He said that once I have my next period, I will be on birth control until it is time to start our IVF cycle.  In doing this it forces my body to be normal (that was funny to hear) and put me on a regular schedule.  It also will get me on the same cycle as the other women who are doing IVF at the same time.  Nice.  He said that once he has all of my blood tests that we will confer again.  I am set for another phone conference with him on March 4th to go over everything and really lay out our plan.  This will also give us more idea of what is coming up.  I still can't believe we are doing this.  I have another phone conference on March 3rd with the IVF consultant to go over the financial side.  I did find out that teachers get a discount!!  WOO HOO!  My day is just getting better with all of this.  Right now we are just on cloud 9 and anxious to get more information to get this going.  I still can't believe that the doctor said that this is going to work.  :)  On our long drive home we were talking about names as I have this feeling we are going to end up with multiples and I have a girl name, which I am not sharing, but Chris has a boy name picked out now.  It is Gomez.  :)  We laughed almost the whole way home on that one.  (That isn't the real name, but it was funny thinking of how that sounded with our last name.)  We are both so happy and I love him more than ever.  WE will get through this and be parents in just a short time, I just know it.  Thanks for all of the thoughts and prayers as we couldn't do this without you.  My sister gave me an Italian prayer card which I am going to read daily to help me get through this and keep my spirits up.  This is definitely in God's hands, but it seems to finally be working out in our favor which is about time.  Two years ago at this time we were doing IUI and ended up pregnant.  It seems forever ago.

Bloodwork Done

Oh me oh my!  What a Valentine's Day!  I went for my bloodwork this morning and was shocked to see the lady at Quest print off sheet after sheet of tests that they were doing.  Did I forget to mention that I am terrified of needles and blood!!!!!  I asked the lady how many tubes are you taking?  She looked at me and said 11!!!!  I immediately felt sick to my stomach and faint.  We started and I had to lay down as I was going to faint.  11 tubes later we were done and she got the blood out of the room so I could sit up.  I hope that I don't have to do that again.  I remember doing that the first time I started infertility treatment thinking never again and here I am again.  I felt like crap the rest of the day and I still have a headache.  I just wish I would have my results tomorrow, but with my doctor out of town until Thursday I guess I will have to wait until then to hear the results.  I had my fingers crossed the whole time praying that I won't have to go back on Metformin, but I am sure I will.  On the flip side if I need that drug to help my insulin levels to get pregnant, I will do anything.  I am ready to face this challenge and adventure with no regrets.  I guess we will see later week the first part of my results and find out if I am even a candidate for IVF still.  I am going to pray extra hard these next few days that everything works out alright.  Tonight as my husband and I hugged on this romantic day, we both know that we are ready for this and ready to get on this road again.  We are in this together!

Date Set

I finally have dates set for my tests and now I know that I am going to know something in a few weeks.  I go on Monday for the bloodwork to determine the quality of my eggs and levels.  I have to say that I am more than nervous, but like a friend said even if my eggs aren't good, there are always other options.  I hope that I find out pretty quickly the results of my tests.  I have a feeling that I will be on pins and needles.  Then I go in to see my new doctor for the first time on the 22nd to see how many eggs I have left and check my follicles.  Even more nervous, but anxious to meet my new doctor in person and see what he says.  In talking to the receptionist today, I figured out that once you choose the month you want to do this, that then you are set on the same date as everyone else in that month.  They make everyones cycles do the same thing so they can make things easier for them.  The reason I can't get in on the 21st is he seeing all of the people a part of the March cycle.  I guess I will be a part of the June group.  I think it is smart to do it this way and know that the other people in the office are in the exact same boat, but I am anxious to see how they do this as my body is screwy.  I guess we will see what I find out.  I hope that I find out results sooner than later or I might go insane.  I am really ready to get this ball rolling if you can't tell.

Lots of Info Coming Our Way

I guess I have never wanted to start my period so badly.  I know I have some more time left, but I am starting to get anxious about seeing my new doctor for this test to find out my ovarian reserve.  I just listened to a workshop that he was doing online and it just blew me away seeing all of these people that were there to see him.  Hearing him talk about quantity vs quality really shows me that I am at the right place.   All of this on top of my friend having her baby early and he ended up being fine.  Holding him has just made me want this more than ever.  I am really and truly getting anxious about our new path.  I hope that these next few weeks fly by and then the months fly by.  On top of all of this I am working out again and trying to eat healthier.  I really feel like this is the answers to our prayers and this time next year I will be a momma!  :)  Prayers for all of you that are going through the same bumps!