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Our IVF Journey

~The thought of holding you, gives us hope.~

Our Pregnancy Journal - Chase Alan EED 3/10/05

Our IVF Journey
 
~This is actually a copy of the email updates that I am using to keep our family/friends updated about our IVF and that will go in the baby book.  If you would like to be added to the actual email list, please let me know!~
 
7/7/04
 
Thank you so much to each and every one of you that has sent prayers for our little miracle.  We just recieved the phone call saying that our numbers have slightly more than doubled and that we still have at least one baby growing in there (they wanted to see a 60% increase, so they were happy)!  Although they cautioned that we are not out of the woods yet, we are greatly relieved with the news.  We have been told to take it very easy and to try to relax.  It has been the longest 46 hours of our lives and we are both exhausted and thrilled at the same time.  We will go back in on Friday for our next round of bloodwork and every other day after that for a while.  As far as we can understand, we had what they call "vanishing twin syndrome," meaning that we had more than one implant and we lost one.  After the one stopped growing, there was a temporary drop in numbers while the remaining one tried to close the gap.  As sad as we are to know that we did lose a baby, we feel extremely blessed to know that we still have one in there.  Let us just pray that this baby continues to grow and be strong.  God truly is a giving God.  Thank you all again so much, we do not know what we would do without ya'll. 
 
Love,
Jeff, Kahla, and our Little Miracle
 
P.S.  I truly believe it is time to close this chapter of our journey, our next update will be on our Pregnancy Page.  Thank you all again!
 
7/5/04
 
Although we had not sent out an official email, we found out last Wednesday that we did indeed have a little miracle baby on the way.  Our bloodwork on Friday confirmed it and our numbers had risin beautifully.  However, our numbers today dropped by two, which isn't a lot, but they should have slightly more than doubled.  They said it means one of two things:
 
1) More than one embryo implanted and we lost one or
 
2) We are going to lose the baby.
 
We are praying that we had more than one implant and we have lost one.  Please keep us and our baby in your prayers.  We will not be able to have more labwork until Wednesday and that will tell us in which direction we are going.  We cannot bare the thought of losing this baby and God only knows how we will make it through the next 48 hours.  We know that God answers prayers and works miracles, we just need him to answer one more.  Thank so you much for doing this for us.
 
7/2/04
 
Our bloodwork has rose beautifully and it looks like our little miracle is doing well.  I go back on Monday for our next round of bloodwork.  Hope everyone has a GREAT holiday!
 
6/30/04
 
When I went for my bloodwork this morning I was told we probably wouldn't know anything until Monday, July 5th, that is five more days!!!!  However, I received the call this afternoon that we ARE pregnant!!!!  I haven't sent this out in an email yet because we haven't told some people (like Jeff's grandparents) and we don't want them to "accidently" find out through someone other than us!  I go back for bloodwork again on Friday and we are planning on telling them Friday evening.  Thank you all so much for your prayers and support during this journey, it has meant so much to us.  We truly feel that without all of you, we never would have made.  We feel so blessed that this worked on our first try and know that God does answer prayers, even if it's not quite as fast as you'd like.  I will be writing one final IVF journal entry this weekend and then we will be switching over to a "Pregnancy journal."  Thanks again for everything!  Oh, our EDD is March 10th and we are "4 weeks" as of July 2nd!
 
6/28/04
 
Our bloodwork is still looking good and we were told to continue with our progesterone, estrace, and estrogen patches.  We are so close and the wait is killing us!!!  I'm not sure who's more antsy... us, friends, or family!
 
6/25/04
 
There's really not much to update on.  Like Jeff reported, we had our transfer on Monday and transferred 3 beautiful 8-cell embryos.  We even have a picture, that maybe I can get scanned and on the website (don't hold your breath).  I did my bedrest and all I can say about is I have no clue how those poor ladies who are on it for months do it!  3 days was more than enough for me (although it is worth it).  It was so nice to finally be up and out of bed on Thursday!  I had bloodwork yesterday and today, but it's pretty  much just a waiting game right now.  We are still on daily progesterone shots, we booster my HCG tonight, I'm on estrogen patches and estrace.  If I add anything else, I'm gonna have to get a calendar to keep track! *wink*  I go back Monday (and every other day after that) for bloodwork again and hopefully we'll have some good news by the fourth.  As for symptoms, not really feeling much of anything except for cramping here and there and bloating, which they say is normal!  Of course, I'm way behind on emails because I've been off the computer for bedrest, but I appreciate them all.  Keep those prayers coming! (On a side note, our fourth little embryo stopped growing, so they weren't able to freeze it, I forgot to put that in the email.)
 
6/21/04
 
Well, we have officially picked the kids up from "summer camp." ;o)  We transferred 3 8-cell embryos that according to Dr. Gill, looked "really good."  The 4th one has made it to a 5-cell and wasn't quite ready to go.  They are going to continue to watch it to see if it makes it to the point where they can freeze it.  Kahla IS on bedrest and will be for a while.  She goes back in on Thursday morning for bloodwork, but it'll be a while before we know anything, well, we KNOW this is going to work, but it'll be a while before that's confirmed.  Thank you for the support and prayers.
 
 
6/19/04
 
We got the fertilization report and things are looking pretty good.  Out of the 6 eggs, 5 were mature and 4 fertilized.  According to our embryologist, those 4 look really good.  Now they just have to keep growing and looking good!!!  I won't get another update until our transfer, so send those prayers for our babies!  We just know they are going to make it.  I'll have to get Jeff to send an update out after our transfer on Monday, because I will be on strict bedrest for a while.  Our transfer is at 10:30 on Monday.  Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying summer!
 
6/18/04
 
Well, we made it through the retrieval!  It actually wasn't that bad and other than the fact that it REALLY hurts to bend over or stand up straight, I'm really doing well!!!  Bad news is, my right ovary has moved around so much that it ended up with too many blood vessels and stuff around it, so we couldn't get any eggs from it.  Dr. Gill said it would be too much of a risk for bleeding and/or infection.  Since he's the Dr., he knows best, right?? Good news, we did get 6 eggs from my left ovary!!!  So, not quite what we'd hoped for, but it only takes one!  Now, we just need to get them to fertilize and divide and we're good to go.  We are praying that all 6 make it and we can transfer three and freeze three for the next go around, when the time comes.  Since we KNOW this time is going to work, we won't need the totsicles for a little while, but it would be so comforting to know they are waiting on us!  We will get the fertilization report tomorrow and then we go in at 9:00 for the transfer on Monday.  From what I've been told, the retrieval today was the hardest part and it's all downhill from here!  Hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!
 
6/17/04
 
The HCG injection was a success, Jeff was a pro!!!  Of course, I had faith in him all along, even if he didn't! ;o)  In a little over 24 hours, we'll be doing our retrieval! 
 
6/16/04
 
Jeff got to go to the appointment with me today because he got rained out again.  The ultrasound was really clear, so he really enjoyed that part.  He said all the follicles look like a big bunch of grapes.  We measured 5 follicles on my left ovary that are at the perfect size (Dr. Gill said my ovary was beautiful, is that a compliment??) and then there were some smaller ones that may or may not make it.  My right ovary has started to fold over some because it's gotten so heavy and Dr. Gill was afraid that it would hurt too much if he tried to get a good shot of it, so we didn't get to see that one.  However, from the past ultrasounds we know that there are several good ones on that side too, so we aren't worried.  He did say it'd be a lot easier to manipulate when I'm under for the retrieval.  Speaking of retrieval, we not only have dates now, we have times!  Jeff will give my HCG trigger shot at 11:30 tonight and then we have to be at the hospital at 9:30 on Friday morning.  The actual retrieval time is 11:00.  I don't have a time for the transfer on Monday yet, but I'll get it soon.  We should get a fertilization report sometime Saturday and that will tell us how our little embies are doing!  I can't believe that this part of our IVF journey is coming to an end, I'm so excited!!!!  Keep sending prayers, we're almost there!!!
 
 
6/15/04
 
Well, we have official dates!!!!  Thanks to the rain, Jeff actually got to go with me to the appointment today and he thought it was pretty neat to see all our follicles on the screen (I think it's finally hitting home for us that one or more of those will be our baby(ies)!!  We had lots of follicles that ranged from 12mm to 21mm and they were really happy with that.  They have decided to let me stim for one more day, in order to get as many follicles as we can, and we'll trigger Wednesday (well, Thursday in the very early AM).  So, retrieval will be Friday and transfer will be Monday.  Guess we missed the Father's Day transfer, but I figure we're still close enough!!  I asked how many they thought we'd get and our nurse said that we'd probably get at least 8 good ones, which means we should have some to freeze.  I have to admit, I'd like more, but like Dr. Gill (and a few others) keep telling me, it's quality, NOT quantity!  Of course, no one can say for sure how many we'll get or how many will make it when it comes to fertilizing and growing.
 
We still have lots of hurdles to cross and we're gonna keep taking it one day at a time!  We are just thrilled to have made it this far without any snags!  I am kinda glad that this part is almost over, because although it's not painful, I'm getting a tad uncomfortable.  Maybe it's because my normally walnut-sized ovaries are about the size of large oranges now (ok, probably TMI again).  Of course, I'd be ok with them being the size of watermelons if it gave us our little miracle!!! 
 
I *think* our positive BETA will be right around July 4th, but don't hold me to that!  I have one last appt at 10:15 in the morning and then that'll be it until Friday!!!!  Thanks for all the prayers!!!
 
6/14/04
 
Well, it looks like we are just about there!  At the appt. this morning, Dr. Gill measured 10 follicles that were 18/19 mm and the goal is to get them around 20.  There were also a couple that he didn't measure (my ovaries are huge, so the follies are kinda all squished in there - maybe too much info for you).  I think our numbers are looking very good and he seemed really happy with our progress.  We did have one that we'll probably lose because it's ready to go now and will be too big when the time comes, but that's ok!  He said that things are looking great and that he wants me to have one more night of stims and to see me at 9:15 in the morning.  He thinks that the retrieval will be Thursday and the transfer on Sunday, however, it could be Friday and Monday, at the latest.  I really think it'll be Thursday and Sunday though, which is awesome because Sunday is Father's Day!  I do hate to make him work on Father's Day though, hadn't thought of that!!!  I'm sure he expects that being in the business he's in, we'll have to get him something really nice when we are done with all of this!!!  I guess we'll know exact dates at tomorrow's appt.  Oh gosh, I can't believe that after three long years, we're going to be parents! 
 
Thanks again for all the emails, prayers, and positive thoughts!!!  We REALLY appreciate them!!  I'll send an email out when I get home from tomorrow's appointment!
 
6/11/04
 
What a GREAT day!!!  Shots are still going really and last night we discovered that a slightly larger needle makes the meds go in a lot smoother and more to Jeff's liking!  Too bad we didn't figure that out in the beginning, eh?  When I say larger, I mean a little bigger around and only like an 1/8th of an inch longer.  Not really enough to make it hurt! ;o)!
 
The appointment went really well today and there were enough follicles growing, that I had trouble counting them all.  Of course, the monitor I get to see is teeny tiny, which didn't help the situation.  From what I could tell, there are at least 4 or 5 on one side and about 6 or 7 on the other.  Of course, those are the ones I could see, so that doesn't mean there aren't some smaller ones hiding out behind those!  I was told that things are looking perfect!  As for measurements, they were anywhere from 11-14mm (I think, I couldn't tell if it said 14 or 15 because the screen is so small).  Our RE, Dr. Gill, thinks that we are looking at a retrieval towards the middle/end of next week, which means transfer will probably be that weekend.  I was thinking, and we could have transfer on Father's Day, that would have to be good luck!  Heck, in my book, anything around that day is good luck!!!  Also, I didn't get to ask specific numbers on the bloodwork, but I was told that the numbers are rising just like they should.  I get so excited, I forgot to ask questions when I'm there!   
 
I actually had lunch with another friend yesterday and between everyone there were two new babies and then the one pg with twins, I'm saying that's some major baby vibes for me!  Now, the last bit.  It has come to my attention, that a few people would like to know more about IVF/ICSI.  I'm going to send the link to our RE's webpage and if you still have questions, you can ask and I'll do my best to answer them.  The link is:  http://www.houstonfertilityinstitute.com/
 
I'm sure that I've rambled on more than enough and ya'll are tired of it, so I'll finish by saying that I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend and that you get to relax to your hearts content.  My next appt. is Monday at 10:15, so I'll send the next update then!
 
 
6/9/04
 
Well, we had a much better appointment today and I am feeling wonderful about it!  We are five shots down, with ??? to go and Jeff is still doing a GREAT job!!!  We are almost to the point where we could play a good "connect the dots" game on my belly, but that's ok!  On the ultrasound I could actually see what they were talking about for once, which was pretty neat.  We have at least 3 follicles on the right that were at 10 and then 4 on the left that were at 7.5.  I know that most of you have no idea what that means, but it's good!!!  My RE said that for 5 days of stims, I'm doing wonderful!  There were also several smaller ones that they didn't measure and those are likely to catch up and be mature for retrieval when the time comes.  We are hoping for a baker's dozen, so we have some to freeze for when the time comes we have to do this again.  Working with frozen embryos is about a 1/4 of the cost of a fresh cycle, so we can really use prayers in that department too.  My bloodwork also came back good, which means that things so far are going just like they should!  Other than little pains here and there from my ovaries getting big (which our RE said is normal), I'm not having a bit of trouble.  We are just getting more and more excited each day and can't wait for the end of the month when we get those POSITIVE results!!!
 
On a side note, the friend that I mentioned was pregnant by her 2nd IVF found out she is having twins today!!  We are very happy for her and thrilled that she is expecing two little bundles of joy!
 
Our next appt. is Friday morning and we should have a better idea of when our retrieval and transfer will be.  It's getting close, we can't wait!
 
6/7/04
 
Hi Everyone!
 
3 shots down, ??? to go!  Jeff has become a real pro at this shot thing and to be honest, they don't even hurt!  Maybe he actually enjoys giving them and won't admit it! *wink*  It's amazing that we are actually to this point, although I have to admit, I'm ready to just be done and on the pregnant side!  The way things are looking, we'll probably have the retrieval around the 14th and the transfer around the 18th!  That means that we would have our POSITIVE pregnancy test around the end of the month and I would take that as an early birthday gift anyday!!!  
 
I did have an appointment today, but it was pretty uneventful.  I went in at 10:45, had my blood drawn, and then waited until noon to see if our Dr. would be back to do the ultrasound because he was over at the hospital doing a retrieval.  He hadn't made it back and they were ready for lunch, so the head nurse did it.  It was all pretty quick and I can never make out ANYTHING on the ultrasound screen, but she said there were multiple small follicles on both sides and that things were fine.  I wish I had numbers and sizes, but I guess I'll get those Wednesday at our next appointment.  I think she was just in a big hurry and didn't want to take more time.  They called this afternoon and said the bloodwork looked good and to stay on the same dose.  Made me a little nervous I didn't have numbers, but my friend assures me that everything is FINE and I need to stop worrying!  I guess she's right and we just have to keep thinking positive!
 
Thanks for all the support and emails, I'm trying to respond to them all, but I'm a little behind! *blush*  We really do believe in the power on prayer and know that there is no way this can fail.  Hope all is well with everyone else.
 
6/4/04
 
Well, our first bloodwork and ultrasound are now a thing of the past!  Basically, they were just making sure that I had no cysts and that the bloodwork looked good.  They said that things look great (not that there was much to look at) and that it is a go!  Jeff starts his antibiotic tonight and I start daily shots in just a few hours!  Now, who else would be excited about starting daily shots?!?!?  I go back on Monday for our next ultrasound/bloodwork and to see how our follies are growing!!!  By then, I should be a pro at this whole shot thing! ;o)
 
On a side note, a dear friend that we had referred to our RE (IVF Dr) found out today that her 2nd IVF has worked!!!  That's gotta be a good sign, right?  Oh, and did I mention that they think she is having at least 2 because her numbers are so high?!?!  WOW!  Congrats to her and her hubby!!
 
Also, thanks for all the emails of support and prayers, they are REALLY appreciated and we don't know what we would do without ya'll!  This is going to work!!!!
 
6/2/04
 
Ok, at the advice of a friend who now has triplet girls through IVF, Jeff and I will be doing email updates throughout our IVF journey.  If you don't want to be on this list, please just let me know and I will take you off or if there's someone I should add let me know!  Hopefully, this is just the first of many exciting and wonderful emails to come.
 
After over 3 years of trying and over a year of saving to be able to afford IVF (stupid insurance companies), we are finally getting the ball rolling!!  I will go in Friday morning for our first ultrasound/bloodwork and then we will start stims that evening.  It's hard for me to believe that this time next month, we will have a baby on the way (thinking positive)!  I will also be pre-registering at the hospital on Friday and things are really starting to feel like we're moving again, that being benched for a year was tough!!!! 
 
Hope all is well with everyone!

~Chase Alan Larson, 3/07/05!~