No more of the dreaded BCPs! Hooray!! I am so excited I could scream.
Perhaps I will take the remaining pills and place them on the back porch and watch them melt in the storm!
Or maybe I will crush them into a fine powder and scatter them in the Bay.
Or maybe I will put them in the driveway and run them over with the minivan 20-30 times.
Yes that is it, I knew I needed a minivan for something!
Friday, January 4, 2008
Thankful
We really have so much for which we should be thankful.
Near the top of our list, has to be the family and friends who have supported us as we have been on this journey.
To Katie: who has been through each day with us, tolerating her Mom's mood swings, and even tolerating her Mom's embarrassing stock piles of infertility drugs in the frig. You are an awesome child baby girl, and if we are lucky enough to have another baby, you will be an awesome big sister. Struggling to understand yourself at 12 is often difficult, but struggling to understand this complicated world of assisted fertility is even more challenging. Thanks so much for loving us and being patient with us. Thanks also for the tremendous joy and love you have brought to our family. Any child would be honored to call you sister.
To my co-workers: You spend more hours of the day with me than my own family does. You have seen me at my best and at my worst. You have shared in my hopes, wiped away my tears, given me much needed hugs, and know more than you ever cared to know about my anatomical and emotional defects. Thanks so much!
To my family: Boy we are not in Ohio anymore are we? I know this is way outside of the comfort zone for many of you, but not once have a I heard a negative remark. There has been nothing but love, and hope, and support given. In our neck of the woods, family is family and it does not matter how dysfunctional or untraditional we are, we still love one another. Aunt Patty has already bought the new baby an outfit and make a blanket for him/her. This is the kind of hope and love I know my family gives. Thanks so much to all of you.
To my in-laws: thanks to those of you have embraced us and held out your hands to help us down this path. For those in the Bay Area all your support is greatly appreciated, I promise to call when I need you, whether you believe me or not! To those of you who struggle with the implications of assisted fertility, may God open your hearts to the joy and love of a new life.
To my little sister, Dawn. Wow sister this is big. Had I known when you were carrying my dolls around by the hair of the head, that you would be giving me a gift so precious I swear I would never had complained! You are incredible. I am not even sure we can comprehend a gift of love such as this. Sisters, Aunts, and Mothers we have shared these roles for many years, but never in such an intimate manner. I love you and and even if this does not work out in the way that we hoped, I will never forget the way you so willingly gave of yourself so that Matthew and I could have a child. We both love you dearly!
Thanks to God. I have not always been the best child, but I know that ultimately this decision is yours. We try so hard to control every aspect of our lives, help us to accept the future, whatever it is. Help us also to remember we are already blessed beyond measure.
HUGS TO ALL!
Theresa & Matthew
Near the top of our list, has to be the family and friends who have supported us as we have been on this journey.
To Katie: who has been through each day with us, tolerating her Mom's mood swings, and even tolerating her Mom's embarrassing stock piles of infertility drugs in the frig. You are an awesome child baby girl, and if we are lucky enough to have another baby, you will be an awesome big sister. Struggling to understand yourself at 12 is often difficult, but struggling to understand this complicated world of assisted fertility is even more challenging. Thanks so much for loving us and being patient with us. Thanks also for the tremendous joy and love you have brought to our family. Any child would be honored to call you sister.
To my co-workers: You spend more hours of the day with me than my own family does. You have seen me at my best and at my worst. You have shared in my hopes, wiped away my tears, given me much needed hugs, and know more than you ever cared to know about my anatomical and emotional defects. Thanks so much!
To my family: Boy we are not in Ohio anymore are we? I know this is way outside of the comfort zone for many of you, but not once have a I heard a negative remark. There has been nothing but love, and hope, and support given. In our neck of the woods, family is family and it does not matter how dysfunctional or untraditional we are, we still love one another. Aunt Patty has already bought the new baby an outfit and make a blanket for him/her. This is the kind of hope and love I know my family gives. Thanks so much to all of you.
To my in-laws: thanks to those of you have embraced us and held out your hands to help us down this path. For those in the Bay Area all your support is greatly appreciated, I promise to call when I need you, whether you believe me or not! To those of you who struggle with the implications of assisted fertility, may God open your hearts to the joy and love of a new life.
To my little sister, Dawn. Wow sister this is big. Had I known when you were carrying my dolls around by the hair of the head, that you would be giving me a gift so precious I swear I would never had complained! You are incredible. I am not even sure we can comprehend a gift of love such as this. Sisters, Aunts, and Mothers we have shared these roles for many years, but never in such an intimate manner. I love you and and even if this does not work out in the way that we hoped, I will never forget the way you so willingly gave of yourself so that Matthew and I could have a child. We both love you dearly!
Thanks to God. I have not always been the best child, but I know that ultimately this decision is yours. We try so hard to control every aspect of our lives, help us to accept the future, whatever it is. Help us also to remember we are already blessed beyond measure.
HUGS TO ALL!
Theresa & Matthew
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Stats for the truly curious!
Here is a quote from my clinics web site....
Risks of Egg Donation
Risks of Egg Donation
In addition to the usual risks of IVF, approximately 15% of these pregnancies will miscarry, and 25% of egg donation pregnancies result in multiple births (twins or triplets). The success rates are better than pregnancy rates in IVF cycles using a woman’s own eggs
Chance of multiple births
Everything in the literature says there is an increased risk of multiple births with donor eggs. For our sake I hope it is just one. Not because I am opposed to twins, I just think it would be impossible for us to pick out 2 names. It is a struggle just to figure out one!
When you have a husband who chooses names like Wolfgang and Sheherizod, you can understand my plight!
Really I would not mind two as long as I get to name them both!
When you have a husband who chooses names like Wolfgang and Sheherizod, you can understand my plight!
Really I would not mind two as long as I get to name them both!
I almost forgot!
Last night I got ready for bed, casually chatting with my husband about my vitamins. We got into bed and turned out the lights and then suddenly it hit me....My shot! I sat straight up and my husband looked at me like I was crazy. I repeated, "my shot, I forgot my shot". I went traipsing through the house to gather the medication I had tucked away after I picked it up from the pharmacy a couple of weeks ago. After all this waiting, and build-up, I can't believe I almost forgot to take my first shot.
BTW, Lupron is so much nicer than the stimulating medications. I barely felt the injection into my belly, but afterwards it itched like a little bug bite. No side effects yet. So far so good!
BTW, Lupron is so much nicer than the stimulating medications. I barely felt the injection into my belly, but afterwards it itched like a little bug bite. No side effects yet. So far so good!
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Psychiatric Evaluations
For anyone who actually knows the four of us.....Me, Matthew, Dawn, and Ron.....the fact that we were evaluated by a professional and judged as being mentally sound is a miracle in itself. This too may be additional evidence that some divine intervention has taken place.
My biggest fear was the woman was going to say...no way...you are all way to crazy to bring a child into this world together....what were you thinking!
She basically asked us questions to be sure we had thought through this entire process and had realistic expectations of what could occur.
I do worry though that if we are not successful that it could be devastating emotionally for all. We have a 50/50 chance, which is better than the 25% I had alone...still....
My biggest fear was the woman was going to say...no way...you are all way to crazy to bring a child into this world together....what were you thinking!
She basically asked us questions to be sure we had thought through this entire process and had realistic expectations of what could occur.
I do worry though that if we are not successful that it could be devastating emotionally for all. We have a 50/50 chance, which is better than the 25% I had alone...still....
As we're off.......
Today is the first day of injections. Dawn and I both will start taking Lupron injections into our belly. This sounds worse than it actually is, it is a little stick followed by a slight burn, the trick is psyching yourself up to doing it!
Info for the the scientific among us:
Lupron acts by suppressing the pituitary gland (which is normally responsible for triggering ovulation). However, before suppression occurs, Lupron may briefly stimulate the pituitary causing an increase in the pituitary hormones LH (luteinizing hormone) and FSH (follicle stimulating hormone). This is called the agonist or flare. For this reason, it is usually given for a few weeks before starting the other fertility medications. This allows us to “get past” the stimulation phase and into the suppression or desensitization phase.
Using birth control pills
The problems with Lupron can also be reduced by first starting a woman on birth control pills. The pills can be given for variable lengths of time but at least for 10 days. The Lupron can be started at any point after the fifth day. Once started, the birth control pills would be continued for five additional days and then stopped.
Which explains why I had to take those damn BCPs for the last few weeks! They are over Friday though. I hope that when they are over I will stop having this pimple problem as well.
Oh the things we do to ourselves for the sake of motherhood!
Info for the the scientific among us:
Lupron acts by suppressing the pituitary gland (which is normally responsible for triggering ovulation). However, before suppression occurs, Lupron may briefly stimulate the pituitary causing an increase in the pituitary hormones LH (luteinizing hormone) and FSH (follicle stimulating hormone). This is called the agonist or flare. For this reason, it is usually given for a few weeks before starting the other fertility medications. This allows us to “get past” the stimulation phase and into the suppression or desensitization phase.Using birth control pills
The problems with Lupron can also be reduced by first starting a woman on birth control pills. The pills can be given for variable lengths of time but at least for 10 days. The Lupron can be started at any point after the fifth day. Once started, the birth control pills would be continued for five additional days and then stopped.
Which explains why I had to take those damn BCPs for the last few weeks! They are over Friday though. I hope that when they are over I will stop having this pimple problem as well.
Oh the things we do to ourselves for the sake of motherhood!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
