May 16th has come and gone now, but man it was a good day! Eric and I drove to Milwaukee with excitement running through our veins and eagerness to have more information. Okay so that was probably more me than Eric, but I think he was still excited. I didn't know what to expect when we pulled up to the facility, but it had beautiful curb appeal. We headed up to the second floor, and I found myself kind of nervous, it was a different kind of nervous though. Trying to find the right words to describe my nerves is not easy, but I always come back to my IP's. I know their story, I've seen the love they have for each other, the excitement in their eyes with the thought of a new baby in their arms, and my heart melts a little. My nerves start to take over because it's no longer just Eric and I. When I started to consider this journey it was something we were doing together, 100% together, and now that we have our IP's it is no longer the two of us. The four of us are a team, and so what I go through they do and vise verse. So walking into the doctors office I felt nervous for the four us. This is a big step, but I know I have the support system of my family and friends, and the support of my IP's.
Okay so here's how the appointment went:
I got blood work done to check for an array of things including thyroid, OB panel, STD's, and vaccinations...10 VIALS later...I was light-headed but doing well. Thank goodness I don't have issues with needles or bad veins! Then we met with one of the nurses that works with the doctor and "third party reproduction" to go through some of the process while we waited for the doc. She went through her experiences and background, and what the next couple of months are going to look like. Then she gave me the best news yet! I won't have to do daily injections for the hormone therapy for several weeks!! Talk about relief!! Like I said before, needles do not bother me, but the thought of having an injection done daily in the same spot for several weeks on my hip area makes me cringe. I could practically see and feel the bruise and knot that was going to take over my hip area! I was prepared to do it, even had informed some co-workers that I might have them "stick me" for a few weeks, but I am thankful it's not going to be the case.
So the doc comes in and I wasn't sure what to expect. What are fertility specialists like? Was he going to be all business, no personality? Is he easy to talk to and understand? I have questions about EVERYTHING but no idea how to form them into a question, oh boy was I on overload the moment I sat in that chair! I hate feeling like I don't know anything or not knowing what is going to happen. (Can you tell I don't like surprises?) He sits down at his desk and says..."So what do you know about this process?" Was he reading my mind?! I said, well I've tried to do some research and know a little bit about the hormone therapy and what it can entail, but I know that each doctor does things different so I've tried not to set my mind on one thing. Luckily he understood my need for information because I left there with 2 pamphlets about the hormone medications and how the transfer will work. I was a happy girl.
Anyways, here is what we discussed and where we are at now (guys you might not want to read this because I know the reaction my brother had when I said the word uterus in front of him and it's going to be more detailed than that...) First we talked about the ultrasound I have to get done, I was wrong before it's a hysterosonogram. This is an ultrasound of my uteran cavity to check for polyps, fibroids, unknown deformities, and anything else that might be in there. I have no reason to believe anything is wrong, but we have to know for sure. The tricky part with this is that is has to be done on a certain day of my cycle, day 7-12 to be exact. So the plan is to have that done in Madison, just a little closer for me. After the results come back from all my blood work and the ultrasound, we will sign the parenting agreement, more on that at another time, and then we start the fun stuff. Once everything is signed and set I will start hormone therapy. Step number one is to "trick" my body into thinking it's going through menopause...watch out hubby! I will have to do daily injections into my stomach with Lupron for a couple of weeks. (Totally cool with that) The reason we have to do this is to "quiet" my ovaries and thin out the lining of my uterus. Once I have been on that for a couple weeks we will do another ultrasound to make sure it's working. If everything looks good, then I start Estrogen on day 1 of my cycle. This is going to "fluff" my lining so it is ready to accept the embryo. After a few days of that I have another ultrasound to make sure the Estrogen is working correctly. If everything looks good we are set to continue! And you guessed it, more hormones! Okay so my poor hubby is probably going to be ready to go crazy, but thankfully it will be nice out he can go fishing, play softball, or something and steer clear of the mood swings I am going to have. Anyways, I will then start progesterone. This is the hormone that will help my body think it's pregnant and support the embryo once it's transferred.
I know that was A LOT information but the exciting part is that, even though we don't have a set date for a transfer right now, we have a timeline to go off of! Once my next cycle starts I have an ultrasound, then once the second cycle comes I start Lupron, then comes the Estrogen and progesterone on cycle number 3 AND on day 22 of the 3rd cycle we are looking at TRANSFER DAY! Wow, that whole previous paragraph in one sentence. Just in a very small nutshell ;) Sorry I have a thing for detail when I write.
The doctor was so nice, easy going, and very informative. No wonder my IP's spoke so highly of him. I left my appointment feeling informed and maybe a little light-headed still. The nerves had long since fallen away, and for once in my life I am eagerly awaiting my next cycle, or as we call it in my house "shark week" ;)
Until next time...
