IVF egg retrieval - Tomorrow Morning - Eeek!!

Ladies and Gents. . . 

I’ve been a bit quite on the Blogger front, but I did want to let everyone know that I officially go in tomorrow morning at 6:15am for my IVF egg retrieval – Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! 

*Happy Dance* 

I am beyond excited and nervous all at the same time, lol. I feel peaceful about the situation and I'm remaining as positive as I can. I’m sorry to all of my blogger friends for not really sharing much of the process with you all, but I’ve been cheating on Blogger with Youtube. I started making Vlogs, basically video blogs, and since then I haven’t felt very compelled to write out as many things anymore. On the bottom of this post I will include some video links to videos I’ve done over that past couple weeks and months, so that if anyone wants to catch up or see what’s been going on in my world then you certainly can!!

I don’t have much else to say other than - I seriously can’t believe we’re doing Egg Retrieval tomorrow. I feel so amazed that the process has so far. . . gone very smoothly. I feel like the time has flown by faster than I could ever have imagined. I did took my trigger shot last night and went back in to the fertility office this morning for a blood test to make sure the HCG is being absorbed by my body. . . Eeeeeeek!!! 

After the egg retrieval tomorrow I will be off for 3 days so I’m going to take it easy and veg out on my couch to let my body heal. Hopefully the Embryo transfer will be on Monday the 13th, but we’ll know for certain a day or two after the retrieval, if anything it would wind up on Sunday and that's Mothers day *sigh*.

So that’s it folks. . . We’re really, really doing this!! 

I will try and update after the retrieval to let you all know how I’m doing. 

Take care everyone!! 

Links to IVF Facebook Page and Youtube Channel 

https://www.facebook.com/theredheadfilesIVF 

http://www.youtube.com/user/cristaleen

IVF Update for my Bloggy Peeps!!

I know it's been a little while since I posted an IVF update on my blog so here goes!!

I had my Hysteroscopy on Tuesday March 26th and everything looked great. The surgery was quick and minimal :) There were no polyps or scar tissue found *Happy Dance*. The recovery time was very quick and I only had slight bleeding and cramping. Overall things went really smoothly.

We officially received ALL of our medications today!! Eeeeek. Josh text me today at work as soon as they arrived, hehe. Seeing that box brought a smile to my face, but when I opened it up, seeing everything in that box made me a little nervous. . . so many needles it makes my stomach a little queasy already, lol. I'm starting to feel anxious throughout the days now, I know my mind is preparing for this gigantic step we're about to take so the stress I'm feeling is something I need to get used to over the next few weeks. It's just such a nerve wracking process. But I'm suuuuuuper excited to be here!! This has been a long time coming, a long journey with lots of bumps along the way and I feel so unbelievably blessed to get this chance. Next week I will have an appointment to go over all the medications and we'll get our timeline!!! The timeline is a calendar with your medication start date, doses and your estimated egg retrieval and transfer. OMGawdddd. It feels so weird to actually say "our retrieval and transfer". Some days, many days along the way I felt like we were never going to get here, but here we are ready to dive in head first :)

For any of my blog readers that Facebook - I made a Facebook page for "The Redhead Files". Over the last year I've slacked off on blogging and it's partly due to not actively trying to conceive and partly, because I started making videos/Vlogs on YouTube!! I will be posting videos, thoughts, ups, downs, and pictures on my Facebook Page with friends and family and who ever else that wants to follow along. Cheers to IVF in 2013!!!!!

Facebook Page 

 

The Redhead Files 

IVF update!!

We officially went in on February 4th for our first IVF consult appointment!!

Since my grandmother passed away the day before our appointment my brain was not really focused on the IVF stuff. The day of our appointment we were supposed to give blood and "swim team" samples, but I also had an appointment with the funeral home that day, so we didn't get to do that part, because I needed to leave earlier than expected. I've been holding out on doing anything over the last couple weeks, because I just needed more time to deal with her death. I didn't want to start blood work until I felt a little bit more normal, and less emotional. . . I'm doing better now. It is still hard and it hurts that she is gone, but I'm learning to smile again. . .

Josh and I went to the Fertility office on Friday to get things started!! I went to GNC and picked up our high antioxidant vitamins. Geeeez. . .  72.00 Bucks for a 1 month supply for both of us. *gulp*

I gave about 8 vials of blood and Josh also gave blood and a "swim team" sample. (He's such a trooper)

They did a Direct Sperm Antibody test, in the office - which came back normal!!! They are also doing a Sperm Fragmentation test, to see if we'll need IVF - ICSI.

My TSH level was normal :)

I learned that I'll need a diagnostic Hysteroscopy, as my Doctor thinks I may have a polyp. . . Uggg. On March 22nd, I'll have my pre-op appointment and on the 26th I'll have the "mini surgery" as they call it. My doctor will do it in the O.R. and put me under that way if there is a polyp, she can remove it and send it off for testing ASAP.

Once I get the Hysteroscopy done, we'll go back into the office and go over all of our blood work and swim-team tests. Then we'll set up a start date for our IVF cycle and go over the medication process. I think we'll have to schedule a class with the nurse to teach us how to do the injections, what to mix, when to mix and all that good stuff.

Holy Crap. (O.o) -  I'm getting more excited each day!!!

 

Saying goodbye to 2012 with a smile!!

Happy New Year to all my fabulous Family, Friends and Followers ♥ 

I hope this New Year brings you all an overabundance of happiness, love and laughter. And most of all - I hope that 2013 brings a few long awaited BFP's to the TTC community :) Josh and I rang in the New Year with some good friends and a few strong drinks. This is basically our last hurrah, last party, last drunken night for a long while!! There will be no more beer, wine, soda or fast food for us in the new year, lol. Being healthy for IVF is our main focus!!!

Personally, I'm grateful 2012 has finally ended. The only thing about 2012 I care to say is this - I had the best summer in 2012, ever!! Better than I have had in years. Seriously, it was the best. I spent so much time with friends and making new freckles that I almost forgot that I was living the life of an infertile, lol  :)

Other than that, 2012 can suck it for all I care. Hehehe. I'd go back and sift through all the gory details, but I think I can do without reliving the relentless depression, festering anger, deep-rooted sadness and complete loss of hope. Don't get me wrong. . . it could have been worse, much worse. . . and there were definitely some great memories mixed in there. . . but still - 2012 sucked a big one.

Now it is 2013 and that means a fresh start, a new year and a new life canvas to paint - Today I woke up with an overwhelming feeling of hope and motivation!! And I finally started taking my vitamins, again :) Josh took his too!! We will get back into our routine and it will be fabulous, it's breaking all the bad habits that will be hard, lol. I started taking down all of my Christmas decor yesterday *sigh*, just getting the house back in order feels great! I'm about to paint a beautiful tree on the teal wall in the front living room. Eeeek! I'm really excited about it. It will be similar to the tree I painted in my bathroom in September of 2011. I wanted to start the tree before Christmas, but once I put my tree up, I knew there was no way I'd paint the wall until after it was all over. I will post pictures when I'm done with it. Any-who that's about it my peeps. I am going to try and catch up on all my Blogging friends this week. I feel so out of the loop on all of your journey's and lives, ugggg. I've got a lot of reading to do.

Oh and if you will. . . A dear friend of mine had to say goodbye to his Mother who was fighting a battle with Melanoma Skin Cancer on New Years Eve morning. . . He is young, under 25, she was young and in the prime of her life . . . He was very close and she was taken far too early, if you are the type that prays, please pray that he will have enough strength to make it through the coming weeks and months ahead. . . It's terribly tragic and makes my heart feel heavy for him . I mean, it is sad when anyone passes away, but when they are older you kind of understand that it is something that will happen, eventually. When they are in the middle of their life, it is tragic. . . and beyond unfair. Like I said, please keep Sean in your thoughts.

We are totally doing IVF in the Spring!!

So. . . I'm having another date night with a bottle of Pinot Noir! Hahaha, I promise I'm drinking out of a glass this time! More like a coffee cup, but hey it gets the job done. I'm watching "Rock of Ages", snuggled in my blanket, eating some peppermint bark and oh my gosh - I think I unconsciously swoon over Alec Baldwin. I think it's, because he's an Aries like me. He seriously makes me giggle :) Or maybe it is really, because I watch "30 Rock" and I love, LOVE love the relationship between Liz and Jack. . .  I always imagine Josh as my Jack :)

Lately, life has been very busy and I'm so, soo happy that the Holiday season is coming to an end! Work has been super busy, Josh's Nanny passed away and we flew to Louisiana in early December. . . When I got back I went back to work the next day and worked for 10 days straight, my grandmother, the very woman who raised me has been in and out of the Hospital for the last two weeks. She is out now and doing better, but geeeeze. I'm ready for a break and ready for things to calm down. Ugggg. Holiday season in my job field = craziness and longer hours. I'm burnt out, lol.

So, obviously the world did not end on the 21st :| I think I may have secretly hoped something slightly crazy would happen,lol I kept saying to Josh "If the world ends, or society as we know it ends then I won't have to work anymore" Hahaha. Wouldn't that be nice? Oh-well, maybe next time. I did have a Christmas-Dooms Day party at my house on Friday - The day the world was supposed to end, lol. It was a blast!! I had such a great time. I have to say it was the best party turn out at my house since we've moved in :) Christmas was good, not great, but good. I enjoyed being with my family the most! I think I feel so blah about it, because I had to work both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day - Booooo. *sigh* and, because yet again we celebrate Christmas without our own little family - Infertility and Endometriosis suck - Big time *stomps feet*

But. . .  Hopefully. . . This will be our last Christmas as just the two of us!!

I haven't really been open or very verbal about this on Blogger, because I wasn't quite ready to share with everyone, I know some people read my blogs and I wasn't ready for them to know, but now I am.

Josh and I are moving forward with IVF in the spring. . .

Holy Freaking Crap!! 

Our first IVF consult appointment is set for February 4th *Eeeeeeeek*

I actually posted a blog months ago in my excitement and then took it down the very next day, lol. Some of you saw that, but for those who didn't - now you know!! I recently had 2,000.00 dollars worth of medication donated to me - OMG!! How awesome is that??? I feel truly blessed and if I don't use all of it then I will donate my remaining med's to someone in the end.

I am beyond excited *sigh* I'm also really scared, nervous and anxious. This is a huge step, a huge risk. Our hearts could be ripped apart or we could get he best gift life could possibly give. Looking over the year of 2012. . . it was filled with hurt, grief, pain, healing and frustration. I still feel some of those things here and there, but for the most part I do pretty well!! I'm strong in my head, strong in my heart and strong in my reason for continuing to try for a baby of our own. I will be going to a new Fertility Clinic, which makes me a bit nervous, but my doctor is moving to this clinic so that should make the transition much easier. I will probably start posting a bit more as we get closer. I will need a place of venting, questioning and reasoning. Blogging has always helped me through uncertain times.

In the new year Josh and I plan to get back into health mode!! We've been eating bad and drinking and all that good stuff. Now it's time to get back on track and get into baby-making mode. It's not the most romantic way to make a baby, but I have high hopes and at this point I don't care what it takes to get there. I just want to get somewhere. I'm excited about IVF, but realize and keep reminding myself that this is not a 100% guarantee. . . I will remain optimistic in my days ahead.

I signed up for a 5k in February :) I'm really excited about that. It is partly motivation to keep in shapte and healthy for IVF, but also something really fun to do. I've never done one before, but I've always wanted to do one. I turn 30 in March, have a small list of a few tings I want to do before turning 30, a 5k is one of them. I'm trying not to wig out about turning 30, but I have tiny moments here and there where I feel my youth slipping away, lol. I need to start planning a Birthday Bash!! We will not start an IVF Cycle until about April, so I will allow myself one night of fun and a few drinks!! I'm specifically waiting until after my Birthday to do IVF, because if it doesn't work I don't want to be sad and miserable during my 30th birthday. This past birthday when I turned 29 I was in the dumps. We did our 2nd IUI and I was in my 2WW on my birthday. . . I could not enjoy myself. I think I knew deep down inside that the IUI didn't work so it put me in a pretty fowl mood, I was so depressed and felt like such a failure, I was really angry with my body. . . I will not do that to myself again, not again.

Merry Christmas to everyone!! or Merry "What ever you celebrate" - See everyone in the new year!!