(Non)-Stim Day 10 / Ultrasound / Triggering!

I think that title says it all!

Luckily I had a pretty full schedule yesterday afternoon and evening (beachside party with a co-worker, and then my parents and sister came over for a while while S went to his month "poker night"). That kept my mind busy and kept me off the internet. I was concerned both about our overall chances of success (mainly), but I was also annoyed that I would potentially have to take another clinic day off of work on Wednesday, May 7th (undoubtedly raising questions for some of my future bosses). In addition, I am also scheduled to give an hour-long conference presentation on Friday, May 9th, so it would not have worked out well to be out on bedrest on that date!

S was concerned that I was getting too stressed so he came with me to today's ultrasound. As soon as we arrived, the nurse, C -- the same one who gave me the pep talk yesterday -- drew my blood and meanwhile reassured me that coasting is not at all unusual and that everything would almost certainly be fine!

Next, Dr A did my ultrasound. This was the first time that S had met him; our two consults have been with Dr G. I started asking a bunch of questions right away and he said, "let's meet in my office afterwards to discuss these things." I do wonder whether he would have met in the office if it were just me there for the appointment, but whatever.

My lining today measured at 16 mm. Strange that it's lower than yesterday (and better, because yesterday sounded WAY too thick), but I'm assuming that there is variability in the measurement itself, where they measure it, etc. Anyway, that made me happy.

Dr A was kind of in a joking mood -- again, maybe because S was there, too. He said, "Let's measure your follicles. What size do you want?" (Sort of teasing me because I'm there in stirrups, pen and paper in hand, jotting this info down.) I said, "Um, I don't know, 20?" And then he measured and sure enough, that follicle was 20. Again, he only measured a few in the 19 to 21 mm range, and didn't count the many others. I tried to joke around, too, saying, "I'm not trying to be high maintenance, but I just can't help it!"

We went to the office and he said that as long as my E2 was acceptable today, the trigger would be tonight. I tried to get a little more specific info. Like, did it need to go DOWN from 3141, or did it need to just not double again? He said that some increase would be OK, but not much, and wouldn't get more specific than that. He then told us that he thinks that I should do acupuncture on the day of my embryo transfer to help with anxiety, etc. I am actually thinking that I might go for it. It seems interesting to me, and I don't think it could hurt and might help. The only barrier might be that if I happen to do a day 5 transfer, I don't know if their office would be open (that's next Sunday).

Next, C taught us about doing the IM injection (yikes!!) and had me sign additional consents for anesthesia. I also got some clarification on the bedrest issue. I am apparently supposed to remain horizontal for 2 days after the transfer. Ummm, I had a vision of myself blogging that day and working on that conference presentation. How will I deal with bedrest?? I think I'll borrow our workplace laptop and somehow work in a very recumbent position. I must say I think this entire bedrest thing seems non-sensical from a physiological standpoint, but I am pretty much willing to play along and do whatever they say.

As we were leaving the RE's office, I saw a familiar face. It was M, my hair stylist! I am sort of friends with her, too, as our moms used to be co-workers, but I really only see or talk to her when I get my hair cut.

As background info: M got married 6 days after me and has been TTC for the same amount of time. She is about 38, I think, and she originally assumed that the problem was on her end. After many months of trying and eventual testing, it turned out that her husband has a sperm count of zero on semen analysis and has CBAVD (congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens, the tube that carries sperm from testicle to urethra). He is a carrier of cystic fibrosis. Luckily, they can aspirate sperm (via a TESE procedure, I think it's called) and in theory M and S will be able to have children via IVF with ICSI. (M is not a carrier of CF.)]

Anyway, they are just getting started with the RE. This was their second visit, I'm not sure for what, but probably for CD3 bloodwork or something. M seemed really nervous and a little teary-eyed. I tried to reassure her that the office is great, and that injections are not that bad!! Her husband said that it was good to meet someone else going through this, as none of their friends have had any problems with getting pregnant. I'll maybe call M and offer to lend an ear if she wants to talk. Meanwhile, I'll have to get my hair cut again soon anyway.

Afterwards, S and I went for a bagel followed by a nice walk in the hills and then along the beach in Del Mar. We came back home, and finally, around 1:00, the RE's office called. My E2 is 3655 (still rising, but not crazy), and YES -- I will be triggering tonight!! My dose is 10,000 units of HCG. Tomorrow, no shots at all, and no bloodwork. The retrieval will be Tuesday at 9:30 AM. My mom is going to be my driver as S has a full day. (She is really excited to do it, actually). S will have to make time to come over the office anyway for his "deposit," hopefully in the early afternoon.

One last thing. When my parents and 9 year old sister J were over here last night, we decided to play the boardgame "Life." (I bought it for J for Christmas, but this was the first time I've played it with them.) Anyway, it was kinda funny because I ended up with not one, but TWO sets of twins. My mom knows that I have been pondering the 1 vs 2 question, so she was pretty amused by that funny coincidence.