Post 93: Monitoring

We had yet another monitoring appointment today! Labs look good, my estrogen level has gotten a little high at 844, but the follicles are looking beautiful! 

I talked with Roxanne after the ultrasound, and explained what had been going on with my neck. She was concerned about a blood clot, and said to check it regularly, and if I found a lump or knot, to go to urgent care. Well, on our way home from Wake, I found a lump. Crap.

We headed straight to Urgent Care when we got home. They had absolutely no idea what to do with me. The doctors best advice was to, “Say my prayers and hope it doesn’t happen again.” The lump was gone by the time we got to uregent care, so they decided that I’m having a reaction to one of the medications. There’s no way to tell which medication though. He wanted me to stop everything, and just give up IVF. When I told him that wasn’t an option, he prescribed an epipen. 

I followed up with Roxanne after leaving Urgent Care, and she said that they agreed it sounded like an allergic reaction. I was told to keep taking all medicines like normal, but to add Benadryl each night as a precaution. 

I go back on Friday, so hopefully, everything will be good to go. They’re still planning on trigger Friday or Saturday, and retrieval Sunday or Monday. 

(Backup) Post 92: Twitching

Today was a good day. Fairly symptom and bloat free. We did Easter activities in dance class, I went to acupuncture, returned to class, and attended the Talent Show at Richlands Elementary to cheer on one of our dancers. Linda arrived, and Julie was asleep, before I got home. As I sat on the couch, my neck began to twitch. It wasn’t muscular. I could feel my pulse, and there was pain from the top of my shoulder to behind my ear. I decided to lay down, and it continued throughout the evening. My appointment with Wake Forest is only a few hours away, so I’m going to hope for the best, and will talk to our doctor about it in the morning. 

Post 91: Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

Just when we thought we knew the plan, we were wrong! Dr. Johnston had prepared us to move our timeline up for our retrieval. We were supposed to be back at her office on Wednesday and Friday, but after looking at the ultrasound, she decided Thursday and Saturday would be better, and egg retrieval would be on Monday or Tuesday. We got home from our visit, I explained the new plan to Courtney, called Tom and Linda so they’d be here to travel with me Thursday, rescheduled a court date, and thought we were good to go. 

When I got to the studio, I checked my email. I had a new message from Roxanne. She said that based on the blood results, they want to see me Wednesday. Ugh. I just cancelled those plans! I responded and said we’d be there, and asked if the egg retrieval was still looking to be early next week. Lauren replied and said that based on the number of follicles I have, and my increasing estrogen level, that they don’t expect me to make it to next week. What!?! Yikes! I was not expecting this to move so quickly. I’m just starting to wrap my head around the fact that we’re doing IVF again, and now my timeline has been moved up almost a full week. Eek!

I cancelled Tom and Linda, they’ll be here for Easter, but not any earlier, and talked to Courtney about riding with me to Wake Forest on Wednesday. I can make the trip alone, but almost six hours in a car is a long time for silence. 

My instructions from Roxanne also included new medication dosages. I’m continuing 112 units of Gonal F, 65 units of Menopur, and will also add a vile of Ceteotide beginning tonight. Cetrotide prevents my body from ovulating naturally, which allows the eggs to mature further. I’ll also add the HCG booster to help mature them even further before retrieval. So, here’s to shots, new plans, and an updated timeline! We’ll know by Wednesday when we’ll take the trigger shot, and will schedule the retrieval. Ahhh! Let’s do this! 

Post 90: Monitoring

We had our second monitoring appointment today! Shaun and I left home at 6:45AM, and Julie stayed home with Courtney. I am seriously bloated today, and it’ll only get worse from here.

We had a new ultrasound tech today. She was very quiet. I prefer when we’re with a tech and a student, and I get to hear what they find. Today, I still had 19 follicles. One was a little too large, 8 were right where they wanted, and 10 have the potential to catch up. This is such a huge change from last time. We had so many follicles, but the sizes were all over the place. 

After the ultrasound, we met with Dr. Johnston. She has to be one of the best doctors I’ve ever met. She puts us at ease, and takes the time to answer questions. We are never rushed, and always feel important. She explained that the cycle is going beautifully. That the goal this time was to tweak what they’d done in the past, to produce higher quality embryos. So far, it looks like it’s working. I don’t have nearly as many follicles as the last two cycles, but my levels are a lot better. I overstimulated both times previously. My estradiol level hit 3500 the first cycle, and 1500 the second cycle. Her goal this time was to keep it around 400. I’ll be stimming longer, with lower doses of medication, adding in Cetrotide to prevent ovulation, and adding an HCG booster to mature eggs before taking the trigger shot. If all goes well, we should end up with a good amount of quality embryos! 

We left Dr. Johnston, did our blood work, and headed to get cupcakes from Gigi’s. We’re headed home now, and are waiting for a call with our updated medication doses. We’re back on Thursday for another monitoring appointment, and again on Saturday. They’re expecting to trigger Saturday or Sunday, with retrieval on Monday or Tuesday. It’s getting exciting! 

Post 89: Party Day

Today, we relaxed, and celebrated Ella’s third birthday. Ella is Kelsye and Derek’s oldest daughter, and she and her sister Zoey are the newest members of our family. Their adoption is not yet finalized, but hopefully will be completed soon. We left the house at 7AM, and arrived at Fort Imagination with moments to spare. The party was perfect for the little princess. There was even a special guest appearance from Rapunzel! Julie had a blast, and loved meeting all of Mama and Dada’s friends...and Rapunzel! 

After the party, we headed to Tascha and Jeff’s house, where three of the girls took naps, while the grown ups talked. It was such a nice day. I miss my friends, and I love that we pick right back up where we left off. We’ve all grown and changed over the past ten years, but our friendship has continued. Beteeen Tascha, Kelsye, and myself, we have five girls ages 15-36 months - two natural, two adopted, and one IVF. It’s a beautiful story, and each is special. Mindy was with us today, too! I think our girls were plenty of birth control for her, but I also see her having a houseful of kids when she’s ready. 

We finally got to exchange Christmas and birthday gifts, then we headed to Nanny and Poppy’s house for dinner. We’re heading home now, and should be back in time for medicine. That’s what life revolves around now - shots. I’m so glad we got this little break today. It was much needed, and we’ll see each other again soon! 

Post 88: Day 2

Today, we had our first monitoring appointment. We woke Julie up at 6:45AM, and threw her in the car. I was sick again this morning (thanks estrogen), but was fine by the time we started driving. We got to Wake Forest with minutes to spare. 

The appointment went well, and was over quickly. My ovaries were hiding, according to Pam, our ultrasound tech this cycle. She had a hard time finding my left ovary, and it was probably the most uncomfortable ultrasound I’ve had. My lining looked good, and I’m starting this cycle with 10 follicles in the right ovary and 9 in the left. Only one follicle was measurable, which is a huge improvement over last time. We used to start with multiple large follicles, and they’d mature too quickly. All of the follicles this time are at the same starting point. The one that was measurable was still small - it was just the dominant follicle that I would release naturally. 

After the ultrasound, Pam gave me a wipe to clean myself, and Julie demanded one too. She thought it was the coolest parting gift, and carried around her sanitary wipe all day! We met with Dr. Johnston after the ultrasound, and she said things looked great. That the follicles were exactly where she wanted, and that I should start to feel “bloaty” soon. 

Chelsea met with us next, and went over medication dosing procedures. I’m taking 112 units of Gonal F and 75 units of Menopur beginning tonight, and also start doxycycline and aspirin this evening. I was also told to remove my estrogen patch. After our consultation, we were good to go. We’ll be back at Wake Forest on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday next week for more monitoring. My medication stays the same until Monday, at which point they’ll reevaluate based on follicle growth. 

After our appointment, we let Julie decided where to have lunch. She chose Chuck E Cheese, with no prompting from us, so we agreed. She had an absolute blast. We were the only ones in the restaurant, and they had just opened. She got over 500 free tickets for being there first. When they turn on each machine, they spit out tickets. She collected all of them before playing games. We played, had some pizza, and headed home. Shaun and I both had to work, but we waiting to head home until nap time so Julie would stay close to her normal schedule. 

Shaun got off work late tonight, and we’ve already messed up our medications. Ugh. I was supposed to receive my injections between 7PM-10PM. Shaun got home exactly at 10PM. I was thinking it would take him five to ten minutes to prep the medicines. I was wrong. At 10:30PM, he was finally ready to shoot me, and I probably would have shot him if it took any longer. They said we have a 30 minute window on the injections, so it looks like 10PM is the time we’ll be injecting each night. I forgot how much the injections burn. I guess we block out a lot of what we went through. Only nine more days of stimulation. I think. Balls. 

Julie woke up right before Shaun got home. She said she had a nightmare, and her belly was hungry. She stayed in our bed while Shaun shot me, then had a yogurt, cheese tortilla, and we put her back in bed. She screamed until almost midnight. So much for getting sleep tonight. 

Post 87: Day 1

Well, we’re officially starting our IVF cycle! My period started this morning (March 21), and I sent Roxanne a message letting her know. She responded and said my first appointment was going to be tomorrow, at 9:45AM. It’s exciting, and nerve wracking, but we’re one step closer to a second child.

I texted Courtney to see if she could watch Julie. In order to make our appointment, we’ll need to leave the house by 7AM at the latest, and Julie has been sleeping until 8AM. Originally, she said yes. Then texted that she had a conflict for an hour and a half. She was supposed to help her mom clean a house in Tazewell. She offered to take Julie with her, but I decided it was better just to take her with us. Tomorrow is going to be a long day of travel with a toddler, but it is what it is. 

Post 86: Medications

My medications arrived while we were in Florida, but I was so exhausted when we got home, that I just left the box alone. Today, I got to look at everything. Our insurance company fought with me over prices, so, behold $5500 in meds 🤨

Included in the box:

-40 doxycycline antibiotic pills

-10 Medrol steroid pills

-2 boxes of Gonal F 

-2 boxes of Menopur

-5 boxes of Ceteotide

-1 vials of HCG

-1 trigger shot

-2 vials of progesterone in oil 

-150 syringes 

Ugh. It makes me bloated just thinking about it. Waiting for my period to start so we can get this paety started!

Post 85: Florida

We had a wonderful, exhausting time at Marco Island. We arrived safely on Thursday, and met up with a few of the people from the Lebanon AT&T Call Center. The Summit was designed to treat the top employees of the company like royalty. When we arrived at the hotel, someone met us to deliver our bags to our room, then we were ushered to registration, where we were given a beach bag, beach towels, sunscreen, and $200 in gift cards! We also received an updated schedule of events, and information about the winners gift pavilion. We had dinner, and crashed.

Friday and Saturday were spent relaxing. I started my estrogen patches, and was given permission to, “have fun and drink a little,” by Roxanne. We spent a days at the spa, lounging by the pool, going on a date to the movies, and enjoying some much needed adult alone time. Saturday evening, we danced the night away at the Summit Gala.

My estrogen side effects kicked in pretty quickly. I was exhausted, starting to bloat, and nauseous. By Saturday night, I was sick as a dog. Between taking multiple lactose pills with dinner, anxiety over flying home, and hyped up hormones, I didn’t sleep at all. I just kept running to the bathroom all night. Our shuttle home left at 5AM, and I was beyond exhausted. I slept the entire way to the airport. I watched a movie on the first flight, and slept the entire second flight. 

When we got to our car, we decided to stop at Target before driving home. We picked up goodies for Julie’s Easter basket, grabbed a quick snack, and got back in the car. Julie was at the ballet with my dad and Shaun’s Mom, so we deciddd to surprise her. We arrived in time for intermission, and she was less than amused. Haha! I was expecting a big, “mama and dada are home moment!” Instead, I got a small hug, and she asked me to take her to see her friends from dance clsss. This kid. Haha! 

I crashed hard Sunday evening. I put Julie to bed, and she made sure I wasn’t going back to Florida. She wanted to talk, sing, and say her prayers, and I realized how much I missed her. I put her in bed, and I went to bed 15 minutes later. I slept like a rock, for the first time in months. 

Post 84: Emotions

Today was hard. Probably the most difficult day I’ve had since our IVF cycle failed and my sister announced per pregnancy. Around 3:30AM, I must have finally realized that we were leaving Julie for the first time. I was running back and forth to the bathroom for an hour, then finally settled into a restless sleep. At 6:00AM, my alarm went off, and I knew it was only an hour until we’d walk out our front door. That thought made me hurl. 

I got up and dressed, and woke up Julie. I snuck into her bedroom, and just watched her sleep. Then I slowly started rubbing her back, and playing with her hair. She was out for the count, and didn’t even flinch. Part of me said to let her sleep, but the mother in me couldn’t leave her without hugs, kisses, and cuddles. I picked her up out of the crib, and she was so confused. I laid her on my shoulder, and we rocked in her glider, enjoying a good ten minutes of cuddles. Then my nerves hit again, I passed her to Shaun, and continued vomiting bile. Moments later, Courtney arrived. Shaun and I each got a few more “squish hugs” as we like to call them, loaded the car, and started driving towards the airport. 

Shaun asked if I wanted to eat, and I told him no. Today was the first day of weaning, the first day of leaving our baby girl, and I was an emotional wreck. By the time we made it to the interstate, I started asking Shaun to let me go home. I was still sick with nerves, and just didn’t want to leave. I knew I had to, and that it was an important step for Julie and myself, but if he’d have said ok, I’d have gone back home immediately. When we got to the airport, the tears started. I’m not a crier. It’s probably been a good year since I cried last, especially ugly cried. It was bad. There was snot and tears everywhere. Shaun parked the car, unloaded the suitcases, opened my door, unbuckled my seatbelt, and physically dragged me out of the car, shut the door, and locked it. He refused to let me go home. 

I knew that he made the right decision, but getting on that plane wasn’t any easier. I prayed continually, asking for my stomach to settle, my nerves to be calmed, and for us to make it to Florida safely. God was clearly listening. By the time we boarded the plane, I was ready to go. My anxiety was gone. We made it to Florida around 2PM, after a very bumpy flight from tricities to Atlanta, and a much nicer flight from Atlanta to Fort Meyers, followed by an hour long bus ride to Marco Island. 

The AT&T summit is tremendous. Their goal is to treat their top employees like celebrities for the weekend. We had priority check in,a bellhop took our bags to our room, we received a welcome beach bag with towels and sun screen, $200 in visa gift cards for Friday’s dinner (the only meal not included in our stay), confirmed our spa reservations for a massage, and they gave us directions for how to pick out our winner’s gifts. We selected a new set of Calphalon pots and pans as the big gift, a Michael Kohrs purse for me, and a fancy watch for Shaun.

We missed lunch because of the flights, so we grabbed a sandwich from the hotel’s bistro, and headed to our room. We called Freedom Fertility to arrange the arrival of our medications, changed into swimsuits, walked on the beach, went swimming, then decided it was time to get ready for dinner. We FaceTimed with Julie, and she kept asking where we were, and when we were coming home. We hung up on her while she was crying, but Courtney said she’d done really well all day. 

Right as we walked into dinner, we got the sweaters movies from Courtney - Julie in her pajamas, saying she loves us, misses us, and hopes we have a good time. Courtney is amazing, and knows what Julie and I both need. It lifted my mood so much, and we were exited to head into the pavilion for dinner. The food was excellent. They had a huge buffet with a great variety of options. If I could find their garlic salad dressing recipe, I’d make it every day, and the ice cream and waffle station was amazing! After dinner, we got to watch a fire dancer perform at sunset, they drew caricatures of each of us, then we headed to bed. And crashed hard.  Tomorrow we start estrogen, and have the day to ourselves. There’s scheduled times for meals, but no set plans for the conference. 

(Backup) Post 93: Stress

I’m not sure if my stress levels could be any higher than they are now. Between fighting with insurance and pharmacies, not receiving my prescriptions, having a financial meeting with my parents, and tearing out our kitchen, it has been one heck of a day. Did I mention that today was also the last time I’ll nurse Julie? We leave for Florida tomorrow, and I start my medications while we’re there. Since they aren’t safe for nursing, I have to stop. Julie is 2 (and a quarter) years old, but still loves her “nilkers” for breakfast each day. So tomorrow will be emotional. 

Not only are we weaning tomorrow, it’s also our first time leaving Julie. I’ve spent one night away from her since birth, and I was less than two miles away. Shaun was also home at the time. She’s never been without both of us for more than a few hours, and never at night. Courtney (our amazing sitter) will be here from 6:30AM until bedtime tomorrow, then Shaun’s parents and sister will be here until we return on Sunday. We had a pajama party tonight, with lots of extra cuddles, before bedtime. Then we talked for about half an hour about the upcoming trip, and what it means for her - going over details in toddler speak - before she was ready to crash and I was ready to let go. 

As much as I’ll miss her, I’m also beyond excited for this trip. Shaun and I are headed to Marco Island, Florida, courtesy of AT&T, for the Summit Convention. We will be pampered all weekend! A trip to the spa, spending allowance each day, a selection of gifts to choose from, and a formal dinner and night of dancing. Shaun is required to attend the meetings each day, but I am free to come and go as I wish. I do believe I’ll read a book, relax, and prepare for the coming weeks. My period should start a few days after we return, then I start stimming. It will be good to have an adult only trip, to reconnect and make sure we’re on the same page.

We also have a lot to discuss after our family financial meeting today. My dad is beginning his retirement from all the family businesses, and in five years, will turn his empire over to Sara and myself to run. Our family spent the entire day going through medical directives, power of attorney, life insurance policies, trust funds, checking accounts, and more. I could have used a translator for a good portion of the meeting. We were also informed that he’s forgiving our loan for Julie, and the upcoming cycle, and forgiving the same amount for a personal loan to Sara. 

I’m still in shock and awe over my parents financial status. I knew they saved and invested smartly, and had a ballpark figure of where they stand, but had no idea until today what it means for me, Julie, and any other direct heirs to the Hudson name. Shaun and I live within our means, on about $2000/month.  That amount is pocket change to my parents. We are supposed to come up with ways for them to spend money on us. We decided collectively that it was better to spend the money now, rather than waiting until they’ve passed away. To enjoy the time with our families while our children are young. Now, we get to dream. What would you purchase or request if you were inheriting a substabtial amount of money? 

Post 92: How much? What?!?

Today was supposed to be low key. I was waiting for the pharmacy to call with tracking information, and that was the only important thing on my to-do list. They called around noon, and said that they’d received an additional prescription, and would be adding it to the order that would ship later today. I agreed, and asked them to call me back if there were any problems.

About an hour later, they called. Man, did we have problems! Our insurance has changed since we did IVF in 2014/2015. At the time, Freedom Fertility was the best, and lowest cost pharmacy, and our out of pocket expense was around $350-$450 depending on which medications had been prescribed. We now have insurance through CVS Caremark, and when I spoke with the pharmacy, I was told that they recommended I find a different pharmacy to handle our prescriptions. The estimated total before insurence was $5,079! What?!? And after insurance, our out of pocket expense was just shy of $2,500! Ahhhhhh!! They were so concerned that they called me to tell me the steps to finding a lower cost option. 

Within a few minutes, I was on the phone with my insurence. Aparently, they are their own preferred provider, and anywhere else is out of network and ungodly expensive. CVS Caremark has another side known as Caremark Specialty, which is who I’m now working with. It took about fifteen phone calls back and forth between Caremark, Freedom, and Wake Forest, but my prescriptions were officially transferred to the correct pharmacy, and they might even get here in time. Ugh. This was a stressor that was not needed today. I’m supposed to call Caremark tomorrow to get the final price. They said it should definitely be less than the quote from Freedom, but didn’t say by how much. Fingers crossed that it’ll be a reasonable amount. Yes, we can cover $2,500 if we need to; no, I’m not going to do it happily. 

Post 91: Girls Day

It was so simple to change my diet the last time we were trying for a baby. I cut out caffeine completely, ate my avocados, and took my vitamins like clockwork. At that point, I had plenty of time in my day, and having a child was the most impenitent goal. This time around, I am struggling! I’m doing well with food selections, and am getting plenty of whole grains, fruits, and veggies, but I can not for the life of me remember to take my vitamins, and am ready to murder someone for a cup of coffee. There are more important things in my life, and I am utterly exhausted chasing a toddler, while living life uncaffeinated. 

Julie woke up twice last night, and ended up in our bed for a few hours. It doesn’t happen often, and I honestly think she was having growing pains. She kept grabbing her legs and asking me to kiss her booboos. We put her back in bed at 4AM, and she screamed and cried for about half an hour before finally settling into a restful sleep. I, however, was wide awake. For the next two hours, I read, twiddled my thumbs, and tried to fall back to sleep. When it didn’t happen, I decided a relaxing bath would help ease into the day. An hour later, Julie was awake, and decided to join me in the tub. 

After a morning of meltdowns, Julie begged to, “go shoppin’!” I was exhausted, and knew that getting out of the house was probably s good idea. Staying home would have meant more meltdowns, and with my lack of caffeine, I’d have yelled back at the toddler, who doesn’t deserve it. 

We ended up heading to Johnson City, to a consignment sale. When we got to Abingdon, my phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number, and my auto-block let the call go through. Since I’d been waiting on Freedom Pharmacy to call with my prescriptions, I decided to answer. With luck, my instincts were correct! 

I’d been stressing over this call since Roxanne told me about it. We’re doing ok financially, but not well enough to have an extra $1,500 in our checking account within a few hours notice. The call was supposed to happen on Thursday, and I was anxious about it for two reasons: first, I didn’t know how much the prescriptions were going to be since our insurance has changed since sincs the last cycle; and second, I didn’t know if we’d be able to pay up front since we were waiting on our tax return. God truly does work in mysterious ways. I checked our bank account, and not only did our refund get credited to our account this morning, but Shaun also got paid, and his commission bonus was added. 

When I spoke with the agent, she reviewed my medications - 2 vials of progesterone, 2 vials of Gonal F, 10 per-filled injectible Menopur, 1 vial of Ceteotide, 1 HCG trigger, 8 Estrogen patches, 20 Doxycycline tablets, 5 Medrol tablets, 130 syringes, alcohol swabs, gauze, and a sharps container. She updated our address and contact information, then asked for our payment method. She didn’t give me a total, or an estimate, but asked if I’d like to add a maximum amount they could charge at one time. She explained that this allows them to ship the medication immediately, and charge my card up to any amount we set, then they’ll settle the bill after our insurance is charged. I told her that sounded wonderful. When she asked what amount I’d like to set, I asked for her opinion. Our medications last time were around $350-$450, but our insurance covered a huge percentage. I expected her to tell me $300-$500 as a precautionary minimum. Instead, she said $50 should be a good start! $50! That’s all? Good grief, and thank you Lord! She explained that my medications will ship on Monday, and will arrive by Tuesday, and to make sure the injectible medications make it to the fridge. 

After the call, Julie and I finished our trip. We spent the day shopping, relaxing, and forgetting to take our vitamins. I can rest a little easier knowing that everything seems to be falling perfectly into place this cycle. 

Post 90: And We’re Back

Today has been a whirlwind of emotions, excitement, and needles. We decided a few months ago that it was time to start trying for another baby. We made our appointment with Wake Forest, and after a saline sonogram and some blood work to check my thyroid level, we were cleared to do another IVF cycle. We haven’t used protection since Julie was born, and have been actively trying naturally for six months with no luck, so IVF is clearly the right decision if we want to expand our family.

On Tuesday, I sent an email saying we were ready to start trying. Today (Thursday), I got an email with a schedule. I was expecting there to be a wait, and for us to start the IVF cycle in April or May. Instead, they said, “How about Wednesday?” That’s six days from now! Six days? Am I ready for this again? The agonizing physical and emotional pain? The needles, blood work, and stress? Well, yes. I think I am!

I rushed to the hospital for lab work, and 7 tubes of blood and a urine sample later, we’ve officially started our third fresh IVF cycle. 

I left the hospital, and headed straight to Live Life Chiropractic for an acupuncture session. Maybe it’s the mood, and excitement of the day, but I swear the clouds looked like an ultrasound photo. There’s a baby’s face and body if you look close. Maybe they’re just clouds, but I see it. 

I’m taking that as a sign that this will be our month. We won’t need to do any further cycles, and God will provide.

Here goes nothing! Fingers crossed for a relaxing, easy cycle. The timing is perfect, and works around our vacation to Marco Island, Florida, courtesy of AT&T, and also finishes before our next dance competition. It was too ideal not to try.