tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85492556858667520322024-02-07T21:22:18.293-05:00My Egg Freezing ProcessA blog documenting my experience with egg freezing (oocyte cryopreservation), from start to finish. Includes details on meds, self administered shots, stimulation, hormone levels, process, side effects, surgery, costs and much more!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549255685866752032.post-56642708077472756852015-06-27T15:09:00.001-04:002015-06-27T15:15:06.555-04:00ALL THE VITRIFIED EGGS DIED ON THAW7 years later, I went to use the frozen eggs, and 100% died immediately on thaw.
They were supposed to survive thaw with over a 90% success rate. Instead, every single one died. These were not slow freeze - these were vitrified. These eggs were so good, Dr. B told me at the time that he wouldn't let me do another freeze cycle because I had so many perfect 32 year old eggs.
This is unfathomable. I cannot begin to explain the grief I am feeling.
I have a call with Dr. B on Monday morning.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549255685866752032.post-82840853438127563442011-03-25T19:37:00.007-04:002011-10-02T08:21:09.776-04:002.5 years laterIf you'd like to read this blog from the beginning, you can start <a href="http://eggfreeze.blogspot.com/2008/10/short-intro.html">HERE</a> (and click "newer post"):<br /><br />As always, you can contact me at eggfreezer@gmail.com<br /><br />Also, nothing in this blog should be taken as medical advice. Talk to your doctor. :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549255685866752032.post-30868891630173034402008-12-04T18:09:00.006-05:002008-12-04T22:32:39.352-05:00Picture of my frozen eggHere is an actual egg from my retrieval. (the whole thing is the egg and the spot is the nucleus). Life is a pretty crazy thing. This egg was inside me (in a premature state) for 32 years - even before I took my own first breath as a newborn. Had I not had the retrieval, this egg would have just never developed and died off last month - just another one of the many millions that die off over a woman's lifetime. Instead, through modern medicine, it was able to be matured and extracted and it is now quite literally frozen in time alongside 27 others, potentially to be the starting building block of a future human being. And this egg is what is fully sufficient and necessary to make that human my biological child. This is the tie - the everything and anything that is what a woman prefers when she wants "her own" biological baby. Whatever it is that she wants - what I want - it's in there. Part of me is in there. <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWsL3_9Hn0eETUkJNOmFqZX7RiTpyWuN1tvq7Y32i2UH7RC-YX6ctiwuBFZqbJAAtPbH-t5JjQ5W6m57hyphenhyphenGDEugftFLuDFiUFmudPdtbQfnwJuTZ71dXwkNAeJA2AJBcjg4_OvT6ELlafa/s1600-h/DSC_0908.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 220px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWsL3_9Hn0eETUkJNOmFqZX7RiTpyWuN1tvq7Y32i2UH7RC-YX6ctiwuBFZqbJAAtPbH-t5JjQ5W6m57hyphenhyphenGDEugftFLuDFiUFmudPdtbQfnwJuTZ71dXwkNAeJA2AJBcjg4_OvT6ELlafa/s320/DSC_0908.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276076164712314290" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549255685866752032.post-81932475533801699092008-12-02T16:05:00.003-05:002008-12-02T16:27:40.832-05:00Final Appointment (to review results)So today was the day I went in to meet with the doc and really review my results.<br /><br />Dr. B was smiling ear to ear, and greeted me happily, saying something like "I told you when you first came in that we really like to see younger patients - you can't get better results than what you got"<br /><br />So what we already knew was that 31 eggs were retrieved, of which 28 were frozen. Some more data<br /><br />- the reason there were more eggs than follicles, was just because the little follicles weren't counted, this is normal<br />- The 3 eggs that weren't frozen were just simply not mature enough to even try to freeze<br />- Of the 28 frozen, 27 were "spindle positive" - which sorta means mature normal spindles, which is apparently very important. I asked if that meant the other was mutated or something, and Dr. B said it didn't mean that, but that it just wasn't as good/mature and had poorer pregnancy results or something though it could still totally produce a normal baby, but that spindle positive eggs were the very best<br />- so of the 27 spindle positive eggs - they were perfect - couldn't get more perfect<br /><br />Now here's the wonderful numbers that almost made me cry. Dr. Noyes, one of the egg freezing pioneers and another doctor at NYU, published research that says that you should use 8 spindle positive eggs for a good IVF outcome. I have 27 spindle positives. 8 is a good solid IVF attempt. That means I have over 3 GOOD IVF attempts. NYU's success rate is between 50-60% per good ivf attempt with frozen eggs (and that's in 2008 - who knows how much better results might be 8 years down the road when I could need these). And that doesn't even take into account that fact that my odds should be better because the eggs are 32.<br /><br />Dr. B says based on my results he's comfortable saying that my odds are better than 8/10 for a baby from these egg and he could not in good conscience suggest I do another round unless money was no object, because I was just as ideal as ideal could be. And he's a doctor, and he needs to be conservative. Every published anything online suggests the odds are like 20 or 30% per egg retrieval. So for Dr. B to say I'm better than 8/10?! Awesome. And when I do the math, I see 3 IVF cycles, and even with the lower bound 50% success rate, that's still over 88% that at least on cycle is successful. If my odds are closer to 60% per cycle, we're looking at 94% odds that there's a baby in there.<br /><br />Dr. B. says this is why young people are just the ideal candidates. I got 31 eggs, 27 spindle positive. The typical egg freezer might be 40 and get 7 or 8 eggs, and those may not be spindle positive.<br /><br />Anyway, I also asked all my other questions - like my nagging uncertainty about whether I had PCOS based on words thrown around- Dr. B. says I don't have PCOS and that I do ovulate. I have Polycystic ovaries and that's it - so I have irregular period and makes lots of eggs, but beyond that, I ovulate, and I'm normal and all that. <br /><br />And I got to get a full genetic screening in this whole deal, and I'm not a carrier for a single typically-tested recessive disease.<br /><br />And even though my mother went through an early-ish menopause, there is no indication whatsoever that I am headed down this path - I look like a very fertile 32 year old. So says Dr. B.<br /><br />Not a bad bit of news no matter how hard I tried to get it! Perfect eggs, No need for a second round, No PCOS, No early Menopause indications, no recessive genes .....!<br /><br />And they're going to try to send me a photo of an ACTUAL EGG - I'll totally frame it on my wall :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549255685866752032.post-10049515556100914742008-11-19T18:56:00.003-05:002008-11-19T19:00:40.635-05:00If you want to contact me directlyIt's really exciting to me that a couple of egg-freezing planners have contacted me through comments. I live in NYC, and I'd really be glad to meet anyone who wants to have a support buddy in this process. There really isn't a lot online that isn't commercial, and as far as I know, my blog is the first step-by-step blog documenting egg freezing. As this grows, there's no reason we can't have a broader community for egg freezers the way IVF'ers do, etc. Could be good to keep up through the years.<br /><br />If you want to contact me and are willing to share at least some information (even if just an email address you create for the purpose of contacting me) you can email me at eggfreezer@gmail.com<br /><br />I think it would be cool to help people with their HCG shots or if they need someone to pick them up post surgery. I mean, at least until requests get out of hand .... I'd love to get to know more egg freezers. So if you're using my blog as a reference for your own process, send me a note!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549255685866752032.post-28676387760821794442008-11-16T14:03:00.002-05:002008-11-16T14:17:19.421-05:00Completely back to normalMy skin is back to normal. My weight is exactly what it was before I started this adventure. I have no side effects or any lasting anything. <br /><br />The weight gain/loss is really odd to me - 2 weeks ago I was 10-11 lbs heavier and not believing that could all just disappear and that it was just water weight. Especially since I used the shots/process as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted. <br /><br />I did interrupt and ongoing diet to do the egg freeze. Now that that's done, it's back to the diet, and I'm back to where I was for my 2008 goal .... 6.5 more lbs to lose before year's end, which isn't all that scary. This might be a year where I actually meet most of the goals I set for myself (move to NY, freeze eggs, lose 25 lbs ...)<br /><br />Goal for 2009 - make these frozen eggs an unneeded insurance plan :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549255685866752032.post-28253817897827961352008-11-12T23:22:00.004-05:002008-11-12T23:31:23.287-05:00Almost back to normalSo I'm on day 3 of my period, and it's still bad, but it's almost like a "normal" day 1 (where, for the boys amongst you, day 1 is typically the worst - so I'm about at a normal day 1 whereas day 1 and 2 this time were far worse). Usually by day 3 things are almost wrapping up. Definitely not this time.<br /><br />Weight wise: I was up about 10 lbs at one point, and I'm now down to about 3 lbs up with still potentially more water weight to go. This is without dieting, so it's good to know that most (if not all) of the weight gain was fake and temporary.<br /><br />Skin wise: I think I'm not getting any new breakouts. Mind you, I've been wearing makeup, so it's not like most poeple could tell I was breaking out, but I was. As far as I can tell, new breakouts have stopped and I just need the existing breakouts to heal up.<br /><br />I started shots a little over a month ago, and perhaps symptoms about a month ago. I would say I'm almost back to "normal" in all senses - skin, weight, bloating, etc. So all in, it was a month worth of side effects.<br /><br />I have an appointment Dec 2 as a final post-retrieval consult. This is where I'll discuss the results formally with the doctor (as opposed to just the nurses reporting to me) and ask any questions I have about statistics, second rounds, and chromosome normalcy of the eggs retrieved. I'll probably also get a prescription to go back on the pill - I haven't been on the pill since around 2006. But since I just had a full gyn workup, I'm sure this doc can just write it up for me.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549255685866752032.post-22470583035343423332008-11-10T15:01:00.007-05:002008-11-10T21:07:04.970-05:002 Aleve, 4 AdvilAnd I still think I'm going to be sick. They weren't kidding about this being a really bad period.<br />How much more can I take before, you know, I risk stomach pumping. I'm essentially at 4 times the dose as it is (2 times Aleve doseage, 2 times Advil dosage, and you're not supposed to take BOTH) ... and on all of that I'm still so crampy that I do think the odds of my getting sick (vomiting from the cramp pain) are somewhere north of 30%<br /><br />I wasn't sure how long it would take from egg retrieval to getting my period. I thought 2 weeks give or take, but never really got a fixed answer. So it was 11 days almost to the hour. I already feel a huge reduction in the amount of bloatedness, and I'm down another 3 lbs of the bloat wait just since yesteraday. Overall, I'm now just about 4-5 lbs heavier than when I started this whole process. Some of that may still be water weight, and some of it might just be because I really threw caution to the wind when it came to eating while on the shots :) If I end up only, say, 3 "real" lbs up, that's fine. that's 1-2 weeks of dieting. No problem.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549255685866752032.post-28199160574730476642008-11-09T22:54:00.004-05:002008-11-09T23:20:01.660-05:00A little confessionI still think it's too good to believe that I've really preserved my fertility. And of course, officially it's not a guarantee, but with NYU's stats and with 28 eggs, my odds should ~95%. But so far, I'm glad I've done this, but I'm not really convinced that this is one less thing to worry about. I'll still have my post-retrieval consult with the doc, and maybe that's all I need. But while I can sit here and calculate statistics (NYU has a 60% pregnancy rate with frozen egg transfers for women under 38. Assume they defrost 9-10 eggs each time and I get 3 tries - that should be 94% overall) I still hear my biological clock ticking. Do i really have a 94% insurance policy? That's what the calculator says, but I don't feel that level of safety.<br /><br />It's funny, I was at a party on Saturday night, and I met a lovely 35 year old women who I didn't previously know. Somehow the conversation turned to us being single in our 30's, and she started telling me about how she researched all about egg freezing and went to a seminar and everything. I was kinda stunned and looked at her and said "are you kidding?" - it was really trippy to have someone in a social setting evangelize egg freezing to me right after this whole adventure, when I hadn't said anything to let on that I had just done it. I let her talk and then said "9 days ago I was in surgery getting my eggs retrieved and frozen." Anyway, we then talked about Extend fertility (<a href="http://eggfreeze.blogspot.com/2008/10/my-thoughts-on-extend-fertility.html">see this post</a>) and she had had the same thoughts that I did. "I was really offended" she told me. Anyway, I told her to head over to NYU.<br /><br />Which reminds me. My favorite nurse at NYU, Jennifer, was really awesome to me - helped me with needles, answered my endless questions, drew a big circle on my butt so I could give myself a shot ... I want to send her a gift. I think flowers are trite and who really cares .... so ... chocolate, right?<br /><br />On another rambling point ... My boobs are huge right now. I don't have anything to fit them. It's PMS times 31 I guess. I've almost gone out and bought a new bra just to last me through this week.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549255685866752032.post-51597177893601091852008-11-06T11:43:00.002-05:002008-11-06T11:45:54.099-05:00One Week Post RetrievalI feel great. No more pain or soreness. <br /><br />It aches a little when I stretch or yawn, but that's it. Back to my normal self. Waiting for my skin to clear up and for the last water weight to go away. But otherwise I feel fantastic. I think I'm in the clear for any post-retrieval complications.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549255685866752032.post-36531625439174985922008-11-03T23:22:00.002-05:002008-11-03T23:34:21.471-05:00Feeling Great4 and half days post retrieval - I feel great - no symptoms of OHSS setting in. Took my last post-retrieval antibiotic pill tonight. I'm still a little bloated, but beyond that, I feel fantastic - much better than I did while I was on the hormones. <br /><br />I was putting away some of the injection stuff I still had sitting around (packages of needles and such) and my needle aversion is definitely much higher than it ever was. I'm so glad I have no more shots so give myself - just looking at the needles made me want to flee. Some sort of aversion really did build up over time. But that's not important anymore. What's very cool is that this whole thing is done - I feel great. The eggs are on ice, and it looks like I'm escaping without any measurable post retrieval complications.<br /><br />So now what? Here are the remaining "milestones"<br /><br />Tomorrow (5 days post retrieval): I can start taking advil/aspirin again<br />Sometime in the next week or two: I get probably the worst period ever<br />Thurs Nov 13 (2 weeks post): Restrictions on baths, tampons, sex, etc no longer in effect<br />Yearly: $1,000 annual frozen storage costs due until such time I use/donate/dispose of the eggsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549255685866752032.post-25711681843805380522008-11-02T21:19:00.002-05:002008-11-02T21:26:38.552-05:003 days post-retrievalI'm feeling substantially better today - the first day that I've felt decent in a while. Tomorrow will be 4 days post retrieval. OHSS is supposed to kick in 4-5 days after, so I guess the next 48 hours will be telling. I will be so glad if no symptoms kick in. I'm looking forward to picking my social life back up. I feel like it's been on hold for a couple of months.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549255685866752032.post-58654741194243660362008-10-31T13:03:00.003-04:002008-10-31T20:31:23.852-04:0028 good eggs in the freezer28 out of the 31 were good enough to freeze - mature, normal, and freezeable. This is a fantastic end result. I had to ask the nurse for verification - 28 were actually good? Not just mature, but also good as judged by the embryologist? I really would have been thrilled to hear that 20 made it to freeze because I figured many of those 31 would be immature or abnormal in some way.<br /><br />When I started this process, I had been thinking I would certainly do 2 rounds of egg freezing just to be safe. Maybe a round now and another one in a year or two. But with 28 known good eggs, I don't think I need to. The average number of eggs retrieved for egg freezing by NYU (according to their site)is 14 - so 28 actually making it to the freezer is better than 2 average rounds.<br /><br />Anyway, great results. This process was worth it for me (although I'll stamp that final approval once I get past the OHSS risk). Guys have it so lucky, 5 minutes and they've got 250 million sperm. For me, 28 eggs required a month of shots and side effects and health risks and anesthesia. But I'm not complaining!<br /><br />For all the process, I think there's a really good shot there are some genetic halves of future babies on ice in a container at NYU with my name on it. Even if I don't end up using these eggs, I'm pretty sure I'll donate them to someone who needs them. At one point in my life I thought I could never be an egg donor because I wouldn't want to have biological children that I didn't know out there somewhere. But I don't feel that way anymore. For the effort I undertook in this process, and with all the blogs, forums, and such that I read about people struggling with infertility, I really hope these eggs make babies for someone if not for me.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549255685866752032.post-21374438400634401162008-10-31T09:28:00.005-04:002008-10-31T10:24:16.199-04:00Retrieval RecapI showed up to the center at 10am (as requested) for my 11am retrieval. I filled out another form and had to change into two gowns (one tied in the front, one in the back), socks, and a surgery cap. I was weighed (up nearly 10 lbs since I started - normal, just bloating I hope) and interviewed about the last time I ate, medical history, etc. I had to sign things like "Yeah, I know people die from anesthesia" and was told that retrieval only actually took 10 minutes.<br /><br />I sat in a chair waiting to be called into the surgery room, and watched other women in recovery. They seemed fine, relaxed, sleepy. That was good - I would be in their position in less than an hour.<br /><br />When it was my turn I had to take one of the gowns off and got into the surgery bed. My IV was hooked up and then we all waited around for the doctor. I think they gave me a general sedetaive or something at that point (the anesthesiologist injected my IV and I asked if that was what was going to knock me out and she said it was just to relax me). Finally the doc came in and at that point they lifted my thighs into these big, ummm ... thigh holders?.... and that had me completely on show for the room of nurses and doctors - far worse than simple stirrups, which doesn't bother me. Ugh. At that point I was happy at the thought of getting knocked out and not at all worried (even though I had been worried about the anesthesia - I wasn't now). The anesthesiologist told me she was administering it, and I recall telling her "wow - I feel that kicking in." I felt drunk and I tried to see if I could control keeping myself awake (just as a science expirement) . That's the last thing I remember in the surgery room.<br /><br />Next thing I know I'm awake in the recovery room, and there are sharp stabbing pains in my lower intestines. I didn't start screaming, but definitely let the nurses know I was in a lot of pain. The first one said "that's because you had a lot of eggs." My retrieval also took 20 minutes instead of the average 10 minutes. The pain would come in waves, but when I wave hit it was really bad. When I tried to sit up I almost fell over. They quickly brought a regular ultrasound over to see if I had internal bleeding, but it looked good. They said my bladder was very full (from the IV), and that, along with the sheer size/swelling of my ovaries post-surgery was pushing substantially on my lower intestines. Somewhere around now is when they told me the number 31, which was shocking since I thought I only had ~20 follicles. They gave me something for pain through my IV and also Tylenol by mouth.<br /><br />While we waited until I was ok enough to get up, they gave me some juice and graham crackers (standard recovery fare).<br /><br />I finally did get up and try to use the bathroom, hoping that would help things. I'll spare the details, but it took me multiple tries and a long time. With that and with the pain meds, I was in much better shape. They kept asking if I was light headed or anything, which I wasn't. So they were able to discharge me. It was about 1 pm - only 30 minutes later than my ETA discharge of 12:30. Instructions - no tampons, baths, sex, advil/aspirin, douche, saunas, etc for 2 full weeks. Call immediately if I get any symptoms listed [...]<br /><br />My mom was in the waiting room waiting for me - they had to make sure that I had an adult driving me home - and we left.<br /><br />It's now the next morning ... Things still hurt - hurts to sit, hurts to walk, but not as much. Now I'm just waiting for the call to find out how many eggs were good/mature/frozen.<br /><br />I'm also reading up on OHSS (Ovarian Hyper Stimulation Syndrome - post egg retrieval, when there were lots of eggs, the ovaries can do things which essentially cause fluid to accumulate in the abdomen), which is a little scary. The fact that I'm under 35, have polycystic ovaries, and had 31 eggs puts me at a high risk (That's why ideal is 10-20 eggs. 31 is good for having gotten so many eggs, but it's not good for my health). Symptoms usually kick in 4-5 days post retrieval. From what I've read, it's sorta inevitable that I'll develop some level of OHSS and nothing I can do about it, I think the best I can hope for is that it's mild and doesn't interfere with life for the 1-2 weeks it sticks around.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549255685866752032.post-68887515757282908002008-10-30T13:49:00.001-04:002008-10-30T13:50:18.574-04:0031retrieved 31 eggs. Whoah. I was in a lot of pain when I woke up and they had to give me extra pain meds - they said that's because I had so many eggs. I'm home now. More later.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549255685866752032.post-16617436308440284602008-10-29T15:41:00.005-04:002008-10-29T15:51:23.637-04:00Day Before RetrievalWent in for bloodwork this morning.<br /><br />My HCG is 157 - they want to see it over 50, so I definitely did the butt-shot correctly and absorbed it well.<br /><br />E2 came back at 3568. That's a small jump from 3230 yesterday, but not the day-over-day jumps I was having prior. That's good, since I didn't take any stims yesterday, so it makes sense that it only rose a little. They want to see it either hold steady or rise slightly, but not drop. (A drop is bad - it suggests that eggs have started ovulating and once they ovulate, it's too late to go in and retrieve them. That's why timing is so critical). Remembering that each mature follicle registers about 150-200 of E2, and seeing as I have almost/about 20 follicles(?) this is a nice number. It would suggests that nearly all of them are mature.<br /><br />Overall, the E2 number is really good. You want it to be high to show mature follicles, but levels over 4000 puts one at risk for Ovarian Hyper Stimulation Syndrome (OHSS) and causes doctors to cancel some cycles. So I think a mid 3000 level is good in this situation.<br /><br />I check in for surgery tomorrow at 10am. Surgery is at 11am under Deep Sedation. I should be done with retrieval by 11:30 and recovered by 12:30. By the time I'm awake I should know how many they retrieved, and probably not too long after that they can tell me how many were good enough to freeze and what sort of quality they were.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549255685866752032.post-53230508542026219472008-10-29T00:25:00.001-04:002008-10-29T16:41:08.541-04:00Self Administered hCG Shot!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBtaXRwp9QwQXbKbxSD9CnlqVJIam4Q9V-IrDXi9RyGMC3nbcwDCpirjMhld-NSYOmyLHAhSyXQLfXyLbwzbdsDEfbbEX3QXdsGnos3VQTsWXS2r-np7CrteyoE0z2QBl39c9K63N1aaK/s1600-h/stuff.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBtaXRwp9QwQXbKbxSD9CnlqVJIam4Q9V-IrDXi9RyGMC3nbcwDCpirjMhld-NSYOmyLHAhSyXQLfXyLbwzbdsDEfbbEX3QXdsGnos3VQTsWXS2r-np7CrteyoE0z2QBl39c9K63N1aaK/s320/stuff.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262427359082052290" border="0" /></a><br />Iced for 5 minutes with frozen spinach :) and did the injection at 11:55 (my window was midnight with only a 5 minute allowance in either direction, so I started at 11:55 not sure if I could do it right away, but I did). It was so easy - I didn't feel a thing. It was easier than the little shots - I guess because I didn't ice before the little shots until the area was completely numb and I knew it was numb even before stabbing. I had to look down to believe I had all 1.5 inches of the needle in me. Pushed the plunger (that was met with some resistance) and withdrew. It bled a little for a few minutes. I definitely did not need to travel to the nurse - I'm so glad I'm not in a cab right now on my way home in this crappy weather. It probably would have hurt more (would she have let me sit around icing for 5 minutes?). I'm sure I did the shot right - there was no room to mess up - I mixed it right, stabbed where the nurse drew, and injected at the right time! 30 minutes later, I feel butt-muscle soreness, but it's mild. I go for a blood check in the morning (they can tell whether I did the HcG shot right) and for general E2 monitoring before surgery on Thursday at 11 (35 hours post HcG).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549255685866752032.post-18877112260122260712008-10-28T13:08:00.001-04:002008-10-28T13:09:30.728-04:00Triggering tonightE2 was 3230 this morning. Definitely triggering tonight. Now I just have to figure out whether I'm going to try to give myself this very big shot on my own, or whether I'm going to get in a cab and take a 25 minute ride to a nurse at midnight to have her administer it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549255685866752032.post-58677311017497801612008-10-28T09:11:00.002-04:002008-10-28T09:13:18.665-04:00OuchCD 12 / Day 10 of stims.<br /><br />It definitely hurts to walk today. It hurt when I tried to lay on my side rather than my back last night to go to sleep, and it hurt when I woke up. Totally bearable, but quite noticeable. Had a scan this morning - still waiting on bloodwork, but it's pretty clear that I trigger tonight and have retrieval on Thursday morning. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtkKP2LtasIwq3qQ1GMhjZhp2bAC18__5E0hwC7Eu_8qgYWMp-tXQqM26VlmpFOUj781SZ5dHHO63MCMrBah8KiYmz40r-3y3n5tRAmvUHmg-yP6nieGqUc73HXMQeIrhoz2aq79qW_3yd/s1600-h/pom.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtkKP2LtasIwq3qQ1GMhjZhp2bAC18__5E0hwC7Eu_8qgYWMp-tXQqM26VlmpFOUj781SZ5dHHO63MCMrBah8KiYmz40r-3y3n5tRAmvUHmg-yP6nieGqUc73HXMQeIrhoz2aq79qW_3yd/s320/pom.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260760188503870642" /></a><br /><br />The nurse assured me that I could give myself the intramuscular shot (this is a BIG needle and I goes in the waist/hip/butt area) and the only alternative I have is to take a 20 minute cab ride late tonight to go to her place and have her do it. I think I prefer giving myself the shot over having to take that trip. So we'll see.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549255685866752032.post-12360332381400394542008-10-27T18:47:00.007-04:002008-10-27T23:20:27.945-04:00CD 11 / Day 9 of StimsCD 11 / Day 9 of Stims<br /><br />Had a scan and bloodwork this morning.<br /><br />Scan showed a few follicles in the 19 range - that's the target overall (trigger when the highest possible number of follicles are 19/20 - not bigger and not smaller, although anything 14 and up is potentially savable) and a bunch in the 15/16 range. Pretty likely I'll have to trigger tomorrow and be in surgery on Thursday. My E2 came back at 2019. That's a HUGE jump from the 527 it was 2 days ago and suggests a doubling every day. at that pace, I could easily be between 3000 and 4000 tomorrow. I know I have some geeks reading this - so if you, uh, wanted to track E2 growth by days, here's the breakdown:<br /><br />-, - , -, 149, 257, -, 522, -, 2019<br /><br />Anyway, so the target E2 is 150-200 for every mature follicle. I have about 19 or 20(?) follicles overall, I think. If they were all mature, my range would be 2850 - 4000. Most(?), but not all follicles will be mature by trigger - they grow at different paces (and they can mature some eggs in the lab before freezing if they're almost there). <br /><br />As to how I feel - I can feel every bump or jolt in the cab - doesn't hurt (well, it does a little), but I'm aware of every shake. Wonder what it will feel like in about 60 hours from now when I'll probably be on my way to NYU for surgery ...<br /><br />As an aside, the way these scans work is that different doctors are on shift. So today for the scan I had a doctor who must have read my chart quickly and not realized I wasn't a general IVF patient. He said "Your uterine lining looks great, perfect - it's about 13-14 and perfect" Doesn't matter this go around (it matters for implantation), but I guess that's good to know that I can make a good uterine lining ...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549255685866752032.post-54535247327693145802008-10-26T19:13:00.003-04:002008-10-26T19:29:00.161-04:00NeedlesCD 10 / Day 8 of stims<br /><br />So here's what I've learned in 22 days I've been giving myself shots (something like 33 actual injections so far).<br /><br />1. The post-shot itchiness that happened on some shots is purely a function of whether I let the alcohol I just swabbed on myself fully dry before injecting myself. If the alcohol is at all wet, the injection site flares up.<br /><br />2. The best way to not feel the shot is to go in at a 90 degree angle and very quickly. The fast you stab, the less you feel it. <br /><br />3. Stay at the side of the abdomen - don't get anywhere close to the center - that hurts.<br /><br />4. Sometimes the "don't stab myself" reflex kicks in. Incidentally, this developed the more I gave myself shots even though you'd think it would get easier - I guess each instance where it did hurt + Pavlovian stuff = gets harder to actually do it. And that works against the need to stab quickly. Although I'm not at all scared of needles, it helped to know I was numbing the skin. Flicking the skin using my index finger and thumb for a few seconds causes nerve overload and the skin goes numb. That has always worked and if I don't do anything else wrong (see 1-3 above) then I really don't feel the needle at all - so doing that first helps counter any hesitation.<br /><br />-----------<br /><br />Today I stopped at the drugstore and filled my other prescriptions, which I hadn't yet picked up (didn't want to get ahead of myself if I wasn't sure the cycle was going to work).<br /><br />1. The HCG trigger shot - but when I got home, I saw that all I got was the meds (it's powder and water - needs to be mixed before injection), I need to go back and get the 1.5 inch needle!<br />2. The post-retrieval antibiotics<br /><br />Ok - appointment tomorrow. I presume I won't get trigger instructions for tomorrow night, but it's possible.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549255685866752032.post-60709642312552741752008-10-25T15:52:00.004-04:002008-10-25T16:42:30.889-04:00Another day, another scanCD9 / Stim Day 7<br /><br />Had a scan this morning, things look good. Asked the doc if it was possible I'd get 20 eggs, and he said probably not 20, but that I'd get a lot. I asked what number I'd need to have a good insurance policy without doing another round, and he suggested that I probably had enough from this round, but that they'll know more post-retrieval, because they can actually grade/analyze the eggs on a pretty deep level (looking at how the spindle is aligned, or something like that). He said that post-retrieval they'll be able to tell me where I stand.<br /><br />Also, during bloodwork I asked the nurses about arranging for someone else to give me the HCG shot. That's the big shot-in-the-butt that is given 35 hours before retrieval. There are a few nurses who live in Manhattan, and they think one can come here or I can go to their place. I'm not sure what standard protocol is, but I think $100 is around what I need to tip(?) - I don't know. <br /><br />Anyway, so keeping with the protocol (300 / 5), next appt is Monday. My E2 is 522 today. During the scan, doc said we're looking at probably Weds or Thurs for retrieval. Based on the E2, I'd guess Thursday is more likely. The only way it would be Weds is if my level on Monday is so high that they say "trigger tonight" - and I doubt it can jump so fast. <br /><br />Side effects - feels like puberty all over again. Nothing else to report!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549255685866752032.post-84540236101632691992008-10-23T15:10:00.004-04:002008-10-23T19:06:40.928-04:00CD7 - Day 5 of Stims - Second Stim Check (E2)My E2 came back at 257! Nice jump from 149 yesterday. (Ending E2 is supposed to be about 200 for each mature follicle but it grows exponentially - look at 72% in just one day). That's a great increase, and probably why I actually feel pregnant right now. Well, not that I know what pregnant feels like, but I feel abdominal pressure. <br /><br />Instructions are to take 5 units Lupron in the morning and 300 Gonal-F in the evening through Saturday. I go back for another blood test / scan on Saturday.<br /><br />All in all, a day of good news and progress.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549255685866752032.post-19788868570486915362008-10-23T09:52:00.004-04:002008-10-23T10:08:42.360-04:00CD7 - Day 5 of Stims - ScanHad a scan (it hurt this time!) this morning and it looks good - was able to see over a dozen follicles on the left, and about half a dozen on the right - and that number can still increase. There was a large-ish follicle on the right (no doubt the one that was there before they started me on stims)- about 15 mm while the rest were 10-11 mm (target: 19-20 mm). So that needs to be monitored a bit, and it's also, no doubt, the reason why my right ovary is an underperformer compared to the left. <br /><br />Doc wasn't worried about the low E2 since he had me on suppression which does cause a slow start - what mattered most is the scan ("we want to see lots of littles") which was good. He says retrieval will be "at the earliest Tuesday, latest Friday." That window gets smaller the closer we get to it, naturally. Will find out this morning's bloodwork E2 levels and ongoing med instructions later today.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549255685866752032.post-19670338511049118022008-10-22T17:14:00.004-04:002008-10-22T23:08:45.799-04:00CD6 - day 4 of stims - First Stim CheckBloodwork this morning - my E2 came back at 149. That is low-ish (I think), but I don't know if it's oversuppressed-bad-low or just-a-slow-start-low or up-the-meds-low. There's supposedly a lot of variation when it's this early in the stimulation/response phase. Nurse told me to take 300 gonal-f tonight (I was told to skip my 150 dose this morning before the morning's bloodwork). My next appointment was supposed to be in 2 days, but because of this result, I go back in tomorrow for more bloodwork and an ultrasound. Hopefully with a substantially risen E2 level.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0