Yesterday was retrevial, they retrevied 12 eggs. Still very sore from the whole process, but it went well. Today I am waiting on the fertilization report to see how many fertilized. I will log back on and post that when I get the news!
Thanks for thoughts and prayers, we need them!!

Finally it is here!! Egg retrevial is Thursday(6/18) morning at 9am. Coy and I have to be there at 8am. So excited and nervous!!

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers!!

Okay so 3rd Ultrasound and estradiol blood draw was today. Estradiol is 5681 and I had approximately 29 eggs/follicles on the Ultrasound today.
So it looks like trigger shot will be tomorrow night (Tuesday 6/16) and egg retrieval will be on Thursday (6/18) instead of Friday like we had planned. I think I stimmed a little better than they thought I would.

As always please pray for us on Thursday am during our retrieval, I will post the exact time once I get it tomorrow.

Julie

1st Ultrasound check yesterday, 6/10/09 went well, I had four eggs that were >10cm and 11 eggs that were under 10cm, with 7 micro follies(these probably won't grow to anything). My estrogen level was 490. So I am looking at 15 eggs right now, but we will have to wait and see what grows, as this U/S is very early in the game of the 10 days of stimming. They did say that I was stimming "vigoriously" and actually backed my dose down to 1/2 dose last night to 75IU's of follistim. Coy has been giving me the nightime injections and he has done a wonderful job! I am doing 225IU's of follistim tonight. My next ultrasound is tomorrow, Friday 6/12, and we will know more. I was kind of worried about them bringing by dose down(i was on 300IU's a day) on Wed night and Thursday, but they go off estrogen level and follicles, so I am sure they know what they are doing.
I will know more after tomoro's ultrasound. Please pray for us during this very emotional time. Coy and I appreciate the prayers so much!!

Suppression check went well on Wed. Estrogen level was only 23, so I am definitely suppressed! They did an U/S to check and make sure there were no cysts on the ovaries and there were none. I was very worried about that so I was excited to get the news that there were no cysts. My body just really likes being on BCP's.

At the suppression check you also talk to the NP and they do a trial transfer with the catheter they are going to use when they put the embryo's back into the uterus. Well this is where the fun starts!! So I don't know if I mentioned earlier, but during the hydrosonogram, that another RE did, they had a hard time with the catheter. So here I am talking away to the NP, while she is jabbing a catheter into the middle of my cervix, she says "well I am meeting some resistance". I told her about my experience with my IUI's and how all the nurses had no difficulty, but the last IUI we did, a NP did it and she had considerable difficulty. Makes you wonder if the other one's even knew what they were doing? Coy and I both beleive they did not, because, 3 very experienced practitioners have had considerable difficulty with the catheter and my cervix as of late. So anyway, the NP keeps trying, and she says :"I can pass it, but I am having to manipulate it alot to get it through there, I think you have a pretty significant curve in your cervix", which probably means I have an anteverted uterus. Which will be good for after transfer, but not so hot for the transfer. So the NP keeps talking and says that they do not want to have to manipulate the catheter that much when they are doing the actual transfer. The solution to this problem: "We will just put a stitch of suture in your cervix and leave two long strings, so that when we do the trasfer we can pull on that to help straighten the cervix".

Now I don't know about you guys, but having a stitch in my cervix does not sound pleasant!! So at this point, I am definitely patient Julie and not NP Julie, because my mind goes blank. I can't think of what to ask, I just lay there! After I regained my composure a bit, and she left the room to let me get dressed. I realize you need to be asking some questions about this. So when she comes back, she explains that at the retrevial, and while I am asleep, they will put the stitch in. Thank god, I will be asleep, I start to relax a little. She says it is not that uncommon and that in the transfer, they do not want the uterus to contract. She goes on to explain, that they have a tool called a tenaculum, this is a tooth steel thing that they can grab onto you cervix with, however, when you use a tenaculum to grab the cervix, the uterus contracts. Why is that not good? I didn't know either, because when they are transferring the embryo's back in you want the uterus to be as relaxed as possible, so if they put the stitch in at retrevial, it will be there at transfer to act as a loop they can pull on if needed, and the uterus will not contract. They actually give you a valium as well to help relax the uterus. After they have deposited the embryo's they will cut the suture and pull the stitch out. So I guess I am glad that they are prepared, I would sure hate to have a catheter with my embryo's in it and have difficulty getting them in my uterus!!!

On another note, today was day 1 of the injecting of the FSH stimulation drugs. These are the drugs I inject twice a day and make my ovaries and follies/eggs to mature and get very big. After the first injection this am I got very dizzy and somewhat nauseous. We were headed to church and I was very dizzy, Coy was like maybe we shouldn't go to church, but I insisted. Anyway it has gotten somewhat better, but I feel like I am in a fog, and I have only had one dose!! This is going to be an interesting week to say the least!! I just don't want to be dizzy at work!!

As always thanks for your thoughts and prayers, it is so comforting to feel the love!!

Julie