Wow, what a day! It has definitely not qualified as one of the most normal ones I've ever had. Perhaps this is the aforementioned "event" about which I spoke in my previous post.
Hubs and I got up and got ourselves and Munchkin going; got Hubs off to work and scooted back home to bring in the last couple things that still lived outside. As I was settling in to futz around on de Facebooks for a little while before I had to leave, I got a phone call from The IVF Clinic's cheery receptionist, asking if I'd be willing to make it in between noon and 12:45. Being 9:00, I figured sure, I could probably do that. So I headed out early. The wind and rain picked up about an hour and a half south of home. It tried to push me around a little, but I've driven in nasty windy blizzards before; it's far easier to compensate in warm rain than freezing rain or snow.
Half an hour out from The IVF Clinic, I got ANOTHER phone call from them, asking me if I could come in even earlier. Seriously? The receptionist was clever enough to note that my home address is THREE HOURS AWAY - How does that somehow change from one staff member to another? *headdesk* I told the woman I was already en-route and would be there within half an hour. This did not seem to please her, but I wasn't going to speed into the outer edges of a hurricane, thank-you-very-much.
Once I arrived, however; the staff were as pleasant and welcoming as if I had handed them each a million dollars. They pretty much always treat me that way (which is why I was so jarred by the brusque treatment I got during the second phone call.) The transfer was done by a different IVF Doctor, but he was just as confident and reassuring as My Normal IVF Doctor.
They transferred three embryos. One was 9 cells; one was 8 cells and one was 4 cells. The IVF Doctor said it went very well, and that the embryos look good. I'll be calling The IVF Clinic probably tomorrow or Wednesday to ask them to sent a requisition for blood work to The Local Hospital for a pregnancy test on November 9th. WOO!
Outside the IVF Clinic, the wind was so strong it whistled past the doors, and several gusts were strong enough to almost knock MY fat @$$ over. I made it home safe and sound though, with one pit stop at Cracker Barrel for lunch. I learned an important lesson there: Eating lunch by yourself in a sit-down restaurant makes you look sad and pathetic. From here on out, I'm gonna stick to drive-thru.
Once back in my neck of the woods, Hubs and I picked up various alternative light sources; some extra water, and dinner since the power was out. Of course, about two minutes before we turned to go downtown, the power came back on. Better that than extended outages before the thick of the storm gets here anyway. I also found out that state offices are on a delayed-opening schedule, so even if work DOESN'T get canceled, I get to sleep in! WOO!
Monday, October 29, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Embryos and Hurricanes
Friday I went down to The IVF Clinic for blood tests and an ultrasound to make sure that everything looked good for another embryo transfer. I tried to get them to let me do this part up at The Big Hospital here at home, but alas; the cycle is a package deal, and would have cost I.F. whether I went down to The IVF Clinic or not. So I got up at 4:00am, showered, grabbed my stuff, gassed up the car and popped over to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast so I'd be on the road by 5:15. Turned out to be a good thing I did leave a little early, since of course traffic down that way at the beginning of the day is always congested.
Some pokes and prods later, I was informed unofficially that the lining of my uterus was at 10.4mm on one side and 9.75mm on the other. I drove home, still nervous about what that meant; what if it was too thick? I knew that the preferred thickness for transfer was at least 8.5mm, but I didn't know if there was a maximum.
I'm not gonna lie; I'm a little gunshy about this cycle. Wiggleworm was unanimously successful from the get-go. The first cycle on this attempt was a pathetic failure. Maybe it was because Wiggleworm was transferred on Yom Kippur? Maybe this one is waiting for something memorable too. If so, I guess that being transferred as a massive hurricane makes landfall in the Northeast would certainly be memorable. Let's go with that.
I got a call on the way back home, informing me that everything looks great, and I'd get a call from the scheduler for an embryo transfer on Monday. Long story short: 1:30 tomorrow afternoon. WOO!
After I got home from The IVF Clinic; tired and a little cranky (driving 6 hours by myself while on hormones can do that to me, I guess), I decided to take a nap before I had to pick Hubs up from work and then drive another two hours south to my grandparents' house, since it was my weekend "in the barrel.*" It was not to be. Hubs wanted to chat, and then wanted to be picked up early. Shortly after we got back home and I tried to lay down, since Hubs had to go to a meeting for which he needed the car; Munchkin got home and wanted help getting ready for a dance that evening.
Once I finally got Munchkin and her friend into their costumes for the dance, it was too late to try to nap, so I packed up and headed out. I stopped at the store to pick up cookies for Grampy, who's in a physical rehabilitation facility for a broken pelvis. I had intended to visit him before going on to his house to hang out with Grammie and Eldest Uncle, but there was no way I was going to arrive at the facility before visiting hours were over. I also learned that he's not allowed to eat solid foods; only pureed ones, for the time being.
I had a lovely visit with Grammie and Eldest Uncle Friday evening, and stayed up chatting with them till 1:00am. I hadn't pulled a 21-hour-day for years, so needless to say I slept in a little Saturday morning. Eldest Uncle and I popped over to see Grampy for a couple hours, and we brought Uncle's little white dog, who is beautifully behaved and absolutely adorable. The older folks just love him; Grampy especially.
After our visit, I scooted over to the grocery store to pick up dinner fixin's. Made bacon-stuffed chicken breasts, rosemaried carrots and rice pilaf, which met with approval from Grammie as well as Eldest Uncle and Next-Up-From-Dad Uncle. (I've got three on that side. They rock.) Played cards and got totally stomped by Grammie and Eldest Uncle, but had fun nonetheless.
Today has been all about cleaning: Grammie's house and mine. Grocery shopping; lunch-making; dinner buying, etc. Breakfast was scrambled eggs with mushrooms, onions and peppers, and a little Montreal steak seasoning (a family staple), and bacon. Grammie and I made some egg salad for Eldest Uncle. Both Uncles and Grammie were highly complimentary, which obviously makes me feel special. (See? They rock.)
So yeah. Embryo transfer tomorrow. I'll let people know how it goes.
*I have learned that many people do not understand what I mean by this phrase, so I shall expound. Earlier this year, a schedule of sorts was established amongst the family that lives in state, so that every other weekend, one of our little nuclei would be responsible for visiting and doing the bigger household tasks at Grammie & Grampy's house. This would ensure that they were not left wanting for company or for help around the house, since they're both in their mid-eighties. My "weekend in the barrel" is therefore, the weekend for which I am scheduled to visit.
Some pokes and prods later, I was informed unofficially that the lining of my uterus was at 10.4mm on one side and 9.75mm on the other. I drove home, still nervous about what that meant; what if it was too thick? I knew that the preferred thickness for transfer was at least 8.5mm, but I didn't know if there was a maximum.
I'm not gonna lie; I'm a little gunshy about this cycle. Wiggleworm was unanimously successful from the get-go. The first cycle on this attempt was a pathetic failure. Maybe it was because Wiggleworm was transferred on Yom Kippur? Maybe this one is waiting for something memorable too. If so, I guess that being transferred as a massive hurricane makes landfall in the Northeast would certainly be memorable. Let's go with that.
I got a call on the way back home, informing me that everything looks great, and I'd get a call from the scheduler for an embryo transfer on Monday. Long story short: 1:30 tomorrow afternoon. WOO!
After I got home from The IVF Clinic; tired and a little cranky (driving 6 hours by myself while on hormones can do that to me, I guess), I decided to take a nap before I had to pick Hubs up from work and then drive another two hours south to my grandparents' house, since it was my weekend "in the barrel.*" It was not to be. Hubs wanted to chat, and then wanted to be picked up early. Shortly after we got back home and I tried to lay down, since Hubs had to go to a meeting for which he needed the car; Munchkin got home and wanted help getting ready for a dance that evening.
Once I finally got Munchkin and her friend into their costumes for the dance, it was too late to try to nap, so I packed up and headed out. I stopped at the store to pick up cookies for Grampy, who's in a physical rehabilitation facility for a broken pelvis. I had intended to visit him before going on to his house to hang out with Grammie and Eldest Uncle, but there was no way I was going to arrive at the facility before visiting hours were over. I also learned that he's not allowed to eat solid foods; only pureed ones, for the time being.
I had a lovely visit with Grammie and Eldest Uncle Friday evening, and stayed up chatting with them till 1:00am. I hadn't pulled a 21-hour-day for years, so needless to say I slept in a little Saturday morning. Eldest Uncle and I popped over to see Grampy for a couple hours, and we brought Uncle's little white dog, who is beautifully behaved and absolutely adorable. The older folks just love him; Grampy especially.
After our visit, I scooted over to the grocery store to pick up dinner fixin's. Made bacon-stuffed chicken breasts, rosemaried carrots and rice pilaf, which met with approval from Grammie as well as Eldest Uncle and Next-Up-From-Dad Uncle. (I've got three on that side. They rock.) Played cards and got totally stomped by Grammie and Eldest Uncle, but had fun nonetheless.
Today has been all about cleaning: Grammie's house and mine. Grocery shopping; lunch-making; dinner buying, etc. Breakfast was scrambled eggs with mushrooms, onions and peppers, and a little Montreal steak seasoning (a family staple), and bacon. Grammie and I made some egg salad for Eldest Uncle. Both Uncles and Grammie were highly complimentary, which obviously makes me feel special. (See? They rock.)
So yeah. Embryo transfer tomorrow. I'll let people know how it goes.
*I have learned that many people do not understand what I mean by this phrase, so I shall expound. Earlier this year, a schedule of sorts was established amongst the family that lives in state, so that every other weekend, one of our little nuclei would be responsible for visiting and doing the bigger household tasks at Grammie & Grampy's house. This would ensure that they were not left wanting for company or for help around the house, since they're both in their mid-eighties. My "weekend in the barrel" is therefore, the weekend for which I am scheduled to visit.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Giant Leap Forward, Teeny Steps Back
Menses numero dos has come and gone, and I am finally back on surro-meds. These last six weeks or so, I have learned that miscommunication can be an interesting thing, and it happens to even the best people.
After menses number one, it turned out that the financial details were never sorted out, and so we had to wait for me to have another one before anything could move forward. Menses number two started, and The IVF Clinic still had nothing in the fiscal department. I contacted The Agency and I.F. to find out what was going on. Turned out I.F. was WAY out of town and was having trouble faxing in the necessary paperwork. So my favorite Carrier Coordinator (seriously; I love her; she's fabulous) at The Agency contacted The IVF Clinic and set things up to move forward. Unfortunately, the other nurses at The IVF Clinic weren't aware of the arrangements that had been made, so when I called into report the beginning of my cycle, they couldn't give me my instructions for starting the meds again (which is kind of silly, because I already know what they want me to do; but timing is key, so I had to wait.) I did finally get in touch with our IVF Doctor's nurse, who gave me instructions and said she'd check in with me on Monday, because...
Much as I adore being able to pop off and visit Xaotl and her littles on the way back from The IVF Clinic, I really can't afford to take two or more days off of work, for a twenty-minute appointment (including the time in the waiting room.) It's a three-hour drive down and a three-hour drive back, if the traffic is good both ways. So I got permission to do my pre-transfer monitoring at The Big Hospital, rather than at The IVF Clinic. This should save me lots of time, and keep I.F.'s reimbursement obligations down, too.
So we're on the move again. Hooray!
As a side note: I'm still absolutely loving our little apartment! It's close to downtown, it's cute, it's warm and it's quiet.
After menses number one, it turned out that the financial details were never sorted out, and so we had to wait for me to have another one before anything could move forward. Menses number two started, and The IVF Clinic still had nothing in the fiscal department. I contacted The Agency and I.F. to find out what was going on. Turned out I.F. was WAY out of town and was having trouble faxing in the necessary paperwork. So my favorite Carrier Coordinator (seriously; I love her; she's fabulous) at The Agency contacted The IVF Clinic and set things up to move forward. Unfortunately, the other nurses at The IVF Clinic weren't aware of the arrangements that had been made, so when I called into report the beginning of my cycle, they couldn't give me my instructions for starting the meds again (which is kind of silly, because I already know what they want me to do; but timing is key, so I had to wait.) I did finally get in touch with our IVF Doctor's nurse, who gave me instructions and said she'd check in with me on Monday, because...
Much as I adore being able to pop off and visit Xaotl and her littles on the way back from The IVF Clinic, I really can't afford to take two or more days off of work, for a twenty-minute appointment (including the time in the waiting room.) It's a three-hour drive down and a three-hour drive back, if the traffic is good both ways. So I got permission to do my pre-transfer monitoring at The Big Hospital, rather than at The IVF Clinic. This should save me lots of time, and keep I.F.'s reimbursement obligations down, too.
So we're on the move again. Hooray!
As a side note: I'm still absolutely loving our little apartment! It's close to downtown, it's cute, it's warm and it's quiet.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)