Wednesday, May 28, 2014

A mini-update...

I don't really have much to report on the fertility front. We are sort of in a holding period, waiting for my next cycle to begin. Last week we both had to do some preliminary screening to give us the all-clear for IVF.

When I began treatment, blood work made me so sick. I am 99% sure it was all mental, even thought I am slightly anemic. That being said, I would have anxiety for a the day before the appointment, and would almost pass out every time it began. Since then, I have done a lot of blood work, so it's become easy less of a big deal. I still don't like it (not that anyone does) but I've gotten a lot better. So, when I went in for this month's work, I wasn't expecting much.

The woman that does the blood work at my doctor's office is really good at what she does, but when homegirl pulled out 9 tubes, NINE TUBES, I 'bout died. Typically, I have one tube of blood to give, maybe 2 so 9 is a ton. That being said, I kept telling myself, this is for your future baby(ies), you can do this!

She made as good as it could have gone, minus when she started talking to me about a kink in my vein that was making it a little harder to get the blood out. TMI sister, T.M.I. Let's talk about anything other then blood and veins and the process of it leaving my body. I felt light-headed and sleepy for the remainder of the day, but I never got sick or passed out so it was fine.

Mike had to go through the same testing - which selfishly made me really happy. That sounds so awful, but honestly, I do all of this work, all this prodding, poking, taking medicine, sometimes I just want to be the one giving the shot rather than getting it! (not really, I could never give a shot - I can't even inject the turkey). So I was joking with the blood girl - not her official title, I'm sure - that my husband would be getting the same test and that I'm sure he'd be whining about the 9 tubes....right then she burst my bubble of selfishness. Nope, she said, he only has to do three. Of course... that's what I get for wanting him to suffer. ;)

That was pretty early on last week, so when I didn't hear back from the doctor I just assumed everything was fine. Yesterday, they called to go over the results, finally. Mike was fine, all clear! I, on the other hand, have no immunity to chicken pox, which sucks because I got those darn things when I was in kindergarten. I thought if you had them once you were good to go, but apparently the immunity can wear off. My options were to either go on a vaccine that would take 60 days to complete, followed by another 30 days of waiting before we could move forward with IVF or to sign a waiver, saying that I understood I was not immune and that it could cause issues, should I catch chicken pox. -- Given the fact that Jake has been immunized, Mike is immune, and I don't work with children or come into a lot of contact with small kids, we have decided to sign the waiver. Knock on wood, everything should be fine. To get CP you have to come in direct contact - so please God, if you have chicken pox, or you recently rubbed up on someone that does, stay away! :)

On the financial side our health insurance coverage, through my work, just changed. I found that out this morning, so I put in an immediate call to my HR/benefits department to see if/how the change would effect my fertility coverage. I am praying that it's for the best, and that if something did change, that it didn't get worse. Luckily, I'm not going to stress because I know that God provides! Have you seen our gofundme account? We have almost $800 in donations so far and that is amazing! We are overwhelmed by the support from our family and friends and can't thank you all enough! I know how hard it is to reach into your pockets. Everyone has their own stuff going on, and Lord knows we all have bills to pay, so when someone donates, it hits me hard. Amazing. Thank you so much!

In family news, we had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. We packed up the family, including our dogs, and headed to Charleston, S.C. (my hometown)! My cousin got married Saturday, and the timing was perfect with the long weekend. I had such a good time at the wedding, and loved getting to see so many of my family members that I don't get to see as often as I'd like. The wedding was beautiful, and the food was delicious! Sunday, we spent the day by the pool with friends. Jake had a blast, getting to play all day long! By the time Monday rolled around we were exhausted. We packed up the car and the family and headed back south. We made a short detour to visit my older sister, Jessica and her boys in Ridgeland, SC. They have 5 goats and a bunch of chickens which Jake got to feed. She made a really yummy lunch for us, and then we were back on the road. When we got home, all we wanted to do was veg out and relax. It was a perfect weekend away!

Our next step in our IVF journey will be our final consult with Dr. Jaffe on June 11th. We will nail down our plan and begin (hopefully) treatment. I am anxiously awaiting that day to get here! Thanks again for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. We are forever grateful for the love and support that has surrounded us on this journey. It's nice to know we have people, all over, cheering us on!

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