On to a new clinic

So, Monday morning I called Oregon Reproductive and I was able to schedule an appointment for Friday at 3:00 with Dr. Bankowski. I'm excited to see how this goes and hopefully start IVF in about a month!

Stop Wait Listen

This is gonna be quick because I have to go to work!

So, it was a false alarm--I didn't start the pill yesterday because the IVF coordinator did not order the Rx for me. Even though Friday I gave her the head's up that I was spotting, and I called Monday at 9AM to confirm that it started, she did not order the pills. In fact, she didn't get the message (and then acted like it was my fault). Needless to say, I was MAD!!! (and she knew it).

Last night at about 11 or so I started thinking about changing clinics. It's been in the back of my mind for a while and I felt the Lord was telling me something through this last situation. I was really ready to start this month too, but I feel God is saying STOP---WAIT---LISTEN. I don't feel like he's saying to stop doing IVF, just that I may need to go to the other clinic (ORM), which will surely delay this process by at least a month since I would  need to go through their hoops now.

This would also mean that I won't be able to do the Attain program (3 fresh/ 3 frozen cycle program). This is the part that I'm torn on! That's where the LISTEN part comes in for me. I'm good with whatever God wants--just need to hear what he tells me. Thanks for your prayers everyone. They are definitely working, just not in the way I expected.

The Pill

Tomorrow I start part of 1 of my IVF Cycle Round 2: Contraceptive Pills. This should start to prepare my ovaries for suppression and help me to avoid getting any cysts. When it's time to stimulate the ovaries in a few weeks, they want all of my follicles to grow evenly (and they want lots of them!)

I probably have about a month to go until the stage of transferring the embryos, but I've started to try and help get my body ready. For one, I have been doing acupuncture every couple weeks for about a month. I don't know how much of a believer I am, but if there's even a slight chance it could help, I want to give it a shot. I will definitely have it done during my embryo transfer, as even many western medicine doctors feel this is beneficial.

Thank you to friends and family as you have been so supportive. I will do my best to keep you informed as to what's going on.

Happy Autumn!

Autumn is here and good things are brewing for Baby Ruth. The plant sale in Hood River was lots of fun. Mom and Dad and some really nice friends and family helped us save up a little more for our fund. I'm super excited because I'll actually be starting my IVF cycle next month! Below are some links from OHSU's website that explain the basic steps involved for an IVF cycle.

Initiation of Oral Contraceptive Pills
Baseline Ultrasound
Ovarian Stimulation & Monitoring
Final Maturation HCG (Trigger shot) and Oocyte Retrieval
Fertilization
Embryo Transfer (3, 5, or 6 days after retrieval)
Pregnancy Test (10-12 days after transfer)
Early OB ultrasound (6 1/2 weeks gestation)

Good News

My biopsy came back clear~ Yay! We're back on track now. My next step is to finish the blood tests they need before we can get accepted for the Attain Program...and lots of saving left to do. The plant sale my parents are doing to help us raise funds is coming up September 25th from 10-3 in Hood River. (589 Eastside Rd) Hope everyone can make it!

Biopsy Finished

Today I had the endometrial biopsy. They used a clamp, then threaded a catheter through my cervix and cut out a little piece of my lining. It was about 20 seconds of the most excruciating pain I've ever felt. There is a REASON that endometriums are not to be touched! I really really hope child birth is not that intense seeing that it's so much longer than 20 seconds. (Please nobody tell me if it is that horrible--I don't really want to know!)

That's all I have to say for now~ good night!

Happy Summer!

It's amazing how Summer flies by so quickly when you're a grown-up. Whatever happened to those long, lazy days filled with Mom's homemade popsicles and playing on the swing set until dark? I'm already getting the back to school butterflies, and it's only the middle of August (and I don't go to school!).

One thing I'm actually looking forward to this coming "back-to-school season" is finding out if the course of medication I've been on for three months has been effective. I was treated for a condition called "endometrial hyperplasia" which is the thickening of the uterine lining, which if left untreated can become cancer. This is caused by having too much estrogen and not enough progesterone. On Friday Aug 20th, my doctor at OHSU will be doing an endometrial biopsy to check the tissue and see if I'm better. Please pray that I'm done with the pills and able to move on!

The question is...if I'm all clear, what's next? The plan right now is to continue saving up for the Attain Program at OHSU (3 fresh IVF cycles and 3 Frozen). In the meantime, I'm planning to take a natural approach including herbs and acupuncture and pray for a miracle. I'm really thankful to have found a wonderful acupuncturist in Portland named Taya. I was recommended to her by several of the ladies in Hannah's Hope. She is such a thoughtful person and I feel so blessed to have found her. My hope is that perhaps she can help my body become more balanced and also help me with the stress of the situation. Here's her website: http://www.hawthornewellness.com/practitioners/index.php?p=acupuncturists

Also coming up this Fall is a super cool PLANT SALE at my mom and dad's to help us save for Baby Ruth! As many of you know, they are avid perennial gardeners and one of the perks with perennials is that you can divide them up into baby plants. I'll post more information when it gets closer.

Thanks friends and family for reading my blog and for your prayers! I'd love it if everyone would get a Google user-name and password so you can sign up as a "follower" (that's how you get your picture up that says you read this if you didn't know).