New information

Just got a call from the Agency....

NEGATIVE results on the implant, no baby for the couple I donated to :( I'm sad!

They are going to try again in a few weeks.

Almost back to normal

Everything is going great. It's been a little over a week I'm still a bit bloated and my breasts are still very tender. I'm suppose to start my period this week and then the HcG hormone will be out of my system and then everything will be back to normal :) Yipee!!! I still only gained 2lbs during the whole process, I haven't lost the weight yet, but I plan on starting up my exercise routine again this week.

I did receive my compensation check last Thursday (it only took 5 days).

More information

I called the IVF Clinic Nurse to give her an update on how I've been feeling (this is part of the process, I will call again next week too). I advised her I feel great! No pain at all. The only issues I've been having is 1. I'm still really bloated and 2. my breasts are tender- both should go away next week when I start my period.

She also let me know the fertilization process was a success and they did the embryo transfer yesterday. So...I should know by next week or the week after if the intended parents are pregnant. Yipee!!!

If they are pregnant the baby(s) would be due around MaY 20, 2011

Procedure and Post-procedure

Sorry for the delayed post but here it is...

Thursday... afternoon we drove the 3+ hours to our hotel (it took a little longer than normal to drive since we went during 5 o'clock traffic). We stopped at a park along the way only to find out the hotel had a complimentary dinner :( Our hotel room was super-nice. A one bedroom suite with a kitchenette!

Friday... morning I got up at 6am. My friend met me downstairs to drive me to the clinic, while my husband stayed at the hotel with the kids. I only had to sit in the waiting room of the clinic for 15min before they called me back to be prepped. Once back in the Procedure room, they had me undress from the waist down, get on the table and cover with the 2 blankets. A few minutes later, a nurse came in and told me the anesthesiologist would be in soon, while we waited she hooked me up with a saline drip and a nice needle in my arm then left for a couple minutes. I remember waiting 15min before the IVF doctor came in, but I don't remember even seeing the anesthesiologist. I remember nothing regarding the procedure or even of being sedated! I woke up in the recovery room 25min later (I know this because I looked at the clock when the IVF doctor came in and they had a nice clock in the recover room). When I woke up, they went and got my friend from the waiting room. I only remember parts of the recovery like: I was super sore and gassy! and a bit nauseated, I remember there was a lady next to me that was in a lot of pain and they gave her a shot in the butt (I'm so glad my pain wasn't that bad), I remember having to go to the bathroom, but having no idea how I got there, I have no idea how I got dressed, but I did, Also, I remember telling my friend how to get validated for parking, but I do not remember walking down the long hall to the elevator or even the elevator ride, I remember talking on the way back to the hotel, but I don't remember the ride. Once back at the hotel, I was still really sore so I sat and relaxed a bit while my kids finished their movie. We decided to take the long way home...PCH! It was beautiful!!! It ended up taking us an extra 3hrs to get home, but we stopped for a few hours at Santa Monica Pier. By the time we got home, I was a really sore so I went to bed right away.

Saturday...I ended getting up really early since it was my son's birthday and I had to get ready for his party. I was still a sore, but not bad, kind of like period cramps, and I had a lot of gas. After the two parties (our friends had a birthday party for their little one too) and dinner with my family, I could tell I should have relaxed a bit more! I wasn't sore enough to take any pain meds, but I was pretty sore.

Sunday...I relaxed the whole day minus the little bit of baking I did! Super-nice. I was still a little sore today, but not as bad as Saturday. Sunday night, my husband and I had sex. I was a bit nervous (I didn't want to hurt), but afterwards I felt great! Actually I felt better than I did all day, almost like the sex helped! Super-cool.

Monday-I feel super-good! Very minimal pain and a lot less gas! Very cool. I may even start exercising on Tuesday.

**Currently

I am taking an antibiotic that I finish today.

I gained a total of 3lbs and have lost all but 1lb

I still am a bit bloated, but other than that I'm back to normal

I would definitely do this again!

NOTES for next time:

*just have your driver drop you off, that way they don't have to sit in the waiting room

*dress warmer! I was cold

*relax

*after the procedure, drink more and relax more. Maybe even sleep for the rest of the day

*get the hotel for the night before and the next day!

Oh and for anyone who wants to know... they only got 12 eggs. Not exactly the amount they wanted (20-28), but it's the quality not the quantity they want :)

Day before the procedure

So, last night I slept soooooo good!!! The best sleep I've had in awhile! I took the first of the antibiotic this morning at breakfast, I will take another tonight after dinner (it's a 2x's a day for 5days antibiotic). I feel great today, I'm thinking because I slept so good last night (the kids didn't even wake up). I'm very excited about tomorrow!

We leave for the hotel today, we should be there around 7pm, if we don't hit any traffic (my husband's getting off work early). I have to be at the clinic tomorrow no later than 8am... I will try to post more tomorrow, if I'm feeling well enough.

Injections: day 19

So my injections went well tonight.

I administered the Follistim (425units) and the Menopur (75units) today at 4:30pm. Nothing new to report.

At 9:30pm I gave myself the 2 Ovidrel shots (250 units in each)! I didn't feel a thing. The video is below of the Ovidrel shots. (Don't worry about the bruise, that is from last week when I hit a blood vessel...it doesn't hurt. I keep rubbing it, but it's going to take awhile to go away).

I still feel very tired and irritable. I am also still very crampy. Still no weight gain. I've been drinking a lot since I got home, so maybe that will help with the camps and the sudden headache I now have.

*sorry no music with this one...you just get me this time :)

Instructions prior to egg retrieval

This morning I drove 3hrs to the Fertility Clinic...I was up at 4am to make my 9am appointment (it ended up taking a little longer to get there due to traffic). The fertility doctor did the ultrasound and said everything looked great and the retrieval would definitely be on Friday. After the ultrasound (and more blood work) the fertility nurse sat down with me and gave me more instructions.

My instructions for the next couple days:

**Today (Wednesday)

Lupron 5units (I injected this morning)

Follistim 400units (yeah, they upped it again) to be injected at 4:30pm

Menopur 75units to be injected at 4:30pm

Ovidrel 2 doses (yes, two shots) to be injected at 9:30pm (I'll try to tape this one, since this will be the only injections for this medication...this injection stimulates the eggs to be released)

Thursday:

NO SHOTS!! Yipee...

Start antibiotic (pill form)

get plenty of fluids

nothing to eat or drink after midnight!!!

Friday:

be at the clinic no later than 8am

retrieval will be at 8:30am

released at 9:30am

**I'll post later about the shots from today and how I am feeling!

Injections: day 18

Nothing new to report. Still feeling tired and crampy. I am making the 3 hr drive to the Fertility Clinic tomorrow morning...Yipee!!!

Injections today

Lupron 5units (am)

Follistim 300units (pm)

Menopur 75 units (pm)

injections: day 17

This morning I went to the clinic close to my house for a check up. I had my blood drawn first and then an ultrasound of my ovaries. The ultrasound tech was not very nice, she told me that my eggs were about a day behind and they would probably move the extraction date from Friday to Saturday. I told her that Saturday would be a problem for me since it is my son's 4th Birthday (and my friend's baby's 1st Birthday). She then told me that I didn't really have a say in the matter. Ugh!!! I hate rude people, she's not even a doctor! What the heck does she know, and for that matter, I'm not getting the extraction done here...I'm getting it done 3hrs from here!!!

Anyway, I left the clinic and when I got home I called the Fertility Clinic. The nurse there told me they would not be doing it on Saturday and that if my eggs were not ready on Friday, they would do it on Monday (so there, you rude ultrasound tech, I did get my way). Which if they did the removal on Monday I would have to continue the injections until Saturday night, instead of being done on Wednesday night. The nurse upped one of my medications (the Follistim) from 150 to 300 for tonight and tomorrow night. I'll be getting another shipment of meds on Tuesday (tomorrow). On Wednesday, I will make the 3hr trip south to the Fertility Clinic to get another Ultrasound by the Fertility Doctor (yahoo...no ultrasound tech!!!)

I'm feeling very weak today. I am very tired. I feel like I am 9mo pregnant, but without the belly; it's hard to sit, my insides feel like they're going to fall out, my lower back hurts, can't sleep, etc (I asked the Fertility Nurse and she said this was normal). I also caught my son's cold, so that doesn't help either. On the good side, I've yet to gain any weight...the normal weight gain is 5-10lbs, I'll be interesting to see what I weigh after the extraction on Friday (or Monday)

So...my shots for today

Lupron 5units (am)

Follistim 300units (pm)

Menopur 75units (pm)stim

Injections: day 15 & 16

Lupron 5units

Follistim 150 units

Menopur 75units

Saturday, Day 15

I'm very tired and sore, although I'm not sure if it's from the medications or from my kids :)

My stomach is very bloated and a little crampie. This morning while giving myself the Lupron shot, I hit a blood vein and gave myself another bruise :( Of course it also doesn't help I have a sunburn from going to the beach yesterday with my family.

Sunday, Day 16

Nothing much has changed...still bloated, tired and sore. The bruise from yesterday looks bad. I'll just have to keep rubbing it

Injections: day 14

So...I was able to get a video of myself tonight administering the Follistim and Menopur injections (I do inject myself, so if you are a little squirmish, don't watch)

Follistim Video

Menopur Video

I am starting to feel a bit more tired, and irritable. My dad noticed my irritability today, oops!

I can also feel my ovaries. It doesn't hurt, it's more like a cramp in my stomach (like the ones I use to get when I was in my first trimester with my kids and I'd move to fast).

Injections: day 13

OMG! It doesn't feel like I've been doing this for 2 weeks!

Yesterday's injections went great (day 13).

Lupron 5units

Follistim 150units

Menopur 75units

So, my husband and I decided to let our 4 yr old watch me administer the injections, last night. He'll be getting some immunization shots in a couple weeks and we thought it might make it a little easier for him if he saw Mommy do it. He did okay. He was very curious and asked me if it hurt. Of course, I told him "No, it didn't" I ended up having to inject the Follistim 2times, silly me forgot to wind the pen and so there was no medication to inject when I put the needle in...my husband was laughing at me :)

When I was done with the injections, my son and I had a little talk. I told him he would be getting a few shots of his own in a few weeks. He started crying, I was so sad. He asked me if it was going to hurt. I told him it would hurt him, and he cried a little more. I then told him that he had to get the shots and it was going to hurt, but it would make it so he wouldn't get sick. He smiled, stopped crying and said "Okay, Mommy".

So that being last night, today in the car on our way back home he told me "Mommy, I don't feel good" I asked him if his tummy hurt and he said "yes". Then he said the funniest thing ever "Mommy, take me to the doctor. I need a shot, so I don't get sick" Ah...so cute!!!

Injection: day 13 Getting Closer

I keep counting down the days to the Egg Retrieval day...1 week!!!

I'm super-excited. To think...in a matter of weeks my egg(s) will be used to help someone have a child(ren) that they otherwise could not have had! I can't wait!!!

I got an email from my agent today confirming my hotel room for the night before the procedure. The room looks really nice from the pictures. Now all I have to do is confirm the babysitter :)

Today, I also deposited the $750.00 (non-refundable fee for starting the injections)...I will get the remainder of the compensation money about 5 days after the retrieval.

In other news, the shots continue. Last night I injected 150 units of Follisitim and 75 units of Menopur (day 12). Still no pain or stinging, which is really good news. This morning I did the 5units of Lupron (day 13) and tonight will be the same as last night with another Follistim and Menopur shot. I'm going to try to tape the Follistim and Menopur shots tonight.

Injection: day 12

Lupron 5units

(tonight I will do 150 units of Follistim and 75units of Menopur)

Yesterday's injections went well (day 11), nothing to new to report, on that.

Today is day 12 of injections... I was able to tape my Lupron injection this morning (video below). Sorry, I had to remove the sound, my kids were not cooperating :(

Day 10-injections

Lupron 5units

Follistim 150 units

Menopur 75 units

I posted about yesterday about the Lupron (the morning injection).

So, last night I started the nighttime injections (Follistim and Menopur)... and I have to say they're Not that Bad. Once again I didn't even feel the needle or the medications! It was super-easy!!! The Follistim Pen was pretty easy to figure out; put in the medication add the needle, twist to the amount you need, pinch, clean, insert and inject. I did find that the medication was a little harder to push in. I'm pretty sure it was the way I was standing, tonight I'm going to do it a little different so the needle doesn't get jostled around. The Menopur was super easy to mix (once I knew how much liquid to mix with the powder), the needle was a little bigger than the Lupron needle, but still easy to use.

As far as changes to my body... I can feel my ovaries (a little) and I'm slightly bloated, but I still haven't gained any weight :) Also, I can tell the medication is making it a little hard for me to sleep at night. I'm use to being able to fall asleep very easily and stay sleeping throughout the night (with the exception of a kid or two waking me up). Since I've been taking the Lupron, I have been waking up at least 5x's a night and have not been able to fall asleep again for at least 30min. Not that it's a big deal, I just take a nap with the kids during the day (if I can). Also, I've noticed things irritate me a little more than normal...which super-sucks when you have kids!

Inections: day 6-10

The injections on days 6-9 were the same as days 1-5... 10units of Lupron.

No problems, no bruising, no pain :)

Below is a picture of the medication

Today... Day 10, I took 5 units of Lupron

I did take a video of me administering the shot to myself, but I'm having trouble posting it :(

Tonight, I will be starting 2 more medications along with continuing the Lupron (5 units)... Menopur 150 units and Follistim 75 units (both are injections).

I'm kind of anxious about tonights injections. The Follistim has a neat pen you use and the Menopur is suppose to sting going in. I'll post about those tomorrow.

Injections: day 5

Lupron 10units

This morning's shot went good, although I have a bruise (I think I put the needle in too slow, it actually stung a little too). I am almost ready to show my 4 yr. old that shots don't hurt...to prepare him for the ones he will be getting in December to start school.

Today is also the last day I take my Birth Control Pill.

I called the IVF doctor this morning and got answers about my polyp. She said that it would not effect the egg donation process. But if I was planning on having another kid, it may or may not become a problem for the egg to attach to the uterus. And she recommended I have my regular OBGYN look at it and see what he says. So other than having another kid, the polyp should not be a concern for me...what a relief!!!

Injections: day 4

Lupron 10units

Today's injection went well. I had an ultrasound appointment this afternoon that went okay...

They found a polyp in my uterus. I'm not sure what that means yet-if they are going to remove it or just leave it??? I'm a little nervous, how did it get there? Why is it there? Will it go away? Aren't I a little young for these? 29, really??? So, I sit and wait until tomorrow when I can call the IVF doctor and see what is going to be done.

Injections: day 3

Lupron 10units

Nothing new to post...administered the shot, no problems

Last night I looked up the side effects of Lupron injections and it is normal to have pains in the abdomen...not that they are bad, just kind of annoying.

Injections: day 2

Lupron 10units

Day 2 of the Lupron shot was a success...well kind of

I did everything right, but when it came time to insert the needle I must not have done it hard enough and it bounced right off my skin :) It didn't hurt, I laughed a little and then re-tried (this time with success). Still no pain from the shots.

I am feeling the same as I normally do. Yesterday evening I did have a little sharpness in my right side around the injection site, but other than the couple minutes of that, nothing.

Injections: day 1

Lupron- 10 units

I gave myself the first injection this morning. After watching a couple videos of other people yesterday on You Tube, I felt confident in being able to stab myself. Everything went good. I wasn't nervous at all...just kind of anxious to see how it felt. It was super-simple and I had no pain. There was a little bleeding afterwards, but no pain. The hardest part was hiding the needle from my 4yr old.

Clearance

Spoke with the lawyer yesterday, took her 30min to go over what I read in 5. She had to go threw each section and make sure I understood, of course I did the first time I read it.

I've been waiting since yesterday for the clearance and I just got the email saying the lawyer clearance me and the clinic is sending the meds.

I start the injections on Saturday...3 more days!!

Finally!

So after many phone calls back and forth from one Fertility clinic to the other, I finally got my appointments scheduled!!! YIPEE!!!! The problem was, the clinic close to where I live didn't have the dates available I needed :( So, we changed a few things around and viola...all fixed. I have an appointment on the 10th and on the 23rd here at the clinic close to where I live.

I will only have to make the 3hr trudge south 2 times (instead of 4) both of those being the same week (on the 25th and again on the 27th for the egg retrieval).

I'm still waiting on the lawyer to call me back but other than that

I'm getting super-excited.

Rush rush!!

Around noon today, I got the email from the lawyer with the legal documents attached. I had a really hard time printing the documents, mainly because my printer was out of ink. So, after a quick trip to WalMart, my problem was fixed, and the documents were printed and waiting to be read. I've since read the documents, and left a message with the lawyer to call so we can set up the required phone consultation.

Also, I set up 1 of the two appointments with the clinic close to my house. I could only set up 1 appointment because they didn't have an opening on the day I needed for the other one, which super-sucks since I'll have to go to the fertility clinic 3hrs away for that appointment.

New information

I found out today that the lady that will be receiving my eggs is out of the country for the week and that is why I haven't gotten anything back from the lawyer...super-cool!!! Out of the Country??? Awesome!

Still Waiting!!

I called the nurse at the "Fertility Clinic" today. Finally got a hold of her...we've been playing phone tag with each other for the last week now :) She advised me that I am to continue to take my BCP until I get to the sugar pills (the last week), then I am to stop and throw the pack away. When I start my period (next Wednesday), I am to call her that day and let her know I've started. I am also that day, suppose to start a new pack of BCP. The injections will start on the 7th.

I also got a hold of my agent at the "Egg Donation Agency". I gave her all the info the nurse at the fertility clinic gave me, and she gave me the name of my lawyer (the clinic will not send me the shots until they've received all the paperwork from the lawyer). She also gave me the name of the clinic here, where I live, so I won't have to drive 3hrs south for the weekly check-ups (I'll only have to go to there for the last 2 appointments...on August 25th and 27th).

I called the lawyer and she advised me she hadn't gotten any paperwork from the recipient's lawyer and as soon as she did she would call me, which hopefully is soon since I start the injections in a week and a half.

So...I wait some more.

Side note---I think it's super-weird that all the people I've talked to during the whole process are female..where are all the guys??? Do women not see male doctors for fertility? I actually prefer male doctors over female.

More Blood

So I got a call from the nurse at the "fertility clinic" on Friday telling me that I need to stop my birth control 3 days before I was scheduled. Also, they forgot a vial of blood, so I have to go and get 1 more vial of blood drawn for testing.

Pre-Dates

So, these are the dates they gave me... They might change in a few days, we'll see
8/7/10 start daily injections of Luprin 10cc and continuing BCP
8/11/10 stop the BCP (still doing the daily 10cc of Luprin)
8/12/10 ultrasound and more labs (this will determine if I am to stay at 10cc of Luprin or lower the amount)
8/16/10 drop the Luprin to 5cc and start taking Follisim and Menopur. The Menopur is suppose to sting :( you also have to mix the Menopur.
8/23/10 another ultrasound and more labs
8/25/10 appointment with the "IVF Doctor", that night I will do the Ovidrel injection (I'm not looking forward to this one), and I get to stop the other injections
8/26/10 I will start Doxycycline (an antibiotic)
and on 8/27/10 I will return to the doctor for the egg retrieval :)

Evaluations

Tuesday night, I made the 3 hour drive to a friend's house, near the "fertility clinic", so I wouldn't have to drive in traffic the next morning. I still ended up stopping for over an hour due to traffic (I went shopping), but it would have been a lot worse if I left Wednesday morning.
Anyway, I arrived at my psych evaluation at 8am on Wednesday. The office was nice, it was off to the side of her house and it overlooked the ocean! There was a guard at the gate who was really nice and showed me where to go. It took the whole 2hrs. for her to ask me the questions she had and for me to take a written test and then one on the computer (338 questions, btw). I even made the psychologist laugh a few times. I was super-tired when I was done!!! 2 hours of questioning!!! Of course, some of it was kinda silly (to me anyway). She asked a lot about my life now and my family; if there were any medical problems, if we got along, what I liked about each one of them and what I liked about myself, my goals, etc.
At 1pm I had my physical. I was in the waiting room for 30min before they called me back to be seen by the "IVF Doctor" (aka Fertility doctor). While I was waiting, my rep. from the "Egg Donation Agency" to arrive. The rep told me the physiologist had already sent over my clearance!!! YIPEE... A little while later, we were shown to a conference room. The IVF doctor arrived shortly after. She talked to me for a bit...asked why I wanted to do this and then gave a demo on the procedure. Afterward, she brought me and my rep (from the egg donation agency) to another room where she did the PAP and the ultrasound (the IVF doctor said my ovaries looked great). Then I was brought to another conference room to discuss dates of egg removal. While I was waiting I gave about 12 vials of blood and a urine sample. When the IVF coordinator came in she advised me on the dates I would start the injections...2 weeks from now! OMG, that soon. No worries....She showed me all of the medications and how to administer the injections (I knew how to do most of them as my Step-Dad is diabetic and uses something similar). She also had me sign some paperwork.
So, I am now waiting for information on my Lawyer so I can sign the contracts and also for the IVF coordinator to call me and let me know if I need to switch birth control or if I am to stay on the ones I'm currently taking.

Fertility Clinic

Today I got a packet from the "Fertility Clinic". Inside the envelope were a couple articles on egg donation and egg freezing...both of which had a lot of awesome information. But anyway, attached to the paperwork they sent was a note saying to have all the information filled out before arriving to my appointment. So, I grabbed a pen and started filling out the paperwork. It was going really good until I got to the "Patient Infertility Questionnaire"...what the heck?!? I'm not infertile, I thought, they must have sent the wrong paperwork. I filled it out anyway, although I did change some things on their paperwork:

Previous Marriages I changed to Current Marriage :)

I had a great laugh and had to show Ty what I put for the question:

Rate of sexual desire/interest

and Average frequency of intercourse (per week)

Of course I didn't lie, I put down the truth. But I thought, they don't need this information I'm just giving them my eggs! Maybe they need this information for....well I don't know, but I had fun filling it out.

I leave tomorrow to travel 3hrs south of my home for my appointments. I will be staying with a friend there and then Wednesday morning I have an appointment with the Physiologist and later with the Fertility Doctor.

Appointments

I have 2 appointments (my first) set for next Wednesday. I kind of know what to expect, but I'm still a little scared, since I've never done this before and if the results are bad I cannot be a donor. The first is a 2 hour physiological evaluation...what are they going to ask me that's going to take 2 hours? The second is a physical evaluation, which includes; urinalysis, blood test, PAP, and ultrasound...and that doesn't sound like much fun either!

The beginning of something great

A little background...

In June of 2009, I quit my job of 10yrs to be a stay at home mom to my 2 beautiful children.

About 2 months ago while I was in the middle of searching for an "at home job" on the local Craigslist Website, I came across an advertisement for egg donation. Curious about what it entailed, I checked out the "Egg Donation Agency's" web site. When I came to the part about abstaining from intercourse, I thought to myself "Yeah, right. Ty would have a cow" and I closed the site without researching any further. A few days later, after paying the bills, Ty and I were talking about our finances. I mentioned to him that I had been looking for jobs I could do at home, so I could still take care of our kids, but I was not having any luck. Then, for some strange reason, I told him I had even looked into donating my eggs. After showing him the web site, and the compensation we would get, he told me to 'go for it'

The next day I started the paperwork to become a donor. It took about a week and a half to fill out the 30 pages, mainly because I had to call relatives for medical background and I was still researching the whole "egg donating" process. It was some Super-detailed stuff. I submitted my paperwork to the "Egg Donation Agency" 3 weeks ago, in return they then sent me legal stuffs to sign and send back before I would become an available donor on their website. On June 28th, I got confirmation that all my paperwork was received and I was now in their database. On July 6th, I received a call saying that I was matched...

So...I'm super excited! I was not expecting to be matched quite so soon. From everything I've read, it normally takes 4-6months to be matched.

The following blog posts will be about my personal "egg donating" journey.