ARGC ICSI Diary 2016, Male Factor and then Immunes

[LittleLady K]

DAY 12 of Down Reg

Hey Diary.

So DR has been pretty uneventful (luckily) so far. I have had the occasional feelings of being really hot and flushed and some mood swings too 

But today the 'Witch' arrived! So I am now CD1. Called the ARGC and have been advised to go in for bloods, scan and teaching session this Friday morning. I asked about when I might have a hysteroscopy and the lady advised she thinks it might be at the weekend. So things are really beginning to happen now......still feeling really nervous and anxious.
  so hard that this time works for us.....the thought of a BFN is so devastating....I must stay relaxed and positive 

Please please please please let this work.

That's all for now. x

[FertilityFriends]

[LittleLady K]

Dear Diary - I have finally started stimms! I am currently on day 2.  I'm sure I won't be using many 'smiley faces' in due course; especially when the bloat sets in! But do you know what I say - bring it on! lol

So last Friday (on day 15 of down reg), I went in for bloods, scan and teaching session.
Bloods were the usual debacle of trying to find a vein to tap.......
Scan was over and done with very quickly - the 'scan lady' (I'm assuming she was a Doc or a scanning tech not sure) said my uterine lining was looking good and on my right ovary there were about 4-5 follies and on the left about 7-8 follies. These numbers seem quite promising - hopefully though its more about quality rather then quantity! Fingers crossed! Teaching session nurse Zoe was very lovely and super helpful/informative. And we were sent on our way with loads of info and a big bagful of drugs.

I called them late in the afternoon - as I wanted to know whether I would start stimming from Friday night. Luckily it was Zoe who answered so she gave me all the info I needed to know; I wasn't completely down regged and they wanted to give me a couple more days.
And she booked me in for a hysto at 6.30am on Monday morning!

So went along yesterday - hysto was over very quickly (I love sedation) and woke up with some bad cramps.....nurse advised everything was looking good; cervix to uterus length was 7cm which is normal and the opening to both my Fallopian tubes were good also. Went home and stayed in bed for the rest of the day.
Got the call I could start stimming from that night :-)

And that's you up to date diary.

On a side note; I am forever in the loo - 2 litres of water and 1 litre of milk a day is a killer!

So here we are - right at the precipice if you like....I'm excited, nervous, scared and anxious. But also in a weird way - feeling like we can do this.  My husband is so so so supportive and I feel like he has literally wrapped me up in cotton wool to protect me. 

[LittleLady K]

DAY 9 of Stimms

Hey Diary.

Its been a week since I last updated you!

So since last week; I have been going in every morning for bloods! Quite knackering actually. 
And scans have been every other day.

Had to hang around on Friday after bloods as they were expecting to have my immune results.
My cytokines had shot up to 45! I asked the question re intralipds and was advised that intralipids wouldn't touch a number that high and they recommend a more aggressive form of treatment and that was IVIG.

Had to have the IVIG straight away last Friday. Getting a cannula in was such a hassle due to my crappy veins 
Did about 1 hour of the drip and my vein had collapsed so needed to put in a new cannula in a new location....
All in all the IVIG drip took a little under 3 hours. Really hoping and praying the IVIG did the trick. They last about 4 weeks. Fingers crossed. 

Also every other day I have scans. Last scan was yesterday and I was advised there were 6 follies on the right, 1 at 13 mm and the others 10mm and smaller. On the left 6 follies also but 1 at 13.4mm and the others a similar sizie. Lining was at 9mm. Growth seems to be a bit slow.....Come on follies grow grow!

My water was upped to 3 litres from yesterday and still doing the 1 litre of milk.....I'm constantly in the loo.

Bloat has been okish but I've been having some cramps too.

Other then that; I feel pretty okish. Feel kind of calm but also a bit anxious that the follies are growing quite slowly and my immunes going haywire 

I am estimating that egg collection could be this weekend or early next week....

All for now x

[LittleLady K]

Have been a bit slack with updating you diary!

So where are we? Ok; egg collection was yesterday and they managed to get 12 eggs! Over the moon with the number - hopefully they're good quality :-)

Bloat has been pretty terrible and I'm not sleeping through the night as I need to get up so many times to use the loo!
Effects of drinking 4 litres of water and a litre of milk a day!

Also I was taking cetrotide injections last week (to prevent ovulation) and I think one of the side effects is constipation......which is slowly beginning to resolve itself....

Other then the bloat, tiredness and constipation - I feel ok. lol. Quite anxious and excited at the same time.

Got a call this morning from the ARGC embryologist;of the 12 eggs - 9 were suitable for ICSI and 8 eggs have fertilised :-) So very happy with that number. Grow embies grow!
Next call will be tomorrow to advise on progress and whether we may have a day 3 transfer (Thursday) or day 5 transfer (Saturday).

Please keep growing and dividing embies 
We love you!

[LittleLady K]

Embie watch - Day 2!

So as of this morning Diary - all 8 embies still dividing away. :-)
7 were at 2-4 cells and 1 embie was a little ahead at 5 cells.
Embryologist advised to be on standby for a transfer tomorrow or Saturday or both days for a split transfer.
So excited to hear the update tomorrow morning! Don't know how I'm going to get any sleep.

Grow babies grow 

[LittleLady K]

Dairy - I have been seriously slack in updating you!

Ok  - so last Thursday morning (day 3) got a call from the ARGC embryologist to advise that on this cycle they want to do the transfer different to our last (failed cycle) - which meant a split transfer! So I had a day 3 grade 4 8 cell embie transferred Thursday afternoon 
Remaining 7 embies were still doing good and at least 4 of them were looking to be top quality.

So after transfer we were advised to be ready for another transfer over the weekend  - either Saturday or Sunday.
Also some of my meds changed after transfer. No more Dexamethesone. Continue with Asprin. Start Predisnolone, lovely Cyclogest pessaries and Clexane upped to twice a day. 
Also advised to go in Saturday morning for bloods.

Saturday morning arrives and I get a call at 7.20am to advise that our embies had expanded loads over the last 24 hours so they want to transfer 1 asap as it was showing signs of hatching! Over the moon! Dashed over and by 9am I had another 5AB embie all tucked up (I hope) inside. So extremely over the moon!

Yesterday we were advised that 4 embies had made it to blast and freeze! So so so happy :-)

Went in for bloods this morning - need to start the dreaded Gestone injections tonight. Needle is huge!

Feeling pretty good but with a little anxiety creeping about....OTD is next Tuesday April 5th....need to book the day off work. Decided to work from home till OTD also.
Must distract myself with positive activity till then - going to go nuts otherwise!

Praying so so so hard that this is finally our time.... x

[LittleLady K]

Hey diary.....feeling super anxious.......

Today is 6DP3DT and 4DP5DT........feels like next Tuesday will be here before I know it.....kind of want to stay in my PUPO bubble.....
No symptoms to speak of....thought my boobs looked a bit veiny but I think that could be in my head!
Must stay positive and do things to distract myself..........

Please please please let this be our time.....last year was the hardest year ever for me and my husband. Especially my husband.....he really deserves some good news....I really hope I can give it to him. 

[LittleLady K]

Hey Diary - so tomorrow is OTD 

I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. My tummy is in bits with feelings of anxiety....
Weekend wasn't too great either....I keep thinking this hasn't worked....no symptoms at all (well none that can't be explained by the massive amounts of progesterone I'm pumping into my body). I have read quite a few ladies got some spotting a few days leading up to OTD that got BFP's.....I have had nothing.
TMI - the wind I keep getting and bloating is driving me up the wall! Just as well I have been working from home as I think my situation could be embarrassing in public places!
Yesterday I was watching a Disney movie - I was sobbing half way through it and then had a good ol cry on my Husband's shoulder later. Feel like an emotional wreck....and also as if my period is about to arrive......that would certainly explain all the PMS crying....
I have also thought about doing a HPT - but decided against it as over the years I have done so many and never had a positive so I hate them. lol
Holding out for the blood test tomorrow instead....don't know how I am going to get though today......

Wish me luck for tomorrow Diary.....

[LittleLady K]

Guess what Diary....we got a BFP yesterday! DH and I are still in total shock!
Yesterday morning I was convinced it hadn't worked for us......and then we got the call from the lovely nurse Zoe at ARGC that it was positive! I blubbed all the way through the entire conversation!
First Beta is 473 - she advised that's a very good strong number. Near the end of the conversation I had to check with her again that it was positive -in case I had imagined it you know!
Checked with DH a couple of times too (I put the call on speaker so he could here) in case it was all a dream.
I am still in shock and it the news hasn't sunk in at all. To say we're over the moon would be an underestimate!

We had to head back to the clinic for further immunes bloods and prescription for drugs. ARGC called again late in the afternoon that my progesterone is quite high at 1000 and something so I can stop doing the cyclogest bullets (yay) but will still need to do the gestone injections.
Also I can bring my water and milk consumption down (yay, yay) from 1 litre of milk to a glass a day and from 3 -4 litres of water a day to 2 litres. 

So so so happy right now. xxxx

[LittleLady K]

Diary  - I have been shockingly terrible in updating you! Sorry!
TBH - I have been avoiding the forums and google a lot in the recent weeks as I have been going completely neurotic with all the HCG monitoring......way too much self diagnosing!

So HCG level started off quite strong as you know, then over the week ARGC advised it was a little slow and they would like to see the numbers higher.
Also my immnunes came back as elevated so I needed to have an IVIG.
Last week I only needed to go in for bloods every other day and the HCG levels were fine also.....
I must say though that the last 2 weeks were quite a fraught time......lots and lots of worrying on when we can have a scan, will there be a heart beat etc.....
Symptoms wise; boobs are achey on and off, my belly still looks very bloated or its just converted to fat from all the eating and drinking of milk I have been doing the last couple of months! 
Heartburn on and off and I thought I had a little bit nausea but now I'm wondering if that was in my head! Bit soon for 'baby brain' surely! lol

Today we finally went in for our first scan (6 weeks), got to 112a early and they saw us early!
So  - as soon as the ahem....'instrument' was inserted, I could see a sac and a flickering heartbeat! Absolutely over the moon! So so so surreal. Then the doc wiggled the 'instrument' over to the other side and instantly I could see another sac... to which I asked..is it empty? Soon as I asked, I could see another flickering heartbeat! Twins! We're so overjoyed I am speechless! So two jelly beans on board!
Doc said everything looked fine and they were both measuring fine also. Booked us in for our next scan next week and sent us on our merry way 

Of course we're still super early and I am quietly cautious and I'm not counting our chickens but I feel like our dreams are finally coming true.....