Let's try this again.

Yesterday was my consultation with the IVF nurse. Basically it was just a quick run down of our new calendar and to actually get dates solidified. Nothing really changed from what I had already posted, just the addition of the first u/s.

• May 19 - Start BCPs
• June 13 - Ultrasound, Estradiol and Progestrone check (hope for quiet conditions)
• June 22 - Start Lupron
• June 25 - Last day of BCPs
• July 4 - Start stims
• July 6 - July 11 - appointments almost daily for U/S and blood work
• Week of July 15 - Estimated Egg Retrieval

Knowing that June is just around the corner is making me feel better about this timeline. Looking two months out was really hard when we were cancelled, but now we're already a couple of weeks past that.

Hopefully our weather will finally take on more of a summer-like feel and I can get out and enjoy as much of the month of June as possible before July arrives with all of those appointments.

Revelation - Confirmed!

This week I saw a friend of ours who is a pharmacist. I ran my little scenario past her and she agrees that it certainly could have been due to starting the Z-pak with my BCPs that caused me to ovulate through the pill.

She even mentioned the warnings that come out with an antibiotic saying if you are using an oral contraceptive to make sure you are using back-up protection.

I feel so much better, but still want to talk to my doctor about it. It just seems odd that they try to peg me as the rare 1% that the pill doesn't work for when they are the ones giving me antibiotics at the beginning of my cycle. Really, can I be the only one this has happened to? That just seems a little too unlikely.

At least this time I'm not taking a Z-pak, so hopefully things will stay nice and quiet as they should have. I guess I'll find out in a few weeks.

Tuesday is my nurse consultation, I'll be sure to mention my concerns then.

Had a revelation today....

You know how they say antibiotics can cause birth control pills to be less effective? What if that's what happened to me?

Granted, I've ovulated through the pill before, but being on one of the highest dosage meds on the market, doesn't it seem possible that by taking 4 days worth of antibiotics at the beginning with the BCPs that it could cause them to be less effective?

It just seems that there have always been warnings along with antibiotics that if taken with oral contraceptives to make sure you are using back-up protection.

What if that's what it was? Maybe I'm not as much of a freak as they'd like to make me believe I am. This is probably just me grasping at straws, but I can't stop my mind from thinking about this.

Starting right away does not equal instant gratification!

I feel the need to clarify now that I've actually gotten my new tentative calendar from the IVF nurse. In my last post, I said, "We should be able to start the whole process all over again as soon as AF shows. I automatically get put into the next possible cycle and won't have to wait for an opening, so that's good."

Lucky for me, AF arrived over the weekend. So, while we truly are starting the process again right away, it's just that. We have to start all over again.

• Today, will be day 1 of BCPs.
• Lupron will start June 22nd.
• Last BCP will be June 25th.
• Stims start July 4th.
• Retrieval week of July 13th.

Because my period came so quickly, I probably could have pushed to get things moved ahead one week because that would have still given me 31 days on BCPs. They just wanted me on a minimum of 28 days. So, if 28 was desired, will 38 be better? These dates were given to me on Friday before we knew when AF would arrive and they were guessing it would be later in the week, not the next day. At this point, really, what's one more week?!

Somehow seeing retrieval nearly 2 months out does not make me feel any better. We should be less than 10 days from retrieval, not nearly 2 months!

First we had to plan around Memorial Day weekend, now we have to look ahead and plan around July 4th weekend and make sure we are home.

In a way this gives me back a little of my summer, but I hate having to live or plan my life around doctor's appointments, blood draws and ultrasounds.

Is anyone else tired of bad news?

It's over. IVF#1 was cancelled before we even really got started.

Dr Campbell just called me himself to tell me he'd recommend I stop everything and come back in after my period starts and we'll try again. At least we only used up 2 $40 copays worth of meds (Lupron and Ganirelix) and $10 worth of Z-pak and $10 in BCPs so far and I hadn't started any of the stim meds yet.

Even though the follicle was smaller and my lining was thinner, my Estradiol level only went down to 232 from 379 on Tuesday. Like they said, it should be under 20.

I can't help but think there isn't going to be anything they can do to make my body stop ovulating. Apparently I'm like the freak 1% of the population. Yeah me!

We should be able to start the whole process all over again as soon as AF shows. I automatically get put into the next possible cycle and won't have to wait for an opening, so that's good.

Why is this happening?

Another interesting day in the life of an infertile!

Today was supposed to be an easy schmeasy suppression check. Ultrasound and blood work. No big deal. Of course, as we have discovered many times along this journey, things are not always as easy as they should be.

My appt was at 10:30am. I arrived a little early and had my blood drawn. Piece of cake. I had a good draw and things went smoothly. I barely bled after she took the needle out, and even hours later, didn't get any bruising like I have been due to the baby aspirin.

A few minutes later I was being called back for my ultrasound. We already knew I had had some ovarian activity when I was in for my SIS/Mock transfer, but I wasn't prepared to see a 26mm follicle. They called it degenerating. As in it was on it's way down. My lining was at 5.8mm. They'd like to see it closer to 5mm for IVF. It's been 6 days since my last BCP and I have not seen any signs of AF yet. So, no period, thicker lining. Okay, they let it go. I'm pretty sure I heard the technician say I had 11 follicles on one side and 12 on the other. 23 antral follicles. That's pretty good. **Antral follicle counts are a good predictor of the number of mature follicles that we will be able to stimulate in the woman's ovaries when we administer the injectable FSH medications that are used for in vitro fertilization.**

Before I left, the IVF nurse discussed a possible tweak to my protocol. I might have to stay at 20units of Lupron for a couple more days, but it shouldn't effect my start of stims.

The first unexpected event of the day happened about 15 minutes after I got home. The phone rang, and it was the clinic. They needed me to come back in! for a second draw. There was some mix up in the lab, and my vial of blood got the wrong bar code label on it, and they tested for the wrong thing. What? How does this happen? So, I got back in my car and drove back to the clinic.

Same girl did the draw, and apologized again for the mix-up. Draw #2 was as good as the first. Unfortunately, it was already 12:45pm and there was no guarantee that my results would be back in time.

About 3:15pm I got a call from the clinic. Yeah, they got the blood work results back, that's good! What I wasn't expecting, was to hear that once again, I ovulated through the pill! What is wrong with my body? My Estradiol was 379...it should have been under 20. :( And my Progesterone was 11. Both indicative that I had indeed ovulated.

New plan for the next 3 nights is to add in Ganirelix, another shot, and continue with the 20units of Lurpon for 2 more days, drop down to 5units and return to the clinic on Friday for another U/S and blood draw.

If the U/S shows the follicle has gone down and that the Estradiol level has decreased, we should still be on the right track to start stims on Friday.

Please, please, please....let this all fall into place.

Hello headache

Apparently the Lupron is making itself known. I had a pretty intense headache yesterday that never really let up even after taking Acetaminophen. This morning I woke up to the same thing. I'm afraid to take anything stronger than Acetaminophen, but if this lasts much longer I might have to.

I pulled out the packet of information that came with all my drugs last week and one of the side effects listed for the Lupron is headaches.

Oh boy! I guess a headache is better than some of the other side effects which include nausea, vomiting, difficulting urinating or hot flashes!

On a side note, today is my last of BCPs. :)