Update on pathology report

I talked to my doctor today. Pathology came back negative for any abnormal cells. I am still cancer free and have no signs of the abnormal cells returning!  I am to proceed on to IVF and start meds Sunday! It gives me a little hope that we may just have a baby Pickett!

4/18/17 D&C update

 Hello friends, I'm awake and decided to update you officially on my blog. According to Kevin doctor didn't have enough room to check my uterus properly in the office and was wrong. It appears I don't have any scar tissue or polyps like he first speculated. He seems to think the pathology report will come back normal and he wants me to continue IVF as planned in May.
 I had convinced myself we wouldn't continue but after hearing the good news from Dr.S I feel a tad bit better about continuing on. Kevin is 100% on board for continuing as well.
 Dr. S did take a sample of a small part of my uterus and sent it in but he isn't concerned just by looking at it.
  Nothing is 100% until pathology comes back but I am in a better place then I was before the surgery. I have my get up and go attitude back!
  Thanks to everyone who private messaged me, sent me texts and went out of their way to let me know they care. The sweet nurse at the surgery center wiped my tears away while waking up from surgery and told me I will be a good mom one day. It made my heart swell with love.

Update 4/12/17 hyperplasia???

Ok...some of you may remember that I have a history of complex hyperplasia with atypia in my uterus. Basically pre cancer cells which is why I have ongoing appointments with a oncologist. At my last appointment my oncologist gave me the OK to proceed with IVF. That was in Feb.
 At this appointment with my reproductive endo. he took a look at my uterus (with a camera) to determine if my uterus looks good enough for implantation. What he found today were a few polyps near my right tube and my lining is so thick it was either blocking the view of my right tube or there is a build up of scar tissue.
 Next Tuesday I have to go in for my 4th or 5th D&C (I've lost track). Its a surgery that  I will be put to sleep for. They will take a sample of my lining and have it sent off to pathology to see if those pre cancer cells are back. If they are I will not be able to move forward. If not and its just a build up of lining then we can continue as planned.
  If my pre cancer cells are back (or worse its cancer now) I will go in for a hysterectomy. I say that because my health is priority over everything else. Hoping I can stay in a positive head space... I can't afford to let this take over my soul again. Please everyone positive vibes that its nothing! I love you all!

IVF consultation 4-7-17

Hello all, sorry this took so long to write. I  currently don't have a computer so this has to be written out on my phone.
 Last Friday I had my first IVF appointment. We had to meet with our doctor (the same doctor I worked with for my IUIs). Dr. G went over the IVF process and answered the few questions I had.
 Then we met with an IVF nurse and went over all the medications. I am currently taking birth control (BC) to help suppress my ovaries. After another 10 days or so I will start on stimulating meds. My cycle is going to be controlled with medications.
 During this appointment we went over all the financial obligations (OMG its so costly! Without insurance this would cost us over 13k for ONE CYCLE!).
 After that Kevin gave a semen sample and the lab tech looked at it under a microscope and gave them a set of tests (haha) to determine how many sperm were there, active and moving right. In the past from our IUI samples they were estimating he had 5-10 million sperms but this time he had 21 million! So we dug deep in our pockets and forked out $275 to freeze those sperms just in case his IVF sample isn't as good. It's a "back up".
 I got the results from my blood test a couple weeks ago and all hormones look perfect and I have plenty of eggs left in storage (haha) and I do not look anywhere near menopause! Thats all great news!
 I will be on 2 injections a day for about 10 days (could be more or less) with ultrasound monitoring every other day. There is a huge chance of over stimulation of my ovaries which will make me sick and will cancel the IVF cycle. So its very important that I be closely monitored.
 The first medication is Gonal F it will stimulate my ovaries to grow follicles. The second daily medication is menopur and it works with gonal f to do the same thing. When there are many follicles big enough to extract I will stop meds and take a shot of HCG (trigger). I have to take the trigger shot to help loosen the eggs so they are easier to take out.
 For the egg retrieval I will be put to sleep and Kevin and I will have to stay the night in Rockford. Kevin will have to give me the trigger exactly 36 hours before my retrieval so I don't ovulate before the procedure.
  After they take my eggs they will count how many they have and tell me. We are hoping for 10-15. The lab tech's will then see out of those eggs how many are ok to continue. They will then take one single sperm and inject it into my eggs. They will freeze most and keep a few in an incubator. After 3 days they will check on them and see how many are progressing. If they look like they are struggling they will transfer one back into my uterus because its the best environment for a embryo to thrive. If they seem to be doing OK they will wait a couple more days to transfer one back in on day 5. I asked Dr. G if he will consider transferring two he said because of my age he will only transfer one but if I only have two eggs in the end then he will just transfer both instead of freezing the one extra. There are laws that doctors have to abide by and that means because of my age (for my safety) he can only transfer up to two embryos.
 Then...I wait...for two weeks! It will be the longest... 2 weeks...of...my....life...! But hopefully it all ends with a positive! Its a long and very detailed process but we both agree it's worth the money and the emotional roller coaster.
 If this first IVF cycle is a success we will hopefully (if all tests come back OK by the FDA) donate our embroys to other couples in need. IVF is expensive and not all have coverage by insurance. I would love to help remove one burden off their shoulders. Those embryos would literally be a child of ours and the couple would have to adopt our embryos but we are ok with that. We would be honored.
 If all goes as planned embryo transfer is set for May 8-10th but things can change depending on how I respond.
 Fingers crossed this all works out! I will keep you updated along the way!

Start of IVF journey

  Hello, I hope everyone is doing well! This blog is just a start to many more IVF blogs! First of all I am completing a blood panel at the end of today to measure some of my hormones so the docs can kind of know where to start me with meds. Then two weeks later we are going to Rockford, IL (3 hour drive) to have a complete and very informational semen analysis done. We are doing another analysis in Rockford because there is a state of the art lab there. Having that done gives us a little more insight on how many sperm K has and they will be able to determine their motility and morphology with more accuracy. If he has a good number we will freeze the sperm and use it as a back up during IVF. We can't count on his samples being good every time and the last couple of IUIs his numbers have decreased each time. He is on a strict daily vitamin regimen and he is TRYING to eat healthy and well balanced.
  During that appointment we will also meet with the IVF nurse, the doctor (should be Dr. G) and we will be given a medication schedule. A couple of weeks after our first IVF appointment I will have to go to Peoria for a procedure on my uterus (Hysteroscopy) to make sure there isn't any polyps or anything else abnormal that could prevent a embryo from implanting. Depending on the results of that test we will either continue with medications and IVF as soon as possible or we will have to have surgery on my uterus and put IVF on hold again. I am hoping of course, that nothing abnormal is going on in my uterus and we can continue as planned.
  This Thursday I start Birth Control to help suppress my ovaries before all the hormone injections. During IVF we completely take charge of my body's process and time everything just right. And to start that we have to stop my ovaries and then when the time is right help stimulate them via medications while being closely monitored by ultrasounds.   
  At this time, that is all the information I have. We are getting closer! Hopefully we won't have any road blocks and we can start in May
If not we will have to wait until July to start. Fingers Crossed and GOOD VIBES NEEDED!

("Sperm motility is an important part of the semen analysis-male fertility. The three main components of a semen analysis are: Count (concentration), Motility percentage. Morphology - The percentage of "normal forms"...the most commonly used cutoff for normal sperm motility is greater than or equal to 50%...  The lower the motility percentage, the less likely any treatments other than in vitro with ICSI will result in pregnancy...extremely low motility percentages such as less than 25% motility we rarely see pregnancies without the use of ICSI." www.advancefertility.com  ICSI: when a single sperm is injected straight into an egg for fertilization.)

(Hyerstoscopy: ... a narrow tube with a telescope at the end is passed through the vagina and cervix into the uterine cavity, which is sometimes filled with fluid or gas. The images are viewed on a screen and recorded. The surgeon can then check for fibroids, polyps scar tissue, septa, and other malformations. If any are spotted, they can usually be sorted out." www.yourivfjourney.com)

End of IUI Cycles and the beginning of IVF

So I just talked to my doctor after work and found out what I was expecting that my pregnancy test came back negative but we started the conversation about IVF and I can potentially start in May. But only if my pre-approval from my insurance company comes back in time and only if I start bleeding on time. Otherwise due to calendar issues and the fact that they only do IVF Cycles every other month I'll have to wait until July. We do have an appointment in Rockford Illinois on April 7th to go through a detailed semen analysis with potentially freezing his sperm for the IVF cycle. We will also be getting our plan of action that day and meeting with the doctor. So to summarize hopefully my period starts on time and my pre-authorization comes back in time and we can start IVF in may otherwise we will have to wait until July. I will update you as I know more.
Many people don't know what IVF is: below is the steps involved. (http://attainfertility.com/article/get-pregnant)
in vitro fertilization (IVF) 

"Step 1: Ovulation inductionBefore and during the in vitro fertilization process, your fertility specialist will monitor your ovaries and the timing of the egg release. The doctor will make sure that your ovaries are producing eggs, and that your hormone levels are normal, among other procedures.

Most women take fertility medicines or hormones at this time to stimulate the ovaries to produce one or more eggs. Having several eggs available for IVF will increase the chances that you will get pregnant.

If you cannot produce any eggs, talk to your doctor about donor eggs for the IVF process.

Step 2: Egg retrievalDuring this step in the IVF process, pain medication is given to reduce any discomfort. Then a very thin needle is passed through the upper vaginal wall. With the use of vaginal ultrasound, fluid is removed from the follicles under gentle suction.

Immediately after aspiration of the follicle, the oocyte (egg) is isolated from the follicular fluid. The egg is placed in a culture dish containing nutrient media and then transferred to the incubator.

Step 3: FertilizationThe next step of the IVF process is the fertilization of the egg. A sperm sample is secured, either from your partner or a donor, and the most active sperm is mixed with the egg in a special chamber. Sometimes the sperm is directly injected into the egg. Then, the sperm and egg are placed in an incubator and monitored to make sure that a healthy embryo develops.

Step 4: Embryo transfer and ImplantationThe final step of the IVF process is the embryo transfer. First, the embryos are examined to select the healthiest ones for transfer. To transfer the embryo(s), a speculum is placed into your vagina and the embryo(s) are transferred via a small plastic tube placed through the cervix into the uterine cavity.  After the IVF process is complete, bed rest is often advised for around 24 hours."

3rd IUI completed

Today was our 3rd IUI and we didn't get the greatest news. Our chances to conceive this month may only be 5%. Thats the lowest so far. Dr G my normal RE wasn't there today but another RE stepped up in his place. He gave us the option to deny the IUI process but we both agreed to do it anyway. You never know... He said he's seen it happen before so fingers crossed! This doctor agrees that IVF may be our only option now. Kevin's numbers have been on the low side recently and that combined with my issues...you get the point. But good news is there is some sperm so IVF will give us a good chance! I asked if there was anything we could do to increase his number and he said "not really". He doesn't drink or smoke so the only answer we have for his low count is the fact hes a welder and the heat impacts his sperm production. Good news is we may get to start IVF in May! If thats so then we wont have to wait long to get started. Lets hope this IUI is a success and we don't have to worry about it! In 2 weeks we will talk pregnancy tests so stay tuned!