A Lil' History :: 2007 - Present

January 2007
Started Acupuncture

February 14
My HSG showed one partially blocked tube (left side).

March 5
Start of our first IUI cycle
First U/S and B/W. Started stimulation. This involved several days of injections in my stomach.

March 14
IUI
We were told our chances of multiples was high since we had 8 large follicles. It was a little scary, but the risk was worth it.

March 26
IUI failed

April 12
Started with New Acupuncturist. My last one didn't communicate with me very well and didn't alter my treatment at all as we went through our cycles.

May 2
Had a protocol appt. with Dr. Wakim to start our first IVF cycle.

May 20 (Cycle #19)
Start of our IVF cycle
First U/S and B/W. Started stimulation.

May 29
HCG Shot (trigger for ovulation)

May 31
Egg Retrieval
We went to Magee at 6:30am. DH did his thing while I was prepped in the OR. I got an IV for sedation and was taking into the OR. DH’s count went up dramatically. We think it’s due in part to quitting smoking AND the herbal remedies he has been taking. I woke up about an hour later. They were able to retrieve 15 eggs and to my surprise I only had mild cramping. I was told I might have cysts and had to go for an ultrasound to clarify. I was a little upset about that.
Started the intramuscular progesterone shots.

June 1
Ultrasound/Fertilization Results
My ultrasound came back negative, the cysts where just blood vessels around the uterine lining. The embryologist called to let us know that 11 of the 15 eggs fertilized via ICSI!
Symptoms or wishful thinking :: tired and crampy

June 3
Transfer
9:30am transfer. We had 1 very good (8B), 2 good (5B and 6B) and the rest were Cs and Ds. We had to make a quick decision about how many to transfer. Dr. Wakim suggested 3 and we took his suggestion! We were only going to do 2, but we wanted to have the best chance at a good outcome.

June 4
the Shots Continue
DH is a pro at the shots. They hurt, but I can handle it. Needless to say my butt is very sore ☺

June 8
One Week Left 'til the Beta
Symptoms or wishful thinking :: Sleepy, had a dream about 3 babies, could smell a glass of wine from across the table, colored discharge.

June 9
Symptoms or wishful thinking :: Had dream last night about having a baby and forgetting to feed or change it’s diapers!, cramping before bed.

June 10
Symptoms or wishful thinking :: 98.6, had to pee a million times in the morning, bad dreams all night.

June 11
B/W to check Progesterone, levels were very high. Have some hope this might mean something good!

June 15
BFN ☹
We were completely heartbroken but determined and still full of hope to move forward.

June 19
Met with Dr. Wakim to discuss our next steps. We decided to change our protocol slightly and had some chromosomal testing done. All came back fine. We decided to move forward with 2-Cycle Plus (2 fresh/2 frozen cycles). We will try 2 more IVF attempts for a total of 3 before moving onto adoption. The thought of these last 2 not working scares me to death.

August 2007
Today I started my own company (Lil’ LJ). DH has always said he hopes that our lil’ ones are just like me and will rub my belly from time to time asking how Lil’ LJ (Little Loree Junior) is. I will be selling baby onesies and t-shirts with messages on them. I will be selling a category called Worth the Wait that focuses on infertility. I will also try to build awareness of IF and ENDO through the website. I am very excited/nervous/frightened of what’s ahead!

Aug 5
Started Lupron for IVF #2. We have a much more laid back attitude this time as we know what we are in for!

September 13
Found out IVF #2 failed. Again, we are very upset, but amazingly still hopeful. Adoption is becoming a less scary, more welcoming option with every failure. I’m finding that as we travel down this road, it’s becoming more and more apparent that in the end, it’s all about wanting to build a family no matter how we get to that point.

October
I decide that a 3rd Lap is worth it if it will help my pain or infertility in the slightest bit. It is a hard decision, but I am willing to go to any length for Lil’ LJ. I had an HSG and it showed clear tubes!

December 12
DH attended the support group with me tonight. I was so glad to have him there and he enjoyed going as well.

December 18
Today I had a 3rd Laparoscopy for removal of endometriosis. I will find out at the post-op exactly what they found, but we know that the endometriosis was pretty wide spread again and I had alot of new growths. It was on my ovaries, abdominal sidewall, rectum, uterosacral ligaments, etc. Dr. Mansuria doesn’t know that any of these areas would directly affect fertility, but I’m still hoping that “cleaning” me out again will be a positive step for us.