Hey Everyone,
Well it has been a busy summer, which is why I haven't had much time to blog as much as I would like. Between play dates, vacation, and all the tasks that come with being a stay at home mom it has been impossible to spend time on the computer.
Speaking of vacation, we recently went to Florida with our daughters, my aunt, and her 2 kids. We had a great time visiting the beach, spending time pool side and running around Disney. I will admit, I was sad for it to end but excited at the same time. The end of our vacation meant a long drive home, unpacking, and endless days wishing I were back at the beach...but it also meant Chris and I would be flying out to Portland to visit the clinic where the embryo transfer will take place. So after 6 days in Florida our journey home was bitter sweet!
We finally made it home sweet home on Saturday July 31st at 1:00 a.m. (so I guess you could say it was Sunday August 1st). By the time we unpacked, repacked, and straighten the house up it was time to wake up and get ready to head to the airport. It was a long flight to Portland but very well worth it! We were overwhelmed by the fantastic views or Mt. Hood, the winding steep roads, and the culture. Everyone was so friendly, out going, and proud to be from this fabulous place that they call home! Our hotel was just as unique as the little shops and stores lining the roads. Furnished with a bright pink couch, and bed sheets and pillows of all sorts of bright colors (matching the center piece on the table which was a vase filled with salt water taffy) I felt like I was in a high end boutique rather then a hotel room. I could honestly go on and on about how much I love Portland and all the pleasures it brought (including the best meal I have ever had), but I am sure you are more interested in why we were there....right?
We got there Sunday evening and Monday morning we traveled .3 miles down the road to the fertility clinic (ORM) . This visit had many purposes, 1st they needed to check my Estrogen levels. For a month now I have been wearing a sticker like patch that I place on my hips, stomach, and back side, these patches supply extra Estrogen to my body. This Estrogen is helping my uterus thicken so that I am ready to carry this baby(ies). My levels were 6 times as high as they were when I 1st started these patches so they were very pleased to see that my body reacted so well. After checking my levels I met the doctor, of course...I met him while I was half naked and my legs up in stirrups but after having 2 kids of my own I am pretty used to these kinds of things. He wasted no time, and began the "Mock Transfer" and to my surprise it was painless and quick. He had a device that looked a lot like a syringe but instead of a needle it was laced with a tube (a catheter) this tube is poked into my uterus via cervix. Since this was a test, there was no actual embryo transfer, this was a trail to make sure that the path was open and easy to access. It worked well, and they didn't see any problems. After the "mock transfer" we went over any questions I had, and he also explained to me the possibility of multiple babies. There is a 1 in 3 chance both embryos develop....this scared me and made me happy at the same time. As you all know, 1 man will fertilize 1 egg and the other man will fertilize the 2nd egg and since I love these men, its hard to imagine making 1 of their dreams come true and disappointing the other(this is something I have been struggling with). After hearing 1 in 3 times both eggs develop a weight was slightly lifted, and I am seeing the glass as half full instead of half empty.
Once we spoke with the doctor we spoke to the nurse who is working our case. She gave us about a 45 minute lesson and lecture on what will be happening in the next few months, most of what she said doesn't apply to me right now so it was very difficult to follow. Bare with me as I do my best to explain.
During this process I will be on a number of medications:
Desogen: birth control pills
Lupron: an injection in my stomach that suppresses ovulation
Progestrone: an injection on my back side that prepares my uterine lining for the implantation
Medrol: a steriod tablet that I will take to suppress the autoimmune system from interfering with the embryo.
Climara: patches containing estrogen which helps maintain an early pregnancy
Doxycycle: an antibiotic that clears any possible injection prior to treatment.
Right now I am wearing 2 Climara patches and taking Progestrone. I am on my 3rd pill of Progestrone and on my 7th pill I will start my period. On the 3rd day of my period I will start my Desogen (Birth Control) I will continue the birth control for a month. all this is preparing my body to have the same menstrual cycle as the egg donor. After a month I will then begin the 2 injections, plus the birth control , prenatal vitamins, and a baby aspirin (to thin my blood). If you know me on a personal level; you all know that I am cringing at the thought of shots, let alone giving myself or having Chris (2 inexperienced people) give them to me. I am very nervous about this part of the treatment but my heart is in this and I am going to do whatever it is I need to do to give these wonderful men the babies they yearn for!
Once I start on all the medicines, and it becomes more clear to me what I am doing and what I am to expect I will write more. I am getting so excited to finally progress as a surrogate, it is very real now and the farther I go the more anxious we all get. I am so thankful to my wonderful husband, Ruby and Hazel and all my family who has helped while we traveled...I look forward to our 7 day trip to Portland because Chris and I will not travel alone, we will be taking the girls, and we will get to visit with the 2 men we are working with once again (Plus for the 1st time in over 2 years I get 2 full days of bed rest WOOHOOO!). That next, and last visit to Portland cant get here soon enough, so keep reading the Blog as I count down the months until the big moment!
Thank you all for hanging in there, and continuing to read my blog even while it is sporadic! You keep amazing me! Thank again, and have a terrific end of the week!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Medical Work-up
Hey Everyone,
I hope you all had a wonderful and safe 4th of July weekend. Like many of you, our family was extremely busy with cookouts, fireworks, friends, and family. We also got to celebrate another special day over the long weekend...Chris turned 28! The girls and I were so excited to give him his gifts (tickets to the Bob and Tom Comedy tour and the Steve Martin CD) and enjoy the ice cream cake (Xtreme Chocolate) we picked out. Over all, the past 3 days have been so much fun, and like you I was sad to say goodbye...Tuesdays here, and its back to reality!
Surrogate life has became very confusing and a little stressful. I have been given so much information and so much paper work that it has become hard to follow. The men we are working with picked a Reproductive Clinic in Portland, OR (because of its high success rate) so most information is given to me via email or snail mail and is written in medical terms making it hard to understand. We are on a very strict time schedule and a lot of testing needs to occur before we can move forward, which makes everything a bit frustrating for everyone involved. We are doing our very best to move quickly through these medical exams so that we able to be pregnant sooner rather then later.
I have been cleared and given the "Go Ahead" by my OB/GYN, and he seems very excited to be the doctor delivering this baby(ies). He has delivered babies through a surrogate before so I felt very comfortable talking to him about the process this far as well as what to expect after the baby is delivered. Like most of you, he was a bit shocked at the fact that the couple I am carrying for are gay men and he was more shocked that both men would be fertilizing 1 egg each. After digesting for a minute, and grasping all the facts thrown at him he seemed eager to give me his blessing and assure me that his job is bringing babies into this world and that is just what he intends on doing!
I have now completed my annual exam (pap test and breast exam), my physical, and all of my paper work. Blood work is next, Chris and I both will be tested for a number of things before we are able to move forward. These are standard blood test, and I have had them all before so I am not worried about anything but the needle itself!
While I wait on those records and results to be sent to the Reproductive Clinic I will anxiously await the next step. This time is very critical to the surrogacy process, and very tricky. I have to get my ovulation schedule on the same track as the egg donor which requires medicine. The medicine has to be strictly monitor so I will be watched by a clinic in Indianapolis due to the distance between me and Portland, OR.
Soon I will receive an estrogen patch which is a hormone treatment given to me via skin patch. This patch will control my ovulation, giving the clinic better knowledge of my schedule. Once I wear the patch and start my menstrual cycle I will call the Portland Clinic and set up our 1st trip there. We will only be there for 1 day, at which time they will do a "Mock Medical Treatment" meaning they will do an ultra sound on my ovaries to make sure I am in fact ovulating, then they will do the implantation treatment without the baby and egg just to make sure my body reacts the way it should and so I am familiar with the treatment. This should take place this month or beginning of August.
If all goes well we will start the actual hormone treatment which Chris will get the pleasure of administering. I will say "Goodbye" to the estrogen patch and "Hello" to estrogen and progesterone injections. these injections will synchronize my menstrual cycle with the egg donor's cycle which optimizes the chance of pregnancy.
I am excited to move forward, and even more excited to have all these tests and forms out of the way. Everything is going wonderfully and we are on track to be pregnant in September, but until then I will be sure to keep everyone up to date!
If you have any questions about any of the above information please let me know and I will do my best to help you follow, it has been a challenge for me to process all the information given so I hope I can be of assistance.
Have a fabulous evening and please share my site with anyone who might be interested!
Enjoy your Hump Day!
Alexis
I hope you all had a wonderful and safe 4th of July weekend. Like many of you, our family was extremely busy with cookouts, fireworks, friends, and family. We also got to celebrate another special day over the long weekend...Chris turned 28! The girls and I were so excited to give him his gifts (tickets to the Bob and Tom Comedy tour and the Steve Martin CD) and enjoy the ice cream cake (Xtreme Chocolate) we picked out. Over all, the past 3 days have been so much fun, and like you I was sad to say goodbye...Tuesdays here, and its back to reality!
Surrogate life has became very confusing and a little stressful. I have been given so much information and so much paper work that it has become hard to follow. The men we are working with picked a Reproductive Clinic in Portland, OR (because of its high success rate) so most information is given to me via email or snail mail and is written in medical terms making it hard to understand. We are on a very strict time schedule and a lot of testing needs to occur before we can move forward, which makes everything a bit frustrating for everyone involved. We are doing our very best to move quickly through these medical exams so that we able to be pregnant sooner rather then later.
I have been cleared and given the "Go Ahead" by my OB/GYN, and he seems very excited to be the doctor delivering this baby(ies). He has delivered babies through a surrogate before so I felt very comfortable talking to him about the process this far as well as what to expect after the baby is delivered. Like most of you, he was a bit shocked at the fact that the couple I am carrying for are gay men and he was more shocked that both men would be fertilizing 1 egg each. After digesting for a minute, and grasping all the facts thrown at him he seemed eager to give me his blessing and assure me that his job is bringing babies into this world and that is just what he intends on doing!
I have now completed my annual exam (pap test and breast exam), my physical, and all of my paper work. Blood work is next, Chris and I both will be tested for a number of things before we are able to move forward. These are standard blood test, and I have had them all before so I am not worried about anything but the needle itself!
While I wait on those records and results to be sent to the Reproductive Clinic I will anxiously await the next step. This time is very critical to the surrogacy process, and very tricky. I have to get my ovulation schedule on the same track as the egg donor which requires medicine. The medicine has to be strictly monitor so I will be watched by a clinic in Indianapolis due to the distance between me and Portland, OR.
Soon I will receive an estrogen patch which is a hormone treatment given to me via skin patch. This patch will control my ovulation, giving the clinic better knowledge of my schedule. Once I wear the patch and start my menstrual cycle I will call the Portland Clinic and set up our 1st trip there. We will only be there for 1 day, at which time they will do a "Mock Medical Treatment" meaning they will do an ultra sound on my ovaries to make sure I am in fact ovulating, then they will do the implantation treatment without the baby and egg just to make sure my body reacts the way it should and so I am familiar with the treatment. This should take place this month or beginning of August.
If all goes well we will start the actual hormone treatment which Chris will get the pleasure of administering. I will say "Goodbye" to the estrogen patch and "Hello" to estrogen and progesterone injections. these injections will synchronize my menstrual cycle with the egg donor's cycle which optimizes the chance of pregnancy.
I am excited to move forward, and even more excited to have all these tests and forms out of the way. Everything is going wonderfully and we are on track to be pregnant in September, but until then I will be sure to keep everyone up to date!
If you have any questions about any of the above information please let me know and I will do my best to help you follow, it has been a challenge for me to process all the information given so I hope I can be of assistance.
Have a fabulous evening and please share my site with anyone who might be interested!
Enjoy your Hump Day!
Alexis
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