The date is set!

I received my information packet with my all important IVF calendar.  This will be my road map to everything from medications to appointments.  I still have questions but those will be addressed in my IVF and injection class on Thursday.  One of the questions I have is "Where the hell are my prescriptions!"  The mail order pharmacy Dr. C's office sent my medications to never sent them to my pharmacy.  Dr. C's office never resent my medications to my pharmacy either.  Its not that hard, why can't this one thing get done!  Okay so there's my tangent, moving on.

So my information packet.  I have a stack of forms that I need to sign and have notarized.  There are three that seem pretty standard for any kind of surgical procedure.  One for the retrieval which includes the wording "ultrasound guided vaginal ovarian aspiration."  Yikes, that sounds scary.  And the image I found looks a little scary and a LOT uncomfortable.

The second one is for embryo transfer, and the third is the anesthesia consent.  Then the last consent form is a freaking book!  "Informed Consent for Assisted Reproduction: In Vitro Fertilization, Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection, Assisted Hatching, Embryo Cryopreservation."  Now that's a mouthful.  The document is 26 pages long and has releases for each component of IVF including an okay for the implantation for two embryos.  

In addition to these things there are two injection instructions, one for subcutaneous injection and one for intramuscular, and instructions on mixing one of the medications.  I'm pretty comfortable with the sub-q type of injections, those needles are tiny and virtually painless, but the intramuscular needles are scary long and thick, a little scary!  Thankfully I will only require one or two of this latter type of injection.  There are also instructions for both procedures.  Both pre and post. 

So all of this starts on 11/15.  I will begin injections with Lupron in the evening, a "baby" aspirin, and doxycycline.  The Lupron is to help time my procedure and the doxycycline is an antibiotic.  I'm not entirely sure why that or the baby aspirin is given but you bet I'll ask on Thursday.

I'm to discontinue the birth control bills on the 20th and have a baseline ultrasound and blood work-up on the 23.  A few days later on the 26th I'll begin injecting Follistim and Menopure, both are used to develop and grow my eggs.  I'll take my last dose of Menopure on the 28th and my last dose of Follistim on the 29th.  

There is some confusion on my calendar about the hCG I will need to use.  I believe I will only use that on the day of my retrieval, but they also have it down a few days earlier.  I will ask for some clarification Thursday.  

On December 7th I will go in for my retrieval.  Because this procedure involves a very large needle I will be given anesthesia.  Tony will also give his "donation" this day.  I have been instructed to stay off my feet for two days, the day of and the day after.  I have already put in for sick time and covered the days.

The day of my retrieval I will start injecting progesterone in oil nightly.  This is responsible for developing my endometrial layer.  I'll also take an oral steroid called Medrol and another round of doxycycline.

I'll go back to the hospital on December 12th for my embryo transfer!  This is the big day.  They will implant two embryos using a thin tube that is inserted into my uterus. 

I'll take some valium to relax me for this but it should only be uncomfortable, not painful.  I am to stay off my feet for two day, the day of and the day after, and have minimal activity for two more days.  I will also need to limit my activity and I will have a weight restriction for a week after that.  I've put in sick time for the first two days and plan to ask at my appointment if I it is advisable to work the next two days.  If it isn't, I will not be working.  This is important and my work will have to understand.

It will be two weeks before I can take a pregnancy test.  That date is right after Christmas.  I should know right before 2012 if a baby is in the future!  

Below is my medication and appointment calendar as far as I know at this point.  I will post more details after my Thursday appointment.

November 2011

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
		1	2	3	4	5
		AM Microgestin PM Metformin WF Prenatal	AM Microgestin PM Metformin WF Prenatal	AM Microgestin PM Metformin WF Prenatal 11am-1pm IVF and injection class	AM Microgestin PM Metformin WF Prenatal	AM Microgestin PM Metformin WF Prenatal
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
AM Microgestin PM Metformin WF Prenatal	AM Microgestin PM Metformin WF Prenatal	AM Microgestin PM Metformin WF Prenatal	AM Microgestin PM Metformin WF Prenatal	AM Microgestin PM Metformin WF Prenatal	AM Microgestin PM Metformin WF Prenatal	AM Microgestin PM Metformin WF Prenatal
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
AM Microgestin PM Metformin WF Prenatal	AM Microgestin PM Metformin WF Prenatal	AM Doxycycline Microgestin PM Metformin WF Prenatal Lupron 10 Units Aspirin 81 mg Doxycyline	AM Doxycycline Microgestin PM Metformin WF Prenatal Lupron 10 Units Aspirin 81 mg Doxycyline	AM Doxycycline Microgestin PM Metformin WF Prenatal Lupron 10 Units Aspirin 81 mg Doxycyline	AM Doxycycline Microgestin PM Metformin WF Prenatal Lupron 10 Units Aspirin 81 mg Doxycyline	AM Doxycycline Microgestin PM Metformin WF Prenatal Lupron 10 Units Aspirin 81 mg Doxycyline
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
AM Doxycycline PM Metformin WF Prenatal Lupron 10 Units Aspirin 81 mg Doxycyline D/C Microgestin	AM Doxycycline PM Metformin WF Prenatal Lupron 10 Units Aspirin 81 mg Doxycyline	AM Doxycycline PM Metformin WF Prenatal Lupron 10 Units Aspirin 81 mg Doxycyline	AM Doxycycline PM Metformin WF Prenatal Lupron 10 Units Aspirin 81 mg Doxycyline 8:45am Baseline Ultrasound and Bloodwork	AM Doxycycline PM Metformin WF Prenatal Lupron 10 Units Aspirin 81 mg Doxycyline Last day of Doxy	AM PM Metformin WF Prenatal Lupron 10 Units Aspirin 81 mg	AM Follistim 125 Units PM Metformin WF Prenatal Lupron 5 Units Menopure 1 Vial Aspirin 81 mg Begin Follistim and Menopure. Lupron decreases
27	28	29	30
AM Follistim 125 Units PM Metformin WF Prenatal Lupron 5 Units Menopure 1 Vial Aspirin 81 mg	AM Follistim 100 Units PM Metformin WF Prenatal Lupron 5 Units Menopure 1 Vial Aspirin 81 mg Follistim decreases	AM Follistim 75 Units PM Metformin WF Prenatal Lupron 5 Units Aspirin 81 mg Follistim decreases Ultrasound and Bloodwork after AM meds	AM PM Metformin WF Prenatal Lupron 5 Units D/C Follistim

December 2011

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
				1	2	3
				AM PM Metformin WF Prenatal Lupron 5 Units Ultrasound and Bloodwork	AM PM Metformin WF Prenatal Lupron 5 Units	AM PM Metformin WF Prenatal Lupron 5 Units Ultrasound and Bloodwork
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
AM PM Metformin WF Prenatal Lupron 5 Units	AM PM Metformin WF Prenatal hCG (?) Ultrasound and Bloodwork	AM PM Metformin WF Prenatal	AM PM Metformin WF Prenatal Progesterone 50mg hCG @ xx:xx am Egg Retrieval	AM PM Metformin WF Prenatal Progesterone 50mg	AM PM Metformin WF Prenatal Progesterone 50mg	AM Doxycyline PM Metformin WF Prenatal Progesterone 50mg Doxycyline Medrol Taper
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
AM Doxycyline PM Metformin WF Prenatal Progesterone 50mg Doxycyline Medrol Taper	AM Doxycyline PM Metformin WF Prenatal Progesterone 50mg Doxycyline Medrol Taper Prometrium & Valium to appt Embryo Transfer	AM Doxycyline PM Metformin WF Prenatal Progesterone 50mg Doxycyline Medrol Taper Last day of Doxy and Medrol	AM PM Metformin WF Prenatal Progesterone 50mg	AM PM Metformin WF Prenatal Progesterone 50mg	AM PM Metformin WF Prenatal Progesterone 50mg	AM PM Metformin WF Prenatal Progesterone 50mg
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
AM PM Metformin WF Prenatal Progesterone 50mg	AM PM Metformin WF Prenatal Progesterone 50mg	AM PM Metformin WF Prenatal Progesterone 50mg	AM PM Metformin WF Prenatal Progesterone 50mg	AM PM Metformin WF Prenatal Progesterone 50mg	AM PM Metformin WF Prenatal Progesterone 50mg	AM PM Metformin WF Prenatal Progesterone 50mg
25	26	27	28	29	30	31
AM PM Metformin WF Prenatal Progesterone 50mg	AM PM Metformin WF Prenatal Progesterone 50mg	AM PM Metformin WF Prenatal Progesterone 50mg Pregnancy Test