Follow-Up

First, I want to tell you that I spoke with my insurance company (I'm persistent aren't I?) and this lady today told me that everything has been paid or is in payment pending status which she verified with her supervisor meant that it was already counted toward our cap. I'm not sure I really believe this with the payment pending status ones because the amount she said we have used toward our cap is the same as it was this past Friday, and yet, this past Friday those things hadn't even been processed yet, bills had just been received. So, I'm thinking they will need to add that ~$3000 to our total so far, BUT, we will still have enough for this FET!!!!

I asked Dr. M today how our embryos were frozen. I knew they were vitrified, but I didn't realize until I was looking at some forums the other night that sometimes multiple ones are frozen together in "straws" and that means that sometimes you can "waste" embryos because the straw is thawed and you can't just take a few out of them. Luckily for me, mine were thawed one per straw, so there will be no wasting of these snowbabies.

I hadn't even considered it until one of my coworker's/friends asked me last night how they would know that the embryos were viable if they were freezing them the same day of transfer and they therefore wouldn't be able to show a progress in development. I thought about that and told her that was a really good question. So I asked Dr. M about it today and he said that they contract when frozen, and when they thaw and survive, they go back to their normal shape pre-freezing. If they don't survive the thaw, they stay all contracted up.

One thing that made me feel more optimistic about the embryos we have frozen was our discussion about how things used to be frozen (eggs, embryos, etc) and how they are now with our clinic (vitrification). Basically with vitrification it is a fast freeze, they put them in this liquid and freeze them with liquid nitrogen and store them. With the other way it took longer to freeze and they had less surviving thaw. Dr. M also told us that they are going to stop doing fresh egg donations because the success isn't nearly as good as it is with ones they have frozen and then try to fertilize. This makes me think maybe these guys will do ok. I also have a friend who has ONLY gotten pregnant on her FET cycles, she never got pregnant on her fresh cycles. Lord, I hope this works.

I am starting BCP's tonight. I asked about our protocol because I ovulated on BOTH BCP's and lupron before our last cycle and I wasn't sure if that happened if it would be a problem. He said we would just keep going. He came back to me a few minutes later and told me that he wasn't going to put me on lupron at all, so I'll just be on BCP's for about 3 weeks, then I'll have bloodwork done to make sure I didn't ovulate on it, and if everything looks ok, I'll start on estrogen shots IM every 3 days that Archie will give me. They will look at my uterine lining and make sure it is where it should be (Dr. M doesn't anticipate any issues here as I've never had issues with it before). Then my transfer date will likely be on a Friday (I'm thinking based on what they told me probably 4/22), they'll put back two if two survive the thaw, and then we'll have our pregnancy test (I forgot to ask how long after the transfer). It does sound like alot less monitoring and appointments which will be nice.

Hopefully if I can get in with a therapist and increase my acupuncture appointments to twice a week, my stress levels won't be too bad and we can get this done. I asked Dr. M if the recommendations for bedrest are the same for FET as they are for IVF and they are. HOWEVER, I am going to be off at least that night of transfer and the following night, and I am going to lay with a pillow under my butt, and I better be healthy with no low grade fevers or coughs this time! I will not drink caffeinated tea, I will not use my heating pad (except in an emergency on LOW heat). One of my former patients/friends said that for her last IVF cycle (successful) the only things she changed are that she drank whole milk and green tea. I HATE green tea, but I will choke it down (the decaf version) if it means I may get pregnant. I don't mind whole milk at all, I can add chocolate syrup and be fine. I also plan on eating pineapple starting the few days before our transfer and until our test. I'm not sure that that will really help, but I've heard people swear by it, and so I'm going to do it. One of the girls on one of the forums I follow also posted an article about IVF and Vitamin D, and while I know that my level was low, I also know that I wasn't considered deficient in December. Archie was and so we have Vit. D in the house now, and I will begin taking that as well, just in case.

I know it may sound crazy that I'm saying this, but I'm excited to start this next cycle. I've been so down the last few days, just really teary, and today has been a good day. I even wore my big girl panties and didn't cry with Dr. M today (although Archie said I almost did, but I pulled up the panties and kept it together). I will say that I am scared as well, go figure. I will not count on any of the "symptoms" I had this time as signs of pregnancy because they were obviously signs of the fertility drugs working, and my stress levels. I hate to be that way and feel like I won't let the symptoms make me hopeful during the two week wait, but they gave me hope this last time for no reason. I will hope that it happens, and I will pray that it results in a pregnancy, but I won't let my symptoms convince me that I am.