Visit #1

Yesterday was the day. Nothing like getting a vaginal ultrasound whilst bleeding... Good times for everyone involved.

Before getting my Crohn's diagnosis, when things were really bad and I was quite sick, my cycles got completely fucked. I'm not surprised... I dropped down to 94 lbs, that kind of weight loss will totally throw a monkey wrench in your cycles. So when they got long and weird, I knew what was causing it.

Once I was under the care of a GI, started getting some form of treatment and putting some weight back on, my cycles seemed to return to their usual 28-29 day length. I haven't peed on a stick or taken my waking temps in I can't even tell you how long... So I really had no idea what my body was actually doing. After being on the TTC Tilt-a-Whirl long enough, one learns that bleeding signifies nothing... you can bleed but not ovulate.

So needless to say, I was a little concerned about what was actually going on inside of me. I'm 40 now, was I still making eggs? I haven't felt O pains in a long time... which also signifies nothing. I've had months were I surely ovulated, but felt nothing. If I was still making eggs, was I making enough to make it into the study?

As I lay there on the table, covered in the largest paper napkin in the world, staring at the ceiling I prayed for follies. I prayed things were still working. The ultrasound tech was pretty quiet, so I envisioned myself sitting with my IVF Coordinator (who shall be referred to as "C")saying "So, how'd we do?"

At around that same time, the tech announced that we were all finished, printed out the images she'd snapped, snipped the appropriate ones, filled out a form and told me that my count and lining both looked good.

Sigh of relief. One hurdle down.

I sat down with C and she told me everything looked great! I needed at least 10 antral follicles and I had 11. It would've been nice to have a few more, but I met the study criteria and that's all I really wanted.

While we were talking, the sonohystogram came up. I gave her my saga... how my 1st HSG was the most horrific procedure I'd ever been through, so my 2nd RE had given me a script for a nerve pill for my 2nd one, which was a breeze. I told her I'd really like to go that route again if I could... at the very least, I asked if D could be there with me.

She told me she'd had both procedures done, her HSG was also horrible... and she said the sono was waaaay better. I'm actually glad I mentioned it because I was reading about sono's and there was all this business about them inflating a balloon inside of you and I was like "Yeah... that way lies cramping and inexorable pain... I can feel it already" Needless to say, my armpits began sweating profusely as I imagined a Mickey Mouse Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon unfurling inside of my womb. No bueno.

When I said the word "balloon", C cocked her head to the side and said "balloon? There's no balloon. It's just a tiny catheter that allows saline to fill your uterus. But I'm sure we can get something for you." Hearing there is no balloon involved allowed my armpits to dry... a bit. I'm still not gonna like it... and nobody can make me like it.

So the unholy sonohystogram will be taking place on April 29th at 1:30 pm. They'll do whatever other cultures and whatnot that they need at the same time. I've got instructions about antibiotics and a full bladder and some other jibber jabber. I'll make sure I go over it, so I know what I need to do and when. D is going with me and we will sign the joint consents then (what to do with extra embryos, provide them with a credit card to charge storage fees to, what happens to the snow babies if one or both of us die, we divorce, etc.)

They took a bunch of blood and then sent me on my way with scripts for birth control that I started yesterday & antibiotics and a scheduled Visit #2 on May 7th. That will be urine pregnancy test & Lupron Day. Joy Joy!!

So I guess it's really official... I have begun IVF.