Mommies Here!

I went back to school this past week and I gotta admit that it was a lot of fun.  While Nadia was safely tucked at home recovering, I went to a mandatory IVF class at the new RE’s office. Of course, I still have one more natural IUI cycle to contend with before my insurance will pay for IVF and, hopefully, that natural IUI cycle will do the trick, but in case it doesn’t, I wanted to get the class out of the way.

One thing I never mentioned was that my new RE is in the same facility as Nadia’s oncologist. In fact, they are practically on the same floor. Something about their proximity makes me feel oddly comforted. So when I went to my class last week, I passed her doctor’s office en route to my clasroom.

 There were about seven women there, some with their husbands and some of them were flying solo like me. The nurses went over a 65 slide presentation, which reviewed such basics as:

a) What is IVF? b) What is considered day 1 of a women’s cycle? c) What are the side effects of fertility drugs?

And then they proceeded to go over specific procedures for day 3 IVF protocols, retrievals, and transfers. At the end of the class, they reviewed how to mix fertility drugs like menopur, how to prime pens like Gonal-F, and how to administer subcutaneous and intramuscular injections. After we watched a 15-minute video, they had each on of us “admininster” a progesterone shot on the rear end of a life-sized dummy.

Of course, the injection primer was just a review for me, but I have to admit that I really enjoyed the two hour class. It gave me confidence and hope. The nurses seemed like they really knew what they were doing. They were open to answering questions and even seemed as if they would be open to answering the same question twice–which is always a good sign. At the end of the class, I didn’t feel as if  I were too old for this, which is ususally how I felt when I left my old RE’s office.

After the class, I met with my IVF nurse, to review my IVF protocol. Let’s hope that  my upcoming natural IUI works and I  won’t have go on this protocol, but in case I do, I will give you a sneak peak. If it comes to this, I will probably begin in January after my holiday vacation in sunny South America.

Dr. Yoda’s IVF Protocol:

Ten days after I ovulate, I will start the estrogen patch. After starting  the estrogen, I begin three days of Ganirelix injections. On day 2 of my period, I will begin with 450 Gonal-F and 2 vials of Menopur. That’s when the daily monitoring begins. When my follicles are ready to pop, they will schedule the retrieval. More than likely, I will have a 3-day transfer.

I’m feeling hopeful. Nadia will have her post-op appointment on Wednesday, when we will learn if the cancer has spread. I have a good feelings about her appointment and our baby making journey.