For reference, the transfer is supposed to take place on CD28 so we still have a ways to go.
Last Friday morning I had my first blood draw to check my estrogen level.
That afternoon around 3:30pm while we were just wrapping up packing and about to leave for our camping trip I got a call from my coordinator at ORM. She was calling to let me know that my estrogen level was higher than they like (it was 87.53 and they like it under 60) and that the doctor who reviewed my results wanted me to go in the next morning for a redraw…one problem with that…we’re minutes away from driving 2 1/2 hours from Bend to go camping and Monday we likely wouldn’t be home in time to get to the lab for same day results. After some back and forth we decided that I would go to the lab as soon as we got home on Monday knowing that they likely wouldn’t get the results until Tuesday. That would mean that I would not be starting the delestrogen injections Monday night and we would just figure out what to do when we saw the results. It wasn’t ideal, but it was the best we could do with the situation.
In the car on the way to camp I was feeling guilty that I wasn’t able to get to the lab the next morning. I was wondering if I should have sent my husband and kids ahead and joined them the next day after I had the blood draw. I hated to do that and miss out on some of our camping trip. I decided to start looking at lab options in the two nearest cities to our camp site. One was 45 minutes away and the other was an hour. After calling some different places and ORM (then emailing ORM because is was 4:32pm and they switch their phones to the answering service at 4:30pm) I was finally able to find a lab in Hood River (an hour away) that was open on Saturday and could give them same day results. They sent a lab order to that lab and I headed out at 6:50am Saturday morning to get there when they opened at 8am. I was able to quickly get the draw done, stop at the bank, and get gas then drive back and get there about 10:30am so I didn’t miss out on anything with the family.
Because it was the weekend I figured ORM staff wouldn’t be there late so I knew I wouldn’t be hearing the results until at least the next day. We spent a great day at the lake then watching the lawn mower races in Wamic, OR (apparently it’s the largest lawn mower race track in the USA, who knew?).
The next morning I got an email from ORM saying that my estrogen level had been 62 and the doctor who reviewed it okay’d me starting delestrogen on Monday night. 62 technically isn’t under the 60 point cut off, but because it dropped so much in less than 24 hours I’m sure they were confident that my number would be well below 60 by Monday evening.
I had been so nervous about the second test results. I hadn’t had any issues with them being low enough last time so it was new territory. I was very relieved to receive the email Sunday morning saying we could stay on schedule.
Monday night I let my 6 year old administer my Lupron injection which he thought was the coolest thing. It wasn’t exactly a comfortable injection, but it wasn’t bad for it being his first time, and you know, being 6 LOL
My husband was in charge of the delestrogen injection. It’s a much bigger needle (22g 1.5 inches long) and it goes in the upper/outer portion of the glute muscle. The injection itself was almost painless and there was such a small amount of liquid (.1cc) that I didn’t feel much. I didn’t have any soreness or lump at all. It is nice that these injections are only on Mondays and Fridays so there’s lots of time for the are to recover before the next one, especially if I rotate sides. The PIO (progesterone in oil) that I start a few days before the transfer are everyday and a larger amount so the area ends up sore a lot faster.
I have my husband draw a grid on my backside to help him know where to inject the first few times. I have him do it in permanent marker so it stays on for awhile. After a week or so he doesn’t need it anymore, but it’s helpful to start with.
I’ve also started drinking my POM juice, doing these yoga poses, walking on the treadmill, and using a heating pad on my abdomen for a bit before bed. None of these things are proven to help increase the uterine lining, but I figure they aren’t going to hurt and maybe they will make a difference. At the very least it makes me feel like I’m doing something to help since I’m not taking estrogen pills 3x a day like last time. My first and only (as of now) lining check is next Friday the 13th (hopefully it’s a lucky day for me despite the date). If everything looks good we may get the go ahead to schedule airfare and accommodations for the transfer on the 24th.
In other news it was my son’s first day of first grade today! He was excited and nervous as he it moving up to the lower elementary class at his Montessori school. One of my favorite things about the Montessori program is that once they reach lower primary (grades 1-3) they are in the same classroom with the same teachers for 3 years. So while it may take some adjusting for him at first he will have 3 full years there so he won’t have to adjust to a new classroom every year.
My daughter starts her 2 day a week preschool next Tuesday and she is so excited. She’s been ready for school for awhile and was thrilled to go buy new school shoes and a new backpack yesterday. Everyday she asks how many more days until she gets to go to school 🙂
So that’s where we’re at! School starting, delestrogen starting, and a quick trip to Portland next Friday! I’ve got all my fingers crossed that things go fairly smoothly and we can transfer on the 24th! I’m ready to start carrying this baby for my awesome IFs!
I'm Just The Stork 