Last Thursday was my IVIg and intralipid infusion. I arrived at 9:00 am and was 'hooked up' by 9:30. We started with the intralipids, which looked like milk and only lasted about 45 minutes. After that, the nurse switched me to a sssllloooowwww drip of the IVIg. The first bottle took about 2.5 hours to administer. During that time, two other women (one in the same cycle as I am) came and went, only having intralipids done. My sister brought me lunch- Bread Co. French Onion Soup in a bread bowl. She had texted me earlier, asking what I was in the mood for and at the time I was cold, so I told her I wanted something warm. Both of my arms were hooked up to something- the left one was on a BP monitor and the right one had a big needle jammed into it. Needless to say, my soup wasn't so easy to eat.
In order to avoid a massive headache and other side effects, I was told to drink lots of water/Gatorade and keep hydrated. So I did. I think I went through 5 bottles of water in about 3 hours. Holding the IVIg bottle above my head while I maneuvered my jeans down one-handed was a bit tricky, but by the 12th visit to the ladies room, I had my routine down. I think I spent just as much time in the ladies room as I did on the over-stuffed leather couch.
Because I didn't have any reaction to the first bottle of IVIg, the nurse was able to speed up the second one. I got through it in a little over an hour and was out the door by 2:15. Overall, I would say that the day was mostly boring. I felt a little 'puffy' from all of the fluids and my head felt a little woozy, but otherwise, I felt just fine.
Yesterday, I had both blood work and my first monitoring u/s. Dr A was happy with the results- right side had 12 and the left had 6. All were measuring between 11- 16mm. He said he thinks we'll get about 12-15 total at retrieval. I left the office with additional instructions- 3 vials of Bra.velle and continuing Lu.pron shots, more blood work orders and another u/s on Wednesday afternoon. It looks like retrieval will be on Friday or Saturday. I should know for sure on Wednesday when it will be scheduled. Superman and I have both taken Friday off, so we'll either have a play day or it'll be retrieval day.
Showing posts with label IVIg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IVIg. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
We have a diagnosis
Dr. A called last week to discuss the results of my bloodwork. Pretty much everything came back normal... pretty much. I tested positive for "ICC".. couldn't find a single thing on-line about ICC, found plenty about the International Cricket Club though!!.. and my NKa counts came back super high. From what I could find about NKa, my body identifies an embryo as a foreign object and attacks it before it can even implant. So, I may have been pregnant, several times... but my body rejected it even before I got a positive pregnancy test.
Dr. A is recommending 2 rounds of IVIg, which is terribly terribly expensive and quite possibly our only hope of getting and STAYING pregnant. We found a pharmacy in Chicago where we can get IVIg for the bargain price of only $82/gram. My counts were so high, he is also recommending that I get twice the normal amount of IVIg, so I'll need a total of 80g.. LOVELY.
It took a few days for all of the information to soak in.. and I had a meltdown last Thursday night. Throughout all of this, I have felt immense guilt. Guilt for being the one with 'the problem', Guilt for having to spend so much money on doctor bills, Guilt for being the one keeping Superman from being a Dad. The news that our cheap, low stim IVF cycle was now going to cost us more than a regular IVF cycle put me over the edge. I could not stop crying, no, I could not stop BAWLING. It wasn't a pretty cry either. It was a snotty, hiccuping, blubbering sob fest. I'm one of those criers whose face gets red, eyes swell, throat closes up and head starts throbbing when I have a massive cry session. Superman insisted that I take the following day off from work and use the gift certificate that my MIL gave me as a 'stress reducer' gift a few weeks ago. He even arranged for my little sister to meet me for a pedi after my massage. It was much needed- Thanks Superman and MIL!
Thinking positively, we do have lots in our favor. Our age, Supermans' super spermies, my hormone levels and health.. all signs that we should be successful. We also identified the problem BEFORE we began expensive IVF treatments. Had we have stayed with Dr. J, goodness knows how many thousands of dollars we would have spent without being successful.
Dr. A is recommending 2 rounds of IVIg, which is terribly terribly expensive and quite possibly our only hope of getting and STAYING pregnant. We found a pharmacy in Chicago where we can get IVIg for the bargain price of only $82/gram. My counts were so high, he is also recommending that I get twice the normal amount of IVIg, so I'll need a total of 80g.. LOVELY.
It took a few days for all of the information to soak in.. and I had a meltdown last Thursday night. Throughout all of this, I have felt immense guilt. Guilt for being the one with 'the problem', Guilt for having to spend so much money on doctor bills, Guilt for being the one keeping Superman from being a Dad. The news that our cheap, low stim IVF cycle was now going to cost us more than a regular IVF cycle put me over the edge. I could not stop crying, no, I could not stop BAWLING. It wasn't a pretty cry either. It was a snotty, hiccuping, blubbering sob fest. I'm one of those criers whose face gets red, eyes swell, throat closes up and head starts throbbing when I have a massive cry session. Superman insisted that I take the following day off from work and use the gift certificate that my MIL gave me as a 'stress reducer' gift a few weeks ago. He even arranged for my little sister to meet me for a pedi after my massage. It was much needed- Thanks Superman and MIL!
Thinking positively, we do have lots in our favor. Our age, Supermans' super spermies, my hormone levels and health.. all signs that we should be successful. We also identified the problem BEFORE we began expensive IVF treatments. Had we have stayed with Dr. J, goodness knows how many thousands of dollars we would have spent without being successful.
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