I really want this sign... But it can be YOURS!!

I promised you'd get a new fundraiser update this week!! HERE IT IS!!!

See that GORGEOUS sign?! That was made by my friend who owns Paddy Whacks. Go check out her other signs if you love this but don't win it!

So now here is how you can get the beautiful sign! And please note, I WANT THIS SIGN! But it was given for the fundraiser so I will part with it... And even pay for shipping if you win and aren't local!

1. Donate $10 and get one entry into a raffle
2. Be sure to put your name in the appropriate area on PayPal so I know who you are

THAT'S IT!!!

You an enter as many times as you want (if you donate $20 at once, I will put you in twice, and so on. You don't have to make separate donations)!

I will have this fundraiser up until Oct 13, and I will draw a name on Oct 14. That person will  be personally contacted (via the email address shown in the paypal donation OR through Facebook if they are on our friends list). Shipment will be set up at that point in time!!



Now for a quick fertility update:
For the first time since we set up our IVF appointment, I felt serious PANIC. I emailed the always-wonderful Connie, my nurse. I asked about the medication, when they'd be ordered, from where... And then since I knew the approximate doses of the Menopur and Lupron, I figured I should ask how much Follistim would need to be ordered... Her answer absolutely FLOORED me. At MINIMUM we'll have to order 1-2 900iu vials, but Dr H will decide that at my next appointment. I thought that there would be no way I'd need THAT much, but from what I've read online that is low-normal. Most people have to have much more than that. The price of each 900iu vial? Approximately $750+ (and that's the lowest possible price, one other pharmacy that is popular for fertility meds charges over $1000!!!!!). I flipped out, talked to Danny. Talked to many people, actually. We'll figure out how to pay for it. And the above fundraiser could REALLY REALLY help with it!!! Seventy five entries and that extra 900iu vial would be paid for!
My next appointment is Monday. We will be doing some blood work, saline sonogram and trial transfer. AND Danny will learn all about the injections and how to give them to me. I'm so excited!! THINGS ARE REALLY HAPPENING NOW!!!!!!!!

Updates all around!!

So many updates today!!

Quick fundraiser update... I've got ONE MORE up my sleeve for this month! Still up in the air for any in October, but there WILL be a September fundraiser post this week!

If you're friends with us on Facebook, you know how yesterday went. For those of you who aren't, well here you go!
We showed up to the appointment yesterday hoping for good news. Danny wasn't nervous. I tried to sort of feed of his easy-going nature. But I was a bundle of nerves.
Danny checked in and started chatting up an older lady who was a new patient. Turns out she knows Eric Stonestreet, FROM MODERN FAMILY!! She said he's crazy (in a good way). It totally cracked me up.
I glanced around the waiting room. This place became another "home" to us during our cancer journey, the receptionists/nurses/schedulers all know Danny by name and face. It's comforting. So much different than our last appoint, at our IVF clinic. I know we will soon get that same feeling (and I already do with Connie, she rocks my socks!), but will it compare to this place? This place that, really, I don't want to ever HAVE to come back to... Really, after our IVF I don't want to ever HAVE to go back to the IVF clinic either, to be honest. I want it to work and I want to  be done after a healthy and successful pregnancy. Two different clinics serving two ENTIRELY DIFFERENT types of patients, yet they stir up such similar feelings.
We waited for what seemed like forever before we were called back.
"Hey guys, how are ya?!" Ahhh one of my favorite nurses!
"We're good, how are you?" We're GREAT actually!
"Good, how about you step onto the scale for me."
"Okay, hold this stuff Destiny, I don't want to add any extra weight." HA HA HA, nice way to quote me!
We chatted and joked with our nurse and our other "regular" nurse before we got down to business. Our nurse took Danny's temp and blood pressure, he bragged about how awesome and healthy he is. I think he used the word "perfect." Not sure who he thinks he is? Okay okay, he is perfect. Perfect for me :)
Eventually Dr Johnson came in.
"Hey there! How are things going?" Ahhhh NOW IS THE SCARY PART.
"Well you know, boring as always..." Except, really not boring at all... But hopefully just boring in the aspect of cancer.
Dr Johnson glanced at the paper on top of Danny's file... His lab results.
"YEP. Boring as always!" WHEW!!! The weight of the world is no longer on my shoulders. That's what I needed to hear today!! THANK YOU GOD, THANK YOU!!!
"That's what I wanted to hear." Psh, he was so confident before....
"Did you get any scans done or anything? I'm not seeing anything here."
"No, no scans. Just the blood work."
"OH okay, that's right. This is the old paper, that's why. Yep, you are past all the scans." WHEW again. Give me a heart attack why don't ya!
"That's right."
"Let's do the quick physical exam... deep breaths..." blah blah blah about football. And the NFL. And the Sooners' HORRENDOUS loss against K-State. Dr Johnson and Danny both teased me about that. Blah blah blah.
"Okay. We're done here. I'll see you both in six months. You only have three more appointments here with us." THREE MORE APPOINTMENTS!!!!! THREE MORE!!! I just can't believe it!
"Thank you, Doctor."
Dr Johnson shook Danny's hand and turned to me. He did a little "hooray" signal, or at least that's how I interpreted it. And then he said he'd see us next year.
Six months. THREE MORE APPOINTMENTS. Six months. OH! I could be PREGNANT in six months! Pregnant and noticeably showing! That would be such a success story! PLEASE LET THIS IVF WORK! I want to come back for Danny's next appointment and be able to show that the journey has come all around. We have these wonderful doctors to thank, and God, for Danny still being here. That would be a wonderful way to show them that good things come after all of this, thanks to them and the work they do (and the work He does).  I want this. I need this. PLEASE let the IVF appointments go as well as these cancer appointments have. PLEASE God.


So, there you have it. Danny is STILL DOING GREAT!! :) Nothing but good news there!!!

And a quick fertility update!
I emailed Connie today with a question about my meds. I was curious as to if we'd get the meds at my next appointment or if they'll be ordered from an outside pharmacy. She emailed back really quickly and said the meds will be ordered AFTER my next appointment, through a mail order pharmacy. They will then contact me about shipping and payment. THAT price tag is going to hurt, and the shipping may be a bit stressful considering they'll have to be quick (appointment on Oct 1, injections start Oct 7, EEK!!). But I'm starting to get excited!
Still on the birth control. It is quite obviously a stronger medication than I anticipated and I'm feeling lots of anger. I didn't realize (until now) that such a small pill could do that to you. The littlest things just set my blood boiling. So far I've kept control though ;)
Danny thinks it's hilarious to poke fun at me and last night I asked him why he's being so much worse about it lately (and yes we were still laughing during this conversation). He said he has to get it all out now before the injections make me crazy. I think he's a little scared.... What a baby ;)

That's all I've got for you today!! Check back tomorrow or Thursday for the next FUNDRAISER update :)

What's in the water?? Seriously

I want to start this (different type of) post by saying, I AM SO THANKFUL for all of the wonderful supporters we have and for those that share their own experience with me. It means more to me than I could ever really put into words (but I will try, soon!).

Now... on to my post for the day...

WHAT THE BLEEP  IS IN THE WATER?!


There are days when an infertile feels like every which way she looks she is surrounded by pregnant people. Those days suck, simply put. I know that feeling. I've felt it. It's not JEALOUSY. An infertile CAN still be happy for others. It's just that WE WANT THAT TOO. We want to SHARE in that joy with the world. We want to post pictures of our  baby bumps! But instead, we have bloat bumps. Or just chunky bumps because we eat when stressed. Or water retention from hormones (I'll be there soon, ha!). Or flat stomachs, even.
I will say that, as an infertile, the WORST part is hearing people complain.
You've got stretch marks? I do, too. But I have no baby to show for mine.
You can't have caffeine? You're growing a baby, cheers (with water) for following doctor's orders!
You feel fat? Oh, hey, me too. But I don't have a baby in my belly that I am supporting in every way.
You're pregnant. It's a BLESSING. You are growing a BABY. A little person is inside you! Work it, girl! Rock that baby bump! Chug some water! Be PROUD of those stretch marks you EARNED.

Over the past 3 years I have gotten MANY texts announcing pregnancies, there are times when it seems like multiple people PER DAY announce on Facebook, etc etc. Am I happy for these people? YES. A resounding yes. YES I AM HAPPY FOR THEM. A baby is a baby and I, personally, am happy that these people who I consider friends get to experience the joy that I yearn for. And every time I see a new announcement, I wonder to myself if it was easy for them. Just because it seems like EVERYONE just sneezes and gets pregnant doesn't mean it's that easy...

Which brings on my point for today... WHAT IS IN THE WATER?
No, it's not PREGNANCY that's in the water... It's infertility!!! When did this happen? WHY is this happening?!

At my jewelry party last weekend, we were all sitting around chatting about infertility. And I looked around... It was like an infertility party. We could have started our own club! It wasn't just me there. There were all different "types." Male factor. Diminished Ovarian Reserve. Hysterectomy. And, lastly, what I will lovingly call Super-Fertility. Otherwise known as recurrent-loss. I will forever call those people super-fertile, based on recent findings. And I think it sounds better.
So there we all were. Sitting around talking about all these shots and treatments and adoption and step-parenting and on and on and on. And it felt good to not be alone. AND IT HURT SO BAD that so many people know these same feelings. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I HATE that others have to go through this. HATE IT.

And that's not all... I got a message a few days later from someone I went to high school with. She's pregnant... thanks to IVF!! She's shared so much with me! And I LOVE seeing the pictures of the embryos they transferred and the baby that's growing inside of her right now!! She calmed my nerves about the progesterone shots that scare me. She told me a few tricks. And talking to someone who has gone through it and had success, someone that I actually KNOW, is so comforting.

Two other ladies I went to school with were recently informed that they'll need IVF to have a baby. I have sent them all the links I have found for funding these expensive treatments. We didn't meet most of the qualifications when I looked into these grants, but hopefully these ladies will!

It seems like everywhere I look, someone is infertile. Someone is suffering from all of these awful emotions. I wish I could take it all away from these people. I wish I could snap my fingers and they'll suddenly have success.
So instead, I add them to my prayer list. Prayers have helped us OH SO MUCH. Time to pay it forward, especially because we STILL NEED PRAYERS. Or happy thoughts or good vibes or whatever it is you do. We need them. But, so do all these other people. So, while you're sending all that goodness to us, do you mind throwing it out there to ALL infertiles every where, also? Just a suggestion :)


And speaking of prayers... did I mention we could use them? Danny has an appointment with Dr J on Monday. He had lab work done this week and Monday we go see him and get the results. I'm nervous, I always am when this time comes around every 4 months. I'm SURE everything will be okay, Danny is doing great. But, prayers would be appreciated!!


Fertility Update:
Today, one week of birth control pills is complete. I'm fine for now. Three more weeks of these!!
Just over two weeks until I become a pin cushion!
Today the paperwork was faxed to the Always-Awesome ReproTech. They'll be setting up the shipment of the "swimmers" to our clinic! YEA!!
We're trying to get the ball rolling on borrowing about $4k towards the rest of the IVF procedure. Crossing my fingers that all goes smoothly!
In the box of donated meds we've got, there is a TON of extra syringes and dilution stuff. My grandma told me to use those ON ORANGES for practice. So, I plan on buying some oranges after our Injections-Teaching for Danny to practice on! I'm actually excited about that... Weird? Maybe... HAHA!!

My very own personal IVF calendar, and other updates!

What a crazy, BUSY week last week was!! Sorry I didn't blog, there was just so much going on. And blogging just wasn't one of those things.

If you're on our Facebook, you know that I was asking for prayers for my grandpa (lovingly referred to as Pig Pig). Your prayers always work wonders! God is good and my grandpa is doing GREAT! He had surgery Monday and all the tests have come back and we are all happy!

Wednesday we had Faith's school conference. She's doing much better this year than she has the last couple years (she's a talker!!). We are so SO proud of her! She's better with her talking (or maybe this teacher just has more patience). Her reading seems to be improving already, so they're doing something right! Even her penmanship is better!! Have I mentioned how proud we are??

Also Wednesday, I called my wonderful nurse Connie. It was the start of my September cycle so that was the next step to take. I waited (impatiently) for a call back, all the while telling myself that she's a busy busy lady and she has to get things scheduled before she can call me back anyway. That didn't help though. When we got home from work, I sat down to relax, thinking the call would just come the next day... NOPE!!! My phone went off and I snatched it  up as quickly as possible.
"Hello?"
"Hi, can I please speak to Destiny?" Yea Yea Yea Yea YEA!!!
"This is Destiny."
"Hi Destiny, this is Connie with Dr H's office." Of course it is!
"Hi Connie!"
"How are you doing today?" Good NOW!!
"I'm great how are you doing?"
"I'm good. Are you ready for all of this to get started?" Oh I think I may faint.... Oh my GOSH!!!
"Yeah, well, really I'm seriously so scared. But yeah."
"Oh don't be scared! You'll get through this just fine!" This is the best nurse in the world!!!!

I won't bore you with all the details of our entire conversation (it wasn't short and I had some questions and we had to get a couple things straightened out), but basically we got everything scheduled. Our next appointment is the "big testing day." We'll do the injections teaching (Danny will learn, I won't even be able to watch!), go over my personalized calendar and then do the saline sono and mock transfer.
Wondering what the saline sono and mock transfer are?
The saline sonogram will basically consist of filling my uterus with saline and looking around in there for polyps, fibroids, etc.
The mock transfer is really pretty interesting. It'll essentially be a dress rehearsal for the embryo transfer! Dr H will figure out which catheter is the appropriate size for me, insert it (guided by ultrasound) and decide where exactly he will be transferring the embryo(s). This way, on the day of the ET he will know exactly what to use and where to go with it all. This means less trauma to the embryo(s) AND me.

I asked Connie if she knew which meds I would be on. She said that's pretty flexible and wanted to know why I asked. I haven't shared this on the blog yet, but... A couple months ago I met this really awesome person who recently underwent fertility treatments. She offered up her leftover meds, which included a box of Menopur... Menopur is SO SUPER expensive, and the offer made me so excited!! I just hoped I would be put on that med!! I told Connie all of this, and she sounded just as excited as I was about the prospect of saving money. Since the Menopur isn't expired, I CAN USE IT!! I will have to order a second box, but I still get to save on the first box!! YEA!!!

Connie promised she'd email me my schedule by the end of the week, so I was expecting it to be late Friday... That didn't stop me from checking my email pretty constantly though! And I got a pleasant surprise Thursday around lunch when I got an email from Connie with my schedule attached!!
I will be honest, I opened the attachment and just stared at the screen.
This is REALLY happening. This is real. THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING!!!
I printed off multiple copies of the calendar (one for work, one for home, etc). I stared at it. I emailed it to Danny. I stared at it some more.


Here is the picture in case you want to stare at it too!! Remember that calendar I posted months ago? That was just an example. This is the REAL DEAL right here!!

Do you see all of those highlights??? Those are SHOTS. Not drinky drinky shots. Stabby stabby shots. About 44 of them, and that's subject to change. As is this entire calendar!! Why? Because it all depends on how my body reacts to the meds.

The shots don't start until October 7th. But one IVF prep med started over the weekend... Birth control pills. Insurance wouldn't cover them because the instructions from the clinic says to ignore the placebo pills. Had to pay "cash price" for those. Ouch. Danny told me "It's a one-time deal, it's fine." I said no, actually I have to go back for the second pack in 3 weeks. To which he responded "Yeah, but you won't have to go through this again. It's FINE." I will need to be reminded of that repeatedly during the stabs and mood swings and hot flashes and everything else that is involved in a fresh IVF cycle. And I will be PRAYING PRAYING PRAYING that we WILL only have to do this once.


On Friday we had the Premier Designs Jewelry fundraiser!! It went well and I'm not closing the party until Saturday so if  you want to order, there's still a chance! Thank you to the wonderful ladies that attended the party!


So there's where we're at right now. Things are getting exciting!! I think from now on I'll do a little "fertility update" at the end of each post (until we are to the point that every post is about it).

Today is day 4 of BCPs (birth control pills). My body isn't used to any sort of medication, at all. It's been 3 YEARS since I have been on birth control, and I was on it for so long before that, that I don't remember that "adjustment time" when my body was getting used to the other hormones. So, I am currently feeling a bit wonky and out of sorts. But nothing crazy yet. We'll see how it goes from here on out though!!

Fundraisers, and why we still need them!

The last week has been such a whirlwind!! It's amazing to think that a week ago we met Dr H, checked on my follies and did the blood draw. But here we are, a week later and with a plan in place!

When we met with Dr H, he mentioned that IVF (with ICSI) runs 12-14k at his office, depending on the meds. Since he later said I SHOULD need the lower dose, that to me keeps me at 12k. Then there are the added costs that aren't in the package price (the meds aren't either but he gave that in his estimate).
$580 for the saline sono and mock transfer.
$50-100 for injections teaching
$450 for sperm work up (not sure if that applies to us since his swimmers have already been tested, but I am including it since I'm sure there will be a cost in receiving the frozen vials and defrosting them)
$150-300 Infection disease testing
$500-700 anesthesia (due at the retrieval which should be Oct 29)
Meds will run at the ABSOLUTE LOWEST (and I've never found anyone who only paid this much) will be $1500. Average is $3000. I don't know where I will run in that spectrum. And that will all have to be paid before anything else (aside from the mock transfer/injections teaching, which will be due the day of that appointment which should be in a couple weeks).

The package price of the INCLUDED IVF stuff is due at the baseline appointment (mid October).

Then the day of the retrieval (10-29) will be the day to pay for the anesthesia.

Also, it's going to cost us just over $200 to ship the swimmers to our clinic (with insurance), and that will be asap!

I'm hoping our costs will be on the lower end of the spectrum of all of the above. But regardless, we'll obviously need about 3-4k on top of what we've raised. That's why we are still ACTIVELY fundraising. I know I've been pretty quiet about the fundraisers lately, and that ends NOW. Time to start really shouting it out about raising money. We've got about a month to raise all of this. One. Month. I don't think we'll raise all of that. If we do, FABULOUS. If not? Well then we'll have to finance (and hope and pray we are approved...).

So here we go :)
My Premier Designs Jewelry fundraiser is NEXT FRIDAY!!!! WOOHOOO!!! Did  you know that jewelry is the NUMBER ONE Christmas gift given in the US? Bring your Christmas lists and do some shopping!! 100% of the profits go to our fund!!!

Aaaannnndddd We've got a new one!! Grace Adele!! There's BOUND to  be something  you'll love here! Check it out!!
https://styles2enjoy.graceadele.us/GraceAdele/Buy?partyId=102537935

There's also another 31 Gifts fundraiser in the works!! That will start soon!


And.... There's one more! I've been sitting on this one for a very long time. It's something I found on another IVF fundraiser site and have recommended to another future-IVF'er. I went back and forth on it, and I just couldn't decide if people would like it... You know what though? I've showed a few people. AND THEY LOVE IT!! So here it is. And thanks to Miss Jamie for making the flyer :)

Sorry it's sort of blurry :( I can't seem to figure out quite how to fix that... But you get the gist, right? At the end it just says that we prefer any of THESE donations to be made by mail (get with me so I can give you our address). This is simply because I can only take out a certain amount on our paypal PER MONTH. That hasn't been an issue yet, since we don't get most of our donations that way. But since we are asking for a big number in donations, well, snail mail seems to work best for that.


And there you go. There are our current fundraisers. And why we NEED them. If you want to help out, NOW is the time. We are trying to finance the least amount possible (because really, we'd be paying about twice the price we finance with interest rates on things like that), so EVERY PENNY helps!! And this way, you get nice little incentives :)


Thank you to each and every one of you who have helped us get this far!!! We are so grateful!!! <3

Things I learned at our first appointment at OURM

Things I learned at our first appointment at OURM:


1. I have been mispronouncing LUPRON ever since starting my research on IVF. This is a med I WILL be taking, so I guess I should know how to pronounce it.

2. I will be on birth control. For sure. This is so they can have complete control. I guess they are a lot like me with their need-for-control-and-serious-down-to-the-minute-planning ;)

3. I was ALSO mispronouncing the fertilization process we will be using... ICSI. I have always pronounced each letter.. I would say I.C.S.I. It always made me think of the tv shows like NCIS and all that. But, come to find out, that's now how it's pronounced. It's pronounced like ick-see. Ick.

4. We aren't the only people who think the streets in OKC are INSANE. So does our nurse. And she's from California :)

5. Our file has sonogram pictures in it.. like the kind people take home of their little babies in the womb... Only mine are of my ovaries. I saw the picture on the screen, I saw the pictures printing from the machine, and I saw them eventually ending up in my medical file. So weird!

6. Our clinic (and some other fertility clinics, according to some friends) takes your picture when you check in the first time. Yes, the receptionist gave me back my insurance card and then told me "Smile for your picture!" I obviously looked confused because she then held up a webcam (on a fancy little stand) and said "for your file...." Well, I was still confused! But I ran my fingers through my hair, fixed my part, and plastered a smile on my face. Considering I was scared out of my mind at the time, I'm sure the picture wasn't the greatest :) But hey, whatever works. I'm not entirely sure what the point was.. .But if you've read Inconceivable.. that's what I imagine the picture is there to PREVENT.

7. A good nurse is worth her weight in gold... Actually, MORE. Connie took my blood like a champ. I barely felt a pinch. That's the first time it's ever been that easy for me! I think I need to call her in every time I need blood drawn from here on out! :)

And finally...

8. Just because we had a great appointment that day, doesn't mean every other patient did too. :( Before being called back, I watched another couple walk out of the office with obvious frowns. The girl walked quite a bit faster than her husband, and he was basically left in her wake. They both looked a little lost, and a lot upset. It was heart wrenching. I hope that couple eventually ends up with good news. And I also hope WE are never that couple :(

Something crazy?! What??

Happy Monday! I hope everyone is enjoying their Labor Day!!

We've had quite the holiday weekend!! Thursday was yet another big day for us. Friday was my brother and sister-in-law's wedding. Saturday was my amazing hubby's birthday, and his sister and her family came into town. We spent time with them Saturday and had a family picnic Sunday. Now today Faith is busy with her homework (or rather, staring around the room, putting OFF writing her sentences...), which means I've got time to blog!!!

I really wanted to blog about Thursday that evening, but I just didn't have time. Of course, if you're our friend on Facebook, then you already know :) But this post will go into more detail!



You all know how the appointment went Wednesday. You also know that as of Wednesday, we were seriously looking at IVF in January. I understood the reasoning, it all made sense. And I had finally decided that I could handle that, since it seemed to be our only option. But I couldn't help the stab of disappointment I felt because my original plan wasn't going to happen. I wanted to be pregnant at Christmas!! I wanted to be SHOWING at Christmas!! At least a little bit! I didn't want to miss out on Black Friday but knew that would be best (if we did IVF in October and were successful). So I had accepted that. I wanted things to happen asap. It was hard to come to terms with the fact that asap was, essentially, January. But I did. I was fine by later that evening.

At the end of our appointment Wednesday my amazing nurse, Connie, took some blood. This blood work was going to check my progesterone and make sure I had ovulated. Yes, I had felt it, but they needed to be positive. Connie said she'd call with the results Thursday, and asked if it was okay if she left a message. Since the numbers we'd given her were both cell numbers, we said that was perfectly fine.


I went to work Thursday just like I do every day. But the day was spent answering many questions about the appointment and when we'd get to start the whole process. I was expecting a call from Connie with my results, but knew the "scheduling call" wouldn't be coming until early the next week since things were so busy and it would take some coordinating.
Around 2:45 my cell phone rang. I glanced at it and saw "unknown" with no number listed. That meant I was going to ignore it... And then I remembered that the last time someone from OURM had called, it had been "unknown" like that, too! I snatched my phone up to answer but it had already been transferred to my voicemail.
Oh well, since it's only the call about my progesterone results. She'll tell me that in her message...
My voicemail tone went off and I let it be for a few minutes. Deep breaths. It's just the progesterone results. You KNOW you ovulated Destiny. Everything looked great at the appointment, you FELT the ovulation, the blood work will only CONFIRM that.
I listened to the voicemail.
"Hi Destiny, This is Connie with Dr H's office. If you could give me a call back at ______. I'll talk to you soon, thanks!"
What? Call her back? This is just supposed to be the progesterone results. She could just leave that on the voicemail, that's why we gave her permission. Why do I have to call back for that? Unless something is wrong. Ohmygosh. Something is wrong.
I went into my mom's office so I could call privately. And by privately, I mean with my momma sitting right there, listening to my side of the conversation. ;)
"What do you think they'll say? Anything about the scheduling?" No, that's not supposed to happen until next week.....
"No. This was just supposed to be my bloodwork results...."

I was transferred to Connie, and was only on hold for a few seconds.
"This is Connie."
"Hi Connie, this is Destiny. I was just returning your call?"
"Hi Destiny!! How are you today?" Who cares how I am? What is WRONG?!
"I'm good, how are you doing?"
"I'm great! Okay so I've got your progesterone results here. You definitely ovulated!" Whew!!!
"Okay, great."
"And also... After you left yesterday, something crazy happened..." Something crazy?? What??
"Oh yeah? What's that?"
"Well I got a call from someone wanting to cancel their October IVF." Ohhhh my gosh.... Ohmygosh! Don't get your hopes up Destiny, don't get your hopes up!!
"Oh really?"
"Yep. So that means I've got an open spot for IVF in October. A spot I need to fill..." I want it, I want it, I WANT IT!!!!
"Okay..."
"So it's yours if you want it?" I DO I DO I DO I DO I DO! YES!!!!!!!!
"We would LOVE the October spot!!"
"Okay, great! So I'll need you to call on the first day of your next menstrual cycle. Then everything can start with your testing and birth control pills and everything else. Your official "start date" for the IVF, meaning the stimulation medication, will be October 20th. And the estimated egg retrieval will be October 29th." Ohmygosh!!!
"Okay, I've got that all down."
"Okay, so just go ahead and call me on the first day of your cycle and we can get everything set up! I will have the lab get a hold of you to set up the transfer of the sperm from the sperm bank." Ahhhh!!!!
"Okay great. Thank you so much!"
"Have a good day!"
"You too, bye!"

The whole time, my mom was looking at what I was writing down. I had mouthed to her that we got October and she looked pretty pleased. When I hung up, she asked what all was happening.
We pulled a calendar out and started filling in the dates. Then I called Danny and left a message, telling him the good news!


So! HERE WE GO!!! :) I can't believe this is all happening! I can't believe WE ARE HERE!!!!

In about a week (and a day) I will be calling Connie. I'm not sure what my next step will be from there, but I assume it will be putting me on birth control. We will also schedule the trial transfer and saline sonogram. I'm not sure (even after some internet research) which day that normally happens on. The day of the trial transfer, I will learn how to do the injections. Or, well, DANNY will. He will  be the one doing them. And those injections will start soon after that. I will get a calendar completely personalized to my cycle at that appointment as well.
On October 20th I will start the stimulating injections. Those will force a LOT of eggs to grow. On the 29th, if my ovaries obey, we will do the egg retrieval. Which means I will have the trigger shot on the evening of the 27th. The 28th will be a day free of injections, I think. And the morning of the 29th I will check in, and get my eggs taken! I think I'll be able to go home that day. And then we'll wait on a fertilization report. They will then tell us how many of my eggs were able to be fertilized. Then it's the waiting game. We will HOPEFULLY wait for a 5 day transfer (if the embryos grow well and don't start dying off quickly). That will put us there on a weekend, which makes me happy :)

Two weeks after the egg retrieval, I should be getting a pregnancy test. Since that would be November 12th, which is a holiday, I THINK we will be going down on the 13th for that test. The 13th! 13 is our magic number, so I find that very fitting :)


Do you know what this all means? It means we will have to pay in October (but pay for the meds before that)!! If you've been planning on donating, NOW IS THE TIME to do so!

Don't forget about the Premier Designs Jewelry party on the 14th of this month!!!

Thank you, to everyone, for all of your help and support!!! WE'RE DOIN' THIS!!!