Update

Yesterday and today were my two artificial inseminations. They went well and as planned. I was worried about them being painful, but they felt similar to a routine pap smear. Cramping is the only side affect I have been feeling, which could also be ovulation cramping. Dr. Kopher said that my percentage of getting pregnant this month was about 30%. I am staying positive and will continue to be until the long dreaded two week wait is over. Starting tomorrow I have to start progesterone suppositories twice a day for 14 days. After 14 days we will wait to see if I get a period. If no period I can take a pregnancy test. I have good feelings about this month. Others have said the same.
I leave for Florida on Wednesday for 1 week! When I get back that 2 week wait will be almost over. The trip will definitely let me relax and make the wait go a little faster. Please keep praying and sending positive thoughts our way! Thank you so much for every one's messages, phone calls and encouraging words. I wouldn't be able to stay positive without each and everyone of you! Thank you!

Love, Kristen & Eli

Ultrasound #6

I just heard from the nurse and today was my last ultrasound!!! I'm excited but so nervous. Tonight I give myself my trigger shot of Ovidrel. This medication will release the egg. I will then go to clinic tomorrow afternoon for the first artificial insemination. The second one will be sometime Saturday morning when Dr. Kophher is available. Following the insemination I am to do vaginal suppositories of Progesterone. The next 2 weeks will be the longest 2 weeks of my life! I leave for Florida next Wednesday for a week so that will help to get my mind off things and make the 2 weeks go a little faster. After 2 weeks we will know, either I get my period or I don't. If i don't I go to clinic for a blood pregnancy test. If I do, I will start another round of Follistim. I hope god was just challenging us for this last year and is done! Please pray a lot in the next 2 days and following 2 weeks. Prayer brings miracles and a miracle is what we need! Thank you!

Oh....my estradiol level today was 481!!

Love, Kristen & Eli

Ultrasound #5

Today there was good news!! I have one follicle that is almost mature enough for ovulation! It measured about 17mm, almost to 20mm! My Estradiol level today was 310 so that made a big jump. I was reading on the Internet and it said that for every mature follicle your Estradiol level should be 200. So I may have another one growing they didn't see. I asked the nurse why I would only have one and if it would decrease my chances of pregnancy. She said every one's body responds different and you only need one egg for a baby. Women who ovulate on their own each month only produce one egg, so its equivalent to a normal ovulation cycle. Dr. Kopher would like to see me tomorrow for hopefully the last ultrasound. Most likely I will be ready tomorrow to take my trigger shot and do insemination Friday night and Saturday morning. Please keep praying, god has to know how much we want this to work! Thank you!

Love, Kristen & Eli

Ultrasound #4

Ultrasound and blood work number 4 was today. I left the clinic today feeling very frustrated and cried all the way home. I was just feeling like things are taking so long and not going anywhere. I was reassured by my mom and Eli to stay positive, so I am but its hard. Today there was just 1 follicle growing and it was about the same size as it was on Saturday. When Dr. Kopher's nurse called she said things were going well but just taking awhile. Dr. Kopher wants to keep me on the same dose and would like to see me again on Wednesday. Eli had to pick up another dose of medication from clinic today. Its getting super expensive, as the medication is about $75.00 for just 3 days. I hope we are done soon! She said that I would more than likely be ready by this weekend for ovulation. My estrogen level also made a huge jump and today it was 213!! So that is what put me back on my feet to stay positive. I will update Wednesday after the nurse calls. Please keep praying for us!

Love, Kristen & Eli

Ultrasound #3

Today I went to the clinic for my third ultrasound and blood work. I feel like I live at the clinic! I actually saw Dr. Kopher today, usually I see an ultrasound tech, so it was nice to see him. There were two eggs today that were measurable. You can't measure the follicles until they are greater than a cm and for maturity they need to be greater than 18 cm. The two that I have today measured about 1.1 and 1.2. I asked him about the length of time and he said they are slower to get to 1cm but after that they grow very quickly! He is expecting them to mature this week. He wants to see me back for my fourth ultrasound on Monday. My estrogen level today was 118, so it too is slowly increasing! I did ask Dr. Kopher about my chances and how likely it is that this works for those with PCOS and he responded with "this will work". I am leaving this in gods hands, with Dr. Kopher's expertise, and waiting for that miracle we have been wanting so bad.
I will update on Monday after ultrasound #4!!
Happy Valentine's Day!

Love, Kristen & Eli

Ultrasound #2

Thursday I had my second ultrasound and blood work. There was a slight change, multiple follicles that were still very small. The ultrasound tech said they don't start measuring the follicles until they are over a centimeter. On Monday my estrogen level (blood work) was 84 and on Thursday it was 107. So I guess that is a good thing! They would like to see me again for another ultrasound and blood work on Saturday Feb 14th. I will update after I find anything out. I hope this is working. I was a little nervous and the nurse could tell and she reassured me that everything was right on track so far. She said I just haven't "taken off" yet and I will. Hopefully it comes soon! Keep praying for us!! Thank you!

Love, Kristen & Eli

Ultrasound #1

I had my first ultrasound and blood work done on Monday. The ultrasound only showed multiple follicles that were still small and immature. The nurse from Dr. Kopher's office called and said I could skip a few days from coming in and to come on Thursday morning for my second ultrasound and blood work. I wasn't too discouraged because when I started the injections the nurse said don't expect change if any on the first ultrasound. I am excited to see what change Thursday brings. The injections have been going great. In fact I have less side effects then I had with Clomid. I get nauseated about two hours after the injection and sometimes have bad cramping but that's about it. I was instructed not to do any physical activity where I could fall or where my ovaries could be "bouncing" a lot. So I have been just walking on the treadmill instead of my usual elliptical workout. It was also disappointing not to be able to go with Eli and Jordan snowboarding on Sunday :( Oh well this will all be worth it, I just know it!
Funny thing happened today when I was doing my daily injection Jordan was in the room and he said "What exactly is that for anyway?". I explained to him that instead of taking the pills to help me get pregnant I was doing the shots. He then replied and said "Are you injecting sperm?"!!! It was so funny. I couldn't believe he said that!! The things that come out of his mouth amaze me everyday!

I will update on Thursday after the nurse calls with the results. Please continue to pray for good things! Thank you!

Love, Kristen & Eli

Shot Class

Yesterday Eli and I went to our shot class. Where we learned how to use the Follistim Pen (picture above) to do the injections. It was actually easier then I thought, its just a subcutaneous shot not an IM shot. I just give myself 100units of the medication a day in my abdomen. The nurse said she doesn't know how long I will have to do the injections it all depends on my body. My first ultrasound and blood work is on Monday at 8:00AM. She said most likely my body will not be ready and may not have any eggs, but they just want to get an idea on how fast my body is reacting and to make sure I'm not negatively reacting to the drug. Monday Dr. Kopher will review my ultrasound and my blood work and let me know if I should increase my dose, decrease my dose, keep it the same and when I should come back for another ultrasound and blood work. The nurse said to expect at least 6 ultrasounds and blood work during the course of one treatment! That clinic will become my home away form home! We ended up having to pay for the medication yesterday, which we weren't expecting. Insurance did cover about $900.00 and we paid about $300.00 out of pocket. It was amazing how quick I was to give the pharmacist my credit card without even thinking twice. I would do anything and pay anything for a miracle!
I am really hopeful that this will work, at least to make me ovulate. It just has to I don't know how much more disappointment I could take. Everyday I pray and I am leaving it up to god. He has to know how wonderful parents we are and how much we want a baby. Work is getting harder because there is about 9 nurse who are pregnant. There isn't a night that goes by without talking about some one's "pregnancy". Still, I love my job and love working with laboring moms and nothing will make me lose my passion for it.
I will update on Monday after I hear from Dr. Kopher. Please pray for us, as I know prayer can do miracles.


Love,
Kristen & Eli

Update

I finally got my period after taking 10 days of progesterone. I was then instructed to start on birth control until today Monday Feb. 2. They said it was to put my body "on hold" so that I didn't ovulate on my own. They will control everything with the injections. I also had a baseline ultrasound this morning. They looked to make sure I didn't have any follicles on my ovaries so I would be able to start the injections. Everything looked fine so we are good to go this Thursday to our shot class where I will take my first injection. The ultrasound tech said that sometimes it can take 1 week and a woman's body is ready to ovulate where others it could take up to two weeks. The treatment time will depend on how fast my body reacts to the injections. I have learned that the main injection I will be taking daily is Follistim. I am a little nervous but ready to start. I think I am most nervous about Ovarian Hyperstimulation. This can happen especially to those with PCOS whose ovaries are already enlarged. The ovaries can become even larger and cause multiple problems and lead to hospitalization.

I recently have started reading a book called "Multiple Blessings". It is about Jon and Kate plus 8, for those of you who know about them. I am half way through and can't believe how alike my life is to Kate's. Before she had her children she was a labor and delivery nurse, like me! She was shortly diagnosed with PCOS after her marriage to Jon, at the time Jon was 24, Kate was 28 ( I am 24, Eli is 28). I was very surprised when I read that Kate also did the injections that I am starting this week and that is how her and Jon had their first set of twins and then the sextuplets! I thought for sure she had done invitro, but she just did the injections. I couldn't believe it. I know it seems weird but I feel like God wanted me to read her story to give me a positive attitude about this month. I have very good feelings about this month and multiple people have also said this to me.

I am inspired by Kate and how she dealt with the pain and disappointment throughout her diagnosis and first disappointment of the injections not working (they worked both on the second month!). God was a very important part of her life as she was going through everything. In her book she quotes many verses from the bible. One of my favorites is Psalm 139:16, which says that "all of our days are fashioned for us before we've even lived one of them". I truly believe this and know in my heart god has a plan for Eli and I and knows when, where, and how our baby will come. Its so hard to give up on god when I see so many undeserving people at work have babies and I am having such trouble. Here are so more quotes that I have fallen to love:
"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart" Psalm 37:4.
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight" Proverbs 3:5-6.
I definitely have found another way to deal with everything and have looked up to god even more as the days go by.

My sister gave me the best advice this weekend, she said that I just need to take everything and hand it to god. Take my nervousness, disappointment, hurt, pain, all feelings and "problems" and hand them to god. Let him deal with everything. I love her for giving me that advice and I am trying to do it. My sister is a good support person for me, as I feel we have gotten closer over last couple months.

Please continue to pray for Eli and I as we start the injections on Thursday. I will update you as soon as things start getting going. I believe my first of many ultrasounds and blood work is scheduled a week from today.
Thank you.

Love, Kristen & Eli