Meds are being shipped!

It is all starting to feel real again. Aetna called this afternoon to say that all of my authorizations have been finalized, and they are ready to ship my meds. They will all be arriving tomorrow. Now we can enjoy our trip to FL without anything hanging over our heads. Once we are back...the crazy ride begins! Well, at least another part of it.

The Official M & M IVF Season Begins!

Well, we are finally here again. Time to start up the maniacal IVF process. It all begins today. Here is a timeline / overview of how things will go:

• Monday, October 27: begin taking BCPs
  
• Monday, November 10: appt. at SJFC for u/s. begin lupron shots once a day. bring all meds to appt. for instructions and shot demonstrations. (waiting on Aetna to call this week to finalize med order and have them delivered prior to this appt. but not during our trip to FL...fun!)
  
• Saturday, November 15: last BCP taken
  
• Friday, November 21: u/s and b/w appt. first "monitoring" appt. start stims shots this evening, and continue with lupron shots.
  
• Monday, November 24: beginning this day, monitoring appts. will be every to every other day to see how follicle growth and hormone levels are progressing.
  
• Monday, December 1: ER (egg retrieval done under a light sedation / anesthesia) will be during this week. the date of ER is dependent upong monitoring and follicle progress. male partner provides "sample" at this time to be used for fertilization. crinone gel use is started for female partner the day after ER and is used to supplement progesterone production to help sustain a pregnancy IF one occurs.
  
• Monday, December 8: ET (embryo transfer after fertilization and embryo development occurs) will be done around this time. it will occur 3, 4, or 5 days after ER (dependent upon how many eggs fertilize and how the embryos are progressing). ET is followed by 2 days of bedrest to help increase chances of implantation (sorry, but it is for the female partner only!)
  
• 7 days after ER b/w is done to check progesterone levels (must be adequate to sustain a pg IF one occurs)
  
• 14 days after ER b/w is done to check beta / HCG levels (official test for pregnancy)
  

Thanks to everyone for your support and encouragement during this process! We appreciate it, as always!

Hoops and Hurdles

CD one has finally arrived! I need to call the IVF Nurse Coordinator at SJFC tomorrow morning to get my BCP prescription called in. They will also inform me what day I need to start the pills. During the first half of next week I will be waiting for a call from Aetna specialty pharmacy. They will be finalizing the ordering of the rest of my meds for my IVF cycle and then shipping them out. That is where things stand for now!

On a completely random and unrelated note, but to save "post time", I am adding a link to some pictures from the early fall. We forgot to share the pics from our trip to OSU for the Buckeye football home opener!
Here you go: OSU photos

World Series 2008 - Game 3

Well, it wasn't rained out...although it came awfully close! We arrived at the park close to 7pm and waited in the car until there was a break in the torrential downpours. At our first "break" we ran for the park and headed for cover. We passed the rain time drinking Coors Light under cover with 45,000 of our "closeset friends". Finally by 10pm the rains had stopped and the festivities and game got under way. Can you say late start?!?! Oh well, it was worth the wait just to be a part of that fan crazy Philly environment. What a sports town! (I say that as both a good and bad thing, as Matt and I were actually "booed" earlier in the day at Costco just for wearing Ohio State clothing.) The rains never came back, and the full game was played. The Phillies started strong with a couple of homers early in the game. That lead did not hold, though, and the Rays came back to tie up the game 4 - 4. In the bottom of the ninth, luckily, the Phillies scored an ugly run that won them the game. Nobody ever said winning had to be pretty! So, the Phillies currently lead the series 2 - 1. Game 4 is tonight, and we will be watching that one from the comfort of our living room.

Here is a link to the rest of our photos from the game:
World Series 2008, Game 3

Another Hair Cut...

Well, one of these days I really will grow it back out again. I keep threatening that, anyway. I went in and had more cut off today, though. I am happy to report that the damage has mostly been cut out of my hair at this point. I really just needed to have it thinned out and have some shape put back into it so that I COULD actually grow it again. I think I am there...for now...maybe...

Hoops and Hurdles

Well, another hurdle has been cleared! We HAVE been approved through Aetna to do our IVF cycle at SJFC. What a relief! Now we just wait for SJFC to submit the paperwork to get authorization for the meds. Once that is done and authorized, SJFC can order the fertility meds through Aetna's own specialty pharmacy. So far, it looks like we are still on track to start the BCPs and lupron with my next cycle toward the end of the month.

Updated note: I spoke with the IVF Nurse Coordinator at SJFC. She said that I need to call them on CD1 of my next cycle, and they will call the prescription for the BCPs into a local pharmacy. It will be two weeks from that point in time to when I start the lupron, so during that two weeks they will coordinate with the Aetna specialty pharmacy to order the rest of my necessary meds and set up an estimated timeline. Aetna will then ship the lupron and all the stim meds for my IVF cycle directly to me. Simple enough, I guess. All I do now is wait for my CD1, which should be sometime around the 26th of October.

A Good Taste of the Blues - shared by Matt

I had a unique experience this week as I attended a private jam session performed by Buddy Guy, one of the greatest Blues legends of our time. Buddy was in Philly this week to record a live session for WXPN, a local radio station. I was invited by my friend Brian Cavalucci who works with Subaru's ad agency, Carmichael Lynch. There were less than 100 people invited to this event. Seats were right in front of the stage and Buddy came out and jammed for just over an hour. Of course, that description does not do it justice. Buddy doesn't just simply jam. His songs tell a story, and, between songs, he tells stories. He speaks of influencing Clapton and Hendrix and jamming with Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf..all legends in their own right. Buddy is a legend, and certainly of a different time, and I am honored to have met him.

The following is an excerpt from his website. Enjoy!

“He was for me what Elvis was probably like for other people… My course was set, and he was my pilot
- Eric Clapton

Any discussion of Buddy Guy invariably involves a recitation of his colossal musical resume and hard-earned accolades. He’s a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a chief guitar influence to rock titans like Hendrix, Clapton, Beck and Vaughan, a pioneer of Chicago’s fabled West Side sound, and a living link to that city’s halcyon days of electric blues.

Mystic Reunion 2008

A fabulous time was had by all at the latest reunion held in Mystic, CT. Although we "talk" to each other every day, it is still so great to spend time together in person. We went out to eat, played games at the hotel, went out to eat some more, hung out at the hotel, went out for dessert....well, you get the idea.

Here are some pictures from our weekend.

(front:Leslie, Karen, Betsy, Marie, Michele, and Adrienne / back: Megan and Allie)

(PJ party)

(Catchphrase is fun!)

(back: Marie, Allie, Betsy, Karen, and Megan / front: Michele)

Hoops and Hurdles

Matt and I had our blood drawn on Monday. Results were all "normal" and good.

I had my trial transfer (uterine measurement), pelvic cutlures, and my sonohysterogram (SHG) today. I won't get results of the cultures for a week or so, but I can only assume that will be normal. If it comes back that I have a STD...Matt would have some explaining to do! The rest of the tests were normal, normal, normal. No fibroids in my uterus. No scarring of the uterine lining. Nothing abnormal in uterusland at all.

As long as all the insurance stuff gets submitted and approved, we are on track to do the BCPs and lupron with my next cycle in late October. After that, we would be doing the IVF cycle itself in late November / early December.