on the 13th week

hello!!! im thankful to all of you who have been supportive thru my TTC days.  and so far everything is ok.

here are some updates since my last post:
another 2-week wait for the fetal heartbeat after the 2-week wait for PT.  during this time, i realized morning sickness was not limited to mornings. i throw up everything i eat plus, as my husband put it, i have gained wolverine's sense of smell. i vomit if something smells which includes the smell of cooked beef, garlic, onions, smelly men.  it was awful; im always fearful of nausea since the following day i am to expect AF. P kept on reminding me its because im pregnant.

feb 24 - our tvs schedule
fetal heartbeat is 120bpm, hurrah! but then the sonologist found SCH, subchorionic hemmorhage on the inferior pole.  my ob-re put me in progesterone vaginal cream and duvadillan.  i was put to bed rest as well and was told that i was to limit getting on my feet except during eating and bathroom breaks. another 2 weeks of waiting to check the viability of the pregnancy. i tell you, its scary knowing that we're almost there but not quite yet.

march 10 - good news
SCH is gone and our baby is doing fine with 168bpm. my ob-re said i should continue folic acid and then gave  me a free sample of enfamama drink. if i dont like the taste, i dont have to force myself, she said. good thing because i hated it.  i had an episode of exorcist-like vomitting after drinking it.  house arrest was uplifted but she also prescribed duvadillan and duphaston in case of emergency.  duvadillan is for uterine cramping, duphaston for spotting.

march 20 - mild cramps
since i went back to work, i began experiencing menstrual-like cramps.  the travel to and from the office was unbearable. i had to bring plastic bag coz i feel nauseated. i took duvadillan once this evening since the cramping did not stop after 30-minute rest. we were both agitated. good thing i had a scheduled 8-day leave coming up.

march 30 - work from home
after my vacation leave, i felt so much better. thats when P and i had the talk regarding work. this pregnancy is too important for us, so much more than my career.  i called my manager this day and requested to work from home for at least two months.  if not, i'd like to take a leave of absence. in the back of my mind, i thought i can even take an early retirement if they dont approve my request.  we were both glad that the company is every supportive and they allowed me to work from home.

april 1 - P went to SG
in an effort to earn additional income, P accepted a project in SG for a month.  this will be the longest time we spent apart since we hooked up year 1999.  but P was decided on saving up his per diem for the baby.  im currently staying at P's family house until P gets back. my in-laws are the best!  im being spoiled rotten here.

april 6 - cramps are back
come morning i felt pinching on my lower abdomen. i rested but it was still there. FIL wanted to bring me to ER.  they thought its because of our visita iglesia. i opted to send an sms to my ob-re. she replied back after a couple of minutes saying i should take duvadillan for 2 days.  i should see here asap if it continues. luckily, it didnt and i was scheduled for my doppler scan on apr 14.

apr 14 - first time we heard the heartbeat
i graduated from tvs!!! today is my appointment with my ob. i raised my concerns, headaches/migraines- can take paracetamol, gassy and bloated - avoid soda, iced tea, veggies with seeds including nuts. then she told me she would like to hear the baby's heartbeat via doppler. since P is not around, ob suggested i record it. P was decided on saving up his per diem for the baby. i felt nervous at first but when i heard the heartbeat for the first time, i feel elated. P was decided on saving up his per diem for the baby.

i will continue taking folic acid for the next 16 days and then change my vitamin set to clusivol ob, iron, vit. c and something i forgot. i just wish P was here but SIL was with me as proxy, hahaha. we even bought new set of bras since i needed bigger size. yes! instant boob job! my weight is the same though.

next sched will be pelvic ultrasound after 4 weeks. or whenever P is back. apparently, he was requested at jakarta after sg. i miss him so much but we're both happy that everything is great!

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.1

4th IUI attempt

jan 11 - my first day of cycle started. my ob-re prescribed me with fertyl 100mg from day 3-7 and 75iu puregon shot from day 3-6.

jan 20 - day 10, follicle monitoring result showed that the dominant follicle is less than 1.8cm. my ob-re gave me menagon shots and scheduled iui the next day and contact tonight.

jan 21 - SA result showed 1% morphology, we were saddened although ob-re says its fine. got my shot of hcg trigger after my iui procedure.

feb 3 - bought 2 cheap PT kits just for kicks. i wasnt feeling any early pregnancy symptoms.

feb 6 - bbt went a bit lower and lost hope. i decided i might as well use the PT since the next time around, we'll be trying ivf. was surprised to see a faint line. hubby dismissed my claim. had to ask a friend for her opinion, she said itlooks like a positive result.

feb 7 - hubby demanded for me to use another PT to see if there's still a faint line. it was still there. he drive all the way to CRM that morning so i could have a beta-hcg. we wanted to be sure before we report it to our ob-re. beta-hcg results: 293!!!! my first positive PT ever!

feb 9 - as advised by my doctor, i took another beta-hcg. it was at 998. everything looks ok so far, she said. now we have to wait until my 6th week for the fetal heartbeat.

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.1

laparoscopy

i had mine done at st lukes global city last dec 17. i checked in the day before.

the first thing they did was to let me drink some meds to clean my intestines. btw, no solid foods since i woke up. they had on iv since i was not allowed liquids around noon. at first it was comforting as i was constipated. but after three doses of the meds and numerous trips to the bathroom, i felt raw. that experience beats any diarrhea memories i ever had. the butt was aching but i did feel lighter.

come morning, they prep me up for the procedure. my ob-re was there and we prayed together for a successful outcome. i also had a surgeon-gastroenterologist inside the OR since my TVS showed something which is related to my intestines. i was given anesthesia and was out in just a few seconds. i woke up after 4hours in the recover room, waited for an hour until i was able to lift my feet. then i was sent back to my room.

the nurses waited for me to pass gas and to urinate. the first pee was painful but afterwards the pain was gone. i passed gas after dinner and everything seems to be ok. my surgeon met with me and said that he had my intestines were stuck together. he fixed it and from his side everything was great. my ob-re then met with me and she said that they performed adhesiolysis. there were adhesions mostly on my left tube and bowels. the left tube was dilated and she also performed fimbriolysis. she was happy about the results and how well i was recovering. the next day, i was allowed to leave the hospital and was advised to have a 2-week bedrest.

the scars were not as horrible as i thought they would be. my good ob-re was able to hide the stiches in my navel so i only got 2 visible ones. my pain threshold is on the high side so i dont mind any of the twinges.

so my ob-re and i planned our next strategy. she wanted us to try naturally once i get my period. i, on the other hand suggested another iui. she agreed since i wanted a higher probability of getting pregnant.

we didn't get our hopes up this time. but my hubby and i decided we need a break from all of this. just one last iui shot and then we'll take a vacation. we thought we need to take a breather, replenish our savings and scgedule ivf by november 2012.

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.1

6 month worth of update - part 2

when we decided for ivf @ penang, we were positive that we're going to get pregnant. so we decided to look for an ob-re who is affiliated with our health card. the idea is that she would take care of us after ivf.

on the day of our penang flight, we met with dra jing @ st lukes global city. to our suprise, she's also part of the carmi team. a new ART department who will be opening by october. she suggested we try iui first.

when we find out that we cant go thru with ivf this year. we went back to her last september and had iui and failed. we tried 2 more attempts on iui and still failed. it was sooooo painful... not the treatments nor the financial impact but the negative PTs.

dra was very patient with us all through out. she recommends laparoscopy. i've gone thru a lot this year and yet if that would be a way to get pregnant, sign me up. and she did.

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.1

6 months worth of update - part 1

im sure you noticed my hiatus for the past 6 months. we continued trying but unfortunately we failed to achieve our goal - that is a 2011 baby.

around august we went to penang and met the well-known doctor from lam wah ee. he took my pap smear test and tvu. he said everything is normal but i have smaller egg reserve. that would mean we have to hurry and have a baby now as im losing not only the quantity of eggs but their quality as well. as for P, for the first time he passed his sperm analysis. his tests showed a 5% morphology stats and he was declared fit for baby making. you should see him and how much he wanted to framed the results.

so we decided that its a go for ivf. i already booked for an october flight. but when we got back, i wasn't allowed to take a leave of absebce for 1 month. one of our colleague left the company and there's no one to cover for me. oh well. so we talked and decided to wait for next year once we hire more people.

but we can't wait and do nothing. so we decided to look for a new ob-re and try our very first iui.

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.1

Cycle 6 Day Day 18: Decided on Acupuncture

an online friend recommended that i try acupuncture.  honestly, i've considered it a few months back but i didn't know how painful it was.  after 2 cycles of injectable stimulants,  i found out that i just might be able to do it.

so i called centro maginhawa in quezon city and scheduled an appointment.  tomorrow i will tell you about my experience.  i'm also urging P to try it but when he saw where the acupuncture points for men... let's just say, he's still undecided. hahaha. he's not that fond of needles.  when we had our blood typing test, he was all white. so let's see how he'll fare tomorrow.

Cycle 6 Day 16: IVF Long Protocol

i met someone from FemaleNetwork who is planning to have her IVF treatment in penang. got her details and have been chatting with her since we're both having IVF in Lam Wah EE. her initial assessment is scheduled this month. im as excited as she was.

our questions are almost similar. IVF long protocol was recommended to us by HLWE's IVF consultant. unfortunately, we don't have any idea about it. what the consultant told me that it would take two cycles. on the first cycle, i will be on buserelin. it's probably similar to lupron (anyone reading this who knows, do correct me). the medication will help to have a more controlled cycle. on the second cycle, you will take a blood test, the results of which will determine if the ivf procedure will push through. if it does, then the correct amount of gonadotropin will have to be taken until follicles mature. once the follicles are mature, HcG shot will be given. egg retrieval (ER) will depend on the day the follicles will mature. egg transfer (ET) will happen 3-5 days after ER. Then the 2ww begins.

here are the links that might be helpful for those making their ivf schedule. its helpful if you have a regular cycle. you can just adjust plus/minus a week from the dates for allowance.

Ovulation Calendar

Sample IVF Calendar for Long procedure

Compute your IVF Schedule