Hi & 30 Day Book Challenge, Day 1

Well, not only do I suck at staying pregnant, I also suck at blogging :(

You can see the results of FET#2 to your right but short version is I m/c again. It sucked. I can't even begin to write about all the emotions and hell the weeks after were. I am so tired of losing babies.

Anyway, we'll be doing a fresh cycle soon and adding CGH testing to the mix. Below is my notes from my WTF with RE and RPL.

RE WTF

So we're doing long lupron with CGH testing on day 5, we will transfer 2 of the blasts that are biopsied (the rest will be frozen) so I don't waste a cycle (this makes me feel better in my head). We are biopsying the 2 we transfer because if I m/c again and the blasts are genetically normal we definitely know something else is going on. We will be transferring 2 middle of road embies since we've always transferred perfect expanded blasts and always m/c. This way we'll see if my perfect on paper blasts really are perfect.

So my questions

1. CGH - patients 75% of time get pregnant when viable blasts are transferred

have any done CGH and still m/c? it has happened but only to a couple of patients who had other issues that needed to be addressed

typically what is percentage of abnormal vs. normal? usually out of 10 blasts 3 or 4 are normals. some have more and some have none.

is everything that gets to blast stage tested regardless of quality? typically they only test grade 1 or 2 but will instruct his lab to test everything of mine that gets to expanded blast stage

how long does it take for results to come in? a couple of weeks

Day 3 biopsy vs. Day 5 biopsy - he's been debating the benefits of each with the diff labs he uses and got some very pretty strong data from the lab that will be doing my blasts of benefits of day 5 over day 3. i was never comfortable with day 3 so I'm glad were doing day 5.

2. how many eggs are we shooting for? between 10-20 but thinks we'll get anywhere from 13-15 mature

3. are we going to add blood thinners back to protocol? my RE feels 51% no lovenox but if RPL dr. has compelling argument will defer to him.

Changes we're making

taking prednisone instead of dexamethasone

add 3mg of melatonin before bed and 500mg of inostitol 3x day with meals - he's read a couple studies that show they help improve outcomes of IVF. i also will continue w/ r/x folic acid, royal jelly, coQ-10, b-12, wheat grass, metformin, probiotic and PNV.

i will be stimming with 150 gonal F and 75 menopur. if my AFC is lower than previous cycle he may up stims slightly.

that's it basically. he has been threatened by my nurses (i have 3 that really have my back), that if i don't get pregnant and stay that way they will beat him up :) and i expressed to him how much pressure i'm feeling for this to work. i have 1 more fresh and 1 more frozen left and then it's end of road and he told me money won't be the reason i'm done trying, he will do whatever he can to work with us and we will hit end of road when we're ready but not because of $ <3 him

RPL Dr. WTF
1. Do you think m/c are caused by abnormal embryos? 60% of m/c are caused by abnormal embryos, can't say that he thinks my loses are caused by ab embryos

2. Are we going to add blood thinners back to protocol? Yes, studies show it can aid with implantation and I have factor II. 40 mg starting with stims and weekly b/w to make sure dosage is right. Should I start taking fish oil again? no

3. Should I add any additional supplements to what I am already taking? no, he thinks changes RE made are good

4. When we last spoke you mentioned something about HLA testing and adding neupogen to my protocol. I want to go over this again.

When do you normally add this to protocol? at stims
How does it work? suppresses immune system in diff way than intralipids and steriods
What is the dosage and what type of injection is it (subq or IM)? sub q
Out of pocket cost? about $4000

We discussed this and will not be adding to our fresh cycle. We are sticking with plan I came up with RE and will add lovenox 40mg and will check the anti XA levels weekly. If we get a failure with normal genteics RPL Dr. will consider other treatments.

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DH and I went on our cruise and when we went into our room were greeted with the sweetest and most generous surprise from some of my IF board cuties.

Thanks again cuties
smilee
echloe
edwina.mcdunnough
vanessagorc
babystinkbreath
koyn
*nestingaway*
sourpop
montymrs
genrn45
m&mbride0506

We had a lot of fun, we snorkeled with sting rays and sea turtles :)
We're trying to see if we can fit another vacation in with a cycle at end of summer.

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In an effort to be better at blogging I am doing this 30 Day Book Challenge

I saw babystinkbreath doing this on FB and decided to do it too.

So the days are as follows
Day 01 – Best book you read last year
Day 02 – A book that you’ve read more than 3 times
Day 03 – Your favorite series
Day 04 – Favorite book of your favorite series
Day 05 – A book that makes you happy
Day 06 – A book that makes you sad
Day 07 – Most underrated book
Day 08 – Most overrated book
Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 – Favorite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favorite writer
Day 14 – Favorite book of your favorite writer
Day 15 – Favorite male character
Day 16 – Favorite female character
Day 17 – Favorite quote from your favorite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favorite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favorite romance book
Day 21 – Favorite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favorite book you own
Day 23 – A book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favorite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favorite book of all time

I will make every effort to do this every day and actually write on my blog :)

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Day 01 – Best book you read last year

I was going to answer The Help by Kathryn Stockett but I read that in 2009 :) Anyway, after referring to my trusty book list from 2010 I'm going with

Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

This is the description from the book jacket

Meet the Roncalli and Angelini families, a vibrant cast of colorful characters who navigate tricky family dynamics with hilarity and brio, from magical Manhattan to the picturesque hills of bella Italia. Very Valentine is the first novel in a trilogy and is sure to be the new favorite of Trigiani’s millions of fans around the world.

In this luscious, contemporary family saga, the Angelini Shoe Company, makers of exquisite wedding shoes since 1903, is one of the last family-owned businesses in Greenwich Village. The company is on the verge of financial collapse. It falls to thirty-three-year old Valentine Roncalli, the talented and determined apprentice to her grandmother, the master artisan Teodora Angelini, to bring the family’s old-world craftsmanship into the twenty-first century and save the company from ruin.

While juggling a budding romance with dashing chef Roman Falconi, her duty to her family, and a design challenge presented by a prestigious department store, Valentine returns to Italy with her grandmother to learn new techniques and seek one-of-a-kind materials for building a pair of glorious shoes to beat their rivals. There, in Tuscany, Naples, and on the Isle of Capri, a family secret is revealed as Valentine discovers her artistic voice and much more, turning her life and the family business upside down in ways she never expected. Very Valentine is a sumptuous treat, a journey of dreams fulfilled, a celebration of love and loss filled with Trigiani’s trademark heart and humor.

I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me so much of my family dynamics and big family dinners. It is well-written and I love the descriptions of the amazing shoes and Capri :)