GOAL REACHED!!!

Well....did we make our goal of $13,000?  YES WE DID!!  So many wonderful and generous people have opened their hearts to help us reach this big goal. Thank you so much!! It's been amazing to feel so much love coming in so many ways and from so many different directions. We truly are blessed to be part of such great families and have wonderful friends. Again, we are very humbled and grateful. Several donations came in through the blog and it was fun to watch the thermometer grow. Several other donations came through the mail or were handed to us personally.  Now, thanks to such giving hearts, we have the ability to pay for this adventure in full. It's unfortunate that such things are expensive, but it's the option we must try in order to hopefully bring a baby to our family. 

Jerry and I have been given the opportunity to participate in a 'shared risk' program offered through the clinic. The physicians assess a couple's risk VS chances of conceiving. Then, a little bit like the stock market, the risk is shared by the physicians and the couple in a hopeful balance between an increased financial responsibility and an increased guarantee of pregnancy. This program is more costly, beyond the original $13,000. However, it allows us multiple trials, if the first is unsuccessful, and a greater guarantee of having a live birth.  We've chosen to participate in this program and with the generous assistance of one of Jerry’s close friends; we will be able to pay for the added costs required. Hopefully the 'risk' will be in our favor!

I start the first injection medication in one week, and within the week we will be signing all the legal documents required to participate in IVF. There are medical consents, financial consents, documents regarding what to do with your embryos, and on and on. They must be witnessed signatures so Jerry and I will make a trip to the U to do this. This has been a more relaxed week or two and I've not had to see the doctor recently. That will change next week and it will become more involved. I do talk with the program manager, the nurses, and the pharmacist about once a week each. So far things have been pretty manageable. When I really sit and think about what we are about to do, and how our lives might change, I think we must be crazy! But, we know this is the right thing to do, whatever the outcome, and are still excited for the adventure!

Thank you again to each person and family who has sacrificed on our behalf to help us along this journey! In a literal way, you are part of the medical miracle we hope will bring new life to this earth. You've blessed our family already with your love and generosity, and we are forever grateful to you.

Miracle Donations

The Widow's Mite

I picked up an anonymous donation today at the post office. No name, return address, or even hand-written words were included, but such a sweet note and generous donation to our cause. I assume it’s from family or friends. I’m wishing I could personally thank this person(s), but know that was not the purpose of such a gift. I’m learning more and more how symbolic these gestures are and that love is a powerful motivator. So frequently I am amazed by the generosity and love people have in their hearts. The story of the Widow’s Mite carries a new and personal meaning now. From sweet missionary cousins offering to give money from their bank accounts or selling items in their room, to family members who are currently experiencing many health/medical issues of their own…I can’t begin to describe the amazing gestures we’ve seen.  I knew we had a lot of love surrounding us, but our ‘cup runneth over.’  

Brooklyn and I went to see the movie “17 Miracles” today. While I will never put myself in the same category as those faithful pioneers, I related to their vision and yearning for something more. They knew they had righteous desires and that the Lord would bless them. Some paid the ultimate price and never saw their dreams fulfilled. Others suffered much sorrow and loss. Others made it to Zion and lived long, happy lives. They really didn’t know what was ahead of them when they started out, but they trusted that there was a purpose and plan for them…and miracles came. I kind of feel like we don’t really know what’s ahead for us. We know what we want and are willing to do what’s needed, but we don’t know what will happen. However, we have already experienced miracles and have seen the tender mercies of the Lord evident in our lives in many ways. Each day I’m grateful for those who have sacrificed on our behalf and are joining this journey with us; not knowing what the outcome will be, but trusting that there is a purpose, a plan and much to learn. 

Doctor Visits and Medication Info!

Warning, some medical terminology!

Let me just first start off saying this…at times, I feel like this is a full time babysitting job. As a nurse, I should say that all medical personnel are smart, wonderful, and perfect, but it isn’t true. Most of us try our best, and for the most part I am pleased with the way things are going. As a patient though, I’m learning to be in charge of my own care…nurses hate patients like me   So, between keeping track of the laboratory, the physicians’ orders, the nurses plans, the scheduling department, the insurance company, the pharmacy, and my own family’s calendar…it’s a full-time job some days! I’m not complaining….just appreciating the fact that I’m a little OCD and like to keep every one in line. The nurses create a color-coded calendar for each patient to follow for the process until they do a pregnancy test (for me that will be mid-November). Let’s just say there’s about 15 different colors telling me when to take certain meds, when to stop one and start another, when to have a test, and when to have my blood drawn, etc. It’s a good thing I have a calendar!

Almost two weeks ago I went in for my first blood draw and ultrasound. The insurance will pay for some of the blood work if I go to a LabCorp draw station instead of having it drawn at the hospital. It’s a pain, but I want to let them pay for what they will. The Dr had a list of 8 labs to run; several hormone levels, a Rubella and a Cystic Fibrosis screening. Then I headed to the U for the ultrasound. I was five minutes early, paid my fee, waited about three minutes, and the nurse took me back to the room. Shortest wait time ever! There are three physicians at the clinic. My primary physician is Dr Peterson. There is also Dr Johnstone and Dr Hammoud. I met with Dr Erika Johnstone and she was lovely…short, petite, and friendly. She had a medical student with her who looked terrified to be there.  The ultrasound was quick, showed happy ovaries, that I was ready to begin the meds that day. That night I started the birth control pills and will take them through the first of October. Birth control seems a little backwards, but the purpose is to keep the hormones regulated for a while so science can do its thing. Basically the combination of InVitro meds is used to suppress the natural hormones and override them with additional hormones in order to produce the best quality of eggs at the right time and give the little embryos they create the best chance at survival. It’s a complicated process…hence the calendar  

Five days later, I went back for another ultrasound and ‘trial transfer.’ This time Jerry was able to be with me. We again waited only a few minutes before being placed in a room. So far I’ve been impressed with their timing! We met Dr Hammoud and he too was pleasant and seemed very competent. He appears to be from India or some middle-eastern country.  The three physicians work on a rotation basis and meet weekly to discuss the progress of each patient. So, although I have a primary physician, each will play a role in my care through out the process. The trial transfer is done to locate the exact place they wish to place the embryos after they’ve grown in the Petri dish for a few days. That won’t happen ‘till the end of October, but they want to have exact measurements and a plan. The ultrasound was a sonohystogram and is used to map the shape, size, and quality of the uterus to be sure it can support a baby. Apparently they thought it would be uncomfortable and gave me an 800mg dose of Ibuprofen right before, but in the end it was no big deal. Once again, things were healthy and fine…the story of our lives. We are so “normal” that we can’t have a baby…don’t get it. Anyway, we were in and out in 45 minutes. Jerry and I then enjoyed a nice breakfast in SLC together! 

This past week I received my first injectable medications in the mail. If I get my meds from the University Hospital, I get a 10% discount…impressive…and they will also be able to send them to me in the mail if I can’t pick them up. I’ve been impressed with the pharmacy so far. The first injections are a medication called Lupron and I start it on September 25^th.  So, a few more days of just pill popping, then I start the 6 weeks of pills/shots.  I feel like a druggie just thinking about it.  I’ve warned everyone…if I become really grouchy in the next little while, it’s just the meds!