March 11th, Baseline Ultrasound...

Yesterday was my baseline ultrasound. I've been looking forward to that appointment for a long time now! It marked the official start of IVF for us. So exciting!!

My mom went to my appointment with me because Amanda's new job doesn't allow a bunch of days off right at the beginning. It was a beautiful, sun-shiny day. Perfect for a long drive. We even had the windows down part of the time :)

First was my ultrasound. They wanted to be sure my ovaries were "quiet" and that my uterine lining looked normal considering my period will start any minute. I had a couple little follicles in my ovaries already, but they were tiny and of no concern. She was pleased with the way everything looked.

Second was a blood test. They wanted to check all of the important hormones to be sure everything is at a normal level before we start injecting meds and forcing hormones to do things. She told me that she would get the results back yesterday afternoon and she would only call me if something was a problem. She would only call if I need to change something in my IVF protocol. As of 5:30am this morning, she hasn't called :) I guess there is a possibility of her calling today, but we'll cross our fingers that she won't need to.

Third, I was given a medication review. The nurse went over what meds exactly, need to be given when exactly, how exactly, and where exactly. She provided me with a few tools to make things easier. And if I didn't receive a phone call about my blood tests, I am to start my medications tomorrow, Thursday.

Fourth, I had to sign consent forms. You know this is serious stuff when consent forms are involved!  I had to sign forms giving my doctor permission to inject my eggs with sperm, to use donor sperm, to transfer 2 embryos, to freeze any remaining embryos, and anything else that was largely important to sign. A couple things had to be signed now, because once I'm drugged up, getting ready for my retrieval, I can no longer sign for things.

Lastly, I had to pay. I had a combination of a cashiers check and cash. When all was said and done, yesterday I paid:
$10,550 for the procedures
$1600 for all of my labs, ultrasounds and doctor visits
$500 for the first year of "rent" as we plan to freeze some embryos

$12,650. My biggest purchase ever. I still have a hard time with this number. Spending so much on something that isn't a guarantee. On something I desperately want, that isn't a guarantee. It's tough but let's pray it's worth it.

So the next big step is Thursday when I have to start my medications. More on that later!

While we were waiting we played baseball with the family, were entertained by a D and D game via Skype, and supported a family member in a major decision.