14th day of Suprefact (Updated Again)

Just a short entry. Tomorrow will be my 14th day of injecting Suprefact. So far so good. Except for the fact that I am ridiculously tired in the afternoon, I am symptom free. I will be having my next appointment tomorrow at 8am. I will be having my baseline check as well as my E2 blood test check. I hope everything goes well and I can proceed with the next step of my journey. I will update again once I come back from my appointment tomorrow.

Update:
Just got back from my baseline and E2 bloodcheck. I am not sure what the Dr was talking about when she was doing the scan. Left 3, right 5. Huh??? What is 3 and what is 5? Never mind. I was there at the clinic at 8am, and we were out of there by 8.45am. Not too shabby. That was a very good service despite their being alot of couples there. Some were waiting for blood test, others were waiting for scanning and some are due for retrieval.

After the scan I was told by the nurse to go back first and they will call me later in the evening with my bloodtest result. I am to continue with the Suprefact injection till just before retrieval.

That is all for now. Will update my blood test result once I get the call and the next step in my journey.

Updated Again
I finally got the call while I was at my tuition assignment. The nurse who called me said that my lining and E2 level is sufficiently suppressed. N the Dr wants me to start the 2nd jab tomorrow. So yes... I am moving to the Stimulation Stage now. I am super excited and worried at the same time. So yes, I have been asked to go down to the clinic before 11am tomorrow to collect my second round of jabs. Future scans will be informed tomorrow.

Last shot!!!

Hooray, today was a good day after all. It didnt start off good at all. First my Monday time table stinks lah. No breather at all. Then came the students' attitude. Wah I truly feel like slapping him in the face. The attitude he shows is just ridiculous. N he calls himself a student. But after recess, after I have calm myself down with some prayers taught by my mum, he actually came to me along the corridor and apologise and promise to be a good boy. Strange but okay.

This was after i shed a tear during recess quietly at my desk. Well who else can I share my "problems" with. Here I have no close friends to go to. Neither do I trust anyone much. Well... Let's not dwell on the past. As I was talking to mama today, she mentioned we must learn to be appreciative of what we have. In this case, being here, I have more free time after school and thus I am able to leave as early as 3pm and can go proceed with my treatment without having to take time off or leave or MC. Just like today.

Went to school as per normal. Then mama came to fetch me at 3pm. We made our way to KK hospital. Took a while to find a parking lot. Then the queue at the pharmacy was a nightmare. Luckily we managed to get to the clinic by 4.15pm. Waited for a bit and got Nurse Catherine to do my final Lucrin shot before I start on my IVF journey once again. This is getting so exciting. I can't wait and I have been counting down. I have also conscientiously try to not bring work home during the weekdays and to spend a little more time for myself.

With this last shot of Lucrin, I seem to be having double the dosage of symptoms: Hot Flushes, High Temperature, Mood Swings, Bloatedness, lower abdomen cramping and many more little symptoms that I feel is too small to note.

Currently during my free time (whatever I am left with after my work) I am reading the last book of the Twilight Series - Breaking Dawn.


The book kind of consist 4 in 1 book. From Bella's point of view as well as Jacob. The book is so intriguing. I regret not reading it earlier but better late than never right?

I am also into another craze - Diner Dash. I thought I was the only one playing but according to hubby some of his friends had to give up using the computer coz their wife wanted to play Diner Dash on comp. Haha... N hubby said luckily I have my own comp. It is a fun game. SO many stages and it really puts your mind in alert mode.

Okaylah enough entry for today. I am going back to relaxing mode... Till my next entry!!!

So OUR journey continues...

But in a totally different direction. Mama, dad and sis accompanied me to the hospital today.

Thanks to Allah for my wonderful family.They have been my pillar of strength since I was young till now that I am a married woman. They have never failed to be a part of my life whether good or bad.

Not having hubby by my side was difficult but having mama there beside me throughout my 4 hours there was more than enough. I went for another vaginal scan. I guess I have made really good friends with that 'dildo' look a like thingy. Hehehe...

I arrived as early as 8.30am at KKH. Met Nurse Josephine at the registration counter and was registered as a walk in. WIth so many people outside, I am amazed that Dr Sadhana managed to squeeze me into her schedule. Was sent to another Clinic A for a scan. Did my usual business. This is becoming a routine already. After which was given the picture of my scan. Looking from my untrained eyes, I can even tell where the cysts are. looking at the scan I already know something needs to be done. They were huge. But being not medically trained, of course I had to wait till teh report was out.

Went back to se Dr Sadhana. Was told by Nurse Josephine that my report will only be out in 1 hours time. With a rumbling tummy, looked at dad and asked whether we could go out to have breakfast. Off we went... SO where did we go? Here...


Although not many of the stalls are open, we managed to get to a stall by the corner. The food is nice. I had noodle soup, dad had chicken porridge, sis had mee hongkong and mama ate rice with chap chye. To those of you not in the 2ww or doing any procedure at the moment, go ahead and try the top 10 dishes.

Okay back to my appointment. Went back to hospital at 11am. Waited a while. Met with Dr Sadhana. She pointed out the report to me. So here it goes...

I have 1 cyst on my left ovary measuring 58mm, 2 cysts on my right ovary measuring 54mm and 34mm. Darn!!!! They are huge. No wonder I have such painful periods. The cysts are not cancerous. Thank Allah for that. But my previous guess was wrong. I don't have the 3rd type of cysts. Mine is the endometrial cysts.

Dr Sadhana has scheduled a bilateral laparoscopy/cystectomy/hydrotubation (that is alot of surgery at one go for someone who is scared of needles but since she is opening me up might as well do all at one time.)on the 10th of December 2008. According to her as I came early, she won't have to remove my ovaries. Just remove the cysts. That's another blessing once again. However she did mention that with this kind of cysts, usually it will reduce the number of egss produced during the IVF procedure. My question is Will there still be egg? YES and that is all that matters.

So yes there you go. That's our journey for the time being. If you read the right hand side of my blog, you will notice that there is some changes in our journey. Our 1st IVF cycle for #1 will start in April 2009. With God's grace that is. Insya Allah.

My trip to the clinic...

This is going to be a long entry. An entry full of questions and perhaps graphic in nature. A little Too Much Information too... So if you are not up for a long whiny entry, please skip this one. Some basic information first. The text in black is my normal entry, italics is me thinking out loud and white are text/answers I got from Dr Google.

I consider yesterday to be my first major step towards this IVF journey. It was the day I meet up with my Medical Social Worker as well as my Saline Sonogram. How come no one told me that the sonogram can be one painful experience? It was nothing like the HCG. Okay let's do this one apointment at a time.

Appointment with Medical Social Worker (MSW) @ 2pm

We arrived a little early. Thus decide to have breakfast/lunch at Macdonald's. Arrived at the MSW office 5 minutes to 2pm. But she was not around. So we waited. Me getting anxious by the minute as I have another appointment at the Digital Imaging site. She came back at 2.30pm after being called by the receptionist. She is this very nice lady who is warm. She make us feel at ease. We spoke. She even told us about her IVF journey. The ups and downs that we should be thinking about and expecting. She said she like my positive nature and she hopes that my positive nature will give me a slightly higher chance of success. She also asked us to start thinking of our Risk Management Plan. She says at the end of this journey, there is a result - either +ve or -ve. So what happens if it is +ve? N what happens if it is -ve? If it is +ve and we have twins what are we gonna do? Well, me and hubby have talked and have discussed. So generally the session was a breeze. We ended the session with her wishing me good luck on this journey. She also said that she is a little greedy so she wished that I have 2. I like her and I believe I can relate to her as she knows how I feel and what I am going through. She left me her card with her number and email address on it. Thus I will be emailing her soon. To thank her for a wonderful afternoon. We spent about 45 minutes in her office. At 3.15pm, we made our way to the Digital Imaging office. N this were my horror starts. Well i am exaggerating a little here.

Saline Sonogram @ 3pm

I registered at the reception. The nurse fumbled with my registration. She wasn't sure of what she was clicking. That set us back by another 15 minutes. Well, never mind I wasn't really in any hurry. I wasn't really looking forward to this actually. But since my Dr requested for it, I went ahead with it. After registration, I made my went with the nurse and was told to change into a robe. After changing, signed some papers and was told to go for a scan. AGAIN!!! I just did last month. But never mind. So I was brought to the scanning area via the back way. Everyone else in the waiting area was in their normal clothes and I was in a robe. That was fun. N hubby isnt there with me. To cut the story short, I went in for scan. The person who did it was some Filipino lady and did she pressed on my lower abdomen. I cringe at every pics taken. I can feel her pressing on my pelvic bone. D*&m.

Then she asked me to clear my bladder which I did. Was brought to another room. The person there asked me to wait for the doctor to come. While waiting she looked at my scan and asked me to empty my bladder again as it was full. What??? I seriously don't feel like emptying my bladder anymore. But I tried. Came back. Dr was there. Spoke to the other nurse and said in a voice that is neither too soft nor too loud. BUt still it was loud enough for me to hear. "There is a lot of cysts in there?" Excuse me, define alot here? Give me a slight explanation pls. But no!!! she's gonna give my results to my Dr and my appointment with my dr is only in January. Hello!!!! How to wait so long? What if these cysts have been the reason why I have painful periods and why we have yet to conceive?

After looking through my scans, she started with my saline sonogram. The nurse said it was gonna be like my pap smear exam. But no!!! That was not be. First she raised the bed. Then the Dr said. I can't see. She might have retroverted uterus. WHAT???? Repeat that pls... Hmmm... She raised me higher and proceeded with putting in the speculum. Wow that was the longest pap smear exam I have. After the speculum was in, she washed my "inside" with saline solution. I can feel the crampy feeling. It was worse then my monthly period. N for this, i cant even move. Then she inflate the balloon so that when the inject the saline solution, it won't come out. That makes me feel worse. An inflated balloon down there. SHUCKS!!!!

She proceeded with the procedure. A few minutes later I was told it was over. The crampy feeling was horrible. As i got up the bed, I saw some bleeding on the bed. Went to change and waited a bit before was discharged by the nurse. After that i have so many questions in my head. Cysts, retoverted uterus... So many questions, so little answers. Should I email the Dr and get an answer? Or should I just proceed with my IVF journey? What if all the above will affect the outcome of my IVF journey? Hmmm....

WOW!!! This has been a very long entry. Perhaps I shall post Dr Googles answer in another entry. Time for me to get change and go to my mum's place again. Hubby is working night shift again. Till my next entry.

A burn in the pocket...

Yesterday was my first appointment at KKH. Hubby took leave and went with me. We left at around 9.30am and slowly made our way to KKH. Took the train. It was nice to spend time with hubby, chatting on the train. We reached our destination at around 10.30am. Registered, height and weight and blood pressure was taken. My blood pressure had to be taken thrice coz the first two times was damn high (1st - 169, then 145). At last it read, 119. The nurse who took my blood pressure was very nice and caring. What a good start. Then we waited for our turn to meet Dr Sadhana.

After waiting for about 30 minutes, we were called in. Dr Sadhana greeted us with a smile. She put me at ease. We started talking, she started asking why we decided on IVF and many other question. Then come the news. She needs me to go for the saline sonogram first. That needs to be done in the first 10 days of my next cycle. That means I cant start on my IVF cycle as planned. I got upset. Tears just flowed. After discussing further, she said if I am really on a time schedule, perhaps she can do the short antagonist cycle for me but the success rate is not as high as the long protocol. She then send me to have my ultrasound. It was the longest ultra sound I had. The person who did my ultrasound cant make out something... I did ask whether there was anything wrong. She just smiled and kept quiet. A while later she called for a doctor to be in. The more uneasy I became. The doctor came and said something about that being the cysts and that one is the follicles and the rest is hazy to me right now. Hey I am awake you know. Pls explain it to me. Arghhh!!!! So frustrating.

After the ultrasound, made my way back to the clinic. Dr was out for a meeting so I went to the IVF centre to discuss with the nurse about my program, the payments etc. So many forms to sign. Felt like I was buying a house all over again. After discussing with the nurse, she said I cant start my IVF cycle next month coz during the period that I am down for ER or ET, the clinic is closed so she asked me to start in my December cycle. With that, me and hubby decide since we are starting one cycle later, I was going for the saline sonogram first on my 10th day of the next cycle. On the 2nd or 3rd day of my next cycle I am going for my hormonal blood test.

So I guess that is it for the time being. Nothing much happening this month. Or maybe perhaps it could happen naturally. Hahaha... I am allowed to dream aren't I?

Did I mention that that one visit to the doctor has burn a huge hole in my pocket. It cost about $400 plus for all the blood test, $120 for my ultrasounds and $80 for my con sultation with the Dr. Gosh... I guess God knows what he was doing when he makes my next cycle falls during the time the clinic is close. He wants to give me and hubby a time for a breather.

Today in history

After waiting for almost 2 years since our IUI procedure, I have finally made the decision on OUR behalf. I can't wait anymore. Remember my first time schedule was supposed to be in June. But because of financial constraints I decide to wait until after hari raya. Then when I found out that a fellow blogger was already pregnant from the procedure (she did twice by the way) I was just thinking isn't it very expensive to do the procedure? Doestn't it cost almost $10000 every cycle? So I decide to read again... And guess what?

E) How much does it cost to complete one cycle?

It costs about $8, 000 - $10, 000 to complete one cycle of IVF.

F) How much can I claim from Medisave?

Both husband and wife can claim up to $6000, $5000 and
$4000 from Medisave for their first, second and third cycles
respectively.

Oh... I See. I guess now I understands. Today being the 8th of October, I was actually expecting AF to come anytime soon. So I told hubby I am gonna call Dr Chen and tell her that I would be doing the IVF. When I made that phone call, I was told by the reception that Dr Chen does not do the procedure. My next step was to find out where that blogger went. But then again, it is a little far for me. So I resorted to of course the one that deem feasible... KKH.

I called their KKH IVF centre. I was greeted by this nice lady - Nora. She was wonderful. Explained what I need to know and of course clear my worries of the financial issues. If I remember correctly, I can even claim subsidy for $3000 thus not having to pay at all for the first cycle. After all that explanation... I called the appointment centre and made an appointment. Once again I guess Allah was on my side. Someone had cancelled and the earliest appointment with the female doctor of my choice is Dr Sandhana on the 17th of October. That's a weekday!!! I am working. I counted hubby is working too. But that's the earliest she have and after which she will not be available till November. Nope I am not waiting anymore. So I made the appointment even before consulting hubby. I believe he will understands and supports me on my decision.

So yes I am due for an appointment with KKH on Friday, 17th October 2008 (8th day of cycle). That will be a historical day I believe. As I was reading, I understand you can take the medicine on the 21st day of your current cycle. I want to find out whether it is possible for me to do that or do I have to wait till my next cycle before starting on my medication. No more testing, no more semen analysis. We know where our problem is, and we have spend so much on the testing with no results. So straight to the procedure PLEASE!!!. I am so excited of the possibilities... Counting down to Friday.

Wait!!! I am working! HOW??? MC or leave? Hmmm... decisions...decisions...

It's THE Day

It was THE day today. Not easy. It started off on a not so good note but after an hour late for the appointment, we finally made it. The traffic was on our side. We reached Thomson Medical at 9.45am but no question was asked. I guess the doctor and nurses understood our situation. We send the specimen in. Were told it would be ready in 2 hours. So we made our way to Toa Payoh to have a late breakfast.

We went from one coffeeshop to the other but could not find any Muslim stall. We were amazed, shocked and stunned. As we were about to give up and make our way to Macdonalds, I saw a signboard. There's a halal food court... Not Banquet. It's called Fork and Spoon (if I remember correctly). The concept is similar to Banquet. The food was not bad. Too bad there was no Mee Bandung so I had Mee Soto instead. the chilli was power!!! Reminded me of a fellow blogger's Mee Soto. Anyway after a satisfying our tummy, we made our way back to Thomson Medical. Waited for about 10 minutes then it was ready.

We took a cab back to Dr Chen's clinic and within minutes I was called in. The result was not too promising. According to her, the reults was the same as the previous time. Not much change. But she asked me to keep my fingers crossed. Although there was not as much as other people but all we needed was one. Just ONE to do the trick. One in a million.... That seems easy enough. But only Allah knows what will happen this time around. We can pray, we can hope but ultimately it will be up to HIM. Please answer MY prayers. Please answer OUR prayers.

So what happens. The procedure was similar to the one we had at Mount Alvernia where they put the dye in me to check if my fallopian tube are fine. The only difference is this time instead of putting a dye, they put the specimen in. The cathither...was damn long.... When she first put it in, I feel this very strong crampy feeling in my abdomen. Similar to that I have when my period is coming but this one is stronger. Felt like something was twisting my abdomen inside out. She asked me to relax... Hmmm... Not an easy thing when you have such a long thing sticking out or in this case in your you know where.... I tfelt as if it took ages for it to be done and there's not even much liquid in the first place. Cant imagine if there was more. Would I have cried??? I tried to be strong. For hubby and myself and our dreams. After another 10 minutes... It was done. She asked me to lie down for about 10 minutes before telling me to move. When everything was done, hubby and me made our way home. The moment I reached home, I slept. Slept for about 4 hours.

Do I feel better now? Slightly. But I am still feeling a little crampy thoug. When to the toilet just now and there was a little spotting. I guess it was natural since they put something in my womb. The womb lining might have been slightly grazed. Now, there is nothing much me and hubby can do. Just wait and see and pray for the best.

2 weeks. That's the waiting time given... Keep a look out at the banner at the side. If there is a change, you will see it soon.

Are you excited??

Today, I met Dr Chen again. It will be the second last time. The eggs are doing fine. One is at 1.89mm, the other is 1.79mm and the last one, she is not too sure because it is hiding behind the biggest one. She said we are still taking a chance. It could still be a triplet but I am okay with chances. If it is meant to be, it will be.

I have made an appointment with Thomson Medical at 08 30 tomorrow. After which, we have to make our way back to Dr Chen's office for the final procedure. After the amount of money we have spent, we really hope this will work. Hubby seems excited at the prospect of having triplets. He seems all excited. So am I!!! But how can I cope? I guess I will think about it once I reach that point of my life. For now, we shall just wait and see.

Today during my appointment, I also find out the reason why I usually feels crampy during my ovulation. According to Dr Chen, my ovaries are slightly higher in preparation for ovulation. I see... So I have been ovulating all these while. Okay time for me to rest. It is going to be a long day tomorrow. I hope everything will go as plan. I have been poke by more needles in the last week than I have in my entire life.

Another appointment with Dr Chen in the morning. Had another scan. Things are surely looking brighter. I am looking forward to the days ahead much more than I used to in the past. Today, the scan showed that there are 3 egg folicles left. The other one I guess had stopped growing and competing. Dr Chen was still worried. She feels that having triplets is still very dangerous for me. I am up for all possibilities. If it is meant to be triplets I will take it with open arms. If it is only meant for one to go through after all this... I am still contented. All I am wishing, praying and hoping for is one first. I have been waiting for this moment for the longest time ever. In fact since we first got married almost 2 1/2 years ago.

This procedure is definitely an expensive one. Today's appointment cost us another$590. I do not mind the cost if it will give us what we had dream of. What an expensive baby/babies this gonna be. Monday. there will be another appointment. She told hubby to be ready on Tuesday, the insemination will probably take place on Tuesday morning. She told me to not go for camp at all. She said I will need all the rest I could possibly get. I keep missing the camp with my class. i was looking forward to bond with them on Monday at least during the bonding games. Now I guess it will be just a memory. Now how do I inform the senior management in school? I have to think fast. real fast.

Okay back to the scan today... The 3 eggs are looking pretty good. In fact she had wanted to do the insemination tomorrow because one of the eggs measuring at 1.8mm is big and mature enough. The other 2 measured 1.4mm. She said if we wait any longer, the other 2 might catch up. For me, if they do, I will still go ahead with the insemination. I am not going to let this round to be wasted. It is not a cheap procedure let me remind you. It has cost us over $1000 so far. I'm not sure how much more it will cost for the insemination. I will ask here when I see her on Monday. Need to confirm everything so that we can transfer the money over. After Tuesday, it is just rest and relax and wait. i should know the outcome whether it is successful or not by the 7th of February. What a great present it will be for hubby!!! For now, it is just more prayers.

Thursday Appointment

After a long day at work, I made my way to Healthcare for Women. Met hubby outside the clinic and visited Dr Chen once again. Another ultrasound was done on me. It was such an expensive procedure. $50 per ultrasound. But I was just glad at what I saw. All 4 egg folicles are growing find. 3 of them measured 1.4mm and the the 4th one measured 1.1mm but it is still catching up. Today, I have another appointment again. The procedure is coming to an end. By Tuesday next week, we should have done the insemination and it will just be waiting from then on. How do i feel? Definitely excited at the posibilities but I am keeping myself cool for the moment. Until the day comes when the dreaded visitor stops coming and on the day I see on the screen the 'possibility'... I will not be putting my hopes too high. Afraid of getting hurt once again.

It's late now. I shall be taking my leave. Time to go to bed and have some rest. Meeting hubby for breakfast in the morning then another visit to the gynae. If only I knew what's gonna happen in the future. I will definitely be more prepared...