Bermuda Quandary

My good friend R called last Thursday. She wants to go on a free-style cruise in early October (NY to Bermuda). I would LOVE to go. But I’m left counting back weeks and wondering if I’ll be too far along for a cruise at that point.

I’ve tried to figure that if I were matched a month from today, a transfer wouldn’t come for 2 months after that – putting me at around 24 weeks when the cruise happens. Seems that’s the point when they don’t want you to travel and if I were having a high-risk pregnancy or any issues whatsoever, I simply wouldn’t go (baby is #1 priority for me, hands down!).

But I fantasize about waddling onto the cruise ship with a big belly, white Capri pants and a cute maternity top. I know, you’re all wondering why I’m so confident I’ll even get pregnant and the only thing I can say about that is that, because I’m a practical girl (a girl of numbers and odds and stats and probabilities), I know what the stats for DE – they’re excellent. The stats for DE with CCRM are even better than that. Short of a guarantee, the odds are beautiful (I wish all ART had those odds, truthfully!).

So, headline is a lie – no quandary. I said yes! Woo Hoo! I made a plan, an actual plan for my future without fertility treatments standing in my way. I hope it works out, I really do. Like we all do, I deserve some success and happiness.

Oh and here’s what I hope will be a great coincidence. My friend’s daughter is 33 and recently married and wants to go on cruise with spouse. She intends to begin “trying” for a child in March. It would be icing on the cake for us to both be equally pregnant. Now I’m just asking for too much, I know. ;)

Update on cycle. Thursday was CD15 and I had my endo biopsy mock cycle cooter cam and blood work. CCRM called with results: lining was 10mm but estrogen was low at 188 (they’re looking for around 350 at this juncture). They said they’d incorporate estrace in my real cycle in addition to the Vivelle patches, though the lining looks good. Then I began prometrium yesterday (3x/day – YUK!) and stay on the patches for another 9 days which brings me to the endo biopsy on 2/23. As late as it is in the cycle, I have been assured repeatedly that it’s correct and given in my FET last summer, the embryos were transferred on CD24 (one day earlier than when this endo biopsy is being done), I have to agree it sounds right. The beta 3 integrin needs to be there for implantation, which would be, in fact, around CD25.

Then I have my annual pap on March 4th (doctor rescheduled earlier appointment). When I get those results, I’ll fax them over to CCRM for my file. I don’t think it’ll ever stop being annoying how diligent I am to have everything done perfectly and on-time, without a delay on my part whatsoever and to still sit and wait.
I had an ad meeting in the city yesterday at 8 AM (ouch!) and felt the effects of the prometrium. It's awful. My vision gets cloudy and strained and the most intense exhaustion comes over me. Bad stuff. I emailed my nurse and she said to use the prometrium vaginally again. I really thought that would be a problem since I'll have the endo biopsy in a week (and we wouldn't want any of that gunk in my vagina and potentially entering the uterus for the biopsy. I think I'm going to try to set my alarm for 5 AM so I can have the prometrium, sleep for 2 hours and let the worst effects out of my system before I'm in the office.

So on the bus ride home, my nurse called. I got so excited wondering, Is this a match talk? I mean, why else would she make an unsolicited call to me? No. It was just to make sure I was feeling better, which I was. That was nice.
But I'm still waiting (and getting no younger, you know?)..........

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock.

And a very Happy Valentine's Day to all!