The Alsmans

Grant, Caitlin and I had a great weekend away! We were supposed to go to Lake Geneva this coming weekend but had to change it to this weekend at the last minute. Since my retrieval and transfer will be coming up some time this week/weekend, we changed the trip to make sure we didn't miss out on the weekend away! I am so glad we did it because Caitlin had such a great time. It was so nice to hang out and see her having so much fun! I haven't been feeling great so it was nice to not have to worry about dishes, laundry, work, etc.

My headaches weren't as bad this weekend, yay! The third shot doesn't really hurt either, so that's great. My belly is only looking worse though :( I go back to the doctor and to acupuncture tomorrow. I hope we get a better idea of when the retrieval will be. It's hard to plan our week when we don't know when these things are going to happen. I am getting nervous for the retrieval and transfer because then this all becomes real again. I am doing my best to stay positive but there is always the possibility that this isn't our last round. I don't even want to think about that right now. Trying to stay positive...

Posted by Grant, Jennie & Caitlin Alsman at 9:43 PM 0 comments

I just talked to my nurse. Now I get to do 3 shots a night, woohoo! I am up to 300 Follistim, 300 Menopur and Ganirelex! All the shots will go in my belly, which is beginning to look like a shooting target :( I go back on Monday for more bloodwork and another ultrasound. Caitlin went with me today, which she loved! She hasn't been there since January and she was so excited (probably because she got to watch the IPad)! When I was getting my shot, she said "be brave mommy" What a sweetheart!

I have been getting awful headaches from the meds :( They last all day and Tylenol is not helping. I have been feeling nauseous all day today, no fun. I am sure after this weekend I will start having more cramping and bloating, yippee! I am just glad that Grant is home to give me all the shots. I have been giving myself the Follistim even though he is home because it is a pretty easy one to do. Pretty proud of myself. Looking forward to a quiet and relaxing weekend!

Posted by Grant, Jennie & Caitlin Alsman at 2:39 PM 0 comments

I started my shots on Friday and had to go back to be monitored today. My meds were changed (225 Follistim and 225 Menopur) and I now have two shots every night, what fun!! Grant has been out of town the last two nights so I had to give myself the shots. SO HORRIBLE :( I have been having awful headaches as well. Let's see what happens with this increase in meds. I go back to the doctor on Friday. Originally my nurse told me I would do the stim meds for 8-14 days. It will be 8 days on Friday so we'll see how close we are to egg retrieval then! I hope it doesn't take too much longer because that means more shots.

Posted by Grant, Jennie & Caitlin Alsman at 8:38 PM 0 comments

I went to the doctor today for bloodwork and ultrasound. Everything came back fine so I started 300 units of Follistim tonight. Luckily, these shots are pretty easy. I will do this every night until Monday and then head back to the doctor on Tuesday morning. I need to learn to give myself the shots because Grant will be gone for two nights at the beginning of the week. I don't think I can give myself a shot. Wish me luck!!!

Posted by Grant, Jennie & Caitlin Alsman at 10:49 PM 0 comments

I go back to the doctor tomorrow for more bloodwork and an ultrasound, which probably means I will start the shots tomorrow night. I am not sure I am ready for this. I have only been on the estrogen patches for 3 days and I already look like I am a few months pregnant. I hate the side effects of these meds :(

We were supposed to be in Evansville for Easter but had to cancel because of this round of IVF. It just figures that the one weekend away we had planned had to fall at the beginning of this round. Hopefully this will be it and we can get away whenever we want to in the future. I hate having someone else control parts of my life right now.

Ok, enough feeling sorry for myself, I am actually excited to spend a long weekend with my 2 favorite people, Grant and Caitlin! Tomorrow we are taking Caitlin on the Metra to the DuPage Children's Museum. She is so excited to sit on top and ride to Naperville, where her friend Sophia lives!!!

Posted by Grant, Jennie & Caitlin Alsman at 9:02 PM 0 comments

Part of the reason I wanted to start posting on here was to help others by sharing my story. But today I was encouraged by someone else who has experienced fertility struggles. An old friend sent me a FB message after randomly seeing our blog and shared her success with acupuncture and getting pregnant. It was so thoughtful of her to reach out to me and to provide some hope! I am hoping acupuncture has helped me over the last 3 months and we can have a happy outcome as well! I wish her a successful pregnancy and look forward to hearing about her new little one! Thank you!

Posted by Grant, Jennie & Caitlin Alsman at 12:39 PM 0 comments

I thought this article made a lot of sense to me. I know it can be very hard to relate to someone going through fertility issues if you have never experienced it yourself. I know I wish I had been more supportive of those I know that have gone through all of this in the past. Here is the link:

http://www.infertilitynetworkuk.com/?id=12172

Tomorrow is my last pill and I start the estrogen patches on Tuesday.

We had a fun-filled weekend with Caitlin. She actually liked the Easter Bunny this year and had an Easter Egg hunt yesterday. She got to spend time with Momo, Papa, Auntie Julie, Olivia and Owen today. We had a great night celebrating Easter with them!

Posted by Grant, Jennie & Caitlin Alsman at 10:02 PM 0 comments