Anyways, back to the fourth cycle. Dr. Duffy put me on Omnitrope which is a form of human growth hormone, as well as the maximum dose of all the other meds I normally take during an IVF cycle (Bravelle, Menopur and Cetrotide). The Omnitrope was supposed to make the eggs that I produced much better quality and Dr. Duffy has seen great results with adding it to women's IVF cycles. I also took a prenatal vitamin, OvaVite, that also has COQ10 because that is supposed to help with egg quality as well. Things seemed to be going really well. On my first monitoring appointment, I had seven follicles and then at my next appointment, I had fourteen! I had never had that many so I was very encouraged!
When retrieval day came, ten eggs were retrieved, which I was happy with. I felt much worse recovering from the retrieval than I had in the past at all of my other retrievals but one of the nurses told me that the growth hormone was probably to blame. The office always calls me 48 hours after the retrieval to let me know how many embryos have formed and how they look. They called and told me that there were six embryos that were good and a few of those six were mediocre looking. They also said there were two more that they were watching in the lab that weren't progressing as well. I was SO encouraged by those six embryos.
Dr. Duffy decided to do a three-day transfer. So, me and Kristi and my Mama went down for the transfer. Me and Kristi met with Dr. Duffy before the procedure and he let us know that of the six embryos, we now only had three that survived. I fought the urge to panic and told Dr. Duffy that we would transfer all three then. Dr. Duffy was super nice, as he always is, and let me stay in the room for the transfer. We went home hopeful and nervous.
We found out the results on March 27. Suzanne, the nurse who always calls to give the results, got to call us one more time to tell us that once again, our blood pregnancy test was negative. We were so devastated and discouraged....and I just remember feeling so absolutely defeated. I cried and cried. And cried some more. I just could not believe that I held two of our babies in my hands and went through a year of IVF, filled with heartache and disappointment of its own, and I involved a sweet friend, Kristi....all to come out right where we started: with empty arms. I couldn't believe that after all that Kristi put her body through, for us, she couldn't even have the satisfaction of doing what she set out to do, carry our child. I couldn't believe that after all the many ways that people have reached out to us and gave of their time, money and efforts to help us even be able to do IVF that we were still left empty-handed.
So, I was sad and discouraged and heartbroken and confused and so desperate. I called about an hour later and scheduled my follow-up phone consultation with Dr. Duffy, because they always do follow-ups if your cycle doesn't work. I got an appointment for April 7. Thursday afternoon, for some reason, all I could think about was my uterus. I could not get it off of my mind. My mind kept wondering back to the MRI report. I had to talk to Dr. Duffy. And I had to talk to him before April 7. I called Jacksonville and asked for Patti, a really sweet nurse who has been with us on this long journey. I left her a message that I am sure sounded insane! I mean, I was blubbering through most of the message telling her that "I know April 7 isn't that far away but to me it seems like an eternity," and all kinds of other things. Anyways, much to my surprise, she called this crazy psycho back. Patti was able to squeeze my phone consultation in with Dr. Duffy on the following Monday, March 31. I was SO very glad that I didn't have to wait almost two weeks.
When I spoke with Dr. Duffy, I explained to him everything that has happened in the past 2 years. I told him about Jonah, about everything in between Jonah and getting pregnant with Harper. I told him about Harper and how I wound up at Shands and how I went into preterm labor with Harper. I told him how I wound up at the F.I.R.M. and how the doctor I was seeing wanted me to have an MRI. I told him how I had the MRI done in Moultrie, my hometown, because it was just easier and I could get an appointment sooner than in Thomasville or Jacksonville. I told him about how I just keep thinking about my uterus and how the MRI report was sent to My doctor, not the images from the MRI. I told him how I thought I took a copy of the MRI on a disc to my previous doctor at my next appointment after my MRI so that he could have a copy to look at for himself. The radiologist in Moultrie read my MRI and said in the report that my uterus was bicornuate. And I honestly was starting to wonder if we have been missing something all along. Dr. Duffy was looking at my chart and listening to me and starting to wonder about my uterus himself, especially since I had no trouble at all getting pregnant with Jonah and Harper. He decided that I deserve a closer look at my uterus.
To be continued....
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