Moving forward, round two

This round of IVF feels so much different than the first, in many ways.  We were so naive in the first round, thinking that all the work and money we put into it would give us a happy ending.  But, on May 1st, Chase's second birthday, we found out that we were wrong.  I think this is why I don't feel excited about this second round.  We haven't even been celebrating the small steps and progress we've made in this second journey.  We just want to get it over with.

"Get it over with."  I know that sounds terrible, but the process is grueling.  In the first cycle, I gained a lot of weight, I was emotional, and (Andrew would probably say) I was extra grumpy.  It's a series of highs and lows.  The medications and hormones are hard on the body, but are needed to retrieve the eggs and support a pregnancy.

"Get it over with."  We have our eyes on the prize, as the saying goes.  We are anxious to get through the brutal stimulation phase, the waiting-while-our-embryos-are-genetically-tested phase, and the transfer phase.  We want to fast forward to the date when we will find out if this was a successful round of IVF.

So, where are we right now in the cycle?  Well, after all the work up and testing and a surgery to correct a problem with my fallopian tubes, we are ready to rock and roll.  Last week, I started on some priming medications, and yesterday an ultrasound and blood work found that we are ready to start the stimulation phase.  For the next 2-3 weeks, we will be in IVF prison.  I have several injections that need to be administered at very specific times during the day.  Lupron has to be injected every 12 hours; right now we are on a 7am and 7pm schedule with that medication.  Menopur has to be injected in the morning, Follistim has to be injected in the evening, and Dexamethasone has to be taken at bedtime.  We either have to be home at the exact times that these meds are needed, or we have to take them with us wherever we go.  The latter is challenging because some of the meds have to be refrigerated (and sanitary conditions are needed).  Regardless, we are ready!

Those of you that donated to our online fundraiser helped us get to this second journey.  All of the money raised was used to pay for the initial work up and testing as insurance didn't pay for it all.  We applied for a grant, but were told that the committee won't meet until November or December of this year to determine if we are eligible.  We were finally able to take out a substantial loan, but this loan does not cover the total costs.  We are still fighting to pay out of pocket for the expenses while simultaneously making biweekly payments to the lender for the loan.  We initially estimated this round to cost $30k, but we are already over that amount and we aren't done paying yet.

This is our final attempt to build our family.  Financially, it has to be.  By the end of this year, we will know if Chase will be an only child or if he will have siblings.