Back on track!

We are back on track, bayyybeeeee. About three weeks ago, our wonderful doctor, Dr. Mottla, left a voicemail to just see how we were doing and to let us know that they THINK they would be getting permission to move forward with IVF cycles in the next few weeks. Well, being the impatient person that I am, I e-mailed our nurse coordinator about it two weeks later. Sure enough, she immediately called me and told me to schedule an appointment for bloodwork and an ultrasound that week. She said they had JUST heard that morning that they could move forward and that the timing might be perfect to get back on track. 

I went in a few days later and sure enough, I was just about to start my cycle, which meant that I could start birth control again. The day after my appointment, we got THE PLAN. THE PLAN is a very detailed plan for the next month and a half about medications and appointments and all of the things that my body will be going through, which, of course, is still much less than pushing an actual human out of a small hole in my body. #SILVERLININGS  

To say that I am relieved and excited is an understatement! There are still many nerves that will only, somewhat, subside when I know that we (HOPEFULLY) have several, viable embryos. It is still a long, crazy process, but at least we’re finally getting to this portion of it. 

So right now I am on birth control for the next month. I have an appointment at Shady Grove on May 28 for bloodwork, an ultrasound, and my FDA panel. I will begin hormone injections on June 1, and June 13 is my (tentative) egg retrieval date. The egg retrieval date is tentative because it depends on how my body responds to the hormone medication. By the last week of June, we’ll know how many viable embryos we have and whether or not they suggest another round of egg retrieval. We are REALLY hoping that won’t be the case, but it is something that is in the back of my mind.

These dates are perfect because we have a vacation planned to go to Corey’s aunt and uncle’s house at the end of June and we are so looking forward to it! So it would be really nice to have this whole part over so we can rest easy and enjoy a family vacation!

This next part is a little crazier:

Back when I put out my first blog post, the news had aired a report about a uterine transplant clinical trial at University of Pennsylvania. Several people sent me the articles and videos. I knew about uterine transplant clinical trials because I have been following along with the trials that Baylor has been doing. I had looked into the program but you had to be a resident of Dallas in order to qualify (eye roll). I did not know about the trial at UPenn though! So I turned around and read as much as I could about the trial and submitted an initial questionnaire/information sheet. The doctor immediately asked some follow up questions and we went back and forth for a few days, but after that, I didn’t hear anything. About a month later, another friend sent the UPenn article again, which spurred me to e-mail the doctor a “hey, remember me?” note. The next morning, I woke up to an e-mail from him requesting my medical records! It took over a month but I got everything from Shady Grove and sent them on to UPenn. He, again, immediately responded with a few follow up questions. One of his main questions was about how many embryos we had created, to which I explained the Coronavirus pause. But I told him I would let him know as soon as we had embryos created. 

So I’m not sure how realistic being in this clinical trial is but I know that, based on the information available for the program, I seem like a perfect candidate! It is a risky clinical trial but I think it would be so cool to be able to help advance science like that! Oh….and also it wouldn’t cost us an arm and a leg! So I’ll keep you updated about any forward movement with the trial! 

As always, thanks for following along on this crazy ride! Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy! (and 6 feet apart!)