Gluten Intolerance/Celiac Disease and PCOS

Well, first of all, I should update with a few things. I've withdrawn my account at the Bethany Christian Services message boards/forums. So you won't find it there. Neither at Stepping Stones. I moved some of the postings here. And now I need to really figure out how this blog works, so I can figure out how to put everything in the right chronological order for the embryo adoption. If you know what I need to do, or have tips, please let me know! :D

We decided not to sell the townhome. We would be walking away with too big a loss thanks to the market. I know we'll recover it eventually. And the townhome is plenty big, and we live near really everything, including 3 playgrounds! :)

Ok, so on to the next. I've been seeing a GI Dr about possibly having celiac disease. He refused to do the endoscopy, and instead has me on a gluten free diet. I've been on it since hmm 11/12/2009. I am losing significant weight since eliminating the gluten. I'm also feeling so incredibly much more energy! And no more stomach bloating and cramps and well you know, all the yucky stuff! Unbelievable! I really would have loved if the Dr had done the endoscopy so I could know for sure if it was celiac or just gluten intolerance.

I'm going to be taking the blood tests he took to another GI Dr after Thanksgiving. He did tests on my vitamin D, iron, and WBC. And Vitamin D was low, iron was low, and WBC was high. He only said to take 1000 units of Vitamin D. Um, did he notice the other flags??? These tests were taken before I went gluten free.

I have found the pastas etc that are gluten free to be expensive. I'd rather try and make my own, and my own breads. I'm waiting until we get back from Thanksgiving to really clean my kitchen out of gluten products and get more gluten free flours etc in. I'll be having fun experimenting.

So if you have websites, recipes, tips, restaurants, etc to offer on celiac/gluten intolerance, I'd love it!

So you know I have PCOS. There's a possible link between PCOS and Celiac/Gluten Intolerance. You can read the article here: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art1507.asp

Noteable quotes:

While celiac disease affects approximately 1 in 133 people, hidden gluten sensitivity may affect as many as 1 person out of every 2.

Smith said that 85% of her PCOS clients test positive for a sensitivity to gluten. When these women remove gluten from their diets they often see a marked improvement in their PCOS symptoms. She has also seen dramatic improvement in cholesterol levels, thyroid function and weight loss in women who have changed their diets to avoid gluten.

Anyway . . . I should also point out, that in going to the dr, I admitted I didn't go years ago about this because of my being overweight. I had always heard Celiacs were very thin and losing weight. He assured me that Celiacs can also be the opposite, and have a very hard time losing weight, and gain weight.

I hope and pray everyone has a very wonderful, and THANKFUL Thanksgiving!

Psalm 147 (English Standard Version)

Psalm 147
He Heals the Brokenhearted
1 Praise the LORD!For it is good to sing praises to our God;
for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
2The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
4He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.
6The LORD lifts up the humble;
he casts the wicked to the ground.

7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre!
8He covers the heavens with clouds;
he prepares rain for the earth;
he makes grass grow on the hills.
9He gives to the beasts their food,
and to the young ravens that cry.
10His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
11but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.

12Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
he blesses your children within you.
14He makes peace in your borders;
he fills you with the finest of the wheat.
15He sends out his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
16He gives snow like wool;
he scatters hoarfrost like ashes.
17He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs;
who can stand before his cold?
18He sends out his word, and melts them;
he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
19He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and rules to Israel.
20He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
they do not know his rules.
Praise the LORD!

moving also from stepping stones forums

May 2, 2008

Hehehe :) Ok, so my DH goes to get his labs this morning. I tell him he needs to take the lab orders with him (we're working with NEDC) so he can get the blood drawn for them. He gets almost there and calls, "I forgot them!" So he arranges that I can make a pdf and email them. No problem. Then later this morning I go in for my labs. Apparently he had already informed them that I'm a hard draw (veins roll, small veins, you name it, very hard for me to get a draw). As I ran in the building to the 5th floor, they were working on something across the hall from the office. Lots of noise! The receptionist and I were joking about it. So I'm sitting in the lab while they're running around making sure they have everything ordered properly before they draw so they don't need to redraw.

Suddenly an alarm goes off. They come in and say, we'll just wait a second to see if we really need to leave. Yup we really need to leave. So we go down all the stairs and outside and wait for about 15 minutes while the fire department comes and figures out what is going on. It's been raining here in MN and it's supposed to snow tonight too! Thankfully God put that alarm right when it wasn't raining and it was decently warm outside! :) The alarm was REALLY LOUD! If we weren't awake before, we were then!

So we go back in and as I go in I see the guy is still there working across the hall, and I ask him if that's where the fire was, just joking around, and he says, not fire, dust! Apparently they were trying to blow the dust out of there with a fan and it blew into the hall and made the fire alarm in front of the elevators go off.

I went back into the office and they took my blood and they're also faxing our medical records back to the NEDC.

But that's my exciting story for today :)

Love,
Julie

more moved from BCS forums;

Please bear with me. After I get it all over, I will have to figure out how to organize it all.

Thank you BabyHopes & J&A! I pray the little embies implant in you!

We're kinda "on hold" until May. We have friends who did anon EA through the NEDC, and she has twins from them. And she now has 5 remaining embryos, and wants to use one, and the remaining 4 are going to us. This was ok'd through the NEDC, as we're both approved, and they are anonymous. Apparently they've never done it this way before. Normally, they don't let people who used anonymously donated embryos know or pick out who the embryos are going to for an open relationship, because they aren't the genetic parents, and the genetic parents donated anonymously. But they are allowing it because we are already friends and both going through the NEDC. So we asked if they would allow this special case. This way, the children will know some of their genetic siblings too. :)


But we both have to cycle at the same time. And right now the timeframe of every other month puts us out to May. We had plans for November (we're going to AZ for Thanksgiving to my sister's, and they're going to WDW in Nov). And then they have a trip to Mexico over Spring Break, and my understanding is, a lot of miscarriages happen on trips to Mexico (for whatever reason) and we don't want to risk that at all! So that's why the wait until May then. :) And of course, if only one embie survives, she gets that one embie, and we still have our previous 4 embie "back-up donor" (the NEDC wants you to have at least 6 embies for a cycle, because they don't all survive the thaw) on hold with us. The ones I mention I believe somewhere in this thread. :)

I did join Weight Watchers, and we joined a gym, to help lose weight and get in shape. So the more time just means more of a chance to get in shape and lose weight. :)

Love,
Julie

Still transfering info I want to keep over here. - JC Penneys vs Sears Portraits

Our 1 year is on the 30th too.

I just went to JC Penneys & Sears to get approval so I can use the photos they took in our updated profile book.

JC Penney's was a DREAM! No problem, even gave it to me for free.

Sears was a HASSLE! Tried to sell it to me for $25 PER PICTURE!!!!!! so every 5x7 every 8 1/2 x 11 or whatever!!! Finally I called when I got home and they called headquarters and we got it down to just $25 per session (there were 2 sessions).

JC Penneys is really very helpful and friendly to me today! I praise God for that!

Ok . . . gotta get some work done.

October 13, 2008

The fees on the website are accurate . . . but it is true . . . you do have to add:

$3000 if you want an open adoption

and on top of that, $4000 if you want a semi-open adoption where you communicate through Bethany. If you just get an email account to exchange info, say, gmail, msn, yahoo, hotmail . . . then it doesn't cost the additional 4000. But you still would pay the $3000. That 3000 covers Bethany negotiating and executing the open adoption agreement between all parties.

I hope this helps! :D

Oh, if it should fail, the part where you pay the hospital? It's in that breakdown of who gets what payments, that is I believe the part you pay again if it fails and you need to return for a 2nd or 3rd transfer.

Something else you asked, you suggested it was odd thinking you'd be responsible for embryos not created by you. That's no different than domestic infant adoption ;)

If you're referring to having "remaining embryos" after you do say 1 transfer . . . unless you "reserve" them, they go back to the original placing parents. I believe you have 1 year, either after transfer or birth (can't remember, but they do let you know when) to let them know you desire to reserve the grouping for possible genetic siblings.


This is the part that is repeated if you have to do a 2nd or 3rd cycle:

Hospital/Facility Fees
1. Embryology Laboratory Fee 550.00
2. Facility Fee 700.00
3. Assisted Hatching 350.00
TOTAL 1600.00


Oh! That doesn't mean it's the for a 2nd or 3rd child from the group of embryos though! It's just if it doesn't work the first time . . . etc.

Oh, and I don't remember what they said happens with the open adoption fees for 2nd or 3rd transfers or additional matches or refunds. You'd have to ask them to send you that paperwork. They do have it that they can email it to you.

Oh, lemmie see if I can find it . . .

[quote]Openness Planning and Services
These services are applicable to all couples choosing to pursue an open donation agreement plan.

Clinical services and communication exchange support are services provided from donor match through pregnancy, birth and one year post birth. These services will also be provided in support of up to three transfer attempts with the same donor embryos, involving up to two open donors matched during the same cycles of transfer.
• Cost: $3000 *
• Payment: Prior to completion of the open donation agreement, Bethany Christian Services will send an invoice for payment as appropriate.
* In the event that a couple completes up to three embryo transfers with the same donor embryos, with NO resulting birth, $500 will be refunded upon service closure.

Communication Exchange Facilitation Services
These services are an elective option for couples who chose an openness plan AND prefer to utilize a professional to facilitate exchanges of information on their behalf.

These services extend counseling support and communication exchange between donor and adoptive couples through the child’s 6th birthday, at which time the couples may elect to extend these services, or transition into a plan that allows them to exchange information more directly. Bethany Christian Services will support couples in their individual plans and prepare, support and educate both donor and adoptive couples to a position of more direct exchanges of communication, as may be comfortable.
• Cost: $4,000 * (an elective service for couples choosing to pursue an open donation plan)
• Payment: Upon selection of this elective service, which will be determined during the open donation agreement process, Bethany will send an invoice for service payment prior to finalization of the open donation agreement.
* In the event that birth does not occur following up to three embryo transfer attempts, this service fee will be refunded in full.
[/quote]



No, the 3000 is not including the homestudy. But there was an estimate for the homestudy in the original fees.

This is the other 1/2 of that document, which helps explain homestudies:

[quote]CLINICAL SERVICE DESCRIPTION
Home Study:
A current home study assessment from a licensed child placing agency is required by the National Embryo Donation Center.
You may choose to use Bethany Christian Services or an agency of your choice to complete the study.
Typically, fees for adoptive home study assessments vary by geographic region and organizational fee structure.
Payment for the home study should be rendered directly to the organization that completes it.

Home Study Referral, Support and Review:
Bethany Christian Services, on behalf of the National Embryo Donation Center, provides support and assistance to all couples related to the home study assessment process. Bethany will assist families in seeking and finding a licensed child placing agency willing to provide a home study assessment for a couple who wishes to adopt an embryo.

Bethany is able to provide agency referrals for adopting couples, both within and outside of their organizational structure.

Further, Bethany will provide support and service to the adoption agency completing the home study assessment. Because embryo adoption is a very new and emerging area, Bethany provides education, assistance and support to agencies that are unfamiliar with the completion of embryo adoption assessments.

Once the home study has been completed, it is the National Embryo Donation Center’s policy that each study be forwarded to, reviewed and assessed by Bethany prior to acceptance into their Embryo Donation and Adoption program.

Once an approved home study has been completed, you should request to sign a release authorizing the completing agency to submit the Adoption Home Study to:

Embryo Services – 2nd floor
Bethany Christian Services
901 Eastern Ave. NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Upon receipt, a clinician from Bethany’s Embryo Services Department will review and assess the home study for completeness and compliance with the standards of the National Embryo Donation Center. Following review, approved home studies will be sent to the NEDC.

Open Donation and Planning Services
For couples who are interested in communication exchange with the embryo donors, the NEDC mandates that a signed Open Donation Agreement Contract be facilitated and signed by each party.
This agreement provides definition regarding the type and frequency of communication exchange that will take place. As the facilitator of these agreements, Bethany will provide counseling, education and support to both the donors and the adoptive couples who make a plan for openness. Bethany will provide both individual counseling and assessment, and negotiation of the terms of the agreement. Bethany will complete the legal documentation for the agreement and work with all parties through the notarization and signature process. Bethany will also provide support and services to couples as they begin to share information back and forth through this process.

Communication Exchange Facilitation Services
For couples who desire some type of openness within their adoption plan, but prefer to have the exchange of information be handled by a professional, Bethany offers communication exchange facilitation services. These services allow a couple to exchange information at a predetermined level of frequency and offer the support that some families prefer of allowing these communications to occur anonymously and under the direction of an embryo adoption professional.

SERVICE FEES
Adoptive Home Study Fee
• Cost: varies by geographic region/organizational fee structure
• Payment: Payment should be rendered directly to the organization that completes the home study assessment

Home Study Referral, Support and Review Fee
• Cost: $300 if study is authored by an agency outside of Bethany Christian Services; this fee is waived for couples completing a home study through Bethany Christian Services
• Payment: Upon receipt of the home study assessment, Bethany Christian Services will send an invoice for payment, as appropriate
[/quote]


OOOPS!!! Boo boo on my part . . . I forgot 1/2 the fees for repeating!

These are the fees that could be repeated:

Monitoring/Embryo Transfer Fees
1. Embryo Transfer 650.00
2. Monitoring Fee 250.00
3. Ultra Sounds 175.00
Total 1075.00

Hospital/Facility Fees
1. Embryology Laboratory Fee 550.00
2. Facility Fee 700.00
3. Assisted Hatching 350.00
TOTAL 1600.00

October 9, 2008 - mock transfer

I think I will have to later find a way to go in and put everything in order. :)

In the meantime, I'm just copying posts over I don't wish to lose.



Hello and thank you to all for praying :D

What a trip!

We left right after 1st service on Sunday. We drove straight from the church. I drove for several hours, then we switched off and Joerg drove for several hours. We finally decided to stop about 1/2 way, just into Indiana. Stayed at Days Inn, and we won't stop there again. Wow needed repairs! Got going and drove another 8-9 hours on Monday, arriving in the evening at our hotel. We test drove the way to the clinic, and had dinner. Then came back to the hotel. It was also a Days Inn and we will never stay there again either. We won't go into how unsanitary we both felt the hotel was . . . but I will say I used to work in a hotel, and well, in all the hotels I've EVER stayed in . . . gotta be the worst. Oh well, just know where we won't stay when we go back for the transfer! :D

Went to the NEDC on Tuesday morning. Was wonderful! Everyone is so friendly! Even the regular clients of the clinic! (They're apparently also a regular RE's office operating out of the same office. So they have the non-profit NEDC & the clinic's private practice there). One of the gals waiting in the lobby was talking about how Dr. K really values the life of all the embryos and makes you sign something to the effect of not discarding or destroying embryos! The paperwork we took with us says they'll pray with us anytime we ask! Wow! :D

So the mock went well, or at least, as well as I expected it to go. My uterus is tipped, more so than most, so yup they first used the regular thing to test, then they went back and decided to try with the bent one too, because they figured more than likely they'd need to use the bent tube thing. bendable? Anyway, it all went well. Except . . . they could not find my ovaries. Doesn't matter how many times I warn people my ovaries are high, they just invariably don't like to believe me. So he said it wasn't really necessary to find them, because if there was a big cyst it would show up. Hmm. Anyway, he did draw an E2 level. I'm on Estrace 3x a day and now they added prometrium, 2x a day for 5 days together with the Estrace. Then I stop it and when AF comes I go on Seasonal bcp's (my af doesn't come unless it's helped anyway) and then I just keep steady on that, ignoring the "sugar pills" as they do not want me to have af so they can schedule things.

I'll be going back sometime in January for my transfer. We did end up going anonymous. We flat out told him that we were completely agreeable to open adoptions right up until they changed the fee schedule for open adoptions on us after we were already in the program. He said he understood with the economy. The coordinators who we spoke with later said they were keeping "tallys" of the # who were saying they were deterred by the additional fees for open adoptions. So 4-6 weeks before the appointment (which we don't have yet, we get it after we chose our embies) we get the profiles to look through. First they send a fax with basic info, then when we chose our matches (we chose at least 1 back-up, and at least 5 embryos) they send us the complete profile (medical etc, but anonymous info). If ever there is a medical emergency, we contact the NEDC and they will contact the families involved. Oh, so we do genetic testing if they do have to use the back-up and the original choices together, to be sure which family we're together with. BTW, this is Dr. K: [url="http://www.baby4me.net/director.shtml"]http://www.baby4me.net/director.shtml[/url]

So when we do the meds, it will be Lupron, Estrace, PIO (I'm to look up what oil it was I had the reaction to, so they can order a different oil), um. . . . some antibiotic, I think albuterol?, and I think um. . . I should really look these last ones up! Starts with a V I think, a painkiller, and 3 ibuprofin. I'll look up those last ones to be clear what they were a little later. I have the prescription to send in. He wants me back on Metformin to prevent miscarriage.

They went over success rates with FET. He said 42% at their clinic with the EA. He also went over things like preterm labor is common with FET's in general, even with singletons, which surprised me. I always thought that fact came from the multiples, so was surprised they find it to be so common with singletons too! And he wants me to walk 1 hour every day because it's really healthy and helps with hormone levels etc. And the paperwork they gave us to read over, includes that we are to have horizontal fellowship the night before the transfer. Something about it actually helps with transfer & implantation! Of course, then we have to abstain, I think it was for a week?

So we were at the clinic for something like 9 to 12, then grabbed a 6" sub at Subway, and headed back for home. Drove again about 8-9 hours each day. Drove slightly different on the way home. But spent the night at a Motel 6 on the way back. Seemed to be brand new. Unfortunately, we were next to a smoking room, and for whatever reason, if they smoked, it kinda seeped into our room too. Really bad for allergies and esp. for Joerg's asthma. Oh well. It was clean! And if we stay there again,, we'll just be sure to ask for a non-smoking room on the other side of the building from the smoking rooms! Ugh. :) We made it back home last night!

The drive was beautiful! The leaves in TN are all turning different colors of reds and oranges and yellows! Just breathtaking! I mean, they're turning in MN, and then you drive through corn fields and green trees, then suddenly you get mountains and color again! Just beautiful! We drove through some rain and some sunshine too.

Oh, the matches have to be the same level, so 1 cell, 6-8 cell, or blastocyst. So if we get different donors, they have to be the same level. And then, if they do have to go into our 2nd match (say they don't have enough to transfer because first match has 2 and the one didn't survive the thaw) then they require genetic testing to determine who the match is, in case it's needed later, and so we can be sure of the medical background.

Ok, so my prescription is for: Leuprolide, Estrace, Progesterone in oil (currently cottonseed, but I need to look which I had the reaction to yet), Valium, Seasonale.

Then we also have: Doxycycline, Advil, & Albuterol pills for transfer. Hmm. I see I continue the Estrace after the transfer, in addition to the PIO shots.

Oh! So at the Knoxville location, they do transfers every other month, and mock cycles every other month. And the reason we don't have a specific date yet is because they allow those patients who had a failed transfer first chance at dates.

Love,
Julie

Embryo Adoption Links

I'll have to come back and edit this later. I'm deleting posts from the BCS forums, and I don't want to lose this.

None of the following are in any particular order of importance (just alphabetical (except the news/info!) ;) ). They're all great information and should be looked into before choosing a personal direction:

[size=150]Education/online chats with placers, adoptors, social workers, lawyers, doctors, etc:[/size]
CEDA Education: [url]http://www.cedaeducation.org/home.html[/url]

Embryo Adoption Awareness Campaign: [url]http://www.embryoadoption.org/[/url]

All Things Embryo from Dreaming of Conceiving: [url]http://dreamingofconceiving.com/EMBRYO.aspx[/url]

[size=150]Agencies/Services:[/size]
The Abraham Center of Life, LLC (not full service. They help locate services.) [url]http://www.theabrahamcenteroflife.com/embryodonation.html[/url]

Bethany Christian Services Embryo Adoption In House Program: [url]http://www.bethany.org/A55798/bethanyWWW.nsf/0/1CA188422535A9E8852572750070B241[/url]

Cooper Center Donor Embryo Program: [url]http://www.ccivf.com/embryo_program.html[/url]

Embryos Alive: [url]http://www.embryosalive.com/[/url]

Jacksonville Center for Reproductive Medicine: [url]http://jcrm.org/page.php?page=Services%20Info&id=3[/url]

Miracles Waiting: [url]http://miracleswaiting.org/membersonly3/modules/tinycontent/?id=1[/url]

National Embryo Donation Center (NEDC) (aka National Embryo Adoption Center) [url]http://www.embryodonation.org/index.html[/url]

Nightlight Christian Adoptions (Snowflakes): [url]http://www.nightlight.org/snowflakeadoption.htm[/url]

Prenatal Adoption: [url]http://prenataladoption.com/[/url]

Reprotech: [url]http://www.reprot.com/PApages/donor.html[/url]

You can also find out if your local reproductive endocrinologist has a program (SEVERAL DO!).

Finding a donor clinic:

To find a clinic in your area that handles Donor Embryos, click here: [url]http://www.sart.org/find_frm.html[/url] and enter your zipcode. Click on a clinic name and then click to view their ART data report. At the bottom of the report, it will tell you if they work with Donor Embryos or not. Of these clinics, some have their own in-house supply of Embryos and some require that you locate your own elsewhere and then have them shipped to the clinic. Contact each clinic for details on which options they offer.

Sometimes clinics will work with donor embryos, even if they don't have an in-house program. So you can still contact clinics in that list and double check. A quick phone call is worth a lot. :)

In addition, please be sure to ask who they use for Cryogenic storage etc. Many clinics who do not have a program, refer their clients to the cryogenics places, as many cryogenics places DO have their own donor embryo programs.

[size=150]News/Stories/Informational:[/size]
Embryo Adoption or Embryo Donation?: The Distinction and Its Implications: [url]http://www.cbhd.org/resources/reproductive/cunningham_2003-04-17.htm[/url]

EMBRYO ADOPTION: Saving lives and building families: [url]http://www.christianexaminer.com/Articles/Articles%20Jun06/Art_Jun06_20.html[/url]

Seeing Them for What They Are: [url]http://www2.focusonthefamily.com/focusmagazine/sohl/a000000155.cfm[/url]

Adoption, not Donation: [url]http://www.preconception.com/articles/alternative-family-building/adoption-not-donation-1321/[/url]

For the Least of These: [url]http://www2.focusonthefamily.com/focusmagazine/sohl/a000000110.cfm[/url]

Embryo Adoption I-II: [url]http://resources.family.org/product/cd265.do?code=ol03xrdrc[/url]

Should Fertilized Eggs Have Rights? [url]http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1686729,00.html[/url]

Snowflake Kids: What Should We Do With Frozen Embryos? [url]http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1428794/posts[/url]

Frozen Embryo's are a Human Life [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Vp7NAsS02Y[/url]

Choosing Embryo Adoption [url]http://www.perspectivespress.com/carembryo.html[/url]

Resolve: Embryo Donation - A Family Building Option
An Online Guide for Potential Recipients of Donated Embryos [url]http://www.resolve.org/site/PageServer?pagename=lrn_wamo_pr[/url]

Resolve: Embryo Donation - A Family Building Option
An Online Guide for Potential Embryo Donors [url]http://www.resolve.org/site/PageServer?pagename=lrn_wamo_pd[/url]


[size=150]Books[/size]
Before You Were Born...Our Wish For A Baby (The Story of Embryo Donation) - by Janice Grimes

Embryo Donation and Embryo Adoption: Loving Choices for Christians - by John D. Van Regenmorter, Slyvia A. Van Regenmorter

Hope & Will Have a Baby: The Gift of Embryo Donation - by Iréné Celcer

A Blessing from Above (Little Golden Book) by Patti Henderson (Author), Elizabeth Edge (Illustrator)


[size=150]Personal Stories![/size]
Lancaster embryo adoption story [url]http://www.truveo.com/Lancaster-embryo-adoption-story/id/1451788909[/url]

Twins adopted as embryos [url]http://www.baptistpress.org/bpnews.asp?id=25943[/url]

EMBRYO ADOPTION: Saving lives and building families [url]http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=23365[/url]

EMBRYO ADOPTION: Unique process was answer to three years of infertility for Houston, Texas couple [url]http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=23366[/url]

EMBRYO ADOPTION: Birth of twins, formerly frozen embryos, gives young couple unique outlook on stem cell debate [url]http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=23372[/url]

EMBRYO ADOPTION: 'It's the cure for infertility,' mother says after giving birth to 2 children through embryo adoption [url]http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=23384[/url]

For This Child I Prayed [url]http://www.bethany.org/A55798/bethanyWWW.nsf/c79edbd86c517a1d852569c800702556/98d1255a5f22fdbe85257289006fa5f7?OpenDocument[/url]

Goodness of God [url]http://www.bethany.org/A55798/bethanyWWW.nsf/c79edbd86c517a1d852569c800702556/b3743aca1e62933d85257289006f62cf?OpenDocument[/url]


[size=150]Other Embryo Adoption Message Boards/Support:[/size]
Bethany Christian Services: [url]http://discussion.bethany.org/index.php[/url]

Cafe Mom: [url]http://www.cafemom.com/[/url]

Child of My Heart: [url]http://s1.zetaboards.com/Child_Of_My_Heart/index/[/url]

Hannah's Prayer: [url]http://hannahsprayer.org/board/index.php?act=idx[/url]
Note: Hannah's Prayer is a private forum. Joining is free. You have to post an intro, and then a total of 10 posts before you see all the forums, including the very active Embryo Adoption forum.

Stepping Stones: [url]http://stepforums.bethany.org/index.php?sid=def9240254aa88e57ca0c50f2bccc435[/url]


[size=150]Canada[/size]
Frozen dreams [url]http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2003/nov/16/health.genetics[/url]

Embryo adoption solves dilemma for Cdn couple [url]http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20020831/embryo_adoption_020831/[/url]

Embryo-adoption program to offer couples last chance: [url]http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/RTGAMArticleHTMLTemplate?tf=tgam/realtime/fullstory_print.html&cf=tgam/realtime/config-neutral&articleDate=20020304&slug=wxembry&date=20020304&archive=RTGAM&site=Front[/url]

Another new agency!

[url]http://www.adoptionsfromtheheart.org/heartbeats/index.html[/url]

The program is called Heartbeats, and it is through Adoptions from the Heart.

Another new agency! This one is run by a church! :)

[url]http://adoptanembryo.net/[/url]

Embryo Adoption Services of Cedar Park

Housing

Well, we might be selling our townhome and building a single family home again. I'm very excited about this. Guess we'll know more for sure in a couple weeks when we sit down with the builder.

James - Bible Study

Well, I have been asked to help co-facilitate a small group Bible study. It starts as a large group, and we'll have about 10 women in our small group together. It will be fun! We're doing the Nav Press book (if I remember right). I've completed the first few chapters, and it's a wonderful study! It is about growing in Christ, going through trials, and asking God for wisdom, and DOING. You cannot just read the Bible. You have to act upon what you've read too. You must live out your life in Christ, not just read about it.

So I'm excited to learn more about living out the Word too.

And in ties in nicely with what we're doing at the church the next 7 weeks too. We're going to be studying living inside out. Allowing Christ to work through us, and for us to show Christ to those around us. Also going to be very interesting! :)

The Duggars

Well the Duggars are expecting #19, and I'm very happy for them! When I heard they were expecting, I also heard they had experienced miscarriage long ago. So I went and read their blog: http://www.duggarfamily.com/aboutus.html

Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar married July 21st, 1984. At that time, they chose to use the birth control pill. They thought, “We don’t want children right now. We can’t afford them. We want children in our timing, when we’re ready.” Four years later they decided to have their first child. Then, Michelle went back on the pill, but she conceived and had a miscarriage. At that point they talked with a Christian medical doctor and read the fine print in the contraceptives package. They found that while taking the pill you can get pregnant and then miscarry. They were grieved! They were Christians! They were pro-life! They realized that their selfish actions had taken the life of their child. They prayed and asked God to forgive them, and to teach them to love children like He loves children. They asked God to bless them with as many children as He saw fit in His timing. Right after that Michelle got pregnant with twins! To date they have been blessed with 17 children, (10 boys and 7 girls) Joshua (& wife Anna), Jana & John-David (twins), Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy-Anna, Jedidiah & Jeremiah (twins), Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johannah, Jennifer (and #18 due in January 2009!).

Of course they need to update that a baby was born, and they're expecting again. :) But we've been on birth control because of the embryo adoption. So I was discussing this with Joerg, and we prayed about it, and stopped the birth control. It is a while (May) before we will do another embryo adoption cycle. So we're seeing what God has in store for us. :) Very exciting!

This, that, and the other.

We were shown last week to another potential expectant mom, but she turned us down. But we have another showing on the 28th.

TV Free month is going well. The basement is 3/4 organized! It will soon be done. Then we will move on to organizing the garage. Now that will be a task! :)

We finally got going on the gym. We went Monday for an upper body work-out. And we went back this morning for a lower body workout. So every other day, and every other workout.

I've been enjoying walking on Monday mornings with a group of women from church. But I need to get more aerobics in. So I will. :)

Not too much going on. Just lots of busy work organizing and cleaning the house. It's a really nice feeling to get that done.

The no TV month has it very peaceful around the house. We aren't really listening to the radio much either. But we do listen in the evenings, to:

"Vine & Branches" (You can also listen online) http://www.rabbiyeshua.com/webstore/vine&branches/index.html

Followed by

"Walk in the Word" http://www.kkms.com/ministryaudio/walk_in_the_word/

That has been really enjoyable and informative too.

So all in all, things are looking pretty good right now. :)

Love,
Julie

TV Free Month

Ok, so we're going "TV FREE" for one month. With the exception of maybe am/pm news (so we can keep up to date with weather/storms etc.)

Anyhoo, as part of that, we're also cutting down on internet time as well. So I will be on here a lot less. As if I've posted a lot lately huh? :)

All this is part of our effort to break our little rut, get into better habits (walking, cleaning up big areas like garage, Bible study, talking time, reading books, I think you get the idea :) ).

So it's for a good purpose. :)

I remember a lecture I went to through Hearts at Home, where they said it's good to "fast" from TV or Internet for a month at a time here and there and just reconnect with God and stop any bad habits. Oh You want me to remember who that lecturer was too, don't you! Umm . . .

YES! I found it! It's Susie Larson: http://www.heartshoppe.com/6096.html


"Balance That Works When Life Doesn't"

For many Christian women, life seems out of control. The conflicting demands and various pulls on their time seem irreconcilable. Prepare healthy meals, exercise, rest, study and pray, serve, keep the household running, and even manage a career . . How can a woman possibly balance all the demands of a twenty-first century Christian lifestyle? Learn how to make choices that create a natural flow and rhythm that you can live with as you develop physical and spiritual health.

Anyway, I'll be praying for you all, and please pray that we have a truly blessed time. :)

Love,
Julie

This and that

Well, we still have not made it to the gym.

I was ready to work on the garage and basement on Saturday, when Joerg had a headache. Then Sunday, we were out visiting friends, and I came down with a headache that won't quit! It is still here, on Wednesday.

So we haven't gotten to the gym this week yet either.

Not much else going on.

Getting to the Gym

I stink at getting to the gym. I sit here all dressed and ready to go. But I think I'll wait until Joerg get's home and see if he'll go with me over there. We haven't been since we signed up!

Well, at least we're getting the carpets shampooed. Now if we can just get that basement and garage organized . . .

I think I just need a little more discipline. Any ideas how I can get that?

May 23, 2009

I had a really good trip. I posted pictures on Facebook. :) Too many to post here! :D


I'm still suffering jet lag. I keep trying to stay up later, but I end up waking up at 5 am anyways!!! So I am going to try going to bed at 9pm instead of 10/11. I need my sleep. :) I was up until 945 last night.


The Dr. at the NEDC would like me to lose weight before we try again. It's really weird. Not that he wants me to lose weight, but what I'm about to say. I weigh the same as I did 1 year ago. I have proof. I have my weight logs. But I look way heavier in pictures than I did. It's just bizarre!


Anyway, we're joining a gym today. It's less than a mile from our house. I'm excited. I have a routine too. It's from "Get Stronger Feel Younger". It puts you through everything, but tells you how to use the machines. In fact, it tells you 3 different ways:

1. in the gym with those machines

2. at home with a bowflex type machine

3. at home with free weights


And then it gives you the complete routine and how to breath and use the equipment properly. And it's easy to read!!! :D So I'm excited. I have used it before, when we were members at another gym that was more expensive and a lot further away. I gave up on it last year thinking too much money. But now I'm like, I should have kept it up! I'm excited there's this gym so near to us and they have all the machines we need, and a pool! :D So hopefully I can turn this fat blob around and get back to fit.


So that's kinda what I'm up to.


In Germany we basically went around visiting the relatives. We went to an aunt and uncle. And then we also went to a cousin reunion. And went to another aunt and uncle. And we went to a lake and walked around there too.


We did a LOT of walking. Lemmie see if I can copy it over from FB:
Just how much walking do you get done if you're on vacation visiting relatives in Germany?

I took my pedometer. didn't have it on every day but here goes:
4/29-4/30 was flight.
5/1 didn't wear ped.
5/2 13,247
5/3 car trip to relatives, didn't wear.... Read More
5/4 11,384
5/5 10,360
5/6 5,451
5/7 18,859 (that's not a typo)
5/8 7,218
5/9 11,090
5/10 2,986
5/11 7,611
5/12 6,704
5/13 6,205
5/14 7,881
5/15 8,196
5/16 11,694
5/17 7,989 (just in case you wondered how many steps you'd take if you were on 2 different planes, 3 airports, crossing the ocean from Germany to Atlanta and back to MPLS).



5/7 was our 15th anniversary. We took my parents-in-law and drove to Hannover. And we parked by the train station and walked all over. My IL's are older. So we didn't walk fast, or very far with them either. Nothing more than they could handle. A few times they went to sit down and had us run through stores. We went to some stores they wanted to see. We had a nice time dining out over lunch. Then we drove back home. And when we were home, Joerg & I went across the bridge over the Weser river to the Fair and walked a couple times around. So that's why we had sooooooo many steps!!! Boy did my feet ever hurt. I had to take it easy for a bit (as you'll note the difference in the steps for a while).


This week with the jet lag and everything I haven't been getting my walking in. So I gave up on my ped for this week. Now that we're joining the gym I'll start wearing it again. Goal is of course at least 10,000 steps a day, from the time you get out of bed, until you go back into it again.


I have been productive though! Getting up early in the morning, I actually feel like working on the house, and then the jet lag hits about mid morning and it's just blah. I had Caribou Coffee one day. And then yesterday I made 2 cups at home. I have been trying to avoid the caffeine though.


Let's see . . .


* completely emptied and washed (literally pulled drawers out and hand washed et al) the fridge as I left veggies in there and they spoiled, and well, let's just say there wasn't a whole lot left as I went through condiments and tossed a lot of them too.

* shopped for basic necessities to restock fridge

* briefly went through pantry (had gone through before we left)

* shampooed spots of the carpet (pretreating)

* laundry of course! Although my MIL did all the laundry before we left. So I just had to hang it all back up. It was just laundry we had some left before we left, and then of course what we were wearing and towels. I have more to do today too . . .

* called several gyms trying to compare prices and facilities and contracts and month to month etc. I'm really excited about the one we're joining today. Well, sounds like we're joining that one. I'll have to let you know for sure later.

* vacuumed several times


I don't know. regular stuff we're supposed to do everyday like dishes. But I would get everything done before like 9am because I just felt tired after that. Last couple days I've been forcing myself to do stuff in the afternoon trying to adjust my time frame. We'll see how it goes.


Paid my bills and balanced the checkbook too. :)


I have a specific weight I'm supposed to be below before August 1. Typically in the past, like at WW, I would never lose more than 1.6 pounds a week, as my average. But I didn't work out like this. But WW never let me get very far and I'd stop losing and platau for like months bouncing around the same weight.


Anyway, I am diagnosed Insulin Resistant. I am going to use the Insulin Resistance Diet, and the gym and see what happens. But honestly, I need to lose more than 3 pounds a week to make the goal. Scary for me. But I'm determined. I know that on Biggest Loser they work out 6 to 8 hours a day. No way do I need to kill myself that much. But I figure if I can get my weights in 3 days a week, and try aerobics (bike/treadmill) for an hour and day, and join the aqua fit classes (I think they're 4 or 5 days a week) that it might really kick my body into gear. Hopefully . . . I don't want to overdo it either. So we'll see how my body responds. If it rebells too much I'll slow down back to 30 minutes of aerobics a day. But I was able to do all that walking, other than my feet hurting, without problem. And my primary Dr. told me that I would do very well with the recumbant bikes. So we'll see how it goes. :) I have some friends who want to go walking with me at least once a week too. So this will really get me out there, motivation to keep it up. And if I can get myself really going strong before August, maybe I can really make it a habit to keep up. I know they said that after they lose the weight from those 6-8 insane hours a day, they back it down to 1 to 2 hours a day for maintenance. We'll see what needs to be done as I go. I might find I like a class or something to switch things up as we go too. Gotta keep it fun and interesting right? :D


So I have a few goals this weekend.

*clean/organize/unpack garage
*clean/organize/unpack basement
*shampoo carpets
*join gym

We'll see how much I can get done!


Love,

Julie

Just call me abscent minded!

I neglected to mention that we celebrated our 15th anniversary on May 7th! :D We celebrated by taking Joerg's parents with us to Hannover, and walking around, going out to dinner over lunch, and shopping. It was a good day, and of course the reason we had over 18,000 steps that day! Mutti & Papa did not walk as much as we did. They sat down and had us run through some stores too. And when we came home, we walked across the bridge over the Weser and walked a couple times around the Fair.

Hard to believe it's 15 years already! Time just keeps slipping by. At the same time, while it seems so short of time since we married, it seems like a long time since we started trying to have kids, with assistance from Doctors or adoption people etc. We started medications for trying to conceive all the way back in December of 2000. So I guess that means well, just a long time trying to start a family, and a long time waiting on the list for adoption too.

I know God has a plan for us. Sometimes I wonder why it has to be such a long and hard one. And at the same time, I look around and see the paths others have to take, and I'm thankful we haven't had to go through some things ourselves, as well. The Lord truly knows what we are able to handle. And what we're not able to handle, He helps us to handle. I just praise Him for being in our lives and caring about us.

Love,
Julie

So what are we up to now?

Ok, so I know you're really wondering after all those posts I copied over from my posts on Hannah's Prayer, what we're up to now.

Dr. K at the NEDC would like me to lose weight before we try another transfer possibly in September. So I'm doing the Insulin Resistance Diet. Joerg & I are also looking into joining a gym this weekend.

We just got back from a trip to Germany to visit the in-laws. We had a great time! I walked a LOT! But I didn't lose any weight. I guess I balanced out all the food I'm not used to eating!

ust how much walking do you get done if you're on vacation visiting relatives in Germany?

I took my pedometer. didn't have it on every day but here goes:
4/29-4/30 was flight.
5/1 didn't wear ped.
5/2 13,247
5/3 car trip to relatives, didn't wear.... Read More
5/4 11,384
5/5 10,360
5/6 5,451
5/7 18,859 (that's not a typo)
5/8 7,218
5/9 11,090
5/10 2,986
5/11 7,611
5/12 6,704
5/13 6,205
5/14 7,881
5/15 8,196
5/16 11,694
5/17 7,989 (just in case you wondered how many steps you'd take if you were on 2 different planes, 3 airports, crossing the ocean from Germany to Atlanta and back to MPLS).

I'm still suffering some from jet-lag. Joerg seems to have recovered more than I have.

We have a dear friend who is thinking of possibly sharing her embryos (also via embryo adoption) with us. But I won't leave anything details about that here, because it's totally up to them, and I don't want to pressure them at all. Which is why I just mention it, so it's an honest update that you all (whoever reads my blog! :) ) know what's up with us right now.


We've been waiting on the domestic infant waiting list since 11/30/2007, and there really hasn't been much movement there. We'll see what God has planned as time goes on here.

In the meantime, we're going to work on cleaning out the garage and basement, and getting fit and losing weight. :)

Love,
Julie

Apr 26, 2009

Ok, . . .

So I guess I need to update my journey here huh. smile.gif

Um, this is the quick version:

The beta was negative. Dr. K did not even want me to take a 2nd beta. He asked me to stop all the meds right away.

Dr. K would like me to lose 35 pounds before August 1, and then we may do a September transfer. So I'm working on it. I'm using The Insulin Resistance Diet, and exercise. And I need to weigh in at my local Dr. or OB and have them fax results down. At latest, in one month intervals. He prefers more often.

I'm back on 1/50 birth control pills because my cycles become non-existent if I don't go on or do something.

We decided to take a trip to Germany to visit the in-laws. We figure this is a good time to do so, as we're not pregnant, etc.

Oh, we have a charge for the follow-up phone call. It was $50 something. I will have to look it up and post the right amount later.

We're also back on the domestic infant waiting list in the meantime as well.

I am thinking about possibly moving these posts over into my blog, which I haven't really updated in forever . . . . not sure if I want to do that or not. I made the blog private. And I like that it's private here to post about all this stuff too. I guess I need to think and pray about that.

I recently changed my username here from Ready2bMama to JulieSmurf. A nick-name I earned here chatting in Life Outside Fertility. So that's really the explanation there. Short form anyway. wink.gif

Thank you everyone for your support and prayers; they mean so much to me!

As always, if anyone has questions about what I've gone through with the NEDC, or with Bethany Christian Services in going through their homestudy, please don't hesitate to ask.

Love,
Julie

Mar 28, 2009

Beta's are 4/3 and 4/6 biggrin.gif


I have been sleepy and sleeping like crazy!

My thoughts:

relaxing after adrenoline (sp?) of all the excitement?
PIO & Estrace?
it was raining in TN?
long drive?

I slept about 1/2 the time on the 2 day drive. I napped a lot in the hotel room. And I am even napping today, after getting home last night!!!!

I know it's too early to be from a pregnancy, so what gives?

Mar 24, 2009

Wanted to add: The 5 embryos thawed were all from the first donor. That's all there was from the first donor, and we didn't use the 2nd donor then.

Mar 24, 2009

So they come in to check how I'm doing. They ask if my bladder is full and I say yes, I really need to pee. (it's about to become a dominant theme here . . . )

They walk me back in, and Joerg goes back into the waiting area.

I get on their table. And I see the video camera and the photographer behind where my head will be. They're videotaping through the window to the embryologist area, and the monitors watching placement etc.

The photographer gets lots of pictures. At the end, she said if I give her my email addy, she'll send me the pictures. Isn't she sweet! And she also told me I was very brave.

So the dr. again asks if my bladder is full, and they do an ultrasound. I mention I really have to pee. He mentions that if it's not full enough they can add fluid, and if they need to, they can also siphon (sp?) off. But he does a quick ultrasound and says it looks good.

So the get me set up. They ask how I'm doing, and I say I'm nervous about the alcohol swabdown. He said, how did you know about that? It's supposed to be a surprise! (he's laughing/joking about it). I say, I've heard about it from people who've been here before. smile.gif

The wipe everything down on the inside with alcohol. STINGS STINGS STINGS STINGS STING! Did I mention it stings? Ok, . . . so then they put something else that stops the stinging in there. It eventually does feel better. They put the speculum in. They put the tube in. They set up the ultrasound on the monitor, and ask how I'm doing. I'm fine, just really need to pee. That's normal. And of course the ultrasound doesn't help.

They suggest I relax. I say, I'm afraid if I relax, I'll pee. I'm told there's a bucket under the table, so don't worry about it if that would happen.

The embryologist passes the embryos in another tube to the dr. The dr. then inserts that tube into the first tube (which is placed for easy transfer). And they get them in there. Then then remove that tube, and they look through and the tube is clear, so now to look through the outer tube. The dr. says it's just precautionary, he's only had it very very seldom/rare that an embryo gets stuck in the outer tube.

Embryolist says, there's one in there!!! The Dr. said, he just jinxed himself. We all laugh.

So they get a fresh tube, and then put the embryo into another fresh tube. Meanwhile, I really have to pee . . . They ask how I'm doing, and I mention as bad as it seems it's on my brain more than the embryos, I really have to pee . . .

They look through the inner tube, then the outter tube, this time it's clean. smile.gif

So now they take the speculum out. It is literally stuck to my "walls" because of the drying out of the alchol. Dr. said, well, you were also in here twice as long as normal, and that's part of it.

So I ask if I can pee now. Yes, but I have to pee into a bedpan!!! So they wheel me into the recovery area, and set me head down, feet up, and give me a bedpan. And they let Joerg back in. I can't pee. I'm upside down, laying down, this does NOT work for me . . . They try running water for me (and I feel bad for the people on other sides of curtains waiting to go in who probably want to pee too!) About a 1/2 hour later, they try to use a cath on me. Can't get it to work. Try a 2nd cath, lubed. Doesn't work. They call for backup to help cath. I finally pee on my own. They said my bladder was spasming because I really needed to pee! LOL

I stay head down for a full hour.

They come in and go over my restrictions. Bed rest for 24 hours. This is different. Last fall, they had said, you can go to the movies, but not walk around. Andrea said she was surprised they changed this too. So bed rest for me! biggrin.gif It's worth it!!!!


When we leave, we check into our new hotel. What a difference! I can breath. It's so clean! It's just a wonderful king suite. smile.gif If we come back for a 2nd try or a 2nd attempt at more children, I think we'll stay here again. smile.gif





Oh, please ask questions, I can't remember sometimes if I forget things, and I'm willing to talk about whatever we're going through so everyone knows what to expect (or what to possibly expect).

Mar 24, 2009

So we go back into the waiting area.

There I look, and see, I should back a step up and say that we were meeting a couple we met on the Facebook group started by Jen! They were transferring the same day, trying for their 2nd. So we walk into the room, and I see them, and I think, is that them! And they're looking at us and smiling, and I say, are you Andrea? And she say yes! They live in Minnesota too! How cool is that Jen! You start a group, and we meet another couple on that group and they are from MN and also transfering the same day!!!

So we talk for a brief moment, and then they go back for their interview. The paper is interviewing 3 couples today.

I take my 2 Valium, (cost $0.30 for generic) my 3 Advil, my 1 Albuterol pill. And I start feeling really loopy at 15 minutes later.

Then they come and take us back. I change into my hospital gown, get on the guerney, and cover with the blanket. There's a small wait, longer than expected. Partly has to do with the news crew I think, interviewing and following the Cryoembryologist around. I'm checked on by the Dr., and the nurses, and sign the paperwork about diseases etc (Those FDA forms).

The Dr. lets us know that they ended up having to thaw 5, and 3 survived.

The Embryologist comes in, followed by the news crew. And she's going over the embryos, and everything:

8 cell/grade 2 (compacting = going into next stage)
8 cell/grade 2
8 cell/grade 3

They said they've had positive pregnancies with both 2's & 3's. Oh! Scale is 1 to 5, 1 being best.

They give me a picture of the 3 embryos. I'll have to scan it when we get back home. smile.gif

After the crew leaves, and I ask if they're going to be in the transfer room too? And they assure me, only the female photographer, and only if I'm comfortable with it. They tell me she'll be standing at my head, and not picture anything private. I look at Joerg, and we decide it's ok.


. . . . more coming . . . .

Mar 24, 2009

So we get to the NEDC about 9 am, and they give us a prescription for the Valium. That's about 9:10 am. They also give me waiver forms to sign, so we can talk to the Tennessean, and they can talk about us to the Tennessean too. Joerg runs to get the prescription filled. I think it's about 940 when he gets back. And then we run back and talk with the interview.

We walk into the room, and there's the communications person from the NEDC, a reporter, a cameraman, and a photographer.

The cameraman puts a microphone on me. I don't think anything of it. I don't even think I thought much of the video camera, as other than a recording device. I mean, it's a newspaper right?

So I'm sitting there, rocking side to side in my little swivel chair as we answer questions, and the photographer snaps photos.

Then it comes time, and the nurse says it's time for me to take my meds, it's now an hour before transfer (about 10 am eastern).

And then we ask about getting copies of the newspaper. And they said they'd send a copy to the NEDC to send to us. And then they told us that the video would be online in 1 to 2 weeks as well!!! EEEEK! So glad I wore makeup . . . but I feel really silly about swiviling around in my chair! But I was nervous and didn't think much about that video camera!!!


Ok, part three coming up . . .

Mar 24, 2009

The trip:

We left Sunday early, like about 740 am. I took the first leg, and drove about 4 hours. We drove about 11 hours that day. All the way from Apple Valley MN to Columbus IN. We listened to books on cd, and that was wonderful to pass the time. Plus, we can pause whenever we needed to.

We stayed at the Marriot there, and it was a great hotel.

Took off maybe at 930? eastern, and arrived at 3pm to our next hotel.

We stayed at the Baymont Inn & Suites in Farragut, TN.

Now, I always ask for smoke free, away from smoking, because of allergies, and Joerg has asthma (brought on by allergies). So the put us in a room. It's ok. Long about 6pm, it starts getting "smokie". If you're a non-smoker and have been in hotels that allow smoking, you know what I mean. You can't get away from it. It seeps into the room in the bathroom. It seeps in around the windows and walls. It creeps in. And gets stuffy. And sometimes it helps to have the AC on, but not always. It was NASTY.

So . . .

Before we go to bed last night, we realize . . . we forgot to bring the Valium!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's at home in the dresser. sad.gif Oh well, we know there's Walgreens nearby, and we can get to the clinic early and if they have it on hand good, otherwise we'll go to the pharmacy.

Next morning, we wake up. Smoke is worse.

Joerg gives me my PIO shot.

Joerg pops his laptop open and announces he's looking for another hotel. I hop under the shower, and when I come out, he asks me to call a couple places while he hops under the shower.

I called the Comfort Suites, as they're another non-smoking chain. They were kind enough to offer me a "corporate rate" as they didn't have the hospital rate. So we're in here for about $80 before taxes. Yes, more than the Baymont, but WORTH IT! So we book it.

I get my make-up on, and Joerg packs everything up and loads the car. We have our little breakfast and check out. They're nice enough about it at the front desk, even saying that they should have put us on the 3rd floor (we asked for first) and that people smoke in the rooms even though it's non-smoking, and "What can you do other than charge them the fine after they leave?"

So we get to the NEDC about 9:10 am . . . .


**** breaking post up because it might get long! smile.gif

Mar 24, 2009

Thank you all soooo much!!!! biggrin.gif

Ok, here's the "short story" and then I'm typing up the LOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong story . . . so bear with me. smile.gif


We transferred at the NEDC (National Embryo Donation Center) in TN.

We transferred 3 embies.

Thawed 5, and 2 didn't make it.

8 cell/grade 2 (compacting = going into next stage)
8 cell/grade 2
8 cell/grade 3

They said they've had positive pregnancies with both 2's & 3's. Oh! Scale is 1 to 5, 1 being best.

Mar 21, 2009

Oh! All the extras from the 9x13 pans are also individually frozen. It just helps I have meals prepared then for Joerg for lunch (and myself too I guess. smile.gif ) Or even for dinners when we get back, if I don't feel like running around and prepping something. smile.gif

And I have the 6 weeks bran muffins in the fridge for more easy muffins for dinner (and lots of fiber! smile.gif ) I baked 18 of them to take with us. Um, I ate one, so 17. chocobunny.gif

Ok, so they're not chocolate. But I haven't had them in years and they're SO YUMMY! biggrin.gif

Mar 21, 2009

We leave tomorrow morning, right after the 7am PIO shot. We're finishing packing this afternoon, including packing the car!

I have a mini Food Saver. So we baked (Joerg helped me! smile.gif ) 5 casseroles in 9x13 pans:

Escalloped potatoes
Tator tot casserole
Foil dinner
Hash brown casserole
Lasagna

And for the 2 lunches where we're all day in the hotel:
Rice a roni with chicken breast
Macaroni & Cheese with chili

And then we'll have bread and cheese and turkey and mayo and butter (Joerg likes butter when we use Sonnenblumenbrot. (sunflowerseed bread, from Germany)) for the car lunches (4 lunches).

Plus, we will have:
chex mix
popcorn (pop secret homestyle)
no bake cookies
macaroons
6 weeks bran muffins
bananas
club house crackers
plain potato chips from Lays

So the hotels will have breakfast. There's only 1 hotel that is a $7 buffet or something like that. And then I need to figure out breakfast on the run tomorrow.

We're 1/2 way ready I guess. biggrin.gif We have outfits laid out. Just really need to pack it all up! We've been running around so much, we're taking a slight break. smile.gif

Mar 21, 2009

First PIO shot this morning. The priolocain/lidocaine mix really did help!!!! Totally!!!

Ok, so this is what we did:

Yesterday at the ultrasound, the nurse drew two circles and drew lines through (a + sign) them for the PIO shots.

Joerg numbered the quarters 1, 2, 3, 4 clockwise.

AM will be left side.
PM will be right side.
Today is only one shot, so it went into "1" on the left.
Tomorrow will be "2" on both sides.
And follow on through so we're rotating.

I have my PIO is Progesterone in Ethyl Oleate. It's so much thinner! It almost looks like water!!!
So we have very small needles to inject. Large to draw, small to inject. Still 1 1/2" long.
It's 18 to draw and 23 to inject.

I have 2.5%/2.5% Lidocaine/Prilocaine prescription from my dr. My instructions are to make a blob on the area. Wait 15 minutes and inject.


So . . .

Joerg puts the blob on the correct quadrant. He then wraps the ice pack (one of those refreezable soft cover gel packs that "supposedly" can go directly on the skin) in 1 sheet of paper towel, and places it directly where it needs to be.

I hold it there and we wait 15 minutes.

In the meantime, he's drawing up the shots and pre-heating the heating pad on low.

He wipes with an alcohol wipe.

Then he does the injection (like you're supposed to, draw back to be sure no blood, inject slowly, but not horribly slow either).

Then he massages the area gently. He redraws the area with another sharpie marker, and puts a little circle bandaid on the injection site. He has to redraw, as the alcohol wipes start to remove the sharpie marks.

I didn't feel it at all. Not for at least an hour. Then it stung a little. But not bad! Not near as bad as I remember with the other oil. biggrin.gif We'll just see how it goes as we continue!

Oh, we made a list of dates and quarters so we keep track of what goes where when. smile.gif


--------------------
Julie - 36 & Joerg - 38
Married May 7, 1994
seeking concurrent adoptions:
domestic infant home study approved 11/30/2007
embryo adoption home study approved 07/15/2008

formerly known as Ready2bMama

Mar 20, 2009

Ultrasound today!

Lining is 10!

And my Estrodiol is 716! biggrin.gif


Progesterone in Oil shots start tomorrow morning. I take 1 in the morning only.
Then on Sunday, I take the shots 2x a day.

My Estrace goes back down to 2x a day tomorrow as well.



Also, we've been asked to do an interview for the Tennessean (TN newspaper) before our transfer on Tuesday morning, regarding embryo adoption. We said yes. smile.gif

Mar 9, 2009

Additional Costs update:

Donor 1:

FedEx Shipping: $225.35

Donor 2:
FedEx Shipping $69.29
Storage: $385.74
Labwork: $250.11

Again, donors have 6 months from transfer date to officially request reimbursement for these fees. I won't pay for Donor 2, if we do not use their embryos. These fees are paid on date of transfer (or billed if requested after).


I didn't have the FedEx fees last time I updated.

Mar 5, 2009

I posted this thread because I know there are many people who wonder what someone goes through when they go through an embryo adoption, and well, this is what you go through with the NEDC biggrin.gif I know people go through things maybe a little differently with the other agencies or matching services or local clinics, and I hope that they'll be able to come forward and post their journeys too so people know what to expect. It makes it nice knowing, this or that is also coming up. I have certainly benefited and appreciated others who have told me what they've gone through ahead of me with the NEDC too biggrin.gif

Mar 3, 2009

Ok, so I had my ultrasound and blood draw today and we're good to go!

They said to take 1/2 an Estrace (2mg) tab ASAP, and the other in the evening.

Then continue to follow the protocol (what I typed up earlier). biggrin.gif

Feb 28, 2009

Ok, here's what's on that protocol sheet, just to give everyone an idea of what I'm looking at:

So 2/22 I began Lurpon 1/2 mg daily
2/26 take last bcp
3/3 first u/s & e2. then they'll let me know about the Estrace.

Now, they had me on a higher dosage than my sheet said, in the mock. So I'm not sure if these will be accurate. But the sheet (which is just a form they gave me, with these numbers are part of the form, so I suppose they can change):

u/s & labs 3/3. When we receive your results, we will call you with clearance to begin Estrace.
Do not start Estrace until we have called you.
Days 1-4 (3/3 - 3/6) Begin by taking 1/2 Estrace tablet twice a day. Continue Lupron 0.5 mg
Days 5-9 (3/7 - 3/11) Increase Estrace to 1 tablet twice daily. Continue Lupron 0.5 mg
Days 10-"(they neglected to enter the number here) " (3/12 - 3/20) Increase Estrace to 1 tablet three times a day. Take last dose of Lupron on day 10 (forgot to enter date, but since it says day 10 is 3/12, . . . )
u/s & labs 3/20 When we receive results, we will call you with clearance to begin Progesterone
Do not start Progesterone until we have called you.
Progesterone day 1 (3/21) Continue Estrace 1 tablet ____ times per day as directed. Progesterone 50 mg (1cc) in A.M.
Progesterone day 2,3 (3/22 to 3/23) Continue Estrace 1 tablet ____ times per day as directed. Progesterone 50 mg (1cc) A.M. & P.M. until instructed to stop.
Continue same meds and doses until instructed to stop!
Will continue through 10-12 weeks with positive pregnancy.
Progesterone Day 4 3/24 Embryo Transfer Day 3 embryos.


It has spots on the form for Endo & E2 results from 3/3 & 3/20. And then the HCG results and u/s results from a positive pregnancy.

At the top it has info about me and the embryos, and the date to stop bcps.

Feb 25, 2009

Ok, so apparently I only need to have an uterine lining ultrasound check, and an E2 (estrodiol) check 2 times.

3/3 & 3/20.

I have a "roadmap" of how it all works out too. But they will direct me when to start Estrace and how much. And I will hear that part after the 3/3 ultrasound & E2 check. So I'll wait to make sure what I'm taking before I post it. biggrin.gif

Feb 24, 2009

Lupron shots: .5 mg (10 units) every evening at 7pm. Within a 1/2 hour my face gets bright red like a sunburn. It takes about 1 to 2 hours to calm down. Started those on 2/22.

This afternoon I had a horrible headache too. 2 Advil helped with that. And I'm trying to drink more water too.

I need to get walking! I'm going to try and go walking tomorrow . . .

Feb 21, 2009

Ok I have a correction :D


So the NEDC DOES work with you if you have bio kids :D It's just they give preference to those who do not. :)

Feb 20, 2009

[b]*** FEBRUARY 20, 2009 UPDATE[/b]

So I asked about the additional fees that could be due (embryo storage and mailing fees) and received this:

Below please find the potential fees attached to each set of embryos that you MAY use during your embryo transfer. The amount you owe will depend upon which embryos we need to thaw to be able to transfer 2-3 good quality embryos to you. If we only need to use your first choice then you only need to pay for that donor but if it is necessary to thaw additional embryos from your back-up choice (s) than the fees attached to those embryos will also apply. These fees are due on the day of your transfer. Our hope is that any donor requests for reimbursements are completed prior to your transfer but if we should receive a reimbursement request at a later date, you would be responsible for them.

All fees payable to NEDC via check or credit card day of transfer

[our first choice]

No fee reported to date.


[our second choice]

Embryo Storage $385.74

Labwork $250.11

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

So that of course led me to question, what is the cut-off date for donors to ask for reimbursements?

And I received this response:

We request that Donors submit their reimbursements no later than 6 months after the transfer.

Then I also asked what time my appointment will be on 3/24, and how the embryos are frozen/stored. I have heard recently, that while they only like to transfer 2 if the donor mom is under 30, and 3 if she was over 30 at the time of retrieval, and that while embryos CAN be refrozen, it is generally felt that this (refreezing) can be detrimental to the embryo. So if they are frozen in 3's, they will transfer 3. (Not true for 4 or more ;) )

I received this reply:

we will know your appointment time after your U/S and labwork have been completed.

The embryos are frozen per the protocol of the facility that formed them and she (the cryogenist) will thaw them (as few as possible at a time) based on how they are stored (which is typically 1-4 or 5 per straw or vial). She shares that [our first choice] has 2-3 per straw and [our second choice] has 2 in 2 vials.

Other news:

We have our hotels booked for the trip! It's a long trip for us and we intend to drive it. Joerg already figured out the route!!! :D We'll stop about 1/2 way each direction. And we intend to stay for 3 nights in Farragut as well. While it's not necessary to do so, and in fact most people only rest for 24 hours before proceeding home, Dr. Keenan had informed us at our mock, that as we are driving so long, it may be better to rest longer before traveling.

We have a Jetta TDI (that diesel ;) ) that gets about 50 miles to the gallon. So that's what we'll be driving.

Hotel on the way down cost 109.89 (all said and done)
Hotel on the way back cost 110.99 (all said and done)

We chose those two hotels specifically because we have a gift card of 150 for their chain! So that leaves us about $70 out of pocket. Not bad for the Marriot ;)

Our hotel in Farragut for the three nights all said and done is $205.48. Not bad. King room with microwave and fridge etc. Close to the NEDC as well.

I know some people are curious about how much we're spending on traveling, because the NEDC does require travel.


Distances:

DAY 1: 687 mi (10 hours 56 mins)
DAY 2: 327 mi (5 hours 1 min)

and back:

DAY 1: 492 mi (7 hours 33 mins)
DAY 2: 519 mi (8 hours 24 mins)



We plan on packing a cooler with some items to take with us. If anyone has suggestions on items we can take along easily on this trip for dinners/breakfasts/etc, that would be greatly appreciated! :D

Love,
Julie


PS: Our Lupron injections begin Sunday!!!

Feb 20, 2009

Copying this directly from another thread, figured it's good to have it altogether here. :)

Copying totals to the top here for easier perusal for totals:

So if anonymous: 5170 to 6770 plus possible fees for medications ultrasounds blood work and embryo storage fees and mailing fees. (This is EVERYTHING for the FET and the matching and the homestudy)

If open, add 3000 to BCS.

If semi-open through BCS add 4000. (remember completely avoidable if you chose to communicate through email instead, as most people do.)

I find the fees for anonymous to be fairly comparable to straight out FET fees. And certainly less than domestic infant. My domestic infant adoption fees itself being 14,550.

A more complete explanation and breakdown of fees:

First the website for the NEDC Fee Schedule: http://www.embryodonation.org/pdf/NEDC_Fee_Schedule.pdf

The NEDC costs are broken down like this:

(i.e., this is WHAT WE REALLY PAID):

$200 application fee (to NEDC) Paid when you apply. Can be a visa.
$800 program fee (to NEDC) This is paid at the initial appointment/mock transfer Can be a visa.
$495 to Dr. Keenan This is for that mock transfer, paid at the mock transfer/initial appointment. Can be a visa.
$2,675 to IVF Services (this is the FET!) Must be money order or cashier's check. Mine is due Mar 5, so I kinda assume it's the 5th of the month of your transfer? Not sure. You can overnight it ;)

In addition to that:

You (depending on your insurance) will have to pay for a local dr. to do Estrodial (blood test) checks, and uterine lining checks (trans-vaginal ultrasounds) which can even be done at a local OBGYN.

The medications. My insurance paid most of the medications. The medications you pay for FET are normally pregnancy support medications and are likely covered under your insurance.

Blood tests for STD checks etc. This is usually paid by your insurance as a normal physical check-up.



Donors may ask for reimbursement of STD checks, embryo storage fees, and embryo shipping costs. They have up to 6 months AFTER a transfer takes place to request that reimbursement.


Not everyone asks for them.

In our case, we have a primary and a back-up donor.

Our primary has yet to ask for any reimbursements.
Our secondary has asked the following:
Embryo Storage $385.74
Labwork $250.11

These are due on the day of transfer, when they know which embryos they're using. If they do not need to use the secondary donor embryos, then we do not pay those fees. These can also be paid via Visa.

Now, on to Bethany Christian Services, who does the homestudy. Their estimated fees are: 1000 to 2600, dependent on which office you use, and usually your income. Their fee is due when the homestudy is approved.

And the home study must be approved and sent to the NEDC to be looked over again and approved by them (doesn't take long) before you are scheduled for your initial appointment.





Our own fees we paid for that are difficult to explain because we were already approved for Domestic Infant Adoption and have the homestudy. So we paid a fee for concurrent adoptions, and a homestudy addendum fee. So the cost we paid then isn't really representative, unless of course you're doing concurrent adoptions yourself ;)




NOW: All told, that's it, IF you're doing ANONYMOUS



If however, you chose open adoption, then Bethany Christian Services charges additional fees.

$3,000 to communicate with all parties and execute the open adoption agreement.

Now, no additional fees apply, unless you or the donor chose to have communication be semi-open and go through Bethany Christian Services up until the child is 6 years old. Then it's an additional $4,000. And it's renewable. HOWEVER that is completely AVOIDABLE FEE if you simply open up an email account which you use for the adoption communication. :D



So, calculating . . .

$4170 to the NEDC basically (dr & FET et al)

possible charges of medications, ultrasounds, blood work, and embryo storage fees etc as mentioned.

1000 to 2600 for Bethany Christian Services for their homestudy.

possible 3000 for fully open adoption
possible 4000 if you insist that your communications go through Bethany for a semi-open. Most people set up the email account btw. ;)

So if anonymous: 5170 to 6770 plus possible fees for medications ultrasounds blood work and embryo storage fees and mailing fees.

If open, add 3000.

If semi-open through BCS add 4000. (remember completely avoidable if you chose to communicate through email instead)

Oh yes. Should it fail the first time and you need a 2nd go-around, it's $2,675 to IVF Services (this is the FET!).

I really hope this helps! :)


Edited because I copied the one amount over from an email and it messed everything with sizing up. - Ok, I hope that fixed it . . . :)

OK, edited again to make things clearer and add info :D

Edited again because I added when things are due ;)

Feb 12, 2009

So, somewhere in the beginning of December, I think maybe the 5th or 8th.

We looked through 13 profiles for anonymous adoption.

Anyway, the couple we chose, was one of the anonymous couples who had final say. We aren't Catholic, we're Evangelical Free, so that is why they turned us down. And I can understand that.

Anyway, we couldn't really click with anyone, and so set just one multi-cell on hold.

The Tennessee office does transfers every other month, whereas the Indy office does them every month. The profiles we looked through were just from the TN office.

So . . .

* 02/06 we received 31 profiles to look through. We narrowed down the field and checked on three or four of the multi-cells for more info. We chose our first choice (which had 5 multi-cells) and our back-up choice (which had 4 multi-cells). Everything went smoothly, and we are matched!



Now for that UPDATE:

So I have been taking birth control, without the sugar pills, since the cycle after the mock transfer. I had 1 week about the beginning of January of period where I stopped the pills for 7 days (because there was enough time between the next transfer date etc, to clean things out.). So I've been on 1/50 bcp's for about 5 weeks as of today.

*02/12 we received further instructions and our transfer date!!! biggrin.gif


* 02/22 start Lupron 0.5 mg/10 amps 1 time per day
* 02/26 take last birth control pill
* 03/03 schedule ultrasound and labs for estrodiol and lining thickness. The NEDC will fax over orders to my clinic

So I called and made that appointment, and let them know the fax is coming, and to call me when they receive the fax so we know all is clear.

My RE will have to call or fax the NEDC with the results. I have to call my RE to make sure they sent it, and the NEDC to make sure they received it. The NEDC said if they haven't called us by mid-afternoon, they didn't receive it.

After they receive the results, they will call with instructions on starting the Estrace.

* 03/24 TRANSFER DATE!

Feb 12, 2009

Frozen Embryo Transfer Patient Information Sheet After Embryo Transfer Care
1. Continue taking 1 doxycycline twice a day until gone.
2. After the embryo transfer you may experience some uterine cramping and pelvic pressure. You may take Motrin, Ibuprofen, or Aleve. Rest without heavy lifting for 24 hours.
3. Continue Progesterone in oil at your usual dosage until instructed to stop. If you begin to spot or bleed, call the office, but do not stop your progesterone until instructed to do so.
4. Remember, no intercourse for at least one week. Place nothing else into the vagina, including douches, except for prescribed medication for the next two weeks.
5. A blood pregnancy test (hCG) and progesterone level needs to be checked 12-13 days after transfer. The blood pregnancy level will be checked again 48 hours later, if the initial test is positive.
6. Continue your estrace tablets as before.
7. If you start to notice increased abdominal bloating and/or weight gain, please call the office.

Feb 12, 2009

Frozen Embryo Transfer Patient Information Sheet Embryo Transfer Instructions

1. You may eat a light breakfast and drink clear fluids prior to embryo transfer (remember, you need a full bladder) (I have been told they can fill that bladder if need be, but it's more pleasant for you to fill it yourself wink.gif )
2. For reasons that are not completely understood, it may be helpful to have intercourse the night before your embryo transfer.
3. The night before your embryo transfer, take 2 Doxycycline at bedtime
4. The morning of your embryo transfer, take 1 or 2 Valium (for relaxation if needed), 3 Advil and 1 Albuterol one to two hours before your scheduled time of transfer.
5. Please DO NOT empty your bladder prior to arrival. A full bladder is needed for the procedure.
6. Continue taking 1 doxycycline twice a day for 2 days.
7. Continue your progesterone at the current dose. Also contineut he Estrace tablets if prescribed.

Feb 12, 2009

While we were at our mock transfer/initial appointment talking with Dr. Keenan, he told us a few things:


* When chosing anonymous, do not worry about the "what if" medical problems, as if there is a medical need, he will contact both families.

* That embryos can be refrozen. They are frozen in "straws" of 1 to 6 embryos typically in a straw. So if they have to thaw out too many (can't get them out of the tube one at a time, it's thaw all) then they can refreeze the ones they are not using for the current cycle.



So we ended up chosing anonymous for the embryo adoption. The NEDC has about 50/50 with anonymous and open donors.


At the mock transfer/initial appointment, we also signed the "Extended Consent & Additional Information for Embryo Adoption Through The NEDC"

Medicines I had to order:
Valium
Estrace
Progesterone in Oil
Birth control pills
Leuprolide
needles/alcohol wipes etc

Medicines they gave me at the clinic:
Doxycycline (6)
Advil (3)
Albuterol pill (1)


As I'm an out of town patient, I was also instructed to follow-up with my local RE to be sure the results of labs and ultrasounds were faxed down right away. If the NEDC doesn't get them on time, it can mess up and even cancel a cycle. The NEDC doesn't have time to chase the info from all patients, and asks us to please help them with this.

Personally I was instructed to do the bcp's without taking the sugar pills.

We were given helpful sheets with information like don't smoke, don't drink.

Then we were given this:

Frozen Embryo Transfer Patient Information Sheet
1. Have prescriptions for any medications and or needles filled as soon as possible.
2. Make sure that all fees have been paid. If not, please make an appointment to speak with the office manager as soon as possible.
3. Complete injection teaching with the person who will be giving the injections if not already done. This can be scheduled with the nurse. (Joerg did our injections with the IVF, and the Injectables/IUI, so we're clear there.)
4. Some time off from work may be needed. Office visits for ultrasounds and early morning blood draws may be frequent. If forms need to be filled out for your employer please let us know as soon as possible.

(more coming)

Feb 12, 2009

So for anonymous, we first get a set of 1 sheet papers, and they have on them (I should mention, this 1 page basic sheet is filled out by the NEDC, based on the bigger sheet):

* 2pn, multi, blasts, & # of them
* donor #
* state of residence
two columns for husband/wife
if one is a donor, husband or wife is crossed out and it's labeled donor oocyte or donor sperm etc.
* age
* race
* height
* weight
* blood type
* eye color
* hair color
* hair type (straight/wave etc)
* skin tone (fair/medium/dark)
* body build (small/medium/large)
* college graduate? field of work (like environmental engineer, stay at home mom)
* ethnic background


We're told to pick a main couple, and enough back-ups to get us 6 embryos (roughly). But there's a couple rules with that. If there's more than 6 embryos, you don't need a back-up. Like stage must = like stage. So 2pn = 2pn, blast = blast. Only exception, is a 2pn is allowed a multi-cell back-up. I'm guessing they may culture the 2pn's to multis, but I need to ask that yet. But no other exception to the match is allowed.

You then can call with a couple you want to look at a little closer. Then you get the full sheets. I should say, I think we had 13 couples to look through in December. And we asked for info originally about 3 of them.

The big sheet is what the embryo donors fill out. It's sent with the same first small short page in front, so we can see who they were again (which donor #, etc). :)
Has first husband, then wife, with this info:
physical characteristics
height
weight
race (circle all that apply) and gives an "other" blank to fill in too
family ethnicity (circle all that apply) (also gives the "other" with a blank)
drug allergies
are you a twin? Identical, fraternal?
hands: right handed, left handed, ambidextrous
Hair:
color at birth
present color
shade
texture
body (that was all for hair)
Eye color
complexion
body build
Medical History
acne
bleeding tendency or problem
thyroid disease
prostrate disease
diabetes
high blood pressure
heart problems
hepatitis
mitral valve prolapse
kidney disease
liver disease
urinary tract infections
blood clots in legs or lungs
psychological or emotional problems
depression
victim of sexual abuse
consume more than 7 alcoholic drinks/week
If you answered "YES" to any of the questions, please explain details
Have you ever been hospitalized in the past?
if yes: date/reason
Please list all previous surgical procedures
date/type of surgery/complications
Genetic/family history
Do any members of your immediate family or extended family (aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, or grandparents) have:
Down's syndrome
tay sach
thalassemia
schizophrenia
huntington's disease
hemophilia
muscular dystrophy
neurofibromatosis
von recklinghausen's disease
fragile x syndrome
congenital heart disease
birth defects
alzheimer's
mental illness
depression
diabetes
arthritis
cystic fibrosis
marfan's syndrome
hereditary anemia
sickle cell anemia
mental retardation
heart attack before age 50
chromosomal abnormalies
Please list type of relationship to each of the above
Education:
highest educational degree obtained
middle school, high school, colege, graduate school, post graduate school
major
occupation
hobbies & interests
personal favorites
color
food
music/band/singer
movie
song
hobbies
athletic enjoyments
talents
sports played
if yes what sports
musical instrument played
if yes what instruments
artistic talents: painting, drawing, sculpting, carving, singing, songwriting, dancing, writing, acting, other:

WIFE
same as above.




So then you go over that info and verify that you're still ok :D

Then you call back and say, I'd like donor # ####
and if you need a back-up to get the 6 embryos minimum, then you say, and I'd like donor # #### for the back-up.






On rare occasions, there are anonymous donors who have final say. They view our profile & pictures. That happened to us, and why we were not matched with our first choice in December.




And for open:
The open placers for adoption first view the profiles of the adoptive couples, along with their pictures. It's a brief page and a half about us (something like font 10, no returns, solid page and a half.). Then hmm I think 3 pictures. And then proceed as mentioned in previous posting about how open works.

Feb 12, 2009

So your embryo stage must match if you have more than one donor. 2pn's to 2pns, and multi's to multis, and blast to blast. Only exception is that you may have a multi if your first choice is a 2pn. I think they must culture the 2pn's to multis, but I do not know this for a fact. But it would make sense. :)

http://www.miracleswaiting.org/factsembryos.html

What is the difference between an embryo and a pre-embryo?

Embryo and pre-embryo are both terms that are used broadly to refer to all the early stages of development of a fertilized egg. The word embryo is specifically used to refer to the stage of development between implantation in the uterus and the 8th week of gestation, so some IVF clinics use the term pre-embryo when describing pre-implantation embryos. However, both words are commonly used to refer to stages of development prior to transfer to the uterus.



What is a 2PN embryo?

Male and female gametes (eggs and sperm) each have a nucleus containing DNA. Within hours after penetration by the sperm, the egg jettisons half of its chromosomes in a process called meiosis. (Sperm complete meiosis much earlier, while still in the testes.) The remaining DNA packet from each gamete is called a pro-nucleus. For a period of time after the sperm penetrates the egg, the two pro-nuclei exist separately within the cytoplasm of the egg. Appropriately, this earliest stage of development is called the “two pro-nucleate” (or 2PN) stage. When embryos are being created in an IVF laboratory, the embryologist typically will be looking for proof of initial fertilization (2 pronuclei in close proximity to each other) about 16-18 hours after insemination.

http://www.miracleswaiting.org/factsembryos.html#top

What is a Zygote? What are Blastomeres?

Gradually, the two pro-nuclei gravitate toward each other, their cell walls dissolve, and they complete the process of fertilization by merging to form one nucleus. The fertilized egg is now called a “zygote.” The nucleus begins to duplicate itself by dividing into cells called blastomeres. This process is called mitosis. At first, the blastomeres are rather large, but each division produces smaller and smaller blastomeres. Normally, embryos reach the 2-4 cell stage about 24 hours after fertilization (two days after egg retrieval), and a day later, they will have about 8 cells. Here in the United States, Day 3 is the earliest stage at which embryos are routinely transferred to the uterus. In between fertilization and the point at which there are too many cells to count, they are called cleavage-stage embryos. They are also commonly referred to as 6-cells, 8-cells, etc., according to their stage of development.



What is a Morula?

When the embryo reaches about 16-32 cells, it is called a morula (mulberry shaped).

What is a Blastocyst?

As the morula continues to divide, it forms an outer shell of cells (the trophoblast) around a fluid-filled cavity (the blastocele) containing an inner cell mass (the embryoblast). At this point, the organism is called a blastocyst. An embryo usually reaches the blastocyst stage around Day 5, which is when it would normally be entering the uterus during a natural cycle. The trophoblast and embryoblast cells will continue to differentiate from one another as cell division continues within the blastocyst, laying the groundwork for the placenta to grow from the trophoblast, and the fetus to develop from the inner cell mass.

Feb 12, 2009

Hmm, I'm missing some steps, so let me back up a bit.

After our initial application to the NEDC, we were given a list of things we needed to have done:

1. two lab request forms, one for wife, one for husband
2. request for our medical records to be sent to Dr. Keenan
3. sign, notarize, and return the "Informed Consent for Receipt of Donated Embryos/Waiver of Liability" if you want open
4. Fill in the "Open Donation Agreement" with the amount of openness you feel comfortable with and return to the NEDC
5. If you are willing to adopt either way (open/anonymous) please attach a note stating this fact
6. send note with updated contact info
7. send note with who our SW at Bethany is. (if you do not already have an SW, they will send your info to Bethany Christian Services, and an SW will be contacting you to begin the homestudy at this time. However, we already had it done).
8. Family Info sheet
9. letter to donors
10. release of info form




If you chose open, then:
1. our profile sent to donors
2. if selected, we get to review their profiles.
3. then we say yes, and this is sent to Paula at Bethany to negotiate the open adoption agreements between the parties.



If anonymous, then:
1. you're sent a brief sheet with descriptions
2. you chose enough embryos for your initial choice and your back-up choice. (I believe that's true for open as well) as they like to see a minimum of about 6 embryos.
3. if the anonymous party has selected to have final say, they review your profile.
4. if everything is honky-dory, then you move forward.



(more coming)