Been There, Climbed That.

So turns out, we DID have to climb Mt. Everest. (Or at least Mount Kilimanjaro.) But we're back to base camp now, and we've survived! 

I don't know exactly where to begin, but after they removed the fluids on Thursday, I was told I would feel immediate relief and then I'd go home and sleep for 12 hours due to the meds. Well, they lied. I felt great for a few hours, and then I started feeling even worse than I did pre-surgery. That morning before surgery they said my blood counts were off, so they said post-surgery I'd need to start blood thinner shots for at least 10 days. (Hey grandpa! We have something in common!) Well after we did the shot, (what's with these people and the shots in the stomach?) I started feeling a LOT worse. Fearful it was something to do with my blood, we went straight to Methodist Hospital. Apparently no one gets sick during Houston's icepocalypse, so we were attended to quickly. My parents met us there, and after a few hours and more ultrasounds, I was unable to pass the dreaded "eat or drink while on IVs without vomiting" test, so had to be admitted. (We were able to do all of this without worrying about our two pups at home because of wonderful friends like Ashley and Kelly who knew we'd be worried about them and both offered to come and take care of them. Thank you Jesus for amazing friends who love your dogs, who are actually kinda hard to love.) 

After Methodist's docs finally got in touch with my IVF docs the next day, it was decided I couldn't be treated at Methodist because my IVF docs didn't have privileges there.  Long debacle later, I was seen by my doctors at Houston IVF who were able to get us back on track, feeling like I wasn't going to die at any moment. The fluid in my body was causing all my organs to become irritated and not perform like they should (ie: allowing me to drink water without vomiting.) Then, the dehydration caused my blood to get too thick and be at risk of blood clots, hence the shots. (It's like the pessimists' version of "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie".) Needless to say, we are now back at home and I'm feeling pretty good! I can walk upright, eat toast, drink liquids, and sleep without sitting up! 

The truth is, we know this wasn't close to being Mt. Everest. I was upset in the hospital and said "When will this end??" My parents laughed and said "It doesn't! You'll be back when your baby's fever is too high, or for a broken bone, or when your 28-yr-old daughter is admitted... " (Ha!) We know this is just one of many times when things may not go our way. Luckily this was something that could be handled in just a week or so. For that, we are so thankful. 

While this was one of the hardest weeks, we've been amazed at our friends' and family support. My Mom and Dad sat with us until the wee hours of the night. My mother in law sat with me when Will couldn't be there and helped make sure we asked the doctors all the right questions. Kate and Sarah brought dinner before they even knew we'd have a huge mountain to climb. Coatney brought over an ADORABLE box of yellow things for when we need our dose of sunshine. Kelly cooked a salty and protein filled dinner when she heard the doctors said salt helps alleviate the pain. My mom's best friend brought over Will's favorite food, to make sure he had his dose of TLC, too. Ashley was texting at 3am to ask for updates. Jessica and Treadway cried with me and sent pictures of puppies. (Does that ever NOT cheer someone up?) Laura was updating our sunday school class and then they all sent flowers. One of Will's best friends offered to blend up his dinner for me when he heard I was only on a liquid diet. (That's creativity!) I even had a best friend in Finland checking-in constantly and a sister on vacation in Jamaica calling for updates! (We like to ensure our prayers went international.)  SO many people have texted or called with their cheers of support or prayers of concern. I'm telling you... the love we've received has been incredible. I'm taken back by how friends can rally together when a mountain needs climbin'! Thank you to ALL of you. You helped us tremendously. Who knew you guys would come in handy so much?

One of my friends struggled for years to get pregnant and now has a precious son. She emailed me to tell me that those sleepless nights that people warn you about seem like a cakewalk after going through everything to get there. I like her attitude, and am looking forward to that cakewalk! (Also, God, since I DID have to endure this whole OHSS thing, can you go ahead and make my kid sleep through the night at a really young age? I'd appreciate that.) 

Here's to a week of not climbing!
Kendall and Will

ps. For those of you actually following this crazy cycle, we have 16 blastocysts! 27 were harvested, and 16 have made it to the "frozen" state. We'll get genetic results back on those 16 embryos in a couple of weeks. 

pss. To my biggest comfort buddies of all, thanks for being champs this week.

 Mom? You're taking a bath? I'll wait here the entire time. I think something is up. Oh- it's time to sleep? That's cool, too. I'll just hang out within 3 inches of your face in case ya need me.

I don't know what to do so I'll just crawl on Goldie's bed and hang extra close to her and she'll let me know if you need something.  

A Bump in the Road

Sometimes a bump in the road seems like more of a huge mountain. I'm not sure how to make the bump seem more like an anthill and less like Mt. Everest. (I think the answer is time. But since I can't control time, I don't like that answer.) 

After the harvest surgery, we've had a complication. I have severe OHSS, or Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome. We were told there was about a 1-3% chance this could happen before the process began, but of course we never dreamed it would happen to us. While I was being monitored during the stimulation shots, the doctor said my risk of OHSS increased some based on so many eggs forming in the ovaries. (Which we thought was a good thing!) I got on some additional medicine to help alleviate the risk of OHSS. We thought we were good to go.

After the surgery on Monday, I was in pain but the nurses said it was normal. As the days progressed, so did my pain. Vomiting, extended stomach, and not being able to sit-up or walk alone continued to get worse and worse. Today (Wednesday), we went back for an ultrasound and was told I have severe OHSS, which requires surgery. (This is what happened to Giuliana Rancic, for any E! watchers out there.) I check-in tomorrow for my meeting with the anesthesiologist at 8:30am, and then surgery will follow immediately after. 

OHSS is when pockets of fluid form around the organs. In simple terms, the ovaries were so enlarged that after the eggs were removed, they didn't want deflate so they started pulling fluid from the intestinal system. This causes fluid pockets to form around the intestines. This can be very dangerous to your organs, so it requires immediate surgery to remove the fluid if it reaches the "severe" stage. 

This new little "bump" has caused us to be pretty down, to say the least. Luckily we have amazing friends and family who have lifted us up with jokes, prayers, dinners, and trashy magazines. A "thank-you" to those who allow us to lean on them during these harder moments will never be enough. 

We will keep you updated on what comes next. This blog update seems to take 1-2 days to send out, so it's possible I'm home already and feel like Mt. Everest is in our rearview mirror! 

Love,
Kendall and Will

Harvested.

Welp, I've been harvested! Trigger shot went great on Saturday night, and we went in first thing yesterday morning for the surgery (Monday morning.) Everything went well, I'm just very glad it's over. I won't write a lot now because I was taught that if I don't have anything nice to say, to not say it all. I'm hoping I'll start to feel better physically very soon and will be a bit more optimistic about this process!

They were able to harvest 26 eggs which is really, really good. We got a call today that 17 were able to become embryos. We'll know in 5 days how many survived to become blastocysts (the next stage of an embryo), and then in 2 weeks we'll know the genetic results. Fingers crossed that as many survive as possible throughout each stage.

We will write more when we know more. Love to all!


Before photo:
(I won't show the after. It aint pretty.)