Thursday, August 1, 2019

Closure

What a funny title, closure.  Does anyone truly get closure after some life altering blow like this?  Does anyone ever move on from it?  Will I ever move on?  I doubt it.  I will always have this journey as part of my story and my family's story.  This is now embedded in the fabric of who we are and what we have become.  We are now officially a family of 3.  Even as I type this is still doesn't feel totally real and final, even though it is.  I guess the fog hasn't truly lifted.  May was spent in a daze, in true disbelief.  June was spent grieving.  Lots and lots of tears.  July was spent angry.
Now it is August 1st and I'm drawn back to the keyboard trying to find a way to deal with all the feelings.  All I know is that I am tired of feeling sad and angry all the time.  So I am calling August my month of gratitude. Years ago I was so defeated that I never even thought I would have a baby.  Then during my pregnancy, the horrible shock of having to say goodbye to one baby and faced with the threat of losing the other, I prayed every day that I would someday get to hold him in my arms and see his smiling face.  Well here I sit and I am blessed with love and laughter every day and at least for August I am going to try and focus on that.  While I will never get over losing our other baby, I am tasking myself with finding a way to mother the best that I can and find a way to bring that baggage along for the ride that isn't detrimental to either of us.  After all we did name him Duncan because it means fighter and boy did he fight to join us Earth side and be a part of our lives.  So now I fight to show him that we can cry sometimes, but that we can also pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and find the good out there.  When I first started writing this blog it was for myself, I needed to find a way to express how I was feeling.  Then I decided to write it for others that didn't have their voice yet.  So many folks battling infertility fight it alone.  But, now I write it for him.  I want him to know his story and how much I loved him for years before we ever met.  My goal is to get this printed and bound for him.  And just like with our journey, we needed an end point, a time to say we did our best and did all we could, this blog also needs an endpoint.  This is just one of the ways I can hope to find that magical mysterious thing called closure.  So I'll end this in gratitude to my dear son.

Duncan, 
You are the stars and the moon and the sun and all that is amazing in my world.  I am beyond lucky and grateful to finally be able to hold the title of your mother.  I hope one day that you will read this and just know how hard your father and I fought for you.  Know that we did all we could.  I am so sorry that you entered this world without your twin.  I am so devastated for you that your start was with loss.  I am heartbroken for how your story began.  We all know how strong you are and I hope that through out your life you can call on that strength whenever you need it. You are that fighter that we prayed for.  Fight every day for happiness and to see the good in this world.   I love you more than words can express.
Love,
Mom

Friday, April 19, 2019

Results are Chemical Pregnancy

We took a blood test on Wed and our HCG came back at 8.  This is extremely low.  It should have been above 20.  We took another today and it came back at 2.  This is officially classified as a non-viable, chemical pregnancy.  I'm stopping all meds and this journey is officially over.

We are of course devastated by the news. Tears haven't even begun to be shed.  It will take awhile to process, but when I started this blog and this journey, part of the reason was to be open and honest about how insane the roller coaster of emotions all of this can be.  How unfair it all can be.  How everything you do can be the right thing, follow all the protocols, the diets, the appointments, spend all the money and still have negative results.  Infertility is a cruel unfair world and sadly we have seen all this before.  I honestly tried my best and did all I could and still didn't get the results we wanted.

I am heartbroken for my son, who not only lost his twin, but now has lost any chance of having a sibling.  I will hold him closer tonight and am truly thankful for the blessing that he is.  As I am typing this, I'm thinking about what little chance we had to have him in the first place, how high risk our pregnancy was, how we had originally been told we were having a miscarriage, how we had a high chance of losing him when we lost his twin.  I always feel blessed to be his mom, to finally be pregnant and then to finally hold this precious baby boy.  We chose the name Duncan because it means warrior and boy did he fight to be with us.  And now he is lucky enough to have two more guardian angels join in looking over him.  I'm going to hold my little warrior just that much closer tonight and try and focus on what a blessing my guy is.

We will battle through this and come up for air eventually and figure out how to move on from something that has been a part of us for so long.  Thanks for all the love, kindness and support all of you have given us.

Much Love,
HEATHER


Wednesday, April 10, 2019

I'm PUPO

It's an infertility term.  It means Pregnant Until Proven Otherwise.  It's a weird state of limbo to be in.  Technically if I am pregnant, I would be 6 days pregnant because we transferred 5 day old embryos.  6 days pregnant doesn't mean really anything to my body, however the mind is a power thing.  Every breath almost makes me wonder if I'm pregnant.  Plus a few of the medications I'm on have similar pregnancy side effects.  And on top of that I have some slight cramping, but that's probably just due to the progesterone and the FET procedure itself.  It's still a funny spot to be in though.  Just constantly wondering.  Dealing and living through this so many times, it still never gets any easier.  The wait is always the hardest.
So what to do to pass the time?  Number one this to do is pray.  My Aunt wrote me a prayer and I've read that a few times.  I've also prayed on my own.  Now more than ever is a timenfor faith.
The next thing I do is talk to my babies.  I place my hand below my navel and welcome them home.  Promise to keep them healthy and well fed.  Promise to love them and grow a beautiful home for them.  Aside from that, there are lots of superstitions and good luck charms surrounding the infamous waiting period.  If anything,  it just makes me feel like I'm doing something and somewhat participating in the process.  I eat Brazil nuts daily.  Brazil nuts contain selenium, which is a mineral that helps to thicken the uterine wall, and a healthy lining aids in implantation.  I take selenium pills, but add eating brazil nuts after transfer.  I also eat pineapple.  Pineapple contains bromelain which has anti inflammatory properties that has a natural anti-inflammatory effect.  I eat warm things and drink tea and lay on my back or left side to increase circulation to the uterus and try and sit as little as possible.
Lastly I have some lucky charms.  First off, on our last trip I found a beautiful egg ornament in Hungary that came with a beautiful story about fertility.  It spoke to us immediately and we bought it and carried it with us everywhere,  continued taking it to every prenatal appointment and took Duncans newborn photos with it.  This whole trip I was looking for something to bring us luck and nothing spoke to me.  The day before our transfering, I was putting something in the diaper bag and found a small bag containing a necklace from Ryan's grandmother who recently passed away.  We were at her home recently and Ryan's mother let me choose what I wanted and I choose that.  I thought I had put it with the stemware I also brought back, but it was sealed away in a special pocket in the backpack.  As soon as I found it, Ryan said, "maybe that's our good luck charm".  Heck ya it is!  His grandmother was always so supportive and special and would send us these beautiful cards during all our previous cycles.  This is for sure her looking over us.  She is our guardian angel.  I put the necklace on and wore it to the transfer.  Duncan asked what it was and I told him it was Grandma Rita's and he said "I love you Grandma Rita".  And we do love her very much and feel so special to have her looking out for us.
Lastly I have another pair of lucky socks on.  Todays socks are lemurs.  Lemurs hold a special place in our hearts.  We have a memorial plaque for the baby we lost in front of the lemurs at the San Diego Zoo.  We chose lemurs for two reason.  Their name means angel and because they are vegetarians:)  I always say that Duncan has a very special angel looking out for him.  So when I saw the lemur socks I knew they would be perfect for implantation day.


Ryan and Duncan are enjoying a lovely afternoon in Prague and I'm relaxing in our room.

As always, Thanks for Reading!
HEATHER
x

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

FET recap

Yesterday was transfer day.  All went well.  Here are the details of the day.
We woke up and had breakfast in the hotel.  Them I went upstairs to the clinic for my blood draw.  I had 3 nurses attend based on what happened last time.  I'm happy to report that it only took one poke and in the forearm.  I was in and out in 10 min.  That was a huge relief.
We then continued our photo taking quest from the day before.  We visited Thomas Bata University, the college where our donor attended.  We found a very small book store that sold shirts and sweatshirts, but none in Duncan's size.  They did however sell a beach ball so we were able to purchase something. We then walked to a farmers market that we had found the last time we were here and took pictures there as well.  Duncan was happy to find a guy selling popcorn.  Lastly we walked over to the oldest house in town which we had also discovered the last time we were here.  The one thing we found this time, that we missed last time was the main square.  Obviously its very small.   We had walked on the street in front of it last time.  It had several shops,  cafes and coffee shops.  We wandered around there taking more pictures until it was time for my appointment.
Next up was our appointment with embryology and with Anna our coordinator. She is the English speaking contact we have and has been a huge help through the process both times.  I was so excited for Duncan to meet her.  Without exaggeration,  I bet I've exchanged at least 500 emails with her if not more.  She was our life line through all of this.  We brought her a gift as a thank you and it was so very sweet to have Duncan give it to her.  I asked if she would hold him so I could take a photo of them together and I got some really great ones.
We then got down to business.  OUR EMBRYOS SURVIVED THE THAW!!!! They both started hatching right before the time of transfer. 
I only have a dark and grainy photo.  I'm going to ask for a better one tomorrow and see if they took any other pictures.  But who cares, our little embryos awoke and started growing and that's the first huge step.  I also got my progesterone numbers back and they were 131.  No need to change any medication so just going to stay on our current protocol until I go for more blood work.
After our meeting, Duncan and Ryan had to go.  They wouldn't be allowed in for transfer and it was lunchtime anyways so they headed off. Anna gave Duncan a big kiss on the cheek and he said goodbye. I hugged and kissed both my guys and they left in search of a park and lunch.
They don't offer acupuncture here so I was unable to get treatment before or after transfer which is what I would do back home.  At the wellness center they did offer a head and shoulder massage.  I thought that would be a good idea before the transfer.  That was a big mistake.  There was nothing wrong with the massage, but I was just a ball of nerves and it made it so very hard to lay still.  It was almost torture more than relaxing.  Finally it was over and I could move around.
I went back to the room to get ready for transfer.  They ask that you wear just a shirt and then your robe and slippers.  I put on my dream big socks and headed to transfer.
They have a waiting room you sit in before transfer that is a room with a few beds.  I waited in that room for about 45 minutes.  There was one lady before me.  It was nice to have some extra time alone.  I sat down and listened to a few short guided meditations.  Then I did a bunch of squats and sit ups and then some yoga poses and finally some stretching.  This all really helped calm me down.
Finally it was my turn.  They escorted me into the operating room.  There were two nurses.  One doing the work and another one to translate what was going on in English.  Then the doctor came in and we went over what was going to happen.   Confirmed that we were transfering two and using Embryoglue.  Then the embryologist cane in and introduced herself.  That's when she informed me that they both had started to hatch and said she would show me on the monitor.  She left and went into the lab and shortly after, on the monitor were these two gorgeous embryos.  It brought tears to my eyes to see them.  I then laid back, feet up and the transfer began.  The only thing different this time from all the other times is the embryologist participated in transferring the embryos. The doctor set everything up and then she came back with the pipette containing our embryos.  She was the one to actual place them.  Then she left to confirm they were both gone and the pipette was empty, which it was.  She then said good luck, squeezed my hand and left.  The doctor also wished me well and left. Then the two nurses wheeled my gurney back into my room.  There was a small mishap where they took a corner too close and knocked a chunk of drywall off.  Both Ryan and Duncan think this is hilarious and laugh every time they pass it.  They then transferred me to my bed and instructed me to lay still for an hour.  It's a lot easier to do that in your own bed than in the uncomfortable bed with stirrups that usually happens.  So I laid back and watched the latest Kevin Hart standup.  It was the perfect mindless activity.  Shortly after I took a nap.  I laid in bed the rest of the afternoon and evening as I have now entered the bed rest position of all this.  The boys shared a burger for dinner and I again indulged in peanuts and a granola bar.  We all went to bed shortly after.  Now just hoping and praying for a successful implantation.  Stick babies stick!

Monday, April 8, 2019

Day 10 - FET Day

Today is the big day!  It's 4am here now and of course I can't sleep.  So much going on.
In a few short hours (around 10pm California time) the embryologist will wake our embryos from their deep sleep from the last 3 years.  Hopefully they had a great nap and are ready to go to work.  That's the first big obstacle,  surviving the thaw. 
Then at 11am our time (2am California time) we meet with the embryologist to find out their status.  We had 2 perfectly graded embryos going into the freeze and hopefully that's what we get out.
Then at 1pm our time (5am California time) I head into the operating room and transfer those embabies and welcome them home.  Then it's 1 hour in recovery trying to stay perfectly still and then after that it's the waiting game.
So today is the day.  Pray that our little ones find comfort and want to stick around for about the next 39 or so weeks.

Thanks for Reading,
HEATHER

Day 9 Tabor -> Zlin

Awoke to a beautiful morning in Tabor.  The weather was perfect, the sun was out and a great day for a walk.  Breakfast was included at our hotel and it was awesome.  Another place with pretty good gluten free bread too.  If you ever find yourself in the small town of Tabor, I recommend the Hotel Nautilus.  I wanted to shop and Duncan wanted to watch the construction guy drive a skid steer so we split up and I walked and Ryan and Duncan watched the crew working on the old church in town.  I found an adorable shop that I bought a Christmas ornament in as a souvenir from our trip.  Then I found a coffee shop that also sold art and books.  I bought two books for Duncan, one is a book in Czech about football and another in English about the Mole that's a popular toy here.  I also found a cool print to frame and put in his room and another painting for our bathroom. We squeezed as much as we could in and then had to leave and head to Zlin which was about 3 hours away.
One of the main things I wanted to accomplish on this trip was to make Duncan a scrapbook photo album so he could see for himself where he began.  I bought a nice camera before we left and made it a goal to take him around Zlin and take lots of pictures.  I got a good hour in today and will continue tomorrow.
Then it was time for my massage.  That wasn't an option the last time I was here so I was glad to take advantage this time.  Plus for a 90 min massage, it only costs $30!  While I got my massage, Ryan found a playground to take Duncan to.  Then they got food to go at the place we ate at last time because again it's literally the only vegetarian place in town.  It is good though so it worked. While I was waiting for the boys to being food back, I enjoyed a glass of wine on the patio.  It was so pretty out and nice and quiet. 
After dinner we went back to the hotel we stayed at the last time we were here called Pension Uno.  We had dessert in their restaurant and took lots more photos.  We talked about just how crazy it was to be back there.  The last time we were there we had no clue about if this crazy plan of ours would work and now we are here with a 2 year old.  Just crazy. 
Well off to bed as tomorrow is the big day. Lots and lots of appointments and things going on.  I'll update as soon as I can.

Thanks for Reading,
HEATHER
 

Day 7 & 8 - Cesky Krumlov -> Plzen -> Tabor

Day 7 and 8 were both travel days.  After a mellow night in Cesky Krumlov, we woke up and started our long day of sight seeing.  Ryan got him and Duncan some breakfast, I again ate a granola bar and we started our day.  In all the guide books I read, when discussing the Cesky Krumlov,  it said to just wander around and enjoy the town.  I decided to hire a local guide to take us on a private tour.  She had a kid and said she would tailor the tour for us.  We met her in front of our apartment and she took us around the quaint small little town.  Pointing put places for lunch, snacks and shopping. Trdenlik are these spiral fried dough snacks that are served out of small store fronts.  They are covered in cinnamon and sugar.  You can get plain or filled. I got Duncan one filled with bananas and whipped cream.  I'm letting him splurge and have eased up on my no sugar rule this trip.  I want him to indulge and really experience as much as he can and boy did he love this treat.
We made our way to the castle and stopped at a cool playground for Duncan along the way.  We didn't bother going on the castle tour, but did walk the grounds and let Duncan run through the gardens.  The gardens were so large that it takes 10 full time gardeners to maintain them.  It was a great place to let Duncan burn off some of that toddler energy.  We tried to have lunch, but there weren't any great options so we got in the car and headed to our next city which was Pilsen or Plzen if you are Czech.  The place that I had picked out for dinner was unexpectedly closed, but luckily there was a place just around the corner that had some options for everyone.  We ate dinner and then found some grass next to a pond.  Duncan enjoyed throwing rocks and dirt in the pond and we stayed there until the sun went down.
Day 8 started with a breakfast buffet in the hotel.  There were lots of choices for me to eat so I was happy.  We then made our way to Dino Park.  You have to pay to get in.  It's basically a large playground with big animatronic dinosaurs scattered about.  Admission was only $5 per adult and Duncan was free.  He was a bit scared of the dinosaurs at first because they roared,  but he soon warmed up to them.  There was a small zipline that he enjoyed, a sand pit for digging dinosaur bones and a few play structures.  They also had this water feature where you could pump water and have it spray a dinosaur.  He enjoyed that the best.  Lunch was at the Pilsner Urquell brewery.  Ryan enjoyed a dark ale and Duncan enjoyed the play area for kids.  We then walked the grounds, hit up the gift shop and then it was time to go.  We had a two hour drive ahead of us to Tabor. 
Tabor is this tiny, but full of life town.  Our hotel was perfect and in an amazing location over looking the towns main historic square.  We were treated with glasses of prosecco and a bag of popcorn.   That's my kind of welcome.  Again my research paid off and there was an indian food restaurant just across the square.  The waiter took a liking to Duncan and entertained him with a paper airplane and a paper boat that he made.  They also played with his roller at the table.  The food was so good.  I had a mushroom amd tofu dish and vegetable biryani.  Ryan had chicken korman and Duncan ate some of everything, but the vegetables in the biryani was his favorite.  We took a stroll after dinner and found a bunch of cute shops but it was late and all were closed.  We decided instead of waking and leaving in the morning that we would carve out time to do some shopping. 
Hands down Cesky Krumlov and Tabor were our absolute favorite cities on this trip we are already talking about coming back and staying longer next time. 
Tomorrow the vacation portion of the trip is over and we head to Zlin.

Thanks for Reading,
HEATHER