Townsend Family

DRUMROLL PLEASE...........................

2009-02-18T13:13:00.002-06:00

We went today for our ultrasound. The doctor took no time and he told us that we are having twins. I couldn't believe it. I knew we had a good chance at twins, but I had just been telling myself there was only one in there. Jeremy kept saying there was two. In fact we had a bet going when we went into the Dr. office today. Right now we are calling them Baby A and Baby B. We heard Baby A's heart beating. We could see Baby B's, but couldn't hear it. The doctor told us that he had a girl in there one time and he told her she had Baby A and Baby B and she called her mother to tell her she was having twins and the girl started crying and said that the doctor had already named them. LOL! And I thought I was ditsy. We go back on March 4 for another ultrasound and if everything still looks good they will release me to my regular doctor then. Our due date is October 15, but more than likely they will come about 4 weeks early. Thank you all for your prayers! I know that we wouldn't have these 2 blessings if it weren't for all the prayers. I'll keep you updated.

I know I know it's been a while.

2009-02-10T12:18:00.002-06:00

Hey all, sorry it's been so long since an update. The past few weeks have been a little rough. We don't have regular Internet at home and now that I am unemployed I don't have access to the computer like I did before. Jeremy has wireless on his work computer, but I have to wait until he gets home and sometimes it's just too much sugar for a dime as my Pepaw would have said. Here's what's been going on.

Let's see we transferred two embryos on Monday Jan. 26. I did my week of bed rest, and about Friday night the OHSS (Ovarian Hyper Stimulation Syndrome) started to set in. By Saturday I was so bloated and breathing was work. Sunday I almost went to the ER. It was really bad, but I didn't want to pay that ER fee so I suffered through it. Monday I went to my doctor and they drained off a liter of fluid off my stomach. I had a few hours of relief and then by Tuesday it was all back. The doctor made me an appointment with a Radiologist at Baptist and Wednesday I had a drainage tube put in my side. My doctor acted like it wasn't going to be a big deal. IT WAS HORRIBLE! Because he doctor down played the whole thing Jeremy went to work and my wonder mother-in-law took me. It hurt so bad and I had the tube with a bag hanging all the way down to my ankle. I felt like the doctor had decided to fix my broken leg by breaking my arm. It was miserable. They drained another liter off of me Wednesday and I got about another liter throughout the week. Sunday, I thought I was starting to turn the corner when all of a sudden my side started killing me. OMG! It was bad. I tried to drain some more fluid Sunday night and that just about did me in. The pain was so bad. I went Monday and told the doctor they were taking that tube out no matter what. He okayed it and I went to Baptist where the radiologist finally pulled the tube out and it was immediate relief. I kept telling them I couldn't hardly walk because of the pain and they kept telling me that the tube shouldn't be causing it. Well it was. If anyone ever has to have a drainage tube put in and you start having really bad sharp pains demand they take it out. There is probably a block and that's why it's hurting you. It's sad when you have to tell the medical doctor how to do their job.

All the signs are pointing to good news, but we are still waiting. They say if you get OHSS after your embryo transfer then it usually means your pregnant. We have an ultrasound next week so we'll know for sure then. I think the OHSS is starting to go down. I still have a hole in my side that I'm having to keep covered b/c it's leaking, but the pain is gone. I'm just tired now so I think I'm going to take a nap. I'll update everyone next week.

And the waiting begins

2009-01-27T10:42:00.002-06:00

We went yesterday and did the embryo transfer. We transferred 2 excellent quality blast stage embryos. Once the embryos develop so much that you can no longer count the number of cells they have they refer to them as blastocytes. They are really strong at this point. When you conceive naturally the embryo implants into the uterus and this same stage. Anyway, we had 4 remaining embryos that made it to freezing. So I guess you could say we have 4 in the freezer and 2 in the oven. Sounds like chicken doesn't it. LOL! I'm on bed rest for the next few days. I really only have to be for about 3 days but now that I am unemployed I thought I would go ahead and take the whole week to be lazy. We are really hoping for twins here, but we'll be happy with one. We should know something in a few weeks. I'll let everyone know something then. Thanks again for all your prayers.

Embryo Update

2009-01-23T13:45:00.002-06:00

The nurse call today and said all our embryos are still doing really good. They rate them as Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor. Then they tell you how many cells they have. Here is our status. 1-2cell good, 2-4cell good, and 6 4-cell excellent. Because they are doing so well we are going to do a day 5 transfer on Monday. If the embroys make it to day 5 then that means they are really stong and have a higher chance of implanting. Thank you all so much for your prayers. I'll let you know tomorrow on how they are doing.

2009-01-22T12:13:00.002-06:00

Well we had the egg retrival yesterday. It wasn't too bad just not fun. They got 19 eggs and the nurse called today and said that 9 fertilized. They are going to have to watch them today and tomorrow and see if the egg cells start dividing. Sometimes they will fertilize, but not divide so we may not end up with 9 embryos. The nurse said that most of them should divide and grow. When she calls tomorrow they will tell us when they will do the embryo transfer. That is not near of a big deal as the retrieval is.

I'm done with all the other shots I was taking. I started yesterday on Doxycycline. I take that by mouth twice a day. I also started Medrol a steriod by mouth once a day. I only have to take those until the embryo transfer. I also have to take progesterone shots in the morning between 6-8. I was expecting this shot to be pretty bad. The needle is really long so it can go into the muscle. The shot itself isn't that bad but I think you start to get sore. We'll see. I have to take these until the pregnancy blood test and if it's poitive for another 2 weeks or so.

I'm starting to show symptoms of OHSS (Ovarian Hyper Stimulation Syndrome). You usually get this when you have lots of follicles which I did. Usually the Ovidrel shot is what triggers it. You start retaining losts of fluid. Hopefully I'll just have a mild case and I'll just be a little uncomforable.

I found out this moring that I'm being laid off at work. Business is a little slow right now. It's alright. I know God will provide. I'll find something. I was really hoping that after we have kids I would be able to stay home with them so maybe God's just preparing me for that. I ask that everyone please pray that this transfer goes well, that the OHSS will subside and that God will provide another job. I have full faith that we will be ok. God has never let me donw. Not once. He is in complete control of all of this.

Egg retrieval is set!

2009-01-19T14:45:00.003-06:00

Hey everyone, I just wanted to update you all on what's going on. I went to the doctor Friday and everything still looked good. I went again on Sunday morning and they told me I have even more eggs, but I probably needed one more day. So, I went again this morning for another blood test and ultra sound so here's the scoop. I have 12 follicles that range in size from 16 to 21 (I don't really know what the measurement is I just know the number), then I have probably another 10 that are a little smaller than that. I know this means nothing to most of you, but that's a really good number. I have around 20 something follicles all together and the average is around 10 to 12 all together.

I don't have to take anymore of the Lupron or Bravelle/Menopur shots. Yeah! Those are done. My tummy is bruised so I'm thankful they are over. I take one shot of Ovidrel tonight. You are supposed to take that 36 hours before the egg retrieval. It's to get you ready for them to go in to get all those eggs. The egg retrieval will be Wednesday morning and should take around 30 minutes. You are sedated, but not totally knocked out. You are basically awake you just don't care. After they get my eggs they will mix them with...well you know, and then wait to see if they fertilize. We should know sometime Thursday how many fertilized and then we'll decide how many embryos we want to put back in. The embryo transfer will be either Saturday or Monday. Sometimes they do a day 3 transfer and sometimes they do a day 5 transfer. It depends on how well your embryos are growing.

That's all I have for now. Everyone tired of reading yet. LOL! I'll post something tomorrow and let you know how bad the shot tonight was. Thanks again for all your prayers.

2009-01-15T10:28:00.005-06:00

I went to the doctor Tuesday for another blood test. The nurse called and told me my estrogen level was at 154. When I heard that my heart sank. Last week we were trying to get them down around 20. Then she said, "that's right where we want them to be." Whew! That was a load off. So now we are trying to get them back up. What a roller coaster. Anyway, she told me to stay on the same amount of meds. I go back tomorrow (Friday) for an ultrasound and blood test. If everything is ok I should be on track to do the egg retrieval Tuesday. It could be moved up or back a day depending on how I am responding to the meds. If the egg retrieval is Tuesday they will do the embryo transfer either Friday or Sunday. Sometimes they do a day 3 and sometimes they do a day 5. We are getting close. Here's a picture of all my meds. I take two shots each night of all of that. The Leuprolide (Lupron) I take a small dose of so not the whole bottle. But the other ones I take the whole thing. All four bottles. The 3 on the bottom and the Menopur are all in powder form so you have to take the Sodium Chloride (top right) and mix in a syringe with the other 4 then take the shot. The big needle on the right, all the meds go down to that big 2. So I take one shot of the Lupron and the other shot of all the rest. The good news is, all the shots aren't THAT bad. The big still stings pretty bad, but goes away after about 5 minutes. Most of the women on the websites I've been on talk about how horrible it is. Don't get me wrong. I'll be happy when I don't have to do those nasty shots anymore, but it's not like I cry every night from having to take them. You just do it. You do what you have to do. I'm starting to get a little bloated (a typical side effect from these meds) but not that bad. Once I get the word Friday I'll update again.

2009-01-12T15:42:00.002-06:00

Well we got good news over the weekend. I went in Saturday morning for another blood test. The doctor called Saturday afternoon and said my estrogen levels had dropped to a good level. He reduced my Lupron amount from 20 units to the original 10 units. Then I started the stimulatory drugs (Bravelle and Menopur)Saturday night. I get to mix the two drugs together so I can take them in one shot instead of two. So now I take two shots every night. The Lupron shots are still not a problem, but the stim shots are a little worse. It's a lot of meds going in and a bigger needle so it stings for several minutes after you take it. I only have to take those for 8 - 10 days so the way I look at it is 2 days down only 6 - 8 more days to go. Hey, I can do anything for a week. If everything goes well our egg retrieval should be early part of next week. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

2009-01-08T14:18:00.002-06:00

I went today to have my cyst aspirated. It wasn't near as bad as I thought it was going to be. He said the cyst was about the size of a quarter. I have no idea if that is good or bad. He acted like it was a big size, but not unusual. I go back to the doctor on Saturday morning for a blood test. If my estrogen levels are down were they should be (below 20) then I will start on the stimulatory drugs Saturday night. Please pray that everything goes alright. We need all the prayer we can get. I'll update again on Monday. Have a good weekend.

2009-01-05T10:02:00.003-06:00

Hey! Sorry it's been a while. I've been off for the last two weeks and we don't have Internet at home. So here's the scoop. Like I said earlier the Lupron is supposed to suppress your ovaries. They don't want your body working to try and ovulate on it's own and the Lupron should keep that from happening. Well...it's not working for me. I went and had a blood test on the 27th and my estrogen levels were too high to start the Bravelle and Menopur (Stimulatory drugs aka Stims). We were supposed to start those on the 28th, but were pushed back a week. I went back for a blood test on Wednesday (31st) and my estrogen level was at 103. It's supposed to be below 20 so it was way high. I went back Sunday for another test. They did an ultrasound and another blood test. My estrogen level was at 198 and the ultrasound showed a follicle growing. The follicles come off your ovaries and the follicle is what releases the egg. They show up on an ultrasound and if one is enlarged then that means it's preparing to release the egg which the doctors DON'T want it to do. Due to this I still couldn't start the "Stims." I'm scheduled to go in Thursday morning and they are going to bust that follicle that is growing. By doing that it should make my estrogen levels drop and then we can start the "Stims" on Sunday. Which means we were pushed back two weeks. If it doesn't work then we'll have to cancel the cycle and start again next month with a med other than Lupron. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. The doctor said that some people just don't respond to Lupron, but he feels good that the aspiration of this follicle will work and we can be on our way. I hope everyone had a great Christmas. Happy New Year! Please keep us in your prayers. Thanks. I'll update probably Friday.

First Lupron Shot

2008-12-18T14:22:00.004-06:00

Ok, so I took my first shot last night. After getting over the anxiety of it being the first shot it wasn't bad at all. I guess what I had been told about putting it into a fat roll was right after all. Now I just have to remember to take it. Anyone who knows me knows I'm not real good with a schedule.
Here's what all those meds are for: The Leuprolide (Lupron) is what I'm taking now. There is 14 doses in that one tiny box. I take that shot once a day from 6-8 for around 14 days. The Bravelle has 5 does in each box. I have 6 boxes. The Menopur has 5 doses per box also and there is 2 boxes of that. The purple boxes are estrogen patches which is for after the transfer. The 3 white boxes are progesterone shots. Those are also for after the transfer. The two white bottles I have no idea what those are for. I guess I might need to find that out huh! The other bottle I think is pain med. I NEVER take pain meds so that will probably be wasted. I think it's for after the egg retrieval. The small box is the Ovudrell. It contains one BIG shot. You take it the day before the egg retrieval. All the rest are needles and a box to put used needles in. Well I think that's it. Just thought I would explain. We are on Lupron only for the time being. I'll let you know when we move to the next step.

2008-12-17T15:32:00.007-06:00

Hey everyone,

Here's the scoop. We got all our meds in. Wow it's a lot. I hope I remember how to do all of them. I think the doctor's office will walk me through step by step. I've included a picture of all the meds. I was on 2 rounds of birth control. I know. You are probably asking what? They put you on birth control first to get your body doing exactly what they want it to. The next step is to start Lupron. This is a drug to keep you from ovulating. The whole goal here is to make lots of eggs, so they don't want you ovulating too soon. You take Lupron in the form of a shot. It goes either in your tummy or you upper leg. They say it doesn't hurt if it goes into fat. Well I have lots of that so we should be good to go. I'm taking my first shot tonight (Wed. 17th). We have to take all our meds between 6 -8. I'll let you know how they are.

Our Story

2008-12-04T14:50:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Jeremy and Amanda's Blog. On Dec 27 we will have been married for 5 years. Our favorite thing to do is just stay at home with TaMolly. We are such home bodies, and we absolutely love our chihuahua. We alos enjoy hanging out with friends and faimily and watching college football. We love the hogs and go to all home football games. Woooo Pig Sooie! Go Hogs! Jeremy has always been a huge Razorback fan, and after we got married I figured I could either protest and both of us be miserable or I could just learn to love the hogs too and we could both be happy. I tell people I'm a hog fan by marriage. I have to admit, I've grown to love the hogs just about as much as Jeremy does. I even love to watch ESPN College Game Day on Saturday mornings.

After we were married about a year we decided to start trying for kids. Let me tell you, it's not near as easy as some people think. After trying for about 2 years we started taking meds. We got pregnant the second month and ended up having an ectopic pregnancy. We decided to take time off while we built our house. In January 2008 we started trying again. Doctors started running test and determined that In Vetro Fertilization (IVF) was our only option. After lots of prayers and consideration we decided to go for it. We have one shot at this so I hope it works. This is why we started this blog. I wanted a way for our family and friends to be able check in on us and see what's going on. I know lots of people have been praying for us. Thank you and keep praying. We need your prayers. I'll update this every time I have news, so check back.