Stay Tuned

For those of you who are following this...stay tuned. Next week I will have a good story for you. :)

Our Progression

Just wanted to recap:
- 3 miscarriages 2005 - 2007
- 1 failed IVF w/ICSI Nov 2007
- 1 failed frozen embryo transfer March 2008
- 1 failed varicosele corrective surgery May 2008

Successful IVF w/ICSI Sept 2009!!! Whew Hew!!

Can I Get a Hell Yeah!!!???

So the day of the implantation we found out that we had one embryo of excellent quality and 2 of good quality. The others were doing ok. We put those three in because the embryologist suggested we should. It was aggressive, but having all three would increase our chances as they could benefit from being with each other (they apparently work cohesively to survive). So we took her advice and did it.

The implantation went well. This time Kelly insisted that Dr. Barnett use a sonogram to assist in the implantation. It was a good thing she did because he had a hard time getting the catheter in. It turns out that her c-section scar was creating a barrier to the uterus. It took some proding, but he got right in the middle of the uterus an pushed the embryos through. It was a really cool thing to watch on the sonogram monitor. Very impressive.

Kelly was laid up for two days after that. It was hard but she pulled through like a champ. The next 8 days were the longest 8 days of our lives. I made Kelly promise that she would not take a prego test here at home. We decided that we would wait for the blood test. She kept her promise which made me very happy.

During this whole process Kelly has been going to an acupuncturist. Weekly visits, bad tasting teas and a lot money. We cannot say that it helped for sure....but we cannot say it didn't. Dr. Liu treated Kelly for "egg quality" and "help with implantation." When all was said and done, we had great egg quality and the implantation went very well. I like to think that it helped.

During this last week Kelly was having all the symptoms of being pregnant. Sore breasts, fatigue and having the feeling that she was about to start her period. She didn't want to get her hopes up because she knew all of these symptoms could have been caused by the progesterone shots. In fact, she was starting to psych herself out because of all the stories of false symptoms she was reading on the web. We kept our spirits up though....because this was our time.

So here we are Monday Sept 28th and at 8 am Kelly went in to give blood for the pregnancy test. Before she left the doctor's office she asked that they call after 2pm with the results so I could be home. She ended up taking the whole day off of work because my step-son was sick...plus she would have been worthless at work anyway.

We got a call at 2:35pm and heard "Congratulations!" Kelly bursted into tears as I danced, flailing around, stomping my feet like some weirdo. We did it! We are pregnant. We are very happy and still cautious because we are not out of the woods yet by any means. There is still a long way to go but man this feels good!

As of yesterday her hCG level was 275 which is very high and suggests more than one!! Oh my!! She goes back in for more blood work tomorrow.

Will keep you in the loop.

Thank you God....for family...for this opportunity...and for science.

Retrieval and Implantation

We had the retrieval last Sunday and it went well. Kelly has been a bit sore but doing well. They retrieved 19 eggs and only 10 fertilized. As of today there are only 7 embryos - 4 of excellent quality and 3 good. This is great news because we can freeze some if this round doesnt take.

The implantation will be this Friday. Kelly will be on bed rest for 48 hours after. That will be rough for her I'm sure but a small price to pay. We will find out on Monday the 28th whether or not this took.

We are very excited and extremely hopeful!

Wish us luck and say a prayer.

Jake

Step 2: Follistem

Kelly starts her follistem shots on Wed. These are the shots that allow her to produce multiple follicles or as I like to call them, eggs. She will do this for about 10 days (give or take a day). Looks like we will have the retrieval around the 14th then the implantation about 5 days after that.

Last time the doctor gave her too high of a dosage so she was "over stimulated" which caused some major discomfort. Dr. Barnett has since modified the prescription so it looks like she wont have that problem this time.

Despite the hormones, Kelly has been doing pretty well. No major mood swings and I still have my head. Good job.

Shots Have Begun

Just wanted to bring you up to speed on where we are at now. We have been a bit frustrated because we have been pushed back a couple of times because the Dr's new lab had not been completed yet. We are now good to go and are very excited..but not overly.

Dr. Barnett put Kelly on the pill and she's been on it for about 2 weeks now. This is helping regulate this cycle. Yesterday she started the Lupron shots which keeps her from ovulating. She will continue this during the whole process...until the Dr. says stop. In about 9 days or so she will start the follistem shots which help her stimulate the follicles (eggs) in her ovaries. After about 1.5 weeks of that she will take Ovidril which will make her ovulate those eggs for extraction.

If my memory serves me right it will be the week of Sept 7th when Dr. Barnett extacts the eggs and fertilizes them. It will be about 2 weeks from retrieval date when we find out if it took.

Please keep us in your thoughts.

Laminaria Placement

Have officially started down the path of our second IVF cycle. This is actually our third attempt at an implantation as we had a frozen embryo transfer that failed as well. Needless to say, we are very excited and hopeful....even confident I would say.....that the third time's a charm.

Our first true appointment was last Thursday. Kelly went in for a Laminaria placement. A Laminaria is "medical seaweed" that is about as thin as a match stick and is placed in the cervix to dilate it. Kelly's is a bit constricted and has an odd angle to it that can cause difficulty during implantation. Therefore, Dr. Barnett thought the Laminaria would help with that because it acts like a sponge in there, absorbing moisture, enlarging, resulting in an expanded cervix. It only stays in there for 24 hours and is then removed. The expansion is supposed to be good for a couple of months.

Kelly has had a little cramping and discomfort since but everything should be ok.

It was our intention to have the implantation done late July - early August but because of logistical issues (doctor moving offices and scheduling of the embryologist) it looks like it's going to be late August.

Again, we are very excited and I will try and keep this updated with our progress.

Send us good mojo please.

GUEVARA
Norma E. Guevara was called home by the Lord on June 7, 2009, at the age of 53. She was born in San Antonio, Texas on May 31, 1956 and was the youngest of four children. She is preceded in death by her parents, Bruno V. & Belen R. Guevara. She is loved and will be missed by her children; daughter Sandra Renee Moya and husband, Steven Escobar; sons, David Moya Jr., and Benjamin David Moya; grandchildren, Lauren-Renee Castelo, Mia Celeste and Yasmine Escobar, Antonio Moya and Kiaya Marie Moya; sister, Irene Longoria; brothers, Diego R. and Albert R. Guevara; and her beloved Mark Ferro; and numerous loving nieces, nephews and friends.Visitation will be held at Castillo Mission Funeral Home from 1 p.m. until 9 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9, 2009, with a Rosary to be recited at 7 p.m. The funeral procession will depart the funeral home at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 10. 2009 for a 10:00 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial at the St. Anthony Claret. Interment will follow at The Cordi-Marian Resurrection Cemetery. The family would like to acknowledge the care and compassion offered by the Amedisys Hospice and South Texas Oncology. Dr. Lisa Fichtel and Chase Bank for all of the care and love that was provided during this time of need.

We will miss you Tia. RIP

Givin' It Another Go

Well we went and saw Dr. Barnett again this past Monday. Looks like we are going to try to start shots in June for a July transfer. He seems to think that the last two failed attempts were just bad luck....humph! I hate it when he says stuff like that. It sounds like Dr. Buch telling me that there was no improvement from my varicosele surgery because it's just me. When they tell me that stuff I just want to say What? We have just spent thousands of dollars for all this failure and all you can tell me is "bad luck" or "it's just you"? AARRGGHH!! The upside is that Dr. Barnett is donating some folistem that other patients have given back. That should save us a few hundred dollars.

Oh well ok now that Im done venting we are excited about the opportunity to try this again. The only thing different Dr. Barnett is going to try is using a laminaria to widen the cervix. It's medical seaweed?

So the plan is to start shots mid June for a mid July transfer. We are thinking of putting more than two eggs in this time....provided we have enough.

Anyway, that's it for now. We will keep you posted. Will also be posting on Twitter.

The Great Cole-ini

Varicocele

I went to the urologist several weeks ago and was told that I have Varicocele. Wikipedia defines Varicocele as "an abnormal enlargement of the veins in the scrotum draining the testicles. The testicular blood vessels originate in the abdomen and course down through the inguinal canal as part of the spermatic cord on their way to the testis. Up-ward flow of blood in the veins is ensured by small one-way valves that prevent backflow. Defective valves, or compression of the vein by a nearby structure, can cause dilatation of the veins near the testis, leading to the formation of a varicocele." Basically I had too much blood sitting in the scrotum stewing my sperm which results in malformation.

So last Tuesday I went in for corrective surgery to re-route that blood flow so my boys don't overheat. They made two incisions about 3" long right above and on both sides of my penis. From there they cut off the bad vein and used another to route the up flow of blood.

The surgery took about 2 hours and I went home that day. I spent the next 3 full days bedridden. Saturday was the first day I was able to really walk around without any pain. I tell you what...my boys were very swollen. The whole package was about he size of a large orange....which is quite large. Let's just say that I walk bow-legged because of it. LOL.

The pain was not that bad. But for three days it felt like I had been kicked there. There was some pain in the incisions but today they itch so that's a good sign. Means they are healing.

It will be at least three months before we are able to see any results but we are very hopeful. Will keep you informed.

Oh yeah saw Ironman last night. Good flick. Two testicles up.

Message from Kelly

Dear Family and Friends,

A few weeks ago I participated in the Komen 5k Race for the Cure in San Antonio. I walked with friends and family to commemorate Jake's Aunt Norma's 5 year anniversary of being a cancer survivor. It was so wonderful to be a part of that and to experience the great camaraderie. I was so moved that I decided that I wanted to do more, not only to show support, but to raise money for the fight. So after some research I have decided to participate in the Breast Cancer 3-Day here in Dallas November 7-9. For those of you unaware of this "race", I will walk 60 miles over the course of 3 days with thousands of other men and women. This is not a race for personal gain or glory, but rather a challenge. A challenge to raise $2,200 for Breast Cancer research in hopes of one day eradicating this horrible disease. Without a cure, one in eight women in the Unites States will continue to be diagnosed with breast cancer. That is why I am walking in the 3-Day, as everyone deserves a lifetime.

Breast cancer will touch all of our lives in one way or another. Whether it is my husband's aunt, who after 5 years is still fighting or a co-worker who is an 8 year survivor, we all are affected. Not only will I walk in their honor, but I will walk to hopefully protect my mom, my mother-in-laws, Margaret and Lydia, my sister-in-law, Clarissa, my aunts, my cousins, and all of my incredible friends.

I am so excited to have the opportunity to complete this challenge. If you would like to be a part of this experience with me, please help me to raise the money necessary to participate. You can give online at www.The3Day.org. Follow the "Donate Now" link to enter my name as a participant from Texas. You will then be connected to my personal fundraising web page and can make a donation. You can do a one time donation or you can spread it out over four months, using the payment plan option. Or feel free to call 800-996-3DAY to donate over the phone. I appreciate any support you are able to provide.

Please pray for me as I train through the hot summer months to prepare. Thanks you so much for helping me complete this goal. Together we can impact the future by supporting such a worthy cause.

Sincerely,

KG
http://08.the3day.org/site/TR/Walk/DallasFtWorthEvent?px=1968164&pg=personal&fr_id=1184&et=8lb2oVK6HBtJ5oO0acurzg..&s_tafId=64196

It's not a toomah!! - Update

Test results from my brothers tumor are in and it was not malignant!!! Whew hew!! We are all happy and grateful.

Peach out!

Robert Milligans

This was an impromptu video that was taken the day Cole bought himself a "spy kit." As you can see he part of the kit included spy-glasses and mustache for a disguise. Check it out.

Back in the swing of things

Ok so I'm finally ready to start back on this again. I guess I can talk about it now without getting soooo pissed. For those of you who didn't know, our IVF procedure back in Nov did not take.....nor did the next one we did this past January. So needless to say we were pretty discouraged....and now broke. But we are still trying so no worries. It will happen. Will keep everyone posted.

Oh yeah, we are redoing our floors and man has it been some work. We have taken out all carpet and tile in all rooms except for the kitchen, utility room and bathrooms. We are putting down wood laminate and new baseboards. It's starting to come together nicely. I will post pictures when we are finished.

Lastly, I want to mention my little bro Diego. A week ago today he was told he had a tumor on his lung and that it had pretty much eaten up one of the three lobes on his right lung. Well, it turns out that he has had that tumor for a couple of years and had not known it. This past Tuesday he had it removed along with a third of that lung. He is doing very well and his prognosis is great. We are still awaiting the biopsy results but the doctors are confident that the tumor is benign. They also said that he will be able to be as active as he wants to be from here on out. In fact, he will have a renewed sense of energy because much of his blood was not being oxygenated because of the tumor. We are all very happy.

I tell you what I am very proud of him. He is such a trooper. Never did he feel sorry for his self and was in great spirits the whole time. Props to you little bro..I admire you.

Testing the Running Code

The Eagle Has Landed

"The implantation went perfectly," is what Dr. Barnett said at about 12:45pm yesterday. We had two good eggs for implantation and can't be more excited.

I got to go with Kelly in the transfer room. It was pretty cool. A very sterile environment that was connected by a "fast food drive thru" window to the lab where they kept our babies. The doc got Kelly all ready, then the embryologist made his grand entrance with the eggs (thank God he didn't fall because he was walking like he was carrying the world's most precious fragile piece of glass ever). The hand-off to the doctor was slow and precise then doc inserted the eggs....then Voila! we were done. The process just took a few minutes. Here's Kelly and me right before we went in the transfer room.


Kelly is at home right now on bed-rest. She can only get up to get food and go to the bathroom. She will be able to get up and move around early tomorrow afternoon.

Last night she had her first progesterone injection and it went fairly well considering it is a big-girl shot. :)

This next photo is the coolest because not many people get to see their kids when they look like this.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers. Keep them coming because we are not done yet. We go in for our official pregnancy test next Wednesday.

Happy Turkey Day!

Update

I'm a couple of days late with this so there is a lot of info.

As you know the retrieval went well. They got 19 eggs. Well we found out on Thursday that there were only 10 eggs mature enough to fertilize and out of those 10 only 7 fertilized properly.

Friday we found out that of the 7 only 1 was "good" 3 were "average" and the rest were "poor." What does good, average and poor mean? We didn't know either. It didn't sound very good though. Nonetheless one good was better than none good so we were still very positive.

What we were told was that since they knew that there was for sure only one good egg there was no need to wait till Monday to implant them. Therefore, we were told to go ahead and come in first thing Saturday morning for implantation.

Our plan was to put in the good one and the best average one...if there was such a thing. However, when we got to the clinic this morning we were greeted with wonderful news! It turned out that overnight the "good" egg turned "excellent" and so did 3 of the "average" eggs. Apparently there is a scale that the embryologists use to grade the progress of the eggs during the incubation period. 1 is excellent, 2 is good, 3 is average, 4 is poor and 5 is ...whatever you get it.

It turns out that our eggs were just late bloomers and that was fine by us. As a result we postponed the implatation till Monday. This give the eggs a couple of more days to progress therefore giving them a chance to jockey for position....the ultimate goal being Win and Place!!

We appreciate everyone keeping us in their thoughts and prayers....SEE IT'S WORKING!!!

Step 6: The Retrieval

Yesterday Kelly and I went in for the retrieval. Everything went very well. They were able to retrieve 19 eggs!! Kelly was pretty groggy afterward. She slept most of the day and was a bit sore. Today she's still sore but is up and around.

The lab fertilized the eggs yesterday and we expect to hear from them today with a progress report. So if you think about it, barring any negative effects, we conceived yesterday. Wow.....I just keep picturing what our child will look like. I am ....we are so excited. I can't even get any work done today.

Anyway, we are due to go back in on Monday....hopefully sooner...for the implantation. Cross your fingers.

Oh yeah, we start progesterone injections tomorrow. Kelly is not looking forward to that. But no worries, I've been practicing on sticking that HUGE needle in an orange. I got it down packed. I'm so good the orange doesn't even flinch.

Sonogram 2

We went in for a sonogram on Saturday. Everything looked good. The follicles were growing nicely. Kelly is starting to get uncomfortable. Ladies, imagine that time of the month when you ovulate. You can feel a little bloated and crampy just for one egg right? Well, imagine having 20+!! She is feeling unbelievably bloated and quite sensitive in the abdominal area. She's a trooper though.

Now we fast forward to today. Kelly went in for her last sonogram. Great news! We have 15 mature eggs for retrieval. The average is 10 to 12. My wife is such an over achiever. She has to give herself a shot of Ovidrel tonight which is supposed to induce ovulation. Then on Wednesday we go in for the retrieval.

The retrieval is kind of a big deal because they will have to put her under. From that point our eggs are in the hands of the embryologist who will fertilize the eggs and monitor them for about 5 days. We are guessing they will put them back in next Monday or so....we hope.

Everyone please keep Kelly in your thoughts. We are very excited!!!