Pheeeew...sigh of relief. I had my 3rd beta check and ultrasound today. They found a sac😊. It took forever - like 20 minutes - and the tech was so very quiet. Based on his demeanor, I was sure he didn't see anything. But afterwards when I said "assume you didn't see anything?" He said "oh no, I saw it. Here it is". So relieved I forgot to take a pic but oh well. There wasn't much to see - it really was just a black blob.
Anyway, I had blood work also to check beta and progesterone which I did prior to my ultrasound at the lab in the hospital, so I went off to work after my ultrasound. I got a call from my nurse early afternoon. She took some of the wind outta my sails. I guess they wanted to see the yolk sac too, which the tech did not note. Either it's not there (which would be a fatal flaw) or its just not visible yet. So now I have to repeat the process on Friday and cross my fingers that it is visible. And so my psychosis continues. I like having a check in every couple days better than waiting 2 long weeks for a heartbeat but this is almost too intense. Good news though is that beta is 2128. 39 hr doubling rate. So, I'm gonna try to focus on that and the fact that there was a sac at least. I'm still only 5w3d.
This was my first ultrasound at the hospital's imaging center. I have to go there instead of a fertility clinic because none of them will see me for pregnancy monitoring for liability reasons I am told. Whatever:/. My ob won't see me until at least 8 weeks. So I have to go to this place that really doesn't specialize in delicate matters that are early pregnancies after IVF. Case in point, it's their protocol to do an abdominal ultrasound first even if it doesn't make sense and the order clearly states "transvaginal ultrasound". At 5w, there's pretty much nothing that can be seen via an abdominal ultrasound so it's really a waste of time. Also, when the tech was finally doing the transvaginal ultrasound (which took 20 minutes alone), at around the 15 min mark, he said he was looking at my ovaries. I gave him the stink-eye and didn't say anything but the order clearly and simply stated "find and measure sacs". I don't need my ovaries looked at. No sacs there! So anyway, my point is, this place typically deals with pregnancies much further along and pregnancies that do not need quick, efficient, and precise monitoring (that's where the "IVF factory" is a benefit - I know if I was doing this in NJ, I'd be in and out in 15 minutes and wouldn't have to worry about the accuracy). The fact that the yolk sac wasn't seen could be due to tech error or the ultrasound equipment not being sensitive enough but it could also be due to the fact that it just might not be visible yet. I am reading that it is quite common to not see the yolk sac yet (my nurse confirmed this) and that it can typically be seen once betas are higher. I've read that anywhere from 2500 to 7500 for a yolk sac to be seen. My beta was 2128 today so by Friday I should be at about 7500 if my doubling rate continues. If the rate slows though which does tend to happen as the weeks go by, I might be closer to around 6000. We'll see!
I hate to say it but it's really hard to not compare this pregnancy to Kellen's. At 5w3d, my beta was way up there at 6000+! It doesn't worry me per se but it just adds kindling fuel to my psychosis. All pregnancies are different, so I'm told, and betas can range all across the board but still. I'm envious of those numbers I had 3 years ago! Plus my symptoms were way stronger. But that makes sense given the difference in my beta numbers. Just today I'm starting to feel tender breasts. Smells are starting to bother me. That's about it though. Cramping has been more today I guess too. But I was feeling more symptoms when I first poased than I am now! But I think I said it before though - maybe my body recognized the hcg at first and was like "WHOA what's this?!" And now it's like "oohhhh...mehhh". Also when I poased I was only 4 days caffeine free so I coulda had some withdrawal symptoms that I identified as preggo symptoms. Similarly, I quit caffeine AFTER my bfp with Kellen. So all that fogginess was WAY worse with him.
Anyway, for the next couple of days, I'll be sitting tight, waiting for Friday and trying to focus on the positive things that I KNOW today. 1) there is a sac & 2) my good beta doubling rate is continuing.
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