We need your shoes

No, not the ones that are on your feet.  The ones you don't use anymore.  Tracie has this GREAT idea of donating shoes to local shelters.  Got any?? Email us at ticoandlupe@gmail.com!

More Q&A- Christa&Tracie

Where are the snow babies kept if you have any that make it to freeze?

They are kept in Panama where they are ready for either donation or an FET.

If my cycle doesn't succeed, will I try again with a frozen FET?

Christa-A FET is an option, but I'm not sure how soon we would do it. Depends on funds and time off. I'm the only one who will essentially need time off because the embryos will already be down there, but it's still difficult with everything we have going on in our normal, everyday life.

Tracie: Yes. As soon as we can, I hope. I will mother others.

Are all of us going (IE- husbands, kids)-

Yes, all of us are eventually going to be there. Tracie, Ava, Christa, Adam, and Ella are traveling down there first and Davez is meeting us there a couple of days later. We are staying together most of the time, and Tracie, Davez, and Ava are taking a brief trip to the coast when we don't have doctors appts for a stretch of time.

Was it difficult to convince your DH to do this IVF Vacation?

Christa- At first, I think Adam was kind of wary of going to another country for medical care, but with all the research that both Tracie and I did, he was almost immediately convinced.

Tracie- I think we both took a while to get used to the idea. I still can't believe our journey has led us here. NEVER did I think we'd have to do IVF. Never. But the idea of doing something unconventional like out-of-the-country IVF is right up our alley. We traveled around the world for 6 months straight in 2006... traveling is our "thing" to say the least. So this kinda' "fits" us, I guess.

Davez still tries to change the whole plan (which is now 99% booked) to going to Thailand instead, but logistically, this just makes more sense. To be honest, I didn't think he'd go for it. Then I thought he went for it to shut me up. Now he's on board. Nervous, and displacing over it, but on board. His biggest fear is not having time to chill by himself, and having Ava loose her chit on the airplane. I got both handled, we'll be fine.


Do you know each other or will you be meeting for the first time in Costa Rica?

This is the exciting part. We have only been email chatting and will be meeting each other for the first time in the baggage terminal where Tracie has already said that she is going to try not to laugh at my "East Coast" accent:)

Tracie: Little does Christa know, I'm actually a 13 year old zit-covered kid from Portland, Oregon. I've been foolin' all your asses for years now. Surprise!

What do your families think about this?

Christa- my parents have been very supportive, my mom was a bit skeptical at first because the first plan was for the girls to go for half and the guys to go for the other. She was upset Adam wasn't going for the whole time and we were going to be "alone" in a foreign country. But she's ok with it especially now since Adam is coming for the whole thing. Honestly, I was a little bit scared of flying all that way with Ella on my lap especially since I hate flying (I get very sick and my ears won't pop). So I'm glad to have the help.

My in laws have been great, helping us book some of their time share so we don't have to pay to stay at certain times during the trip. BIG HELP!!! They are very supportive of our adventure.

Tracie- Hhhmm, that's still pending. My mom is scared, I think. Of the unknown. I tried to explain the process to her last nite, and she says "OMG, this is all very complicated." Um, yes. It is. My dad doesn't say much. We've not said anything else to other family yet. Not sure what we'll do with this.

Our biggest fear is that a child that comes from this process will be LABELED. Which happens sometimes, as much as we'd like to think it doesn't. This has been one helluva journey for us. Although I am bummed (read: ashamed) my body has not worked for us well, I will be extremely proud of any child that comes from this. No matter HOW they got into my belly. I wish Guiana & Bill Rancic were not the ones paving the way for people being open about Infertility. I wish superstars would not keep this problem a secret. I wish no one had to deal with it, but if someone does, I would sure love for that shroud of (whatever it is) to not cover it.

Rant over. Sorry. I don't care what people think, we're doing what is best for our family.

As always, feel free to ask any other questions you have, we are happy to answer.

Q&A Tracie

* 1)How many babies would you like for the IVF to produce? Are you secretly hoping for twins? Obviously a healthy baby & pregnancy is your main hope.

After loosing 7 pregnancies, I'm just ready for something to stick and stay put. If I were being totally honest, I would admit that twins would be nice. Then we could be done with this chit. But I would admit to wanting the twins thing ONLY if they were full term and healthy, and I didn't have bedrest until the last week. And I could have a vaginal birth. With an epidural. And I could tandem nurse with ease.

And since 99.9% of the audience reading this KNOWS that these requests are certainly a TALL ORDER... I best go back to wishing hard for one sticky cute baby.

With an epidural. lol.

2)If this IVF is not successful (notice, I did not say, a failure..) will you try again?

Yes. I will mother others. Hopefully we'll get a couple of frosties to do a FET. Again, there I go with the tall orders.

* 3)How many children do you want to complete your family?
I've always thought I wanted 4 kids. I bet Davez would be content with 3. Of course, this was all before the hell of getting them started. We're tired. TIE-ERD. But in the same breath, I don't see myself being content with just two. It just does not feel finished in my head. We're always said we're going to do international adoption, and did start the process. We'll pull that off the backburner at some point, I bet. Or do foster-adopt in the states if money becomes the issue I suspect it might someday. Infertility is not only hard on your body and soul, it wrecks your pocketboook.

* 4)I'd love to hear about all the pre-contact that you have had with the doctors.
No you wouldn't. It's been the frustrating part of this to say the least. I'm a control freak, and always have 100 questions. This doc is slow to respond to emails, and whether it's a language/cultural thing or not, his answers are too curt to pacify me. While I have no doubt things will work out once we get there, and my Mark (from Passport Medical) has been AWESOME (he's done IVF with his wife a few times, and knows the lingo and concerns) .... working with this doc could be potentially frustrating for those that don't have the support that I (we) do with our online mom's group. They've been there done that. And I"m so grateful for them and their knowledge. And allowence of my annoying questions non-stop.

* 5)Do you have to go down with a full diagnosis or are they going to work through your various issues?
We have no fricken clue what's wrong with me. My doc there thinks it's "Natural Killer Cell" activity, which is "hooie" in most doc's eyes. He wants me to stop in Nicaragua or Columbia and do "LIT" which is illegal in the states. And it is also deemed "hooie" by most docs. So we're just doing "empiric therapy" such as met, lovenox, folic, etc. and trying to loose as much weight as possible before I go. Uugh. Carrot stick, anyone?

* 6)Have you already sent them your entire medical file?
I have the most impressive yet disturbing and depressing MASTER SPREADSHEET of my history ever. All my cycles, tests, stats, deets.... it is pretty cool, in a "chit, this is my life?" kinda of way. I'll hand carry my records too, but I bet they go unopened. They're not in spanish. lol. Let's face it, I (we) have done so much research and tried so many things by this point, we could practically run this cycle ourselves. Doctor? DOCTOR? WE DON'T NEED NO STINKIN' DOCTOR !!! lol.

Q&A Christa

I'm going to make an attempt to answers some of the questions asked in the comment section of last post.  These are Christa's answers, Tracie will answer some soon!  

• 1)How many babies would you like for the IVF to produce? Are you secretly hoping for twins? Obviously a healthy baby & pregnancy is your main hope.    I would like one healthy baby.  BUT, I would be happy being pregnant and while I know there are many more risks to a twin pregnancy, I would be ecstatic with twins also.    
• 2)If this IVF is not successful (notice, I did not say, a failure..) will you try again?    It's tough to say.  We are running out of resources (mostly because of money), but will try again in the future sometime.  Hopefully this won't have to be a question;) 
• 3)How many children do you want to complete your family?

•   This is a sticky question in this household!  While I am so happy with Ella, I've always wanted 3 or 4 children and even more so now that we have Ella and we know what joy she brings to our life.  Adam would be happy with two.  Hopefully we will come to a compromise someday.

• 4)I'd love to hear about all the pre-contact that you have had with the doctors.   I've worked a lot with Mark from Passport Medical.  He helps us get our medical records to the doctor and also helps with scheduling and any questions we may have for the doctor.  I've been in email communication with Dr. P (our RE in Costa Rica) and he is very familiar with severe Endometriosis, so that's been good.  Also, I've been working with an RE here in Maine to get my required tests completed.  I've had them done before, but Dr. P requires that they be done withing one year of the procedure, which is understandable. 
• 5)Do you have to go down with a full diagnosis or are they going to work through your various issues?  I don't know the exact answer to that question, but I think he wants you to have some idea of what is going on with your body.  If something doesn't sound right to him he will definitely tell you.  
• 6)Have you already sent them your entire medical file?   No, just the tests required, everything else you can bring with you when you go and he will look over them before you start your required dosage of meds.   If anyone has any other questions, I would be happy to answer.

GIVEAWAY!!!! WE HAVE A WINNTER!

Celine, Krystle, and Helene, you all get 50$ to spend on a felt playhouse!!!  Maggie- for participating you get a consolation prize of 20$ off your purchase of a playhouse.  Congrats everyone!!

This is the first of many giveaways to take place on this blog.  We are giving away three $50 gift cards to our Felt Playhouse shop!  All you have to do is become a follower and comment telling us what you would like to see next on our blog!!  Then we will randomly draw three names through an online randomizer.

We look forward to hearing from you!!

Lets Compare Cost of IVF by Country

  

	USA	Canada	Barbados	Costa Rica / Panama	Argentina
IVF	$12,000	$5000	$6000	$2800	$4000
ICSI	$13,500	$6500	$7000	$2800	$4000
Egg Donor IVF	$25,000 – $40,000	N/A	$7500	$3000	$4600
PGD	+$3550	N/A	+$3750	N/A	+$4500

 
Embryo Glue, Blastocyst, and Cytoplasmic Transfer are all included in the cost of Costa Rica/Panama's IVF price.

Also, in Costa Rica/Panama if other special services are required, the prices are among the lowest in the world.

• Embryo freezing $500 (includes all embryos obtained).
• Transfer of frozen embryos $1000
• Ovum donor $3000 (includes medication for the donor). You may also provide your own donor and pay only $200 for the anesthetics, plus the cost of medication (approx. $1400).
• Sperm donor $200.
• Epididymal and Testicular aspiration $600 (includes anesthesiologist).
•  sources:http://www.centrofecundar.com/, http://passportmedical.com/2009/11/fertility/
  

Fundraising fun!! Felt Playhouses!

Tracie has this wonderful creative knack, so we decided to put that to good use and collectively make some awesome felt playhouses. They are available through this blog!  More information here !!

Here is the beautiful felt playhouse she made for Ava:

We make panels so you can pick and choose your own decor!

What goes into an IVF Vacation you ask?

Why, a lot goes into it! T and I started with Googling a lot and she came across a gentleman from Passport Medical named Mark. He and T started talking at first. He specializes in organizing these trips and believe it or not, his wife and he are going through IVF in May also.

We researched CIMA Hospital in Costa Rica and Hospital Panama, obviously in Panama. State of the art equipment including a 4d/5d ultrasound machine! We found that everything was up to or exceeding American standards and were very pleased. We also did a bunch of research on Dr. Perez. His success rates were phenomenal and everything that is required for IVF in the states is also required by him. He needs a CD 3 FSH level, an SHG, a semen analysis from the spouse and other various types of blood work.

After getting some additional questions answered by Mark, we started looking at airfare, accommodations, and costs of living in Costa Rica and Panama for 3 weeks. After regurgitating stats and dollar signs on paper, we have found that we are going to shell out between 1/3 and 1/2 of what we would pay in the states (I will go into breakdown of costs soon). Plus we get to embark on this journey in countries full of palm trees and beaches.

Thanks to Adam's parents we are all staying at their timeshare for the majority of the time we are there, so we cut that cost. Thank you Pat for all the calling around you did, we really appreciate it and understand all the hard work that went into it.

We are STILL planning two months later, so it does take a while to get everything ready and in order. Trying to get all these tests done and out to Dr. Perez has been one of the challenges, also Tracie and I live 1500 miles away from each other, which also makes our communicating about plans a bit challenging.

If I haven't answered all of your questions, I'm probably not thinking of something, we are prepared to answer questions, you can either comment or email either T or I!

Tracie

When I was a kid, I was a 'helluva homemaker. I would cook all day in my easy-bake oven, going through lightbulbs after lightbulbs. I nurtured my babydolls, dressed them in pretty frocks, and even in my teen years when I was supposed to be chasing boys, I was running a babysitting business each weekend. I chose to be a nanny over flipping burgers. I had baby names picked out when I was 12.

I was meant to mother.

For those of you that don't know my story, I goofed around thru my 20's, and finally met The One, Davez, pushing 30. We have had an incredible journey so far, a good part of it spent on a plane on in another country. We LOVE to travel.
We finally started a family, and had our amazing daughter Ava Claire. (just turned age two) Davez is an incredible daddy, and we just adore this amazing little person. We had hints of trouble before she was born, but thought all was well once we got her. Beautiful pregnancy, nice birth... we got this pregnancy thing DOWN !

Or notsomuch.

After she weaned, the hints of trouble became really loud and rude. To date, I've gone thru eight medicated cycles - ranging from clomid to follistim to gonal to ovidrel to lovenox to all the hocus pocus treatments one can google. I've lost 7 pregnancies, most very early, but a special one lingered until 11 weeks, dubbed "Harvey" in our hearts, lost to Trisomy 13.
I've been drained of my blood, had more tests that anyone should ever have, and been given answers only to be told they were wrong, and no one can tell me why this is all happening to us. We define "frustrated" at this point.

So why Costa Rica?
Well, for ME, I can't fathom spending $20K on doing IVF in the states. It's just too much money for us. (to each their own) I can't handle spending it, and I certainly do not have the emotional stability anymore to handle it if it does not work.
So this very affordable "IVF Vacation" idea is RIGHT up our alley. We get to travel to one of the finest hospitals, get state of the art treatments, see new places, try new markets... and hey, if we get a stow-away, even better.

Sometimes it's really hard for me to stand there and look at all the signs, observe all the facts, and try to make sense of what's real.

But there's one thing I know in my heart....
I will mother others.
And we're off on this adventure to see if this is HOW that statement comes true.

Christa

So many things consuming my mind, what if it doesn’t work, what if I get sick, what if this isn’t the best decision for our family, what if, what if, what if.

I can’t believe it’s come to this.  IVF.  Our final option.

  After our precious Ella, we decided to try for another about 6 months after she was born.  I weaned her off the breast (one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make) and got pregnant that first month of trying.  It was another miracle!  Our 10% chance was happening again.  No medical intervention at all.  

I knew in my heart it was over before it began.  While my betas were good and doubled, the first time I saw the baby measuring a few days behind on the u/s I cried.  The u/s tech said “don’t worry, they can run a few days off at first, maybe you just miscalculated your dates” (I know my dates like the back of my hand).  The midwife said the same thing.  Over and over again, repeated u/s’s saying that the baby was measuring small. At 6.5 weeks, there was only a small flutter.  After a week of waiting,  we finally went in for an u/s at the hospital and at 8 weeks pregnant, the baby was measuring 6w3d with no heartbeat.  Whatever heartbeat was there in the first place was gone. We were made to wait another week just in case.  The follow up u/s showed no growth, but my uterus was still growing.  Missed miscarriage.  D&E was scheduled.  There were some of the most exhausting days of my life to follow.

We took a couple months off to enjoy the summer and Ella figuring if we could get pregnant on our own again, it would happen with time.  This was last April.  After 5 rounds of Clomid and 2 IUI’s we still aren’t pregnant and my endo is back full force.  I have stage IV endo.  No surgeon dares to go back in fearing they will just create even more scar tissue.  I’ve already had 3 laps, there isn’t much more they can do at this point anyhow.

IVF is the only option left for me.  Nothing is making it through my tubes at this point and I’m not even sure if I can ovulate without assistance anymore.  With all these things going through my mind, all these “what if’s”, I know through it all that I have the love and support of my family and friends to hit the purchase button and buy my ticket.

 I’m going to Central America.  To get the best souvenir ever.  A baby.