Appointment!

Yesterday we had our appointment at Nottingham clinic and I am glad to say that it has reassured me about nearly every thing that I felt nervous about! We were seen by a lovely patient woman called Mary who made me feel at ease from the moment that we sat down and started talking.

First things first we had to sign lots of consent forms which she had to go through with us one by one. Then she got out a box with some medication and needles in and she said that she was going to go through how to administer the drugs that I will be taking in January. So we had a go at mixing the drugs and handling the syringe (which sounds really dodgy haha!) Then she gave me an empty syringe with a smaller needle fixed on the end which she said would be the needle I will have to inject myself with. Then she told me to pinch a piece of my tummy (not easy to describe!) and gently insert the needle because she wanted me to see that it does not hurt in the least. I was extremely surprised to find how easy it was as I expected to be injecting into my arm. 

She then went on to explain our schedule. The first step will be taking the first lot of medication on the 4th January of Norethisterone tablets up until the 16th January. Then the injections will begin after that.  Mary has roughly estimated that my egg collection will be either 31st January or 3rd February. So I will only be on the medication a few weeks before the big egg collection!

So we had a phone call today from a pharmaceutical company telling us that the drugs will be arriving on Friday.  So as soon as Christmas and New Year is over we will be starting! Still doesn't feel real yet...<3

Off to Nottingham tomorrow!

So we are off to Nottingham tomorrow for the first time since June! We are going to be seeing Mary the PGD nurse to discuss my IVF treatment plan and have some blood tests taken in preparation for the beginning of the IVF in January. I am feeling extremely excited and cannot wait to go and find out more about what we will be doing! 

WE HAVE NEWS!!!!!!!!!!

Today has given me so much joy!!!! I had a phone call from the clinic in Nottingham with news that the PGD test is finished and that it has all worked! :) 

IVF will begin in January!!!! I am feeling so thankful right now...<3 We have been given an appointment at Nottingham for the 17th December at 10.00am to see the PGD nurse who is going to go through all of the injections and drugs that I will be taking. We also have to have some blood tests done to check for HIV and also check immunity for Hepatitis and Rubella.  

A pharmaceutical company will get in contact within the next couple of weeks to discuss how and when the drugs will be delivered to my house when I begin the IVF treatment. 

At the moment my head is just spinning...After waiting so long for something you just feel so much more appreciative of it when it comes along :) I just can't believe it's really happening now... <3 

Still more waiting...

Well it has been a long while since I blogged but we still have not heard anything about the IVF/PGD... 

I am really hoping that we will hear something from them soon!! It has nearly been 4 months since our DNA was sent to Genesis Genetics for the PGD part of the procedure and I am hoping that no news is good news! 

Since I last blogged many good things have occurred for me and my husband. The Apprenticeship he was on has been cut short because they have now hired him as an employee! I was so proud of him when he told me. So financially things are looking up for us. Some family rifts that occurred during my Huntington's Disease Testing process have been mended and some bridges have been built so to speak. We have both shared our birthdays, I am now 21 years old and Jay is 23 years old. 

The biggest and best news for me was when I was asked to become a Regional Advocate for wehaveaface.org. I have met/spoken to some wonderful people and really feel that I can help towards finding a cure for Huntington's Disease... God has opened so many doors of opportunity for us both this year and I feel so blessed... 

Really hoping and praying that I hear something soon about the IVF/PGD but trusting in God for his perfect timing <3 

Waiting...

Well it has been a while since I have blogged but there has not been anything to update about the IVF/PGD at present... 

A couple of months have passed now since we have given our DNA to CARE Fertility and I have had a tough time keeping myself busy whilst waiting. At first I wanted to wish this time away so that I could just hurry up and get on with the IVF treatment but I have come to realise that I have had a lot of growing to do and in this short space of time I have already changed so much.

After finding out about the Huntington's gene last year I felt that I had lost part of myself, the care-free, innocent part of me had been put to sleep that day. My direction had suddenly changed in life, some things didn't feel so important anymore and other things felt more important than ever. However I feel that slowly I am beginning to find myself again.

One thing that has really changed me is becoming a Christian. It has completely turned my whole life around. The continuous hole that I felt I needed to keep filling has gone. God has helped me to let go of many things and begin to heal from within. I have also met some amazing people through my faith who have supported me, inspired me and have given me hope. God has renewed me. His light has illuminated every dark corner of my life. 

Waiting has been the hardest thing I have ever done in my life... I am not a very patient person to say the least! I think though that this has been the best life lesson that I have learnt yet. Patience means to bear with and accept anything that is thrown your way. Knowing this now I feel that I am able to yield to patience more than I ever did before. I am learning to become more flexible and submissive to the future. 

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me...." ~ Jesus. 

       

Change...

 We must become the change we want to see.   

- Gandhi, Mahatma

As I turned over my Inspirations calender for August a new quote lay before my eyes, "We must become the change we want to see". I was astonished at how such a simple short sentence had caught so much brilliance in it. I began to think how this sentence would apply to me..

My life has already changed so much in such a short period of time.  I have grown and grown in closeness with the Lord and He has blessed us greatly. My husband is loving his job and is growing himself every day, he has a purpose now.

My own purpose is being built, my first purpose is to God and my husband but now, this very moment, my desired purpose is developing and expanding. At this very moment scientists are looking at our DNA, musing and puzzling over all the complicated things required to build our genetic test for the embryos. 

Yet as all this is happening I must become the change I want to see.. I must find strength and look to the wonderful end result of this daunting process. I will find strength and my strength will be from the Lord, from my rock...He will give me the strength I need...

Next stage..

Today we had our phone call from Genesis Genetics in America. We had to give over our family history and discuss the genetic testing procedure. They are going to send out cheek swabs for us within the next couple of days in order to have our DNA. This will be from me, Jay and my mother. My father already has stored DNA which will be used. 

Once the cheek swabs have been received by Genesis Genetics they will begin to build a PGD test for us this may take up to 16 weeks. However we were told that the average PGD test takes about 12 weeks. After they have finished we can then begin IVF treatment.  

So the IVF may not begin until about October. In the meantime I am going to continue trying to build myself up in strength and keep myself busy also!