And the answer is....

No answer!

I went to the lab this morning about 9am and had my blood draw. All day I was waiting for "the call." I finally thought I had gotten it about 1:15 pm while driving with my mom to a cemetary following a family funeral. Nope, the nurse was calling to say the machine they use to process HCG tests was broken! She offered to send it over to another lab, but the two the she offered were not on my insurance. They were trying to fix the machine, but I guess did not get it done in time to get back to me today. She will call me in the AM to let me know the status, and if the machine is still broken, she will send the specimen to a lab that is on my insurance. So we wait. I have gotten a lot of phone calls today from folks who were watchfully waiting with me.

On another point, the progesterone shots I have been taking have been giving me a bad allergic reaction. I get huge red itchy welts about 2 inches across wherever I get a shot, and the itchiness wraps around both hips (I do the shots in my hips). The progesterone is really thick and has to be injected deep into the muscle. Because it is so thick, it takes quite a while to go in, and my dosage is pretty large-- double what it was for a regular IVF cycle. I read that many women in cryo cycles do not produce any progesterone at all naturally, and without the progesterone, the uterus will shed its lining even with an implanted embryo, so the progesterone is really important. The nurse is going to have the pharmacy try compounding it with cottonseed oil rather than the sesame oil they have been using. If that doesn't work, we'll try olive oil. I'm already fed up with shots but I most likely have at least 6 more weeks of shots to go, maybe longer

Despite the waiting, I feel very calm and optimistic. Today was a lovely day spent with family I had not seen for a long time. I always enjoy family funerals for that reason, especially when someone has died after a long and happy life. I love to hear about their lives and reflect on their contributions to this world. This particular service was rich in love and in family remembrances.