The JoyFoo Life!~

10 Aug 2023 – The past two days after the surgery, was mostly resting, sleeping, and recovering from the big surgery.

Having to prepare for the insertion day, we would need to insert some gel like thing, two times a day.

As it was still hurting from the procedure, I would experience cramps after each shot.

It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, but we had to do it. I also had to take some medications.

We waited for the call from the embryologist, and finally, she called at 2pm today!

She informed us on the outcome of the fertilization. Thankfully, we were able to do the embryo transfer tomorrow. I was so grateful at this point. Thank you, Jesus.

Had to fast from 12am tonight and will go for an early rest. As usual, hope that I could clear my bowels before the procedure.

Pray that the procedure will go smoothly tomorrow, and implantation will occur. I would most likely be on bed rest for the next 9-11 days after tomorrow.

We have decided to update our family and friends on the outcome 3 months later, to be safe – around mid Nov’23.

Thank you all for reading the humble blog and hope it would help/encourage someone along the way, and provide some information on the whole IVF journey.

Please continue to keep us in prayers, we need it!

Thank God for bringing us this far. #believing #trusting #hope

8 Aug 2023 – Today is the day of the Egg retrieval procedure.

We were informed to go to Ward 2A to admit to the hospital at 7.30am. The actual procedure is scheduled to start at 9.30am. Hubby got to deposit at 8am.

Worrying about whether I would be able to clear my bowels before being sedated at the operating theatre, I tried my hardest to go to the toilet the night before but ended up resulting in something sad happening. (Too private to mention here)

I was to do fasting for a full day from 12am, no food, and no water.

Upon reaching the ward, we were quickly ushered to the counter do the registration and given tags so that we could enter in and out of the ward.

I went in, not knowing what to expect.

The kind nurses asked me to take off all the jewelry, and I kept them in my bag.

They then brought me to the ward, Ward 43 to wait.

Due to nervousness, I had stomachache, went to the toilet several times, and managed to clear my bowels!

It was then time for the procedure. Due to them injecting a big needle in, we were briefed beforehand of the risk of infection/risk of bleeding/etc. We were to monitor closely after the procedure, whether there was heavy bleeding/increased in weight/fever/etc.

I could only leave all my fears in God’s hands, because, every part of this IVF journey, was beyond my planning or control. This wasn’t something I was used to doing, but I am slowly learning (even now) to let go and let God.

I was brought to the operating theatre, injected a needle at the front of my hand, and was told that they would drip the General Anesthesia in, once the surgical team arrives.

I asked them whether can sedate me asap, as my heart rate was beating at an all-time high. They patiently explained that they would need to try to reduce the time I was sedated, to prevent the risk which sedation comes with.

There were more than 6 staff in the room, as I was strap down in the cold, freezing room. A nurse kindly covered my shoulders with the blanket, and another kind nurse, gently told me not to worry even though it seems intimidating.

Soon, the doctor came, I said Hello! And they wish me good luck.

They covered me with a mask and asked me to breath in and out.

“Breathe in, breathe out… don’t fight it…”

Upon the fourth breath, I was out.

Someone tapped me and I woke up from a very deep place. It was an hour plus after the operation!

I felt a slight pain in my throat, and they explained that was because they inserted some tube in earlier. Very soon, the pain in the throat subsided.

The cramps felt painful though. However, I was so glad that it was over.

I was pushed to Ward 43, to rest and wait. Am to wait for four hours before I can eat so that I don’t vomit out the food, since I have just been awake from sedation. Rested and felt hungry as could only eat at 1.30pm.

A gentle female doctor came to informed us that they managed to retrieved X number of eggs. I was relieved and grateful that the eggs were successfully retrieved, after all the injections and pain.

We were to monitor for any infection, the next few days, and wait for the embryologist call to inform us on the outcome of the fertilization.

Thank God for helping us overcome one more step of this journey, and thankful to the pastors, family and friends for all the prayers.

6 Aug 2023 – Today is Day 10 since the start of injections.

It would be a day to conquer, to overcome my anxieties, not to overthink, and go ahead to take the final 6 injections.

Woke up at 6am and took 2 jabs. The remaining of the day was resting, and blogging. Took the 3rd jab at 6pm, ate dinner, and prepared myself for the 3 Trigger jabs at night.

It was scary, but somehow, due to the prayers from all - for the whole day, I could feel a sudden boldness in my heart. It was as though an unknown strength, came, and took away all the fears with it.

It could only be God working in the midst.

We took our covid tests, and thankfully it was negative.

9.30pm came, and the trigger shots were done. It was painful, but we were so relieved that we finally finished the injection journey.

I would like to take this time to thank my medic hubby for being so brave and helping to administer each jab for me. There was a total of 23 jabs to take, and it would be so different/harder if I had to do it by myself. Thankful for him. *hugs*

Tears of joy and pain flowed, and we hugged each other tightly.

It’s finally over, I whispered/or whined. We did it! =’)

Monday would be a day of rest, before the admission to hospital on Tuesday.

We had to reach early in the morning, and we pray for a smooth extraction of the eggs, fertilization, and insertion. Please continue to keep us in prayers.

Thank you all so much for the constant prayers and thank God for sustaining us till now. Wouldn’t be able to make it so far if not for Him.

Thank you, Jesus – for being the pillar of my heart. =’)

5 Aug 2023 – Today is Day 9 since the start of injections.

It was a Saturday morning, and the appointment was at 8am. Woke up at 6am to inject the two jabs in the morning.

Reached the clinic, took the blood and waited nervously for our turn to do the scan. Doctor decided to do egg extraction on next Tuesday as the eggs are almost ready to be retrieved.

The drawing of blood was more painful than other days, but still bearable. The nurses mentioned that my veins have become smaller, so it was harder to draw the blood, which was causing more pain than usual.

We waited outside for the injection kit, and passed her the cooling bag, which was provided by the clinic on the first injection visit on 28 Jul 23.

My name was called, and we went into the room, not knowing what to expect.

The nurse went through several items with us, and I signed on it. At the back of my mind, I was wondering how many injections I must do this time. Definitely not more than 3injections/day! I thought.

How wrong I was.

We were told to inject one more time tonight: 4 jabs(include drawing of blood) in total on Saturday, and 6 jabs on Sunday. 3 of the 6 jabs to be injected on Sunday, were trigger jabs. They will to be injected at 9.30pm.*

*Disclaimer: Everybody’s IVF experience is different, as each of us has different factors and situations. I heard from my friend that she did not have to inject so many jabs on the final day. So don’t be scare off by me if it is your first time trying for IVF! The ability to not compare with others was put to good use at this point of time. Just accept it and NEXT.

Messaged my pastors, family and friends on the update, to keep us in prayers.

Went home and fell asleep immediately as was feeling too weak. This had to be the weakest I felt.

Covid test would need to be done tomorrow, to ensure that we are well, before hospital admission on next Tuesday.

Took the jab at night, after dinner.

Wondering how I would be able to take 6 jabs on Sunday, I prayed to God for help, and went to sleep early.

2 Aug 2023 – Today is Day 6 since the start of injections. Had a doctor appointment at 8.35am in the morning.

The nurses informed me that I had to take blood test, each time I come for a visit.

They did a scan and doctor mentioned that it was growing well.

Naively, I thought that the number of jabs will be the same: once a day.

After about 50mins wait for the injection kits, the nurses introduced 2 new injection kits to me, and did the 2 injections for me on the spot. One of the injection stings painfully, and the injection site was itchy and had a pinch-like feeling for 2-3hours!

After teaching me how to use the injection kits, I was told that from today, I would need to take 3 injections a day! Till 5 Aug 23. (11 jabs till Saturday morning!)

After the medical appointment, I decided to go back to work to finish up my work.

Upon going back, there was a huge pile of work to clear, and I spent the next 5+ hours going through all the documents, with little rest.

When I reached home at night, I felt very emotional and exhausted, and could not see how I was able to take the painful injections in the morning and still go to work the next two days.

Physically and mentally, it was a lot, as the pain from the injections/no. of injections/tight deadlines to meet/pile of work got into me. I cried.

I prayed and asked God for strength, to help me go through the next two days, as I have reached the limit.

Miraculously, I was able to go to work the next two days (in a weak state) and cleared a large portion of the work the next two days, wrote down all the things to follow up on + take the jabs at 6am daily.

Really thank God for the divine strength to help me through the past three days/weeks!

Day 30:29 Jul 2023 – Today is Day 2 of the injections. I thought it will feel easier, but it is just as hard when I see the needles. I still feel scared but am thankful that it is one jab a day, and not two. I feel greatly consoled that hubby is helping me to do the jab. Pray that the eggs will grow well, so that the remaining jabs after seeing the doctor on 2 Aug 23, will also be one jab a day.

Trying to be cheerful through it all, as the doctor says that stress will not do any good for the eggs.

I remember a doctor appointment in Nov’22 last year, where the doctor told us – if we are stress, don’t do the IVF, because the eggs/sperms will not respond as well as it should.

Which was partly the reason why we postponed the IVF Treatment from Mar’23 till Jun’23. Mar’23 was too much stress/ heavy workload for the both of us, with many deadlines to meet.

Though this means that the waiting period was very long and it did caused a lot of stress on my end, because it was a mental load to carry around.

But finally, we are embarking on this journey, trusting our faithful God for the outcome! He knows what is the best for us, so we are learning to trust Him and His best plans!

Thank you family and friends for messaging me and keeping us in prayers. I am really touched and love you all! Will hang in there!

Day 29:28 Jul 2023 – Today is the first night of my IVF injection. After checking in with myself, I am still too scared to take the injections by myself. First, I have shaky hands, and it was at this moment that I thank God, for my hubby who was a Medic, and could do it for me.

He had experiences with needles (poking himself and others), so he was not afraid.

Edited my first video - after the jab to distract myself and made another video with some reflections on the IVF procedure.

I am learning a new skill: editing videos - through this adversity! And this somehow makes me happy. =)

For me, blogging and making videos, help to release a lot of the pent-up stress. Journaling down the whole journey, motivates me that I am not in this alone.

Who knows, it might even help someone who is facing the same difficult situation or other problems, to not give up, and put a smile on their face with my silly nature. (For those who knows me, I like to be a clown and making people laugh is my hobby.)

Trying for a child is a lonely journey that not many will understand. (Just like all problems). Only the person going through the problem, will feel the sorrow/stress the most!

The numerous months of seeing your period come, after it being late for 10-15 days, being hopeful yet disappointed months after months can be unbearable. And many times, period is late because of the body stress, not because of pregnant! *emo and burst out crying*

However, I tried to tell myself that having period, means that there is still a chance of getting pregnant, one day!

So whoever is going through this journey, don’t give up ok.

Shalll post the jabbing videos on our retired youtube channel in future, when we are more ready. Thank you friends for all the love and messages to encourage us, we will jiayou too!

P.S: My Hong Kong friend came to our house to visit and she prayed for us. Thank you MX! ❤

Day 28:27 Jul 2023 – Today, we went for a doctor appointment at 8+am in the morning. They did a blood test, a scan, and taught us how to use the injection kits. As it was the first time we need to learn how to use the injection kits, we took a while to get what the nurse was saying. She patiently guided us, and let me demo for her once, to be sure that we could manage the injections on our own.

I was told to inject my tummy for the next 5 days, with a dose of 225 IU/0.75ml. We were given this medicine called “Follitropin Alfa”. After the next five days, I am to go for another scan on 2 Aug 23.

The scan during today’s appointment showed that there were 5 follicles after I ate the 7days medicine! Thank God. I was so worried because I went to research beforehand, and google said that it was best to have more than 4 follicles at the first scan after taking the medicines. I was afraid that I couldn’t hit the minimum number.

For this IVF, the best results are not too little eggs, and also not too many eggs. Too many eggs produced may lead to Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS), and the whole IVF would need to stop for a month, for the body to recover.

My advisor colleague N, asked me not to do anymore research, as it might stress me out. She advised me to just relax and take it one step at a time. Whatever come, comes.

I realized today that I am really an overthinker. I tend to think way into things that have not even happen yet, so that I can prepare enough to avoid any bad consequences, but this kind of living tends to cause me unnecessary worry and not able to live in the present. And the funny thing is - 95% of the time, the fears I have doesn’t even happen! LOL.

Which is why I admired N, for her cool, just do it attitude. She lives in the moment happily and doesn’t over think so much. I am trying to learn from her this trait, to become a more carefree person too!

Next few days will be the injections days, praying that I will be able to overcome it!

P.S: My period came early today!

Day 27: 26 Jul 2023 - The past three days were tough.. Due to changes in the body - have a big ulcer on the roof of mouth, spotting, headache, itchyness.. became emotional and sad!

It was as if a dark cloud was upon me and I just can’t help feeling moody most of the time.

Even my work colleague noticed it! She messaged me that to be honest, she is not used to her ‘happy go lucky’ senior being so moody and sad.

Haha.. oops. Today, she surprised me with a cute bouquet of soft toy flowers!

Along with a meet up with an ex colleague, and encouragement from N, I feel slightly better now!

Will be seeing the doctor tomorrow. Today, a nurse called me up, and up till today, I actually don’t really know what to expect for tomorrow’s appointment.

She told me that I will be doing scans tomorrow.. and be taught how to administer the injections, and take some blood test.

Another interesting point that I learnt today: My menses is suppose to come soon, but the number of eggs inside the body will be different as per usual cycle. That's why I have been experiencing spotting!

Oh! Is that why the past week of eating medicine for 7 days, is called a ‘stimulation’?!

Ooooo I think I just had a revelation.

Was wondering what it means by stimulation.

So the menses will come as per normal, and after that, will be the real and actual process. *lightning flashes across the dark sky*

Haha.

Along with feeling extremely tired all the time, I am ready for tomorrow’s session and ever ready to sleep now.(10pm)

Praying for good results tmr, with good number of follicles in me! ❤️

Thank you pastors, friends and family for keeping us in prayers! 🙏 (we need it!)

Wondering if I should do a vlog and record down the upcoming injections daily since it is so Xin ku.. can look back in future :’)

Update again. Take care everyone!

Today, on 17 July, we went to sign the IVF consent form, and take blood to test for HIV. I started on my 7 days medication!

The nurse patiently explained to us a long list of things to take note and we signed on a few forms.

Found many of the things interesting, shall note down for information:

1) The cost for egg storage is $800/year which we will be freezing (please pray for many good eggs, which response well - not overly too many but just nice quantity)

2) 75% of the cost is subsidized by government if both are Singaporeans.

3) After which, can use our Medisave of up to $6000 for the IVF Treatment. The remainder will be paid by cash.

4) Sedation is done during extraction of eggs

5) I requested for sedation for insertion of eggs. This was not common or allowed as normally; the insertion of eggs does not require sedation. I requested (and pleaded) as I was previously traumatized by my IUI Treatment done in another clinic. If you require more bloody information, you can text me to ask what happened. I will be open to share. =(

Thankfully, they agreed and this lift off a huge stress from me, knowing that I will be asleep when the procedure is done. TYJ! I am really so relieved!

6) We got to decide whether to dispose or donate the eggs for research if something happens to one of us. We both agreed to donate.

7) We must decide whether we want to put one or two eggs inside. She explained the risk of putting more than one egg. and the cute hubby asked whether can put 3 eggs in. LOL. We both chose a number, and she says that if we want to change, both of us must countersign to change the number of eggs to put in.

Taking the medicine has some weird sensation in my tummy, and I seemed more tired than usual, even though I try to sleep earlier.

Shall go rest soon as feeling sleepy, update again! Thanks for reading and following our journey!

16 Jul 23 - It has been 17 days since Day 1 period. How have I been doing? I am focusing on having enough rest, not to go to crowded places, and managing the stress from work. Started my hobby of reading, and trying to learn one new language, with the free time I have!

Good news! At work, we managed to close our accounts last Friday! *Hi-five with Dawn* Also managed to present our innovation to the School Leaders, and got their approval to roll out the idea, after some modification which we are busy working on now. :)

Day 18 tomorrow - and I will be starting my medicines.

I will have to eat the medicine, Norethisterone, 2 times a day, 1 tablet each, for 7 days!

Praying that there won’t be any complications for this whole IVF process, and it will go through smoothly.

Spending more time alone gave me a lot of time to pray and ponder on things.

On some days, I wake up treasuring the gift of life with the bad dreams I had.

On other days, I wonder why it is so tough for me to do something that is so natural for others.

Either way, I try to heed the advice of my wise friend N and younger sister, and that is - to not overthink things, but to stay positive so that my eggs will respond. N told me that, nobody can help me in this journey, I myself must go through it, and try to cheer up through it.

Thankfully I have God! So I know that is one person (and the most important one!) who will be with me through It all.

Know that many of our family and friends are keeping us in prayers too - thank you to all that are praying for us! We miss you, and we will be back in action, stronger and better!

Was praying and made the decision to sign up for Associate of Arts Degree in Theology. This will be a one year course, and is an extension of the 7months SOT course which I signed up in 2019.

Shall put Him first and study more about Him, be serious in His word, even if I tend to have trouble understanding or remembering things. *forgetful memory hee*

Let's jiayou together ok! Don't give up, the best is yet to be :)

Today, on 3 Jul 2023 (Day 4 of menses), I received a call from NUH nurse. She informed me about the schedule, and finally, I can have some sort of certainty in life.

Waiting for Day 1 of the menses, and not knowing the fixed dates of the treatment was not easy, for an ESFJ like me.

Personality of a “J” (last letter of the MBTI personality type), is one who needs a plan/schedule. We have back-up plans for our plans, and things need to be well thought out, before it happens. Sometimes, we worry too much about things that might not even happen.

Unlike our complement personality, the “P”, who is free-spirited, spontaneous, where last minute plans/changes energized them, “J” feels a certain level of stress when there are last minute stresses, or when there is an open-ended to their plans.

I have often joked with hubby, how to 'J' personality type, deadlines have to be met, otherwise we will be 'dead'. However, to the 'P' personality type, deadlines are not life threatening. Even if you miss it due to valid reasons, it's ok, as there are alternative plans to meet it!

For more information about which personality type you are, you can try the very spot-on Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test below:

https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test

Ok I got distracted. Back to the procedure haha.

Thanks to my colleague cum mentor at work, N told me in Feb’23, to start taking care of myself. She advised me not to wait till June, but to start regulating my mood, stay happy, relaxed, eat well, so that my cycles will be more regular, and I can somehow predict when Day 1 of the cycle will happen in June. (My cycles were very irregular due to stresses at work)

And she was so right!

Thanks to her valuable advice, I started exercising, doing things that makes me happy since Feb’23, and Day 1 happened close to the planned date: 30 Jun 2023!

The nurse proceeded to give me some dates to follow, and also asked me to go to NUH Pharmacy to collect 7 days of medicine, to start the medicine from 17 Jul 2023.

Thanks to a 1hour off from work for Youth Day, I was able to rush down to NUH and collect my 7 days of medicine. Yay! One thing off my checklist. I am a happy “J”! To do list item- checked!

Next, we have to go down to NUH, to sign the IVF Consent form, and bring along our marriage cert.

Hubby is extremely busy with work at the moment, so he might not be able to make it on the date given by the nurse.

In the past, I would have been upset due to my inflexible nature. Over the years of marriage, we have since learnt to complement one another (There is no best personality, each personality has its own set of strengths and weaknesses! so it helps to learn from one another and be a more well-balanced individual.)

So I shall relax, calm down, and wait for him to be free, before getting his available dates, to arrange with the doc to sign the consent form! *deep breaths* ;)

The nurse then informed me to start the injection on 28 July 2023 for 12-14 days. And there is an appointment with the doctor on 27 July 2023! Extraction of eggs will be somewhere in mid-Aug’23!

This came as a surprise as I thought the whole IVF treatment must finish in one month, since one cycle usually last a month. Checked with the nurses and they told me that due to the medicine and injections, my menses won’t be coming. So this whole IVF cycle will last for 2 months from Day 1! >.<

Praying hard for His grace, and for me/us to have the mental strength to go through these two months well. Do keep us in prayers, we need it! ><

However, this was not the only surprise.

The nurse then told us that if we were to catch COVID in any part of the IVF Treatment (1.5month-2months), the treatment would have to be cancelled, and we would have to bear the full cost.

I was so shocked when I heard this! Guess we need to be wise, make effort to protect ourselves, wear mask, don’t go to crowded places, from now to early Sept23!

Praying that we can go through this already-mentally taxing process, smoothly!

It’s no wonder that there is a certain level of helplessness going through this, and this process could be a long, lonely and emotional one.

Not only is there the emotional portion, but there is also a lot of uncertainty. Financially, it cost a lot too. There is so much invested in many layers, and we haven’t talk about the outcome yet! With COVID around now, it makes it more complex and there is unrest.

Thankfully, in this turbulent situation and turmoil, there is one certainty, which keeps me sane - and that is - having God with me.

Over the years, I saw and experienced the goodness of God - how He has protected me, closed doors that I wanted badly, guide me, etc. Even if I can’t see His hand, I know His heart. He is a good Father, and He always wants the best for us, and He loves us deeply. Sometimes, things happen, and it might not be what we think is the best, but He knows exactly what we need.

I am going to trust Him, by faith, and go through this journey well, believing His good plans for me.

Thank you for all your continuous prayers for us! Appreciate your love and support!

Shall document all the dates down, in case someone is going through this same journey too. You are not alone! Let's jiayou together! ❤

Hello friends, we are back! It has been five years..If you are still subscribers of this blog, thank you so much for not giving up!

These few years flew by with a blink of an eye..a summary of what happened:

1. We are still staying together amicably with our in laws (Praise the Lord)

2. During covid period, we had an opportunity to purchase a property with our savings. Initially, we were saving up for a baby, but he/she has not come yet after 6 years! (Where are you baby? Please come to us soon! =’)

It was a spur of the moment, and everything was done in less than a month. We brought our mothers to visit a few units, and all thought that one particular unit stood out the most.

This was a blessing in disguise.

Having to stay together with my in laws (permanently), because the hubby’s name is in the house, was something we were left with no choice at the start of our marriage.

Like any newly wed, I will not be honest if I were to say that I didn’t wanted a house of our own. Many times, I struggled with not having the privacy we needed, of owning our own home.

However, God is good. Because He knew what we needed, even before we know it ourselves.

Well meaning friends has talked to me about how important it is to put my name in the house, for practical reasons. However, being a simplistic and somehow naïve person, I didn’t think that was important, because the most important thing to me was: good relationships with my husband and in laws.

Thought process: If I am married, why think about all those negatives? Even without a name in the house, I would still stay together with hubby in the house if our relationship is good. God placed a simple faith in my heart, to trust Him, and not worry about things/situations we can’t control.

So when the opportunity came to get a house (out of a random conversation with mother in law) - low and behold, my name was free to be used! One agent told us that this arrangement was possible to married couples, but are extremely rare because of two reasons.

1.The hubby does not have enough CPF to pay for one house
2.Wife will never agree to not have their name in the house in the first place, out of security reasons

I am so thankful that because of being simple and “sha sha” (Silly nature), we managed to lalala and get a house under my name! WOWW I thought that owning a house would not be possible anymore, but a miracle happened. Indeed, thank God for His plans for us – His plans are not to harm us, but is good. What was a sad situation turned out to be a blessing in disguise!

Furthermore, I am grateful to my fil who cooks for us, and my mil for being my spiritual mentor to guide me through challenges in life. Who knew this was His plan!

His ways are higher than our ways! We may not understand when bad things happened to us, but He knows it best, because He is our good Abba Father!

3. We tried IUI for two times but were not successful. For those who don’t know what’s that, IUI is a procedure for couples who want to try for children, but not successful yet. It is a milder form of IVF (Still tramautising to me though!), has a lower chance than IVF.
4. My dad passed on in Jun 2020, but he is happily in heaven now, with no pain and suffering. I missed him dearly.
5. Work is still challenging to us, but we are trying to improve and get better
6. Caught covid
7. Went black pink concert
8. Watch too much Netflix
9. Make a decision to lose weight each year but have not succeeded, yet! (I still believe we will one day, haha)
10. We are going to try for IVF in end Jun’23

Thought of restarting this blog, so that we can journey down the IVF process.

Life cannot always be smooth sailing. It has to have challenges, and this is one of ours, and we felt that by documenting the whole journey, hopefully we can encourage others with similar situations like us.