2 down 5 to go

Monday was the first day of the 3 shots (Lupron, FSH, Repronex). I take them all at 1 pm everyday so I happened to be at work on the first 2 days of the shots. On Monday I locked myself in the bathroom and set all my stuff up on the little shelf (after I wiped everything down with sani wipes) and began to prepare my concoctions. It took me a solid 15 minutes (took half of my lunch break) to get everything ready and give the shots. I cut that time by maybe 1 minute on Tuesday. Let me just say it is so awkward to be standing in the work bathroom, with your stomach revealed giving yourself shots when people keep rattling the handle to see if the bathroom is unoccupied. Gotta love it I guess! Thankfully I have the next 3 days off and I can give the shots in the comfort of my own home.

The Lupron and FSH shots are simple and painless. However the Repronex hurts! The first Repronex shot left a red welt the size of a quarter and was so painful and tender. The second shot hasn't left a red welt but it is still tender. The med stings when going in. I am a little on the bloated side but other then that I feel great (just tired from working 2 12's in a row).

5 more days until I go in for my ultrasound on Monday to see if I am ready for the retrieval. I am hoping they will say I am ready on Monday because that will mean I get the retrieval on that Wednesday. Colin starts his new job a week from the the ultrasound and I want him to have optimal recovery time from his biopsy before he starts his new job, poor guy! But it is more likely that the egg retrieval and biopsy won't be until Thursday or Friday in which case I hope it is Thursday.

Thanks for all of your comments and support it is so HELPFUL and reassuring. You are all a huge comfort! It is definitely a crazy experience and now that I am 2 days into the stimulating hormones and feeling great I am a little more relaxed.

By the way Colin's birthday is tomorrow. His parents are taking us all to see WICKED! Wahoo, I can't wait. A much needed fun distraction! I'll let you know how it was.

time for the big guns

I had my ultrasound yesterday. The Lupron is working I guess because my ovaries were sufficiently suppressed. As expected my period came this week and so I am right on schedule to start all the stimulating hormone shots on Monday. I will continue to take the Lupron and starting Monday will also take FSH and Repronex (combination drug of FSH and LH). I am working Monday so this should be interesting. Its not only been awkward to go into the bathroom at work at 1pm and give myself the Lupron shot but now I have to do 2 more, so 3 all together. Whatever it takes though.

I will be on all 3 shots until my egg retrieval which will be sometime May 6th, 7th or 8th just depending on my ultrasound May 4th to see how many eggs there are. I wasn't aware until yesterday that I will need to go in for an ultrasound and blood draw everyday starting Monday May 4th until my egg retrieval which is going to be a little difficult since I am scheduled to work that Monday and Tuesday. It will be fine I just have to move my shifts around a bit. Luckily after May 5th I have 12 days off which will give me time to rest before and after the embryo transfer.

The nurse made me a bit nervous about these stimulating hormones because she told me my ovaries will swell and be tender, I may not fit into my clothes, not to do any exercise (even yoga) because it will hurt and could cause ovary tortion (twisting of the ovaries) and worst case scenario I could get ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) which could become an emergency if not treated promptly. It just makes me nervous for the days that I am at work because I am on my feet for 12+ hours. I will just try my best to take it easy, ask for help and try to sit as much as possible but these are hard things to do being a nurse.

We waited so long to start this process and now it feels like it is happeneing so quickly. A little overwhelmed. We are very happy though and doing are best to relax and stay positive! Thanks for all of your support.

Lupron injections begin

I started my lupron injections on Easter sunday. Colin and I video taped the first injection. I thought about posting it but figured it would be pretty boring to everyone else but ourselves. Colin gave me the shot on the first day and when I realized it didn't hurt I have been able to do it myself yesterday and today.
On Monday Colin had to work so I had no choice but to give it to myself. Colin called later and told me he was sad he couldn't be there to watch me give the injection because he said he wanted to be apart of the experience. That made me smile all day.
Today I had to sneak into the bathroom at work to give the injection. It was pretty gross to give the shot in the public bathroom but I did my best to keep everything sanitary. Everyday I am still nervous to get the shot but then relieved that it didn't hurt.
So far so good. I haven't experienced any side effects. I have been trying to drink lots of water to prevent dizziness.
Saturday is the last day of the birth control pills and next week I continue on with the Lupron. We go to the clinic for an ultrasound next week.

What is Lupron for?
To my understanding, Lupron is supposed to suppress the ovaries from spontaneous ovulation. Suppressing your ovaries allows the dr. optimal control over ovarian stimulation which allows for even growth of ovarian follicles once they start giving the other medications (FSH).

I stop taking birth control on Saturday and should expect my period sometime next week. The ultrasound next week is for the docs to see if the Lupron has suppressed my ovaries to a baseline state, aka a fresh starting point.

IVF med class

Today Colin and I went to the clinic for instructions on giving myself the hormone injections, signing forms, getting the medications, needles (argh), and our calendar for our ivf cycle. We start the Lupron injections on Sunday (easter). We are sooooooo excited!

Just a side note, Colin was the only husband there for the class. I am so grateful for him and his desire to do this every step of the way together. He had to rearrange work today and will have to a lot more over the next few weeks. I am just grateful to have such an amazing husband!



and what does Jonas think about all of this? as long as he has his bone he is happy

Its time...

On April 1st (of all days huh) I went to the mailbox to find a letter from the UCRM. I tore it open before I even got to the house. The first word I saw was "Congratulations". The rest of the letter informed us that we got the IVF grant and we are approved to start our ivf cycle whenever we are ready! We are so excited, relieved, grateful! Thank you, thank you, thank you to whoever was kind enough to donate their resources so that Colin and I can start our family! This is truly the greatest gift that we will always be grateful for! I called the clinic this morning and am just waiting to hear back from them about getting my hormone medications. We are planning on starting next week! More to come.