2nd Night of injections...

...not quite as bad last night, but I did get a bruise pretty much immediately after the Menopur injection. :( Not sure why it bruised today and not yesterday... All I do know is the Menopur shots sure do hurt!!

First shots

Tonight was my first night of injections... The nurse showed me how to do everything last week, so it was pretty simple getting everything together. The follistim pen is super easy, you just put in the cartridge, screw on the tiny needle, dial up the dosage, and inject it into your lower abdomen. It wasn't too bad, it stung a little, but nothing horrible. The menopur is a little more complicated - you have to take 1 cc of saline solution, then mix it with the menopur powder. Since I'm supposed to administer 2 menopur powders a day, I then had to withdraw the mixed solution and add it to another powder, then withdraw the entire solution. After switching to the small needle, I gave myself the injection next to the spot where I did the follistim. This one stung a lot more, and continued to sting even after I pulled out the needle. I thought I was doing ok, so I cleaned up, put the needles into the sharps container, and started to pack everything up. But then I started to feel really dizzy. I've fainted in the past when I've had my blood taken, and occasionally when I got various vaccinations and novocaine shots, and it hasn't happened in awhile, but I still recognize the feeling. So... I had to lay down for awhile until the feeling passed. I think it was just the shock of actually injecting something into myself for the first time in my life, but I think from now on, I'll sit down while I give myself the shots! Hopefully this isn't a nightly occurrence...

T-1 Day!

Tomorrow is my last day of waiting! The cycle officially starts on Sunday, so tomorrow will be the last day I can exercise and have any caffeine or alcohol. So, I plan on fitting a lot into one day! First, I think I'll hit the gym, then I'm going shoe-shopping (and get coffee), then to dinner with a friend (and drink wine), and finally some bowling!

Almost ready to start...

Two and a half hour drive in traffic to the doc's today. :( Got 4 vials of blood taken, had an ultrasound, and had cultures done - to check my estrogen level before the cycle starts, make sure my ovaries are quiet and redo all the FDA required tests, since they have to be done within 30 days of egg retrieval. I also had a nice little instruction class on how to mix the Menopur, and how to inject that and the Follistim. The nurse even helped me stick myself with the little needle once, just so I could see what it would feel like, and get over the fear of injecting myself for the first time! When I got home (another 2 hour trip!), the Fed-Ex guy arrived with all the meds! I unpacked everything and made sure everything was there from the packing list, and made sure to put the Lupron trigger shot in the fridge. Now, I just have to wait until next Sunday to start all of this fun!

Cleared to start the cycle!

So, all the lab work checked out, the contracts have been signed, and I finally received the calendar and tentative retrieval date! Next week I go in for more blood work :( and an ultrasound, then finish up my active BCPs, and the following week I'll be starting the medications - Follistim & Menopur. Unfortunately, I have to drive to the clinic to pick up all my meds, and their office is 75 miles away! After that, I'll be monitored by a local clinic, and then I won't have to drive that far again until the last 3 ultrasounds, so that's good. I'm just getting a little freaked out after watching a youtube video of a girl giving herself the injections. I know they're small needles, and subcutaneous injections, but she started to bleed, and it made me feel nauseous to watch it! Hopefully I get over that, otherwise I'm gonna need help with my injections every day...

Side note time... I had a dream the other night about the potential child that the recipient couple could have using my eggs! Very bizarre. It was a little girl in my dream, and she was about 2 years old. The really strange part was that she had brown hair - and I'm blond! Guess maybe the father in my dream has dark hair... Anyway, it was just weird to dream about a child that's "half me" that's not even going to be mine. I've never even had a dream about my own future children. Wonder what it means... Oh well, enough about that! Back to homework now. :)

More Blood Tests and Ultrasounds

So after my last post, I went in for the repeat blood test to check my hormone levels and to have an ultrasound done as well. They only took one vial of blood, so it wasn't too bad.

Since I was out of state for the summer, I had to make an appointment for my full medical screening with the recipient's doctor after I got home. So, a few weeks later, I had to drive 75 miles to get to the docs, and that lovely appointment lasted about an hour. They took about 7 vials of blood - to test for STDs, genetic disorders, fragile-X, blood-glucose, etc. They also did a lovely PAP smear and STD check, then talked to me about the procedure.

About 2 week later, I was finally notified that all of my blood work came back and I was all clear. No STDs, no genetic disorders, and I was good to go! Now, I'm just waiting on the lawyers to finish up the contracts, and then I'll receive the timeline and schedule from the doctor. If all goes well, I'll be starting the medication cycle next week. For most of my monitoring appointments, I'll be seeing a doctor in the next town over, so that won't be too bad. But, for the last 3 ultrasounds to monitor the follicle and egg growth, I'll have to drive to the recipient's doctor, which is 75 miles away in a very busy metropolitan area, where there is always bad traffic. So that won't be fun at all. The agency has offered to put me up in a hotel for those 3 days if the appointments are 3 days in a row, so I won't have to make the 150-mile round trip! So hopefully that works out.

As a side note, all of this thinking about babies and biological clocks has made me start to want children of my own and soon! My DH & I have decided it's not in our best interest to try to have kids for at least another 2 years though, so hopefully I can wait and I'll still be fertile then!

Until next time...