The rest of the week before retrieval

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were more blood tests & ultrasounds. Since my body hasn't responded like the average donor's, she wanted to keep a close eye on the follicle growth and estrogen levels each day. Saturday everything was looking good, so I finally got to do the HCG trigger shot Saturday night. On Sunday, my dear husband and I drove in to the doc's again for one last blood test, then had a day of fun. We went to breakfast, thrift-store shopping, and visited the beach. After that, we checked in to our hotel, since we would have to be back at the doc's at 6am the next day. We stayed at the Hyatt, since they allow pets & I was originally planning on bringing my pups. The hotel was paid for of course, and we got a nice per diem as well to go have dinner. We lucked out, and there was a special deal for a bunch of great restaurants in the city, so that people can try out some of the best restaurants for a fraction of the normal price. Our dinner was pretty good, and it was in a really famous part of the city, so that was fun. The only bummer was that I would have really liked a glass of wine with such a fabulous dinner! Oh well, next time. After dinner, we just headed back to the hotel, and watched a little tv before turning in for the night.

:)

Yay! So my blood tests came back good yesterday - my estrogen levels went up - so the doctor decided to continue on with the cycle. I went in today for another checkup, and all of my follicles have grown. I have two that are 14mm, a couple that are 12, and 5 that are 10. So, everything is looking good now, and I took the first Ganirelex shot today (to keep me from ovulating). I go in again tomorrow, and we're looking at a possible retrieval on Sunday or Monday. I am really hoping for a Sunday retrieval, so that I'll have someone here to pick me up, and so I can go back to work on Tuesday. But, we'll just have to wait and see what my crazy body does!

:(

So... the past 3 days I've had ultrasounds and bloodwork - which meant driving 160 miles each day! Ick. What's even worse is that my follicles don't seem to be growing fast enough. The doctor increased the dosage on both medications again yesterday, but there still wasn't much growth seen on today's ultrasound. She said depending on what the blood tests show this afternoon, she might cancel the cycle. I feel so bad for my couple. I know they've been waiting for this for such a long time, and then for me to go through almost the entire cycle, only to not have it work, really sucks. I'm crossing my fingers that everything turns out okay so we can finish the cycle, but I'll just have to wait and see.

The doctor also said that my body is responding to the medications similar to a woman in her 40s (which I am not even close to!) She recommended that if I want to have children of my own, that I start trying very soon (like no more than 2-3 years). So... that's a lot to think about. I know we want kids of our own, but I know we're not ready this year for sure. Next year is questionable, and the year after that might be okay. It really worries me that I might not even be able to have children of my own if I wait much longer. This was not in my master plan!

So, until later...

Days 3-6

Not much to report these past few days. The injections have been going better, and I haven't gotten dizzy anymore! I had an ultrasound and bloodwork done yesterday, and everything looked good, but the doctor increased the dose on both medications, so I will have to pick up more meds on Sunday when I go in for my next ultrasound. I also found out that the agency will definitely let me know if my couple gets pregnant in a few weeks, so I really hope it works for them, and I'm happy that I'll get to know one way or the other.

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!