Day 31 of in-vitro

Cycle Day: 31

Meds: Baby Aspirin (PM), Follistim shot (AM), Lupron Shot (PM), Repronex shot (PM)
Mood: Nervous, anxious

Yep, you read it correct...I am up to three shots a day. I realized that our pharmacist is a really smart man and knows his stuff about fertility treatments (he should because he is the ONLY supplier of these fertility drugs in Des Moines, crazy right?) When Andrew went to the pharmacy a few weeks ago he only gave us half of the drugs I would need for the entire IVF process. He said that he didn't want us to be overwhelmed with all the stuff. I was annoyed by this because I knew that Andrew would have to make another trip downtown (convenient, right?) to pick up the other half of the drugs and syringes and I thought....a shot is a shot...why does it matter if we get them all at the same time? But, when Andrew came home this week with the rest of the "stash" I realized our pharmacist knows what he is talking about! Smart man! It is like he has done this before (oh wait...he does this ALL the time!)

Let me just tell you....the shots just keep getting bigger and bigger and more painful as we go! Here is the low down on the shots I am taking...

Lupron (10 units)--Started this two weeks ago. Thought it was a big deal the first night...now it is easy peasy! This shot is tiny compared to the shots I started this week. Andrew gives me this shot in the thigh (usually my right...I don't know why I prefer it) I have a bruise on my thigh for every single shot that I have been given. I bruise extra easily right now because of some of the drugs I am on. So don't touch me....I might bruise...literally!

Follistim (150 IU)- Follistim has to be done in the morning so we chose to do it everyday at 7:30am. This shot has a crazy contraption that you use to administer it. The Follistim contraption maker is probably a millionaire because you HAVE to use this "pen" to inject the serum. Basically you insert the serum vial into the "pen", turn the dial on the end to the correct dosage, jam it in your leg and press down on the dial until the serum dispenses. The "pen" keeps track of how much serum is still in the vial so you don't have to change it until it runs out (don't worry...you still change the needle everyday). The needle isn't too big on this one...it just takes longer to inject the serum because you have to press down hard on the dial.

Repronex (75 IU)--Just like Lupron, this shot is given at night as well. This shot is a lot of work because you have to mix the serum yourself. You have three vials...two with powder and one with liquid. You have to combine all of these into one syringe (you figure out how to do that....) You obviously can't suck up powder into a syringe so there is lots of mixing that goes on. Good thing Andrew takes care of that! The first night we did the injection in my left thigh. Ouch...I was not expecting it to hurt that bad! I almost cried! This needle is bigger and there is lots more serum going into my skin. It burned like hell too! I developed this crazy red welt that I still have two days later. That night I couldn't sleep on my stomach because my thigh hurt so bad and the next day I could barely walk because my entire thigh hurt when I flexed it. PAINFUL! Especially when I have little one-year-olds that want to sit on my lap all the time. You don't realize how much you use your thigh until it hurts! I could barely go up the stairs or even go to the bathroom because it hurt to pull down my pants...what a disaster! Here is a picture of Andrew (he will probably hate that this is on here) mixing up my nightly dose of Repronex. He is such a great nurse and shot-giver!

I had another doctor appointment on Wednesday to have my blood drawn and an internal ultrasound done. So far so good! The nurse measured my ovaries and took pictures of my follicles (fluid filled pockets where an egg grows). Most women ovulate one or two eggs each month, but since I am on stimulation drugs I am basically having a years worth of eggs produced in one month (hopefully I will get anywhere between 10-20 eggs) By this time next week my ovaries are going to be the size of tennis balls or grape fruits!!! I have appointments every other day now so they can monitor how big and how many follicles I get. During my first IVF meeting with my Doctor he said he was worried about me getting Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome because I am skinny and young. He told me I have a 70-75% chance of getting it! Yikes! Now of course I am asking Dr. Google all of my questions because I am so nervous about it. If I do get it, it could set back our IVF treatments for months! Last night my conversation went like this with Andrew...

Me: I am really nervous about getting Ovarian hyperstimulation Syndrome and of course I keep asking Dr. Google all of my questions and he tells me the worst news ever!

Andrew: Well, where did Dr. Google get his degree in medicine?

Me: I dunno....probably somewhere online! (haha..get it?)

Anyways, things are going well so far! I am getting anxious for egg retrieval day which is next Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. My mom is coming down next week to help me with the kids because I am not supposed to lift over 10 pounds and my abdomen is going to be huge and sore! I will keep you updated!