Today: CD1 (IVF Update)

Above: the paper calendar that I live by. Today is Cycle Day 1. In true CD1 fashion, I started today. {you know...I staaaaarted.}

I had an appointment this morning. Sono shows: zero follicles. Everything is looking perfectly suppressed and the way it is supposed to. I had my baseline blood draws of estrogen and hematocrit. I don't know those lab results just yet, and really---I don't care to have the numbers. I think it would just give me something to obsess about.... So, as long as the office knows the numbers, I'm good being kept out of that loop.

Balance & consents: supposed to be due today, but I handled that jazz on 8/14.

We covered the Lupron shots on 8/14 when I was there for my appt. then.
So today, we did the sono and "stimming" shot education. Both the Lupron and stimulating meds are sub-cutaneous injections, meaning I "pinch an inch" on my tummy and self-inject. It truly sounds so much worse than it is. {Don't get me wrong---it's not pleasant by ANY means, but it's not as horrible as it initially sounds.}

So what is this "stimming" phase?
I will inject meds to stimulate my ovaries into making more follicles this cycle than on an average cycle. It's ideal for each follicle to contain an egg. As soon as the eggs have reached maturity (a certain mm size, checked frequently by sono) and are ready for retrieval, I will administer a hormone called hCG to stimulate final egg maturation, and this is called the "trigger" shot. That's when things will be put on a time crunch!

For now, we are in the 'take these shots every day, and come to the office every-other-day for a sonogram' phase. The watch and wait phase.

What can I expect during the stimming phase? Well, apparently everyone is different... so there's that. One thing most everyone has in common: bloating. AWESOME. So, underneath this fat pad that came from the combination of bcp & Lupron, I will now be inflated with bloat. Awesome. Many apparently also report fatigue and physical discomfort. I personally am picturing a fish that is just packed-full of caviar. I'm going to be making human caviar. How gross is that thought!? Would it be better if I described my ovaries as two bouquets of balloons? Yeah....that's probably a better visual.

Other downsides to the stimming phase: these meds have to be mixed up, so it's not as easy as the Lupron shots. The needles for these shots are bigger. The meds themselves sting as they go in. These make Lupron look like a total walk in the park....

On the other hand: HOLY CLEAVAGE. Thank you, Lupron. If they didn't hurt so much I'd be much more thankful (as would the Hubby!)....

Also---now that I am off the birth control pill/Lupron combo, I seem to be a little less....crazy. A little less angry. So that's good. 

What else is new? New PNV (prenatal vitamin). The last PNV was out of stock at the pharmacy, so our RE's nurse (Jamie, the Rock Star) called in a different PNV. It doesn't make me sick at all. I love it. And---it's NOT BLUE! {I hate eating blue stuff.} But---this new PNV doesn't have zinc in it, so I have to take yet another supplement: zinc 50mg/day.

So.....right now, I take....
Lupron shot in the morning
Bravelle shot in the morning
PNV during the day (with no nausea, yea!)
CoQ-10 200mg at night
Zinc 50mg at night
Vitamin D weekly supplement (on Wednesdays)
Melatonin 6mg at night
Bravelle and Menopur shot at night

It's a lot.
I have to have a calendar.
My night-stand looks like an old person lives here with all the pill/vitamin bottles.

Let's make a baby!
{...or babies!}