It Felt Like Christmas Morning!

The shots have arrived! Yippee!
Just look at all those goodies, just for me! All the syringes, alcohol pads, viles and even my own sharps container! I've never had one of those before! I literally danced around my kitchen and clapped my hands before opening the glorious box that contains my future for the next 6 weeks. Ahh yes, the time has finally come. I am to start my shots any day now. We go in on Thursday for my sonohisterogram and trial transfer. That day we will then receive our calendar of our lives for the next 6 weeks. I live by that calendar when it comes. It tells me when to stop the pill, when to take my antibiotics, when my husband takes his antibiotics, when to start Lupron, when to start Follistim, when to start Progesterone, when to do my HCG shot, when to come in for ultrasounds and blood work, etc. The list goes on and on. We live by that calendar on a day to day basis until this process is over. I get giddy when that calendar falls into my hands because once I have a handle on what is going on when, I feel somewhat in control. At least I know what's going on and can believe that illusion in my head!

The medications I will be on include: Leuprolide (Lupron), Follistim (follicle stimulating hormones to grow eggs hopefully), HCG to make my eggs drop at exactly the right time and Progesterone to give my body and uterus the best possible environment for an embryo to attach. That is anywhere from 2-3 shots a day, depending on the day and week and shots lasting from 4-6, maybe even 8 weeks if successful. That's not including all the blood I have to give every day or so at the doctor's office for monitoring purposes. Can we say pin cushion? Of course I am the type of person that bruises easily and it always looks worse than it is. So right in the middle of May I am going to look like one sad sight! Those are just the shots. Furthermore, I will be on pills to rid my body of any infection, aspirin to reduce the risk of blood clots, prenatal vitamins(already on), anti-nausea medicine and as much pain medication as I need!

Of course with all those meds comes the papers stating all the side effects...oh joy! If only I could pick and choose which ones I wanted to suffer through. Nausea, vomiting, bloating, adominal pain and cramping...no thanks. Loss of appetite...yes please! Trouble sleeping (duh! that happens anyways just because of the circumstances), hot flashes...ugh! Okay...some of those aren't so bad, but when I think about the ones I get that really put me in harm's way like ovarian hyperstimulation and I'm at serious risk for ovarian torsion, yikes! Ovarian torsion is when your ovaries twist and fall down. It has to be surgically repaired. Fun, right? I can also leak fluid into my abdomen and have severe fluid shifts inside my body...not the greatest side effects from this process, but in my mind totally worth the possible outcome! My doctor has stated that this time I may end up in the hospital since I was so close last time. Last year my ovaries grew to the size of softballs inside my abdomen (so large they were actually touching!). I remember the ultrasound when I could have ended up in the hospital. My doctor said, "It's kinda funny. See, when I push on the outside of your belly right here, watch how your ovaries bounce up and down inside through the ultrasound screen!" Okay, it was kind of funny, but at the same time, just plain weird!  Not to mention, my dosage of the stimulating hormones will be higher longer...bigger ovaries and more eggs can lead to more pain. And of course with all those hormones raging through my body, there's the occasional (well, more often than not, really!) slip of the tongue without a filter! You are all warned...don't cross me! But you know what? Bring it on! I'm ready. I've been here and done this before. I know what's coming this time and am fully prepared and informed. I'm not scared, I'm anxious and ready for this hurdle to achieve our dream of having a baby.