First appointment

I had my first appointment yesterday, so Bobby and I made the trek up to Spokane. We left around 4:30am. We had to take Connor down the street to the in-laws and he was not happy to be left there so early in the morning.


Ok, so I might need to back up and explain this whole appointment thing. When you first sign up for IVF, you get this master calendar that explains when/time to give shots and all of the days that you tentatively have appointments. All appointments are at 7 am in Spokane. Every appointment is either blood draw and ultrasound or just blood draw. And, by the way, the ultrasounds are not the fun..."oooh that's cold on my tummy" ultrasounds. No, these are internal - and very uncomfortable. At least this round I can wear socks. Last time it was during the summer, so I was always concerned about whether or not my toenails were painted. Ahhhhh, I digress.


Anyway, so yesterday was my first appt. I had a blood draw (or as they like to call it "labs") and ultrasound. Normally when I get to the office, there about 20 other people waiting, so I was very surprised when I arrived and there was only one other person and she was just getting her blood drawn. I was the only ultrasound. It was really weird, but they told me it's because they are really trying to stretch me out this time, so I am basically the first one to start the series and will be the last one to finish.


The appointment only took about 5 minutes - they are very fast, and tend to move people through like cattle. When you leave, they tell you they will call later with instructions. So, off Bobby and I go to get breakfast and do some Christmas shopping. We were going to see a Broadway show that evening, so we decided to stay in Spokane overnight. The show ended up getting cancelled, but that's another story for another day.


-K, so back to waiting for the phone call. I finally get the call from my nurse, Karen, at around 11am. (When you sign up for IVF, you are assigned a nurse who basically becomes your lifeline to the clinic and the entire process. I got Karen, and I'm glad I did because she is absolutely wonderful.) She instructed me to drop my Lupron down from 20 units to 5 units. To add 75 of Follistum (last time I had 250, so 75 sounds better) and to add an entire vial of Menopur. I am told to give these injections at 7pm.


I got everything ready that evening and gave myself the three shots. I have to be honest, the Menopur stung quite a bit. I think I need to mix it earlier and let it sit for awhile. Now I have about 10 to 14 more days of these 3 shots. Hopefully they will help. Last time, my eggs didn't come out mature, so we are hoping this regimine and stretching it out longer will do the trick. I don't know if it's the anticipation, the massive change in hormones, or just the getting up early and driving several hours...but I am really tired this time around. I took a nap yesterday and feel like I should take a nap right now. And if you know me at all, you know that I am not a nap person.

I have included some pics of my new nightly routine of shots. And also some pictures of what I like to call my "tub-o-fun" which holds all my meds.







Stay tuned for more riveting info from the IVF world :-)

Thanksgiving week

So, I'm trying to be all Zen and not stress about upcoming holidays. Thanksgiving should be easy because all I have to bring is asparagus and a very delicious "Death by Chocolate" trifle. I can make both of these in my sleep, so I'm not worried. I have tried to get all of my Christmas shopping out of the way and have informed everyone at work, that this time around I am doing this thing "stress free". The guys have been good about not having me lift heavy objects (I'm not sure if this is necessary, but c'mon...I don't have to lift heavy objects). And I have told my boss that I am planning to take a bunch of time off to just relax. Driving to Spokane at 4:30 in the morning really wore on me last time. So this time, I hope to take it easy - well, as easy as you can take it when you have a very active toddler at home.

What I am worried about however, is the fact that for some reason I keep forgetting to give my shots. Luckily I remember within moments of when it should be given. But it just seems weird to me, since the last time we did IVF I was waiting in anticipation for about 1/2 hour before every shot. This time I actually had to set an alarm on my cell phone to remind me.

Oh, and by the way...Lupron sucks. Not sure if it affects everyone this way, but I am really crabby (just ask Bobby). I start my other shots this Saturday. The Follistum I feel ok about. I had it last time and it didn't affect me at all. The Menopur...not so sure. I have to mix it - everytime, ugh!

Ok, that's all for today. I'll probably update once more this week, and definetly when I add my new shots.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Round #2 - Here we go!

So, we have officially started the second round of this crazy rollercoaster called Invitro!

I started my Lupron shots (20 units every night at 7pm) on Monday, Nov. 17th. I was told to continue my birth control for 4 days, so last night was my last night taking birth control. It still cracks me up that they give people trying to have a baby, birth control.

I didn't have Lupron injections in my first round, so it's a little new. I guess a shots, a shot - but these seem to make me more irritable. I suppose some of the irritablity could be coming from the fact that this is the second time going through this...but I think I'll continue to blame it on the shots :-) Also, I find that these seem to irritate my skin a little more than the others did.

Anywho - I am becoming quite the pro at giving the shots. It takes me less than a minute from start to finish...which I think is pretty good considering the fact that I used to have to be held down to get shots at the dr. office before all of this reproduction hullaballoo.

My first labs/ultrasound appt. is on the 29th of this month. At that point, I will also add my Follistum and Menopur shots every night.

I will try to update as the process goes on - not too much to report until the 29th, unless you are interested in my increasing crabbiness (haha!).