Add on another

So the Lupron shots have been going well. I have no fear now and give myself shots with no hesitation. I had bloodwork done this last Thursday, they wanted my levels below 75 and mine was 9 so my body is responding really well to the medicine. My IM got her baseline done on Monday and everything looks good with her so hopefully she will have her retrieval August 11th or that week at least. I got the call yesterday to add on the next medicine. I started estrace last night along with the Lupron. I take 1pill for 4 days, then 2 pills for 4 days, then 3 pills everyday after till the transfer. 

I have an ultrasound on August 8th to check my lining and see if my body is ready for the transfer. After that I will start progesterone shots, which are much bigger needles and I'm nervous about. 

So far everything is going really well. One step at a time:)

Now for my reward

So after having two glasses of wine for courage I just had my first shot. I made my husband do it for me though. We went in the bedroom, laid out everything very clinically. We watched the "how to" video. We swabbed the area with alcohol. We got the syringe ready. Then I couldn't stop laughing. I was pysching myself out. Everytime Pete went to pinch the area I could not stop laughing. It took at least 10 tries. Finally I stopped him and had to talk it out. The needle we are using is small. I get shots with no problem. I give blood every time I am eligible. I have had much bigger needles. This is just psychological. This is no big deal. I took a deep breath and got serious and told him I was ok. He did the shot and I barely felt it. It was over before I knew it started. So day 1 is done. Now to eat the reward brownie I baked (and told myself I could not have till I finished the shot).

Another Big Milestone

My Meds Arrived! Yay, I have never been so excited to get a shot! So to catch up from last time, the RE prescribed antibiotics for Pete and I to take and separate one just for me. I guess just to clean out our system and kill anything that could interfere with the transfer. She also prescribed estradiol for later on and valium for before the transfer too. My IM ordered the Lupron to be shipped directly to me and I got them Tuesday. I will get the progesterone prescription later too. Pete had to get his standard blood work done and my thyroid level turned out to be a little high (it was fine for a normal person at 2.9 but for the transfer they wanted it to be below 2.5) so I had to get an additional thyroid panel done. Well, the hospital here did a terrible job communicating with the RE and it took 2 weeks for them to finally send over the results but I got the call this morning that all the results are in, everything looks good (even my thyroid level)! I got the good news that I should start doing Lupron shots tonight!!! I have never had a problem getting shots or giving blood or anything but I have never given myself a shot. Everyone says it is more a psychological fear than a legitimate physical fear. I plan on having Pete do the shots tonight after he gets off work. I trust him with everything else in my life and I know he will be very careful with me. So our timeline seems to be moving right along. The nurse said to start Lupron tonight, to stop birth control on the 22nd and when I get my period to call and they will send me a lab slip so I can go to a clinic here close to me, not sure if it is to get an ultrasound to look at my uterus lining or to check my hormone levels. But anyway, my IM will start her meds and they are thinking they will do the retrieval sometime around August 10-15 meaning the transfer will be around August 13-20 depending on when the retrieval is actually done and if we do a 3 day or 5 day transfer. So in less than a month I could be pregnant! It is so exciting! I feel so lucky to be able to be a part of this process. My IPs just seem like such wonderful people. My IM and I get along really well, she wrote me this very sweet and loving email today and it just makes my heart happy.

Medical Evaluation was a Success!!

So I had my medical evaluation this past Wednesday. My IM met me at her clinic that morning and spent the day with me. The clinic is 3 hours away and my appointment was at 8:45 so it was an early morning but I was so excited to go I barely slept the night before. The clinic was really nice and the staff were fantastic. I never felt like I had to wait too long, they all seemed like they were talking to me and not just a number or the next patient on the list. I never felt rushed, they took their time to answer all my questions. It was a really good experience. Anyway, when I got there they wanted to do an ultrasound to measure my uterus but I had not drank enough (even though I had a medium soda and cup of coffee) so I was given a big glass of water and told to tell them when I was uncomfortably in distress. That did not take long!!! I was very much in distress by the time we did the ultrasound. In the meantime, they took some blood for the lab. I then went back for the exam. They took some swabs, very much like a pap smear, and measured my uterus and lining. All of that went well, no problems, they said everything looked good. After this I was sent downstairs to radiology so they could do an HSG dye test. This is where they put a cathater in the uterus and put dye through it to map everything out. The doctor was checking to make sure the fallopian tubes were open also. This test also went well also with no problems. After that my IM and I went back upstairs and I was given a tutorial for how to do my own injections and an explanation of the medicine I would be prescribed. My husband and I were given a prescription for a broad spectrum antibiotic and I was given a prescription for metronidazole. I was also given a prescription for estradiol and valium but those are for later in the process. I as able to pick up these medicines yesterday and we started the antibiotics today. These we will take for 7 days. Pete got a lab slip to get his own blood work done which he was able to do yesterday. The Lupron, which is what I will have to to inject, will be sent to me through the mail. As long as everyone's bloodwork comes back normal then I should be getting that medicine in about a week. So as of right now we are on track for a transfer the second week of August. I'm not sure exactly what the next step is but I know that I will be getting a calendar for my medicine soon and I will be going to a clinic here in town to do my hormone and lining checks so I don't have to drive so far in between now and the transfer. Just waiting on instructions:)