Thoughts, Injections, Projects and the Weekend...

I'm not sure I can really bring myself to say or think this....I feel like it has to be whispered.

Tomorrow.

Whew, it's out there. It's really happening. I've hardly slept the past 2 nights, so I can only imagine what tonight will bring! Since I'll be on bed rest for the weekend, I have a to-do list a mile long for today of course! Thankfully, it's a light work day.

On my to-do list is sharing a few things with all of you about what I've been through the past couple of weeks and what this weekend is going to bring...so without further ado. :)

These are the Lupron injections I started about 3 weeks ago. Right after 3 weeks of birth control. These shut down my ovaries and sent me into a state of menopause. Which was not nearly as bad as I thought - not too emotional, no hot flashes. The needle scared me at first...until I saw the following needles. Really, the needle is only about a 1/4 inch or so. The worst part about this stuff is it can burn while pushing it in!



Next came the Estradiol injections - oh did I freak out about this one!! I spent about 10 minutes (at least) telling the sweet hubby that we didn't really have to do this and maybe we could just be a family of 2, etc, etc...tears and all. Once he finally did it, it was seriously no pain and at all and I'm a pro at letting my hubby shoot me in the tush now.

BTW, there are two needles because you have to draw up the medication with the shorter, fatter needle and then get stuck with the longer, skinnier needle - I'm actually glad for the longer one just because it is skinnier! The thinner the better when we're talking about piercing my skin!



The last injection to come along just started on Saturday. It really isn't a big deal going in - though the needle is stinkin' scary! It is LONG and FAT. Not fair I'm telling you! But it's not the injection that hurts. It's my tush after 5 days of injections - at least the Estradiol is only 2 days a week! This progesterone is EVERY DAY for about 7 weeks (if we do indeed get and remain pregnant). The progesterone is based in sesame oil and is so thick that it causes pain at the injection site after enough shots. Even walking is starting to hurt already...and I'm telling you, this picture doesn't do that needle justice.



To add insult to injury...Saturday night I add progesterone suppositories to my routine. Am I a lucky girl or what?!? Then again, I will consider myself the luckiest girl in the world if my babies are with me.



Last but very not least, I started my antibiotics and steroids on Monday. My bad, I forgot the first dose on Monday morning - hopefully that is okay.

I hate antibiotics. And yes, I do mean hate. They mess with my system something fierce. I'm on a great probiotic to hopefully help with it this time, but bathroom issues are just no good right now. Plus, they make me feel sick to my stomach. Blech. The steroid is there to lower my immune system so my body doesn't reject the embryos once they are transfered. And the last little lonely pill on right? That is my valium. Not for me, but for my uterus, as I am told. They need it relaxed as possible, so I take that Friday morning before my transfer.



So the needle-phobe girly-girl has learned to poke herself in the belly, lay still without a care in the world while her husband sticks a 1.5 inch needle into her bum, get blood drawn twice a week (and sometimes more since in the beginning the labs kept getting messed up!), AND....went to acupuncture for the first time last Friday. Yep. And I didn't freak out. He'll be coming to my clinic Friday morning to do an acupuncture session before and after my transfer...it's supposed to really help blood flow to the uterus and help it relax. Statistically, it's shown to really improve our chances!

So that's that. I needed to have this all down so someday I can show our children just what I went through to help bring them here - and assure them that they were and are worth every bit of it.

I really think I'm going to need a new blog post for this weekend. :) So I'll be back in a bit!