I had my CD8 ultrasound and bloodwork on Saturday. It showed 4mm lining (boo!) and a 14.3mm follicle on my right ovary. They had me start Menopur 75iu that night. DH prepped the shot and administered it for me. It actually was kind of painful when he pushed the meds (the needle itself didn't hurt) but other than that, absolutely no side effects.
I went for my follow up ultrasound and bloodwork today - lining was 5mm, which is still sucky but an improvement for me and my follicle grew to 16mm and I have another one sneaking up at 13mm. Twins?! LOL. I am doing 2 more days of Menopur, then go back for ultrasound on Wednesday. I am willing to bet I'll trigger Wednesday night and IUI Friday.
Merry Christmas to all!!!
Showing posts with label injectibles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label injectibles. Show all posts
Monday, December 24, 2012
Friday, December 21, 2012
On Weighing In & the Sickies
I almost forgot to do my weekly scale hop this morning, but was pleasantly surprised with a 1.6lb loss. :)
I only hit the gym once this week, due to a crazy schedule and an illness. I've had a sore throat, chest congestion with cough, ear pain, and sinus pressure since Monday. I went to my regular endocrinologist on Wednesday for my quarterly check-up and he listened to my lung sounds and immediately prescribed me a Z-pack. I've felt absolutely awful since then - my daily breakfast is my Z-pack, Delsym, DayQuil, tea with lemon and honey, and a large Wawa Chicken Noodle soup. Yesterday, DH brought me home lidocaine throat stuff, so I've been using that as well.
DH thinks I have the flu. I got a flu shot this year (like every year) but he thinks that the extra progesterone suppressed my immune system and that's why I'm so bad right now. I had a much less intense illness similar to this about 3 weeks ago, so he thinks I never fully got over that and now, here I am. I also have an itchy rash on my hip/butt cheek where he was doing the progesterone injections, so I am probably dying and falling apart, lol. He says if I'm not better by Sunday, I'm paying his urgent care a visit. LOL.
Tomorrow I go for my ultrasound and bloodwork and should know my injectible protocol by tomorrow night. :)
I only hit the gym once this week, due to a crazy schedule and an illness. I've had a sore throat, chest congestion with cough, ear pain, and sinus pressure since Monday. I went to my regular endocrinologist on Wednesday for my quarterly check-up and he listened to my lung sounds and immediately prescribed me a Z-pack. I've felt absolutely awful since then - my daily breakfast is my Z-pack, Delsym, DayQuil, tea with lemon and honey, and a large Wawa Chicken Noodle soup. Yesterday, DH brought me home lidocaine throat stuff, so I've been using that as well.
DH thinks I have the flu. I got a flu shot this year (like every year) but he thinks that the extra progesterone suppressed my immune system and that's why I'm so bad right now. I had a much less intense illness similar to this about 3 weeks ago, so he thinks I never fully got over that and now, here I am. I also have an itchy rash on my hip/butt cheek where he was doing the progesterone injections, so I am probably dying and falling apart, lol. He says if I'm not better by Sunday, I'm paying his urgent care a visit. LOL.
Tomorrow I go for my ultrasound and bloodwork and should know my injectible protocol by tomorrow night. :)
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
On Cycle #12: Baselines
I went to the RE's office yesterday for my CD3 bloodwork and ultrasound. AF came with a venegence on Saturday, first with an awful headache that I originally attributed to being hungover, and then with cramps. I feel as though AF is becoming more and more intense each cycle. It took 5 days for her to come after stopping both the Endometrin and the progesterone injections. I'm hoping that means the progesterone injections were doing their job and bulking my lining up a bit.
The nurse called last night and said everything looks good so far. When I took a peek at my ultrasound slip, it showed my lining at 3mm with a grade of IE. I need to do some more research into the different "grades" of lining. Anyways, we talked about the injectibles. She said that since I make mature follicles on my own, they won't give me the injectibles to stimulate my ovaries, but rather just to help in the lining department. To be honest, I was kind of disappointed because I was looking forward to the chance of multiples, but it is what it is. I go back on Saturday for another ultrasound and bloodwork, and then that night I will probably start the Menopur.
The nurse called last night and said everything looks good so far. When I took a peek at my ultrasound slip, it showed my lining at 3mm with a grade of IE. I need to do some more research into the different "grades" of lining. Anyways, we talked about the injectibles. She said that since I make mature follicles on my own, they won't give me the injectibles to stimulate my ovaries, but rather just to help in the lining department. To be honest, I was kind of disappointed because I was looking forward to the chance of multiples, but it is what it is. I go back on Saturday for another ultrasound and bloodwork, and then that night I will probably start the Menopur.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
On Cycle #11: BFN
With no surprise to me whatsoever, the RE's office called late yesterday afternoon and left a message that my beta was negative. I'm glad I didn't interrupt my afternoon nap by answering the phone and instead just listened to the voicemail my favorite nurse left me.
I saw her when I went in for my bloodwork, and she said she had her fingers crossed. I told her I was sure it was going to be negative, since I had tested, and she said "you know you aren't supposed to do that!" Do they really think we aren't going to test on our own? LOL.
I tested on 11DPIUI and 14DPIUI and both were stark white. The stark whiteness doesn't even shock me anymore. I wait a minute or two and then toss the damn things in the trash. What's the point?
This is the first cycle EVER where I haven't cried about the BFN. I think I just had so little hope going into it, thanks to my shitty lining, that I didn't even think it was possible. Of course, typing this out, I feel a little sad and like I could cry, but it's not even worth the tears. The tears don't change anything, me doing everything the doctor says doesn't change anything, nothing is in our control, obviously. I feel like I'm slowly resigning myself to the fact this may not happen for us. I know I'm not at the end of the line with treatments and options, but if it hasn't happened with all these other things, why would it suddenly happen? At this point, I'd welcome a chemical pregnancy, just for the knowledge that it IS possible. At this point, I'm being lead, almost blindly, into things that may never prove fruitful.
Anyways, I had written on my callback form that I wanted to start injectibles this next cycle, and she said for me to come in for my CD2 or CD3 ultrasound and bloodwork and then they'd figure out what medication I would use. She said since I already have the Menopur, maybe I'll use that.
I haven't tracked a single thing in weeks, mostly due to laziness and having been on vacation the past few days (which was fabulous, by the way)... so I'm making myself start up again. If I'm not going to dedicate to Weight Watchers and the gym, I need to stop paying for them because it's just such a waste.
I saw her when I went in for my bloodwork, and she said she had her fingers crossed. I told her I was sure it was going to be negative, since I had tested, and she said "you know you aren't supposed to do that!" Do they really think we aren't going to test on our own? LOL.
I tested on 11DPIUI and 14DPIUI and both were stark white. The stark whiteness doesn't even shock me anymore. I wait a minute or two and then toss the damn things in the trash. What's the point?
This is the first cycle EVER where I haven't cried about the BFN. I think I just had so little hope going into it, thanks to my shitty lining, that I didn't even think it was possible. Of course, typing this out, I feel a little sad and like I could cry, but it's not even worth the tears. The tears don't change anything, me doing everything the doctor says doesn't change anything, nothing is in our control, obviously. I feel like I'm slowly resigning myself to the fact this may not happen for us. I know I'm not at the end of the line with treatments and options, but if it hasn't happened with all these other things, why would it suddenly happen? At this point, I'd welcome a chemical pregnancy, just for the knowledge that it IS possible. At this point, I'm being lead, almost blindly, into things that may never prove fruitful.
Anyways, I had written on my callback form that I wanted to start injectibles this next cycle, and she said for me to come in for my CD2 or CD3 ultrasound and bloodwork and then they'd figure out what medication I would use. She said since I already have the Menopur, maybe I'll use that.
I haven't tracked a single thing in weeks, mostly due to laziness and having been on vacation the past few days (which was fabulous, by the way)... so I'm making myself start up again. If I'm not going to dedicate to Weight Watchers and the gym, I need to stop paying for them because it's just such a waste.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
On Being Hopeful & Thankful
After my complete breakdown last night, and my puffy eyes this morning, I felt absolutely desperate about my situation.
I was scheduled to see my favorite nurse at the RE's office to get a progesterone injection at 8:15am. When I went there, I saw the damage that had been done to their building as a result of the fire. They are now working in another, older, building that hadn't really been used in years. They have no phone lines, so they are all using their private cell phones to contact patients. They don't have fax machines, so they are using the fax machine at the pharmacy across the street. The absolute dedication of this staff is amazing to me. My nurse relayed to me that they were able to save all of the embryos from the fire - it truly touched my heart.
My nurse told me that not only is my endometrial lining thin, but it also isn't the best 'grade' to sustain pregnancy. They like it to "switch over" to a certain grade after ovulation and mine doesn't do that, so they are hoping the progesterone injections help with that. I'll do the injections every day after O, in addition to the 300mg Endometrin. I'm going to be a progesterone monster, lol.
After receiving my injection, and progesterone supplies for our vacation, I spoke to my nurse about moving to injectibles. The conversation with her made all the difference in the world. She has a very "kick ass" attitude, and talks to me like I'm her friend. She told me she really studied my chart before asking the RE the best steps, and it made me feel like they are really trying to fix the underlying problem and treating me as an individual patient, not a number. She said if I wasn't pregnant next cycle, I should definitely move to the injectibles. I told her that if I'm not pregnant this cycle (I honestly am not hopeful about it at all), I want to move to them for next cycle.
She is going to have them handle calling my pharmacy to get them all ready for me. I don't know my exact protocol yet, but she said because I already ovulate on my own, and early, I'll probably only need 5 days of low dose injections. She said I'll still do an HCG trigger, IUI, Lupron, and my progesterone. She said the biggest risk with the injections is overstimulation and multiples. Honestly, after this struggle, I would welcome multiples. I don't want to be Octomom, but twins would be more than welcome. Also, because they monitor you so closely, we'd know ahead of time if this is an issue and she said I could cancel the cycle or do emergency IVF. Overall, her attitude was very much "you've got this" and she told me it would be easier, side effect wise, for me versus the oral medications.
Because I've been such a whiny bitch, I want to come up with a short list of things I'm thankful for in this journey.
I was scheduled to see my favorite nurse at the RE's office to get a progesterone injection at 8:15am. When I went there, I saw the damage that had been done to their building as a result of the fire. They are now working in another, older, building that hadn't really been used in years. They have no phone lines, so they are all using their private cell phones to contact patients. They don't have fax machines, so they are using the fax machine at the pharmacy across the street. The absolute dedication of this staff is amazing to me. My nurse relayed to me that they were able to save all of the embryos from the fire - it truly touched my heart.
My nurse told me that not only is my endometrial lining thin, but it also isn't the best 'grade' to sustain pregnancy. They like it to "switch over" to a certain grade after ovulation and mine doesn't do that, so they are hoping the progesterone injections help with that. I'll do the injections every day after O, in addition to the 300mg Endometrin. I'm going to be a progesterone monster, lol.
After receiving my injection, and progesterone supplies for our vacation, I spoke to my nurse about moving to injectibles. The conversation with her made all the difference in the world. She has a very "kick ass" attitude, and talks to me like I'm her friend. She told me she really studied my chart before asking the RE the best steps, and it made me feel like they are really trying to fix the underlying problem and treating me as an individual patient, not a number. She said if I wasn't pregnant next cycle, I should definitely move to the injectibles. I told her that if I'm not pregnant this cycle (I honestly am not hopeful about it at all), I want to move to them for next cycle.
She is going to have them handle calling my pharmacy to get them all ready for me. I don't know my exact protocol yet, but she said because I already ovulate on my own, and early, I'll probably only need 5 days of low dose injections. She said I'll still do an HCG trigger, IUI, Lupron, and my progesterone. She said the biggest risk with the injections is overstimulation and multiples. Honestly, after this struggle, I would welcome multiples. I don't want to be Octomom, but twins would be more than welcome. Also, because they monitor you so closely, we'd know ahead of time if this is an issue and she said I could cancel the cycle or do emergency IVF. Overall, her attitude was very much "you've got this" and she told me it would be easier, side effect wise, for me versus the oral medications.
Because I've been such a whiny bitch, I want to come up with a short list of things I'm thankful for in this journey.
- A supportive husband who deals with my crazy ass, and comforts me during my crazy and has never, not once, complained about a single thing ever. "Look, in my opinion, the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what have you, the right person is still going to think the sun shines out your ass. That's the kind of person that's worth sticking with." - that's my husband
- My husband's awesome insurance that covers all of this stuff with very little OOP cost to us.
- Living in an area where we have a few excellent RE practices to choose from.
- Being able to seek treatment before the "1 year of trying" guideline.
- Having the ability to seek a 2nd opinion about this journey, and falling in love with a new RE practice.
- The support that my friends and family who know about our issues have shown me. They, too, deal with my crazy and haven't complained about it, yet.
- Having friends who are also going through the same thing that TRULY understand the emotions associated with it. I don't wish this on anyone, but having friends on the same journey makes a huge difference.
- Thong pantyliners - life on Endometrin would not be the same without them, lol.
Monday, December 3, 2012
On Cycle #11: 7DPIUI Ultrasound & Bloodwork and Next Steps
I had my 7DPIUI bloodwork and ultrasound today. I didn't get my hopes up about my lining, and I'm glad I didn't - it was only 5mm. This is after the increased Endometrin (300mg daily) and alot of hoping and praying on my part.
The nurse, actually, my favorite nurse, just called me a little bit ago with the results and with some news. The office caught on fire today. She said it was really bad and that they are all working off of their cell phones in another building. I felt awful but it speaks to the practice's dedication to their patients.
Anyways, she told me about my lining and asked if I'd been doing my Endometrin as prescribed. I, admittedly, had slacked off in previous cycles, missing doses and what not - but had really been on my game this cycle. I friggin plan my life around this crap and the ridiculous side effects. She said that I need to come in tomorrow to learn how to give myself progesterone shots. Something else to add to my repertoire.
She told me not to lose hope about this cycle (is not losing hope even possible when you are on this journey and the doctor's office calls with any news other than "you're pregnant!"?), but that the RE's recommendation is that if I'm "not pregnant in a few cycles", I should move to injectibles.
The same news the original RE told me.
The reason I sought a 2nd opinion from this practice.
The thing is, moving to injectibles in and of itself is not all that distressing to me. I know it'll be a lifestyle change, and there will be alot of work on my part (not that there isn't already), but I'm accepting of that. I have already accepted that my husband and I will not get pregnant "the easy way". Any baby I have will be the result of endless talks with nurses and doctors, endless needle pokes, endless ultrasounds, and endless tears. We will not ever get to be carefree about this journey. Every little thing will have some meaning to us along the way.
The thing that frightens me about the injectible medications is that if they don't work, it's onto IVF we go.
Of course, DH had already left for work when I got the phone call. So, when I called him with the update, I really tried to stay strong. He asked if injectibles are what I want to do - but the answer is always the same, what choice do I have? I want a child. I'll do whatever I need to do to have a child. THAT is what it comes down to.
I hung up the phone with him and have been just crying since.
I just made this my Facebook status, and it basically completely sums up how I feel - my complete & total Type-A personality does not understand a task where you do all of your research, follow all of the directions, do everything right, and still fail. I am not accustomed to not achieving things I set my mind to and do my best at.
The nurse, actually, my favorite nurse, just called me a little bit ago with the results and with some news. The office caught on fire today. She said it was really bad and that they are all working off of their cell phones in another building. I felt awful but it speaks to the practice's dedication to their patients.
Anyways, she told me about my lining and asked if I'd been doing my Endometrin as prescribed. I, admittedly, had slacked off in previous cycles, missing doses and what not - but had really been on my game this cycle. I friggin plan my life around this crap and the ridiculous side effects. She said that I need to come in tomorrow to learn how to give myself progesterone shots. Something else to add to my repertoire.
She told me not to lose hope about this cycle (is not losing hope even possible when you are on this journey and the doctor's office calls with any news other than "you're pregnant!"?), but that the RE's recommendation is that if I'm "not pregnant in a few cycles", I should move to injectibles.
The same news the original RE told me.
The reason I sought a 2nd opinion from this practice.
The thing is, moving to injectibles in and of itself is not all that distressing to me. I know it'll be a lifestyle change, and there will be alot of work on my part (not that there isn't already), but I'm accepting of that. I have already accepted that my husband and I will not get pregnant "the easy way". Any baby I have will be the result of endless talks with nurses and doctors, endless needle pokes, endless ultrasounds, and endless tears. We will not ever get to be carefree about this journey. Every little thing will have some meaning to us along the way.
The thing that frightens me about the injectible medications is that if they don't work, it's onto IVF we go.
Of course, DH had already left for work when I got the phone call. So, when I called him with the update, I really tried to stay strong. He asked if injectibles are what I want to do - but the answer is always the same, what choice do I have? I want a child. I'll do whatever I need to do to have a child. THAT is what it comes down to.
I hung up the phone with him and have been just crying since.
I just made this my Facebook status, and it basically completely sums up how I feel - my complete & total Type-A personality does not understand a task where you do all of your research, follow all of the directions, do everything right, and still fail. I am not accustomed to not achieving things I set my mind to and do my best at.
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