I don't know how we went from having some questionable SA results to already having our IVF protocol in just a little more than 1 month. Yesterday I found out that my start date will be August 19. I still don't even know what all the acronyms stand for, but I have a full list of dates. I suppose I should feel lucky for it, considering how many people seem to have to wait for appointments. I feel like the center taking care of us is just ready to roll. It's like they saw how good our insurance coverage was and wanted to push us through immediatly before we chickened out.
Luckily H has managed to go from "I'd never do IVF" to "I'll consider ICSI with IVF if I have to" in record time, poor thing. I know this is hard for him, but at least he isn't about to start injections! Have I mentioned yet how much I hate needles and about how I get faint at the sight of blood? Mix in the hormonal imbalances I'm about to expereince and I think I'm going to be a real mess. Hubby can be very hormonal himself--sometimes I feel he's more moody than I am. I keep reminding him that he's going to have to bear with me during the treatment, and he keeps throwing back that I need to be extra nice to him too. Okay, will try, but I can't promise--CAUSE I'LL HAVE DRUGS IN MY SYSTEM! Has anybody out there had minimal side effects to the injections? I'm a little person, so the fact that my ovaries are going to triple in size will probably be enough right there to turn me into a lunatic. I'm going to just do my best to avoid fighting with him while I'm feeling bad, but sometimes when he starts to pick a fight because he's in a bad mood, there's just no avoiding it. Don't get me wrong, we normally get along fine. But when we are both stressed and moody--what a mess. Like last night. He just kept whining about how unfair it is that he has to cut the lawn in 100 degree heat. (Do we really want to talk about fair here?) I finally went upstairs. And he follows me. Ugh. It wasn't about the lawn. He was just in a bad mood. Maybe I should get him some valium to take when I start my cycle. ;)
4 comments:
Indeed Emmmie. You shouldcertinaly be proud of yourself for getting things moving so quickly! Thats wonderful!. I can't help thinking if the process had been quicker for us, we might've got some sperm o sample day. Alas.
Everyone reacts differently to the drugs, of course, but I frankly did not find them bad at all, either physically or emotionally (I've done two failed fresh cycles). Also, I got used to the needles very quickly - the only one that bothered me was PIO. The rest I could barely feel.
Emotionally, I felt good. Rising estrogen can have positive effects on your mood. Also, if you're responding well, you feel a sense of accomplishment. :) The Lupron bothers some people, but I didn't find it bad at all - a couple of mild hot flashes, and that was it, and those went away once stims started anyhow.
Physically, I started to "feel" my ovaries around day 6 of stims, but it wasn't really painful - just an awareness/heaviness. I, too, was worried about looking obviously bloated (and thus being forced to explain myself to some outside observer). I'm reasonably tall and thin, and so far I have made a bunch of follicles both times, and yet I was still able to wear my normal clothes. I was up probably 2 pounds over the course of the cycle, mainly from the PIO bloat. (All bets are off if you get OHSS, however.)
Anyway, there is no guarantee that you'll react the same way, but I hope you find this encouraging. I have found the emotional rollercoaster of the IVF process (since it's so looooong and involved) to be WAY worse than any physical or hormonal effects. It just sucks to take the hope/despair ride of a normal TTC cycle and then to amplify it and drag it out over 2-3 months. It makes the BFN all the worse. But I hope you won't experience that part!
Sorry for the long reply. I''ll keep up with your progress!
Thanks for this input. This is exactly the type of stuff I wanted to know. I know everyone reacts differently, but it’s reassuring to hear from someone who didn’t get the splitting headaches and emotional meltdowns. I have my fair share of emotional meltdowns now as it is, so I’m just hoping I won’t be at risk of having one at work or something. You can tell immediately when I’ve been crying, or even when I’m just on the verge of crying. My whole face turns red and puffs out. Attractive. I’ll be checking in on your blog—it’s nice to meet you! Good luck and hang in there.
I just read through your entire blog -- you have a great start! I can really relate to a lot of the things you are feeling.
As far as your question about the effects of the medications I really did not have that much trouble. I had one bout where I cried over an ice cream cake but as I cried I was laughing at the same time. :) I knew it was a stupid thing to be crying about but I couldn't help it! :) After the retrieval my ovaries were a little sore but overall the whole IVF was much easier than I had anticipated it being (if only I didn't have to drive 2 hours each way to get to my clinic -- that was the biggest hardship for me.)
I am starting a FET on Monday... I will see how the drugs do on the second go round.
Good luck with your cycle. I plan to continue reading your journey.
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