Ready or not... Commence the Crazy.

Annnnnnnnddddd.... We're Off!

For the last 2 weeks, I've been on Lupron, birth control pills, baby aspirin, antibiotics, and prenatal vitamins in the hopes to shut all my hormones and ovaries down.  My doc explains IVF to me like this... you can either ramp up your ovaries super fast and then try to quickly shut them back down to retrieve the eggs before you can ovulate, or you can suppress your system so you cook your eggs low and slow (like a good brisket) and then hopefully have better timing in retrieval.  He says it's the difference between driving down a hill as fast as your car will go and slamming on the brakes at the bottom, or coasting down with your foot constantly lightly on the brake.  It's a lot easier to stop if you are coasting. 

My Lupron packet

So, anyhoo, we were on what they call the long lupron protocol.  Downfall was 5 pound weight gain, and having to wait a longer time before you start growing follicles.  Good news is that we will hopefully get more mature eggs at the end of the road.  It has been extremely frustrating though to wake up at 6am every morning, weekends included, and shoot myself in the stomach knowing that it's shutting everything down and not getting any closer to growing some follies.  It's like a kid on Christmas morning having to wait while everyone opens their presents in a circle one at a time.  It Takes For-FREAKING-Ever!

Well today, it's my turn on Christmas morning.  I went to Akron yesterday.  Had a vag cam & bloodwork and was told that I was sufficiently suppressed.  So now, we get to grow some eggs.  I dropped the lupron down to 5 units (from 10) and will continue taking that each morning (the foot gently on the brake).  But this evening, I got to start my Follistim. 

When we were doing IUI, I would inject 125units every night.  This usually resulted in 3-4 follicles at the end of the cycle.  Now, with IVF, we go big.  300units every night.  I like this needle much more than the lupron one.  Less pinch for sure. 

This is what $254 dollars looks like.

One of these every night...

 Day #1

I injected the Follistim about an hour ago and can already feel a nice little headache coming on.  But I'll take it.  Give me headaches, give me fatness, give me bruises like this from hitting veins:

Give it all to me... just please give me a baby when it's all over and done.