Three Nights In A Row...Tonight...Costco

So we needed to do our once monthly shopping trip to Costco. And it had to be tonight. We are out of wipes and eggs...two things imperative to our survival. :) So we packed up the boys, the diaper bag, and the cooler with the drugs. We managed to shop Costco (with a months worth of stuff) in 25 minutes. We had hot dogs, pops, and Churros in hand and I was ready for my injection. It went smoothly (although tonight stung, must've put the needle in a little wrong), and I was eating my dinner with the family in no time. Moments later my sister-in-law (Kim) calls me. "Are you in Costco?" Oh crap, didn't think about people we know being there! YIKES! Luckily, she had just parked next to us, so we quickly put away the drug cooler and resumed dinner. PHEW! This secret business is hard, but I am SOOOOOOOO looking forward to surprising our families. I cannot tell you all the ideas I have. I'm so excited!!!!! Keep your fingers crossed.

Oh yeah, I had a caffeine-loaded Diet Coke tonight for dinner. I've been having headaches and extreme tiredness. I realized that since I started the drugs I cut out my caffeine. I thought this might fix it. Darn, I was wrong. I still have the headache, and I'll be heading to bed at the same time as the boys. Dan says I'm really exciting right now. :(

Riverfront Park sees an injection

So we decided to take a picnic dinner down to Riverfront Park and enjoy the rides and the beautiful landscape. The boys loved the mini-golf, carousel, bumper boats, and the big water fountain. In the middle of it all, it was time for my injection. I had packed it in my little cooler with ice packs and it was COLD! Brrrr! Right as I swabbed my stomach I noticed that I had a great vein. Didn't think about it until I pulled the syringe out. Forgot about that. When you hit a vein, you get a bleeder. Oops! Blood oozed out. I quickly grabbed my alcohol swab and put pressure on for a minute. Now it's just a lovely bruise. I tried to get Dan to take a picture of it and will try to post it shortly. As of now, the boys went to bed at 9:00 PM, and I drug myself out of bed to post this. Now I'm back to bed...and exhausted!

Injecting at Church

Tonight was our biweekly church class that Dan and I attend. Unfortunately it begins promptly at the time I need to be taking my shot. Since I'm completely anal-retentive about timing, I took my shot stuff with me. I exited the room at 6:58, filled my syringe and had a little melt-down. Have I done all injections wrong? No....just the hormones talking. Dan joined me on the stairwell, gave a little moral support and at 7:00 PM I was injecting myself once again.

The injections are going well. I have little poke marks from where the needle has entered each spot. I rotated sides of the abdomen each night just to give one side a rest. Tonight was my last night of birth control...hooray! Now it's a week of solid injections and then a change in regimen along with my first ultrasound/blood draw. So far, everything is fine. I'm exhausted, but hopefully that will remain the case for the next 10 months, plus a few years! :)

Let the Injections Begin!

Well, here we go! Night #1 of injections. Dan "had" to go to a Shock game, so I called my friend Helen over to document the momentous occasion. Thanks Helen! Have I ever said how much I hate needles? You'd think it would be easier for me given the amount I gave myself just to have the boys, but every first time is the worst. The anxiousness and excitement are pretty overwhelming. The shot itself only takes about 20 seconds from beginning to end, but it's a long time when stabbing yourself with a sharp object. All in all it went well.

This is the time when I start to become a little anal. No more caffeine. I drink tons of water to keep hydrated. I stay more rested and eat better (not too tough for me). Tomorrow night...another shot. Here goes the next chapter in our lives!

The Drugs Have Arrived

The box of drugs came this morning. Talk about an elated/mortified feeling! Just seeing all the syringes makes me nervous. The idea that the series is about to start up makes me really nervous! I've already moved into the anxious patient role and called my nurse coordinator yesterday to confirm some bodily issues. Nice.

I will go down to the clinic this afternoon to pay my $3805 for the series. WOW! We got the loan yesterday (4 more years of baby payments!) and are ready to go!

Less than 2 weeks till first injection! SCARY!

Consent Form For Uterine Transfer of Cryopreserved Embryos

Nothing like a letter to scare the living daylights out of you! I shall be calling my nurse coordinator to confirm some of the finer points of this letter:

We understand that this consent gives the embryology team permission to thaw embryos that we currently have in storage. We understand that not all of the embryos survive the cryopreservation and thawing process. As such, we understand that in certain cases the embryologist may thaw more embryos than desired to obtain the number of viable embryos for unterine replacement transfer.

We understand that it is the general policy of this program to transfer no more than 6 embryos for IVF in order to minimize the risk of multiple gestation while maximizing the per cycle success rates of the procedure. (Whoa, back up. You mean we COULD BE John & Kate + 8???....Uh oh). We understand that any excess cryopreserved embryos maintained in storage for us will continue to be our responsibility and will be managed as directed in our original cryopreservation consent. (Yes, we will pay our $100/month storage fee for leftover embryos).

We understand that to date, in the small number of children born, there have been no observed detrimental effects arising from cryopreservation procedure. Therefore, no guarantees are offered regarding the normalcy of any pregnancy that develops following the transfer of cryopreserved embryo. (Intended question: Exactly how many kiddos out there are a result of being cryopreserved? This statement scares me a little bit. Luckily, I have a friend with a baby that came from a cryopreserved embryo, so I don't worry too much. But at this point, all the disclaimers are freaking me out a bit).

End letter. Luckily we have an appointment in the near future, so I can ask all of my questions and turn in all of my paperwork. I'm gearing up for shots (the medicine arrives next week, injections start the following week). Yikes!

Drugs to Arrive Shortly....Getting Nervous!

So my pharmacy (not your regular Walgreens, but the big ole Fertility Drug Pharmacy) called today with my order for drugs. My doctor placed the order and the pharmacy called to collect payment and discuss shipment details. I gave the pharmacy my insurance info and they rattled through the drugs I would be taking. We had budgeted $200 for drugs. Imagine my surprise when the total came to $47! Hooray! For having an insurance that doesn't support artificial means of conception, it did a great job today! When they told me the delivery date, it made my heart race. Boy, this sucker is really coming up! I'm about to start injecting myself. This is crazy! While I know we are ready, it feels like a really big deal. Should getting pregnant be such a big deal? I called Dan and he totally freaked out. It just makes it so real. I think he's nervous about giving me injections again. Luckily, he's got a little while before it becomes his turn to inject me.

Here's my Mastercard Commercial (spellings may be wrong, it was over the phone):

Doxycycline (tablets)- $3.00
Estradial (tablets)- $3.00
Lupilide (injections)- $3.00
Medrol (tablets)- $3.00
Progesterone (tablets)- $9.00
Progesterone (injections)- $9.00
Needles & Syringes- $12.00
Sharps Container- $5.00
More kids- Priceless