Shootin' Up on the Square

Well, it has been a hectic week!  I've had 2 more monitoring appointments since Wednesday. My ovaries have grown from the size of almonds to the size of baseballs, and I must say it's not feeling too great.  I feel gi-normous (giant and enormous).  I'm so bloated in my belly, and it makes me feel really disgusting.

I've made it through in-service week at school without crying or cursing at anyone, which was especially difficult Friday. I've had a constant headache since last Sunday, and I'm still fatigued.  I'm also cranky as hell.  Everything anyone does pretty much pisses me off, but I'm at least aware of the situation so I'm trying to take a deep, calming breath, smile, and then tell you that you are pissing me off because you are [insert any verb up to and including simply existing here].  Hopefully soon it will be a distant memory, and I'll be well on my way to motherhood. 

Friday's appointment revealed that my estrogen levels had risen to over 2000 and that my follicles had grown quite a bit.  The nurse said my ovaries were about the size of billiards balls and I could expect to be feeling rather uncomfortable.  I can definitely feel my ovaries.  They are not too painful, just full and sore feeling.  I've been able to go on about my life as normal though, so it's not holding me back.  In fact, this Friday I got to watch one of my buddies perform in Shakespeare on the Square here in East Tennessee.  It started right when I was supposed to shoot up, so I didn't let that stop me from mixing my meds outside. 





Just your friendly neighbor mixing up prescription drugs...

Friday's labs also showed that it was time for me to start my Ganirelix Saturday.  This drug is supposed to allow the smaller follicles some time to catch up and suppresses the LH so I don't ovulate.  It comes in a neat little glass syringe.  I had company over right as it was time to give it, so I darted into the bathroom thinking it would be quick as it was just another sub-q injection in my abdomen, but nay-nay.  The damn needle just bounced off my skin without penetrating it and I yelped a little bit.  I tried again and the same thing.  So I had to go all kamikaze and just stab myself like a samurai. Sheesh...at least the medicine didn't burn going in...(it's the small things!)

 

Today was yet another monitoring appointment and blood test.  This morning before I got up to get ready for my appointment (yes, I had an appointment at 10:15am on Sunday) I started having really sharp pains on my right side. It lasted about 10 minutes, and me being Mary Katherine and hystrionic on all these hormones of course thought I was ovulating.  Fortunately, my ultrasound showed a bunch of ripe follicles and still several small ones.  Pat told BJ that I was being a real trooper and he should be proud of me.  It's really not been that bad.  I'm miserable, don't get me wrong, but I've been more miserable in the past few months than this.

 

 

This is what my ovaries look like.  UGH! (from http://www.gynaecworld.com/GAFU/IVF.html)

As of this evening they had diluted my estrogen level down 3 times from my bloodwork this morning, and still could not get a reading which means it is probably over 4,000 so I may be on the verge of hyper-stimulating.  This may explain the above crankiness and bloated feeling.  My other levels showed that I had still not ovulated, so tonight I got to trigger!  I gave myself three more shots. 2 of lupron to halt any OHSS, and yet more used pregnant woman's pee (HCG). 

 

What does that mean? 

 

In less than 36 hours, my eggs will be retrieved!  They will start fertilizing them via intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) so we know we'll get the job done.  I think I'm in shock that it is actually happening.  It's been a long 15 months, so it's hard to believe that this may happen for real.  I really want it to, but I just can't believe it! Anyway, I have to run around like a chicken with my head cut off getting ready to head out-of -town for this ordeal.  Wish me luck!

 

Peace, Love and Spawning!

MK