I got the box I've been waiting for.
Wanna see what's inside?
Drugs.
Lots of drugs.
The cast of characters:
Birth Control Pills
Estrace (not pictured. She's really shy. And I ordered her from Costco so I forgot and left her in my medicine cabinet during the drug photo shoot.)
Leuprolide (I call him Leupron for short and Louie when we're having a really tender moment)
Progesterone Oil
A safe box for all my used needles. I'm a little offended it says "BIOHAZARD" on it. I'm clean. I swear.
And mountains of various size needles.
See this needle?
It's roughly the size of a garden hose. Thankfully it's used only to suck-up the thick Progesterone Oil and then the needle is changed to this sized needle (roughly the size of a pencil.) for insertion.
Unless of course your *ahem* husband forgets to do the swap and stabs you with the garden hose instead. Twice. (It happened almost four years ago and we are still not talking.)
Before I begin with the details of this cycle I wanted to remind all my fertile friends out there that these drugs are for a Frozen Embryo Transfer. Meaning these are drugs that just get my body ready to accept the Embryo's. If I were blogging about the first time that I did an IVF cycle where we first had to have my ovaries super ovulate and they went from the normal size of kiwis to the size of grapefruit..... well the post listing all the drugs from that cycle would surly cause global shut down of the web.
I talked with the IVF nurse and got my protocol and dates all set for this cycle and I am going to share them all with you so you can write them in your calendar and call and remind me each day on what and how much dosage I should be taking. Kay?
I started the birth control pills on June 28th and then I'll start adding one shot of 20 units of Leupron on July 13. This combination of drugs basically tells the brain to stop communicating with the reproduction organs because our goal is to create a "perfect" cycle using medication. Leupron is a subcutaneous medication that is injected. The needle is tiny and really isn't a big deal.
Unless you think you are alone in the office that you work at. (The church) and you remember that you need to give your self an injection and slide your pants to your ankles and with a needle in your hand ....... the heater repareman walks into your office. Most embarrassing moment to date.
July 20th last Birth Control Pill, continue Leupron.
July 28th OHSU appointment: Blood Draw and Ultrasound. This is to make sure my body is in full blown menopause. Oh and our full payment is due. And because I am keeping it real here. It's about $3,000. Goodbye savings. It was fun while it lasted. PS incase you are curious, a fresh IVF cycle is at the very least $12,000. I'm not going to lie that bill stung a bit. Not like a bee sting more like a shot gun round to the neck. But how can you put a price on creating a family? Ended up that Matt's grandmother passed away when we I was just a few months pregnant with Tobin. Our inherence just covered our debt. I can't think of a better way to have passed down her legacy then with her first great-grandchild. God provided.
July 29th: Continue Leupron and add one pill of Estrace daily. Estrace is now going to start building the lining of the uterus.
August 4th: Continue Leupron and add another Estrace pill daily.
August 9th: Continue Leupron and start three Estrace pills daily.
August 13: Ultra Sound (just to check the lining making sure the Estrace is working.)
August 14: Stop Leupron. Decrease Estrace pills to two daily. Start Progesterone Oil. This is when Matt comes on board. I can't reach the area it needs to be injected into. After about a week of these, I also can't sit.
August 18: The big (Projected) day of Embryo Transfer. This requires a whole post in itself. Looking forward to it?
Welcome to my druggie world for the next few months. Forgive me if I forget your birthday or your name.
