HERE. WE. GOOOOOO!
Holy Moly, kids!
Let’s catch up a bit: Dr. Huber wanted to do an estrogen prime for the cycle prior to my IVF cycle. That meant that I need to track my ovulation and then start an oral med of Estradiol one week following a positive ovulation test. I took Estradiol for about a week, which minimal side effects. I would get hella thirsty and occasionally nauseous. It was a pretty vicious cycle, though. I would drink something to quench my thirst, but regardless of what I drank, it would make me nauseous. So on and so forth. ::eye roll::
Things really started rolling once Aunt Flo made her appearance. On Day 1, I took my last Estradiol, and began taking Clomid and Dexamethasone. On Day 2, I went in for labs, bloodwork, and a consult with the nurses to go over what’s next.
What’s next is freaking SHOTS. While I thought they would start AFTER I finished Clomid, no, they do not. I was wrong. They start NOW. HOLY. MOLY. For at least the next 3 days, I’ll take Follistim and Menopur, in addition to the Clomid and Dexamethosone. I’ll also take some baby aspirin each night.
What’s cool is that I’ve already taken Follistim, so I know what I’m doing there. What’s cooler is that I can combine my Follistim and Menupur into one shot. ONE SHOT, y’all! #Hallelujah
What’s not cool are my restrictions for the next two weeks: no running, no weights, no high intensity workouts. ::wahhhhhhhh:: What I can do – is walk. And yoga. And anything low impact, but really just stick to walking. (Sighhhhhh. Guess I need to start looking for a different de-stresser…)
I’ll go back in for more labs and bloodwork on Cycle Day 6, which become Stims Day 4. From there, Dr. Huber will either tell me to continue the same cocktail I’m doing now or to tweak it. We’ll continue this song and dance for about a week or so. Then it’s egg retrieval day! Kirk has been affectionately referring to this day as Extraction Day. “Because that makes it sound like a SWAT mission, which is way cooler”. Ha! We won’t know for sure until 36 hours beforehand, but it looks like my Extraction Day will be around Thanksgiving. Yay and Oh no!
Here’s where ALLLLLLLLLL my anxiety is currently living. Yes, I’m excited to get started with this process. I’m excited for what may come of this. I’ve already bailed on my family for Turkey Day, knowing I needed to be near the clinic that week. What I wasn’t planning on was Kirk’s plant being understaffed for the holiday week. I wasn’t planning on his inability to shift swap so he could be available for my procedure. In the grand scheme of things, it’s fine. I’m sure I can find someone who wants an escape from their family to take me to and from the clinic should Extraction Day also be Thanksgiving Day. What really sucks is having to do this alone; without him there. They put me under, so honestly, it’s not THAT big of a deal, but it kinda feels like one.
The other hiccup to this is that I need Kirk’s swimmers the day of Extraction, but if he’s stuck at work, that doesn’t give us many options. When I met with Nurse Alyssa for my initial consult, I explained to her our concerns. Come to find out, you can freeze sperm! While I wasn’t expecting this added expense, it’s in our best interest to explore this option. It’ll help relieve some of the stress for BOTH of us. I think the worst part of Infertility is the unknown and unable to plan. My Type A Personality is STRUGGLING with this. Ideally, I’d like to plan our Extraction Day for the Saturday after Thanksgiving so that we’re both off work and have the weekend to recover. But nooooo, Mother Nature & Science are going to give me a 36-hour timeframe and that’s it. No wiggle room allowed. Fan-freaking-tastic.
I’m not gunna lie: I’m pretty scared. I know, I know, I’ve done some of these shots before. I’m a badass. I’m stronger than I think. Not to sound snarky, but none of that is helpful right now. I’m convinced that we’ll need more than one IVF cycle. I don’t think we’ll be successful on our first try. Sure, that’s a totally pessimistic way to look at it, but it’s also a reality. The odds just are not in our favor. The shitty part about all of this – they may never be. BUT. I’m not ready to give up. I’m going to give this a try. Kirk and I have discussed how many times we’ll try an IVF cycle. Let’s hope we don’t get to that number. All I can do know is watch all the YouTube videos on how to take these shots and cross my fingers.
If you’re curious about the shots, be sure to follow along on Instagram. I’ll be posting to my stories more frequently. (Note: this Insta profile is separate from my personal account, so give both a follow! 😉)
And THANK YOU. We’ve had a few more donations come in through our GoFundMe account and I want to say thanks. Thanks for helping us make this difficult journey a little easier. We see you! We thank you! We love you!!
Lastly, to all my IVF Warriors and Nurses out there: if you have any tips & tricks, PLEASE send them my way!
Now, buckle up as we all joyfully wait to see this first IVF cycle play out!
