Day twelve of stimulation, day seven of cetrotide and trigger shot (ovitrelle) day!
This is going to be a rather short and sweet post.
Despite it being less than month since our first consultation at The Lister we are now galloping towards the IVF finish line. It's felt intense, the jabs have hurt more this time round (yes they bruise and I normally bleed after each and every one, my belly also goes bright red and itchy immediately afterwards). Despite a lower dose I have been responding well but I am very glad to not have to jab myself for a good while after today - fingers crossed. Today is the first working day since last week that I haven't be required at hospital, it feels strange. I had roughly 14 follicles that looked ripe for harvesting at my scan yesterday, my hormone levels have been balancing out, I'm learning to relax and I'm trying not to fret about not being at work.
I'm nil by mouth from midnight tomorrow, in at 7am Thursday morning in preparation for egg collection by general anaesthetic later that morning - I'm first on the list. This is the main difference between being treated privately compared to the NHS. At my previous egg collection I was heavily sedated so have vague recollections of what went on and my Hubster was in the room with me. They 'woke me up' and two nurses then walked/carried me to a bed in the treatment waiting ward. I was then shuffled out the moment I was 'compus-mentus' and sent home; at The Lister I'm knocked out via general, I won't be aware of the 'bum torpedo' (this is a term I picked up from a fellow IVFer for the diclofenac suppository they give you rectally before surgery to relax your womb - it's not a pleasant experience I can tell you, I'll let your imaginations work out why), and my Hubster won't be in theatre with me. I'll have my own room and can leave when I am discharged which should be roughly four hours after I've been in theatre - so when I'm ready to go home, not when they need me to go home. There are other differences with this treatment cycle compared to my first fresh cycle: I have been monitored very closely, I've had a lot of blood taken to monitor my hormone levels - this didn't happen at the Kings ACU and I think if had been monitored as closely as I am now I wouldn't have gotten so poorly last time round.
We're provisionally booked in for embryo transfer this Sunday (6 April) but I'm pretty confident that we'll go to Tuesday (8 April) for a blastocyst transfer. We've paid for a more advanced version of ICSI called IMSI - this stands for intra cytoplasmic morphologically-selected sperm injection. The main difference is that the swimmers will be selected by an extremely strong microscope (x600 times stronger than the one used for standard ICSI) and then injected into my eggs, this should give us the best chance possible of making fabulous mini-mes - together with the endometrium scratch I had a couple of weeks ago should encourage implantation.
So for the interim I'm at home, relaxing trying to put all the nonsense of the past few weeks that could have very easily interfered with our treatment to the back of my mind. I'm focusing my energy on making protein rich, healthy eggs and trying not to focus on the negative - I am repelling stress as there's only one thing that we need to focus on. I have acupuncture at 4pm so I'm certain I will remain zen like in preparation for egg collection and for the transfer of our mini-me(s).
I'll be back in a few days with a round up with how egg collection went - exciting times!
Laters x
Showing posts with label stimulation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stimulation. Show all posts
Tuesday, 1 April 2014
Saturday, 29 March 2014
To get IVF ready you must look after your mind, body and soul
Day 12 of stimulation, day four of cetrotide...
"People tend to be generous when sharing their nonsense, fear and ignorance. And while they seem quite eager to feed you their negativity, please remember that sometimes the diet we need to be on is a spiritual and emotional one. Be cautious with what you feed your mind and soul. Fuel yourself with positivity and let that fuel propel you into positive action.” Steve Maraboli
Today I can't stop crying. I have sobbed my heart out this morning and I know for certain there's much more to come. Gonal F, the synthetic version of the follicle stimulating hormone is raging round my body. I am bloated, I can ping my left and right ovaries about and I am the antithesis of the hormonally balanced woman. It makes me want to shout:
WHY CAN'T WE JUST GET PREGNANT THE NORMAL WAY?
But this is our path and we must follow it faithfully. There's no point moaning or fussing about the injections as it is what it is. Good will come out of all of this effort and money saved and spent. It has to. The past 10 days or so have caught up on me and even without the synthetic hormones I think I would be forgiven for cracking up (just a little bit).
You see, we've been getting it from all angles recently - I'm not sure why the universe is throwing some seriously unwanted karma in our direction but it is. I'm trying to put a positive spin on it all and that ultimately, the revelations of the past week have freed us from a cycle of pervasive negativity - that what has happened is a good thing. But the hormones are scuppering up my rational thought processes and making me feel really low today. There's been way too much drama and I've had enough, my wonderful Hubster and I really don't need any of this nonsense right now, really we don't.
Going by the title of this blog I think you can guess that I've been focusing on things that I do have control of - my mind, body and soul. I started off with the above quote as this is exactly what I am doing. No more will I be made to feel inferior due to someone else's negativity. We often rely on our family to be a support and just 'be there.' We can sometimes put our trust and confidence in someone when we know deep down that we are being a little naive, as we have been burnt previously. Our desire for things to be different, for them to be 'right' and our belief that everyone is nice deep down, that any negativity and hate that we may have been on the receiving end over the years has dissipated. Our desire for things to be different can cloud our judgement. I forgave in the belief that I wouldn't be hurt again, but I was and so was my Hubster. I feel guilty for letting my Hubster get hurt, that it's my fault and I'm angry at myself for letting it happen. I believe in forgiveness and I forgave this person and slowly let them back in; I started to trust them again and so did my wonderful Hubster. I have forgiven a lot of people for wrongs they have done to me over the years. Wrongs that happened to me from people I trusted. It's hard to forgive, really hard. To get to the point of forgiveness you have to be brave enough to face how these wrongs make you feel: angry, hurt, upset, mad, questioning, the list could go on. And then you have to deal with these emotions and put them to bed, throw them away, discard them. If you don't do that then you start to hate the world and I don't want to hate. Hate is a very powerful word that has powerful consequences. Unleash your hate on the world and the people around you and one thing you can be sure of, you will end up alone with your hate, hating more and more. I don't want to ever be like that so I am trying to muster the power of forgiveness once again but I need to go through the motions first - I'm not quite ready to forgive.
What I've learnt over the years is that the people that harm you are the ones who are not brave enough to deal with their issues and they take their negativity and warped view of the world out on you. They are all about the 'me, me, me' they believe the world owes them something and they are constantly angry, looking for bad in everything. I pity people like this. They are their own tormentors. You can try and help these people but be wary, their negativity is infectious. There comes a point when enough is enough and when they unilaterally reject your love, compassion and are just plain nasty it's time to turn your back on them and let them find their own path as these type of people can't be helped.
Well no more. From now on I am taking myself out of that negative world as it's dragging me down. I am naturally a positive person who has a lot of love to give, I don't have a negative view of the world, life is what you make it and I am making my life happy as I just don't want to be miserable. We have one life so let's just live it.
Bye-bye negativity. This picture says it all and I am proud to say that I listen to my heart and not my ego.
Some people may call me a fool. But my heart was unequivicoly broken last weekend, both my Hubster and I have been reeling from the hurt caused. So we have turned our back on a situation and have been licking our wounds and cementing our relationship further. I have all the important members of my family loving and supporting us and if anything, the drama over the weekend has made my relationship with someone who is so very dear to me so much stronger. I rely on him, he is my rock when really it should be me looking out for him - let's just say we look out for each other. Right now I'm leaning on him to help me make sense of what happened last weekend, and to help me get through this IVF cycle as on top of everything else - it's suddenly gotten a little intense and for someone who is almost 13 years my junior he really his totes amaze balls. He is caring, intelligent, philosophical, charming, handsome, lovely, funny; the world is a happier, smilier place with him in it and when I needed him - he was there. Thank you. I know he'll be reading this and I hope he knows that I'm talking about him and I hope my words haven't upset him as he is the last person in the world I would ever want to hurt. My job is to be his protector, to look out for him and to fight his corner, he's been doing that for me recently but I will step up soon - I promise. I love you! I can't really expand any further (and I don't want to) as there's only so much of my dirty laundry I can wash in public. I really do not want to focus my energy any longer on what happened as my body is telling me that it needs me right now.
Yep - my body sure does need me right now.
I've had numerous scans and blood tests this week. I had an inkling that I was responding well to the Gonal F as I have been feeling hot, have had headaches and yes I've had insomnia (although due to exhaustion caused by full-on drama I have been able to sleep - much thanks goes to my trusty IVF Believe CD for getting me off to sleep every night this week), and the bloat has started (I couldn't do my trousers up the end of yesterday - luckily they stayed up and the top I was wearing allowed me to undo the top button - thank the lord for small mercies).
What was due to take 12 days has taken five; as of Wednesday it looked like I was ripe for egg collection a mere five days after starting the stimms. Hoorah you may think - this is a good thing? But no, it isn't really - it means my body isn't in synch and I'm not ready to have my eggs harvested just yet thank you very much.
Despite all of the drama I have been keeping very calm (today is the first day when I feel like its gotten on top of me but that really is down to the hormones taking over my rational judgement). Thankfully my hormone levels have been quite level (in IVF terms). There was a possibility that I was going to have to go in today for another scan and blood test with a view to having egg collection on Monday but I have been granted a little time to continue brewing my eggs. I am however back in for a scan and another blood test on Monday, I have a feeling I should be near enough ready then. As of yesterday I had 14 large follicles that could be seen on the scan but I can guarantee there will be more than that when it comes to egg collection time.
Next you'll see the liquid and powder mixed in the vial - when all the powder has dissolved and there are no air bubbles you can draw the liquid back up into the syringe. It took me a while to nail this - it can be quite tricky.
You then need to change the needle ready for injecting. The needle below is a lot smaller than the one used to mix the powder and liquid but I promise you - it's a large needle that I really dislike having to jab myself with. My belly has become quite sensitive now, every injection makes me bleed and bruise (I don 't like jabbing my thigh). No part of IVF is fun, that's why it's important to try and keep a lid on simmering anxiety and to remain focused on the here and now. Just get the jabs done quickly, safely and with minimum amount of fuss. The energy you use getting in a tizz is wasted energy, stay calm and the whole process will be easier. In fact staying cool and calm should be the way forward full stop, particularly during IVF. Focus your energy where it's needed - right now my energy needs to be focused on producing lots of nice eggs and for my womb lining to be thickening nicely.
So, I must look after my body as well as my mind and soul - this means I must eat lots of protein and put good stuff into my body. Luckily I've been making spirulina and maca smoothies for the Hubster and I every morning since June 2013. They're not exactly yummy but we've learnt to like them and they make us feel amazing.
Here's my recipe for two pints of the green stuff:
Two bananas
One apple
One pear
Three handfuls of frozen blueberries
One handful of spinach
One tablespoon of powdered maca
One tablespoon of powdered spirulina
Four tablespoons of low fat yogurt
Water
Put all of the above ingredients (chop the fruit) in a blender, fill the blender up with water so it's at the top of the ingredients, then whizz on full power for about a minute. You will have a jug full of dark green goodness. Pour and drink. Word of warning - don't gulp it otherwise you will gag.
Since starting the morning with a 'pint of green' every day I can tell you that both our energy levels are up, our skin is clear and we look seriously healthy - this pint of green goodness lasts us until lunch time and we feel great because of it. Even when we do get pregnant I'm keeping it up as I can feel the tangible benefits. Spirulina is a blue-green algae that is 65% protein and is full of immune boosting amino acids - it is THE WONDER FOOD and I don't know why more people aren't on to it?! It is also an appetite suppressant and has been touted as the world's answer to hunger as it grows naturally across the world. If you are looking to lose a few pounds you'd be wise to incorporate spirulina into your diet. Maca has been used in Peru for thousands of years, it levels hormones in ladies and increases testosterone production in men and can increase libido (very important when you're trying to get pregnant!) Blueberries are antioxidants that aid concentration, bananas are full of potassium and release slow energy, apples and pears are full of vitamins C and K as well as copper, fiber, potassium, and flavonoids and spinach is full of folic acid (folic acid is good for men who are trying to get fertile fit as well as women).
So there we go. My mind has been wobbly but is in good shape, my soul has been struggling to make sense of recent events but I am confident that all is well and it is OK and understandable to feel how we have been feeling, and my body is 'enthusiastically' responding to treatment. I'm putting good stuff into it, I'm relaxing and trying to keep my cortisol levels to a minimum and I am surrounded by love and positivity. I've rejected negativity - the world is a good place.
Laters xxx
"People tend to be generous when sharing their nonsense, fear and ignorance. And while they seem quite eager to feed you their negativity, please remember that sometimes the diet we need to be on is a spiritual and emotional one. Be cautious with what you feed your mind and soul. Fuel yourself with positivity and let that fuel propel you into positive action.” Steve Maraboli
Today I can't stop crying. I have sobbed my heart out this morning and I know for certain there's much more to come. Gonal F, the synthetic version of the follicle stimulating hormone is raging round my body. I am bloated, I can ping my left and right ovaries about and I am the antithesis of the hormonally balanced woman. It makes me want to shout:
WHY CAN'T WE JUST GET PREGNANT THE NORMAL WAY?
But this is our path and we must follow it faithfully. There's no point moaning or fussing about the injections as it is what it is. Good will come out of all of this effort and money saved and spent. It has to. The past 10 days or so have caught up on me and even without the synthetic hormones I think I would be forgiven for cracking up (just a little bit).
You see, we've been getting it from all angles recently - I'm not sure why the universe is throwing some seriously unwanted karma in our direction but it is. I'm trying to put a positive spin on it all and that ultimately, the revelations of the past week have freed us from a cycle of pervasive negativity - that what has happened is a good thing. But the hormones are scuppering up my rational thought processes and making me feel really low today. There's been way too much drama and I've had enough, my wonderful Hubster and I really don't need any of this nonsense right now, really we don't.
Going by the title of this blog I think you can guess that I've been focusing on things that I do have control of - my mind, body and soul. I started off with the above quote as this is exactly what I am doing. No more will I be made to feel inferior due to someone else's negativity. We often rely on our family to be a support and just 'be there.' We can sometimes put our trust and confidence in someone when we know deep down that we are being a little naive, as we have been burnt previously. Our desire for things to be different, for them to be 'right' and our belief that everyone is nice deep down, that any negativity and hate that we may have been on the receiving end over the years has dissipated. Our desire for things to be different can cloud our judgement. I forgave in the belief that I wouldn't be hurt again, but I was and so was my Hubster. I feel guilty for letting my Hubster get hurt, that it's my fault and I'm angry at myself for letting it happen. I believe in forgiveness and I forgave this person and slowly let them back in; I started to trust them again and so did my wonderful Hubster. I have forgiven a lot of people for wrongs they have done to me over the years. Wrongs that happened to me from people I trusted. It's hard to forgive, really hard. To get to the point of forgiveness you have to be brave enough to face how these wrongs make you feel: angry, hurt, upset, mad, questioning, the list could go on. And then you have to deal with these emotions and put them to bed, throw them away, discard them. If you don't do that then you start to hate the world and I don't want to hate. Hate is a very powerful word that has powerful consequences. Unleash your hate on the world and the people around you and one thing you can be sure of, you will end up alone with your hate, hating more and more. I don't want to ever be like that so I am trying to muster the power of forgiveness once again but I need to go through the motions first - I'm not quite ready to forgive.
What I've learnt over the years is that the people that harm you are the ones who are not brave enough to deal with their issues and they take their negativity and warped view of the world out on you. They are all about the 'me, me, me' they believe the world owes them something and they are constantly angry, looking for bad in everything. I pity people like this. They are their own tormentors. You can try and help these people but be wary, their negativity is infectious. There comes a point when enough is enough and when they unilaterally reject your love, compassion and are just plain nasty it's time to turn your back on them and let them find their own path as these type of people can't be helped.
Well no more. From now on I am taking myself out of that negative world as it's dragging me down. I am naturally a positive person who has a lot of love to give, I don't have a negative view of the world, life is what you make it and I am making my life happy as I just don't want to be miserable. We have one life so let's just live it.
Bye-bye negativity. This picture says it all and I am proud to say that I listen to my heart and not my ego.
Some people may call me a fool. But my heart was unequivicoly broken last weekend, both my Hubster and I have been reeling from the hurt caused. So we have turned our back on a situation and have been licking our wounds and cementing our relationship further. I have all the important members of my family loving and supporting us and if anything, the drama over the weekend has made my relationship with someone who is so very dear to me so much stronger. I rely on him, he is my rock when really it should be me looking out for him - let's just say we look out for each other. Right now I'm leaning on him to help me make sense of what happened last weekend, and to help me get through this IVF cycle as on top of everything else - it's suddenly gotten a little intense and for someone who is almost 13 years my junior he really his totes amaze balls. He is caring, intelligent, philosophical, charming, handsome, lovely, funny; the world is a happier, smilier place with him in it and when I needed him - he was there. Thank you. I know he'll be reading this and I hope he knows that I'm talking about him and I hope my words haven't upset him as he is the last person in the world I would ever want to hurt. My job is to be his protector, to look out for him and to fight his corner, he's been doing that for me recently but I will step up soon - I promise. I love you! I can't really expand any further (and I don't want to) as there's only so much of my dirty laundry I can wash in public. I really do not want to focus my energy any longer on what happened as my body is telling me that it needs me right now.
Yep - my body sure does need me right now.
I've had numerous scans and blood tests this week. I had an inkling that I was responding well to the Gonal F as I have been feeling hot, have had headaches and yes I've had insomnia (although due to exhaustion caused by full-on drama I have been able to sleep - much thanks goes to my trusty IVF Believe CD for getting me off to sleep every night this week), and the bloat has started (I couldn't do my trousers up the end of yesterday - luckily they stayed up and the top I was wearing allowed me to undo the top button - thank the lord for small mercies).
What was due to take 12 days has taken five; as of Wednesday it looked like I was ripe for egg collection a mere five days after starting the stimms. Hoorah you may think - this is a good thing? But no, it isn't really - it means my body isn't in synch and I'm not ready to have my eggs harvested just yet thank you very much.
Despite all of the drama I have been keeping very calm (today is the first day when I feel like its gotten on top of me but that really is down to the hormones taking over my rational judgement). Thankfully my hormone levels have been quite level (in IVF terms). There was a possibility that I was going to have to go in today for another scan and blood test with a view to having egg collection on Monday but I have been granted a little time to continue brewing my eggs. I am however back in for a scan and another blood test on Monday, I have a feeling I should be near enough ready then. As of yesterday I had 14 large follicles that could be seen on the scan but I can guarantee there will be more than that when it comes to egg collection time.
I thought I'd show you some photos of how I go about injecting Cetrotide - it's a wee bit fiddly but I'm starting to get the hang of it:
Below you can see the syringe with the giant needle on it and a vial of powder. The liquid from the syringe needs to be squirted into the vial and mixed with the powder.
Next you'll see the liquid and powder mixed in the vial - when all the powder has dissolved and there are no air bubbles you can draw the liquid back up into the syringe. It took me a while to nail this - it can be quite tricky.
You then need to change the needle ready for injecting. The needle below is a lot smaller than the one used to mix the powder and liquid but I promise you - it's a large needle that I really dislike having to jab myself with. My belly has become quite sensitive now, every injection makes me bleed and bruise (I don 't like jabbing my thigh). No part of IVF is fun, that's why it's important to try and keep a lid on simmering anxiety and to remain focused on the here and now. Just get the jabs done quickly, safely and with minimum amount of fuss. The energy you use getting in a tizz is wasted energy, stay calm and the whole process will be easier. In fact staying cool and calm should be the way forward full stop, particularly during IVF. Focus your energy where it's needed - right now my energy needs to be focused on producing lots of nice eggs and for my womb lining to be thickening nicely.
Yikes. It's all happened a little quickly and I've been feeling very much overwhelmed by the situation. We've had so much stress to deal with that the nurses told me to stay super chilled, give myself some TLC and if I can get signed off work for the duration of my treatment then do it. When I had a scan on Wednesday and saw my super large follicles I knew there and then that something had to give - there's only so much pressure I can take so I took the nurses (and my consultant's) advice. I went back to work, tidied a few things up and then put my out of office on. I am blessed to work in such a supportive environment, my workload has been crazy recently but I am under doctor's orders not to stress and to take it easy so I'm being signed off sick. My body's over reaction to the drugs, despite the much smaller dose of Gonal F is reminding me of my previous fresh cycle when I got OHSS and I need to do what the professionals tell me, we all know the link to stress and fluctuating hormone levels so I am 100% convinced that the drama of last weekend has affected things and I can't let that ruin my chances of becoming a mother. Take it easy, keep stress levels to a minimum and focus on making my body ready for what I hope will be pregnancy.
So, I must look after my body as well as my mind and soul - this means I must eat lots of protein and put good stuff into my body. Luckily I've been making spirulina and maca smoothies for the Hubster and I every morning since June 2013. They're not exactly yummy but we've learnt to like them and they make us feel amazing.
Here's my recipe for two pints of the green stuff:
Two bananas
One apple
One pear
Three handfuls of frozen blueberries
One handful of spinach
One tablespoon of powdered maca
One tablespoon of powdered spirulina
Four tablespoons of low fat yogurt
Water
Put all of the above ingredients (chop the fruit) in a blender, fill the blender up with water so it's at the top of the ingredients, then whizz on full power for about a minute. You will have a jug full of dark green goodness. Pour and drink. Word of warning - don't gulp it otherwise you will gag.
Since starting the morning with a 'pint of green' every day I can tell you that both our energy levels are up, our skin is clear and we look seriously healthy - this pint of green goodness lasts us until lunch time and we feel great because of it. Even when we do get pregnant I'm keeping it up as I can feel the tangible benefits. Spirulina is a blue-green algae that is 65% protein and is full of immune boosting amino acids - it is THE WONDER FOOD and I don't know why more people aren't on to it?! It is also an appetite suppressant and has been touted as the world's answer to hunger as it grows naturally across the world. If you are looking to lose a few pounds you'd be wise to incorporate spirulina into your diet. Maca has been used in Peru for thousands of years, it levels hormones in ladies and increases testosterone production in men and can increase libido (very important when you're trying to get pregnant!) Blueberries are antioxidants that aid concentration, bananas are full of potassium and release slow energy, apples and pears are full of vitamins C and K as well as copper, fiber, potassium, and flavonoids and spinach is full of folic acid (folic acid is good for men who are trying to get fertile fit as well as women).
So there we go. My mind has been wobbly but is in good shape, my soul has been struggling to make sense of recent events but I am confident that all is well and it is OK and understandable to feel how we have been feeling, and my body is 'enthusiastically' responding to treatment. I'm putting good stuff into it, I'm relaxing and trying to keep my cortisol levels to a minimum and I am surrounded by love and positivity. I've rejected negativity - the world is a good place.
Laters xxx
Saturday, 22 March 2014
If you've got an itch... Scratch it
Day one of stimulation (yes - day one!)
There are two intros to this blog entry -
below is the one I started writing at 5:22am on Saturday 22 March 2014
I'd forgotten what it feels like: insomnia. And
I'm feeling really hot, not sexy hot, more like I am going to combust hot.
Could this really be a side affect of the Gonal F this early on in my cycle? You see we started
again last night (well this week to be precise - it started with an endometrium
scratch on Monday - start reading from the intro I wrote on Thursday
evening for more on that). Work seems to have taken over my life recently so I haven't had a
chance to blog and let you kids know what's been going on. Trust me, a serious
amount of shizzle has been going on over the past few weeks (too much for this
blog) and suddenly I find myself on the stimms, feeling like I've fast-tracked
my way right up to the business end of proceedings of our much anticipated next
round of IVF. So let me tell you what's been happening this week and how on
earth we are only two weeks from egg collection.
Intro two - written on Thursday 20 March
2014 - I shall pick up now from where I left off!
Did the title of today's blog entry make you
think eh? Thought so. I only ever tend to scratch an itch, but this is a fertility related
blog so that must mean that having a scratch must be some form of newfangled treatment that can
help a woman like me get pregnant. So when my lovely (and rather dashing)
consultant James Nicopoullos from the Lister Fertility Clinic
said that an endometrium scratch could be the answer to our implantation
problems I enthusiastically had one done.
Here's a word of warning ladies: IT BLOODY
HURTS... A LOT.
Don't be naive like I was and think it won't hurt. When it comes to any fertility related procedure that involves your cervix
and a catheter there is going to be some degree of discomfort. That's not even
taking into consideration a speculum and a clamp on your cervix. If you are
told there may be some 'mild cramping' you know it's gonna hurt. I take
ibuprofen for period pain so I really should have been better prepared and dosed up on some before I went in. Period
pain sucks, and I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, I felt every little
scratch of that catheter in my womb - ouch. I was told that I was very brave as I
didn't flinch once - a little tear did escape however. I then had some serious
cramps for the rest of that day and generally felt crap. Boo.
Endometrium scratches are generally carried out on day 21 of a 28 day cycle, or roughly half way through your luteal phase. I have a 32 day cycle so I had my scratch on day 27 (8 days post ovulation), meaning I would have been due to start stimms next Tuesday. However, I got my period four days early - that's only two days post-scratch so I had a mild panic, called the Lister and they booked me in for a scan and injection training. I did my first jab at 10:45pm last night - so we've started.
YIKES!
I'm on a completely different cycle to my
previous fresh cycle, not only is it a lot shorter but it's tailored to me with a lot closer monitoring by scans and blood tests - yes this costs more but this is reassuring. I'm on an antagonist protocol which means no down
regulation. YAY! I'm on a much lower dose of the follicle simulating drug Gonal F than before, this should stop me getting
OHSS which is fab as I never, ever want to feel that bad ever again. You see,
when we went for our consultation on 3 March with James my AMH results came
back 'through the roof.' The average for a woman my age is 15, mine was 43 which is amazing (I'm very chuffed). I also had a follicle count of 28 (and that's without any
drugs), this all adds up to mean I have a decent ovarian reserve so this is all very good news.
The antagonist protocol involves another drug called cetrotide, this prevents the luteinizing hormonal surge from causing ovulation. I have never used cetrotide before but it involves mixing a pre-filled syringe with a vial of powder and then injecting that along with the Gonal F from day six of your cycle. I'm back at the Lister next Wednesday for another scan and blood test to check oestrogen, progesterone and my LH levels and then the nurses should give me the green light to start cetrotide that night. All of this means that in roughly two
weeks time we should be having egg collection, and within three weeks I
should hopefully have one or two mini-me's nestling into my womb. The endometrium scratch should ensure that I have
a nice thick womb lining and the environment created as a result of the increase in white blood cells will hopefully mean my mini-me(s) will want to bed in. I don't really understand how it works but evidence suggests that it does improve pregnancy rates in IVF patients.
So it's been a full on week. My amazing Hubster
and I have had to pull together and work as a team to try and resolve a rather
delicate situation not concerning our fertility treatment, and I said goodbye
to my Bessie her lovely Hubster and Little Buddha. Yesterday was an emotional,
full on day so maybe that's why I'm in the living room writing my blog at
6:33am on a Saturday morning? I'm not sure. I had a very cathartic cry last
night but I'm in a very good place - crying is good - it's a massive stress reliever
so do not worry about me. Before we started on our journey again I wanted my Hubster and I to be strong and calm and ready. We are all of that and I am so proud of us - the progress we have made is to be commended, IVF splits many couples up but if anything, the past 18 months have made us stronger. I am so going to
miss my Bessie and Little Buddha but they are off on an amazing adventure
travelling around Europe in their beautiful brand new VW campervan
(affectionately named Terrance). And they're not far, Skype and Whatsapp mean
they are a moment away, but I'm still going to miss them so that's why
we're going to meet them somewhere hot in Europe for a holiday when we are done with our treatment cycle. So it
really isn't that bad, I just hate goodbyes and yesterday was an action packed day.
It is time to concentrate on the next four weeks,
nothing else matters, even my crazy ridiculous workload is going to have to
take a back seat. Because it's time for us to make some mini-mes again and this is our top priority, we've saved hard for this and I don't want to have any regrets. I will most certainly keep you guys updated
on our journey, but for now I can feel my eyelids drooping (finally) so I'm going to try
and go back to sleep - let's hope this insomnia is a one off.
Na night x
Saturday, 26 January 2013
Stimulation overdrive...
Day 11 of stims
Yesterday was such a full-on, emotional day that I just didn't have the energy required to focus enough for a blog post, so here goes.
I was right - there has been a lot of activity going on downstairs as I have a whopping 26 follicles - whoop whoop whoop and my gosh - they're large! Not quite large enough for egg collection (EC) on Monday but it will be happening on Wednesday. However, this means that I am now at a high risk of developing OHSS - boo. After my scan (which was fascinating) I saw one of the nurses (Laura) and she ran through with me when I would be taking my last buserelin and Gonal F jabs and what the scenario would be for either a Monday or Wednesday EC (and gave me an anal suppository for EC day - gosh this IVF shizzle is sooooo sexy eh?!) I then had to see a doctor, who ran through with us what all the risks are with OHSS and what would I like to do with regards to my treatment:
a) Cancel my treatment - NO WAY JOSÉ!!!
b) Freeze my eggs and then carry on with treatment at a later date - NO WAY JOSÉ AGAIN! The treatment options on the NHS aren't as generous as they used to be and with only getting one fully-funded full cycle on the NHS we're not doing that!
c) Continue with treatment - YES WAY!!!
Doc mentioned how healthy I am, said my womb lining looks nice and thick, the reason for my enthusiastic response is due to being so healthy so this is good. Nice thick lining is the way forward if I want a successful implantation - this is what all the co-enzyme q10 is for - to help encourage a succesful implantation.
However, my pains are going to get worse, when I take my HCG trigger shot at 9pm on Monday evening I'm going to feel crap afterwards (OHSS thrives under HCG), after EC I will feel momentarily better but my follicles will fill back up with liquid and I will start feeling like crap again and after embryo transfer (ET) and presuming pregnancy occurs - oh yes - I will feel even more crap! What happens (as explained in my previous post), after the ovaries start going a bit crazy and keep on producing follicles that keep expanding - (this is the cause of the pain - 26 follicles all around 18m in diameter each - how the hell is all of that fitting in my womb? No wonder I've been feeling uncomfortable?!) The follicles are filling with liquid, this can seep out into the abdomen (hence looking out for water retention and bloating), but this can also show itself in fat ankles, a shortness of breath, dark coloured pee, resulting in nausea and vomiting and God forbid a blood clot. If I get a lot of water around my tummy, I'll have a drain fitted and as long as we are comfortable changing the drain I can have this at home, worst case scenario I'll have to go into hospital. I have been reassured that at Kings they have only had to cancel one IVF cycle as a result of OHSS, and that as this is always treated it's not fatal. What is reassuring to know is that OHSS doesn't impact on the likelihood of IVF resulting in a pregnancy (nor does it harm a pregnancy), and the staff at Kings are going to be keeping an eye on me and will be calling me daily after EC to check up on how I am feeling.
So yesterday, the Hubster and I were buzzing with nerves but mainly excitement - I can't quite believe that after trying for yonks, jumping through hoops with the NHS to get treatment, and then lockdown we are finally here. To think that this time next week there could be oodles of mini-me embryos all dividing on a petri dish waiting to be transferred into my womb (baby-house - this is what I hope it will be known as for the next nine months). SO EXCITING!!!
I have never, ever wanted something as bad as I want this - please, please, please let it work. If you are reading this please pray to whatever deity rocks your boat that this works. I am most certainly going to mass tomorrow - I/we have never, ever wanted anything as bad as we want this - I need to start showing my face at mass more often anyhow so there's no better time to start than now in my opinion. The nurse said I am a textbook case so far and given our positive, cheery outlook and healthy living there is no reason why we won't be pregnant this time next month. She also said that the Hubster's swimmers improvement is "commendable!" How awesome is that?! We were told at the beginning of treatment we have 40% chance of success (which is high going by IVF standards - I think this must've improved with all of our healthy living?)
So I've spoken to work about the posibility of developing OHSS, I don't think it went in really but if I feel in the slightest bit squiffy I shan't be going in to work - this is too important. I do feel at the moment like I'm about to come on - my lower abdomen is very firm to the touch and I have been getting pangs in my left side by my left ovary - this makes sense as there are 14 follicles on that side (and by the feel of it as I am on stims now for another two days I wouldn't be surprised if more follicles rock up), my boobs have gone from being deflated a couple of weeks ago to being back to their pre-menstrual self - larger and a bit tender - so yes - I feel like I feel when I am about to ovulate. With regards to the foo'ju - I told the nurses they need to tell ladies this shizzle! Needless to say they cracked up - not everyone gets it apparently but still - I can't see the harm in forewarning ladies that they may get it?!
So exciting days ahead, in the meantime I need to keep an eye on myself, make sure I'm drinking lots of water and I need to monitor the colour of my pee. I know one person who has had OHSS as a result of IVF and she had to go into hospital and I know from her account that is excruciatingly painful. She did get two beautiful baby girls from her IVF stint (first go) though - Molly and Josie - they are gorgeous so it's worth it. Kids hey - what - us ladies go through to get them? A friend of mine and his wife are also having IVF, at Kings and their EC is on Monday, another friend I know has had just her fourth ET, another friend of mine has had several IVF journeys and is now going down the surrogacy route, a parent from my Beaver Scout group went through IVF seven times to get her lovely boy Jonnie and someone at work is currently expecting (and she has the most gorgeous bump - she is positively glowing) - her pregnancy is a result of her first IVF attempt. My point is that IVF and infertility needn't be the taboo that it is, it's more common than we think. I am convinced we will get pregnant - my friends are all popping babies out left right and centre at the moment and I'm not going to lie and say I don't find it hard as I do find it hard - very hard but this gives me hope; hope that our journey is going to be a short(ish) one by IVF standards and I am going to join my bessie mates and have a mini-me of my own.
I'm actually off to meet one of my bessie mates for brunch this morning so I need to get a move on - it's just us two this morning, her wee man (affectionately referred to as "The Dude") is hanging out with Daddy this morning whilst us girls chew the fat. Tomorrow marks 17 years to the day when I first clapped eyes on the Hubster so I may see if I can find him a little pressie to say thank you for being amazing (that means I have spent 50% of my life with my wonderful Hubster - eeek! We REALLY deserve a break and to be able to have our own family - 17 years shouldn't be sniffed at). We don't normally do stuff like that - spend lots of money on presents on anniversaries - that is NOT the key to a long-relationship: love, trust, laughter and honesty are, not excessive gift giving (but that lecture is for another time). BUT my lovely Hubster deserves a little something, even if it is a silly a present - just to say thank you don't you think?
I must dash - catch ya later :) xxx
Yesterday was such a full-on, emotional day that I just didn't have the energy required to focus enough for a blog post, so here goes.
I was right - there has been a lot of activity going on downstairs as I have a whopping 26 follicles - whoop whoop whoop and my gosh - they're large! Not quite large enough for egg collection (EC) on Monday but it will be happening on Wednesday. However, this means that I am now at a high risk of developing OHSS - boo. After my scan (which was fascinating) I saw one of the nurses (Laura) and she ran through with me when I would be taking my last buserelin and Gonal F jabs and what the scenario would be for either a Monday or Wednesday EC (and gave me an anal suppository for EC day - gosh this IVF shizzle is sooooo sexy eh?!) I then had to see a doctor, who ran through with us what all the risks are with OHSS and what would I like to do with regards to my treatment:
a) Cancel my treatment - NO WAY JOSÉ!!!
b) Freeze my eggs and then carry on with treatment at a later date - NO WAY JOSÉ AGAIN! The treatment options on the NHS aren't as generous as they used to be and with only getting one fully-funded full cycle on the NHS we're not doing that!
c) Continue with treatment - YES WAY!!!
Doc mentioned how healthy I am, said my womb lining looks nice and thick, the reason for my enthusiastic response is due to being so healthy so this is good. Nice thick lining is the way forward if I want a successful implantation - this is what all the co-enzyme q10 is for - to help encourage a succesful implantation.
However, my pains are going to get worse, when I take my HCG trigger shot at 9pm on Monday evening I'm going to feel crap afterwards (OHSS thrives under HCG), after EC I will feel momentarily better but my follicles will fill back up with liquid and I will start feeling like crap again and after embryo transfer (ET) and presuming pregnancy occurs - oh yes - I will feel even more crap! What happens (as explained in my previous post), after the ovaries start going a bit crazy and keep on producing follicles that keep expanding - (this is the cause of the pain - 26 follicles all around 18m in diameter each - how the hell is all of that fitting in my womb? No wonder I've been feeling uncomfortable?!) The follicles are filling with liquid, this can seep out into the abdomen (hence looking out for water retention and bloating), but this can also show itself in fat ankles, a shortness of breath, dark coloured pee, resulting in nausea and vomiting and God forbid a blood clot. If I get a lot of water around my tummy, I'll have a drain fitted and as long as we are comfortable changing the drain I can have this at home, worst case scenario I'll have to go into hospital. I have been reassured that at Kings they have only had to cancel one IVF cycle as a result of OHSS, and that as this is always treated it's not fatal. What is reassuring to know is that OHSS doesn't impact on the likelihood of IVF resulting in a pregnancy (nor does it harm a pregnancy), and the staff at Kings are going to be keeping an eye on me and will be calling me daily after EC to check up on how I am feeling.
So yesterday, the Hubster and I were buzzing with nerves but mainly excitement - I can't quite believe that after trying for yonks, jumping through hoops with the NHS to get treatment, and then lockdown we are finally here. To think that this time next week there could be oodles of mini-me embryos all dividing on a petri dish waiting to be transferred into my womb (baby-house - this is what I hope it will be known as for the next nine months). SO EXCITING!!!
I have never, ever wanted something as bad as I want this - please, please, please let it work. If you are reading this please pray to whatever deity rocks your boat that this works. I am most certainly going to mass tomorrow - I/we have never, ever wanted anything as bad as we want this - I need to start showing my face at mass more often anyhow so there's no better time to start than now in my opinion. The nurse said I am a textbook case so far and given our positive, cheery outlook and healthy living there is no reason why we won't be pregnant this time next month. She also said that the Hubster's swimmers improvement is "commendable!" How awesome is that?! We were told at the beginning of treatment we have 40% chance of success (which is high going by IVF standards - I think this must've improved with all of our healthy living?)
So I've spoken to work about the posibility of developing OHSS, I don't think it went in really but if I feel in the slightest bit squiffy I shan't be going in to work - this is too important. I do feel at the moment like I'm about to come on - my lower abdomen is very firm to the touch and I have been getting pangs in my left side by my left ovary - this makes sense as there are 14 follicles on that side (and by the feel of it as I am on stims now for another two days I wouldn't be surprised if more follicles rock up), my boobs have gone from being deflated a couple of weeks ago to being back to their pre-menstrual self - larger and a bit tender - so yes - I feel like I feel when I am about to ovulate. With regards to the foo'ju - I told the nurses they need to tell ladies this shizzle! Needless to say they cracked up - not everyone gets it apparently but still - I can't see the harm in forewarning ladies that they may get it?!
So exciting days ahead, in the meantime I need to keep an eye on myself, make sure I'm drinking lots of water and I need to monitor the colour of my pee. I know one person who has had OHSS as a result of IVF and she had to go into hospital and I know from her account that is excruciatingly painful. She did get two beautiful baby girls from her IVF stint (first go) though - Molly and Josie - they are gorgeous so it's worth it. Kids hey - what - us ladies go through to get them? A friend of mine and his wife are also having IVF, at Kings and their EC is on Monday, another friend I know has had just her fourth ET, another friend of mine has had several IVF journeys and is now going down the surrogacy route, a parent from my Beaver Scout group went through IVF seven times to get her lovely boy Jonnie and someone at work is currently expecting (and she has the most gorgeous bump - she is positively glowing) - her pregnancy is a result of her first IVF attempt. My point is that IVF and infertility needn't be the taboo that it is, it's more common than we think. I am convinced we will get pregnant - my friends are all popping babies out left right and centre at the moment and I'm not going to lie and say I don't find it hard as I do find it hard - very hard but this gives me hope; hope that our journey is going to be a short(ish) one by IVF standards and I am going to join my bessie mates and have a mini-me of my own.
I'm actually off to meet one of my bessie mates for brunch this morning so I need to get a move on - it's just us two this morning, her wee man (affectionately referred to as "The Dude") is hanging out with Daddy this morning whilst us girls chew the fat. Tomorrow marks 17 years to the day when I first clapped eyes on the Hubster so I may see if I can find him a little pressie to say thank you for being amazing (that means I have spent 50% of my life with my wonderful Hubster - eeek! We REALLY deserve a break and to be able to have our own family - 17 years shouldn't be sniffed at). We don't normally do stuff like that - spend lots of money on presents on anniversaries - that is NOT the key to a long-relationship: love, trust, laughter and honesty are, not excessive gift giving (but that lecture is for another time). BUT my lovely Hubster deserves a little something, even if it is a silly a present - just to say thank you don't you think?
I must dash - catch ya later :) xxx
Thursday, 24 January 2013
It's a little bit funny, this feeling inside...
Day 9 of stims
I have oodles of things that I need to blurt out but I'm feeling a bit confuddled about how I start getting it out - maybe bullet points will help me focus? I'm rapidly approaching the climax of the fertility treatment, when the Hubster has to "do his bit" and I have to get harvested: ARGH!!! Right here goes with the focused bullet points:
I have oodles of things that I need to blurt out but I'm feeling a bit confuddled about how I start getting it out - maybe bullet points will help me focus? I'm rapidly approaching the climax of the fertility treatment, when the Hubster has to "do his bit" and I have to get harvested: ARGH!!! Right here goes with the focused bullet points:
- Lady pains...
Ok - so I have had full on pains going on downstairs - I would like to say it felt a bit like ovulation pangs but no, full on lady pains. This is a good thing - it means the Gonal F is doing what it is meant to do and my ovaries are kick-starting back into life. My IVF belief CD bangs on about my womb being a dormant tree bursting into life after winter - well I can tell you that is no longer the case - my follicles are growing like they're going out of fashion and this is the reason for the lady pains.
These pangs tend to make one paranoid about developing Ovary Hyper Stimulation Syndrome (OHSS) - this is one thing I don't want to get. It's when your ovaries go a bit mental and start producing way too many eggs; it can make you very poorly and worst case scenario an ovary can rupture and kill you - yikes. Kings ACU are rather phenomenal and I have been hounding them this week with various questions. The three day headache, the lady pains and a bit of nausea are all signs that you're developing OHSS, but the real sign is water retention and serious bloating along with all of the above - this I don't have - the nurses reassured me that it just means that I'm kicking back into life and womb lining is getting nice and thick: get in!
- Chaps, you may not want to read this section... Lady bodily changes
Right - I haven't mentioned this in my previous entries but one of the things I noticed when I started down regulating, (and I've been debating whether or not I should write about it), was that my boobs seemed to deflate :( They just did not have their joie de vivre anymore. At the time this was the least of my concerns as I just felt so goddam crap - I could've had one massive boob and one teeny-tiny one for all I cared: deflated boobs were the least of my worries! Between hot flushes, tears, headaches, insomnia etc I had enough to try and handle let alone getting myself into a tizz about having to tighten my bra straps!
One of the side affects of injecting buserelin is foof dryness (see The Guide to Assisted Conception Services at King's for the technical list of side affects) - oh yeeeeeaaaaah - just to make you feel that little bit sexier: deflated boobs, mood swings, hot sweaty flushes, headaches, loss of appetite, insomnia, tears, exhaustion - yup - let's just add a dry foof to the mix to make you feel that little bit more feminine hey?! (Chaps I did warn you this bullet point was close to the bone!) Well fast forward to day 9 of stims and a complete 180º has occurred...
Ladies, if you're trying for a baby and are monitoring when you ovulate you'll all be more than aware that one of the main signs that it's time for some hot lurvin' with the man in your life who you intend on procreating with is: egg white cervical mucus (or as I prefer to refer to it: foo' ju!) This is exactly as it sounds but stretchy - very stretchy. "The Sahara turns to the Nile" as my lovely friend Boki put it just a couple of moments ago! Now, this actually made me panic, I judge such bodily functions as a clear indicator that it's time to get back on the horse so to speak, so when I clocked foo' ju my first thought was "oh shit, what if I'm about to ovulate 20 eggs?" What with the Hubster's newly founded super-swimmers the irony wasn't lost on me that if this was the case there was a strong possibility that I may become pregnant with quads (quasi-naturally)! My rational head kicked in, I called Kings (again), and they told me this is a very, very good thing and its a sign of muchos follicles and no - I won't spontaneously ovulate, my eggs are only going to ripen once I have the HCG jab - phew!
So I've got it out - this shizzle has been on the tip of my tongue since I started this blog, but typical British prudishness took over and I thought there was no way I could put this out into cyberspace. BUT you know what? My opening paragraph of this blog stated I was going to give an open an honest account of what IVF is really like, and for that to happen - this needed to be put out there. I've been unable to find one single article anywhere that actually tells it how it is. You can drive yourself demented trawling through fertility forums trying to find out if egg white cervical mucus is "normal" when on stims, and all you get are thread upon thread of women who are exactly like me trying to find out if this is normal. Naturally, virtual friendships are formed on these forums but I've got enough friends and FB friends that I don't feel the need to forge new relationships online, I just want to know if what I was experiencing was normal. I feel a need to be open and share my experiences (it's also a great stress reliever and it helps me categorise and file away what is happening to us - it helps me manage our journey and how it makes me feel). When the Hubster and I first started our IVF journey I was obsessed with research and filling my head with as much information as possible, but not once did I read anything about boobs deflating - ladies need to know this stuff so screw you British prudishness! Anyhow, back to my point - I eventually found enough blog entries to kinda put my mind at ease (I still called Kings), but there wasn't anything that cropped up that explained what this is really like. So if I've done one thing (other than make myself feel better through cathartic release), I hope that a woman somewhere on this earth has stumbled across my blog and felt reassured.
So, it's 12 hours till scan day, getting all of this out has most certainly calmed me; I will be back tomorrow with an update... Do I have oodles of follicles that are at least 18mm in diameter or do I need to continue the daily doo-lally jabs that little bit longer? One thing is for sure, next week is harvest time - we just don't quite know when... Exciting, scary, nerve wracking... EEEEEEK! Think I'll be getting some good value IVF hypnotherapy CD action this evening!
Wish me luck, catch ya later, :) xxx
Ladies, if you're trying for a baby and are monitoring when you ovulate you'll all be more than aware that one of the main signs that it's time for some hot lurvin' with the man in your life who you intend on procreating with is: egg white cervical mucus (or as I prefer to refer to it: foo' ju!) This is exactly as it sounds but stretchy - very stretchy. "The Sahara turns to the Nile" as my lovely friend Boki put it just a couple of moments ago! Now, this actually made me panic, I judge such bodily functions as a clear indicator that it's time to get back on the horse so to speak, so when I clocked foo' ju my first thought was "oh shit, what if I'm about to ovulate 20 eggs?" What with the Hubster's newly founded super-swimmers the irony wasn't lost on me that if this was the case there was a strong possibility that I may become pregnant with quads (quasi-naturally)! My rational head kicked in, I called Kings (again), and they told me this is a very, very good thing and its a sign of muchos follicles and no - I won't spontaneously ovulate, my eggs are only going to ripen once I have the HCG jab - phew!
So I've got it out - this shizzle has been on the tip of my tongue since I started this blog, but typical British prudishness took over and I thought there was no way I could put this out into cyberspace. BUT you know what? My opening paragraph of this blog stated I was going to give an open an honest account of what IVF is really like, and for that to happen - this needed to be put out there. I've been unable to find one single article anywhere that actually tells it how it is. You can drive yourself demented trawling through fertility forums trying to find out if egg white cervical mucus is "normal" when on stims, and all you get are thread upon thread of women who are exactly like me trying to find out if this is normal. Naturally, virtual friendships are formed on these forums but I've got enough friends and FB friends that I don't feel the need to forge new relationships online, I just want to know if what I was experiencing was normal. I feel a need to be open and share my experiences (it's also a great stress reliever and it helps me categorise and file away what is happening to us - it helps me manage our journey and how it makes me feel). When the Hubster and I first started our IVF journey I was obsessed with research and filling my head with as much information as possible, but not once did I read anything about boobs deflating - ladies need to know this stuff so screw you British prudishness! Anyhow, back to my point - I eventually found enough blog entries to kinda put my mind at ease (I still called Kings), but there wasn't anything that cropped up that explained what this is really like. So if I've done one thing (other than make myself feel better through cathartic release), I hope that a woman somewhere on this earth has stumbled across my blog and felt reassured.
So, it's 12 hours till scan day, getting all of this out has most certainly calmed me; I will be back tomorrow with an update... Do I have oodles of follicles that are at least 18mm in diameter or do I need to continue the daily doo-lally jabs that little bit longer? One thing is for sure, next week is harvest time - we just don't quite know when... Exciting, scary, nerve wracking... EEEEEEK! Think I'll be getting some good value IVF hypnotherapy CD action this evening!
Wish me luck, catch ya later, :) xxx
Monday, 21 January 2013
My womb is like a tree, my head feels like a battering ram...
Day 6 of stims
Firstly massive apologies for keeping you all in the dark for the past few days - I ended on such a high note then I just disappeared! To be honest - I haven't had a good few days. A lot of people who have gone through IVF have told me that the stims phase is easier to handle than the down regulation phase but I'm not an advocate of that theory as I have felt so rough over the past few days... This blog entry has taken three days to write I've been feeling so rough - gutted as the snow arrived and I've only been able to play a little bit :(
View from Mr & Mrs C's living room - nice and pretty
Today I'm off sick, I really wanted to minimise the amount of days I had off sick due to IVF but this just couldn't be helped. I've had the mother of all headaches since I woke up on Saturday morning (that was day three of stims). It's a common side-affect of the Gonal F / FSH jabs apparently. I've tried pints of water, juice, paracetamol, ibuprofen, 4head, a bath, sleep (lots of sleep) and this headache wavers between being a mild, dull ache to being akin to receiving a wallop to the middle of the forehead; it's smack bang in the middle of my forehead and can rapidly change from being a headache to a full on migraine. So the hot flushes have stopped (woo hoo) but now I feel debilitated by a very bad head :( I decided yesterday that if I still had this headache I wouldn't be going into work as I need it to go and I'd be pretty useless at work feeling like this (even writing this blog is pushing it to be honest but I need to keep you all updated with what its really like - being a hormonal pin cushion - it's not always that good despite PMA).
Having just spoken to Kings the nurse said what I am experiencing is normal and I've just had a bad reaction, it should start easing today/tomorrow. But I've also read not to take ibuprofen as it can affect the lining of the womb so I'll stick to paracetamol - apparently I'm ok to take co-codamol so I feel a trip to the chemist coming on (via the park so I can crunch on the snow!)
Last week I managed to fall fast asleep on route to work and woke up in North London having missed Blackfriars by 25 minutes, I was very grumpy that day and snapped at a colleague and I cried with friends in the design team who fed me with biscuits and chocolate until I started giggling (natch). On that same day I managed to convince myself that the Hubster had had a car crash on his way home as it took him longer than usual to get home - queue hysterical tears as he didn't answer his phone - I was almost hyperventilating thinking I can't do this without him (obviously!) The Hubster was buying a variety of food in Sainsbury's in an attempt to get me to eat (as my loss in appetite has resulted in my losing 10 pounds - woo hoo - every cloud - don't flap - when I do eat is the healthy stuff and protein rich). Obviously the Hubster is fine and I was balling for no reason. The tears I am pleased to report have subsided (but they're still there), I just can't get rid of this headache...
So I've moved onto the second message on my IVF belief CD and I have to say - its awesome! I can't remember all of what it tells you but in essence, my womb is like a dormant tree at the end of winter, waiting for spring when it can do what it is supposed to do and blossom into life! I quite like that analogy but it's the second part of the message that I REALLY like. You have to get to the top of a very tall building - in my head I'm in a gherkin like building but its predominantly white as opposed to black and I get to the top by walking (well, gliding really as I make it to the top very quickly), then you see a large door and have to imagine what colour and texture it is. Again - this is brilliant white with tiles for the texture and there's a sign that says control room; when I open the door I'm met with loads of bright fluorescent panels with loads of buttons, dials, levers, flashing lights. This is my brain apparently - how awesome is that?! I basically have a wee look at my brain and switch certain things on such as my ovaries - my ovaries have a bright pink neon background and a MASSIVE lever to switch it to ON; I must admit I rather enjoy pulling that lever! I also turn a neon orange dial for my womb lining to switch it from THIN to THICK - this positive visulation shizzle is cool - it's like being on the starship enterprise and I'm directing the path it has to take, and in essence that's what I'm doing - I'm telling my body to go into warp speed and to start producing lots of lady hormones that I am used to. I just wish the headaches would do one.
Other things that I'm not loving at the moment include my tummy starting to get fed up of injections... Every time I do a jab now I'm bleeding and it hurts - ouch. I have been told I can do the jabs on my leg but I'd rather stick to my tummy and limit the discomfort to that area of my body please. Other things that are starting to get on my nerves are certain ladies saying: "ah, I know exactly how you feel." Mmmmmm, well unless you've gone through IVF then you haven't a scooby doo how I feel. So if you have a child that was conceived naturally then I'm sorry girlfriend - you don't know how I feel. Just because you are tired and your child is unable to stay asleep all night doesn't mean you know how I feel as you already have a child. I would love to get jiggy with the Hubster and discover two weeks later that I'm pregnant (which is what these ladies had to fortune to experience). Being told that I will continue to feel like shit throughout my pregnancy (fingers crossed that is the outcome; I have however met plenty of women who LOVED being pregnant and they didn't feel like poo and then had babies who slept eight hours a night from week three - not every baby and toddler has sleep issues but shall I just try and get to the baby stage first hey?) Being told that I will from this day onwards be tearful, be exhausted, have hot flushes and have headaches doesn't help thanks!
225 units of FSH on a pre-loaded pen ...
Delivered via this needle ...
But the main thing that is REALLY getting my goat at the moment is having menopausal women think they are in competition with me re: who has the most extreme symptoms. Argh - do one will you?! Being told "ah, wait until you've got two kids, then you'll know what exhaustion is really like" or "I know how you feel Jo - I'm going through the same thing." EXCUSE ME? NO YOU'RE BLOODY NOT!!! What I find galling is women who love a good moan about how exhausted their children make them, particularly as they are just entering the menopause. Well sorry love, we don't feel the same - we are poles apart thank you very much, I'm putting myself through all of this in order to get a baby or two you insensitive twonk! My hormones are like this because my Hubster and I have been trying to make babies the traditional way for three years and failed, so I'm having to pump myself full of hormones (via daily doo-lally jabs which you really would make a song and dance over having to do if you were in my shoes), these bring on a shortened, condensed menopause over the space of 2.5 weeks. You on the other hand have been blessed with children and are just entering the menopause; I suggest you go and get some HRT, eat healthily and take supplements that help level you out, but do not compare what you are going through to what I am going through as seriously - if you really want a competition then I'm going to win, you have the family I crave so don't moan about your boisterous kids and going through the change; there's no competing when you think I'll be going through the menopause myself in about 15 years time (and I'd bet a whole Vatican Euro it's nowhere near as full on as down regulation) - so I get double the fun! It's not a competition so if you ask me how I'm feeling and I tell you please just listen, I'm more than happy to empathise with how you are feeling but don't compare your situation to mine unless you are having/have had IVF.
These incidents of annoyance though are quite rare and you are able to keep them in check - I go back to thinking to my fluffy white cloud that deflects all stress and negative energy. If these ladies really do want to whinge then that's their decision - I no doubt will have a whinge about my children in the future but at the moment I'd just like to make a mini-me for the Hubster and I. Becoming a Mummy and Daddy is what we were made for and I seriously can't wait for that to happen so grumpiness, headaches, menopausal women and mothers of toddlers - all of these things do not deter me - it will be amazing when it happens.
So what I've been craving: snow has arrived and I've been confined to rest, this is very boring. A little play over the weekend was allowed but I'm contemplating a wee walk to the park later (if the head has cleared). In the mean time - check out some pix of the brand new Gonal F jabs. I've been jabbing myself for 22 days - today is day 23 so not much longer to go - please keep your pinkies and toes crossed that this goddamn MoFo of a headache does one asap so I can go make snow angels before all the snow melts.
Catch ya later :) xxx
One of the many boxes of Gonal F jabs currently occupying my fridge
And this is the treat you are met with - all of those needles for only four injections per pen?!
Firstly massive apologies for keeping you all in the dark for the past few days - I ended on such a high note then I just disappeared! To be honest - I haven't had a good few days. A lot of people who have gone through IVF have told me that the stims phase is easier to handle than the down regulation phase but I'm not an advocate of that theory as I have felt so rough over the past few days... This blog entry has taken three days to write I've been feeling so rough - gutted as the snow arrived and I've only been able to play a little bit :(
View from Mr & Mrs C's living room - nice and pretty
Today I'm off sick, I really wanted to minimise the amount of days I had off sick due to IVF but this just couldn't be helped. I've had the mother of all headaches since I woke up on Saturday morning (that was day three of stims). It's a common side-affect of the Gonal F / FSH jabs apparently. I've tried pints of water, juice, paracetamol, ibuprofen, 4head, a bath, sleep (lots of sleep) and this headache wavers between being a mild, dull ache to being akin to receiving a wallop to the middle of the forehead; it's smack bang in the middle of my forehead and can rapidly change from being a headache to a full on migraine. So the hot flushes have stopped (woo hoo) but now I feel debilitated by a very bad head :( I decided yesterday that if I still had this headache I wouldn't be going into work as I need it to go and I'd be pretty useless at work feeling like this (even writing this blog is pushing it to be honest but I need to keep you all updated with what its really like - being a hormonal pin cushion - it's not always that good despite PMA).
Having just spoken to Kings the nurse said what I am experiencing is normal and I've just had a bad reaction, it should start easing today/tomorrow. But I've also read not to take ibuprofen as it can affect the lining of the womb so I'll stick to paracetamol - apparently I'm ok to take co-codamol so I feel a trip to the chemist coming on (via the park so I can crunch on the snow!)
Last week I managed to fall fast asleep on route to work and woke up in North London having missed Blackfriars by 25 minutes, I was very grumpy that day and snapped at a colleague and I cried with friends in the design team who fed me with biscuits and chocolate until I started giggling (natch). On that same day I managed to convince myself that the Hubster had had a car crash on his way home as it took him longer than usual to get home - queue hysterical tears as he didn't answer his phone - I was almost hyperventilating thinking I can't do this without him (obviously!) The Hubster was buying a variety of food in Sainsbury's in an attempt to get me to eat (as my loss in appetite has resulted in my losing 10 pounds - woo hoo - every cloud - don't flap - when I do eat is the healthy stuff and protein rich). Obviously the Hubster is fine and I was balling for no reason. The tears I am pleased to report have subsided (but they're still there), I just can't get rid of this headache...
So I've moved onto the second message on my IVF belief CD and I have to say - its awesome! I can't remember all of what it tells you but in essence, my womb is like a dormant tree at the end of winter, waiting for spring when it can do what it is supposed to do and blossom into life! I quite like that analogy but it's the second part of the message that I REALLY like. You have to get to the top of a very tall building - in my head I'm in a gherkin like building but its predominantly white as opposed to black and I get to the top by walking (well, gliding really as I make it to the top very quickly), then you see a large door and have to imagine what colour and texture it is. Again - this is brilliant white with tiles for the texture and there's a sign that says control room; when I open the door I'm met with loads of bright fluorescent panels with loads of buttons, dials, levers, flashing lights. This is my brain apparently - how awesome is that?! I basically have a wee look at my brain and switch certain things on such as my ovaries - my ovaries have a bright pink neon background and a MASSIVE lever to switch it to ON; I must admit I rather enjoy pulling that lever! I also turn a neon orange dial for my womb lining to switch it from THIN to THICK - this positive visulation shizzle is cool - it's like being on the starship enterprise and I'm directing the path it has to take, and in essence that's what I'm doing - I'm telling my body to go into warp speed and to start producing lots of lady hormones that I am used to. I just wish the headaches would do one.
Other things that I'm not loving at the moment include my tummy starting to get fed up of injections... Every time I do a jab now I'm bleeding and it hurts - ouch. I have been told I can do the jabs on my leg but I'd rather stick to my tummy and limit the discomfort to that area of my body please. Other things that are starting to get on my nerves are certain ladies saying: "ah, I know exactly how you feel." Mmmmmm, well unless you've gone through IVF then you haven't a scooby doo how I feel. So if you have a child that was conceived naturally then I'm sorry girlfriend - you don't know how I feel. Just because you are tired and your child is unable to stay asleep all night doesn't mean you know how I feel as you already have a child. I would love to get jiggy with the Hubster and discover two weeks later that I'm pregnant (which is what these ladies had to fortune to experience). Being told that I will continue to feel like shit throughout my pregnancy (fingers crossed that is the outcome; I have however met plenty of women who LOVED being pregnant and they didn't feel like poo and then had babies who slept eight hours a night from week three - not every baby and toddler has sleep issues but shall I just try and get to the baby stage first hey?) Being told that I will from this day onwards be tearful, be exhausted, have hot flushes and have headaches doesn't help thanks!
225 units of FSH on a pre-loaded pen ...
Delivered via this needle ...
But the main thing that is REALLY getting my goat at the moment is having menopausal women think they are in competition with me re: who has the most extreme symptoms. Argh - do one will you?! Being told "ah, wait until you've got two kids, then you'll know what exhaustion is really like" or "I know how you feel Jo - I'm going through the same thing." EXCUSE ME? NO YOU'RE BLOODY NOT!!! What I find galling is women who love a good moan about how exhausted their children make them, particularly as they are just entering the menopause. Well sorry love, we don't feel the same - we are poles apart thank you very much, I'm putting myself through all of this in order to get a baby or two you insensitive twonk! My hormones are like this because my Hubster and I have been trying to make babies the traditional way for three years and failed, so I'm having to pump myself full of hormones (via daily doo-lally jabs which you really would make a song and dance over having to do if you were in my shoes), these bring on a shortened, condensed menopause over the space of 2.5 weeks. You on the other hand have been blessed with children and are just entering the menopause; I suggest you go and get some HRT, eat healthily and take supplements that help level you out, but do not compare what you are going through to what I am going through as seriously - if you really want a competition then I'm going to win, you have the family I crave so don't moan about your boisterous kids and going through the change; there's no competing when you think I'll be going through the menopause myself in about 15 years time (and I'd bet a whole Vatican Euro it's nowhere near as full on as down regulation) - so I get double the fun! It's not a competition so if you ask me how I'm feeling and I tell you please just listen, I'm more than happy to empathise with how you are feeling but don't compare your situation to mine unless you are having/have had IVF.
These incidents of annoyance though are quite rare and you are able to keep them in check - I go back to thinking to my fluffy white cloud that deflects all stress and negative energy. If these ladies really do want to whinge then that's their decision - I no doubt will have a whinge about my children in the future but at the moment I'd just like to make a mini-me for the Hubster and I. Becoming a Mummy and Daddy is what we were made for and I seriously can't wait for that to happen so grumpiness, headaches, menopausal women and mothers of toddlers - all of these things do not deter me - it will be amazing when it happens.
So what I've been craving: snow has arrived and I've been confined to rest, this is very boring. A little play over the weekend was allowed but I'm contemplating a wee walk to the park later (if the head has cleared). In the mean time - check out some pix of the brand new Gonal F jabs. I've been jabbing myself for 22 days - today is day 23 so not much longer to go - please keep your pinkies and toes crossed that this goddamn MoFo of a headache does one asap so I can go make snow angels before all the snow melts.
Catch ya later :) xxx
One of the many boxes of Gonal F jabs currently occupying my fridge
And this is the treat you are met with - all of those needles for only four injections per pen?!
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