Injection Rejection

Yesterday, C's college friend M and her DH came by our place for brunch and drugs. M is starting to do an IUI cycle and both her and her husband are freelancers so of course they don't have great insurance - they pay for it themselves - and since their state doesn't have a mandate, there is basically no IF coverage available to them. So since I get a kick-ass discount through both my insurance and the benefit of working in a hospital, I gave her three boxes of my .02 cents G.onal-F. It obviously thrilled them, but made me feel really great that I could help out a fellow IFer. Before we got on this insurance plan, we were paying everything out of pocket, so I know how that feels.

So since yesterday was my first day with injections, I prepared the G.onalF while M was here so she could see how it works. (she is using the pen right now, so didn't know how to mix it) It was fairly easy to put the water in the powder, swirl it around and voila, drugs. They thought it was easy enough and after awhile, they headed out, with drugs in hand.

Yesterday after they left, I was in a weird mood. AF showed - as expected - but I felt kind of bummed. I'm not sure if it was some form of PMS or if I got to really thinking about what we are doing. I spent the afternoon reading a book outside, trying to keep my mind off of what we were going to start that evening.

Well 7:30 rolls around and we just started to watch a movie. I realized that the time could get away from us, so we paused it and moved into the kitchen where I keep my stash. Since the G.onalF was already mixed, I thought "hey, half way done." I pulled out my dose, 225 and added it to the M.enopur vial. Simple. I get out a new syringe and pull 1/2cc of the saline to put into the vial. Easy. And then it goes fuzzy. C is videotaping this - to get all the memories down - and telling me to switch the needle to the injection needle to pull out the meds. I don't remember Nurse S telling us to do that, but again, I may have been overwhelmed with the process during our orientation so maybe I wasn't paying so close attention. I mean C was writing EVERYTHING down - or so I thought. Anyhow, I switch to a 27g and pull out all the contents of the vial, except I can't get it all out. So I puncture again with the 27g and try to get it. Finally after a little panic, I said that I thought it would be fine. I asked C to do the honors, since I'm still not 100% comfortable with stabbing myself with a sharp object. I start to get a little nervous and giggly. Then he goes for it - EXCEPT it doesn't go in my belly. It bounces off of it. And it hurt. I look at him and it was like a lightbulb went off in his head ... "Oh, Nurse S said that the needle dulls the first time you use it. I guess you aren't suppose to use the injection needle when pulling out the meds." Wonderful. Thanks!

After that little mishap, we got a new 27g and he gave the injection. It burned a little going in, but all in all, it was fine. However, now I have one good puncture mark and another bruised(!) area where my body rejected the needle. I think tonight will go a lot better!

Orientation? More like disoriented

We had our big IVF orientation last Thursday. And for all of you who have gone through this, I think can agree with me, it is overwhelming.

I came to the appointment with a FUUULLLL bladder as instructed. First, we went over all the consents and I swear I don't remember what exactly Ms. RE said. I was just thinking about how bad I needed to pee. And then, after about 15 mins they asked me for a "small sample" I laughed and said I'm not sure I would be able to stop. Though my superwoman powers allowed me to just give a little and actually stop. Finally we go to do the practice transfer and a sonohystogram. They both paled in comparison to the HSG (thank GOD) but I swear I came very close to releasing my bladder mid way through. In fact when she was done, I got up in front of everyone - bare assed and all - and ran into the bathroom. (And no, it wasn't down the hall. It was attached to the u/s room. Though that would have been funnier!)

Anyhow, after the best pee of my life, C and I went into the Nurse S's office and started to go over all the meds. She is super nice and very funny. We actually had a good time. Nurse S walked me through my meds and schedule. We mentioned the killer discount I get on G.onal-F so she called my hospital pharmacy and switched me from F.ollistim to GF. No problem. She then went through the medication demos and I think I got it. Well even if I didn't, C being the little brainiac he is (Completely O/T - do you remember that show, Brain Games???), wrote everything down. So we go through all the sub-q shots and then comes the big guy. The one I've been dreading. The good ole PIO. So Nurse S goes though the motions. Before she switches out the needle, she says "Now if C comes at you with this pink needle you run!" (18g pink - yeah, it's that big!) Then she gives C the needle and a fake body/pin cushion thing and says he can practice as I read through the anesthesiologist paperwork. When I was finished, she asks C if he would like to practice on me! The thoughts through my head were "no way ... forget about it ... nope." But then I thought, it is going to have to be done eventually and what better place for him to practice other then in front of Nurse S. So here I am hunched over her desk with my skirt half way down my butt (my ass got a lot of attention that day.) and standing on one leg. She tells C to count to three and he stops her and says "She isn't going to want me to. She is going to want me to just do it." Good man. He is right. So he does it (no meds, just in and out) and it was over. Scared for nothing. Now I know with the meds it will be a different story, but I'm happy that I got the anticipation of the pain out of the way.

So, I learned a lot that day and am now currently armed with all my meds. Just waiting for Sept 5th to come around and then I get to really jump on this train, go for a ride and I'm praying everyday that my final stop is in Babyville! (I heard it's nice this time of year.)