Started IVF medication!

Last month, my estrogen levels were too high to start the IVF medication and I was crushed when my doctor told me that I would need to "wait until next month." If you don't know, my Mom has stage IV cancer, and I am as anxious to make her a grandmother as I am to become a Mom. 

When I was given the green light yesterday, I was elated! Until I found myself sitting at our dinning room table with needles, syringes and three different types of medication to mix and inject into myself.

I sat for awhile reviewing the notes I had taken when the nurse demonstrated it to me, and even had to watch a video for the follistem pen. There's no room for error with how expensive the drugs are. One of the medications requires me to draw up 1 ml of sodium chloride into the syringe, then inject it into a vial of powdered medication and draw it back into the syringe. Then I need to repeat two more times to mix the amount I need. 

After the prep work, it was time to inject.

So there I sat, for about 20 minutes, holding one of the needles and trying to work up the courage to inject it an inch below my belly button "with a dart-like motion" as the video recommended. My heart started beating faster. My palms started sweating. I tried counting to three. Nothing. Then I took the needle and touched it to my skin to test out what it felt like, and pulled it back really quick. Yep, it's sharp! I was still sitting there, talking to Nathan when I looked down and realized that the needle was in! I had been resting it on my skin, and it went right in without me feeling it! But then I had to inject the medication, and that did hurt.

And I also had two more injections after that. All in all, the idea of doing it was worse than actually doing it. I had mild discomfort afterwards, and this morning noticed a small bruise, but I am on my way! When I was checked yesterday, I had 12 eggs. The goal of the medication it to help as many as possible reach maturity so they can be retrieved around June first. Normally, your pituitary glands "pick" one to reach maturity. The medications override this.

My next appointment is this Saturday and I will know more. After that, I will hopefully only have one injection per day. Now, time to inject again!