It Only Takes One

Well, as of right now, I have had 14 shots since we started on Saturday morning.  So far, they haven’t been too bad. 

I have to take 225 units of Follistim in the morning and in the evening.  (In the past, I only took 225 units in the morning.  For those that are lacking in their math skills, that’s twice as much.)  Follistim is meant to stimulate the production of follicles (containing eggs) in my ovaries.  Follistim is a very simple shot, in my opinion.  The only thing that makes it difficult is that you have to keep it refrigerated and when you’re rubbing the injection site after the shot, it kind of feels like a bunch of little needles poking into your leg.  It’s bearable, though.

In the morning, I’m also taking 75 IU of Menopur.  Menopur is meant to increase egg production and assist with ovulation.  The difficult thing about this shot is that it has to be mixed from 2 vials, 1 of liquid and 1 of powder, and it burns!  However, if you go pretty slow, it’s nothing to write home about.

I do have several bruises on both thighs, so that’s fun.  J

This morning, my mom went to my ultrasound and bloodwork appointment with me.  The ultrasound technician said she counted 7 follicles between the two ovaries.  I was crushed.  The last two cycles, we have retrieved 9 and 12 eggs, respectively.  With 7 follicles, we will get 7 or less eggs.  It didn’t hit me how sad this made me until Todd called, and I was relaying the information to him.  Luckily, he and my mom are both very encouraging.  They helped me to keep my spirits up.

Then, I got to work and received a text from my IVF mommy friend, Samantha.  It was kind of a coincidence that she texted me because after I told her our appointment outcome, she told me that she only had 4 follicles during their cycle.  Of those 4 follicles, she produced her sweet, little girl, Kennedi.  This made me feel a lot more relaxed about the situation.

Sam texted me this cute 7 that made me smile.

Then, my IVF mommy of twins friend, Rachel, happened to send me a message to let me know she was thinking of me. 

I’m pretty sure that both of these ladies were told to contact me today by God.  It helped relieve my gray cloud that was slowly building over my head.

The recurring theme for the day with everyone has been, “It only takes one.”  This is what I need to keep remembering.  God is bigger than any of this.

I’m back on board with building these follies big and strong.  This cycle will work!

My nurse messaged me my new shot protocol, which isn’t any different than what I have been doing.  She, also, said my next ultrasound and bloodwork will be this Friday.  It will be the same type of appointment as today.  Also, she put the sizes of the follies on my portal, and it seems that we actually have 8.  Cheers to producing follies when you least expect it.  ;-)  (For those that like to know size, the follies are ranging in size from a little under 4 mm to 7.5 mm.)

Tomorrow, I’m going to post about how awesome my friends and family have been over this last week.  Spoiler alert:  They’re amazing!

 

Shot Counter:

Saturday, 8/30/14:

1)      Follistim 225 units, in the a.m.

2)      Menopur 75 IU, in the a.m.

3)      Follistim 225 units, in the p.m.

Sunday, 8/31/14:

4)      Follistim 225 units, in the a.m.

5)      Menopur 75 IU, in the a.m.

6)      Follistim 225 units, in the p.m.

Monday, 9/1/14:

7)      Follistim 225 units, in the a.m.

8)      Menopur 75 IU, in the a.m.

9)      Follistim 225 units, in the p.m.

Tuesday, 9/2/14:

10)   Follistim 225 units, in the a.m.

11)   Menopur 75 IU, in the a.m.

12)   Follistim 225 units, in the p.m.

Wednesday, 9/3/14:

13)   Follistim 225 units, in the a.m.

14)   Menopur 75 IU, in the a.m.