It's worth it

Well it’s been awhile since my last post. I have been holding off on blog writing since we were going through legals, contracts, sign here, initial here, initial there. But now that is all done and the real fun begins. Well , sort of, if you consider yourself sticking yourself with needles every day. I started off with taking birth controls everyday as well as prenatal vitamins and aspirin (it supposedly helps with the sticking of the embryo). I was instructed to stay on the placebo pills so that I can suppress my menstrual flow. After about two weeks I was to start my lupron shots. These are small shots that I give myself in the abdomen every day. These shots are fairly easy and cause little pain. At first I didn’t notice any side effects but as soon as I said out loud in conversation “ I don’t have any side effects” did I notice them . The most common for me would be the headaches. Another side effect that I experience was hot flash , or what I think is a hot flash. My first one was while I was in a meeting with my manager. As he was talking I just felt the walls closing in on me and I felt so hot. And not the-dancing-in-a-nightclub-with-your-girlfriends-hot. It was not very fun. Since then I have had one more episode like that. And of course they happen at the most inconvenient time. Oh well, it’s worth it.
Delestrogen is another shot that I am taking. It is an intermuscular shot that fills me up with estrogen. Estrogen, a steroid hormone produced by the ovaries, is normally elevated in the first half if the cycle in response to follicular growth. Both estrogen and progesterone is necessary to support the endometrial lining of the uterus, keeping it receptive to any embryos which may develop and sustain pregnancy. I take it every two days and this goes right in my rear. It was a little nerve wracking the first time. I mean, I had to stick a good size needle where the sun seldom shines numb the area for a few minutes before I stick to make it more comfortable. The most noticeable side effect that I experience with this med is breast tenderness. Much to my husband’s dismay. ;-) Another way that I am getting estrogen is through patches. These patches go on my bikini line and I change them every two days. The easiest thing I have to do so far. Easy or not, this is all worth it.
I went to an ultrasound appointment recently. When I sat in the office I asked the tech what is she looking for. She said that she is measuring the lining in my uterus. When she saw the ultrasound she said it looked “perfect”. YAY!! As she was cleaning up, one of the last things she said was “ If I was an embryo I would want to be right there”. And she pointed to my uterus on the screen. That made me feel so good. I was thinking it’s working! I am doing all the right things and it’s working. In a couple of days I will be flying to San Diego for one final ultrasound before the embryo transfer. Then, next week, Erik and I will take the kids out of school for a week and drive to San Diego where the transfer will take place and hopefully in two weeks we will know whether or not I am pregnant!