Let's Get This Party Started!!!

Woohoo...af got here this morning! I called the clinic & set up my baseline appointment for tomorrow...can't wait for that fun blood draw & the transvaginal u/s as af is making her visit. I was actually excited when I made the appointment...excited for being poked & prodded. Hmm...I wonder which re will be checking my ovaries out tomorrow. You see it's not always your actual re, as sometimes they're off or they're in a procedure or whatever. So you can go through an ivf procedure during which EVERYONE in the clinic has inspected your v-jay-jay...haha, the joys of fertility treatment! There are even times when women get knocked up w/ their dh's not being present...how's that!!!

Anyways, I'm ready to get this show on the road. Oh wait...after the appointment I get to stick myself (well, dh will do it) in the belly & pray that my ovaries get huge with numerous eggs & and feel like I'm going to explode.

I know I'm being sarcastic, but honestly...I'm scared, excited, nervous, stressed...I can keep going & going. But overall, I want to be as optimistic as possible...pma, pma, pma! (Positive Mental Attitude!)

Ok, You Can Stop Hiding & Show Your Ugly Face!

So, as you can see by the agenda, AF should be arriving today! Not a fun visit by any means, but it is a welcomed visit (this time) only because then it means I can get this show on the road. Yesterday, she was knocking on my door, making herself heard. Today, there is NO sign of her. It's bad enough that when she is here, she is the worst visitor with her careless ways & painful blows. But when she is playing a game of hide-&-seek like my 6-year old nephews, I have no tolerance. Seriously, can we drop this immature game & come face-to-face??!! As much as I hate seeing you, I've got my arms open wide.

And no, the red is not accidental...

On a good note, I just made pan-seared, basil shrimp with linguine, garlic, & tomatoes for dinner. It was DAMN good!

Baby-in-a-Box

So, for those who do not have much experience with ivf, I thought I'd share the medications that it entails. It is different from woman to woman & from cycle to cycle. I received my baby-in-a-box, which is what I call the package that the UPS driver delivers that contains the magic potion that will hopefully give me & dh our little miracle. So, here it is:

Follistim injections:

Ganirelix injections:

Methylprednisone tablets:

Doxycycline tablets:

HCG injection:

Progesterone in oil injections:

The injection medications are done using the following:

Needle for subcutaneous injections (in the belly) (top) (Follistim, Ganirelix, HCG) vs. needle for intermuscular injections (in the hiney!!!) (bottom) (Progesterone in oil)
ARE YOU JEALOUS YET???

Third Time is the Charm

Well, af (aunt flo) should be here any day now. I can feel her knocking on my uterus. I've never been more excited for her to get here...well, yes, there were 2 other times in the recent past. Once was last September & the other time was this past January. I will never forget the events that followed once af showed up those 2 months. Hopefully, this month will be even more memorable, but in a way that will allow me to create even more memories....good ones, that is.

You see, once af shows her ugly face, I will be embarking on my 3rd journey of baby-making. For many, that is a time of endless fun, but for some like me, it is a time of needle sticking, getting up early for sns's (this is what we call a "shake & stir"- a fun-filled appointment at the re's (reproductive endocrinologist) office where you get probed with a huge wand to measure your follies (follicles that contain eggs) on your ovaries, which are the size of melons from all the stims for about a week & a half (stimulating medications that are injected into the stomach)- oh yeah, these are done pretty much every other day during that week & a half & also includes b/w (bloodwork)- nothing like getting poked even more, being bloated from the enormous ovaries, getting black & blue marks from the injections & looking like a heroin junkie, being the biggest BEATCH to your dh (dear husband)....should I keep going?

The truth is I'm not complaining, as much as it seems like I am. I would do this & so much more because the end result is more than worth this. Holding a healthy, beautiful baby in my arms is something that I will never stop longing for & will never give up to have. So, as I anxiously start this joruney (again), I will use this place as an oulet for my thoughts & feelings &, hopefully, to share with as many people as possible.

I'm About to Get on a Really Crazy Rollercoaster!!!

I will soon (well, more like 5 months) be starting a very exciting, yet nerve-wracking journey...a baby-making rollercoaster filled with a lot of unknowns. All you do know is that you have to BELIEVE! Details to come!