And we're back...

As promised, we took a break and started everything up again in August.  Here's what has happened (other than buying a house, moving, and getting a new puppy):

After my July cycle, I went in to the clinic for an SIS ultrasound and went on the pill for the first time in about eight years.  The SIS (saline infusion sonohystogram) went a lot easier than I had read online it would.  I took a few advil before going in, and they injected me with some saline so they could take a look at my uterus.  It's a little strange when a woman you don't know is exclaiming, "You have a GORGEOUS uterus!" but I guess that was a good result!  The whole procedure went so quickly I didn't even have to pay for parking - I was out before the 30 minute grace period ran out.  I went straight back to work and all was well.

In terms of the pill, I was surprised to find that the only side-effect I had were really sad dreams at night.  For a couple of weeks there I was regularly waking up in tears due to the dreams.  Daytimes were great though - no side-effects at all.

I went through one packet of pills and then took them for three more days on a new pack (I skipped the placebos).  After that, we went to the clinic for what's called a suppression check.  They do an ultrasound to see how everything looks before you get started on your meds.  I'll try not to be graphic about this, but in the interest of giving people who are going to go through this accurate information, the ultrasound is not like an ultrasound checking on a pregnant woman's baby.  It does not involve your stomach.  It involves a big wand, a condom, and some gel.  That's probably enough said, except that it doesn't hurt.  My ovaries looked fine, so they gave me the go-ahead to start taking the medications at home.

Okay, medications.  I had heard that it was financially best to go to a variety of different places to get your medications (maybe one medication is cheaper at pharmacy A, another medication priced well at pharmacy B).  When I talked to Dr. Sparrow about that, he said that the team was in touch with all of that information and would set everything up for me.  That was mostly true.  The IVF coordinator did set up all the prescriptions and arranged for them all to be sent to me, but they all came from one place and in one big box. So I don't know whether I got the best price or not and I learned that I should have been more specific about it.  Anyway, someone had to be home to accept the shipment because a lot of the medication needs to be refrigerated.  NOTE:  not all of the medication needs to be refrigerated!!  Mark was the one who accepted the package and he just took the whole box and put it in the refrigerator.   I assumed that he had gone through the box and didn't pay much attention to it.  We ended up losing $300 worth of medication because it was NOT supposed to be refrigerated.  So, our loss could help you - check the boxes of the medications for storage instructions and don't assume it all gets refrigerated!

Something that some of you (all of you?) know is that Mark is a doctor.  At first I thought that I would just have him administer the shots for me, but when it came right down to it, I wanted to do it myself.  I started off on two medications - Follistim and low-dose HCG.

The Follistim comes in its own special kit.  It has a pen applicator and cartridges you drop in instead of a normal syringe-type needle.  There's a dial at one end of the pen that you turn to indicate the correct amount of medications (225 for me).  Then you swab the other end with an alcohol wipe, screw on a needle to that end, and pick a spot for the shot.  It just has to be a fatty area.  The first time I did it, I sat there with the needle poised, pointed at a spot I was pinching on my stomach for at least three full minutes.  Finally, I closed my eyes and pushed the needle in.  That part actually wasn't bad at all.  After it was in, I peeked at it to make sure it was in, and then pushed on the other end of the pen so the dialed-in part would push down and dispense the medication.  It clicks while it's going down.  Even that part didn't really hurt.  A minute or two afterward, though, I got a bit of a dull ache that lasted for about a half an hour or so. The Follistim needs to be refrigerated until you start a cartridge - as soon as you've started one, you can leave it out until you've finished it.  For me, each cartridge provided just under 3 doses.

The low-dose HCG is only taken in the evenings.  It's a more traditional set-up, with a little vial of medication and insulin syringes.  You poke a syringe into the vial, draw out 20cc's, then pick a spot and give yourself the shot.  For some reason, the liquid from the HCG hurts more than the Follistim.  The medication stays in the refrigerator, but I let it warm up for a while before administering it in the evenings.  I put it back in the refrigerator aftewards.

I do have a lot of bruises from the shots.  They range from the size of a quarter to the size of a pinhead.  They don't hurt and I don't notice them.  I also have had absolutely no other side-effects.  I'm not emotional, nothing hurts.

I have to take my puppy out now, but more later about the last few days of the process so far.