Well! Today's appointment went quite well-the best of the three I have had so far. The blood test went super fast and easy, and my ultrasound was nearly painfree, even the insertion of the ultrasound probe. The actual moving around was a little bit uncomfortable due to pressure but nothing horrible.
The shocking news of today? I was ready for the last step of the procedure, the HCG shot-Human Chorionic Gonadotropin. This is the shot that matures the eggs for retrieval. Although I had heard from some that it hurts, it really didn't. I've got the rice pack that was in my freezer sitting on my leg however, and it is certainly chilling me, so maybe that helped?
Anyways. The injections are done. For anyone scared of injections, the actual injection is simple, and nearly painfree.
The stupid thing about the HCG injection is two part: One, you are given a bottle with 10ml of sterile water for dilution, yet you only need to draw up 1ml. Seems wasteful to me. Second, it is pretty much impossible to get ALL of the dose out of the mixing bottle because it is TOO BIG. Stupid. I tried for twelve minutes, and finally gave up with the last tiny bit. I hope that it is okay.
Anyways, it is done.
That part at least. Friday is the procedure, at approximately 9:30am, although I have to be there at 8am. Because I am somewhat complicated, what with my size, small veins, possible genetic narcotic sensitivity, and latex sensitivity, they wanted me there a bit earlier than normal. I'm glad they are taking my health into consideration!
I haven't felt super amazing today. Last night as I was doing my meds, I felt like my throat was weird, and sure enough, when I looked at it in the mirror, one side was red streaked. I've had a student coughing over me his past three lessons, and I would guess that is what is happening. So on top of being extra careful due to my big ovaries, a bit of fatigue from the meds, and some achiness all over (possibly from the meds, possibly from the virus) I now have a virus taking hold in my body! Ugh! If it could have picked a worst time, I think the only way it could have would have been for a flute exam. Seriously.
So I've felt tired, all-over-achy (my arms feel like I have been lifting super heavy weights, which I definitely have NOT been doing), a kind of wonky throat, some flushing/chills (normal when I first start getting a virus), and then some minor stomach issues, and my busy day...well...I am ready for bed! Today I have travelled ten kilometres TO the clinic, ten kilometres back, 14 km to my flute lesson, seven km to the university from there, and then twenty km back home. Whew! I had my appt, a flute lesson, a piano lesson, a voice lesson, and then went and picked up my meds. More than 14,000 steps have been logged on my phone in addition to all that travelling on the bus.
My short-term memory is sometimes a little bit foggy, so I have been compensating by repeating things in my lessons and what-not. It works.
Well, that's all for now.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Day seven of protocol
As of tonight I have now done seven days of injections. I use a 27 gauge needle which is tiny. Barely feel it going in. The steps however, are numerous.
Step number one: Grab rice bag from freezer.
Step number two: Wash hands.
Step number three: Apply ice bag to spot that you will inject the cetratide into. Tonight I remembered to do my stomach and so I tied my robe around the rice bag! Brilliant :)
Step number four: Assemble supplies. For tonight, this meant two pens of Gonal F, two injector needles for the Gonal F, the vial of powdered Luveris, the sterile water vial for the Luveris, a 22 gauge needle for mixing, a standard syringe, a 27 gauge needle for injecting, four alcohol swabs, a sterile syringe of water for the Cetratide, the Cetratide powder vial, a 20 gauge needle for mixing, and a (slightly longer) 27 gauge needle for the Cetratide injection. Whew!
Step number four A: Clean the Gonal F pen cap and the Luveris vials with alcohol swab.
Step number five: Dial the dose of the Gonal F (225 units). Put on the injector cap (remove the three protective layers!).Inject this into the Luveris powder vial. Check the dial to see if it has hit zero. If not, you need another pen. Tonight I did, so I had to get out a new pen and dial 50, then repeat the steps.
Step number six: Gently mix this by rolling the vial until all the powder is dissolved.
Step number seven: Attach the 22 gauge needle to the syringe.
Step number eight: Draw up 1ml of sterile water from the sterile water vial. Sometimes you may have to stop and release some air from the vial or else you may accidentally send the water all back into the vial and have to start all over again.
Step number nine: Inject this into the Luveris/Gonal F solution vial.
Step number ten: Gently swirl to ensure the meds are mixed together properly.
Step number eleven: Once they have been mixed properly, draw the meds up into the syringe with your 22 gauge needle. Follow same steps with air as above!.
Step number twelve: Cap the 22 gauge needle, remove from syringe and place in sharps container.
Step number thirteen: Attach the 27 gauge needle to the syringe.
Step number fourteen: Clean selected area (thigh or abdomen) with alcohol swab. Let dry briefly.
Step number fifteen: Uncap the 27 gauge needle, push out air (may have to tap syringe to get air bubbles up.
Step number sixteen: Quickly insert needle into selected area, which is being pinched with other hand. Insert ALL the way. Push injection in. To avoid leakage (which I had the first couple of days), I slowly count to ten, then release and apply a bit of pressure with a clean alcohol swab.
With the Luveris/Gonal F now done, I turn to the Cetratide. Cetratide is a medication that prevents ovulation, while the Luveris and Gonal F stimulate the ovaries to mature more eggs than the normal of one.
Step number seventeen: Clean off the Cetratide powder vial with alcohol swab.
Step number eighteen: Put 20 gauge needle onto Cetratide syringe (which is prefilled with sterile water) and inject into the Cetratide vial.
Step number nineteen: Gently mix together, making sure no powder remains.
Step number twenty: Draw up solution into syringe. As before, you may need to stop and get rid of air.
Step number twenty one: Remove the 20 gauge needle, cap, and place in sharps container.
Step number twenty-two: Attach the 27 gauge needle.
Step number twenty-three: Remove ice and clean the area (abdomen) with alcohol swab. Let dry briefly.
Step number twenty-four: Uncap the 27 gauge needle, push air out.
Step number twenty-five: Quickly insert needle into selected area, which is being pinched with the other hand. Insert all the way (this needle is slightly longer). Push injection in. This injection doesn't hurt persay, but it sort of stings/itches afterwards, along with swelling slightly. Therefore, I put the ice back on.
Step number twenty-six: Survey mess of both hazardous and non-hazardous material. Be amazed at how much garbage and recycling two injections makes...
Tomorrow morning I go back into the clinic for more ultrasound and bloodwork. Hope to see more follicles! Monday we saw seven, which seemed a bit disappointing to me, although the Dr wasn't disappointed. I hope I get one of the other two doctors as I wasn't super comfortable with Dr. L on monday.
Oh well. Seven days of injections down, which means I am at least half-way through.
Step number one: Grab rice bag from freezer.
Step number two: Wash hands.
Step number three: Apply ice bag to spot that you will inject the cetratide into. Tonight I remembered to do my stomach and so I tied my robe around the rice bag! Brilliant :)
Step number four: Assemble supplies. For tonight, this meant two pens of Gonal F, two injector needles for the Gonal F, the vial of powdered Luveris, the sterile water vial for the Luveris, a 22 gauge needle for mixing, a standard syringe, a 27 gauge needle for injecting, four alcohol swabs, a sterile syringe of water for the Cetratide, the Cetratide powder vial, a 20 gauge needle for mixing, and a (slightly longer) 27 gauge needle for the Cetratide injection. Whew!
Step number four A: Clean the Gonal F pen cap and the Luveris vials with alcohol swab.
Step number five: Dial the dose of the Gonal F (225 units). Put on the injector cap (remove the three protective layers!).Inject this into the Luveris powder vial. Check the dial to see if it has hit zero. If not, you need another pen. Tonight I did, so I had to get out a new pen and dial 50, then repeat the steps.
Step number six: Gently mix this by rolling the vial until all the powder is dissolved.
Step number seven: Attach the 22 gauge needle to the syringe.
Step number eight: Draw up 1ml of sterile water from the sterile water vial. Sometimes you may have to stop and release some air from the vial or else you may accidentally send the water all back into the vial and have to start all over again.
Step number nine: Inject this into the Luveris/Gonal F solution vial.
Step number ten: Gently swirl to ensure the meds are mixed together properly.
Step number eleven: Once they have been mixed properly, draw the meds up into the syringe with your 22 gauge needle. Follow same steps with air as above!.
Step number twelve: Cap the 22 gauge needle, remove from syringe and place in sharps container.
Step number thirteen: Attach the 27 gauge needle to the syringe.
Step number fourteen: Clean selected area (thigh or abdomen) with alcohol swab. Let dry briefly.
Step number fifteen: Uncap the 27 gauge needle, push out air (may have to tap syringe to get air bubbles up.
Step number sixteen: Quickly insert needle into selected area, which is being pinched with other hand. Insert ALL the way. Push injection in. To avoid leakage (which I had the first couple of days), I slowly count to ten, then release and apply a bit of pressure with a clean alcohol swab.
With the Luveris/Gonal F now done, I turn to the Cetratide. Cetratide is a medication that prevents ovulation, while the Luveris and Gonal F stimulate the ovaries to mature more eggs than the normal of one.
Step number seventeen: Clean off the Cetratide powder vial with alcohol swab.
Step number eighteen: Put 20 gauge needle onto Cetratide syringe (which is prefilled with sterile water) and inject into the Cetratide vial.
Step number nineteen: Gently mix together, making sure no powder remains.
Step number twenty: Draw up solution into syringe. As before, you may need to stop and get rid of air.
Step number twenty one: Remove the 20 gauge needle, cap, and place in sharps container.
Step number twenty-two: Attach the 27 gauge needle.
Step number twenty-three: Remove ice and clean the area (abdomen) with alcohol swab. Let dry briefly.
Step number twenty-four: Uncap the 27 gauge needle, push air out.
Step number twenty-five: Quickly insert needle into selected area, which is being pinched with the other hand. Insert all the way (this needle is slightly longer). Push injection in. This injection doesn't hurt persay, but it sort of stings/itches afterwards, along with swelling slightly. Therefore, I put the ice back on.
Step number twenty-six: Survey mess of both hazardous and non-hazardous material. Be amazed at how much garbage and recycling two injections makes...
Tomorrow morning I go back into the clinic for more ultrasound and bloodwork. Hope to see more follicles! Monday we saw seven, which seemed a bit disappointing to me, although the Dr wasn't disappointed. I hope I get one of the other two doctors as I wasn't super comfortable with Dr. L on monday.
Oh well. Seven days of injections down, which means I am at least half-way through.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Egg retrieval
So, I have been silent for sometime. Probably too long.
A lot of things have happened in the past two months.
#1: I finished my major area paper. That means that after five and a half years of university, all of the requirements for my degree are finished, and I will be graduating in May. Surreal.
#2: After waiting 18 days, I finally found out that I got an A on the paper, which was my goal. My advisor was actually somewhat negative in the comments though, which was somewhat confusing. Oh well. Done. I admit that it *was* a bit too long, and hadn't had much editing, so it was 66 pages long.
#3: Unfortunately, on March 7th, we lost one of our long-time music teachers. I will miss her deeply.
#4: I took my last birth control pill on March 14th. This was NOT to prevent pregnancy, but rather to regulate my cycle so that the clinic could plan when I would be starting on the stimulation meds. After several tense days of waiting, my body finally responded appropriately on March 18th, and I went into the clinic for ultrasound and bloodwork on March 19th. The results showed that I was 'suppressed', which meant that I started the injections of Luveris and Gonal F that evening. These are two meds that stimulate the ovaries to mature more eggs than normal (normal is one, on occasion two). They are given by injection, so over the past few days I have had a crash course in that.
So. The big #4. I have now done five days of injections of Luveris and Gonal F. Although I was shaking the first couple of days, the actual INJECTION action is pretty simple. A tiny 27 gauge needle is used, and it is virtually painless, providing I stay in the appropriate shot regions of my abdomen or thighs. Using the syringe itself is sometimes a bit trickier. Gonal F comes in a pen, which is great-you dial the dose and it's set. However, the Luveris comes in a powder. I dial the dose of the Gonal F, then inject it into the Luveris vial. THEN, I have to draw up 1ml of sterile water (provided in a separate tiny vial with my Luveris), and inject that into the Luveris/Gonal F vial. The sterile water bit is not quite as easy. Sometimes just when I think I have got all of it out the needle slips back (suction and all) and I have to start all over again. Same thing happens with the final mixing. The meds don't hurt going in, just a touch of pressure at the end a couple of times.
I have given five days of the meds, so today I was back at the clinic for a further ultrasound and bloodwork. Bloodwork went all right THIS time. My first appointment, the nurse refused to use a smaller Butterfly needle, and mangled my arm up a bit. Still a huge green bruise that is painful to touch. This time, the nurse came in with a Butterfly needle! I had been told by last week's nurse that they didn't HAVE butterfly needles. Today, when I saw her I questioned her on it, and she said "Oh, we have them, we just don't like to use them". THEN she proceeded to say "Besides, it worked okay with you last time". Right, except for nearly not being able to get any blood, and leaving me with a huge bruise and a very sore arm.
Ultrasound last week was okay. Internals are quite painful for me due to my size/sexual history (otherwise known as lack thereof). Today it was less pleasant. Last week, I had Dr. E, who was very gentle, patient, and took the time to explain things, point them out etc while still getting through the ultrasound as quickly as possible. Today, I had Dr. L...
It was less pleasant. Much less pleasant. I get told by the nurse to undress and get on the table. No problem. I proceed to do so, and then spend approximately TWENTY minutes there before he finally comes in! That was problem number one. So I'm already a bit cold and irritated. THEN, I have to remind him of my latex sensitivity as I see him putting a latex condom on the ultrasound wand. This is clearly written in my chart. NEXT, he is much rougher about the insertion, AND the actual procedure. He then questions me "Are you having sex?" Well, NO, that is why this is so uncomfortable. I *get* that a few women will still have intact hymens after sexual activity, but it isn't super super common. Mine is intact. Also, I do believe that all that info is ALSO in my chart. And yeah, I know that when I go through the procedure I'm going to have even a slightly bigger wand, but I also know that I'm going to be decently dosed with meds...Fentanyl and Versed aren't exactly Advil.
So overall...6 of one, half a dozen of the other. Last week's wednesday appointment was slightly more traumatic in that lack of sleep (due to nerves the night before that kept me up later than I should have been), severe morning headache for which I couldn't take Advil and which Tylenol only slightly dulled, nerves about the appointment and then having my green tea on an empty stomach sent things quickly down hill. One minute I was fine, the next I'm hit by sudden nausea, and the next I'm bending over in the washroom seeing it once again. Today I was much more careful! Went to bed earlier, woke up headache free, had a good blood draw, and had my muffin BEFORE my green tea! No upset stomach today thankfully.
Tonight I pick up two more days of Gonal F and Luveris, as well as Cetratide, which is a med to prevent ovulation. It means two separate injections, which is less fun, but doable. Hopefully Cetratide doesn't sting either. I go back on wednesday for more bloodwork and scans. All appts are first thing in the morning, so "same time, same station, same activity".
Well...that recaps the past month and a half. Other than my students' composition recital which happened yesterday!
A lot of things have happened in the past two months.
#1: I finished my major area paper. That means that after five and a half years of university, all of the requirements for my degree are finished, and I will be graduating in May. Surreal.
#2: After waiting 18 days, I finally found out that I got an A on the paper, which was my goal. My advisor was actually somewhat negative in the comments though, which was somewhat confusing. Oh well. Done. I admit that it *was* a bit too long, and hadn't had much editing, so it was 66 pages long.
#3: Unfortunately, on March 7th, we lost one of our long-time music teachers. I will miss her deeply.
#4: I took my last birth control pill on March 14th. This was NOT to prevent pregnancy, but rather to regulate my cycle so that the clinic could plan when I would be starting on the stimulation meds. After several tense days of waiting, my body finally responded appropriately on March 18th, and I went into the clinic for ultrasound and bloodwork on March 19th. The results showed that I was 'suppressed', which meant that I started the injections of Luveris and Gonal F that evening. These are two meds that stimulate the ovaries to mature more eggs than normal (normal is one, on occasion two). They are given by injection, so over the past few days I have had a crash course in that.
So. The big #4. I have now done five days of injections of Luveris and Gonal F. Although I was shaking the first couple of days, the actual INJECTION action is pretty simple. A tiny 27 gauge needle is used, and it is virtually painless, providing I stay in the appropriate shot regions of my abdomen or thighs. Using the syringe itself is sometimes a bit trickier. Gonal F comes in a pen, which is great-you dial the dose and it's set. However, the Luveris comes in a powder. I dial the dose of the Gonal F, then inject it into the Luveris vial. THEN, I have to draw up 1ml of sterile water (provided in a separate tiny vial with my Luveris), and inject that into the Luveris/Gonal F vial. The sterile water bit is not quite as easy. Sometimes just when I think I have got all of it out the needle slips back (suction and all) and I have to start all over again. Same thing happens with the final mixing. The meds don't hurt going in, just a touch of pressure at the end a couple of times.
I have given five days of the meds, so today I was back at the clinic for a further ultrasound and bloodwork. Bloodwork went all right THIS time. My first appointment, the nurse refused to use a smaller Butterfly needle, and mangled my arm up a bit. Still a huge green bruise that is painful to touch. This time, the nurse came in with a Butterfly needle! I had been told by last week's nurse that they didn't HAVE butterfly needles. Today, when I saw her I questioned her on it, and she said "Oh, we have them, we just don't like to use them". THEN she proceeded to say "Besides, it worked okay with you last time". Right, except for nearly not being able to get any blood, and leaving me with a huge bruise and a very sore arm.
Ultrasound last week was okay. Internals are quite painful for me due to my size/sexual history (otherwise known as lack thereof). Today it was less pleasant. Last week, I had Dr. E, who was very gentle, patient, and took the time to explain things, point them out etc while still getting through the ultrasound as quickly as possible. Today, I had Dr. L...
It was less pleasant. Much less pleasant. I get told by the nurse to undress and get on the table. No problem. I proceed to do so, and then spend approximately TWENTY minutes there before he finally comes in! That was problem number one. So I'm already a bit cold and irritated. THEN, I have to remind him of my latex sensitivity as I see him putting a latex condom on the ultrasound wand. This is clearly written in my chart. NEXT, he is much rougher about the insertion, AND the actual procedure. He then questions me "Are you having sex?" Well, NO, that is why this is so uncomfortable. I *get* that a few women will still have intact hymens after sexual activity, but it isn't super super common. Mine is intact. Also, I do believe that all that info is ALSO in my chart. And yeah, I know that when I go through the procedure I'm going to have even a slightly bigger wand, but I also know that I'm going to be decently dosed with meds...Fentanyl and Versed aren't exactly Advil.
So overall...6 of one, half a dozen of the other. Last week's wednesday appointment was slightly more traumatic in that lack of sleep (due to nerves the night before that kept me up later than I should have been), severe morning headache for which I couldn't take Advil and which Tylenol only slightly dulled, nerves about the appointment and then having my green tea on an empty stomach sent things quickly down hill. One minute I was fine, the next I'm hit by sudden nausea, and the next I'm bending over in the washroom seeing it once again. Today I was much more careful! Went to bed earlier, woke up headache free, had a good blood draw, and had my muffin BEFORE my green tea! No upset stomach today thankfully.
Tonight I pick up two more days of Gonal F and Luveris, as well as Cetratide, which is a med to prevent ovulation. It means two separate injections, which is less fun, but doable. Hopefully Cetratide doesn't sting either. I go back on wednesday for more bloodwork and scans. All appts are first thing in the morning, so "same time, same station, same activity".
Well...that recaps the past month and a half. Other than my students' composition recital which happened yesterday!
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