Let the Stimulation Begin!

Well, the "Stimulation Phase," has officially begun. Today we added two more drugs into the mix. Now, we've added a low dose HCG into the morning Lupron routine. Then, in the evenings we've begun Follistim. These drugs supply my body with FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) and LH (lutenizing hormone). Although both of these hormones are produced naturally, these drugs administer a higher dosage than a woman's body would naturally produce. This hopefully increases the number of eggs that mature and thus multiple eggs will be available for removal and fertilization. This also means decreased activity and increased monitoring. They are very careful to monitor blood levels and maturing follicles in order to prevent Ovarian Hyperstimulation.

We began to get a little nervous last night about our morning injection. We had directions on how to mix the Lupron and the Low Dose HCG in the same syringe, but it wasn't quite making sense. Because the meds are so expensive, we wanted to be certain we didn't do something wrong and waste medication. So, I made my first call to the on-call system. I'm very glad I called though, because the doctor that called me back eased my mind. Then, this morning even a nurse called to check on us to see how we were doing! I thought that was very sweet! I think tomorrow we'll be even better prepared and more understanding of how to administer this combo. The evening injection went pretty well. The contraption for using the Follistim is actually a pen device(pictured above). It's pretty cool actually, but slightly more painful....not sure if it's the device or the actual medication. I'm sure it will get better with practice.

I've been thankful to feel pretty well the last couple days. I've felt more "normal," and had a better appetite and general mood. It came just in time for the weekend! :) I've had a lot of cramping tonight though, so I'm hoping that subsides a little. We shall see!

We had a nice day today, just taking it easy around the house...watching a movie and relaxing. Then, this evening we got together with some friends for pizza and pool! It's been so nice just to have a day together. It's back into full school mode for Mat which means 3 nights of school plus long Fridays for work, so our time together is really limited. Hope everyone is having a great weekend spent with loved ones!