Monday, August 5, 2013

Mini IVF Protocol Update

Let's kick things off with the obligatory meds shot:


This is the whole shebang, minus the prescription prenatals that my RE prescribed. Chewables, nonetheless!  With a Mini IVF protocol, there are significantly fewer meds, which honestly, was a big part of the appeal for me.

5 days ago, I started Clomid.  While normally, Clomid is given in 5 day stretches, in my case, I'll be doing at least 10 days. Last night, I added in a Bravelle injection, just for funsies - Actually it was absolutely terrible. I had given myself Ovidrel injections before, which were a piece of cake.  They come in a pre-mixed syringe with a teeny tiny needle. While the anticipation of poking myself with a sharp object was never fun, the actual act was a cinch.

With the Bravelle, things were a bit more complicated. First of all, there's mixing involved.  I had to insert the syringe into the diluent and draw it up, and then insert the diluent into the powdered medication and mix.  Then, I needed to draw up the mixed solution, and inject myself. I followed the same process for injecting as with the Ovidrel, but what I didn't realize is  that this needle was a thicker gauge, and instead of sliding it in, there is a certain technique involved, which requires using a quick, dart-like motion to insert the needle. Being ignorant to this technique, I tried to slide the needle in...and it wouldn't go, so here I am, trying to slowly jam the needle in until I finally press so hard that it punctures the skin.....and that's when I started to pass out....


After resting my head on the counter long enough to push the medication in, I made it to the floor where I put my head between my knees until I was confident that I could stand up. I was home alone, so in the back of my mind, I kept imagining someone walking in and finding what looked like a crime scene, with me passed out on the ground, shirt half off, and a needle jammed into me. 

Today was a monitoring appointment with the RE, and as it's still really early in my cycle, the follicles were still small, but everything looked good. Finally, this evening, I got a call telling me what to do for meds going forward and when to come in next.  I was none too pleased when they told me I would need to add Bravelle every day for the next 5 days on top of the Clomid. In fact, I think I did this....


Really, I know I am incredibly lucky that I'm not having to do the 3+ shots per day that come with conventional IVF, but this is still something that takes some getting used to.

This evening was try #2 at the Bravelle.  This time, I had a game plan.  I was going to ice the area, lie down, turn on some ass-kicking music, and incorporate the dart technique. With David Guetta playing in the background, and a fluffy down comforter beneath me, I administered my 2nd shot. Aside from a little snafu that required me to reinsert the needle, it went much smoother this time.  The injection site from both injections hurts pretty bad - kind of like I did a bunch of sit ups, or have bruises, but luckily, Ryan Gosling's ok with how I plan to roll.....


Wish me luck for the remainder of the week!  I go in on Friday for another monitoring appointment, so we'll see how things stand, and hopefully I'll have a better idea of when my ER will be!  Till next time....





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