Part 28: Here We Go!

Here is what a shipment of medications for a full IVF cycle looks like:

Not pictured:  sharps container

I'd gotten my shipment prior to the canceled cycle and only ever used the Lupron, so everything else was still sitting in a box in one of our spare rooms.  As soon as I got home that evening, I unpacked everything so I could organize it by category:  stims, stuff for before/after retrieval and transfer, stuff to help me get and stay pregnant.  My inventory looked like this:

Stims

• Bravelle
• Menopur
• Assorted syringes and needles

Retreival/Transfer

• HCG trigger shot
• Z-pak (antibiotic)
• Diazepam

Post-Transfer Support

• Endometrin vaginal suppositories
• Progesterone in oil
• Estrace
• Baby aspirin
• More syringes and needles

Paul had gotten me a little 3-drawer storage thingy, so I packed everything into it that I could fit (1 drawer for each category of stuff) and stored the overflow in another empty drawer in our office.  Then I took out what I would need for that night and the weekend:

• Bravelle
• Menopur
• Syringes, needles, alcohol pads
• Sharps container

It occured to me, as I was preparing for my first dose of stims, that I hadn't actually looked at the pharmacy website or asked any questions about how to mix and administer my doses.  I knew generally that both were subcutaneous and went in my belly like Lupron, but that was about it.  I scoured the drug information sheet that came in each box of medication and figured out how to mix the appropriate dose using the sterile saline that was provided.  Fortunately, I'd had a lot of experience mixing and drawing up medications in an old job, so the logistics weren't difficult for me. 

I mixed the Bravelle first, since that one took longer.  I was supposed to inject 225 units, which required 1 ml of saline and 3 vials of Bravelle powder (75 units each).  The Bravelle stung more than I expected.  Then I prepared the Menopur - 75 units or 1 ml of saline and 1 vial of powder.  My stomach was still burning a bit from the Bravelle, so I asked Paul to do the honors.  Turns out, Menopur hurt even more.  As I massaged the injection sites, I silently hoped that my stimulation period would be on the shorter as opposed to longer side of things.

That night, I went to bed feeling slightly giddy.  It was hard to believe we were already starting another cycle!  I knew there was still a chance that something could go wrong, but all I could do was hope and pray that it would be smooth(er) sailing this time.