More Appointments!
After my last appointment on Wednesday, the nurse called in the evening with instructions to lower my dose of one of the medications and to come back on Friday.
Friday I went in for another appointment had my blood drawn and another ultrasound. The follicles are growing a little slower than they like so they had me come back in on Sunday for another appointment. They decreased my medication again.
Sunday I had another appointment for a blood draw and ultrasound. A female doctor (instead of a nurse) was in the room for the ultrasound with me and the doctor. This was the first time she had seen one of my ultrasounds and she said, “Wow! You’re what we call an egg-making machine!” I have approximately 35-40 follicles growing which is a large amount so I’m very bloated. When I was done, I met with the nurse who scheduled my next appointment. She also recommended that I drink coconut water instead of Gatorade because it has more electrolytes. She mentioned that it would help with the bloating now and after the retrieval because the electrolytes will help my cells from releasing excess water into my body, which makes me bloated. On my way home from my appointment, I picked up a few containers (similar to a juice box) of coconut water and I feel that it did help more than Gatorade and Vitamin Water. They are manufactured by a few different companies and can be found in the juice isle in most grocery stores and sometimes come in different flavors (with Pineapple and Mango). They run about $2 each but it’s definitely worth it to me. The doctor recommended 1-2 a day.
When the doctor thinks that I’m ready for retrieval, he’ll have me take the “trigger shot” and I’ll have the retrieval two days later. He let me know that he’ll trigger me with Lupron, instead of the typical hCG shot as it is suppose to almost eliminate the chances of my hyperstimulating. This is great to hear because with my high follicle count, my chances of hyperstimulating increase. I truly believe that my doctor is doing everything that he can to make this process as easy and comfortable for me as possible, while still achieving great cycle results. I couldn’t ask for a better doctor.
Before leaving the office on Sunday, I weighed myself to see if I have actually gained weight because my stomach feels huge. I know that weight gain is a concern for a lot of potential donors so I’m happy to report that I may have gained only 1 pound but I truly believe that it’s due to my lack of exercise and my incredible sweet tooth. This bloated feeling should disappear a few days after retrieval.
The doctor called me last night with my instructions for Sunday and Monday evening’s medication dosage. She decreased one of the stimulation medications and told me to begin the third medication, the one to prevent me from ovulating. This medication comes already prepared in a syringe so all I have to do is inject it. It’s really easy.
My next appointment is tomorrow and the doctor thinks that I should be ready for a Thursday retrieval and they’ll give me instructions for the trigger shot then!
Again, I have to say that I was struck by all of the people in the waiting room at the clinic on Sunday (since I was in on a weekend, it was really busy). One couple that struck me particularly was a young, beautiful couple that seemed to be in their late twenties. Now, bear in mind that the fertility clinics deal with men and women trying to conceive. Men may have low sperm count or their sperm may have limited mobility (don’t swim very well) and women may not be able to ovulate, maybe began trying to have a family later in life and therefore their eggs aren’t viable any longer or they have had several miscarriages. The list goes on and on. Infertility affects men and women of different ages, even those who are relatively young. Perhaps someone was injured in an accident and their reproductive organs were compromised or they underwent chemotherapy and their eggs/sperm are no longer viable. Most of us know someone who has had difficulty conceiving in one way or another. Every time I see couples in the waiting room, I think of my recipients and how much hope I am giving them. Sure, I’ve had to go to about 10 appointments total, inject myself with medication every night, etc. but I believe in social service and helping others. This is just one way that I hope to give back. Sure, I’m being compensated for my time, taking hormone medications, undergoing a medical procedure (the retrieval) but knowing that I’ve made a difference in someone’s life is the reason why I chose this field to work in and why I chose to donate again myself.
More to come!