Ha ha!! Well I only thought I was slightly intimidated by my first set of shots... Now here we are for the real cycle and here are all the meds and shots I will have to take! wow!!
One thing I have learned while talking to many surrogates, is that every fertility clinic has their own medical protocol for surrogates. While it seems they all vary to some degree, they also seem to have much in common. So if you are considering becoming a surrogate, this picture will look something close to what you will have also. Really I have decided the lupron shots are no big deal at all. Especially after learning that the belly was an easier place than the thigh. They have a super tiny needle to use and you barely feel them. I do not think I have had any side effects from taking the lupron. I think the most "scary" thing is the progesterone oil shots. They use large needles, needs to be done in buttocks area. Thankfully I have an awesome husband who says he can handle it and will be doing those for me. I have read many different things to do to help through those shots. Some really complain about the lumps, or redness, or pain that they seem to leave most ladies with. It is a very thick oil, and only seems to make sense to hold on to the bottle and warm it slightly. If oil is warm it seems to be a little thinner. Most all agree that icing the butt before the shot helps, and then using a heating pad and message after helps spread the oil out better. So that will be my plan of attack on these shots.
I think everything else will be no big deal, other than I really do not care to take medicines, I just keep reminding myself it is for a short period of time and the outcome will all be worth it, being a big part of helping create another family!
Well I started out rereading all my previous post today. Back the middle of April we were thinking we would be going through transfer around the end of May to beginning of June. Now here we are in the middle of June and finally have a planned cycle for embryo transfer the end of July. It is exciting that we know we are getting closer, but a month and a half still seems so far away. (even though I really know it is not, and that things have only taken longer than originally thought because I am too fertile, ha ha)
So today I received my written instructions for cycle set up. Now the clinic has to sync the egg donor's cycle and mine together. Reading through all the instructions and med's I will be on and hormones... this should be interesting. Next week I will start the lupron shots again, the following week blood work and ultrasound, week after that more hormones, next week after that, blood work to checks hormone levels. By the 17th of July there should be another ultrasound and more blood work, and then some more hormones and medicines to get ready for transfer, which if all goes as planned will be scheduled for the 27th of July.
Soon as I saw my email from the clinic, the guys got their copy also. We were texting with in minutes of each other, we are all starting to get really excited and anxious. I have joined this one support group on facebook, that all the surrogates are going through transfers in June and July, so we all get to share our experiences together. Most of these ladies are a real hoot, have me laughing everyday. One of the big things many of them do is to wear lucky socks to their transfer appointment. So I am off to amazon and or ebay to find some nifty lucky socks to wear. Getting into the spirit of this!!
Well I have been lax at getting this post out, I started to write it about a week ago. The day after Memorial day I had my ultrasound appointment to check the lining of my uterus and blood work done to check other hormone levels. Wednesday my clinic received the official results of all my test. My body has done all they wanted it to this past month on the new medicine protocol. The ultrasound check is to see if my uterus is getting thick and fluffy from the meds they have given me. They said they would be happy with an 8 and mine was at 13, so that was awesome! (these numbers are a measurement of thickness in the uterus lining) So this means we are ready to move on to the real cycle. They will sync my cycle with the lady who is donating her eggs. Everyone is happy and excited for the next step. I do not have to give my self any more shots for the next 10 days and for a couple of weeks after that. For the 10 days following my results I will be taking half of the estrogen amount I was on, and a new one called prometrium (progesterone). I do have to say the first night I took those pills, I was extremely dizzy! I felt like someone had fed me a serious narcotic. I do not normally have much reaction to any medicines, and when they say there are all these side effects, I generally feel or notice none of them. This was not a good feeling. I could not even walk steady. So talking to my clinic the next day, they told me I could take them as a suppository instead of orally, and that it would cut down on my side effects. It did, and I will only take them that way from now on. While a vaginal suppository is not my most favorite thing, it beats the dizziness any day of the week. Now we wait for my own cycle to kick in again. As soon as my period starts, I will get the new protocol for cycle meds to get my body ready for transfer. This is really turning into a long journey.
