Aug
20

Stim Day Nine.

Today after the ultrasound I did a happy little Charleston before donning my underwear:

Right Ovary:
13.5, 12.5, 12, 11, 11, 10.5, 10 (plus 5 follicles@ 9 and 1@ 8mm)

Left Ovary:
15, 15, 11, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10 (plus 2@ 9.5 and 2@ 8mm)

Lining:
7.8 (I know nothing about linings, but this is up from 5.6 on Friday, so at least it is going in the right direction).

I go back Wednesday and will either trigger that night or the next for retrieval Friday or Saturday. I am quite pleased with myself. Now, before you get too excited, it is my understanding that most of the smaller follicles will not be large enough by retrieval to contain mature eggs. But I’m going to have a retrieval. I never thought I’d be so delighted by the prospect of a needle puncturing my vaginal wall! As someone who ovulates no more than once a year and couldn’t manage even an IUI without being canceled, it feels wonderful just to have a chance at pregnancy.
And who knows, the follicles at 10 could catch up, right? Am I correct in assuming the seven @9 are a lost cause? Those of you with more experience with these things, feel free to make your predictions now.

I switched to the Follistim pen over the weekend, after I ran out of Bravelle and a very kind and dear friend of mine donated her leftover meds. I have read that the Follistim cartridges are slightly more potent than Bravelle, so perhaps that helped to kickstart things. Even my left ovary decided to cooperate, in celebration of which I am taking it out for sushi this evening. Technically I will be bringing the right one along as well, but Lefty is the guest of honor. Ultrasound indicates that my ovaries are biggish, which explains my painful undercarriage. In fact, it has been particularly bad since the ultrasound—I feel as if I constantly have to pee, only I don’t. It is not unlike the feeling one has in the beginning stages of a kidney stone, which is a little unsettling, for obvious reasons. Sitting down is quite unpleasant as well. Perhaps my favorite nurse was a bit indelicate with the ultrasound wand? Surely my lurking kidney stone has not chosen now as the time to come sluicing down the tubes. I suppose I should expect to be uncomfortable with 25 follicles, even if some of them are wee.

Also, there is a mystery afoot—The Case of the Unevenly Discolored Abdomen (working title):
I switch sides every day for my shots, and yet I only bruise on the right side. Looking at my left side you would never know I have been sticking 2-3 needles in it every other day, but my right side appears to have been assaulted by a gang of street toughs. A gang of street toughs with dire anger management problems. In my case, the answer to “If you prick me, do I not bleed?” seems to be “It depends.”

I really do want to post about my visit to the hematologist, but I am in an excellent mood right now, and even thinking about that appointment makes me sick with anger, so I will hold off until tomorrow. I would like to enjoy my glee as long as possible.

******

Favorite Nurse just called: My E2 is at 881, up from 127 on Friday. Hmmm. That is quite a jump, n’est-ce pas?

By Alexa | Posted in Ceci N'est Pas Une Ecrivaine |