Tonight, I take my final doses of Folistim, Lupron, Ovidrel and dexamethasone. I went in for my appointment this morning and Dr. B gave me a 99.99% chance of triggering ovulation tomorrow! YAY!!! This means egg retrieval on Thursday morning. I calculate that my ovaries are about the size of fists right now. I have lots of follicles and my estrogen is in the high 3000 range. I have to walk funny to accommodate them. That, and the belly pooch and the bruises all together make for a lovely sight.
Actually, I was greeted today in the ultrasound room with, "congratulations on your beautiful, beautiful stimulation". I really tried not to feet like a pageant winner, because I know this may not work, but I grinned widely.
I was also instructed today to begin sipping Gatorade to prevent ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome [OHSS], a bad outcome involving supergigantic ovaries and sometimes hospitals. The Gatorade apparently keeps my "peripheral fluid" in balance so that my ovaries don't take it all. The coincidence that my IVF clinic is the University of Florida (go Gators) and that UF invented Gatorade is not lost on me. My clinician mind instantly thought, "oh, they are gently suggesting this because you already have an early case." I'm going to let them tell me if they are worried and not try to guess. I'm not even going to look on the Google.
Over the weekend, I got to see the other couples who are cycling with us. There are about 5. One can't help wondering what their stories are. One odd thing really stood out today when we all arrived at the clinic for our labs and ultrasounds...4 out of 5 of us are nurses. Everyone was in scrubs, on the way to work. I thought it was curious and then I realized that (1) it's a recession, and healthcare providers might be the only ones with money to spend on IVF and (2) healthcare providers are probably more likely to seek care for infertility. Interesting.
Another appointment in the morning and then...trigger. Blammo!
I can't seem to get my flower pictures off of my camera right now. I'm bummed, but I get to enjoy Florida's autumn live, which is like a second spring...flowers and butterflies everywhere. The smell coming from the field is heavenly. Sun-warmed grass. mmmm.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Yeah! Trigger time! Sending good wishes for a successful retrieval!
ReplyDeleteGood luck!! They did not reccomend gatorade for me until after my retrieval. I stopped drinking it after 24 hours because I felt fine, and then I started bloating up with fluid and felt like crap. So keep it up, even if you feel fine!
ReplyDeleteI also found an all natural electrolyte beverage at our local natural grocer - I found it to be way more palateable for me then gatorade and it did not have the sugar syrups and artificial colors.
Yay, Cymande! I hope all goes well tomorrow!
ReplyDelete