Stims day four + the Final DC trip

Today will mark the fourth day of four shots per day and the sixth day of shots total. And, because I promised to be real, I feel like garbage. I feel like all of my bodily functions cease at my ovaries, like my whole body and energy are being redirected to help grow all 36 of the eggs to maturity. Now that i have that out of the way, let me backtrack a little.

So, I last left you at the very beginning of my shots. I had a couple days of the Lupron and had just started the stimulation drugs (Gonal-F and Menopur). Well, on stim day four, let me just tell you I slightly dread stim shot time, kind of like the way i used to dread every single cross fit workout but felt so much better once I actually reached a goal. My tummy is bruised like a PEACH!

BUT, I know that how it is supposed to be and it makes me feel good and accomplished that I have yet to chicken out and stop even though it hurts, even though it makes me uncomfortable and even though I know these shots are causing my belly to grow and distend in the most unpleasant way. I am trying to best describe how this feels. It’s like I have two water balloons in my pelvis that are growing upward as though attached to a slow dripping faucet. My insides are jiggly and slippery and every now an then i get up or sit down too fast and something temporarily slips out of its designated place in there even though i am sure there is not possibly any more room.

So, back to Memphis>DC travel. Look at this amazing sunset I was blessed with on Monday evening taxiing out of Memphis International:

It was so lovely and hopeful for me. I got all set up in my seat and started watching Harry Potter to pass the time because I was so spun up from all the last minute things that I was not tired at all. Of course, what felt like moments later, we were landing at DCA! I passed right out and slept the whole flight. Once we got down i had a bit of a snafu trying to locate the rental car place but it turned out to all be in great timing as Aprils flight was a couple hours behind mine and I ended up have just enough time to chill out a minute and charge my phone before it was time to pick her up. We made the trip out to Bethesda and promptly ordered some takeout because I have found if i don’t eat before I go to bed, I wake up nauseous from the hormones. (Can anyone say practice for pregnancy?)

We enjoys a treat I haven’t had in a bit because of my IVF diet change, PIZZA! It was totally burnt, but I didn’t even care. I was starving, I wanted to eat, take my shots and go to bed! And that is exactly what i did. April managed to sneak this little snap of me.

Ignore my stripes on stripes, but this is pretty much the whole deal. Stuff everywhere. Ice packs. Sharps containers. Coolers. Rx boxes and bottles and vials and syringes and one tired, bloated, bruised pincushion. I’m grateful that I’ll have this glimpse into reality to look back at when this is all over.

We promptly went to bed after this so we could grab a quick nap before making our 0600 blood work appointment at the IVF lab.

One monitoring appointment down. They just drew blood and let me know the would call with any changes. April and I headed to the PX (well, its actually called an NEX since this is a Navy base) to get a few groceries. We also got to check out the Fort Glen Army base down the street and got to see the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. It was way neat. We headed off to lunch after that when I got a call from the IVF nurse.

She said that the team would like me to reduce my dose of Gonal-F by 100 units, keep all other meds the same and come tomorrow for blood work and an ultrasound instead of Thursday. This could mean many things, but I’ll try not to make assumptions and wait til I know for sure. I am not too upset about two days in a row of 0600 appointments because I am realllllyyyy eager to see my ovaries on the ultrasound again after four whole days of stims! I feel like they are just really working because I can really feel my ovaries growing! I promise to let you all know the results of the appointment tomorrow.

Now, I am about to take my shots, drink some water, wash my hands and pass out!

Til tomorrow,

❤ Katie

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