Orgalutran ... and a bit of frustration

Last night D gave me the first of at least three Orgalutran injections. We decided that the best place to inject was my thigh so I sat on the kitchen bench, which is a cultural no-no here in Aotearoa but it was the perfect height and had good lighting (I consoled myself with the fact that it's not an area of the bench normally used for food preparation). We used one of the pre-filled small syringes that we have been given. It didn't hurt at all, though afterwards the site ached quite strangely and there was also a funny sensation around the top of my knee, so maybe we were a bit close to a nerve! But there was no sign of it this morning. We will have to do two more, tonight and tomorrow night, and then the scan on Monday morning will dictate what happens after that.

Elonva

This morning at 7.00am, as usual, D brought me a coffee in bed before he had his shower and got dressed. After a bad night's sleep (we won't say who was snoring!) I'd forgotten all about this morning's injection until he came back into the bedroom armed with the huge Elonva syringe. It was preloaded with the right amount of medication and had a large plunger and a spring at the top. It looks quite different to the normal little syringes we use.

Day 1 - finally

It seems to have been a long time coming! My cycle was only 21 days last month, so since Thursday I have been checking whether my period has started far too often than is sensible. But today was the day (24 days since my last period), so I rang the clinic and left a message as instructed.

Drug education appointment

I've always liked the way the clinic calls this a "drug education appointment". It makes us sound like junkies! But we're not talking about those kinds of drugs, of course...

Baseline scan

Today we went into the clinic for my baseline scan. It was quick and painless, as usual, though it wasn't that much fun. I will have to get used to exposing myself all over again! Dr C saw three follicles on the right side and one big follicle on the left and she says I will ovulate from the left side this month.

Blood test

Today I drove into the city for a rehearsal and on the way back I stopped at the lab for my day 3 blood test. Quick and painless. I wish they were all like that!

Copy of file note

31 July 2013

Dear Doctor,

Diagnosis:
1. Planning fourth IVF cycle
2. Primary infertility secondary to azoospermia post vasectomy reversal
3. Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, treated cardiac septal ablation, 1998 and 1999, second procedure complicated by vascular injury requiring double bypass graft
4. Allergy to aspirin and ibuprofen
5. Dysmenorrhoea, possibly due to endometriosis
6. Short menstrual cycle

Day one ... again

Last night I had that familiar dull feeling in my tummy and by bedtime instead of being in bed I was dosed up with painkillers and pacing the hallway clutching a hot wheat bag. Thankfully, it only lasted a little while and soon I was asleep. So today is day one and I called the clinic as instructed.