So I had my blood work this morning, and another ultrasound. All went well, My E2 was around 1600, continually on the rise, and p4 had risen to 2.63, LH stayed the same, around7.5. What does all that mean? Hell if I know, but apparently it tells Dr. G to start the cetrotide.
Cetrotide does the same thing as ganirelex or Lupron. Since some of the follicles are really starting to mature, the worse thing would be that I ovulate now, with like 10 eggs or something crazy like that. So the cetrotide shuts down my pituitary gland from sending the "green light" hormone to ovulate.
The needle scared me to death. It wasn't a half inch like the others I've been using, but more like a full inch. But it has to to be done, and Rob is away on a business trip, so I gritted my teeth and got the job done myself. At these times, I cheer-lead myself saying, it's all for a greater cause, and will be so worth it if we succeed. It helps anyway. I remember my IVF nurse telling me not to do it on the same side as the Gonal F or they could interact in some way. So to be safe, I opted to do it in my thigh.
Again, that big needle scared me (I am so glad they have worked these injections into sub-cu rather than intramuscular. I simply cannot imagine getting stuck with those huge 27 gauge needles every day!) I knew right away I was going to try the icing trick. It did work, while I did jam the needle down with a little more force, I did not feel it go in at all, nor the medicine like I do the menopur. But now, after 10 minutes, and the my leg is warming up - it feels very sore and tender.
Speaking of sore and tender, that's me. My ovaries are completed enlarged and stimmed and I really hurt. No walking in the gym today, although I tried. Bending over is too much, walking fast is too much, so I just kind of hobble about. There was a little fluid on the scan, but not anything to worry about, or so I was told. But my ovaries are now "kissing" ovaries. They are so heavy, they are kind of flopping over each other and touching. Nice, I hope they are encouraging each other on!
One quick funny bit...I saw another dr this morning, not one I often see. She just doesn't come up on the rotation for me that often. The minute she walked in, the first thing she says before anything else is, "how old are you?" I very sheepishly admitted I was 44. I thought she was going to give me grief because of the whole advanced maternal age thing.... but that wasn't it at all. She said I am responding so well (or rather my ovaries are) that she thought my chart was wrong. In her words "You're not responding like a 44 year old usually does." I said that's good, right? And she affirmed that it was a good thing. Even the IVF nurse agreed and said "You're not even on a really big dose either!" She (the dr.) said she can't make any guarantee about eggs, but my ovaries were really good. I found it really encouraging anyway. Hopefully that means they can get tons of good eggs to work with.
On the way home, thinking about that morning's appointment, I couldn't help but think that the gluten free diet had to have contributed to this good outcome. I can't prove it, have no scientific fact behind it, I just feel it in my gut.
So today's shots include 3 vials menopur in the morning, back to 225 Gonal-F in the evening, and add .25 mg o f cetrotide. And they want to see me again tomorrow, so I am guessing this starts the daily monitoring they mentioned would come just before retrieval.
I am trying to think positive. I could be pregnant in slightly over 2 weeks. Oh my gosh, I really hope so!
And so ends cycle day 23.
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