DAY 13 and counting...

So this week things are going to start rolling! I am on Day 2 of this cycle (although with IVF this is less important than it usually is!) Baseline Ultrasound scheduled for Thursday- this will just be a little look at my uterus & ovaries to see if everything looks normal so we can start LOTS of drugs to make them highly abnormal!!! If everything looks good we'll start with Follistim on Friday (+ a reduced dose of Lupron= 2 shots a night? AWESOME!)

Follistim is apparently laced with platinum...Brad has been trying to find a "deal" which included flirting with the idea of purchasing fertility drugs off eBay. (Something seemed just a little off about this to me...although it was a good deal!) We are now the proud owners of 5 Follistim cartridges (it's in the fridge next to yogurt and some unidentifiable leftovers) and I can't wait to use my fancy shot pen...(I'll post a pic later...it's pretty cool) I am a little nervous about the hyper-stimulating and the thought of pumping lots of extra estrogen in my body is just plain frightening...everyone please pray for Brad.

Went to acupuncture today and Dr. Payne has warmed up! Last week she said "See you next time, my little lady!" But don't be fooled. She still likes to hurt me. Today, lying on my stomach (yuck) she was jabbing the needles into my spine and it was beyond uncomfortable. There is no feeling that compares- it's like the irky feeling of nails on a chalkboard but physically painful too. When I react (aaaggghhhh!) she replies "ooooh, that's a good one!" or "oooh, I got you!" And then she twists them around until the needle is "tickling" my nerve.

I will say the most uncomfortable needle of the day was also the most encouraging. She placed a needle on the inside of my left calf (which is near, I learned from a poster on the wall, the "conception line"). Before she places (and I use that term VERY loosely) the needles in my body, she applies pressure to the area...as soon as she pressed on my inner calf I had a steady cramp in my uterus. It subsided a little when she stopped pressing and then returned when she inserted (again, too gentle a word...) the needle. It was very strange to be able to feel the connection, but also very encouraging that this may actually be doing something!

I will admit, despite that bit of encouragement, I had a moment today that I thought "Wow, I must really want a baby!" So far I feel like I have just been doing what needs to be done and not thinking too hard about it, but as she was jabbing my spine with needles the reality hit me! I truly will try anything for this cause! We want to give this the best shot possible and I know that no matter the outcome, I will be able to look back and say- we did it all!

Will post after the ultrasound...