Oh, man! I've had probably a dozen hot flashes today. It's like instantly being in the deep south without the benefit of the good food and charming accents. I suppose this means the Lupron is working, though. I get nervous that I'm not doing it right. That I'm misreading the syringe, putting it in a vein, timing it too late or too early in the evening, accidentally spilling it back out - something.
My stomach has a few little red marks and one giant bruise which Bud calls my "owie" and kisses it. I noticed tonight that after I pulled the needle back out, a little touch of blood came to the surface. I think this means I hit something I wasn't supposed to and am dearly hoping that it's not a big deal. I'd like to stay in ignorance. On Friday, I'll have an ultrasound to see if I'm "suppressed". I'm not sure what they are supposed to see, but I do know they also want to make sure I haven't developed any cysts with this. If I have a cyst, we'll postpone for a week.
Another strong side effect are tender breasts. Ouch! It's gotten to the point where I think I may just wear a soft bra for the next several weeks. I wonder if I could shower in one? Not really, but it may get to the point where I just stand under a cold shower for my burning breasts. (Sounds like I'm writing a trashy romance novel!) I'm not sure my breasts have been so tender since I was pregnant. It's a small price to pay and in the grand scheme of all the side effects I could have, I'm relatively unscathed.
I've also noticed that my appetite is up and I feel like I have low blood sugar if I don't eat. I may have to manage this with a more insulin resistant related diet. If I gain much weight, they'll have to move my procedures out of our regular center and to a hospital, or so I've been warned. The anesthesiologist for my hysteroscopy was sure to mention that, since I'd be on all these medications and weight gain and appetite might be side effects. I don't suppose it's too late to eat lean cuisines and slim fasts? I will be undergoing anesthesia/sedation for the egg retrieval as well as the egg transfer. (Usually one would not be under sedation for the transfer, but I'm a special snowflake in that uterine catheters make me scream out in pain and grab the table as if I'm undergoing some kind of alien medical experiment. Pain management is my friend, and the only way I agreed to go through this.)
I've also got a lovely bullseye bruise on my right hand, between my thumb joint near the wrist and my first finger. It's one of the key fertility points for acupuncture. I think of it as evidence that the acupuncture will work. I did have a strange experience with it the first time I did it in years on this past Friday. I've had acupuncture dozens of times, but never had an experience like this. I sat in a chair with needles in my hands, legs, feet face and scalp, having an issue relaxing. About ten minutes into my session, I suddenly felt this weird rush come over me, almost like getting goosebumps without the bumps. After that, I found myself completely relaxing into it. I had my right hand jerk, then my left, then my right leg. Each involuntary jerk seemed to drive the points home again. Once the treatment was complete, I gathered my things and put on my shoes. As I put them on - I kid you not - my uterus had a contraction. I'm now seeing her twice a week. What I did not know (and they really should give you some kind of sticker to highlight this) is that a study showed that ladies who did acupuncture as they went through IVF increased their success rate by an additional 50% from the control group. 50%!! So, looks like I will be loving the needles for the foreseeable future.
Maybe I'll name the kid Pinny if this all works out.
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