This is a glimpse at a IUI Fertility Treatment Cycle. It is hard to explain to someone what it is like to go through a cycle with words. Your life consists of treatment plans, doctors appointments, trying to guess when you might be doing the actual IUI and not being able to commit to anything because you have no clue when you will have to go to the doctor next. Usually I just say we take some shots and then do a treatment. The reality is that it's not that simple. You have to do the shots at the same time each night and within a thirty minute window; this means you have to prethink what you will be doing for potentially the next three weeks so you can plan to take your shot late enough that you will be home, but not too late that you are staying up until midnight. We try to shoot for a 9:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m injection time. Below is a diary of our latest cycle.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013: Cycle Day (CD 1)
I started my period this morning in the A.M. before work. I called first thing at 8:00 a.m. to report my cycle start. I made sure I kept my phone near with the ringer on so I wouldn't miss the callback from the nurse. The call came around 3:00 p.m. and we set up a CD 3 appointment.
Thursday, August 1, 2013: CD 2
Work dragged today and I was feeling anxious for my appointment tomorrow morning. It has been four months since our last treatment and I am worried I will have a cycst and we wouldn't be able to do the treatment this month. Sometimes the waiting is the worst part.
Friday, August 2, 2013: CD 3
I had to leave the house this morning at 7:45 a.m. to be at my appointment in Shreveport at 9:45 a.m. The wait was rather long today. I didn't get called back until 11:20 a.m. Once I was back we did the ultrasound and I was in and out in about fifteen minutes. I ate lunch at Johnny's pizza and was back in Nac about 2:15 p.m.. The pharmacy called later this afternoon and we order 14 vials of menopur and one HCG trigger shot. I already had five vials of menopur from last cycle so that saved a little money at $75 a vial. The trigger shot has increased by $20 since last ordered in April and is now $80. Thank God the menopur has stayed the same.
We had dinner at Shelly and Thad's tonight which was super fun, but it also meant I had to jump back into the shot saddle at a friends house. Around 9:30 we took a little break from playing scattegories and Stephen mixed up my double dose of menopur. I layed on their couch in the formal living room to take the shot which hurt like the dickens! I was hopeful the first one out wouldn't be so bad, but Stephen has a nack for finding the bad spots :(
Saturday, August 3, 2014: CD 4:
Callie, Lerin and I went to Shreveport tonight for a quick girls night: dinner at Superior's and Chaos 3 MMA fight. Lerin and I just finished Fire Academy and one of the firefighters was fighting his twin brother. We had to leave and go back to the hotel at about 10:00 p.m. so that Callie could give me my single dose shot of menopur. This was the first time I had ever mixed up the menopur myself, but giving a shot to myself was NOT going to happen. I am so grateful for friends who are willing to do the dirty work for me. Even Lerin had volunteered to give the shot if Callie didn't want to. Crazy thing, I didn't feel it AT ALL. I can honestly say Callie Berry is the best person I've ever received a shot from!
Sunday, August 4, 2013: CD 5:
Tonight around 9:30 p.m. I had a double dose of menopur. It hurt pretty badly but Stephen was quick.
Monday, August 5, 2013 CD 6:
As I was getting my shots of menopur ready tonight at 9:45 p.m. I realized the nurse had the dates wrong on my treatment plan sheet. She had me starting my double dose shot on CD 3, but had the date for CD 3 as August 3rd, which is really CD 4. Because of this I am possibly a day ahead on my shots! I called and left a message with answering service that I think I actually need an appointment tomorrow rather than Wednesday. I explained I live two hours away so they needed to get the message to the nurse ASAP in the morning.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013: CD 7
I got to work early this morning and called the clinic at 8:00 a.m.to talk about my cycle days. At 8:10 a.m. I left for Shreveport because the nurse says yes I need to come since I've had four days of shots already. She said I wasn't supposed to start my meds until Saturday. I was freaking out the entire ride there thinking that I may have messed everything up! I arrived at 9:50 a.m. and was out by 10:35 a.m. After looking at the chart, the nurse assured me I was correct to have started my meds on CD 3 and for calling to come in today. I felt better knowing I hadn't messed anything up! My right ovary has several cycsts: two larger ones measuring 11x7 and 10 along with several small ones measuring a six. The left ovary has multiple smalls, mostly sixes and sevens.
Today I shopped a little, got an hour massage, got a dozen krispy kreme donuts and was home by 4:50 p.m.
The nurse called back with my instructions and we did a double dose of menopur this evening around 10:00 p.m. It stung badly and when the needle was pulled out it hurt badly! Stephen was not on his A game tonight.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013: CD 8
I realized this morning that with my new injection cycle being double dose, triple does, double dose, triple does I would be out of shots before Monday if he keeps this nubmer of injections up. I called the clinic to see how many meds to order since we realized I will be out after Saturday with the upped dose. The nurse advised to get enough to get us through Monday and to guestimate that he will up my dose to a triple dose each day. I love how the nurses are like you know just order ten or twelve to be on the safe side. It's easy to say that in theory, it's another thing to say that when you are talking about $75 a dose!
I took a triple dose tonight. It wasn't too bad but stung like crazy afterwards at the injection sight. Stephen did a much better job pulling the needle out tonight. As I was laying there I was remembering the nurse the summer before 9th grade saying "this is the last shot you will ever have to get," as she gave me my hep b shot. Ha, how I'd love to speak to her now!
Thursday, August 8, 2013: CD 9
I almost forgot about my injection. I went to a shower for Tammi this evening and then over to the in-laws for dinner. We hung around and were watching tv until about 9:40 p.m. when I remembered them. One nice thing was that I did not dread the shot all evening!
I took a double dose of menopur that hurt really badly, but it was off and on throughout the shot. It's crazy how every time is different. Stephen decided to give me a sponge bath with alcohol rub in several different places on my stomach so I wouldn't know where the shot was going :) It is nice that he tries to make this awful event somewhat funny.
Friday, August 9, 2013: CD 10
I hung around house all day waiting for my precious meds to arrive. All they could tell me was they would be here between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. I called Walgreens around 5:00 p.m. to check on them and make sure they were actually on the truck for delivery. They assured me the answer was yes. Well, they arrived at 7:00 p.m! Talk about a nervous patient.
I was anxious for them to get here because we then were finally able to head to Lufkin for Tammi's labor. Owen was ready to make his appearance today. We hung around until they started her potosin. We left for dinner at 9:15 p.m. knowing Owen woudl probably arrive by the time we were done and we could bring Chris and Tammi dinner. We ordered and were eating our appitizers when I realized I had forgotten about doing the shot and it was 9:55 p.m! Stephen drew it up in resturaunt at the table. I'm pretty sure we looke like druggies. Unofrotunatley I had forgotten the q cap which helps you draw up the meds. This meant that the needle had to go into three different vials before it went into me. AKA a super dull needle was going into my skin!
So here we were sitting at the booth in Olive Garden and I had to take my injection and now. We went to the back of the resturaunt and I laid down on a long bench. It was a triple dose and stung so badly. I couldn't make any noise because we already looked really weird. Stephen was so compassionate and offered hand which I in turn squeezed the dickens out of.
Saturday, August 10, 2013: CD 11
We left for Shreveport about 7:00 a.m. this morning. My appointment was at 8:45 p.m. and I was out of the office by 9:05 p.m. They move pretty fast when it's the weekend. I have three cycsts worth mentioning: a 19x11 and an 8 on the left along with an 11x 8 on the right.
The clinic called back this afternoon while we were out and about to say we needed to do the trigger shot tonight and the IUI on Monday. This is where you just want to kick yourself because you have $750 worth of meds sitting at your house right now. Part of you thinks man I just wasted that money and the other part of you thinks well I will just use them next time. Unfortunately I'm pretty sure there's gonna be a next time :(
We went to Chris Crenshaw's graduation party tonight and I realized it was ten. Stephen went home to get my trigger shot so I could stay and hang with Hannah. I ended up taking the shot on Chris' bed. This is the first time Stephen has done the trigger shot. I usually meet Dr. Vineyard up at the clinic to get it. The needle is about two inches and goes in my bottom. Stephen did a great job and it didn't hurt one bit going in, but the injection sight was awful and I have a huge bruise now!
Sunday, August 11, 2013: CD 12
We spent the night in Shreveport tonight to try and have some fun. We ate at the Cheesecake Bistro on the Boardwalk and are staying in a room at Diamond Jacks. While having a romanic evening together was fun, it was also kinda pointless to be in a romantic room with jacuzzi tub when things can't happen due to an IUI taking place the next day!
Monday, August 12, 2013: CD 13
It was nice to sleep in for an 8:30 a.m. appointment for once. Stephen wrote an encouraging note on my thighs that said "Get'er Done". I'd been waiting months to do this since the idea crossed my mind through a funny conversation Dr. Vineyard and I had back earlier in the summer. Dr. Vandermonlen is a pretty serious guy and I thought it would be funny. We got to the clinic and Stephen gave his sample. We ran to Krispy Kreme, then back to wait. We were out by 10:00 a.m. and home by noon. Dr. Vandermolen didn't do the IUI, the nurse did it, but she thought the note was funny. When she was done she said she had done her part, not it was up to the swimmers!
And so now begins the two week wait!
Monday, August 19th: CD 20
I showed up to physicians clinical to have my progestrone lab work done but they did not have orderes. I had to get Dr. Vineyard to order them. By that I mean I had to leave, go up to work, get an order, fill it out and then return to Physcians Clinc to have my blood drawn.
Dr. Vineyard called about an hour later to let me know my progesterone was 12. He said that was fine, but he also figured Dr. Vandermolen would still put me on progeIstrone. Needless to say about an hour after that I got the call that Dr. Vandermolen wanted it to be a 15 so I was to start the progestrone vaginal suppositiories that evening. I am to do them twice a day in the evening and the morning. I'll save the gorry details, but they are pretty gross and you have to lay down for about 45 mintues after you use one, which stinks in the morning before work!
Last week has gone by quicklk and I've felt hopeful the treatment has worked until this weekend. Now I don't think it's gonna work and I'm bidding my time.
Friday, August 23: CD 24
It's currently 12:29 am and I can't sleep. I'm anxious to do the HCG blood work tomorrow so I can just know.
I had my blood drawn around 9:00 a.m. She couldn't get a vein on right arm so after digging around for about a minute and thumping my arm to death she moved to left arm. It hurt like the dickens, but it will let me know three days sooner than a urine test.
I left Physician's Clnical and went to hobby lobby to kill time. After texting Tricia to see if the results had come over the fax I soon heard my phone ringing. It was about 10:30 a.m. The screen said Dr. Vineyard. I didn't even have to answer it. I already knew. He wouldn't have called me otherwise. He let me know my HCG is one.
Now the waiting game begins for my period. I go up to the Pharmacy so I can tell Stephen in person. I don't know how many more of these I can handle. Stephen says he understands.
Saturday, August 24: CD 25
I'm realizing this next treatment is probably gonna be our last treatment. I can't handle three more emotionally or physically. It's been a long four years and I'm exhausted. As I sat on the couch at my inlaws it was all I could do to keep from bawling my eyes out. Stephen was at the lease and I need him home and now.
Stephen and I talked and he has hit his emotional wall too. This next one is it. I feel bad because my parents graciously paid for this last cycle. I feel like they've wasted their money. I also feel like I'm going to be wasting another 3 grand with the next cycle, but I need to do one more going into it knowing this is the last one. Now if my period will just start already. Who knows when that will happen. Could be another ten days. Last months cycle was 35 days long!
Sunday, August 25. 2013: CD 1
I started my period about 8:10 a.m. this morning while getting ready for church. I see it as a blessing I didn't have to wait another ten days to start this last treatment cycle. I called to report the cycle start at 8:20 a.m.
I had it together when I left for church this morning, but in the middle of singing at the beginning of the service I lost it. Like ugly cry lost it. It took everything I had to keep it together until the shaking of the hands. All I could think was the TV camera could be on me and I'm about to lose it. I slipped out and into the balcony to sit with Clint and JoDee. Thankfully she had some Kleenex. I'm so gratefull for friends who will just sit and let you ugly cry next to them.
When I got home from church I had two missed calls from the nurse. The second call she went ahead and scheduled my appointment for Tuesday at 8:00 a.m.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013: CD 3
I overslept and woke up at 5:43 a.m. I was supposed to get up at 5:37a.m. Luckily the dogs started barking so it wasn't too bad. I arrived at 7:50 a.m. for my 8:00 a.m. appointment. I let the nurse know this was going to be our last cycle so to please relay the message to Dr. Vandermolen and that we want him to give it all he can with the injections. She asked me about IVF and I let her know we were not going to pursue. She let us know if this cycle does not work and we ever change our minds about more IUI's or IVF we just have to call and set up an appointment like normal with the onset of a cycle. And then as she looked at the screen of the ultrasound she said, "well, we won't be doing anything this cycle." I have three HUGE cycsts. Normally I'm always worried about this but for some reason this time it didn't even cross my mind this could happen. This is our last cycle and pregnant or not I am ready to be done with the season in our life. And so I left the appointment with a heavy heart having to wait yet another cycle to be able to start our last. That is if the cysts are gone by then.
There you have it, a never ending process at a glimpse. I'm exhausted having just written it and lived it all over again. Please pray as we wait to being the final cycle not just for a preganancy, but for our hearts if preganancy is not in His plans for us. We aren't quite sure what we will do next but prayers for guidance will be grately appriciated. Shortly put it's been a long road.
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