IVF Monitoring Appointment #2: Moving Right Along Despite Speed-bumps

On Thursday (Stim Day#6) I had my second monitoring appointment and then my third today (Stim Day #8). I'm still waiting on the call for all the results from the today's appointment, so I'll focus on the second appointment.

On Thursday, I had three follicles over 10mm and another four follicles that are not far behind between 8-9mm. My estroidal levels raised from 200ish to 400ish. They kept my Follistim dose the same at 150iu until I come back in two days. The big change was that I began the Ganirelix to prevent premature ovulation. I need to take it as the same time every morning, which kinda really sucks, because the latest time that C could give it to me was at 6am due to his nursing clinical schedule, meaning I now have to get by 6am every day from now on. Have I mentioned I'm not a morning person?

Physically, I am definitely starting to feel the effects of my body working overtime. I get minor pains in my ovaries and feel bloated. Yesterday I was convinced that I've gained 5 pounds so I weighed myself and I'm actually down a pound from when I started. This was surprising, but it's probably because I haven't had much of an appetite since Wednesday and I'm sure I'm eating less. I have not been sleeping as well as I usually do, likely due to discomfort, and this coupled with the many morning appointments and the fact that I'm limiting my caffeine intake, is leaving my chronically fatigued.

Work has been very challenging this week. I had taken on several more patients than I usually do so I was working late hours. My plan to counter-email all of the harassing billing emails seemed to start a ripple effect that resulted in one of the heads of the hospital getting involved and a meeting with my administrator. I was am having a very difficult figuring out how much of my emotional upset was due to the circumstances and how much was due to my hormones, but it amounts to feeling under-appreciated and overwhelmed.  In the end, I stood my ground. My administer was receptive to my feelings and assured me that she and my boss were very happy and appreciative of all the work I've been doing and not concerned with the billing issues; however these harassing emails come from higher-up as an official hospital policy and likely can't be changed.

Finally, C has been battling a nasty cold, hoping it's not the flu. We both got flu shots, but know that it doesn't protect you from all the possible variations. Because it is imperative that I don't get sick, he's been sleeping in the spare bedroom and we've been avoiding being too close to one another. It actually feels like I'm quarantined, and we have both mentioned the irony that avoiding one another is the best way to make a baby right now. Hopefully he feels better in time for the retrieval day (i.e. fresh sperm collection day) and I stay germ free.

I had big ambitions for this weekend, but I'm fairly certain that I will instead be focusing on taking care of my physical and emotional well being.