It Started Out with a Kiss

This morning we had an ultrasound and blood work.  The ultrasound showed that we have 9 follicles!!!  They’re currently all between 11-14, whatever that means.  I believe they like to do the retrieval around 17-18 so we still have some growing to do.  My blood work showed that my estrogen levels are higher than they should be.  I need to report back tomorrow morning for more monitoring.  The nurses didn’t really seem concerned but after googling it (which is the devil) it could be an early indicator of OHSS or when my ovaries are hyper stimulated.  It can cause my ovaries to swell to the size of grapefruits and once it’s going to happen, it can’t be stopped.  I would just have to ride it out.  My levels are not nearly high enough to show OHSS yet and hopefully close monitoring will prevent it.  Perhaps it just means that we’ll be doing the retrieval earlier than expected.  I anticipate before Friday we’ll have our retrieval!!

During our shots tonight we added Ganirelix.  This will keep the follicles/eggs in my ovaries and prevent me from actually ovulating.  We don’t want my eggs releasing from the follicles/ovaries until 36 hours prior to retrieval.  Ganirelix will ensure we keep them right where they are, while the other meds will help the follicles continue to grow to the right size.

Tonight, we started with a kiss because really it’s important that we remember that this isn’t just clinical.  Yes, Kyle may be the one who is administering my medication, but he is first and foremost my amazing husband.  I’m not really sure how I hit the jackpot and landed him, but I’m so glad I did.  He said to me tonight, “Guess what?  You’re going to be pregnant soon.”  And then my heart melted and I was giddy.  The shots weren’t so bad tonight.  We found that the insulin needle we use for the Low Dose sticks a bit (a new syringe/needle each night) and that causes some pain but other than that, not bad at all.  It’s all within our grasp now!