Day 9- “Good morning”, was said with a prick of the needle into my stomach.
I began taking Cetrotide this morning to help pause my body from going into the ovulation phase and will continue at night with the Gonal F and Menopur to help the follicles grow.
Bright and early this morning, Hubby and I head to Shady Grove to meet with Dr. O’Brien for our consult. 
She is a delight and informed us that we are on the right track.
Since my estrogen started off so low (50 on day 4), we are 2 days behind the protocol she originally outlined, making our retrieval 2 days later and therefore disrupting our travel plans back to Colorado.
God, help me be flexible. I’m not doing all of this just to botch it in the end over a change of travel days.
Change of travel days means a change of PTO at work and meetings and scheduled appointments.
Just another sign that I’m too busy during this season.
I relax and embrace that this process is not exact and that my body is responding just as it is supposed to. I keep praying for healthy eggs inside these follicles, regardless of how long it will take to grow them.
Dr. O’Brien has no concerns for what she is seeing and is very pleased with how my body is responding to the medication and process.
Our prayers are with God’s will and modern medicine as we continue this walk of faith into the unknown.
We spend the rest of the day playing tourists in Washington, DC. To the Holocaust Museum and then the Bible Museum. Such an amazing experience to be in the Nation’s capital and living with the freedom to explore history. Hubby continues throughout the city while I return back to Rockville, tired and depleted. I don’t think I’ll be doing that again as my body really is exhausted.
Gonal F- 187.5 IU
Menopur- 225 IU
Cetrotide- .25mg
Day 10– I return for another prick of the arm for blood work and ultrasound. The follicles are growing (praise God!) and we are looking at a 16mm follicle on the right side as our front-runner. Many on the left are still in the 9mm range though, so we have some growing to do.
I head upstairs for my acupuncture appointment and she focuses only on my kidney today. She explains there are two sides of the energy, like 2 bank accounts, one is checking and one is savings. When the checking runs out, I dip into savings, but I don’t spend enough time replenishing the savings and before I know it I’m in major debt in my body. Today we are going to help rejuvenate the savings side of my kidney. Apparently, the kidney is the part of the body that is feeding my ovaries the blood and protein necessary so they are working overtime right now.
The needles in my stomach ZING as she puts them in.
“Is this because my stomach is so sensitive from all the shots?” I ask.
“No, it’s because these are for your kidney’s and right now they are tired so they are more sensitive.”
…Interesting.
I rest under the heat lamp and carry that same posture of quiet and rest into the remainder of my day.
Gonal F- 150 IU
Menopur- 225 IU
Cetrotide- .25mg
Day 11– My bruised vein greets the phlebotomist.
“Which arm would you like?” I ask.
“Either one works for me”. She responds.
How to choose between two bruises? I just have to suck it up and let her prick me again.
The ultrasound was more painful today.
Everything seems more painful today, walking, sitting, bending.
She inserts the ultrasound wand and I feel like she is pushing through tight muscles. The follicles are growing, causing my stomach to feel swollen.
Sure enough, there are eight follicles on my right side, the largest being 20mm and seven on the left with the largest being 14mm. Come on left side!!
I spend the rest of the day relaxing. Reading, writing and grateful there is an NCIS marathon on USA.
Gonal F- 187.5 IU
Menopur- 225 IU
Cetrotide- .25mg
Hilary Maxwell 