IVF action pics

This post was AC's idea! :)
We thought it would be fun/scary for you to see the shots that I had to go through during the IVF process. For some reason, the lupron shot did not come out, so we'll skip ahead to the Follistim shot (stimulates egg production). Follistim and Lupron are SQ (Sub Cutaneous) shots, which means I just had to inject into my fatty belly. Here's the follistim pen (this piece of equipment and medication costs about $1000, thankfully covered by insurance). The pen regulates the dosage and you push the big yellow button at the end to inject. Though the needle is short, the medication hurts like crazy (would sting for 2-3 hours after injection, and leave terrible bruises). AC and I agree that this was the worst shot out of the 4.



Second worst shots were the Progesterone in Oil, which we had to do every morning for 10 weeks! This is an IM (intramuscular shot)---the verrry long needle had to be plunged into the muscle. AC had to administer these into my booty (after 10 minutes of warming the medicine and my butt). He also had to do this freaky thing where he would plunge the needle in, draw back a bit to look for blood (meaning he hit a vessel) and then push in the medication. If he saw blood when drawing back, he'd have to inject again (thankfully we didn't run into this the entire time, yay!). The worst part of these shots were that the oil would clump up in the butt (you have to try to warm it in your body with a heating pad, but it was hard). So, after the first 10 or so shots, there were big lumpy spots in the injection sites (one on each cheek), which we would try to massage down. Also, as the weeks progressed, the shots would get bloodier and bloodier. Yuck!

Here was the HCG trigger shot, which only happened once. This one was the worst in anticipation (first shot that AC had to administer, and plus, look at how scary the needle is!). Thankfully, our pal Mina took us out to dinner that night and fortified him with several glasses of wine prior to shot time (the injection timing for this one was very precise). Although we were both very nervous, this one did not hurt half as much as we were dreading. As AC says, the only bad thing about this shot was that it gave us false hope about how easy the PIOs would be.

To bring the horror of the injections a little closer to home (and for a little comic relief), AC and I set up a little photoshoot of giving our poor, innocent animals injections.

Here is poor little Betelnut getting the Lupron shot (these were the easiest, though they left nasty bruises).

Papu--as you see this, you can picture me doing it to myself at the bar on your 30th bday!

Here's poor Filbert getting the Follistim shot. He looks very concerned!

Poor Pug had to undergo the PIO shot. Note how AC is very skilled in pinching the butt cheek hard to ease the pain (as directed by the nurses).

And finally, poor Clydette (in an homage to the torture she endured at the hands of my college roomies) got the dreaded Trigger shot. Like me, she cowers in pain.

Finally, just to freak my mom out, here's a picture of me about to get the Follistim :) This is also a little preview of my 13 week belly.

Enjoy, Mommy!