The Big Three, "Trigger", and all the sidekicks!

NOTE: THIS POST IS NOT FOR THE SQUEEMISH!

We realized last night that we hadn't posted about our meds.  Earlier I explained what a healthy child I was, so our ER (Egg Retrieval) was my first experience with any type of surgery.  Well, forget surgery, let's just talk about all the medicine.  Craig is our household pharmicist, mainly because I just don't care  know much about drugs, and really haven't had to take many medications over the years.  I couldn't even tell you the difference in Tylenol vs. Ibuprofen.  (Is there a difference?)   Craig is a different story.  He can tell you what you need to take for just about anything: cold, allergies, nausea, etc.  But NEITHER of us were prepared for the pharmacy our dining area would soon become.  I'm taking you on a little tour...We'll start with our medications.  Not too freak you out, but I think we are just completely fascinated that it takes this MUCH to achieve what many other women's bodies do every month......well, X 30.  And, I guess we're pretty proud of ourselves for getting through this part!

"The Big Three"- These guys were the key to getting us our 30 little eggies.  These we did every night for about 9 days (a little longer on the Ganarelix)
Gonal-F: This is a cool pen that didn't hurt one bit. Just wind it up to the dosage and click.
Menopur: We'd had experience with this guy before when we did our IUIs.  In fact, I have video footage of those shots.   I was worried about him though because our dosage doubled for IVF.  But he was pretty kind to me.
Ganarelix: This is the suppressant and what we hope is going to keep me from Hyperstimulating.  We are still praying and crossing our fingers over this, but so far it looks like its worked.

 (Top to Bottom: Ganarelix, Menopur, Gonal-F Pen)


"Trigger" - My affectionate name for this little single dose of Lupron that got our eggs ready for ER.

"The Sidekicks"-
Progesterone in Oil: Now that we're in the home stretch and preparing for our Embryo Transfer, Progesterone is the main guy.  Unfortunately, he is ENORMOUS, and he has to go in the "back side" rather than the stomach.  I freaked out when I first saw him, and I have never seen Craig so nervous about his "nursing skills" before.  But other than the initial prick, he's not so bad!  (Maybe if your lucky, I'll post a demonstration of Craig giving me this shot....just kidding.)

 (Pictured ABOVE is the PIO on the left, next to the Menopur.  See how HUGE it is! Gah!)

Methylprednosone & Tetracycline:  Prevent infection after the surgery.
Estradiol: Estrogen supplement to support possible pregnancy.
Pre-Natal Vitamins: and that's it folks!