Last night I just couldn't get it right!

Yesterday was business as usual, except instead of going out for lunch after church we all went over to my inlaws' house for Easter dinner. We had lots of good food and I even got to the halfway point in the book I'm reading (The Other Boleyn Girl, 730+ pages long!).

It was time for my injections (both were due last night) and I got out all my supplies like normal. I stuck the needle in for the PIO and drew back on the plunger a bit and blood started pouring into the syringe. Great...I had hit a blood vessel or vein. So I pulled it out and blood was pouring down my hip. Gross. Once I cleaned it up and stopped the bleeding, I had to dump that whole syringe or meds and start all over. The second time around it went fine. So then on to the Delestrogen. I loaded up the syringe and took one last look before I injected and realized that the needle was huge! It turns out that half of the pacakge of needles are 18 gauge and the other half are 22s, which are the ones I usually use for injections. I'm glad I noticed before I tried to stick the giant 18 into my backside! I wonder if I have done that before without noticing? So once I put the correct needle on, I did my injection like usual, and when I withdrew the needle blood starting pouring out again. I think it was a blood pocket from when I hit the vein with the PIO. Certainly the most eventful evening of injections to date.

I have a PIO injection tonight and tomorrow night, then Wednesday is my lining biopsy. I get to stop the injections for a bit!! I'm glad because my hiney needs to heal. I'm starting to get lumpy back there from the oil puddling up in the muscle. I hope it dispenses on its own pretty quickly. Apparently I need to do more massaging and heating after the injections to prevent lumps and knots.

I'm pretty nervous about the biopsy. This is where they are checking to see if my lining has all the goodies in it that need to be there at this point in my cycle. If it corresponds with where I'm at in my cycle then we're good to go. If it doesnt, I dont know what we'll do next. I dont even know the likelihood of my lining being 'off'. So we wait. They say it takes about a week after the procedure to get results back from Johns Hopkins. It will be an excruciatingly worrisome week for me! After having my lining being a little too thin at the first ultrasound I am just scared we'll have another setback. And its not that *I* am in a hurry to BE pregnant...its just that I am in a hurry for *M&B* to be pregnant. Patience...patience...patience...

Will update when there's more news. :)

Progesterone verdict...

Piece of cake! As a matter of fact, it hurt less than the Delestrogen. :)

We've got an 8!

My recheck this morning went well. I've got a lining thickness of 8 so we're ready to move forward. I have to have my biopsy next Wednesday the 26th instead of this Thursday. There has to be a certain amount of time between the lining check and the biopsy, so this week would be too soon.

I continue the Estrace and Delestrogen and I add in the PIO injections starting tonight. Chris joked that I need a calendar to keep up with it all. I actually think that's a great idea!

I'm watching a show on Discovery Health right now about a woman who carried twins for her sister. It's a good show. They could have explained in more detail about the medical aspect of it and what leads up to the pregnancy, but their main focus is the pregnancy and delivery. But thats good too because that's the fun part!

I will update again soon. I'll let you all know if the Progesterone shots are as bad as everyone says they are. ;)

Another update

Well I spoke with Jan (my nurse at Shady Grove) and she said the doctor wants me to have a lining thickness of at least 8 before I start my Progesterone injections. So she called me in a prescription for Estrace, which is an estrogen suppository. I need to do this 2 times a day, along with my Delestrogen injection every 3 nights. I go back in for another lining ultrasound on Monday the 17th. I'm sure I will have at least an 8 by then! As long as it is, I will start my nightly PIO shots and then have my lining biopsy on the 20th.

I got to talk to M on the phone today. We're both so anxious to get our timeline so we know what to do and when...and when the fun stuff starts! We're both kind of in the dark right now...its such a waiting game...but we're both very excited too!

Now, off to the pharmacy to get my goodies!

Chicago and Appointments

Well the group meeting on Saturday was fantastic! I actually got to know people this time instead of hiding behind Chris. Since he wasn't there I was kind of forced out of my comfort zone. Several of us met up in the hotel lobby before the meeting and went to lunch at Bennigan's. That was lots of fun. The meeting went great. We got to hear 2 birth stories and then hear where everyone else was at in the surrogacy journey. There's one surro whose British IM spent a month living with her and her family during the egg retrieval/transfer process. They got really close and now the surros kids consider the IM as part of their family. The surro has an induction planned for April 4th and they are all super excited. There was another IM story that wasn't so great but we dont want to talk about that. LOL! But it was so good to see my counselors again.

So today I had my appointments. My first one was at 9am for bloodwork. My results were back today as well. My E2 (estrogen) level was 216 and my P4 (progesterone) level was 0.8. The nurse at the clinic said those were good and normal. My lining ultrasound wasn't as good. W were hoping for an 8 or better but my lining was between 5 and 6. I think it has something to do with the fact that I had to start on CD3 instead of CD2 as well as the fact that my cycles are 31 days, not the usual 28. So I think I am probably just fine and they had me do this a bit early.

I will have to have the lining biopsy now. =( I start my PIO shots tomorrow night. Those are nightly injections. Then on March 20th I will have my biopsy. Now this was the original plan all along...it was only a couple weeks ago when they changed protocol to only require the biopsy if the lining wasn't lined up perfectly in the beginning. So that will be a fun time I'm sure. Hopefully they give me a good pain pill for that!

I'm pretty bummed about that but I know everything will be fine.

Uh oh...Side Effects

Well, tonight was injection #3 and I've been feeling some side effects. First of all, my moods are all over the map. I've been feeling pretty sad and just in an overall funk for a few days. This could be a combination of the estrogen and the chaos in my life right now with the new house. Our painter is almost done so once he's out of here I think I might feel a little more normal. It's so weird having someone else in your house all day long for several days. Granted, he was our pastor for a while, but its still weird to not feel like you can be yourself comfortably in your own home. Once he's done we can get more things put away and organized.

Also, the estrogen is making me hungry ALL the time. I have been desperately trying to eat healthy things whenever the hunger pang hits, but I dont always make the best decision. I think I've gained some weight and that freaks me out and makes me sad. I know I'll gain weight while pregnant but I was hoping to bypass any cycling gains. I feel so big and bloated...just very unattractive. I hope these feelings go away soon. I have a girls night out with my best friends on Friday night...I know they will make me feel better! I've talked to other surros who said the estrogen made them eat as if they were pregnant. So at least I know its not in my head! :)

Next injection is on Sataurday night, which means I have to take a dose with me to Chicago. I hope I can get it on the plane with no problem. Chris is taking Nicki and I to the airport, and then her husband will pick us up Sunday morning and bring me home. She lives about 4 minutes away from our new house. We're practically neighbors! I hope she gets matched with a wonderful couple soon. She had a thyroid issue pop up at the meeting between her and her potential IPs, and she had a preterm delivery once so they will only let her transfer 1 embryo at a time. So those IPs decided to move on and choose another surrogate. I hope she gets matched with another couple soon...she's a really great gal.

I will update more after the Chicago meeting. I just cant wait to see everyone again and meet the new ladies. It will be a mini vacation for me. I feel like I never get a break here at home so I am really excited about my 24 hours of no arguments, spills, diapers, and laundry. :)