"Textbook Anatomy"

This morning I started calling Infertility clinics, OB's, and radiologists to try to get an appointment today or tomorrow for my HSG procedure. My own OB's office wasn't sure they could do this procedure if it was ordered by another clinic. So the phone nurse called me back and we talked about what all I was doing and what all we need to have done. She called me back again and said they had a doctor who could meet me across the street from their office at the radiology clinic....today! So I jumped at the chance, otherwise we'd lose another month by waiting until my next cycle to have the HSG done. I think today's snow storm had something to do with the availability of the appointment.

So I went in at 2:30. I had to undress and put on the little gown and some little paper sock things. She had me lay on the table as if I had my feet in stirrups, only there were no stirrups, just the edge of the table. She gave me a couple shots of novocaine in my cervix to numb it up, then placed a clamp. Then she inserted the little tube with which she squirted in the dye. I believe it was Iodine of some sort. We watched on a monitor as the dye filled my uterus and snaked through my fallopian tubes and into my ovaries. She then told me that I had "textbook anatomy" and that's exactly what we wanted to see. I had some mild cramping during the injection of the dye, but it wasn't bad at all. I had taken 3 Tylenol beforehand, just in case. I really liked this doctor, too. My old OB retired at the end of 2007 so I am currently without an OB. I think I will use her throughout the surrogacy. She has already seen my chart due to the HSG today, and she and I chatted for a bit about the surrogacy and what else I would need to have done.

On CD2 of my next cycle, I will start meds for the mock cycle. I am excited but I am also very nervous about giving myself the injections. I heard that the estrogen ones aren't bad at all...they are done subcutaneously in the stomach with an insulin needle. The one that I am worried about is the PIO: Progesterone in Oil. It has to go in with a bigger needle, intramuscularly. So, in my butt cheek. I've heard it burns going in and you have to massage it to keep it from forming a welt and a big bruise. This is the one I will have to continue all the way through the 13th week of the pregnancy. I'm sure I will do just fine. I'm pretty tough. =) I should start around 2/28 or 2/29 so it looks like I will start meds the first of March. So our real cycle will be in April with a transfer at the end of April or early May. The more I think about it, I guess I am glad we won't be doing a real cycle in March since I will still be moving into my new house and getting settled. I will need as little stress as possible when we do the 'real deal'.

I am confident that everything will go wonderfully and we'll get pregnant on the first try. M&B deserve it.