It's kind of a good thing that the injections snuck up on us a week earlier than we'd been anticipating - cuz we skipped over all the anticipation of getting/giving the shots and just HAD to suddenly face doing them the next day!
Well one thing any IVF patient learns very quickly is that, those shots?... they are so totally not as bad as you're expecting them to be. I thought my heart was going to pound right out of my chest with anticipation as I was waiting for Hubby to stab that needle into my belly and get it all over with already. And then I kept waiting, and waiting and was about to yell at him to hurry it up, cuz the suspense was killing me - when I realized he'd already given me the shot! Let me tell you: ICE IS YOUR FRIEND.
I read online somewhere that icing before (and after) the shots is good for 2 reasons - numbing the injection site and reducing bruising. Now, as I lie on the couch each night with my icepack resting on my bare stomach for 3-4 minutes, I do find myself thinking - "isn't this actually more painful than a half-second-long prick?" But I digress! Definitely use ice, my friends.
Now, a play-by-play of the first 4 nights of shots. Cuz everyone totally wants to read about shots, right?
You'll recall from this post, all the meds we have to get from inside vials and cartridges INTO my belly fat...
Night 1: It took us almost half an hour to prepare the injection. It's very intimidating looking at all these vials and needles and bottles and containers. We laid everything out, read the instructions about 10 times each, double-triple checked each measurement and medicine and of course all the while we were both a little anxious about that first shot. We made the decision that Hubby would administer the shot each night, even though I know plenty of women do self-administer. But I like the idea of him having a role in all of this and I also liked that I could pawn that responsibility off on him! Fortunately we were able to mix 3 different medicines into 1 shot. Thank you Dr. A! This is the night I was waiting and waiting and waiting for that shot and realized he'd given it and I didn't feel it at all. Awesome! Zero side effects other than a tiny red dot on my belly which I noticed was still there by the next night.
Night 2: Already way easier all around. The injection took half the time to prepare and Hubby was able to give the shot faster too. Tonight I felt just a tiny sting as the medicine went in - I'm wondering if I took it out of the fridge too late and the meds were still cold. Note to self: take the meds out of the fridge about half an hour before injection time. I noticed some slight red splotchiness on my belly shortly afterwards, but not exactly where injection was. Dr. A told me later that it's normal. I've maybe noticed some tummy gurgling going on – or maybe that’s just the chili I had for dinner?
Night 3: Totally becoming not a big deal and totally didn't feel the shot again tonight. The faint splotchiness from last night stuck around today but was gone by late afternoon. Not feeling any bloating yet. So far everything is great! No side effects!
Night 4: No biggie. Piece of cake. I did notice that I had a headache after the shot tonight that didn't go away until late the next morning. Perhaps my first side-effect? (not a bad record!) Dr. A told me that it's probably due to the increase in estrogen my body is producing. I didn't take anything for it and it went away on its own. I also noticed a tiny bruise – almost unnoticeable though. I keep examining my belly to see if I see signs of anything! With so few side effects I'm wondering if anything's going on in there?! Hello, is this stuff working??
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