Side note: I'm so disappointed in myself for not blogging about this part of my treatment when I went through IVF the first time around in 2012. It's amazing how much of this process that I thought was so ingrained in my mind - like a tattoo - has been erased or is just plain foggy. Then again, I didn't start my blog until after all this stuff had already happened. Ugh! Note to self: be better at documenting things this time around!
***
I meant to write this post earlier but I had two sick toddlers on my hands around the time this cycle officially started. It was a really rough seven days. Then there was work and (trying) to catch up on sleep. And just life in general. So here I am. Finally.
CD1 started Saturday, December 28 - even earlier than any of my "normal" early periods - which meant my cycle was only 26 days in November. Out of all the years of tracking my cycles, I had never recorded anything less than 27 days before. Cue freak out and Google search, re: premature menopause. Results: inconclusive. As you would expect from Google. Note to self: Discuss with doctor - my mom went through menopause around age 40. Although, now that I think about it, I don't remember (I was only 10 after all) if she went through menopause before or after her hysterectomy. I'm sure my dad would know but that's not exactly something I'm excited to bring up to him.
Anyway, I missed the window of calling my RE's office on Saturday to report CD1 and discuss next steps, and they are always closed Sundays except for important and unavoidable appointments. So I gave them a call Monday morning, and of course I had to leave a voice message. Less than two hours later, I received a call-back from a nurse with instructions: start BCPs Wednesday, December 2 and continue taking them through Wednesday, December 23.
I didn't have time to fill my prescription until Wednesday after work, and even then, I nearly forgot...I'm easily distracted these days. So I rushed to my local Target pharmacy during E&E's bedtime routine (I hate missing putting them to bed) and came home with more than just my Rx, because who goes to Target and makes it out alive with only one or two things in their cart? And I took my pill around 8:30 pm.
Fast forward to Thursday morning: me with a horribly upset stomach, sitting on the toilet crying, and trying not to vomit at the same time. I managed to squeak out "I can't do this!" to myself between sobs and nightmarish flashbacks to the all-day "morning" sickness I had with my twins for 17 weeks. Then I was finally forced to "finish up" before I was ready because I knew it was coming: the wretched vomit from the pit of my stomach caused by my BCPs. Oh how I hate those things! Only, this time, it didn't come. I knelt there for at least a good 10 minutes dry heaving and hoping and praying for some relief. Then, all of a sudden, just as quickly as it came on, the pain and nausea vanished (mostly). And I felt like a real person again. I whispered to myself "maybe I can do this."
Don't get me wrong, I had mild nausea the entire rest of the day, but nothing as bad as what I was hit with early in the morning. I've had this strong reaction before but I've always just powered through it. ...Not this time. This time, I called my RE's office. At 7:59 in the morning. And left a message.
A nurse actually called me back before 9:00 am but I just missed her call by a few seconds. So I called back again right away, even before giving my phone a chance to register a voice mail, and guess what! Someone actually answered! Miracle of miracles, I didn't have to leave another message. The nurse who returned my call in the first place was routed to my call by another nurse; I was glad to be able to speak with her rather than try to explain what had happened to someone else while I was at work.
She gave me a few options: 1 - Stop taking the BCPs and get re-dated for a "natural" cycle but this would push our transfer out to March. Curious as I am about how a natural cycle works, I passed. I had no desire to push our transfer out FOUR more months. 2 - Continue taking the pills normally and put up with the nausea, which she said would improve over time as my body got used to the new hormone levels, and continue with this cycle as planned. She also recommended taking the pills at night (which I was already doing) and taking them with food (which I did as well). 3 - She could call in a new prescription to my pharmacy for a low-hormone BCP.
I opted for the last one, which was actually my suggestion to her. I went through this same experience in college (except I did actually throw up in a campus restroom between classes and my student job) and ended up on a low-hormone pill at that time, which, it turned out, I didn't need to be on in the first place because there is no getting this woman pregnant naturally. No way. No how.
But I never ended up picking up that new prescription because I didn't think my insurance would cover two sets of BCPs in one month. I never called to check on this to be 100% sure, but it's par for the course; I've run into this with other prescriptions. So I've just been putting up with the nausea and lack of appetite for almost two weeks now. I haven't felt like I've needed to throw up since that awful Thursday morning, but I've definitely been nauseated every day and feeling like I don't want to eat (or like I just want unhealthy junk food). So basically, I already feel like I'm pregnant without actually being pregnant. Yay. (Not.)
{note: this post will continue next time with my SIS / trial transfer appointment and our nurse consult / financial consult appointment. and lots of tears.}
***
I meant to write this post earlier but I had two sick toddlers on my hands around the time this cycle officially started. It was a really rough seven days. Then there was work and (trying) to catch up on sleep. And just life in general. So here I am. Finally.
CD1 started Saturday, December 28 - even earlier than any of my "normal" early periods - which meant my cycle was only 26 days in November. Out of all the years of tracking my cycles, I had never recorded anything less than 27 days before. Cue freak out and Google search, re: premature menopause. Results: inconclusive. As you would expect from Google. Note to self: Discuss with doctor - my mom went through menopause around age 40. Although, now that I think about it, I don't remember (I was only 10 after all) if she went through menopause before or after her hysterectomy. I'm sure my dad would know but that's not exactly something I'm excited to bring up to him.
Anyway, I missed the window of calling my RE's office on Saturday to report CD1 and discuss next steps, and they are always closed Sundays except for important and unavoidable appointments. So I gave them a call Monday morning, and of course I had to leave a voice message. Less than two hours later, I received a call-back from a nurse with instructions: start BCPs Wednesday, December 2 and continue taking them through Wednesday, December 23.
I didn't have time to fill my prescription until Wednesday after work, and even then, I nearly forgot...I'm easily distracted these days. So I rushed to my local Target pharmacy during E&E's bedtime routine (I hate missing putting them to bed) and came home with more than just my Rx, because who goes to Target and makes it out alive with only one or two things in their cart? And I took my pill around 8:30 pm.
Fast forward to Thursday morning: me with a horribly upset stomach, sitting on the toilet crying, and trying not to vomit at the same time. I managed to squeak out "I can't do this!" to myself between sobs and nightmarish flashbacks to the all-day "morning" sickness I had with my twins for 17 weeks. Then I was finally forced to "finish up" before I was ready because I knew it was coming: the wretched vomit from the pit of my stomach caused by my BCPs. Oh how I hate those things! Only, this time, it didn't come. I knelt there for at least a good 10 minutes dry heaving and hoping and praying for some relief. Then, all of a sudden, just as quickly as it came on, the pain and nausea vanished (mostly). And I felt like a real person again. I whispered to myself "maybe I can do this."
Don't get me wrong, I had mild nausea the entire rest of the day, but nothing as bad as what I was hit with early in the morning. I've had this strong reaction before but I've always just powered through it. ...Not this time. This time, I called my RE's office. At 7:59 in the morning. And left a message.
A nurse actually called me back before 9:00 am but I just missed her call by a few seconds. So I called back again right away, even before giving my phone a chance to register a voice mail, and guess what! Someone actually answered! Miracle of miracles, I didn't have to leave another message. The nurse who returned my call in the first place was routed to my call by another nurse; I was glad to be able to speak with her rather than try to explain what had happened to someone else while I was at work.
She gave me a few options: 1 - Stop taking the BCPs and get re-dated for a "natural" cycle but this would push our transfer out to March. Curious as I am about how a natural cycle works, I passed. I had no desire to push our transfer out FOUR more months. 2 - Continue taking the pills normally and put up with the nausea, which she said would improve over time as my body got used to the new hormone levels, and continue with this cycle as planned. She also recommended taking the pills at night (which I was already doing) and taking them with food (which I did as well). 3 - She could call in a new prescription to my pharmacy for a low-hormone BCP.
I opted for the last one, which was actually my suggestion to her. I went through this same experience in college (except I did actually throw up in a campus restroom between classes and my student job) and ended up on a low-hormone pill at that time, which, it turned out, I didn't need to be on in the first place because there is no getting this woman pregnant naturally. No way. No how.
But I never ended up picking up that new prescription because I didn't think my insurance would cover two sets of BCPs in one month. I never called to check on this to be 100% sure, but it's par for the course; I've run into this with other prescriptions. So I've just been putting up with the nausea and lack of appetite for almost two weeks now. I haven't felt like I've needed to throw up since that awful Thursday morning, but I've definitely been nauseated every day and feeling like I don't want to eat (or like I just want unhealthy junk food). So basically, I already feel like I'm pregnant without actually being pregnant. Yay. (Not.)
{note: this post will continue next time with my SIS / trial transfer appointment and our nurse consult / financial consult appointment. and lots of tears.}