Overwhelmed

Well, we are no longer just talking the IVF talk... we have officially taken the plunge and are now walking the walk. And I must say, it's much easier and way less scary to just talk about it than it is to actually do it! Last week once the financing was finalized and some of the medications (there are 9 total!) were ordered and delivered, my stress level felt like it quadrupled. IVF suddenly became very real. Below is a picture of the delivery of just 4 of the medications... AGH!

I was super nervous opening those boxes! Anyone that knows me knows that I HATE needles! I've gotten a little better about them as I've gotten older, but it will be by no means even remotely easy for me to give myself all of the injections each day. After opening one of the boxes and seeing one of the needles, I literally felt sick to my stomach and had to sit down. I immediately called Dr. Kathy to ask her about it (it's HUGE... and thick!) and she laughed at me. Thankfully, it's just the needle that I will use to mix one of the medications. It will NOT be puncturing my skin! Yay! And within an hour of the wave of nausea and panic, my friend Emily came over to help calm my nerves with a tasty adult beverage :) Thanks Em!

Now that the IVF ball is rolling, to say that I am overwhelmed just barely scratches the surface. Luckily though, I have another great friend, Jill, that put me in touch with one of her college friends, Mandy, that I had met a couple of times a few years ago. As it turns out, Mandy and her husband went through IVF this past year, and now have a wonderful baby boy! Over the past week, Mandy has given me some advice to somewhat ease the anxiety. It has really helped a lot having someone to talk to that has gone through IVF. Some of her suggestions so far are:
1. Acupuncture - My first appointment with The Texas Center for Reproductive Acupuncture is next Thursday, and I'm actually pretty excited about it!
2. Yoga - My membership at Dynamic Power Yoga starts Monday, and I'm really excited about this too!
3. Alcohol swabs for diabetics - they have a little bit of numbing agent that will help with soreness from all the injections.
4. Ice Pack - to also help with soreness from all the injections.
5. Eating pineapple after the embryo transfer - it is supposed to help with implantation. And since pineapple happens to be my favorite fruit, this part will be a breeze!

Next week, the last of the medications will be delivered and I will have my appointment with the nurse to show me how to administer all of it. And then the week after next, it's showtime baby! In my last post I mentioned something about how quickly time passes... so I'm expecting these next two weeks to happen in a flash. Even with the overwhelming anxiety of IVF, I really want to make the best of this journey... and start by thanking all of the wonderful people in my life for praying for us and supporting us. I am truly grateful to God for being so incredibly blessed to have the best family and friends in the world! I don't know what we would do without you all :) Until next time...