Today is cycle day 5, and I started the Follistim injections. I was pretty anxious about giving myself an injection, though I used to help my dad with the at-home sugar monitor for his diabetes, and I’d test with him to kind of ease his anxiety about it. I knew I was brave enough to poke myself with one of those finger pricking things, but this needle has to go in my belly – and was longer than the needle from the diabetes kit.
I had been struggling with a major headache since Wednesday – consequently the first day I started Femara. I wasn’t sure if it was a side-effect, or just my sinuses acting up. My nose was stuffy, so really it could have been either. I generally don’t like to take stuff for a headache, unless it’s pretty bad – and I ended up taking Tylenol twice on Wednesday, and once Thursday night – it was hurting so much last night I couldn’t sleep. It went away with the Tylenol, but as soon as it wore off the headache seemed to come back. I was a little stressed that if this was a side-effect – and today we were adding another complication to the mix with the Follistim, that I might be in for a rough ride.
Thankfully, although I woke with a headache this morning, it left me within an hour or so and hasn’t come back (pu-pu-pu!) I showered around 11 or so, and my dear hubby sorted out the bits and pieces we needed to administer the shot. Our kitchen counter looked like I was about to perform major surgery (after washing my hands, while holding them up in the air as if I were about to slip on my mask and gloves, I had the urge to say, “Don’t touch me, I’m sterile!” but I knew nobody but me would laugh at that – Honeymooners, anyone?)
Anywho, we’re using the Follistim pen, a pretty nifty tool that’s got a very smart design. We watched the informational videos on the Follistim website yesterday (or Wednesday?) and we knew what to do, so we assembled the pen pieces (insert cartridge, assemble pen, attach needle, dial dosage) and I pinched a piece of belly fat (managed to find some…okay it’s hard to miss!) and inserted the needle. I swear I did not even feel a pin prick – it was less painful than the diabetes testing. I have bigger wounds on me from our monster kittens. It was really no sweat at all – well, I guess I did sweat a bit, but it was all anxiety-sweat!
So, we do Femara for 5 days (last day is Sunday), and we do the Follistim for 6 days (last day is Wednesday), then Sonogram Thursday and then we ‘do our thing’ that night and every other night for a week. Then, the dreaded ‘2ww’ (2 week wait) until we get the pregnancy test – assuming I don’t start before the 2 weeks is up.
Anyway, the Follistim is going well so far – and at this point I’m willing to chalk the headaches up to sinuses, so I’m going to say no side effects, either. woot!
We took some time to have waffles this afternoon, and made a pecan pie together this evening. I appreciate our lives so much, and the time we have together. I love the quiet moments, I love to laugh together, but most of all I love that we live together.
Even though we had to make the pie crust twice to get it right, and even though our pie is more crust than pie, we worked together to make it happen, we did it together with love, and there couldn’t be a more perfect pie.