More Details on Sharp Things

Weight: 157.2 lbs
Mood: A wee bit tired, coming down off being nervous as a cat and catching up on two late nights watching Hero and The Biggest Loser
Medications: Estrace 2mg, Follistim 150, Menopur 75

I kinda glossed over my first injection because I had rambled on too long regarding my baseline ultrasound. I had to stop at the market after work to get cotton pads and rubbing alcohol since it wasn't inculded in my box from the pharmacy.

I have this habit of putting off work I don't want to do with work I don't want to do a little less. So instead of doing dishes, I may cut coupons which I find to be less onerous, but is still work that needs to be done. So to put off playing pin cusion, I decided to start working on cuttng hot peppers for the batch of salsa I plan on making tonight. I've made the mistake in the past of not wearing rubber gloves and got all sorts of eye burn when I accidentally touched my eyes. So with rubber gloves on hand I delayed my first injection by inhaling noxious pepper fumes. Our peppers are hot enough the breathing them in burns too.

So with peppers finished, I pulled out the Follistim pen, Follistim med, and Menopur pack. The nurse had taped the syringe and needle I needed to use for the injection to the box so no confusion there. I pulled the Follistim pen out, took it apart and had to consult the instructions as to how to load it up and swab the bits. I also had to put on the tiny little needle it wanted. It also asked me to prime the needle to make sure it kicked out the fluid.

There is something good about loosing weight and going from a 48 inch waist to a 32 inch waist. I have 32 inches of nerve endings spread out over 48 inches of skin. So pinching a inch or two and putting something sharp into it is less likely to hit a nerve. I've had injections and blood draws over the last few years often enough to know to look away and get it over with. Self inflicting the injection though.....That follistim pen's needle was tiny. Smaller than a straight pin, and certainly sharper. I swabbed the area correctly, let it dry, and after a moments hesitation I pushed the needle in....

No pain, just presence. I've had painless blooddraws where your skin doesn't acknowlege pain, but you veins cry a silent bloody murder which will cause a cold sweat. So my internal system knew something was disturbed, but my skin wasn't participating in the excercise. Took a moment to get my hand adjusted and I pushed the meds in. It's funny how the pen rotates against your thumb, but I did it.

Now onto the Menopur. No pens and some mixing to do. I had watched a YouTube video on mixing the meds, so after cleaning the water vial, I took the syringe (with a big needle) and injected 1 cc of air into the vial and let pressure help me take out 1 cc of liquid. I then put that into the powder vial, which dissolved immediately. At this point is when my husband asked how it was going and I told him that I had already did the Follistim and had moved onto the Menopur. (He was a wee bit surprised)

Now getting all the med out of the vial took a little while. The method on YouTube didn't work for me and I went with the method the nurse showed me, which worked fine. I changed needles to the tiny one which seem to be the same size as the Follistim. I am sure I made a mistake on this first injection. I thought I had all the air at the top of syringe, but as I pushed the plunger into to eject it, I kept getting medicine. So I wasted all of the medicine in the needle. Next time I plan on pulled air in to clear the needle before I check for bubbles.

The second injection was easier, knowing to expect little or no sensation. I had more fluid to put in so it took a little while longer to push it all in. Neither of the injection locations bled at all, and one day later are tiny little red pin pricks. The Menopur had a bit of warmth afterward, but not the burn that some people say it does. (I'm only doing 75 IUs though)

So here I am expecting some symptoms to show up...still waiting. I ran to the library to get a new book on tape for the gym and to the store for some onions for tonights salsa. I guess I do my injection tonight after cutting onions. The injections should be a breeze once I stop crying from the onions.