Tuesday, October 24, 2006

That wasn't so bad!

"Subcutaneous injection" sounds like such a scary term, but I learned this morning that it's not that bad. The needle is very small and thin - I honestly didn't feel it going in at all. The medication burned a little and the injection site itched for about 10 minutes, but that was that. What I'm left with is a huge sense of accomplishment - I injected myself! I keep waiting for all of this to feel real. I thought maybe it would happen at my trial transfer, or when we signed the forms, or even when we paid the bill. This morning was as close as I've come to realizing what we're doing. IVF seems like such a concrete thing, such a serious procedure, but it's really a series of small steps taken one day at a time.

B decided to tell his best friend what we're doing and why. They have been friends since preschool, but we only see he and his wife once every few months because we live in different states. His friend was very supportive and also knew a lot about IVF and egg donation. It was kind of creepy to have him suggest that I could sell my eggs and get $6000-$10000 for each one. I have no idea where he came up with that figure. I'm glad B continues to share with the people close to him. I told him he should start a blog to reach out to other men out there with MFI and to give the women some male perspective. After his initial "no way" he said he'd think about it. It might be tricky because he doesn't know about my blog, but I'd be willing to tell him if he wanted to start his own! We'll see if I can convince him.

4 comments:

Serenity said...

Congratulations on getting through your first injection! I didn't find them too horrible either - particularly because I coped with it by thinking the same way you did - a small series of steps.

I am hoping for the very best result for you!!!!!!!!

Unknown said...

Good job!!! There IS something empowering about knowing that we can do this -- overcoming our fears, I guess. I like your 'one day at a time' approach.

And I'm glad that B is feeling comfortable opening up to his friends. My husband didn't want anyone to know why we needed IVF at first, but has also been opening up more. I'm glad that B is finding support. I wish there weren't such a (self-perceived?) stigma around MFI.

Hopeful Mother said...

Congrats on the sub-cu injections. Indeed, my RE likes to say, "you can't win the war without winning the battles."

IVF is a series of lots of little hurdles. If you can get over all of them you have a pretty good chance for a pregnancy at the end of it all!

I understand what you mean about the stigma with MFI. My husband hasn't really told anyone. His parents, my parents know and a few of my close friends.

Anonymous said...

Well done on your first injection. My partner has to do mine; even as a nurse I cannot inject myself.

Good luck with the results.