Trials, Blessings and Laughter: Will it double?

After our last HCG being higher again and doubling like it should, the Dr. wanted us to go back for labs again in 4 days. What a long 4 days that was as we continued to be grateful and hopeful, but still were nervous about our numbers rising like they need. Thankfully we had a fundraiser event in New York and that helped to pass time and be a great distraction. There was a family (the Meyfort family) whose son, Kyle, we had helped with new hearing aids a couple years earlier. This family is amazing and decided they wanted to do a fundraiser to give back and help more kids who need hearing aids as their way of paying it forward. It was such a great event and with the funds raised, we should be able to help 4-5 kids in the New York area with new aids, thanks to this family. What a great thing to be part of on helping others and it's been so rewarding to see someone we have helped then have such a passion in helping more people. It was a great trip and even though I wasn't able to help much and tried to take it easy as much as I could, I still felt part of it all.

On Friday when we arrived in New York, we saw the news on the hotel TV saying there had been several terrorist attacks in Paris and that 100+ people had died and many more injured. It was such a sad and terrifying day for us all as we saw Paris in mourning, fear and panic. Our hearts went out to them and brought back our own feelings of what it was like for us after our 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York. With us being in New York and all security measures being increased and on heightened alert (especially in New York), it was a little nerve racking to be in New York. These attacks didn't seem to be at high security areas necessarily, but just at busy places, which is really hard to protect against. We also knew the airport would be extra crazy to leave from on Sunday when we went home. Thankfully it wasn’t an issue for us, and we were glad to still be enjoying the freedoms that come from living in the U.S. Many aren’t as lucky.

Our next lab test for our HCG numbers was on Tuesday Nov. 17^th. After a lot more prayers and Justin fasting that morning again, we once again went to the hospital about 15 miles away, drew the blood and waited for the results. They know us pretty well by now and don’t really even have to ask if we will be waiting for the results, whoever draws the blood just verifies that we will be waiting right? They even know to bring them out folded over and that we leave with them that way. This time instead of opening them right away in the car, we started to drive home, thinking we would look at the results there. But, our anxiety (ok, MY anxiety) would let me wait, so we decided to pull off the side of the road and look at the results. From my math, we needed our number to be at least a 1640. So, here we go again… we opened the paper and there it was…1881!! Wow!! We were soooo excited and yelling and jumping up and down in the car, hugging and crying once gain. I’m sure any cars passing would have wondered what in the world was happening in that car on the side of the road. LOL!!! It was such a relief to know that they were doubling like they should and that we were back on track. Of course our Dr. was happy with the results too and asked us to go back again the following Monday (6 days later) for another HCG test. I was so happy to not have to be monitored so closely that we could go 6 days now instead of 2 or 4. Yay! Less needles for me always makes me happy!! But I'm also totally happy to keep doing injections and labs since it means I'm still pregnant and worth any sacrifice and pain! :-)

P.S. As a side note, we have 2 injections each night; Progesterone which has to go into my top outer part of my bum muscle and is a long 1 1/2" needle, and a Lovenox injection, which is a subcutaneous shot that I do in my thighs or stomach. Of all of the different shots I've had to have in the past 3-4 months, these are my least favorite. I REALLY REALLY hate them both and for different reasons.

The Progesterone is in oil (started that one several days before my transfer on Oct. 24th) so it's thicker so is more painful for me, but mostly because my poor bum is sooooo sore from the needles, but also the muscles, so I am in pain whether I'm sitting, standing or especially laying down. I'm tender to the touch and going to the bathroom, where I take my pants up and down is especially painful and almost makes me cry sometimes. I have to admit it makes me laugh too as it's so ridiculous and I don't have a choice so may as well laugh about it. But I look like an old person and it takes me minutes to get in and our of the car too. Progesterone injection tip: I'll admit that this one has literally been a pain in my bum!! I've tried so many different people's suggestions to make this one better as some people don't seem to really even have pain with this and others are like me and really do. After weeks of this one, the best tip I have is to use a small rice heating thing (not sure what they are called, but a homemade heating pad with rice inside that you heat up in the microwave). I would first poke around on the side we were doing the shot on (even days are the left side and odd are the right so I'd remember). I'd find the LEAST sensitive spot and use my finger nail to scratch a small circle, many times and hard. Then put the heating rice thing on there for about 2 minutes. Use and alcohol wipe and that would illuminate the red circle mark I'd scratched, giving my hubby the exact spot to inject. (We tried pens to mark it, but then got ink all over when we did the alcohol wipe). A nurse friend showed us that we could go up on the injection at a 45-80 degree angle (because she said I didn't have as much fat to go through, which way nice to know, LOL) but then we also injected REALLY slow, like over about 3-5 minutes. This tends to make me a little bit less sore since the muscle can better get used to the oil going into the muscle. I then put the rice heating thing back on for about 30-60 min, but also tried to walk around and move the muscle around more to get the oil in there and hopefully have it clump up less and cause less scar tissue. (I also HAD to watch TV or listen to music during the injection to distract me).

The Lovenox shot (started that one a few days after my transfer on Oct. 31st) is such an awful burning as the liquid is injected, so that one is so painful. This also causes some pretty bad looking bruises. I did this in my stomach to begin with, but I started having panic attacks (which is VERY new to me) during the shot, so I asked my Dr. and was told I could also do it in my thighs, so I've switched. Lovenox injection tip: I tried so many different tips that I'd spent hours looking up online, and here's what has worked best for me. The upper thighs were best for me. Use an ice pack (really solid type and not the ones with little beadletts - TRUST ME it makes a difference) on the site for 3-5 minutes beforehand and you wont' feel the needle go in, the horrible burning of the inject or the minutes afterward where it keeps burning, since you'll still be a little numb. I've also noticed a HUGE difference in the brand. My FAVORITE is Sandoz...less bruising and the air bubbles were much easier to get out and burning was less (if I didn't ice enough).

So those are my shot tips for anyone else who may want to use them. I really think I tried every tip online. :-)

Jill, Rosemary (who started this in NJ), Debbie (who did this year's fundraiser), Justin and I before the fundraiser event in NY!

Debbie, Kurt and Kyle Mefort; Laura (the little girl who is being helped with new hearing aids from this fundraiser), Justin and I at the fundraiser event.