A week of injections and scans coming up

Originally written: 9th October 2009.

It has been non-stop this week, or so it feels. The roller coaster trundles along at a decent speed!!

Monday was nice and quiet - I probably overdid things a little, so took things more easily on Tuesday.

Wig fitting was a bit of a disappointment. I was hoping for some camp fun, but the chap kinda took over and was all set to give me back the hair I already have!! I don't want this, I was growing it, so I want something nicer and longer!! He got the message eventually, but the ones we tried were too boxy so he has sent off for some nicer ones. I'll have to go back next week to see if these new ones are better.

On Wednesday, I had my filling fixed (no anaesthetic as it wasn't too sensitive and he didn't need to drill it), and then G and I went to the fertility clinic. We really didn't know what to expect. As it was, they were lovely, and after chatting to us to confirm our details and situation, got on with taking blood and giving me a scan to see what stage of my cycle I was at. Normally, they start you on cycle suppressing drugs at day 21 of your cycle, but I am too far along for that so have given me Menopur to stimulate the ovaries and develop the eggs, and Orgalutran to suppress my natural cycle. This second drug starts on Saturday.

I have to inject myself in the stomach. The Menopur is 5 vials of incredibly fine powder that you mix in the syringe with a teeny vial of sterile water, and then inject. The Orgalutran is a ready-loaded syringe. The nurse did the first one, and it was a little sore for about half an hour afterwards, but otherwise not painful. I have been jabbed so much lately that I am quite used to the sensation!! First one done by me will be later today...

I have to have another scan on Monday to see what the hormones are doing to me. It'll all probably only take 7-11 days and then they'll do the egg collection and fertilization, and let us know if we have any embryos worth freezing.

It has all happened so quickly!! We're stunned and amazed. I know we have massively jumped fertility clinic queues, but quite simply, I only get one shot at this and it has to be done soon as we need to get started with chemo! My chemo has only been put back by 1 week, which is amazing.

Oh, and they are also happy to give me ovary suppressing drugs (a monthly injection) during chemo which puts them into hibernation and may protect them and give me a better chance of coming out the other end still fertile. Research in this area isn't very conclusive yet, but they feel it can't hurt to try it.

Also yesterday, and at a different hospital (so we spent the day in various waiting rooms and driving across south east Wales! Thanks to mum and dad for doing the taxi job again!!), I had a CT scan. It was supposed to be last week, but the machine broke down. I had to drink some gastrogrubin or something, a contrast fluid that smells like Sambuca (but doesn't taste as nice!), the night before and an hour before. When I got there, they made me have more, which I drank like it was a shot! Then you lay on the machine's bed, and get whizzed under a doughnut style scanner. At one point, they add a clear dye via an IV in your arm (another stab!) and this makes your whole body feel hot and feel as if you are wee'ing yourself - its a bit like putting the heated seats on full in the car!!!

That's it, all done in about 5 minutes.

I will now wait to hear when I find out the results of this and the bone scan.

Finally, I had been hoping to go back to work and have an uninterrupted week next week, but it looks like the fertility clinic stuff will get in the way, so I may have to rethink it. I may ask if I can work from home on appointment days, as the clinic is in Cardiff when I work near Gloucester! It's a long way! Phew.