Tuesday, October 6, 2009

PIO anxiety

I can't BELIEVE that IVF starts next week. Holy crap! Where has the time gone? Only 9 days until I start Lu.pr.on! Which reminds me, I still need to get that stuff ordered. And only 7 days until my injection class.

Speaking of which ... I'm having terrible anxiety about the PIO. I'm not thrilled about the dozens of sub-q shots I'll be getting, many of which I'll probably have to do myself. But I'm so freaking scared of the PIO. I know that everyone says it's not as bad as they expected, and it's better than the suppositories, but OMG. A huge needle. In my ass. Every day for weeks. And possibly months.

It's not even the needle that seems like the worst part. It's the idea of getting these shots every day and getting more and more sore and having to keep doing it. If it was just one, fine. No problem. I mean, I'd hate it and I'd probably cry, but then it would be over and I could go on with my life. The idea of getting it over with only to start dreading having to do it again in 24 hours - that's horrifying. I'm already anxious now, I'm not sure how I'm going to live with the anxiety then.

Even worse, to me, is the possibility that I could get these freaking shots for two weeks for NO REASON. IVF #1 could easily fail. Hell, it's possible we might not make it to retreival or transfer, of course I know that. But somehow the build-up to that point seems better - sub-q injections, hope, monitoring, ultrasounds. It all sounds very optimistic and positive and pro-active.

And then - two weeks of IM shots in my ass and having no idea what the hell is going on and what will happen. And I thought the 2ww was bad with the IUIs! I'm not even there yet with this IVF and I'm already stressing about it.

Trying to take my husband's point of view and look at the bright side - at least the 2ww is slightly shorter due to the 3 or 5 days the potential embies spend on the outside before transfer. It's the tiny ray of sunshine I'm hanging onto.

That, and the idea that maybe they'll finally figure out what's wrong with us.

9 comments:

  1. Those needles are a little intimidating aren't they? Is there any way your clinic will let you do the suppositories instead?

    My clinic had so many people have huge reactions to PIO shots that they switched everybody to the suppositories for this IVF cycle. But I found that the PIO bruised me far less than the sub-q shots. As long as I kept it in a nice warmish spot in the house, rubbed, was careful of avoiding veins, and used the heat pad, I was was totally fine. I had no bruises or soreness!

    You will be okay hon! You survived knee surgery so you can definitely do this! :D

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, the injections do sound scary...but as you said, almost everybody says how relieved they were after they weren't as bad as they thought. Hopefully, they'll be a piece of cake for you :).
    I'll be thinking very positive thoughts for you on this cycle - hoping that IVF #1 is the one!

    ReplyDelete
  3. they REALLY aren't THAT bad. i close my eyes and lay down and focus on my breathing. i tell hub to do it when i'm on an out breath. after, i walk around with moist heat on the area and massage it. i've never had a bruise. your hips will be sore. after my first IVF, i could still feel my "shot spots" for months, but it will be worth it! my doc is convinced the PIO makes the difference in their great success rates. another thing- i keep track of which side to do by doing the right side on even dates and the left on odds. it only becomes an issue on a month with 31 days...

    good luck! hoping this one cycle is all you need :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. The PIO shots really weren't as bad as I thought they would be. My advice is to use a heating pad before and after. It helps it hurt less. I'm sending good, sticky vibes your way!

    ReplyDelete
  5. They really aren't that bad! Make sure you numb the spot with ice prior to the injection and then apply some heat and massage after! Walk around a lil bit after the shot. Something funny... I used to get tickled when the juice used to go in to my bum... I had to think of something crazy serious so that I didn't burst out laughing and hurt myself. Good Luck!

    ReplyDelete
  6. At first, I thought the needle that is used to draw up the PIO was the needle to give the PIO...it's not! I rejoiced. Using a heating pad for 5 minutes before helps. Deep breaths. I like the PIO more than the sub-q. For sure.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good luck. I hope the shots and all go well.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Good luck! Hope everything goes well and that the shots don't live up to their reputation! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Different things work for different people, so I'm not trying to criticize anyone's advice. But using ice is not necessarily a very good idea, because you want your muscles to be nice and warmed up so that the oil will move around well - when it pools in one spot, that's what makes you sore. For me, what worked well was to stand on the opposite leg from the one getting the shot, so that my PIO leg was relaxed. I bent over the counter a little bit and my husband rubbed the spot a little bit, then swabbed it with alcohol, pinched a good inch of flesh, and stuck in the needle quickly. Afterward, he rubbed the area for a few minutes to get the oil to spread. I usually took a shower right before or right after the shot, to keep up the warmth.

    Really: it's so, so not as bad as you fear. The dread is way worse. I was sure it would hurt like a motherf*(er and I was shocked when it actually never hurt at all! I was a little sore at first, but even that wasn't so bad.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!