It's the Final Countdownnnn

31 days of  injections, 8 days of IVF medications, 7 consecutive days of blood work and ultrasounds. and today the final countdown clock begins! 

This week has been rough.   But no pain, no gain, right?  A few more days until this step is complete. Hard to believe it's almost done. Here is a few quick things this week I have come to "expect" when NOT expecting...

1. Expect to cry, a lot. Sometimes for no reason at all. Sometimes because you are physically and mentally drained, or sometimes because you are driving in the car alone and that Ed Sheeran song just moves you to tears and you find yourself singing along with tears streaming down your face until you realize the person next to you is looking at you as though you have escaped from a mental institute. Sorry fellow passengers that ginger's lyrics are just THAT emotionally moving.

2. Expect to become best friends with the staff at your doctor's office. You will spend a lot of time here and with these people. And have a great deal of appointments early in the morning. It is vital that you have not only a great doctor, but staff who are helpful, kind, and easy to talk to. Every person at my doctor's office is amazing and I am grateful for this. They have made this part of my journey much easier and more bearable and I can not speak highly enough of them. 

3. Expect to be a frequent flyer at Starbucks. I have never been so tired in my life, going to bed each night at 8 or 9 p.m. and still awaking feeling as though I have not slept at all. The walking dead zombies have nothing on me this week, as I look as though I have crawled out from under a rock. I might as well throw on a red leather jacket and waddle to the sounds of "Thriller" with an IV of coffee hanging from my arm.

4. Expect to be miserable. I have never felt so bloated, swollen, and physically uncomfortable in quite some time. I have gained 5 pounds in 5 days, which for a member of Weight Watchers is pure torture... It feels as though my insides are stretched to the max, like a balloon that is blown up a little too much and can be deflated at any time. I may in fact may be able to pop with one more injection. I have accepted my role as a human pincushion, with my 50 shades of blue stomach, and a matching spot on my arm from the daily blood work administered.

5. Expect to appreciate the small things. While I am feeling so uncomfortable this week, Lou has gone above and beyond to help out. Cleaning, cooking, helping out more than I could imagine. These simple, little gestures are so greatly appreciated.  And him coming home with an Alex & Ani anchor bracelet for me; " for being so strong during all this" brought me back to number 1, more crying :)

5. Expect to be amazed. Even though I have read millions of articles and searched every aspect of IVF, it is still unbelievable what the human body is capable of and what my body is currently undergoing. With the help of medications, I have become a producer of follicles this week! 24 to be exact :) Pending the results of this morning's blood work, the retrieval will most likely be Tuesday morning. 

Today, we wait. When the call comes from my doctor today he will be able to tell me the exact time and date of the final injection, the HCG "trigger" shot and then the retrieval. So, this is it. The end of the IVF portion is almost done! Before you know it, it will be time to begin the search for the surrogate, the person that will literally make my dreams come true <3