First IVF Ultrasound

 This post may be a little too much information for some, so you may wan to skip it!   This is meant mostly as a reminder for me of our IVF experience.

This morning was the fateful day of my first ultrasound to find out how I am responding during this IVF cycle.   To be completely honest, I wasn't expecting much.   I never responded well to the drugs during our IUI cycles, so I figured I would have the same experience, plus, the nurse practitioner had warned me in advance to not be upset if there wasn't a whole lot going on.  
The appointment started like any other, bottoms off and on the table, feet in stirrups, yada, yada.   After a light knock, in walked the RE and a nurse.   NOT my RE.   The ultrasounds are done by the nurse practitioners, so seeing the other RE in the practice, sort of freaked me out a bit.   However, I ended up super glad that she was there.   The nurse was new, and being trained by the RE in exactly how the clinic wants ultrasounds done.   This meant that the ultrasound took forever, was super uncomfortable, and super thorough.   The results?   Twenty to twenty-five follicles on each ovary.   Ten of those follicles are very much in the lead at 12- 14 mm, the rest smaller.  I cried, right there on the table when I found out I had follicles in the 12-14 mm range.   During the IUI attempts, we were never able to get a follicle larger than an 11.  I was so afraid of that happening again!  
My E2 was drawn, and depending on the results my dosages may be changed.  I start the ganirelix tonight in order to avoid premature ovulation.   Tomorrow, I go back for another ultrasound to see what other progress is being made. 

As far as symptoms and side effects go, it hasn't been too bad so far:  

• Sitting upright is a little uncomfortable....well,.... that is, it's a little more uncomfortable than everything else, which is also uncomfortable.  Everything just feels swollen and heavy.
• The menopur injections get more painful with each one, how they burn!   The burning also does not go away immediately.   
• Urinating is...weird.  The emptier my bladder gets while urinating, the more uncomfortable the process is.  
• I did the hysterical, ugly cry yesterday over the choice of restaurant of all things!  I knew at the time that the whole thing was ridiculous, but the waterworks just would not stop.
•  I miss sleep.  I toss and turn at night until the wee hours of the morning.  I am not feeling particularly tired during the days, but come evening, I am wiped out!
• I go back and forth between wanting to eat everything in sight, and food being completely unappealing.  
• The area of my injection sites hurts!  I have been living in pajamas because the very idea of putting jeans on and having the waistband against the injection sites is enough to make me cringe.