After my second monitoring appointment, my uterine lining wasn't as thick as is preferred, so I was instructed to add a vaginal suppository called Estrace to my daily routine. Estrace is a little blue pill, a description which makes me giggle every time I use it. Like the "other" little blue pill on the market, Estrace seems to be a power hitter and after four days, my lining was in prime condition. Usage isn't exactly ideal, as the size alone makes it a bit tricky to get into place. It also leaves behind a blue residue, which is a bit strange to see every morning.
Once the Estrace did its job, I got the go ahead for the final round of medications, which dropped the Lupron and started Progesterone in Oil (PIO for short). The PIO is an intramuscular injection in the upper, outer quadrant of the gluteus maximus. Let's just say that I'm glad mine has some extra padding! The needle was intimidating, as was the thought of relinquishing control to my husband, who graciously agreed to help me out. I made him watch training videos ahead of time, watched him cringe at the sight of the needle, and that in turn made me nervous. PIO is the only medication which is administered in the morning, and since he gets on the 6:30 train into the city, I've seen some pretty early mornings. The upside is that we get to enjoy a few minutes of quiet in the mornings now, just the two of us, and I've found the new routine to be a great way to start the day. The injections aren't nearly as bad as I feared. I ice the area beforehand while I get everything ready, then once its done, I use a ball roller to massage the area for a minute, then do ten minutes on a heating pad. I haven't had any crazy muscle aches, as I've read is common in some women, but I do have quite a few bruises back there! My husband handles it like a professional and I am incredibly lucky to have his full support.
Along with PIO, I added Medrol and Doxycyclin to my daily routine, and also increased to four estrogen patches every 48 hours. The Medrol is an immuno-suppressor, used to stop my body from fighting off the foreign cells (the embryo) upon transfer. Its taken four times a day, at very specific times, and I'll be the first to admit that I'm no good at keeping schedules like that. The alarm feature on my phone is my lifeline to remembering, so between the Medrol alarms and the ones I use to for all my other daily reminders, like getting my son to the bus stop, I had eight alarms going off at different times of the day. Anything to make sure I'm doing what needs to be done!
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