BarBABYdos: Day 1: First Appointments

The WiFi connection in our cottage is really patchy, so I wasn't able to post last night...

We had our first appointments at Barbados Fertility Centre yesterday morning, and fell even more in love with the clinic and staff! 

First order of business (after new patient paperwork, which made me chuckle, since I've considered myself their patient for months now) was finally meeting Anna and Dr. Skinner in person and discussing the order of the day, then on to the ultrasound to count and measure follicles. 

I have been feeling a little bit uncomfortable for a few days now, so I was pretty confident that my ovaries were working overtime.  I was a little shocked at just HOW MUCH overtime they have been working.  Dr. Skinner identified at least 30 follicles in various stages of growth, with the lead follicle at 13mm.  These are the same follicles that most of us grow one or two of each month. :-)  So, the HMG and Gonal-F seem to be working quite effectively!!  I have a mild case of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) which can be pretty serious in severe cases.  I'm nowhere near that point though, and I trust Anna and Dr. Skinner entirely to keep it in hand from here on out.  It's nice to be on the same island as my amazing medical team, finally :-)  I'm supposed to avoid refined sugar (on vacation!), eat lots of protein and stay hydrated to help reduce the discomfort from the OHSS.  No big deal :-)

I had to get some blood drawn after my ultrasound... I have no idea what it was for!  At this point, someone in scrubs asks for blood, I hand over a vein without questioning ;-)  After blood, we sat down with Anna again to discuss adjustments to my medications in light of the ultrasound.  We're not changing my doses of HMG and FSH, but tonight we add Cetrotide to prevent my ovaries from releasing those 30ish eggs before Dr. Skinner can get to them!  We go back for another ultrasound tomorrow, just to check progress.  It looks like we're probably on track for egg retrieval on Sunday or Monday. Yay!

We both had full body massages in the Life Wellness Center above the clinic, which was lovely. :-)  Because we agreed to let a film crew get some shots of us for an upcoming documentary about BFC, I got my first mini-taste of acupuncture, too.  I'm not sure what I was expecting from the needles, but they were kind of unremarkable.  Most of the time, when she inserted one, it felt like she was flicking me!  Afterwards, we went right across the street to a restaurant/bar called Blakey's, and ate overlooking the water. 

Suuuuuper relaxed....

You know how massage, acupuncture, reflexology, etc can help you release emotions you were subconsciously holding on to?  Something about storing the feelings in your muscles as tension...?  Anyway, I had to fight tears mightily until the camera man and the therapist left the room... then I let the tears roll.  It was a really healing cry, of relief and gratitude.  I thought about all of the people who love and support Ethan and me - at home, "in the computer," and even on a little island in the Caribbean - and I was just overcome with how powerful and wonderful that love is.  If you're reading this, you're part of that, and I want to thank you from the bottom of my overflowing heart! 

Today, we have the day off from IVF stuff (except my shots tonight, of course).  We are hoping to venture to a nearby supermarket to stock our kitchen a little bit, and hopefully soak up some sun on the beach.