Day 2

Well, welcome in the crazies. lol. Only 1 day down, and I am officially not myself emotionally or physically. I hadn't expected it to feel quite like this...I even dreamed this morning that I was on a hormonal rampage at a book store with Jeff, and was yelling at people about my hormones. It's funny to me that even in my dreams I am a crazy lady. I am thankful I even got to sleep long enough to dream, though.
The following is a run down of the symptoms I have experienced in the past 24 hours. Don't get me wrong when you read this; I am in no way, shape, or form complaining just to complain. I am thrilled to even be on this cycle. But I choose to list the symptoms as a way for other women who follow my blog from my infertilty support sites to be educated on the process. So bear with me, please.
After taking my first dose of estradiol yesterday morning, I felt quite badly. I experienced nausea, with some vomiting. I also would experience chest pains, which freaked me out a bit. I thought to myself, "Oh great. So this is how I'm going to go out? Have a freak reaction to estrogen, and die from it? Please no...how embarrassing." But then I calmed down enough to realize that it just produces an overwhelming feeling of anxiety within me, forming something like a panic attack. I figure my natural estrogen level is so nonexistant, that my body is doing a bit of a freak out to getting this hormone. How sad...I am a woman who's body freaks out at estrogen. I feel like such a dude.
Anywhoo...by late evening I was feeling much better. But then it was time for the Lupron injection. This is the stuff that my RE's nurse claimed I would feel the most side effects from, and that according to her the estrogen should make me feel more normal. Uhm, yeah, right. More like the other way around for this gal. The lupron only made me get some hot flashes a few times during the evening. Oh, and it made me feel kinda cranky. Which, if you know me, you would know that's not a side effect. That's just me.
Then it was nearing bedtime. So it was time for another estrogen dose. Ugh. But I thought prior to taking it, "Hey, at least I'm not behaving errationally or overtly moody on this stuff." Spoken too soon. Wayyyy too soon. Before you could say "hot flash", I was screaching about it being too hot and stuffy in the house. I think our thermastat was already set on "freeze out". Jeff simply nodded his head, and got every fan we own blowing on me. I was in a wind tunnel, but I was temporarily happy. And I could pretend to be a rockstar in an 80s hair band video with all that wind. HA!
Back to bedtime...so the estrogen is starting to kick in a bit again, complete with those weird surges of anxiety and crankiness. But we weren't done yet with the estrogen train. No sir. It was time to do a bedtime estrogen cream that my husband and I struggled to figure out how to even administer. May I just say that he's a degreed Mechanical Engineer? Yet neither of us could figure out straight away how to use the damn applicator. (Apparently, if you've ever used creams with an applicator like this for a yeast infection, you would know what to do. At least that's how my RE's nurse explained it. I've never had a yeast infection. 'Nuff said.) But after enough should-be comical moments, we figured it out and got it done. I say should be comical moments, because the reality was that I spent that time glaring angrily at Jeff as he fumbled around with this vaginal applicator, all shaky, knowing his hormonal wife was about to freak out on him at any moment. Poor guy.
Bedtime....couldn't sleep for the life of me. Don't get me wrong. I could fall asleep quite easily and quickly. It was the concept of staying asleep for more than 2 minutes that eluded me most of the night. Mix this in with more hot flashes, and you've got a great mixture for a crazy girl. I made sure that Jeff didn't sleep any better than I. Not even the cat who was trying to snuggle ever so sweetly up next to me in the very early morning hours. Poor cat, I believe I growled at her. She's scared of me today. She probably should be. Everyone should be.
Hooray for the beginning of Day 2. And this ride's only going to get more fun as the cycle progresses.