Sunday 22 March 2009

Drugs & keeping your head

Funny old world.

You wait two years for something, anything, to happen and when it does it all comes thick and fast. (I'm mature, so I refuse to add "like me" to that last sentence.)

Tonight ET popped her second 100mg dose of Clomid.

The second of five days of the drug that will get those ovaries of hers working like a popcorn maker. Before we know it the five day course will be up, and we'll be back at the hospital for the ultrasound, finding out when we'll have the trigger shot, and of course the insemination.

The insemination, bloody hell.

It's head spinning to be moving so fast now after so long of being stuck in the mud.

We went with a suggestion from Jane G that she should take the drug at night, in an attempt to make any immediate side effects less noticeable. To me at least, as I'd be sound asleep.

There was a bizarrely scary moment after she took it on Saturday night. She proceeded to apply her make-up for no reason, which gave me the distinct feeling she was intending to decapitate me and face the police and media with her best face on. Thankfully that never came to pass and we both made it through the night with all the appropriate appendages firmly intact.

I may just put a new lock on the garden shed door, just in case.

So, here we are, two fifths through the drug stage of the cycle, and so far so good. I have found it often happens that I say something here and then it comes back to bite me on the arse though, so is there anything we should expect?

Is there any side effect we don't know about? Will she start conversing in tongues or chewing the sofa-arms? Will she end up crying at the weather forecast or will I come home to find her with the postman in a headlock?

Anything that stops me from being woken at 4am with a t-shirt stuffed into my mouth as she stands over me with a nine iron, is greatly appreciated.


50 comments:

Sarah said...

I've never taken clomid, however I've read enough blogs from woman who have to know you should tread very lightly. And if you should wake up freezing cold in the middle of the night because she has every window in the house open. DONT SAY ANYTHING. NOTHING. Just sweetly ask if you can get her a cold drink. Or something.

In all seriousness, I'm glad to hear things are going well thus far.

Unknown said...

Keeping my fingers crossed you make it throught the night. Good Luck and just remember the phrase "Yes Dear".

Mick said...

My advice is this: You can never go wrong with the oul' nodding of the head.

And remember, no answering back.

You'll be fine :-)

Liz said...

I await the discussion of side affects with interest. Hopefully this will prepare me too for when my time comes.

Claire said...

No personal experience here either Xbox, but I'd say as with all female hormones in large quantities, keeping your head down and your golf clubs under lock and key is probably a good strategy. Nice to hear you sounding chipper, and may I just add that the significance of the new look is not lost on me. Unless of course you just fancied a change, in which case I am reading far too much into it!

Anonymous said...

Hi for me the side effects only kicked in after the second pill and got gradually stronger and I was only on 50mg for 3 cycles,Iui isn't really that bad I've done four of them so far unfortunately without sucess The hardest part is the two week wait and all the hopes that get dashed ,its harder than normal trying to be let down in assisted cycles.
I really hope that you and your wife will succeed in your first iui cycle.

Ms. Moon said...

Ah- think of this as good practice for when she is pregnant and those hormones take over. And then, for when she is postpartum.
I feel sorry for men, but as I have said so often to my husband, "If you think it's hard to live with me, you should know how hard it is to BE me."
Love and compassion. Everything should come from love and compassion.
But I think the lock on the garden shed is a good idea, although I'm not sure whether it's to lock her in or lock her out. Either way, it's an emergency back-up plan.

Shauna said...

Whatever she may say to you, no matter how unreasonable, just tell yourself it's the Clomid talking and agree with her.

Flowers would be nice too. :)

Jo said...

But beautiful pale pink ones, like the big bouquets they had in tesco. Not the crappy forecourt looking daisies and drooping gerbera.

Sigh.

Veronica Foale said...

Do NOT say 'It's just the hormones' out loud. You can say it inside your head, but she might just kill you if you say it out loud.

Also, maybe you should take over the cooking for a bit. All those pots and pans make GREAT weapons.

I like the red :)

Anonymous said...

So the new design is red instead of blue? Interesting. Just for kicks, I wonder what you would do if you took a clomid? Make sure you video tape that. Please?

Anonymous said...

Ah clomid, known as the divorce pill in these parts.
It makes women crazy.
Just be very very nice to ET.

David lived to tell the tale...just.

Foster Mama said...

Best of luck with all those hormones. :)

I really hope this works for you guys.

Ed said...

I've got no advice--lay low and stay awake. Don't make any sudden movements and don't say anything other than "Yes, Dear" or "As you wish."

You should be fine.

Lea said...

I didn't have any s/e from Clomid. Hopefully your lovely wife doesn't either, but I think the garden shed lock was a good idea. ;)

Backpacking Dad said...

My finers are always crossed for you, but they're crossed especially tight this time around.

unmitigated me said...

Don't be silly about that nine iron. A driver would be much more practical.

Anonymous said...

No experience or advice to offer. Just wanting to cheer you on from the sidelines. Hurrah!

Anonymous said...

I'm only months from Clomid myself (a few little bumps in the road else I would be on it already). The husband has volunteered that he's really looking forward to me becoming *more* emotional. My doctor claims there are no horrific side effects. My doctor is a man.

But, I've got two cousins who've had no trouble at all with clomid... So hopefully ET will continue on with smooth sailing...

Mr Lady said...

Well, shit, there goes all of my first date moves.

Jason Roth said...

Hide all of the sharp objects. You don't need a midnight castration. By the way, the new header and design...red? Is that appease Aunt Flo so she'll stay a way?

WhatAboutNovember said...

LOL. I've not experienced any violent reactions. Fear not. I've experienced vertigo, dizziness (yes, they're quite different), night sweats, insomnia, physical hallucinations, visual disturbances, forays into utter bitchiness, painfulasallhell breasts, exhaustion, late short and strange periods, food cravings, food aversions, and once, an uncanny sense of smell.

BUT. I've also been ovulating, so it's all well worth it.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm, been on clomid twice and I honestly cannot say that I remember any reaction at all the first time (except getting pregnant, which is, of course, what you WANT)...and the second time, I was basically ok for about 4 months and then I started to get weepy and told the doc I wanted off, but SURE enough, it was after the 4th month that I got pregnant...so, bottom line...it's WORTH IT!

Like the others said, just be understanding (it'll be great practice for when she starts 'the change'; yes, that one...20 yrs from now!)

Ask my hubby, he'll tell you about it!

p.s. the new look....I really laughed when I saw it was red...damn man, that has got to be freudian or something...but I do like the nice clean design!

Que? said...

I took clomid once 5 years ago and got pregnant with twins. They were the only side effect. Second time around, I took clomid 4 months with no babies to show for it. The side-effects are basically the same as for your last 24 cycles (excessive drinking, gorging on pizza, etc). I think that the constant blood tests are more invasive (my dr has me going for every 2 days during the clomid period to check that the E2 and Progesterone are doing what they're supposed to do).

My dr told me that clomid can be unpredictable...sometimes it will give 2 eggs, sometimes just one. Then he started talking about the follicle cohorts. DID YOU KNOW OVARIES HAVE FOLLICLE COHORTS??

Anyway, your dr will probably give you Ovitrelle/dutch equivalent to make sure the ovulation happens at a particular time (36 hours in advance) and then the timing should be good for your IUI. It's like Spencer and Ellie have a matchmaker. GOOD LUCK MY FRIEND!

Making Babies said...

LOL, I think you have the emotional side covered, and I agree with most of the posts about you just answering "yes dear" to just about everything.

The worst Clomid side effect for me was the nausea. I would have it bad especially the day of O. Weird, but as soon as I popped the egg it would go away. Of course the head aches and hot flushes, argh.....

My husband has survived a total of 10 months of Clomid, I'm sure you will do just fine!!!

:)

Martin said...

@Sarah - So far, so good indeed.

@goonerjamie - Tattooed on my knuckles!

@Mick - Spoken like a professional!

@womb for improvement - So far, nothing of note, but the more that enters her systems we'll see something, surely....

@Claire - I'm curious as to what your interpretation of the new look is, I was just tired of the old one!
No great conscious decision!

@Ashling - I can imagine that failing an assisted cycle must be really hard. All of it is indeed.
Thanks!

@Ms. Moon - sleeping bag installed in the shed!

@sky girl - Done, and done ;-)

@jothemama - remember where we live? flowers are a tad above the tesco level in fairness.

@Veronica - I like the colour, wanted a bit more metallic, but it'll do until I get bored again.

@Hockeyman - I am so tempted. Not to mention I want to drop a few in the frog pond.

@tiff - the divorce pill, brilliant.

@mrsmiller2007 - me too! thanks.

@Ed - sounds like a plan.

@Lea - we are ok so far, so we may escape it!

@Backpacking Dad - clutched in prayer...

@Middle Aged Woman - hee hee hee hee...

@Amy - Cheers!

@RRP - your doctor is a brave man! good luck when it comes to the time.

@Mr Lady - except for the knee to the larynx...

@iVegasFamily - No real reason behind it, just a spit and polish

@WhatAboutNovember - You've not had anything noticeable then! lord...

@hotmamamia - Thats a GOOD side effect!
The design is the same, just different font/colour.

@Que? - Now THATS a good side effect!
Yeah we will be triggering with pregnyl I believe, probably towards the end of this weekend.
Thanks, and welcome.

@Making Babies - The nausea is an interesting one. 10 months is a long time to battle that!
Thanks.

melbell45 said...

i am a long time reader first time leaving a comment. when i had clomid (100mg a day)i also took it at night and there were no side effects for me and it resulted in a pregnancy each course i took (we didnt require iui though)-we now have a 3 year old daughter and a 1 year old son. good luck for you and ET !

Anonymous said...

Good to see that you still have confidence in her short game. I would have figured her to go with a hybrid or fairway wood to get home in 2 instead of laying up.

B said...

"Will she end up crying at the weather forecast" is this meant to be a sign of madness?
Clearly you've never seen a farmer watching the forecast at the end of august after 3 months of constant rain, they cry every night at it

Jane G said...

I found that it was usually towards the end of the clomid days that the madness really started. So be on hand with plenty of hugs. I found chocolate good too.

Anonymous said...

I like the new look. Is that in honour of the old red menace getting a right old kick up the arse? I see things have moved on a touch while I've been having technical schedule issues (also known as not enough hours in the bloody day).

Good luck with the drugs (I was very sorry to hear you had to pay for the needles - most unfair). I hope the postman and the sofa arms both remain unscathed.

Oh, it's all so exciting.

Jill said...

I can't remember any side effects from Clomid either - though I too took mine at night!

I'm just anxiously awaiting your blow by blow (no pun intended) of your actual IUI... I'm getting my depends ready - I'm sure you'll find a hilarious way to talk about making nice-nice with your boy parts.

Karen MEG said...

I took several courses of Clomid and didn't really suffer any ill effects other than PMS type.

I did however tell my Dad to f-off when I took my IVF meds... hopefully you won't go there!

Good luck with this; IUI is not bad at all, just have ET relax and keep positive thoughts. Don't worry about Spencer, he'll enjoy the ride. And make sure ET rests up for the first couple of days after. And be super nice to her (I'm sure you always are anyway).

I'm hopeful you won't need more than one!

Paddy in BA (Quickroute) said...

drugs in holland ? - I don't believe a word of it!

Claire said...

Hmmm, it seemed obvious to me that a new chapter in your TTC journey called for a new look! Maybe it was subconscious?!

Martin said...

@melbell45 - That's great to hear, thanks a million, and welcome!

@NukeDad - this is where I get found out for being smart, I have no clue about golf whatsoever!

@B - All the farmers I know claimed they don't own tellys, no licence fee to pay for then you see.

@Jane G - 'madness'. I love the terminology.

@bsouth - It is a bit exciting now I must say, nervously so.

@Jill - gah, go get yourself a jackie collins novel ;-)

@Karen MEG - I can just imagine you flipping your lid!

@Quickroute - lies man, lies....

@Claire - Actually, that sounds quite good! I'll stick with that!

Anonymous said...

Clomid. Ah yes. Day one, fine. Day two, fine. Day three, lose temper with coffee grinder for having fiddly lid. Day four, decapitate husband. Day five, decapitate husband again, and then weep hysterically about how no one understands me. Day six, migraine. Days seven and eight, anxiety attacks. Day nine, calmly realise I haven't even been taking it for the past few days and this is getting silly. Carefully sew husband's head back on with teeny-tiny loving stitches.

Do not, for the love of GOD, tell her it's the Clomid. She will scream 'I KNOW it bloody is!' and tear the rest of your extremities off while she's at it. At least, that's the sort of thing I did.

And then she will expect sex. From headless, limbless, shell-shocked you. Like a Praying Mantis.

Or, she will be sweetness and light throughout, and my own behaviour is more to do with having a good excuse to act like a mentalist than actual drugs...

memart graphics said...

Well then, don't have EIGHT at once please! Just think of it as super PMS ++ and you may be OK.
Can't say I love the new color scheme. Red is nice, but maybe a little mellower is easier on the eyes, do you think?
MeM in the mpls

♥.Trish.♥ Drumboys said...

Google clomid monster ...and don't argue with anything ET says or does.

I am glad they are finally giving you the drugs and IUI.

Bring it on.

I Am Emily... said...

Well whatever happens just remember its for a good reason, and hopefully the best outcome!

Learn some techniques to deal with the weirdness now cause in my case early pregnancy was the same...eating lots, then nothing, cravings, feeling hot all the time, vomiting, mood swings, crying on the phone at 11pm at night, not sleeping, then sleeping heaps, yelling at my partner for stupid things...

But by about 16 weeks I started to slowly return to myself *mostly*

I am excited for you guys though!
Hope it works first time!

Martin said...

@nutsinmay - What a lucky man you have ;-)

@Michaelynn - Eight isn't possible, or at least tehy will cancel the cycle if more than 3 turn up.
The red, it's not too harsh I don't think.

@Trish - Bring it on indeed.

@Tanya - Me too, me too!

Anonymous said...

I am hoping that she thinks she is a zombie and scares the living shit outta ya.

Cause that would be awesome.

Hide the spade.

And dude, freaking butterflies in my stomach reading this.

So I drowned them with some scotch. Good move?

AnnD said...

I didn't know Clomid was supposed to have weird side-effects...this intrigues me. If she ends up doing something crazy, let us know...[wink,wink] I truly, truly hope this is it for you guys. This has gone on long enough for two wonderful people.

Martin said...

@Kelley - Sup up sweetheart, you'll be just fine.

@AnnD - Dunno about wonderful, but it's definitely been long enough!

battynurse said...

The only side effect I ever noticed was the horrible hot flashes which lasted all month and usually had coworkers inquiring if I was ok. Those same coworkers may have complained about some bitchiness but I'm convinced it was all them.

Martin said...

@Battynurse - hot flashes all month?

Open a window for the love of god.

IrishNYC said...

Clomid never directly effected me while I was taking it, but later in the cycle. I got horrible hot flashes at night. I would feel them erupting from somewhere deep within my core until eventually my hair and fingernails were sweating. It was made all the more fun that I was on it all summer. Have you ever experienced a NYC summer? Clomid didn't help.

And the crying... oh the crying.

Good luck!

Chelsea Lietz said...

night sweats are awful on clomid! let her turn down the air! Hoping the crazy drug works for you!

Chelsea Lietz said...

Forgot to mention... husband has only 2% morphology and just had my first month on clomid without any fertility treatments... just the Devil's Candy did the trick! Hope ET gets knocked up, too! (but hope she doesn't get ovarian hyper stimulation like I did... a bit painful and annoying)

Martin said...

@IrishNYC - Oh! so she's not in the clear yet? Opppos.

@Chelsea Lietz - No, hyper stimulation is not good, we wont even entertain that idea.
2% morphology and you got a result!
wow. Amazing.