Trigger!

Well, the stim part of the cycle has reached a somewhat surprising rousing crescendo. I met with the doctor this morning for a regroup. He thought we'd be triggering tomorrow for a Thursday retrieval, but he must have decided I was ripe for the picking after seeing my bloodwork numbers this afternoon, because I got the call from the nurse to tell us that we trigger tonight. The trigger shot is the culmination of all the shots. It basically sends a message to the ovaries to release the eggs 36 hours later and the retrieval happens an hour before that. This shot is not for the faint-hearted. It's an intra-muscular injection in the hip with a one and a quarter inch needle. Mixing it adds another interesting dimension, too. I was hoping to have a target drawn by my nurse for J the Elder to aim for as we did last time, but the timing caught us by surprise; we know where to aim. We must do the shot at exactly 11pm tonight, because the surgery is planned for 10am on Wednesday.

For the record, my stress levels at this point are at their highest so far in the cycle. On top of the trigger shot, which weighs on your mind until it's done, I'm wondering if my hormone levels are correct, whether my egg quality is good, how many will fertilise normally and will then go on to the next levels. This next part is going to be the hardest for us. Luckily J the Elder is his usual wonderful, calm and confident self.

I'll go in tomorrow morning for bloodwork to see if the HCG in the trigger injection was absorbed correctly and the levels look good. Otherwise, tomorrow is shot-free.