[mabelina01]

My meds arrived today. Someone please tell me it's not as bad as it looks. The amount of meds and the needles....ahhhh! I did fine when I had to do the Gonal-f before but these needles are much more scary. DH had said before that he wouldn't have a problem giving me the shots but he wasn't so sure after looking at everything. I think I'm overwhelmed. Can someone give me some reassurance?

[futuremom]

I so freaked when I got my box of meds!! it really is not as bad as it looks! the IM shots sting for a second and that is it. you will get through it I promise. good luck

[farler05]

That whole box of meds is pretty overwhelming when it first arrives! But take a deep breath & relax. It's going to be OK. The subq shots are nothing. The biggest needles are for mixing, not being stuck in you! You'll be just fine!

[bepositive]

Hi! The box of meds is overwhelming..when i received mine i freaked out! But i have a nifty tip for you..This is what i did to lower my anxiety..

Get some medium size ziploc bags..or large, doesn't matter...

separate the meds as they are taken...This was my list

1.) Lupron
2.) Follistim
3.) Menopur

And in each bag, put the needles, swabs, and alcohol pads...

Of course thinking of the meds that need to be refrigerated .. still make a separate bag for the extras, needles..etc.

I even put my pills in a separate bag..

This makes everything so much easier to look at too..doesn't seem to be TOO MUCH. Trust me, i freaked out and figured out to separate the meds..it helps A LOT!

I am actually going in for my ER tomorrow morning..kinda nervous...

wish me luck!

and good luck to you all!

[wannabeamomma]

I am right there with you.....

We got our giant box of meds on Saturday and I freaked. My eyes just filled with tears.

I am in no way nervous to do the shots in the belly - I am so used to doing my Follistim and Ovidrel from my IUI's. The IM shots are a concern - but I am just taking it one step at a time.

Thats a great idea Bepositive, to separate it all. Once I know my official instructions and what needs to go with what - I might just do that thing with all the bags.

So glad we are all in this together. And a BIG GOOD LUCK for tomorrow !!

[mabelina01]

Thanks for the responses. Glad to hear I'm not the only who freaked out when opening that box. I knew there would be a lot of meds but I couldn't really imagine it. Bepositive,I love the idea of putting everything in separate bags so it's not so overwhelming. I think I will do that. Also, best of luck tomorrow. Hope the retrieval goes well and that you'll get positive results.

[HananMG]

Maribeth,
hmmm, ok let me just say, that everytime a box of any meds came, it overhelmed me and my DH.

You will be fine. I am glad you are on your way!!!!

!!!! Ask all the questions to us and the RE!!!!

Hanan

btw-it was very nice to talk to you by chat the other day!

[casb77]

Maribeth - it doesn't sound like you need any more reassurances that you're not the only one who freaked out, but I just wanted to reiterate that it's much more overwhelming now before your first injection. Once that's out of the way it's way less daunting. Also, those boxes with the vials are mostly full of air, just like a potato chip bag, so they take up way more space than the meds themselves.

[chuchu]

Maribeth,

It is overwhelming. What has worked for me is to take a deep breath, organize the meds (as they have mentioned) and take it really one at a time.

[amybeth]

I actually took pictures of my box of meds as it freaked me out so much when I opened it! The sheer size of the box itself was overwhelming too.

I too separated everything and put away all the things I knew I wouldn't need right away. Since it's getting warmer now, just make sure it's all in a cool place as they aren't supposed to get above a certain temp. Check the boxes to see the temps. I love the idea of the ziplock bags, as I ended up just selecting all the things I needed right before I mixed and injected. Having everything ready up front seems so much easier.

Also, I did my shots in multiple spots each day. I did my lupron shot in the morning in the bathroom downstairs, since the lupron had to be refrigerated after opening. I did my stim shots upstairs in our master bathroom. Splitting things up made it seem not so bad.

One tip for when you start stimming... mix the solutions for the menopur and let it sit for at least 5 minutes before you inject it. Not to scare you, but the menopur can sting when you push the plunger of the syringe to insert the solution and as a lot of girls on the forum who've taken menopur will agree, if you let it sit for at least 5 minutes, it doesn't sting as much!!!

Once you get past the first Lupron shot, all the other Lupron shots are easy. You just need to do the first one to know that it's not that tough and that you can do it! Same thing for when you do the stims. The first one is hard. Not because it hurts, but because it's the first one and you will worry that you aren't doing something right. But take it slow, remember to breathe, and all will be fine!!!

Good luck!!!

[MamaSoon]

It totally has a shock factor to it. All those needles. I have so many left over. You won't use it all. And you'll see that it isn't so bad.

Organizing into stims and then a post transfer group will help.

You'll be amazed at what a toughie you are when it comes to do something for your kids.

[casb77]

Originally Posted by amybeth

I actually took pictures of my box of meds as it freaked me out so much when I opened it! The sheer size of the box itself was overwhelming too.

I took pictures of mine, too! One had a gallon of milk next to the box to show scale and the other I spread all the meds and needles out and took a picture. Then I emailed both to my friends who knew I was doing IVF. They thought I was nuts.

Oh, and I didn't think the menopur stung, but I may have let it sit for a few minutes without realizing it.

[mabelina01]

I organized them tonight and I took a picture. I think it'll be interesting to look back on someday. You all have eased my fears....some. I consider myself fairly tough so I think I'll be able to do it. Just glad to hear it's not as bad as it looks.