Waiting to start Injections - any advice

We had our treatment planning appointment end of April and found out we'd be starting as soon as my next cycle started which should have been 6th May.

I'm waiting for it to arrive so that i can in and have a scan before starting the meds, i'm starting on Menopur for 1 week then Menopur and Cetrotide for 1 week, if all goes well it'll be 12-16 days in all before the egg collection, which should be around 20th May but that will be a little later now!

My home looks like a clinical workspace, with all the meds and the sharps boxes, i'm very used to drawing up injections for my patients, just not sure how i'll be having to do it for myself!

My dilemma is i'm a nurse i work shifts in the community and typically they are only 5 hours but i can work an 11 hour day working x2 5 hour shifts, i work a lot of 4-9pm's due to the children i care for. My manager has been extremely supportive but now the clinic has said i must give my injections between 6-8pm (you can see where my dilemma is) it'll mess up my shift pattern and the clinic wont allow it to be any later i did ask. the alternative is work nightshifts for the 2 weeks i'm on injections, i rarely work nightshifts probably 2 a month, so my body isn't used to permanent night working! So this stress is probably halting my cycle starting which is so frustrating.

How did everyone else manage? Did you find the times ok, what type of routine did you get into giving the injections? Do they hurt and did anyone get any side effects off these meds?

[emu2016]

In my first cycle I injected at 6.30pm every night. I made sure I was home in plenty of time to carry out my injection. I'd race home and race back out if needed (once to a dinner 50 miles away that I was an hour late for from injecting!) I'd make sure I was in the same place at the same time and lay down for 10 minutes after.

Since I was on a short protocol this wasn't for long.

This time I've been injecting for 5 weeks. Before I started my husband had some words of advice... "are you really going to put your life on hold? Rushing everywhere to be home and then back out? Don't you think you should just take the injections with you?"

Seriously? It was the best decision I made. I've injected in a pub, a restaurant, my mother-in-laws, my best mates, a football ground and since I came to Cyprus on Sunday... a hotel room! I felt more relaxed than ever.

Take the drugs with you. Nip to the toilets or a quiet room... that's my advice. Might not be for all but it's worked for me! Apparently I have been less stressed and ratty too! x

[DianeArnold Partner Nurse Fertility Network UK]

Hi E_R12. It can be a right nuisance trying to work out when to inject, but as long as it is consistent, it doesn't really matter what time you choose. As you know with oral medication, you need to be regularly taking "whatever" and often before, during or after meals. Just have a think when you can be doing this at roughly the same time each day. If you're at home, you can try putting an ice cube "on the spot" before injecting, and let it melt, tends to numb the area. Good luck with it all. Diane

[thejourney]

I did the same meds etc with my 1st cycle, one of the reasons for the specified times is that when the trigger shot is due you have to give it a couple of hours after the other meds, i think mine was due about 10pm.

I was anxious about the injections, so asked my husband to do the 1st one (hes a doctor so plenty of experience) but i was like a child, and decided that i would be better doing it myself (which i was). They dont hurt although the cerotide was itchy and left a little welt but it subsided after a few minutes. Aside from that i was fine. My colleagues who know said that they wouldnt have realised i was on treatment if i hadnt have told them.

With regard to timings i did them all at home on my 1st cycle for freezing, but for my FET i was more relaxed and gave them in the cinema, and pubs during the rugby which helped as i was always worried about making plans the 1st time. Im about to start my 2nd FET cycle and dont intent to change any plans to work around my injections.

Hope this helps. X

[Patty74]

Question don't you have to keep the medication in the fridge? So how can you take it with you everywhere? Just wondered as I'm nervous about not sticking to the timescales

[Hidden in reply to Patty74]

Hi patty74, none of the medication I was on was required to be refrigerated, the only injection that needed to be kept in the fridge was the trigger shot which was the last injection that I gave, I was told this one needed to be in the fridge and was only prescribed this 2 days before I had to use it so did not plan on going anywhere that evening.

[Patty74 in reply to Hidden]

I see it's makes sense now I'm planning on doing my injections first thing in a morning.