Human pin cushion!

#Human Pin Cushion

So as I find myself stood at ASDA’s very glamorous pharmacy counter, I found it quite ironic that an expensive Harley Street clinic had suggested this was the cheapest place to order my drugs! I wondered just how many other patients went to the lengths of buying their drugs at ASDA?! I’m not sure why I was penny pinching at this stage of the process, after all it really was peanuts when compared to how much it was all costing, but I guess it was the principle.

One thing that the clinic didn’t really explain about the cost of the treatment was that the cost of drugs depend greatly on the results of your AMH. In my case that was pretty rubbish, therefore more drugs equalled more money! So my advise to anyone in a similar situation, who doesn’t have an offshore account just for special situations like this, is to make sure you have at least a few hundred pounds in addition to the clinic’s advertised costs. Otherwise you might be in for a big surprise!

The clinic told me that I would have to call them on the first day of my next period, to make an appointment so I could be shown how to administer the medication. So as I waited anxiously for my next period, I tried every way possible to try and relax, to keep my mind from the thought of having to stick needles into myself for the next 10 days or so! For someone who is pretty squeamish at the best of times this was filling me with dread.

After taking on board advice from the counsellor I took my Mum up on her offer of coming to stay with me for a few days until I got used to injecting myself. I knew she’d be the steady influence I needed as she has a very ‘keep calm and carry on’ way of dealing with things and although you don’t need to be Mother Theresa for such a simple process, her nursing training certainly helped to make me feel less anxious.

Of course, like all best laid plans it didn’t go quite as I’d hoped! I came on my period early, no doubt because of the stress I’d been under and then Mum couldn’t get to London until the next day, so thankfully my friend Cath was amazing and stepped in to help!

I won’t lie, the first couple of times injecting myself was pretty nerve racking. I didn’t make it any easier on myself on the first attempt by accidentally stabbing myself in the hand with one of the needles, so I’d suggest having some plasters on hand if you’re as clumsy as me!

With the support of my Mum and Cath I can definitely say each day of injections got a little easier, and although it’s not a life experience that I’ll be rushing to repeat it was less stressful than I had first imagined.