I know I have talked quite a bit on here about being your own advocate because no one in the clinic likes to help you out. Or at least in my case. Take, for instance, my estrogen patches. I understand you are supposed to apply them to your stomach. But is it like the injections where anywhere on your stomach is acceptable? I started the patches three days ago, and I remember holding the packages in my hands, looking at the package insert, reading to apply them below the waistline.
Well newsflash, makers of Vivelle: All that is below my waistline is a pudgy fat roll. So I stuck one to the right and just below my belly button. The second one I awkwardly stuck on the Pudgy Fat Roll.
Don’t do this.
For the past three days, I have been rubbing, itching, and moving the Pudgy Fat Roll around and about to make it more comfortable. I will not be putting it there again. Even my loving husband asked me the other day, “Why would you put it there?”
I am beginning to believe those nurses at the clinic just want you to do their bidding, no questions asked. Because they always seem to ramble off the instructions and act like it’s a huge inconvenience if you have questions.
Nurse: I am going to go over these complex instructions, but when I’m through, I don’t want you to ask any questions.
Me: OK.
Nurse: Here are your complicated instructions.
Me: OK…
Nurse: Do you have any questions?
Me: Um…no?
Nurse: Good girl.
Today, I had to change out my patches and found a less heinous place to apply them. Still, would have been nice to have a little instruction in this.
In other news, NaNoWriMo starts today! Excerpt coming soon! Wah hoo! Bring it on! What am I still doing on here? I need to get writing!
Arrrrgh…I was going to do Nano last year. I was really excited in like..September. But by the time it was November I was totally over my story idea and so I never started. Ha. I still get all the Nano emails though…somehow I'm a part of the Athens-area Nano group? Biggest failure of a member ever! 🙂 Good luck!!
Yeah I think that would be an issue for most women! Good luck with NaNoWriMo! I admire you for doing it!
Ugh, those patches – I have sticky patch marks all over my belly and back!
I know! I ended up putting them below my underwear line most of the time (partly because I was in bathing suits a lot when I was on them) and they seemed to stick really well.
Ugh, I don't do well with those type of "instructions" either! Tell me exactly what to do or not to, dangit!
Why does everyone else get to do patches and I have to do IM estrogen injections? Wahhhh! I ask and ask and ask away at my clinic. I don't care if they think I'm annoying. That's their job and that's what they're there for. Don't feel bad!
Tomorrow I'll be applying four Alora patches which are 2×3 inches in size each. I'm running out of room to place them. I have found that aloe vera gel removes the adhesive residue within a few applications of the stuff. Good luck!
I've never used the patches. I just stick Estrace up my ladybits and have smurf discharge. Lucky me. Sounds like no option is really any good!
I have to use the Patches each cycle. I too fat a pudgy belly and can not stand to wear them on the front. I usually wear them on my butt kind of where the PIO shots go. It's much easier that way, although I have a whole set of old underwear with glue rings in them from those patches. Good Luck!
I always put them on my arm. (They stuck better than belly or lower back/upper butt, plus shots in either location rules it out) I got generic ones instead of the Vivelle for my last FET. While they were much cheaper, they were also much bigger which made putting them on my arm more difficult. I ended up with a blister from the adhesive on my left arm so I went back to my belly. I put them on my upper abdomen on rib because they tend to stick better. (Just like placing a heart monitor or leads for a stress test, they will stay better on bony areas–plus less roly.) I would even bend over when I was putting them on to try to find the least roly spot. Good luck!!
I never had to use patches, just the Estrace, same as Aramis and became a smurf. Good luck with the writing!
After this weekend I've had enough of clinics and there crap. Sorry they didn't or wouldn't take the time. Hope your writing is going well. I'm about 8000 words in.