The one where the eggs are retrieved

We had a successful Egg Retrieval yesterday.

When we got there, they checked our IDs and insurance card, we paid our co-pay, and sat down to wait.  After only a few minutes, I was called to go to another office down the hall to prep, while DH stayed behind to wait to be called to give his sample (he was wearing some of his lucky boxers from his IVF kit I had given him.

They asked me some questions and then had me change into the johnny and get in bed.  I had worn my lucky bracelet and earrings and scarf.  So I put the bracelet and earrings in my purse and held my scarf in the bed with me.  I also had my headphones in my phone and put on some Motown oldies, just in one ear.  I figured it would help me relax a bit.  The nurse came back in and explained what was going to happen.  I asked if my husband could come and wait with me before I went in.  I had realized that I hadn’t even given him a kiss when they called me in to this separate room.  Even though, rationally, I know that this could not affect the outcome of the procedure, I was very upset by this.  I was thinking of how this is how we need to make a baby, not by doing it, like normal people, and we didn’t even share this bit of love first.  The nurse said she’d see if he was “available” (because he might already have been called in to give his sample).  Of course when she came back she let me know he was “busy” but they’d have him come over when he was finished.  So I just laid there, waiting to go in, dwelling on my no kiss.

Another nurse came in, the one that sets up the IV.  She said it was just saline and an antibiotic to start with and she’d add the anesthesia to the same IV later.  A few minutes later DH came in and I started tearing up.  I was so happy to get a hug and a kiss and to hold his hand through my bed rails until it was time.  We chatted and whispered about the people around us.  The woman behind the curtain on my right got 3 eggs, which I had to explain to DH is normal for some women when his eyes nearly bugged out of his head.  We both felt sad that some women go through all this and don’t get many to work with.

Soon enough, the nurses came to wheel my bed to the actual room where they do the ER.  She kindly asked if I wanted to keep my scarf and my music with me.  I didn’t think I’d be allowed but she said it was fine.  She chatted with me about summer vacations while she set up the anesthesia.  Which I gathered after is basically a method to see when it hits me.  I could’ve zonked out mid-sentence for all I know.  Next thing I knew, I was back where I started, right next to my husband.  Apparently I woke up a bit, carried on a short conversation, then zonked out again for a few.  I felt like it was forever later when I woke up and asked about the previous conversation, but it was like 4 minutes.  Apparently the nurse complimented my bright blue nail polish and I told her I hadn’t been sure if it was bad that I left my nail polish on because of the little sensor thing they put on your finger.  I remember when I got my wisdom teeth out, they said you couldn’t wear nail polish because of that.  Although, apparently when I told this to the nurse, I said it was when I had my appendix out, not my wisdom teeth.  Which is interesting because I’ve never had my appendix out.  The only time I’ve ever dealt with stuff like this, my only surgical type thing ever, is when I had my wisdom teeth out.  Also, before I was really awake, the Dr. had come in and told us that he had retrieved 14 eggs!  I remember hearing this, but I don’t remember seeing him.  I clarified with a nurse later that this was the total number retrieved, not necessarily how many were mature.

I cried when DH couldn’t hug me properly because of the bed rail being in the way, and the cuff on my arm to check my heart rate.  The nurse happened to come in and ask me what was wrong.  She assured us that some people cry when they’re coming off of anesthesia and it’s totally normal that I was crying for no reason.  I couldn’t really move a whole lot, but I could feel that there were heating packs on my belly, which felt wonderful.  After awhile, they said I was good to go.  DH helped hold me up while I put on my clothes, I felt like I was swaying when I leaned down to put my yoga pants on.  They gave me instructions to start the Estrace and some other thing I had that was only 5 days, I think an antibiotic.  I am to start the progesterone shots tonight, 1cc tonight and tomorrow, and then increase to 2cc.  I took out the vials and they don’t look as thick as I was expecting, so I’m hoping they don’t suck too bad.  We spent the rest of the day laying on the couch catching up on tv.

I also got a message in our patient portal a little while ago with the amazing news that all 14 of my eggs were mature, and they all fertilized normally (we did ICSI due to low sperm count).  I am so overwhelmingly happy to have this number of normal embryos to work with.  I started crying at work (I’m at a location today that is just me, and it’s very slow and quiet, so I knew I’d be fine at work instead of ‘resting’ another day).  I shut the door so I couldn’t be interrupted by a customer and called DH to tell him.  He got choked up as well and was so happy to have so many.  To prepare him, I told him that it’s possible that they don’t all grow normally and we might not have all 14 in 5 days.  And that just because they put a good one in me, doesn’t mean it’ll take, and that the ones that are frozen may not thaw perfectly.  He’s ridiculously positive, so I knew he wouldn’t dwell on these things, he’d just file them away so that he wouldn’t be shocked or not understand if any of those things happen.

I’m still sore today, and I felt a little woozy and sluggish when I got up this morning, but overall, I’m fine.  I don’t think I’ll be as sore tomorrow.

We are lying to the 2 people who know we had our ER.  My fresh transfer will be Monday morning at 9am.  But they were told that we’d find out at that point how many made it to blastocyst stage, and then they’d all be frozen.  We said that the clinic wants all those drugs to clear our of your system before an embryo goes in.  So now we have about 4 weeks to play with.  By the time they think we’ll be finding out the results of a pregnancy test, we’ll be 7 or 8 weeks along, God willing.

I’m super impatient for Monday to get here obviously.  But luckily we have a few distractions.  Tonight I’m making a labor intensive dinner, tomorrow night I’m going to clean up my garden because we’re having company this weekend, and it needs to be done at some point anyway.  Saturday morning I have a massage scheduled and then we’re going to a lunch at a nice restaurant with DH’s family to celebrate his cousin getting her Masters degree.  Then the family is coming back to our house for graduation cake and coffee.  I’m totally going to snag an extra piece of cake ‘for my trouble’ and enjoy it on Sunday.

See?  It’s how you stay calm the day before your embryo transfer…