In the Nest

Home from retrieval! The staff at the surgical location is getting to know me quite well. LOL.

I was thrilled that my main doctor was there and by a series of circumstances, is the doctor who ended up doing the procedure even though I wasn’t scheduled with him.

3 tries for the IV is becoming pretty standard and we ended up in the back of my hand. I had a very pleasant drift off and wake up from anesthesia today. 🙂 And you know what made it even more pleasant?

15 eggs in the nest. I am thrilled with this result. This is more than twice what was retrieved last cycle. Of course, I am now anxiously awaiting tomorrow’s fertilization report.

On day 3 we should know if we are doing a fresh or freeze all cycle. Right now, I am to proceed as though we are doing a fresh. However, my doctor is pushing for a freeze because he has concerns about hyperstimulation. If enough embryos look strong on day 3, we will convert to frozen transfer in January.

In the mean time, I will get a kick out of thinking about how I’m getting pregnant right now, outside of my body. 😊

Day 10: Some Overthinking

This morning I was so tired during my ultrasound that I barely counted or kept track of anything. Uterine lining was 9.6, and my front runner grew to 21mm. Other than that, I remember a couple of 18s, but the others are mostly sitting in the 12-15 range. Doc said I was on the cusp of triggering and he wouldn’t be sure until my bloodwork came back.

I checked my phone, of course, obsessively, all day. Well, my small wish came true and my blood work indicated that I should trigger tonight for a Wednesday retrieval. At first I was happy with this news, but then some overthinking ensued:
– Will my eggs be mature enough by Wednesday?
– Are they rushing it because the lab is closing for the holiday season and I am one of their last retrievals of the year?
– Did I get all of my HGH or were
some of my injections just air, as last night’s almost was? (Don’t ask).
– HGH is way too expensive to have missed any doses.
– Why didn’t I pay more attention to the numbers this morning?
– Why didn’t I check my syringes more closely before injecting. I’m sure I must have messed up something.
– If I had 12 measuring follicles last cycle, and retrieved 6 eggs… can I make a soft prediction that this one will yield 8 or 9?
– etc. etc. etc.

Tonight I do one last push on the follicles with 25 units of HGH between 6-9 pm. Trigger 10,000 Pregnyl at 10 pm. Tomorrow morning monitoring (bloodwork only) and retrieval instructions.

Come on, maybe-eggs! Get nice and strong!

This Poor Provincial Life

More on the retrieval when I’m not so tired, but for now…

The opening number from Beauty & the Beast is running through my head. Why? In that song, Belle wanders through town on the way to the library, encountering many people she has known since childhood. At one point, a frantic woman runs across yelling, “I NEED SIX EGGS!!!.

Well that’s how many eggs were retrieved today. And since I heard this news, I have had this song in my head.

I would be lying if I said I was thrilled with this number; of course I was hoping for more. But I also know that I am lucky to have 6, and that it only takes one good quality egg. So I’m staying hopeful and optimistic and eagerly waiting I hear about the fertilization tomorrow.

T Minus 12 Hours

I just can’t believe my retrieval is tomorrow morning!!! Of course there are the expected feelings: nervous, excited, hopeful.

Tomorrow we will have an answer to the important question: How many eggs? (Then of course there will be some waiting before we know how many of those fertilize). But at least we get some info tomorrow. ER day is a big day in the life of an IVFer and I just can’t believe it’s tomorrow!!!

A little anxious about getting R’s sample to the clinic within the allotted hour; we can’t hit any traffic if we are going to make that happen. He just can’t, well, “produce” as they say at the clinic, unless he’s home, and of course I don’t want him to feel any unnecessary pressure. I do feel bad for the guys when it comes to producing on command!!!

Last but not least, I am a hoarder of comfy socks. My sister knows this and bought me this awesome pair a while back. I’ve been saving them for a special occasion, and tomorrow definitely qualifies.

Oh, and PS as a follow up to yesterday’s vent post about R, we had a little chat. Well, first I was completely passive aggressive but then I explained what I was feeling. He was understanding and I realized that I was fine with him going to work for a few hours once I had that reassurance from him. So, like the socks say… Life is Good.