Egg Retrieval

July ish, 2013

Wow, time comes and goes so quickly.  The official 2WW has begun.  Egg retrieval.  CHECK!

Here's a brief recap of our day:

7:20 am left early to get to OHSU on time in case of traffic.

I woke up with peace and excitment.  I didn't "worry" the way there.  The only time I got nervous was when I was waiting on the bed. 

8:45 they called me back.  The anestegoligst was defiantly a talkitive hippi.  He was wearing a bandanna.  I was a little nervous because he said he was going to start me off "low."  I wanted to be OUT.  He did do a great job of getting in the IV.

Darren had to go give his "donation."  I BEGGED him to take pictures of the "artwork" in this special room.  He has talked about it and it sounded hilarious.  Naked abstract women. Perfect.

Once the IV was in, Dar came back and I had to listen to him and hippi sleep doctor shoot the birds about airplanes while we waited 20 minutes for our RE to come back.  In the middle of their conversation I said "Hey, do you guys want to bet money on how many eggs I get retrieved and the winner takes all?" Darren just laughs and the anethostigist said "ya, I'm in, I've never made money off a  patient before."  Ha ha ha.  Then he pointed out I had an unfair advantage since I've seen the ultrasounds.

Finally the RE came back and he started pumping his magic.  He just didn't pump enough.  I was in a lot of discomfort and too alert for my liking and I kept saying "is this normal?"  They got the message and after that I basically lost all my memories.

I could re-tell so many events from my last egg-retrieval so I told Darren to not tell me a thing and I would prove that I was alert.  I couldn't.  I didn't remember asking the nurse to draw "launching pads" on my hips for the PIO shots, I guess I asked "how many eggs did we get?" like 7 times, and apparently when I was recovering I kept telling Darren to take pictures of me!! (I'm so embarrassed about that, the staff probably thinks I'm nuts).  I did want a good "blogger" pic, but one that I was AWARE in.  I have NO memory of this but here she is.  The pictures Darren took literally looks like I'm on my dying death bed.  Oh well, at least there is evidence. 

They got 17 eggs.  Last time we had 24, but last time I was at a way higher risk for OHSS so they triggered me a day early.  I knew this would mean less eggs, but of course, it makes me worried too just because the 24 resulted in just 6 "viable" embryos but out of those, we have put in 4 and no pregnancy.  However, this is a beautiful opportunity to "let go and let God."  I can't do anything about it and at the end of the day, 'que sera' sera'  Now I have to trust Him.

I don't want to jinx myself, but the recovery so far has been AWESOME.  I'm up and walking around, have only take 1.5 pain meds, am eating, and it didn't kill to go to the bathroom.  I'm assuming the dreaded Bloat will come soon (or tomorrow) but I'm thankful that I'm probably not near as close to OHSS that I was last time.  *update-minus a tiny bloat the day after, 2 days after the surgery I shoveled bark dust for 3 hours.  Praise the Lord!

So now, I get to take the week off (I cancelled my 2 college courses I teach this week) and relax and pray. 

New Mantra: Be the Bloat

November 3, 2012

Got a call from the nurse yesterday (day 3) saying that ALL TWENTY are still in the running and that they want to push them all to blastocyst (day 5 or 6).  This is great and scary.  Great because they can identify the "better" embryos at this level and great because my clinic doesn't freeze unless they hit blastocyst.  Scary part is many don't make it that far (I read 40%) but the risk of none is a possibility.  As I said from the beginning is my prayer is ONE (or happily two) healthy babies with frozen "siblings" so I NEVER have to go through all the stims and egg retrieval again.  I'm really hoping tomorrow is delivery day (day 5).  They will call me in the morning.


On a positive note, I feel good today and today is day 6 after the HCG trigger shot.  My RE told me that the severe OHSS usually kicks in 4-6 days after the shot.  The nurse told me that she thinks I'm "out of the woods" but it's no guaranteed.  However, my fears of looking 4 months pregnant and getting liquid drained and throwing up and freezing all embryos is quickly fading.

BUT, this doesn't mean I don't experience mild-moderate symptoms of OHSS.  Most patients get some form of it and when you have E2 levels the way I do and the amount of follicles I had removed (24), I was prepared for symptoms.  I mean my ovaries and freakishly large right now and I have been putting all kinds of crazy medicine into by body since beginning of October.

The worst has been this crazy bloat.  I'm not complaining.  I'm thankful that I most likely have been miraculously protected from real OHSS, but I'm talking about reality here.  The bloat hit bad about day 3.  It felt like a miniature hard ball was in the pit of my stomach.  There were hours where I couldn't stand up straight.  I had to sleep with a heating pad to ease it all.  Not not mention, NOBODY warns you about the insane constipation that follows.  I'm sorry, its TMI, but you need to know!  :)  I go to the bathroom a ton and it's never been an issue.  Ever.  But between the yucky self-injected enema to the surgery to the pain meds, that has played a HUGE role in me not going #2, like at all!!  The first two days I was fine but by yesterday I was getting nervous.  Not to mention that the "bloat" was getting more and more painful.  Finally my sister gave me some left over stool softeners, I drank a tall ice coffee this morning, and I prayed like crazy (yes, God cares about EVERYTHING), I finally went.  Thank goodness!

A friend that has gone through a couple IVF treatments warned me and said "out of everything, the bloating was the worst for me." She even bought larger clothes and borrowed maternity pants!  I (like the other side effects) thought all the stims would make me bloated but didn't learn till recently it happens after egg retrieval.  I emailed her 2 days ago to ask how long it lasted and she said that during that time her new mantra was "Be the Bloat."  Ha ha ha.  I love it.

So, as I wait for my little babies to divide cells, as I pray that angels guard them and that God Himself hand selects the 2 embryos He wants in my body in this time, I embrace my new situation because it leads to dreams coming true and I "Be the Bloat."