Retrieval Day

Monday, Nov 7th

Retrieval Day!!  A bit scared, anxious, nervous and definitely excited as this is one step closer!

The hardest part is the lack of food and water. Since I'll be under anesthesia, I couldn't eat/drink after midnight. No fun. There were five retrievals today, including mine, so the clinic was definitely busy. However, I love the staff and they made me feel totally comfortable and as relaxed as possible. The anesthesiologist was the nicest woman and we had a fun little chat. She reviewed what meds I'd be having for my "little nap" and one of them was Propofol, which I'm sure you've all heard of since that was the drug that killed Michael Jackson. So I had to ask the nurse if she got questioned by other patients about using that drug and of course she did. So we chatted about how unethical it was for someone to be treating Jackson with such a strong drug outside of a clinic setting and constant monitoring. I knew I was in good hands so didn't bother me in the least what she was giving me. Plus I was starting to get a bit nervous, so perfect timing for a drug-induced nap.

For a refresher, the retrieval is when they go in through the vaginal wall and then go into the ovary with a tiny needle that is connected to a tube. They "poke" each follicle and "suck out" the egg (very technical description), which goes into a test tube and is then brought to the lab to be fertilized by the sperm; that process is called ICSI.  During ICSI, they take one sperm and remove the tail (so it won't harm the egg) and inject it into the egg, thus fertilization occurs.

The procedure was only about twenty minutes, but could've been an hour for all I know, I was sound asleep. Unfortunately I woke up with some sharp pains but nothing a little pain meds via IV can't fix. Once I was able to get some crackers and juice down, it was time to go home and rest. I had great support from a Fertility Friend who was my chauffeur and my support, since my hubby had to work and couldn't be there. She dealt with my nausea the whole car ride home, but got me in my house, on the couch and made sure I was comfortable before she left. I owe her! I don't do well with anesthesia on an empty stomach so I did get a bit sick after she left, but slept it off the rest of the afternoon and felt much better by early evening.

I wish I had more to tell, but at this time I don't know how many eggs were retrieved and how many were mature and made it to fertilization. Just need some patience as I'll find out in a few days when our transfer is and how many embryos we have.

Heading to bed and thinking about all the little embryos we have growing right now...just waiting for a nice warm, comfy spot in my belly.