Pretty Dancing Lights

On Tuesday I went in for my egg retrieval. The office that I go to performs the egg retrievals there “in the back.” You have to walk through the main part of the office, then through a door down a hallway, through the lab and then into the procedure area. It makes you feel as though you are going to be a part of some super secret experiment. I went into the changing room. I guess it’s the little things but the hospital gowns were nice and new and they let you put on two; one facing front and one facing back. I also had to put booties on my feet and one of those shower cap things on my head. I was then escorted into the procedure room where the anesthesiologist put in my IV (he did an excellent job, I barely felt anything). They had me lay down on the table and prepped me a bit. Though I felt fairly relaxed the anesthesiologist gave me some relaxation medicine. It made me feel super happy and euphoric. I was staring up at the ceiling and the ceiling lights were half their regular color and half pink and they appeared to be dancing and moving all over the ceiling. It was fascinating. The anesthesiologist asked if the medicine was working and I said, “Yes, definitely.” The next thing I knew I was waking up. The nurse and the anesthesiologist were having a conversation about something or other and then they asked me if I was awake. My intention was just to think it but I ended up saying in a voice that sounded groggy and far away, “I don’t remember falling asleep.” The anesthesiologist said that sometimes people start to panic when they know they are about to go under so he just does it without announcing it. I still find the whole feeling of waking up without remembering going to sleep and being unaware of the passage of time very strange but also cool. The anesthesiologist and the nurse then helped me walk to the recovery area. I wasn’t sure I could walk because I felt numb and tingly but I made it into the bed just fine. I was feeling a little crampy but for the most part I was still under the influence of all the drugs so I wasn’t in a lot of pain. I laid there for…I’m not sure how long and I was glad when the nurse finally said I could leave because all I wanted to do was eat something and curl up on my sofa nest to sleep.

The nurse let me know that they retrieved 7 eggs. One of my ovaries only had one good egg and the other ovary held the other 6. I felt slightly disappointed that it wasn’t that great of a number but I am always reminded that it is the quality not the quantity that counts when it comes to eggs. Being our third time around, we have established some unintentional traditions involving food. After retrievals we stop at Panera (which is close to the office). Once we got home I settled into my nest on the sofa, ate and spent the day napping, drinking Gatorade and watching Law and Order SVU (since it was Tuesday it was on all day). I was feeling relatively pain free but I was nervous as time slipped away. During the past two retrievals I would feel fine until about 11pm and then horrible pain would set in. It would usually last for 48 hours before subsiding. I distinctly remember after the second retrieval promising myself that I would NEVER have another retrieval, but here I was again and I watched the clock and waited, and waited but the horrible pain never came. Yes I was crampy, bloated and sore, but it was manageable. I did burn out my heating pad and I had to run out on Thursday morning to buy a new one but it wasn’t a major catastrophe. In fact I was thankful that I could actually run out somewhere and that I wasn’t doubled over with terrible pain.

I did end up drinking a boat load of Gatorade. This time I was prepared and bought a case from Sam’s Club. I started drinking it the moment I got home. The idea is that it helps to flush the excess fluid that has built up in your expanded ovaries out of your system making you feel less bloated and crampy. I only like orange flavor so I’m thankful that we found a case of just orange. On Wednesday the embryologist (who has a fun accent) called and told me that out of the seven eggs four successfully fertilized. This time around they did a procedure called ICSI where they injected the sperm directly into the egg. My transfer was scheduled for Friday. I’ve had to take a bunch of different oral medications and on Wednesday we had to start the Progesterone oil shots. I say “we” because it is another butt shot that has to be given daily so my husband has to be involved. They do feel pinchy and after a while your butt gets sore but if they help then it is all worth it.