When I went in for monitoring on Monday, my ovaries were so swollen full
of follicles that they were touching each other rather than being on
both sides of my body. My husband gave me the hcg trigger shot and ouch, it was a painful 1.25 inch sticker that night. It hurt worse the next day (Tuesday) as it felt very bruised and sore. Also the next morning, I was dry heaving and throwing up stomach bile. I was able to muster the strength to go to work through the nausea and made it through the day successfully.
Wednesday, today, my husband and I went very early (6am appointment!) to the fertility clinic to have the surgery. They started me on a saline iv drip right away and had me sign a bunch of consent forms. Before I knew it, I was walking myself into the operation room.
Before I had a chance to get nervous, the anesthesiologist gave me some sedative and I couldn't keep my eyes open. I was out in seconds. The whole procedure took about 20 minutes and I was the first to go in that day, lucky me! :) They put me under anesthesia so I didn't feel a thing and I don't know how I got back in my bed but when I woke up they had harvested 28 eggs (a new record for my egg retrieval doctor for those who were trying to do iui/timed intercourse, usually people have 7 to 12, how fun to set the record!).
I was in pain, so they gave me some painkillers and then some morphine. They told me to go home, eat and take vicodin, which I gladly did. I also used my heat pad. I wish I was good at writing odes because if I was, I'd write an ode to my heating pad, how I love it so!
My 28 eggs were all fertilized immediately after retrieval and Thursday (tomorrow) I will get more news on how they are doing. A few days later, they will implant the best looking embryo and freeze the rest if there are any viable embryos left.They are not sure yet if they will do a 3 day or 5/6 day transfer. Based on the information I've read, we are hoping for a 5 day transfer because it gives the eggs the best chance to show who is the strongest and gets them into the blastocyst stage.
I was drinking a lot of water before the operation and continued to drink a lot of water all day afterwards. My recovery room nurse insisted that I drink a lot of water and gatorade and eat double the amount of my usual protein for the next 2-3 weeks. This is to prevent hyper-overstimulation disorders that need to be corrected via surgery. She said she didn't want to see me back there for that as well. I've been keeping up the fluids and have discovered that Strawberry Lemonade Powerade tastes just like the pink Starbursts! Yum! I dilute the powerade at about a 1:3 or 1:4 ratio since the sugary powerade is too much for me (especially after not having anything but water and sparkling water for several months!)
I took the day off of work after the retrieval and went in for a half day the following day. I wish that I had just stayed home because the bumps on the road were killer and I didn't really need to put my body through the stress of working/walking around a lot/etc again just yet. But I just get so stir crazy and have a hard time letting go of work!
To end, I thought I'd share my groggy wake-up letter that I insisted on having my husband type post-op:
Dearest (Fertility Clinic),
Full of pizzazz. Excited. Overjoyed. That's how I feel post egg retrieval. Every step of the way, (fertility clinic) has made me feel like an important patient, not just a number. I'm eternally grateful for your patience, knowledge, and care as you lead me through this unpredictable journey towards motherhood. Your explanations are thorough and your expertise is evident.
( ... Then we got interrupted by "FREE!" crackers that I absolutely loved. They were really given just to see if I could withstand the nausea from the anesthesia but I couldn't get over how great they tasted and how they were free!)
Thank you all for your support, kind words and prayers. :)
Wednesday, today, my husband and I went very early (6am appointment!) to the fertility clinic to have the surgery. They started me on a saline iv drip right away and had me sign a bunch of consent forms. Before I knew it, I was walking myself into the operation room.
Before I had a chance to get nervous, the anesthesiologist gave me some sedative and I couldn't keep my eyes open. I was out in seconds. The whole procedure took about 20 minutes and I was the first to go in that day, lucky me! :) They put me under anesthesia so I didn't feel a thing and I don't know how I got back in my bed but when I woke up they had harvested 28 eggs (a new record for my egg retrieval doctor for those who were trying to do iui/timed intercourse, usually people have 7 to 12, how fun to set the record!).
I was in pain, so they gave me some painkillers and then some morphine. They told me to go home, eat and take vicodin, which I gladly did. I also used my heat pad. I wish I was good at writing odes because if I was, I'd write an ode to my heating pad, how I love it so!
My 28 eggs were all fertilized immediately after retrieval and Thursday (tomorrow) I will get more news on how they are doing. A few days later, they will implant the best looking embryo and freeze the rest if there are any viable embryos left.They are not sure yet if they will do a 3 day or 5/6 day transfer. Based on the information I've read, we are hoping for a 5 day transfer because it gives the eggs the best chance to show who is the strongest and gets them into the blastocyst stage.
I was drinking a lot of water before the operation and continued to drink a lot of water all day afterwards. My recovery room nurse insisted that I drink a lot of water and gatorade and eat double the amount of my usual protein for the next 2-3 weeks. This is to prevent hyper-overstimulation disorders that need to be corrected via surgery. She said she didn't want to see me back there for that as well. I've been keeping up the fluids and have discovered that Strawberry Lemonade Powerade tastes just like the pink Starbursts! Yum! I dilute the powerade at about a 1:3 or 1:4 ratio since the sugary powerade is too much for me (especially after not having anything but water and sparkling water for several months!)
I took the day off of work after the retrieval and went in for a half day the following day. I wish that I had just stayed home because the bumps on the road were killer and I didn't really need to put my body through the stress of working/walking around a lot/etc again just yet. But I just get so stir crazy and have a hard time letting go of work!
To end, I thought I'd share my groggy wake-up letter that I insisted on having my husband type post-op:
Dearest (Fertility Clinic),
Full of pizzazz. Excited. Overjoyed. That's how I feel post egg retrieval. Every step of the way, (fertility clinic) has made me feel like an important patient, not just a number. I'm eternally grateful for your patience, knowledge, and care as you lead me through this unpredictable journey towards motherhood. Your explanations are thorough and your expertise is evident.
( ... Then we got interrupted by "FREE!" crackers that I absolutely loved. They were really given just to see if I could withstand the nausea from the anesthesia but I couldn't get over how great they tasted and how they were free!)
Thank you all for your support, kind words and prayers. :)
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