10 EGGS

Today was the big egg retrieval.  I was sedated this morning at the Sher Institute for Reproductive Medicine (SIRM - Dr. A's office) and Dr. A used an ultrasound-guided needle to go in through my vagina/uterus to aspirate the fluid off of both ovaries to remove my eggs.  

While we were still in the office, we got a verbal report relayed from the embryologist in the lab that they retrieved 10 eggs!  I was so happy to hear this.  It was such a relief.  

This afternoon, in the lab, the embryologist studied the eggs, and used the ICSI procedure and Dave's sperm to fertilize all of the mature eggs.  They may decide that some eggs were not healthy enough to fertilize.  Tomorrow, I will get a call from Andrea with a fertilization report.  She will tell me how many eggs they were able to fertilize.  Then we wait.  This is a huge waiting game.  

They will look at the embryos again on Thursday to see how many are still developing.  I will get a phone call on Thursday, too.  There is a good possibility that all of the fertilized eggs will not survive until Thursday.  If there are several on Thursday, we will let them develop until Saturday.  Even fewer will probably make it to Saturday.  But the embryos/blastocysts that make it to Saturday will be the healthiest/heartiest ones.  They will be the most likely to sustain a healthy pregnancy.  

I am praying for at least two healthy blastocysts that are available for a Saturday transfer.  If we have more than 2 healthy blastocysts on Saturday, we will probably only transfer 2 and freeze the rest.  It really depends on the status of said blastocysts.  I will pass along all of the details.

For some reason, I was not completely sedated during the entire procedure today.  I remember part of it and a couple of times it actually hurt.  What an experience.  An embarrassing part of the entire process was the fact that I immediately started crying like a baby when I woke up.  

Dave told me that when he first saw me as they rolled me back into the recovery room where he was waiting, he thought they told me bad news.  He thought that my tears were a reaction to something that went wrong during the procedure.  

I just kept telling everyone that I had no idea why I was crying.  I was still crying as they wheeled me out to the car.  How embarrassing.  I absolutely had no control over it.  I couldn't stop the tears from rolling down my face.  That is a reaction to anesthesia that I have never experienced.  I usually get very happy and chatty.  

I think we were on the road to Kirksville by noon.  I ate something and slept on an off the entire ride home.  I felt loopy most of the afternoon/evening - and very tired.  I have been relaxing in bed since about 4 pm, just watching TV and sitting on the laptop.

I feel a little bit of abdominal bloating and pain, but nothing major.  Apparently, it is likely that I may be very uncomfortable tomorrow.  I am thinking positive thoughts to try to prevent this.  

I start a new shot this evening.  This one is intramuscular (IM).  Yeay!  That is sarcasm.  It is progesterone.  I only have to take it every 3 days, so that is a bonus, but I may have to continue this one for some time if I do become pregnant.  

Thanks for reading!