Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Circle Circle

This is short because I am exhausted.  I couldn't post yesterday because I was on bed (couch) rest but the high lights are I had 22 eggs, came through the procedure with flying colors very little pain and almost no spotting.  The thing that hurts the worst is the bottom side of my tongue from the oral airway.  I started the intramuscular injections last night (not as bad as I would have though just a slight pinch) and to make sure we get it in the right place they drew two circles one on each buttock in the upper outer quadrant.  No I will NOT be showing pictures of them but they are very humorous  I am on enough other stuff to start up my own pharmacy.  I will post more about all this tomorrow but I did want to update you that we had 22 eggs retrieved and 14 of those fertilized normally and are on their way!  I will update this post tomorrow.

**UPDATE**
Here's the promised update and additional details.  Tuesday we had to get up very early so we could go ARMS for our retrieval appointment which was at 7am.  We had to leave the house by 6:40am which meant that we had to get up early than if we were going to work!  At the office I was ushered into the door on the left.  This is the door that Handsome usually goes through when doing a collection and I have never seen this half of the facility.  I was brought into a room that looked like a hospital room with three beds there would be 2 other women also going through retrieval at later times.  I changed into my gown which kept opening in the back every time I moved so I ended up holding it closed with one hand.  The nurse, Gail, was very nice and started going over everything with me.  She told me that she feels that every retrieval is special and unique and that she was so excited for me.  She gave me an IV in my hand - I have to remember to tell my brother that he is right the hand does hurt more (but my arm was pretty much used up and she didn't want to do my wrist). The anesthesiologist came in asked me the same health questions and then told me he likes to try and give as little of the drugs as possible unless I seem to be in discomfort.  She started to go over some of the drugs with Handsome since he would be giving me the shots - intramuscular ulp!  He left to go do his collection and she reminded him to kiss me before he left since I would be out before he got back.  Then I took one last bathroom break, they want to reduce the chance they'll have to catheterize you, it was hard to pee since I wasn't allowed to drink or eat anything after midnight before the procedure. 

Then they took me into the procedure room.  Dr. Johnson was doing the retrieval and he was very nice and all business - he must be reading my blog since I didn't hear any creepy small talk.  I went and laid on the table in the pap smear position all of us girls know and love complete with the move a little closer to the end, a little closer, there.  After that I remember nothing until waking back up.

When I woke up my husband was beside me.  I was kind of out of it for a while and apparently kept asking him the same questions - how did it go, how long were you waiting, I'm thirsty.  I got some water and noticed blood on the rim that is when I discovered that I had blood around my mouth from the oral airway. (too see more info click on the picture for the wiki link)


With which they apparently scratched and bruise the side base of my tongue, roof of my mouth and back of my throat.  I was told that they had retrieved 22 eggs which made me really happy!  I kept drinking water and when I was able to go to the bathroom they released me.  The nurse also showed Handsome how to find the area to give me the shot in my hip (they say hip, I say butt) and I asked if we couldn't just draw some circles to take the anxiety out of finding the correct area.  Gail says she has done that a lot and it helps keep down stress so she drew two red circles on my butt.  Then Handsome helped me to the car and took me home.

At home he made a quick trip to the grocery store to get me some ice cream and other staples - we had been planning on steak but Gail thought that might be a little much for my stomach so we had chicken instead which he picked up at the store as well.  Then we watched some movies and TV and I fell asleep while he played a game.  It felt like I was getting up every 20 minutes to pee which sucked.  Then we ate I took all of my medication - Estradiol, steroids, antibiotics and the intramuscular Progesterone injection.  They have to draw up the medication with one long thick needle and then change t he syringe needle to a long thin one.  I lean slightly on the counter and cock my knee to relax the muscle.  He tells me to breathe in and then out and on the out he stabs it in.  Surprisingly it doesn't hurt that much - just a quick poke.  He draws out the plunger to make sure he hasn't hit a vein (so far so good) and then injects the medication.  Two time (both on my right side) I have felt slightly light headed as he's pushing in the medication.  He says the medication starts to ooze out when he removes the needle so he leaves the needle in for a little while and today he tried stretching the skin prior to injection and there was no oozing.  We are alternating sides each night. 

Actually with the whole procedure the things that hurts the most is the intramuscular injections the next day - they don't hurt going in but are sore later and my mouth.  It was very difficult eating Tuesday and Wednesday although it is much better today.

Yesterday Shelley called me to let me know that 14 of the 22 eggs had fertilized normally.  I will call them tomorrow to see how many have made it to day 3 - embryo stage and I guess I will find out Sunday how many made it to blastocyst stage when I go in for the transfer.  Again we have decided to only have one transferred.  One of my friends today asked if they can detect and if we can choose the sex.  I think they can because they can prescreen for known hereditary conditions but they won't unless you suffer from a sex selective hereditary disease which we do not.  Also I don't know if I would want to choose, it would be a difficult decision.  So continue to keep your fingers crossed that we have plenty of blastocysts (extras will be cryopreserved until we are ready for our next child) and that we get implantation and successful pregnancy/birth with our first attempt.  Its been a long road and we're not done yet but I think it has been worth it.

Circle, Circle.
"Circle, circle.
Dot, dot.
Now you have your bootie shot"

I took artistic license to swap bootie for cootie.

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