Egg Retrieval (ER) was yesterday, on the lucky 8th day of the 8th month of year in 2008... 8/8/08! The Chinese culture believes that the number 8 is very lucky, so lucky that they planned the Olympics opening ceremony to be on this date, and to start at 8:08 pm local time! I have always thought of 8 as my lucky number myself no real reason just that it was my birthday. So 8/8/08 was the day for my ER. I wasn't sure of how many eggs to expect them to retrieve, since i had about 16 that were mature and a few close to it with another few that were a lot smaller. I walked into the OR at my RE's clinic a little nervous, and a little excited as I couldn't believe the day had finally arrived!
I was the first ER of the day, and I had to be there at 6:45 am and we were on time! Nurse immediately prepped me for surgery. It was a very surreal feeling for me. I still could not believe that this day had arrived. I had been so patiently waiting for over a year to do this, and it was here. I was so nervous in the days leading up to ER. So many things went through my head. Part of it was hope and belief that this IVF cycle was going to work and also had fear that it would not! Some days i did fear having hope and belief, but as I await transfer of 2 beautiful embryos, I am less afraid to be hopeful and really believe our time has arrived!
I dressed in the gown they provided which was really nice. It wasn't your typical hospital gown that one has trouble keeping it close from behind, i can't describe the texture but it was nice. It was lined with some sort of insulation that once i was dressed in the pretty purple gown, a tube was inserted in one of the openings and the insulation quickly filled with warm air. I put on some really cute white socks with cute purple bear paws on the bottom to give me some traction... not the ordinary plain slipper socks i've gotten from other hospitals. The nurse took all the vitals, and blood pressure was a bit high, which is usual for me before anytime of procedure...it's my nerves that get the better of me. She struggled to get a good vein in my arm for the I-V i had a case of a 'runaway vein' which is not like me because I have great veins. But i hadn't had any fluids since dinner the night before so that was forgiven! LOL Once she found a vein that didn't run away, I was ready for the OR.
It was a bit eery walking into the OR seeing the table where I would be laying on, and all the medical equipment. I was nervous and the nurses could tell. We joked a little bit to help ease my nerves. I layed flat on the table, arms spread out and an oxygen mask placed over my nose and mouth. The last thing i remember after the anesthesiologist told me I would be feeling a bit woozy soon, was the nurse lifting my legs and placing them into the stirrups....then the next thing i know, i'm waking up in recovery with 2 neighbors awaiting the same procedure. I never saw them as our curtains were closed, but i could hear them. When i left for ER, no one had arrived, i was the only patient. I woke up rather quickly from anesthesia which was nice. I felt the semi-painful cramping in my lower abdomen area, confirming to me that the procedure had indeed taken place. Nurse checked in and asked if i wanted my hubby to come back and sit with me. I remember shaking my head yes, as I still had the oxygen mask on.
He came in and sat beside my bed and asked how i felt. The nurse walked in with some gatorade and tylenol to help with the cramping pain. I never realized she removed the oxygen mask and that i didn't have it on until about 10 minutes later. Nurse told me 33 eggs were retrieved and thought that was a whole of eggs! I was surprised i didn't feel more uncomfortable in the days leading up to ER. She went over a few more instructions and then my RE walked in and she said all went and looked great. She retrieved 25 eggs. I wasn't sure of the exact number then as i got 2 different numbers. But it didn't matter as i knew i would get an exact number the following morning. I got dressed, used the restroom, and walked out my RE's clinic at 8:45 am, exactly 2 hours after arriving! I had a good day, not too much pain and drinking lots of gatorade. Shhhh don't ever tell my mother, or my Re for that matter, but i felt fine after ER that hubby and I went to eat breakfast! I've been under anesthesia enough times to know how my body reacts to it. I do well fortunately and don't suffer an nausea and can eat just about anything i want, in moderation of course!
Now that this part of the process is done and over with, I patiently await transfer day! We are all hoping for a day 5 transfer...and with that many eggies, i don't see why that won't happen!! Stay tuned for the fertilization report!
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