IVF: Egg Retrieval - The Count is in!

Miles and I went in early this morning for the egg retrieval. We had to be there by 8:30 AM, which meant dropping Owen off around 7:45 AM. Unfortunately, Mitchell got sick with the flu and was unable to watch him. (We hope you're feeling better, Mitch!) But I had some amazing friends who stepped up and were willing to take his place.

Ok...here on out it gets pretty detailed and descriptive of the procedure. If you have a weak stomach or prefer not to know, skip to the end.

After we got there Miles provided a semen sample that they prepared for ICSI following the egg retrieval. We talked with our nurse, Katie, about the possible side effects of the retrieval. I also asked her to explain the procedure to me. This is my layman's way of describing it: The HCG shot I took a couple of days ago triggered my body for ovulation. This allowed the follicles to release the eggs from the follicle wall. The doctor takes a probe that has a really long needle in the center of it that sticks out at the end. He goes up vaginally and inserts the needle through the uterine wall and directly into the ovary where they aspirate the eggs from inside the follicles. They fill each tube with up to five eggs (and their surrounding fluid). It really is crazy. I've done this before, but I haven't always asked questions about the medical side of things. I am so incredibly grateful that we have this technology and the ability to create life outside of our bodies. It is absolutely miraculous!

After we chatted, I got dressed in my garb:

The anesthesiologist (Wayne) came over to chat and get medical info from me. Miles mentioned to him that I was excited to be put under. When I went back into the OR, the nurse there said, "Wayne tells me you're excited for the anesthesia." I said, "Yep!" I told her I just like fighting it and seeing how long I can stay awake, as well as how loopy and goofy I get afterward. Wayne worked for a bit to get my IV going. Luckily he numbed the area because he was doing quite a bit of poking and prodding with the needle for a while. :( Next, the embryologist (Klaus) came in to talk to me while I was still lucid. He asked my name, my husband's name and why I was there. Since I was feeling snarky, I pretended I didn't know Miles's name for a second and told him I was there so they could steal my babies. Not sure if he was amused or not. He responded by pointedly saying, "You're here for an egg retrieval, right?" I decided to stop messing around and said, "Yes."

Shortly after that I started to feel dizzy and woozy. I said, "You started the drugs, didn't you?" Wayne said he did. So I started counting. One-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, three-one-thousand.... The doctor came in and talked to me for a second. I heard the nurse say, "She's still counting." The doctor said, "If you can count to 100, I'll give you a doughnut." So I busted through and counted super fast - one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, THIRTY! And so on, until I got to 100. Then he said, "But you have to remember." That's the last thing I remember....

As I was waking up, I remember saying something strange. I asked the nurse who was helping me recover and she said she wasn't there and would get Katie for me. Katie came in and I tentatively said, "Did I say, 'My vagina is dancing?'" She smiled and said, "Yep. And we all got a good laugh out of it." Awesome. Yeah...I don't know. All I can remember is that my uterus and abdomen felt weird and *bubbly*?...so I guess saying my vagina was dancing was the best description I could come up with. Seriously...pretty sure that goes down as the strangest and goofiest thing I have ever said or done coming out of sedation.

Here's a picture of me all groggy and attempting to wake up:I also said I remembered the doctor telling me I could have a doughnut if I counted to 100. She said, "Yep! He said that. We'll get you your doughnut." A little later, the doctor came in and asked us what our favorite flavors were. He also told us that we got 13 eggs, which was great, and a few more than expected.

Later, I couldn't remember how many we had gotten. I asked Miles and he said, "Thirteen." The woman in the bed next to us was also recovering from her retrieval. She said, "You got thirteen?" The nurse said, "Not you, that's the person next door. You got two." I felt so bad for her. Then she said, "Oh. That's what happens when you get old." :( Aw...it made me totally sad for her. A bit later I heard her talking with her mother. She was telling her that they got two. She said, "We'll have to see how many fertilize. We might not end up with anything." Again...my heart ached for her. Infertility is so so hard, and can be that much more devastating when you put so much into trying to make it happen and it isn't successful. I hope and pray things work out for this unknown woman on the other side of the curtain.

So now we wait to hear from Katie sometime tomorrow morning. They did ICSI (directly putting the sperm into the egg) today and we'll know tomorrow how many actually fertilized. Here are a couple stock photos I found of "ICSI" and one with explanations of objects in the pictures:

Seriously...can you even imagine how intricate this microscopic process is?! Incredible.

As for how I'm feeling, I didn't remember it being very painful or that uncomfortable in the past. But maybe that's because I didn't have a baby to take care of and could just lay around all day. Granted, Miles stayed home from work today and took care of Owen for me (thank you, honey!) but I think it was the fact that I knew I had responsibilities to take care of and couldn't just lay back without thinking about it. That, and Owen whining and crying for his mama... :( I've felt pretty crampy and tender. It's most comfortable for me to lay down rather than sit or stand. But it's gotten better as the day has gone on. I also took a nice long 2 hour nap today while Owen napped and Miles took care of him. I was pretty sure I could have slept forever if I hadn't forced myself awake.

Also, I again need to give a shout out to my friends. When I called my friend, Holly Smith, to ask her to watch Owen, I was in tears when she so willingly accepted and did it with such joy and kindness of heart. Of course, Carly Andelin has been watching Owen multiple days over the past week and was also willing. (I just didn't want to wear her out.) ;) I really do have amazing friends. Then, on top of it, earlier this evening my amazing friend and VT companion, Leslie, came by to see how I was doing and brought me a 1/2 dozen cupcakes from Sweet Tooth Fairy. She is AWESOME.
Seriously...I am blessed with wonderful people in my life. Thank you!