Retrieval

I want to thank all of you sweet ladies for taking time to leave such positive and encouraging comments. They really do help when going through this. I don't know what I would do without the added support of the infertility community. It helps so much to know there are many other people out there that know exactly how I feel. Thank you all for being so amazing. I have kept up reading your stories on my phone, but haven't felt up to sitting at a computer to type comments. I'm hoping to feel up to commenting again soon.

My 48 hours of bedrest is officially over, but I'm still taking it easy for one more day.

I can honestly say I'm very happy and calm. My Husband is amazed by my good mood. My belief is even if the next week is all I get with Petri, I am going to relish Every. Single. Moment. 

I'll divide up my retrieval/transfer into two posts to not make things too long.

My retrieval was last Friday. I went in with high hopes they would be able to retrieve eggs from all six follicles.

As we know, that was not meant to be.

They took me back first and my Husband was left in the waiting room.

I was taken back to a room to change into a gown and slippers. I was in the middle of changing when the Nurse Practitioner came in to do my preop assessment. Nothing like starting things off by showing off my bare butt! Then anesthesia came in and did their thing. Then it was time to go back.

Anesthesia walked me back to the OR suite and got me hooked up to everything. I still had my glasses on when we got back there, so of course I ended up seeing the MASSIVE needle they were going to use for the aspiration. Thankfully I was put under soon after that.

Next thing I know, I woke up in recovery sitting in a recliner with my Husband by my side. My favorite nurse was there and she was very attentive and sweet. I had a decent amount of pain, but after about 20 minutes the pain meds they gave me in the OR finally kicked in. After my recovery period, we were free to go. We were sent out to the waiting room while the nurse went to check to see how many eggs were retrieved.

Immediately when the nurse came out to the waiting room I knew something was wrong. She had that look in her eyes people get when they're about to tell you something bad. She squatted down in front of me and put her hand on my knee and as gently as possible told me only three eggs were retrieved. I think I repeated the number out loud a few times before starting to cry.

Here is why I love this nurse. She told me: "Listen to me. Three is not the end of the world. We have seen many cases like this where all three eggs fertilize. Don't give up, there is still hope and there are three of them. For all we know they are perfect eggs. You need to have hope. We'll make sure someone calls you tomorrow. Hang in there, those three eggs need you to believe in them." She then gave me the biggest hug ever.

I spent the rest of the day at home crying and feeling sad. And of course googling the crap out of low number of eggs retrieved.

Saturday morning one of the Drs. from the clinic called. I made my Husband answer the phone because I knew I would lose it if they told me none of them made it. One did make it and we were told to still plan on transfer on Monday.

The rest of the weekend was the longest two days of my life. I have never felt so helpless in my life. I made my Husband drive me by the clinic to visit my embryo (Twice Friday and once each Saturday and Sunday). It may have been crazy, but I needed to feel like I was doing something.