Retrieval Day

Thursday, 7-23-09 (Day 23)

Dexamethasone (.75mg, oral pill): Even the anesthesia of our egg retrieval today couldn't curb my appetite. Less than an hour after surgery, I was already enjoying a much anticipated dinner at The Cheesecake Factory that everyone swore I wouldn't be up for.

I showed them.

Ciprofloxacin (500mg, oral pill): Add another antibiotic into the cocktail of drugs I'm already consuming? Sure, why not.

PIO (1ml, IM injection): Unprepared to begin these shots so soon, I was sad I didn't have at least a few days recovery time and a nice break from all things shots.

However, I'm relieved to report that Willie has proved to be an amazing shooter, even with the extra long muscle penetrating needles.

Clindamycin (150mg vaginal suppository): Messy but not that bad-and I only have one more left.

Egg Retrieval: We woke up early this morning and drove down to Sacramento, a two and a half hour drive of which I spent most of the time thinking about our 24 follicles and praying that my superstar ovaries would be worthy of their title, giving us lots of great looking eggs.

Upon our arrival, I signed the necessary paperwork and found a seat in the almost empty waiting room, enthralled with watching a lady being wheeled out of the main lobby in a wheelchair by a nurse. I couldn't help but stare, wondering what her story was. How old was she? Is she here for a fresh cycle or a FET? How long had she been trying for a baby? How many eggs did she retrieve? Is this her first time too? Where was her husband?

My thoughts were interrupted as my husband was called back by the foreign embryologist with a funny accent to give his contribution in the back room. By that time my parents had joined me in the waiting room, for which I was grateful. My father can't stand the thought of me being under local anesthesia without him being close by, and my mother is way too enthralled in this process to stay at home during anything having to do with her possible future grandchildren.

About an hour later our group moved into a back room and I was given instructions to use the bathroom and change into the provided and free-to-keep SIRM logo tee shirt and accessories. It's not a fashion show, I know, but I still felt a little ridiculous as my family started flashing the cameras my way.

It's impossible to look cute in a hair net and booties.

The rest of the process flew by like a whirlwind. The nurse came in and started my IV, introduced us to the anaesthesiologist and let us speak with Dr. Greene about what to expect. I used the restroom one last time and then was walked back into the operating room and placed on table with my feet in stirrups and given my sleeping potion.

I woke up about twenty minutes later, alert and asking about the retrieved eggs; listening intently with high expectations as I was told by a beaming Doctor that thirteen eggs had been retrieved.

And my heart sank right down to my not so rock star ovaries.

Doctor Greene immediately read the disappointment in my face and questioned it, assuring me that thirteen was an excellent number and that although there were twenty four measurable follicles on Monday not all of them necessarily held eggs or were mature. In fact, some of them were over mature.

I instantly regretted being disappointed. Retrieving thirteen seemingly healthy eggs is an amazing gift, worthy of celebrating and certainly nothing to be ashamed of. It was also comforting to hear that Dr. Greene was very pleased with the number and appearance of the eggs so far-as well as the surprisingly quick and painless recovery I had already made-and we are so very grateful to our God for blessing us with such a successful, uncomplicated retrieval.

We are anxious and excited for tomorrows fertilization report, but we take comfort in knowing that God is watching over the fusing of our eggs and sperm right now, holding them in the palm of His hand and carefully joining together the ones He specifically chooses as we wait, excited and hopeful for our dreams to come true.

Or at least fertilize and grow.

"To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk failure, but risk must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.”

-Author Unknown