Cycle 2 Trigger Time

I slept pretty poorly last night, which isn't a terrible surprise given my nerves, and didn't get to take full advantage of the time change and extra hour of sleep. I think I got up three times to pee (thanks hormones) and finally gave up on going back to bed around 7:30am. I had been worried about how I was going to take my morning meds since my appointment was at 8:45am, I usually start prepping my shot at 9 and inject around 9:25am, but I neglected to take into account the time change. With the extra hour, my shot clock was moved up to 8am and I was able to finish both injections before I had to leave.

My view from the ultrasound table

The clinic was pretty much empty with only a couple other people there for monitoring and I got in to do my blood in a flash. The lady tech was working today and she was able to get my arm vein in one go, giving my poor bruised hand a much needed break. She's gotten pretty darn good at finding that vein, I know certain techs have better luck with different patients, it's too bad she only works over the weekends.

After bloodwork it was on to the ultrasound, where I got to spend a few minutes waiting for the tech and admiring the fake sky ceiling tiles. When all these cycles are done and I'm good and pregnant,  I'd like to go back to Hawaii with E and enjoy some real tropical skies. I think we've definitely earned it and as long as it's safe to fly, I can't see any reason why a little bean couldn't bake just as well on the beach in Hanalei Bay as it can here at home.

The tech for this ultrasound was really thorough, I think she knew I was disappointed with the results we've been getting and she checked and double checked to make sure she wasn't leaving out any potential follicle that could be hiding. I'm still waiting to hear back from Dr. D with the results of my lab work, but from what the nurse said, it looks like we're going to be taking a stab at 4-5 follies - the 17, 20, 22, 22 and 26. Unfortunately the 26 is likely too mature to fertilize and the 17 is probably too immature but I'm not giving up on them just yet. We could still get 4 good eggs that turn into 4 good embryos to add to our batch.

12.6mm lining, nice and thick

My lining has also finally picked up which should be another sign that the follies are putting out a good amount of estrogen and it's time to trigger. I don't have the grapefruit sized ovaries feeling since I have so few follicles but I am still feeling bloated with the same weird temple pressure head ache I've had for a week. S says the pressure is dampness in my body so I'll probably ask her to put those needles in again when I go for my acupuncture appointment before retrieval.

11 Good Eggs!!!!

I had my retrieval this morning and the doctor was able to retrieve 11 good eggs! Yes! I'm so proud of my ovaries right now, take that FXPOI!

I know everyone's egg retrieval experience is different. Before going in for my procedure I read as many first hand accounts as I could, and I still wasn't sure what to expect. It's a little after 7pm now so it's still early but my good drugs have worn off from the retrieval and thus far I have to saw it hasn't been so bad.

We ran a little late in the morning but I still checked in about 50 minutes before my procedure. I had run a wash the night before and apparently E's jeans had gum in them - gum which got all over my lucky rainbow panties. I was not thrilled but opted for a pair of blue starfish undies to match my blow fish socks.

Puffers!

Once there, I turned in my paperwork for SCRC and they had me fill out another huge stack of paperwork for the surgery center. I thought I was coming in fully prepared with my three massive packets but apparently there's always more paperwork!  After signing about a million consent forms and handing over our credit card for ICSI and the biopsy, I made the mistake of going pee. I drank SO MUCH electrolyte water yesterday to try and stave off constipation that I'd been peeing like every 10 minutes. I asked the paperwork person in charge if there was anything else she needed from me and she said no, so I figured great, let's go pee now so there's no chance of my bladder getting in the way of the retrieval. I've hard about people needling a catheter when they go in with a full bladder and I was Not going to be one of them. Apparently, this was the wrong move.  I was supposed to pee in a cup, probably for an unnecessary pregnancy test, but there was nothing I could do at that point. Whoops.

After my potty faux pas, I met the nurse who would be taking care of me during my retrieval. She was very friendly and assured me that the lack of pee wouldn't be a problem. She took me back to the recovery room, took my vitals (my blood pressure was high, I was a bit nervous) and had me change into a gown, which I accidentally put on backwards and had to change. That thing was huge! I met the anesthesiologist, we went over my latex allergy and allergy to all the fun drugs and I decided to stick with Tylenol and later Advil instead of getting a script.  Then the nurse brought in E to sit with me and hold my hand which I so appreciated. I felt a lot better with him there even if he couldn't do anything but provide emotional support. 

A few minutes later it was time for my IV, which came with the usual numbing injection that burns for a second and the large IV needle which aches in spite of the local anesthetic. It wasn't bad though, she got it first try and Dr. Danzer came over to see how we were doing. I had my blow fish socks on, ready to dispense some good luck, and Dr. D decided to take me a little bit early since everything was good to go!

I said goodbye to E and they wheeled me back in to the procedure room. They had me scoot onto the surgery table and I was able to chat with the nurses about the centers preferred method of embryo culture. They must have given me the general around that point because that's the last thing I remember before waking up back in the recovery room maybe 20 minutes later. 

Egg Retrieval!

I've been under anesthesia a couple times before and have never had unpleasant side effects or difficultly waking up. I pretty much pop awake, fully alert, and this time was no different. I chilled for awhile, kind of feeling myself out, waiting for my nurse to come by, and once she saw I was awake she brought me E for company and a couple Tylenol. I don't know how useful Tylenol is for most people, but for me it does nothing. My ovaries were still feeling pretty sore and tender 10 minutes later and they don't like you to take Advil right after the retrieval, so the nice anesthesiologist brought me some Fentanyl for my IV. One small dose did the trick, it dulled the achey soreness to a completely bearable level, and a couple minutes later I was good to go.

E helped me back into my clothes and they brought me a wheelchair to chill in while E brought the car around. We gave him about a 10 minute head start, they wheeled me down, E helped me into the car, and we were home free! I was, as expected, starving so I placed an order for a massive amount of food at our local jewish restaurant/deli. As far as I'm concerned, Matzo ball soup is definitely Jewish penicillin and it was the first thing I wanted.

E dropped me off at home, got me situated in bed and then went to pick up my lunch. Almost immediately, I had to pee AGAIN, for the millionth time. This was another thing I was worried about - a lot of people report that the first pee after a retrieval is really painful but for me it really wasn't awful. My bladder kind of ached for a few seconds in a way I wasn't expecting, almost like the feeling of pressure, but I was basically just peeing out all the water I've been chugging and that was it. I've probably peed at least 8 times since coming home, drank another 100oz of water, and the slight bladder ache is mostly gone.

I was planning on taking it easy on the food since I'm still worried about constipation, but I devoured lunch like a starving person. The entire container of Matzo ball soup disappeared, along with some bagel chips and half a French Dip sandwich. I thought I'd have a little soup, relax some, drink water and maybe have more soup later, but I devoured the whole thing in one sitting like a beast. Then I kissed E goodbye, he headed off to work, and I promptly feel asleep with my full belly, not to be awakened until several hours later by my once again protesting bladder.

This is someone else's soup because I was too busy shoveling mine into my face to take a photo. But it was from Factor's Deli and it was delicious!

I've been up now for a bit and feeling mostly fine, just a little tender. I'm trying to be a good patient this go round so I just took more Tylenol instead of the Advil I'd really like to take. The tenderness feels like an ache as opposed to cramps or sharp pain, but it does make it difficult to bend over and get up. All in all, I'd say I've been pretty lucky so far.

Side Effects:

• Tender, sore ovaries/belly/uterus/lady bits 
• The backs of my hands and the front of my knees were weirdly sweaty, probably from the anesthesia or fentanyl
• Sore throat, probably from the anesthesia, but I wasn't intubated. I hope I'm not getting sick!
• Some really, really minor bleeding, like barely any when I wiped twice, along with some of the gel from the ultrasound probe
• Hungry like the wolf 
• Sleepy
• Bloating - this supposedly wont go away for about a week
• No constipation yet, but who knows with the amount of food I just inhaled ><

Tomorrow morning  Dr. D will be calling with our fertilization report and I am hoping/praying/wishing that all 11 good eggs fertilize perfectly. About 6 hours after the retrieval, while I was snoozing away, one of the SCRC embryologists was fertilizing my eggs via ICSI. Dr. D joked about it being a bit of a beauty contest and said that the embryologist would pick the absolute best looking and swimming sperm he could find from our sample.

ICSI!

It's officially out of my hands now so the only thing I can do is wait and hope and trust in the skill of their embryologist and the quality of my eggs. 

Grow healthy and strong little embryos, you're so, so very wanted!

Getting Ready For My First Egg Retrieval!

According to this mornings blood draw, the HCG trigger was properly absorbed and I'm good to go for a Monday morning retrieval! I'm so excited/nervous/bloated/sore/tender that I don't know what to do with myself. Time seems to be crawling and flying by at the same time and I still can't button the jeans that were falling off my ass a week ago.

I never understood what people meant when they talked about sore ovaries and IVF bloating until now. I guess I never made enough eggs in my previous cycles for my ovaries to swell up like balloons but they're definitely there now. I'm not concerned about serious OHSS (Ovarian Hyper Stimulation Syndrome), it's definitely a mild case, but I look like I'm at least 6 months pregnant, it hurts to bend over and my lower back is tender too. I'm also peeing like crazy since I need to keep guzzling water to ward off OHSS. 

Mild OHSS usually comes with the following, per Mayo Clinic:

• Mild to moderate abdominal pain that may come and go - Check!
• Abdominal bloating or increased waist size - Check!
• Nausea - Check!
• Vomiting - No, thank goodness!
• Diarrhea - No, but I'd take it over the projected constipation O_O
• Tenderness in the area of your ovaries - Check!

Things don't get dicey until the pain and nausea/vomitting turn severe, you get dizzy and you start packing on 10lbs per day. While I probably look like I've gained 10lbs per day,  I'm definitely still in the normal-mild category. I'm ready to get these eggs out though so we can make some beautiful embryos!

Our trigger for this cycle was Novarel, which contains 10,000 units of HCG, way more than the 1,000 units in my last trigger, Ovidrel. Just think of the positive pregnancy tests I could get with this much HCG running through my system!

Stock photo since I used mine last night

I'm unclear as to why the manufacturer felt the need to include such a huge bottle of diluent. Even splitting it into multiple doses, I can't imagine any circumstance that would require 30mls of liquid. Since I was taking the whole dose, I used just 1cc of liquid with the powder and injected it into my belly at exactly 10:45pm.

Like the Menopur, this one is definitely a stinger. It burned going in and unlike my other injections, has had a lasting effect. My skin is red, hot, and tender even 18 hours later and I can't stand anything touching it.  Major ouchies.

I try to avoid posting photos of my bare flab, especially crazy bloated bare flab, in public places but I figured it was better to be honest about the reaction so other people know what to expect. The photo ended up washed out, but my reaction is red/purple, streaky, raised and hurts like a bitch. But again, it's unfortunately normal.

Since my retrieval is only hours away, I'm trying to get everything ready tonight. You're supposed to drink large quantities of sport drinks like Gatorade or Powerade, but since I'm not super into those, I'm going for PH water and other electrolyte infused waters. They're supposed to help flush the hormones out of your system so the OHSS symptoms don't get worse and go away quicker. You also have to watch out for super constipation from the anesthesia which I'm really, really hoping to avoid. That sounds like the last thing you'd want when you have tons of needle holes in your lady bits and ovaries.  I'm hoping tons of regular water, PH water, watermelon and soup are enough to ward off that unpleasant side effect.

I'm also prepping soft, stretchy clothes to wear tomorrow since my jeans feel awful and tight. I've got my lucky panties, rainbow cheetah print trimmed in hot pink lace that I've worn to all my IUIs and I'm thinking of upping the ante with new blue, puffer fish toe socks with googly eyes and pink glitter shoes. Now that's a lot of good luck :)

Since I'm still crazy hungry despite the incredible bloat, I think E and I are going to get some meaty take out for dinner. I'm craving steak like nobody's business and once midnight comes I'm cut off from food and water. 

Please send all the positive vibes, thoughts, prayers, and energy you can muster my way tomorrow morning. I've got everything crossed for these follicles to contain healthy, mature eggs that fertilize perfectly and turn into healthy, viable, Fragile X free embryos. I know that's a tall order but come on follies, I know you can do it! We need some healthy blasts!