June 7, 2013
I had egg retrieval yesterday (June 6) morning and woke up today at 2am with the most excruciating pain I have ever felt! I felt like my insides were rupturing. All of a sudden I was drenched in cold sweats and ready to vomit. I grabbed my pillow and sat on the bathroom floor waiting for the inevitable.
Let me rewind a bit! My husband and I were at the surgery office yesterday at 6:45am excited to see how many good eggs we were about to retrieve. I don't get nervous for these outpatient procedures anymore, as I feel like a pro now. The first nurse that tried to insert the needle for the IV into my left hand, missed the vein and all I could feel was the needle dragging under my skin as she pushed harder and harder. After that I freaked out and started crying! At first I was crying from the pain, then I was crying from a deeper place not even sure I can comprehend what exactly I was crying about. The anesthesiologist ended up making the second IV attempt, this time in my right hand, no pain! The rest is a blur, I vaguely remember the doctor telling me that they retrieved six eggs, five of which looked good! We will know more this week once the eggs begin to fertilize.
So for now I sit on my bathroom floor at 3am trying to get comfortable and researching "post egg retrieval pain", slowly realizing that this is no joke and the pain can last up to five days and can be dangerous if certain symptoms arise. Nobody at the surgery today warned me about this or maybe they did and I was too drugged up to remember! Thank goodness for the internet! I caved in and took a Percocet, even though I dread taking pain meds, it seems to be cutting some of the extreme pain down to moderate pain. Through my internet research I learned to AVOID lying on my back (prop myself up instead), to drink Gatorade and to use a heating pad on my stomach and back. The reason for the pain is that during retrieval, they pull out the eggs from the follicles leaving behind poked through ovaries and the follicles that housed the eggs then become filled with fluid. Until that resolves you will be in pain.
I would like to thank all of the women that post their experiences online to help women like me who have only a fraction of a clue about what this IVF adventure entails!
Day 12 Stim Update
June 4, 2013
I have been doing four injections a day for 12 days now and going in for ultrasounds and blood work almost every day. I look like a drug addict with track marks in my arms from all of the blood work draws. To top it off my stomach looks like a nice punching bag full of bruises and red marks. I am not going to lie and say that Phase II is what I expected, because it certainly is not. From the injection freak outs to the extreme fatigue, the past couple of weeks have been a bit rough for me. Don't get me wrong some days were a cake walk and others were a nightmare, so the good days definitely got me through the bad ones.
The good news...today we received the word that we are ready for egg retrieval!! I have six follicles in sizes ranging from 12-24 mm's, a good amount considering I have diminished ovarian reserve. Tonight I triggered with HCG shot and took another injection of Gonal-F and antibiotics to prepare for the surgery. Tomorrow is my last injection! Well until the progesterone intramuscular shots come into play, but let's not think about please! The very thought of the needle increasing by three times the size is enough to make me pass out.
Thursday (June 6, 2013) morning at 6:45am my husband and I go in for the retrieval. Later that day we will know how many "good" eggs they were able to retrieve. Then each day after that we will receive a call telling us how the embryos are doing. Hopefully they make it to 5-6 days become high quality blastocysts and we can freeze them all! Then we will wait for the frozen egg transfer next month.
Through this process I have learned that I am stronger than I think. If you would have asked me two years ago if I would be able to inject myself with a variety of hormones over 50 times in two weeks, I would have probably laughed at you and then kicked you! The strength that I've gained from this unfortunate circumstance is something that I am still trying to comprehend. Some mornings when I stand at the counter trying to push the needles into my stomach and I just can't find a good spot, I have to walk away for a second, shake it off and remember what I am doing this for. You never know what you are capable of until you are in a situation where you have no choice but to be strong. For this I am grateful.
I have been doing four injections a day for 12 days now and going in for ultrasounds and blood work almost every day. I look like a drug addict with track marks in my arms from all of the blood work draws. To top it off my stomach looks like a nice punching bag full of bruises and red marks. I am not going to lie and say that Phase II is what I expected, because it certainly is not. From the injection freak outs to the extreme fatigue, the past couple of weeks have been a bit rough for me. Don't get me wrong some days were a cake walk and others were a nightmare, so the good days definitely got me through the bad ones.
The good news...today we received the word that we are ready for egg retrieval!! I have six follicles in sizes ranging from 12-24 mm's, a good amount considering I have diminished ovarian reserve. Tonight I triggered with HCG shot and took another injection of Gonal-F and antibiotics to prepare for the surgery. Tomorrow is my last injection! Well until the progesterone intramuscular shots come into play, but let's not think about please! The very thought of the needle increasing by three times the size is enough to make me pass out.
Thursday (June 6, 2013) morning at 6:45am my husband and I go in for the retrieval. Later that day we will know how many "good" eggs they were able to retrieve. Then each day after that we will receive a call telling us how the embryos are doing. Hopefully they make it to 5-6 days become high quality blastocysts and we can freeze them all! Then we will wait for the frozen egg transfer next month.
Through this process I have learned that I am stronger than I think. If you would have asked me two years ago if I would be able to inject myself with a variety of hormones over 50 times in two weeks, I would have probably laughed at you and then kicked you! The strength that I've gained from this unfortunate circumstance is something that I am still trying to comprehend. Some mornings when I stand at the counter trying to push the needles into my stomach and I just can't find a good spot, I have to walk away for a second, shake it off and remember what I am doing this for. You never know what you are capable of until you are in a situation where you have no choice but to be strong. For this I am grateful.
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