Retrieval Day!

Retrieval Day was very exciting. We had to be at the R.E.’s office at 6:45am, so we woke up early to get ready and get the sperm safely in their little cup. Once we got there, I had to get weighed, blood pressure taken, etc, then was escorted back to a little room with a couple of comfy chairs, a tv and a bed. There I got to change into my gown and socks, then we sat and waited until the anesthesiologist arrived. It was freezing in that room and I was a little (or a lot) nervous, so became a little bitchy.

Once the anesthesiologist arrived, we went over the details of what he would be doing, and I was taken into the surgical suite. They put my arms and legs in their proper spaces and belted me all in. It sounds scary, and I am very claustrophobic, but it really wasn’t. I wasn’t strapped in too tight, it made me feel safe like a seat belt, not constricted. The anesthesiologist numbed my hand, then inserted my IV. No big deal, just a little burning with the lidocaine and then that weird feeling of cold liquid entering your bloodstream. Then he started talking to me about wine and whether I was a white or a red wine girl…which is the last thing I remember.

I woke up to the awesome news that 21 eggs were retrieved. TW was so sweet and nice to me. I was totally still drunk from all the meds, but came out of it pretty quickly. I did have pain that was worse than I had imagined but they gave me a Tylenol with codeine and it definitely helped. I stayed in that room eating crackers and drinking orange juice for probably 1-1/2 to 2 hours. At some point my nurse came in and removed my catheter. This part sucked. I’ve never had a catheter and I hated it. It wasn’t that painful having it removed, but it burned. Then she had me try to pee. I was able to get some out, but it burned really badly. After that, they let me go home.

I was prescribed two different medicines to keep me from having too much fluid build up. I went home and really tried to keep drinking as much as I could, but it burned so bad to pee and I seemed to have to go every 30 minutes or so. It was very annoying. I also had a great deal of ovary pain, so I had to just take it easy all day. By last night I was feeling a little better, but very bloated, and I was wishing that I could stay home another day. I was able to get to sleep very easily (residual effect from the anesthesia I’m sure), but I was up every 2 hours having to pee, so I think one of those pills is like a water pill.

The PIO shot went pretty well last night too. It was a small dose ¼ of a cc, so I’m sure that makes it a little easier. As soon as TW finished the shot I started to rub it and applied a hot compress on it for a maybe 30 minutes. I even used a back massager on the area for a while. This morning, I couldn’t feel it at all, but this afternoon, I am starting to notice some soreness. I’m nervous the larger dose will cause more discomfort, but hopefully it will result in a beautiful baby, and then I won’t care. The shots are nasty and I hate them, but they don’t hurt really. They just feel gross.

Today I woke up feeling ok, still sore, but mostly ok. I was moving a lot slower than normal, but I was able to get ready in time. I’m still having trouble with the pee situation. I almost had to have TW stop on the way in to work to let me go, and I had just gone right before I left. I’m really hoping this part resolves itself quickly. All in all, I can’t really complain. It was an experience that I survived, I wouldn’t be too upset if I had to repeat it and the outcome was very good.