Retrieval & Fertilization Report!

Hi Friends, sorry for the delayed update yesterday I was pretty loopy from my retrieval.

The Report:
40 eggs retrieved!!!
27 fertilized normally!!!
Transfer - tentatively (day 3) Saturday at 11:30 am.

The Retrieval:

Yesterday we arrived at the doctors office for the procedure, we checked in and sat down. To my surprise, a few minutes later the fire alarm went off and we all had to evacuate the building. Talk about bells and whistles for our big day! Luckily it was a drill and they let us in a few minutes later. (ironically the day before, for my blood draw the power was out!)

We were taken back to our recovery bay where the nurse, Sarah, told us about what to expect during the procedure and answered our questions. I absolutely love this nurse she is friendly and down to earth and makes me laugh and feel relaxed. She also calls all of her patients "sweetie" which I love. We were informed about what to expect when I get home and some side effects to watch out for. She also asked what pain medication I would prefer, vicoden or Tylenol 3. I opted for the Tylenol because the stronger narcotics tend to make me feel dizzy and sick.

After the consent forms were signed, I was permitted to use the bathroom and DH was taken back for his "big performance". A few minutes later the anesthesiologist came in and started my IV. This was my first IV and I was a bit nervous, but he numbed my hand and I didn't feel a thing. DH came back after his part and I dressed in my scrubs and walked into the procedure room.

The room was joined with the embryology lab and I was greeted by one of the lab tecs who got me up onto the table and asked me to confirm my identity three times. I layed down and the anesthesiologist started me on some pure oxygen (which made me feel happy and a bit dizzy). I don't remember a thing after that.

The next thing that happened (in my version of the story) is DH and my nurse were greeting me and asking me to drink water and eat crackers. I don't even remember seeing the doctor at all, though I'm sure he was there - haha!

Upon my return to reality, I was almost immediately in stabbing pain in my abdomen, and I was given some drugs via my IV. I drank some water and ate a few crackers and was still in pain so my nurse allowed me to have 2 Tylenol 3 tablets which kicked in after about 30 minutes and I was able to sit more comfortably.

That is when the big needle came out - the nurse gave me my first progesterone in oil shot and showed DH how to do it. She had me lay on my side and drew targets in blue permanent marker where they should be given into the muscle of my butt. I took a deep breath in and blew out hard and she inserted the needle quickly. This didn't hurt very bad but there is so much liquid and it is so thick it hurts going in. Honestly, I expected it to hurt more. DH massaged the area to help the oil soak into my muscle.

A few minutes later the nurse went out to get our retrieval report and I heard her say; "seriously? are you sure, OK I will let them know". I was worried that was bad news, but Sarah came in and asked if I was sitting down - and said we got 40 eggs!!! Amazing! We were in complete shock and totally excited, first milestone achieved now if they would only fertilize and grow!!!

After about 45 minutes in recovery DH went to get the car and I was wheeled out and came home. I was still pretty loopy and don't remember much. Once I was home, DH went to fill my prescription and get some of the saltiest food he could find and some Gatorade for me to snack on to avoid hyper stimulation.

I spent the rest of the day sitting around, unable to concentrate and tired. My parents came over to stay with me while DH went back to work. I tried watching a movie but ended up sleeping after drinking 6 20 ounce Gatorade and eating some salty chicken noodle soup and a bagel.

All in all the day was positive, I was in pain but to get 40 eggs made it totally worth it!

The Day After:

I woke up this morning and DH gave me my progesterone in oil shot - which honestly (even without pain meds) isn't as bad as I thought. DH went to work and I fell back asleep until 10 am when my mom called.

I decided to get out of bed, when was when I noticed I was in some pain but better than the day before. I took my antibiotics and some more Tylenol 3 and ate breakfast. At 11am I got a call from Sarah, my nurse who gave me our fertilization report.

Out of the 40 eggs that were retrieved, they split them in half 20 for conventional fertilization and 20 for ICSI.

Conventional; out of the 20 eggs, 19 were mature, 11 fertilized normally (with 2 abnormal and 6 "duds" that didn't fertilize).

ICSI; out of the 20 eggs, 18 were mature, 16 fertilized normally (with 2 abnormal).

This is AMAZING news, I couldn't be happier. DH and I talked about how we wished for 20 eggs to fertilize. I feel very blessed and hope that they continue to grow and at least one (maybe 2!) become a viable pregnancy!!!

I plan on laying low for the rest of today and praying for our 27 little eggs to make it through the next few days. I'll also be pounding the Gatorade and salty foods - do you think you can OD on Gatorade??? I'll do anything to avoid the emergency room! :)

The nurse gave us a tentative transfer date of Saturday at 11:30 am, we will know by 10 am if we have the procedure then or they push us out to day 5 (Monday).

Keep us in your prayers! More later...