Part 31: Retrieval Day

I took Mom to the airport Saturday morning.  I know she felt bad about leaving, but I assured her she had already helped enough.  I spent the rest of the day trying to not freak out about the retrieval.  I read through my pre-aspiration instructions about 10 times, making sure I understood everything and knew what to do and when.  I took my antibiotic pills as instructed at lunch time.  I tried to enjoy the fact that I had a day off from the dildocam and no one, myself included, was going to stab me with a needle that day.  B came over that evening to distract me for a bit until Paul got home.  Since we had to get an early start the next morning, I wanted to try to be in bed by 10:00, even though I wasn't sure I'd be able to sleep.  Nevertheless, we set 5 different alarms to make sure we didn't oversleep.

I did manage to sleep some, but started waking up around 3:30 or so to check the time.  We planned to leave by 5:30, so the plan was to be up between 4:30-4:45.  Even though it was a Sunday and traffic would be highly unlikely, I didn't want to cut it too close.  Paul made coffee for himself and showered while I packed a small tote bag with books and magazines, my folder of IVF paperwork, a sweatshirt, pantyliners, and extra socks.  We left right on schedule and made the drive mostly in silence.  I was pretty sleepy and smelling Paul's coffee made me crave a cup.  I wasn't supposed to have had anything to eat or drink since midnight.  We made excellent time and were driving into the city before 6:30.  Since we had lots of time, we drove the long way around through downtown.  It was 6:45 when we walked into the clinic.

One of the IVF nurses met us in the lobby and took us back to the procedure area, which was set up like a mini OR.  My name and stats were already posted on the white board outside our room.  The nurse put on my wristband and had me change into a gown.  When I was settled in the bed, she came in with a nice toasty-warm blanket (my favorite part!) and went over some pre-aspiration questions and paperwork.  She also took my vitals and gave me a sheet of post-aspiration instructions to read over while she took Paul to make his contribution to the process.  When he came back, she reviewed the instructions with both of us and went over what to expect.  And then we waited.

Around 8:00, the doctor doing procedures that day (Dr. S) came in to introduce himself and discuss the plan.  He said he expected to get at least 15 decently sized follicles, based on my last ultrasound reading.  He asked how I was feeling (lumpy and large) and if I was ready to get those eggs out (yes, please!).  He said he had a quick emergency procedure to do for a patient who was hyperstimulating, and then it would be my turn.

I asked Paul to come hold my hand and say a prayer with me.  We waited a little longer and then it was time.  Another nurse came to get me and had me stop by the bathroom to pee before taking me to the procedure room.  Once in there, everything started happening pretty quickly.  The anesthesiologist introduced himself and inspected my veins while a woman in scrubs (a nurse? some kind of tech?) got me settled on the chair/bed.  The IV set-up was quick and painless.  Someone from the embryology lab came in and asked me to verify my name and date of birth.  Meanwhile, the anesthesiologist injected something into my IV and assured me I would be feeling good soon.  The woman in scrubs had my legs propped up in stirrups and I was vaguely aware of people coming in and out of the room while my nether regions were on full display.  The last thing I remember thinking (at least I hope I only thought it and didn't actually say out loud) was "Well hello everybody!"

Even though it was only twilight anesthesia, it totally knocked me out.  The next thing I remember is someone saying my name and telling me we were done.  And then I was back in my room and Paul was in the chair grinning at me.  I was still pretty sleepy, so it was a few minutes before I woke up enough to speak.  I asked if they had walked me back to the room and he said no, they'd brought me in a wheelchair.  I asked how long I'd been gone for and he said a little over 20 minutes.  I dozed off again for a few minutes and then the nurse came in to check on me.  She offered me a few sips of water and asked how I was feeling.  Then she told me the news:  they'd gotten a total of 22 eggs!!!  Paul already knew - Dr. S had popped in to update him while I was still out of it.

We stayed in recovery for about an hour.  I ate some crackers and drank a cup or so of water.  When I was feeling well enough, they let me get up to pee so they could check for clots.  Once we'd gotten the all-clear, the nurse came to unhook my IV and send us on our way.  I don't remember much from the ride home.  I was feeling fine enough, just sleepy.  And hungry.  We did make a pit stop along the way so I could get my allotted cup of coffee.  I was starting to get a headache and hoped the caffeine would help it go away.  My MIL met us at the house and after helping me inside, Paul left to head to class.  I sat and sipped my coffee while my MIL made me some oatmeal.  I'd read that constipation can be a problem, what with all the hormones wreaking havoc and the after effects of anesthesia, so I had stocked up on high-fiber food options.

After that, I crawled into bed with a heating pad (I was having some cramping) and pretty much slept away the rest of the afternoon.  When I woke up (4 hours later!) my MIL was gone and Paul was home.  I relocated to the couch and ate some ramen noodles.  B stopped by later to say hi and see how I was feeling.  She also brought me a care package, which was fun.  I pretty much just laid around the rest of the evening.  Paul made me some dinner at some point.  I was eating pretty well and trying to be good about my fluid intake.  They had said to avoid drinking plain water all the time and stick with salty V8 or Gatorade-like drinks with electrolytes.

All in all, retrieval day was a success.  The procedure went well and they got a TON of eggs!  I didn't have any complications from the anesthesia, and aside from some cramping and soreness, was feeling pretty well.