I Wanna Be Sedated

Egg retrieval - check. It all went fairly seamlessly. We showed up an hour early, as requested, and then did nothing but sit for an hour in the waiting room. Mysterious... Shortly after 11 a.m., our scheduled appointment time, they brought us back to the recovery room, instructed me to change, and claimed Aaron's specimen from him. We were asked by just about every person we saw, "So you only want 4 eggs fertilized? Is that right? We just want to double-check." Yes, please, just 4. They asked if we were okay with ICSI, which is their standard procedure. We said that was fine, although we were a little curious to find out if Aaron's sperm would be able to fertilize my eggs on their own. But we definitely choose better chances of fertilization over satisfying our curiosity. A very nice nurse took care of me, weighing me, asking me to empty my bladder multiple times (this when I hadn't had anything to eat or drink since the night before - per instructions!), taking my blood pressure, etc. Then she brought me back to the retrieval room. The anesthetist inserted the IV, then made small talk with me, and then I remember nothing. I woke up back in the recovery room with Aaron. He says I seemed awake when they brought me back in on a wheelchair, but that I didn't respond when he kissed me - I have no recollection of that. The friendly nurse brought us both some water, juice, and crackers, checked my blood pressure a few more times, and kept me until I could stand up and use the bathroom. We got 18 eggs - almost an embarrassing wealth when we only want four. But we are grateful that all went well.

I've been lounging on the couch all afternoon. The doctor who did the retrieval told Aaron that I couldn't do any cleaning, cooking, or housework of any form, and that I was not allowed to lift anything heavier than a credit card and a cell phone - cute! My midsection feels pretty sore, but nothing too bad. Aaron gave me the first progesterone-in-oil (PIO) shot tonight. The anticipation of Aaron plunging a long, thick needle into my hip was pretty nerve-wracking, but the actual injection was not so bad. Ice before, massage and heat after definitely seem to help.

I'll post again tomorrow (so many posts lately!) when we get the fertilization report. We're praying hard for just the right number of embryos...