A Change in Plans: Egg Retrieval Update!

First things first: my egg retrieval has been moved up to MONDAY! As in the day after tomorrow!! Long story short, we left the clinic this morning thinking that retrieval would be Tuesday, but after my lab results came back this afternoon, the doctor changed his mind due to my rising estrogen levels and moved retrieval up a day to Monday! So no more stimulation meds and we move on to Lupron and HCG for tonight's injections. More on that below. But retrieval! It's so soon! Which mean...embryo transfer will be a week from TODAY!

Okay. So.

Thursday night was rough. I cried for the first time since beginning this whole process, as the injections just really, really burned. The Menopur has always burned but my injection sites are so tender now after so many pokes and prods and from the medications themselves that I just broke down. And once I started, it was hard to stop. It was like a flood of emotion (and the overload of hormones doesn't help). I'm scared and I'm sad that we have to do this to build our family and I'm anxious for the days and weeks ahead. So this is me keepin' it real. In the other photos, I've smiled because even though the injections are never pleasant, I felt okay. But Thursday, a little grimace was all I could manage, so that's what I did. Also, behold, my poor needle-poke ridden belly. At this point (not counting tonight's injections), I have had 22 injections of three different meds in that little 3-inch radius around my belly button. What's interesting is that the needle marks are showing up more now than they did those first few nights. Thankfully, after the retrieval, my belly will get a rest and J will start giving me progesterone injections in my butt cheeks. Yay? haha

Track marks and ice packs. One day at a time... we CAN do this!!

Let's talk egg retrieval! Tonight, which is what is called "trigger day", J will give me a Lupron shot as well as a shot of HCG. The HCG primes my eggs for retrieval and must be given 36 hours before my scheduled retrieval time (which is now Monday morning at 8:15 am -- we have to be there at 7:15 am so they can prep me for surgery...which means we'll leave home at 5:45 am). The Lupron (in this case) will help stabilize/suppress my rising estrogen levels and help my body not hyperstimulate following egg retrieval, which is the most common time for OHSS (ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome) to occur. Tomorrow, we go up north again to the clinic for another ultrasound and more blood work, and I'll take another shot of Lupron. Come Monday morning, I will pop a prescribed Valium, get knocked out via IV sedation, and they'll wheel me into a surgery room for egg retrieval, where we see how many eggs we really have to work with. J will provide his contribution, the eggies will be fertilized and then over a span of five days, we'll get daily updates on how they're developing. One will be selected as the primary candidate (best quality)-- which will be our GOLDEN EMBRYO -- and will be the one implanted into my uterus on transfer day (NEXT SATURDAY!!).

Following the egg retrieval, J will be giving me progesterone in oil shots for several weeks (all the way through the post-transfer 10-day waiting period and then for several weeks and possibly months longer if a pregnancy is achieved to help support early development, as progesterone production is vitally important and I don't produce enough on my own). I will also be taking an antibiotic the day before and five days after the retrieval, as well as a steroid (not sure what that's for, but okay). Lastly, beginning the day after the retrieval, I will begin taking a three-times-a-day vaginal estrogen suppository (see, now there's something you probably could have done without knowing but trust me, I so wish I didn't have to be the one to actually take it!). The estrogen will help thicken and plump my uterine lining for better odds of implantation once our little embryo is put into my uterus.

So there you have it. We are definitely in the thick of things - which means all of the emotions! I will write a blog update on Monday sometime post-retrieval to let you all know how many eggs were "harvested" and then, over the course of next week, we'll see how they develop post-fertilization. Stay tuned! :) And also...let's do this!!

Love you guys, thanks for everything <3