We were up at 5 and on the road by 5:45 -- early start to our day! I had a rough ride up North as I was battling pretty severe nausea thanks to taking my prescribed antibiotic on an empty stomach (doctor's orders). But we made it and checked in on time, 7:15. They had trouble getting my IV hooked up but once that was in, I was off to surgery. They were able to "harvest" 10 eggs! I originally had 17 that were developing but since I stopped medication a day early due to rising estrogen, the remaining 7 eggs that they had hoped to give a chance to catch up in size did not mature. In short, my doctor chose my health over the total egg number retrieved and we accept and appreciate his judgement, as we know he has my best interest at heart. We were hoping for a few more only because not all will fertilize or develop properly, so we just have to hope we end up with 4 or 5 embryos to work with in the end (resulting in one good embryo to transfer and a few more to freeze should we have to try again). We will get a "fertilization report" sometime tomorrow morning, so we will know more then. If 3 or less fertilized, protocol is to do the transfer on day three (this Thursday) but that is not ideal as they would be less developed at that stage, thus the rate of success would be slightly lower. After all we've been through to get to this point, that is not an appealing thought. But, it's out of our control and we just have to continue to have faith in the process and hope for the best! However, if 4 or more fertilize and develop as they should, we will be on track for our Saturday, August 15 transfer - this would be the best situation and the one we are hoping for!
I am in a moderate amount of pain and dizzy and nauseous off and on, but I'm resting at home and the pain pills I was prescribed are helping. I must be mindful of any symptoms that might indicate ovarian hypertsimulation in the next few days, but so far, none have emerged. Of course, Jason is taking excellent care of me! Please help us stay positive as we move forward - positive thoughts, prayers, vibes, etc are all appreciated more than you know! Stay tuned, important details to report tomorrow...
 |
| Left: before surgery; top right: after retrieval; bottom right: resting up at home! |
I am so excited for you both, as you know. You are one brave young lady, but a determined fighter as always! Continued prayers and LOTS of positive thoughts are a must. You have so many people who are with you through this loving journey...of course we are there too! WE love you!!!
ReplyDeleteI have resolved to do everything in my power (as has J) to make this IVF journey a successful one. As you know, I am stubborn and neither of us gives up easily! We don't know how this will end, but we certainly hope it ends with a little one being added to our family. If not, well, that's a thought for another day. We have come a long way but there is still a long ways to go. For now, we are holding on to hope and encouraged by our progress thus far. We love you guys too -- thank you for all of your wonderful support!
Delete