13

First of all, thanks so much to everyone who sent me good thoughts via the Nest, Facebook or my blog. They meant a ton, and Dan was amazed at the care. I'm not amazed anymore though, my friends ROCK!!!!

They got 13 mature eggs yesterday! After talking to Dr. K, I found out that as of my last u/s, I had 11 follicles that were mature, meaning measuring above a certain size. Once I took the trigger shot, 2 more matured, which is how we ended up with 13. Of course I always think more is better, but I'm totally fine with 13.

They should be calling today after noon with the fertilization report.

For those of you that have asked my what the ER is like, I thought I'd write about it here.

Once they took us back to the prepping area, we had to sign consents saying we knew the risks. We signed another consent that we agreed to have an extra vial of blood drawn for use in a research study. The nurse came in, took my vitals, had me change out of all clothes. The nurse anesthesist came in to start my IV. We joked about the fun narcotic cocktail I'd be getting. Honestly, the only meds I remember are Fetnyl and Tordal. Dr. K came in to say hi, walked me through what they expected to retrieve and wished me luck. They had me empty my bladder one last time, get a quick good luck kiss from Dan (who'd been able to stay with me the whole time), and then they walked me into the OR. I was on the table for a few fun minutes, with the starting doses of the med cocktail starting to work. LOVED that:-) Then, I heard them ask where Dr. K. was, and that someone needed to find her. Part of me didn't care where Dr. K was, but the obsessive me was able to ask where she was and if she was coming. They assured me she was and then that's all I remember.

I woke up in the recovery room to the beeping machine. The nurse asked how I was feeling and for some reason, my brain wasn't connecting to my mouth. I told her "discomfortable" which got a little laugh from each of us, since we both knew what I was trying to say. She upped my pain meds a bit and all was well. I remember asking how many eggs they got. I remember asking for Dan (who came back abot 15 minutes later). Otherwise, I was in a state of "I don't care what happens right now."

The nurse did my first small dose of PIO, with Dan watching. He'll give me 80% of these shots, so I wanted him to get a refresher. She even drew on me with a surgical marker to ensure we aimed for the right spot, which happens to be just above my butt.

We stayed for about another hour and then they discharged me with all instructions. Although most injections are done, I'm now taking more pills. I've been taking Doxy for the past 7 days or so; I'll keep that up until transfer. Last night, I took my first dose of Medrol, and today I start a baby aspirin. I'll continue with the prescription pre-natal...which is n.a.s.t.y.

So that's my story. I'm not so anxiously waiting for the fert report call, but I'm much less anxious than after the first ER. They hope for a 70-80% fert rate, so Im hoping b/t 9-10 fertilized successfully.

My friend Jenny from KC sent me a necklace on Wed (perfect timing!))) I tried to take a pic but it wouldn't work. Anyway, it's adorable:-) It's a sea turtle charm, which are symbols of fertility, a moonstone, which is used to aid fertility, and a pomegranate colored crystal, which is the "color" of infertility. I LOVE IT:-)

Also, at my therapy appt on Wed, the the therapist gave me a squeezy ball that had a face, which I named Hope. Hope got a lot of interest from all the medical staff and when I woke up in recovery, she was tucked under my chin:-)

Because we're dorks (well, b/c I'm a dork), I wanted a picture of us yesterday before ER. THe nurse walked in as we were trying to get ready for our self-portrait. Talk about embarrassed! She didn't blink an eye though and offered to take it for us. I guess I'm not the only dork out there:-) Here's the pic the nurse took, and if you look at my hands you'll see Hope.