Ok, update time! Sorry it's so long.... I'm really descriptive!
I'm HOME!!!!!
First, let me begin by saying that if I ever have to go through this again, I am taking the g-d train into the city, even if it takes longer. I swear I was almost killed about 5 times on the tollway in and out of Chicago! And I'm no grandma driver, either!
People, as individuals, are awesome. People, as a collective, in cars barreling down the Eisenhower at 90+ mph weaving in and out of traffic, become a-holes.
Anyway, I'm back home, and much calmer now LOL! Really, the drive home was the worst.
So I got there around 6:45am, and checked in. The center has a touchscreen monitor so you can check yourself in, and some creepy dude was hanging out in front of it trying to watch me check in. I had to move the monitor because we log in with our Social Security number. I think he was just confused as to how to log in, and may have been a patient for a different procedure, but ask, don't hawk!
Anyway, the nurse that helped me last week was working today, and he was so sweet. He met me in the lobby and led me to my recovery room to change into my gown and booties. The RE came in pretty much as soon as I was changed and explained how my embryos developed.
I had 2 Grade 3 (anything grade 3 and above he considers excellent), 2 grade 2, 2 grade 1, and one still in the morula stage. He was going to transfer the Grade 3s and let the others mature a bit longer before deciding which to freeze. Most likely I'll have at least 2 to freeze, but I'm not sure when I'll know for sure.
So after he discussed this with me, I was wheeled on into the OR, and positioned in full stirrups. They did a standard ultrasound (the traditional on-the-belly kind) to help guide the catheter.
I'm not going to lie, this was very painful. First, speculums always hurt me, so that was painful. Second, my bladder wasn't as full as they'd have liked, so there was more pressure from the outside to get a clear image.
The RE swabbed my cervix with betadine and inserted the catheter guide. Yeah, that hurt even more - especially when coming in contact with my uterine walls. Because my bladder wasn't all the way full, they had a harder time imaging the catheter guide, so there was a lot of repositioning for about 5-10 minutes (seemed like forever), with extremely sharp, hard pain when it touched the uterine wall. Finally it was in a good place and the RE placed the catheter and transfered my 2 embabies! That part wasn't too painful.
Then the embryologist (also in the room) examined the catheter to make sure the embryos were released, they were, so the catheter, guide, and speculum were removed, respectively.
No pain or cramping once all the stuff was out, so that was a relief. The pain was mostly because of the bladder issue and the repositioning. I'm a little annoyed at my body b/c I drank a 16oz thing of tea an hour before, and whaddaya know, 30 mins after the procedure I have to pee like a race horse! Figures!
Anyway, I sat in a bed in the recovery room for about a half hour and then I was free to go. No restrictions on food or activity, but I'm going to take it easy and lounge in bed most of the morning, sit up for my lectures on the computer this afternoon, and make dinner, then lounge in bed some more LOL.
DH wasn't able to go with me because he had to work. Since this is a new job, and they were kind enough to give him the day off for the retrieval, he didn't want to push it. It was no problem, because there was no anesthesia. Except for the fact I was almost murderous on the drive home
Anyway, now....... I wait! I'm still testing positive from my trigger, so this will kind of suck trying to figure out if I'm pregnant or not. I have to call the RE's office to schedule my beta now that I know we had some embies to transfer
Also, I felt just fine this morning before the procedure, so I think I'm pretty much healed from the retrieval. So for me, 5 days is key.
And that's it! Now, freak out stage 2 --> waiting for the first beta..... to be continued!
when do you test? My dr told me 16 days after fertilisation (17 days after EC). Sounds hideously long!
Or I certainly did not.
