Let's do this thing!

Well, I'm still waiting on the *official* call from my nurse with all the deets, but I got an email from her saying I'm definitely triggering today for a Friday egg retrieval!  Woot!  By the way, can I tell you how awesome it is to have my nurse's email address?  They do not give out their addresses freely, so if you get a hold of one it means (a) you're lucky and (b) you must be fairly easy to deal with.  (Apparently some patients can be rather dramatic and high maintenance.)

 

So yes, we'll be doing egg retrieval on Friday morning, which is an actual knock-me-out-cold surgery.  So not scared of this at all since I've been through two (much more extensive) surgeries with this same doctor before.  I mean of course surgery is always a bit scary - anytime you're going under it's a little scary and overwhelming, but I'm ready.  Bring on that IV cocktail and let's go!  I told y'all before that the part that freaks me out the most is the transfer, where I'll have to have a full bladder before they'll do the deed.  I know it's ridiculous but the thought of having a full bladder and not being allowed to pee is awful!  Millions of women have lived through it though, so I'm pretty sure I will too.

 

As for today's progress, I was at like 30 or 31 follies total.  Lining is still at 6.9mm, so we're in good shape there. So triggering today means last night was my last round of follicle-inducing meds!  The only injection I've got to do tonight is the HCG trigger shot.  It's an intramuscular one - ouch! - and the hub is really looking forward to giving me this one.  I think it's gotta go in my tush... another question for the nurse.  She joked that she would draw a bulls-eye on my butt for the hub to shoot for...Ha!

 

I will have pre-op stuff tomorrow, whatever that entails.  Also Dr. Liu wants to see me one more time for acupuncture before the retrieval, so I'll be at her place tomorrow at some point.  The hub and I both went to see her today after my morning appointment at RBA and she's making me start that Noni juice crap again.  I knew it was coming... so here's to a nice luke-warm Noni-tini three times a day for the next couple of weeks!  Bleh.

 

As far as meds post-retrieval, I'll start progesterone (vaginally) and my estrogen patch Saturday and continue those until we go for a blood test.  I'm so glad we're finally moving to the next step.  Each day at the doctor was exciting initially... getting to see our progress day after day.  But for whatever reason, today I woke up with this I'm-OVER-it attitude.  So was not in the mood to be poked and prodded this morning.  And the ultrasounds honestly get a little more uncomfortable each day.  They're never bad, but with every day, things down there progressively get a little more tight and sore and OVER IT.  And the ultrasounds take a little longer as you move along because there are more and more follicles to count and measure.  And then there's the spouse sitting there trying to point out gas bubbles on screen and making you laugh.  Yeah, I was a total grump all morning.  Glad I had acupuncture right after because that definitely helped the 'tude.  These hormones are nuts!  And so am I.

 

But despite my whining and crappy attitude this morning, I'm so so grateful that we have the opportunity to do all this.  Who knows if it will work - it is a gamble after all.  But there are so many couples out there who face IVF as their only real option to conceive, yet can't move forward because of the cost.  So yes, we're humbled and truly thankful. 

 

I'll let y'all know how that trigger shot goes.  The hub is WAY too excited about this...

 

 

UPDATE:  Of course the nurse would call right as I'm about to post this!  Retrieval is scheduled for Friday morning at 9:30.  So we'll do the trigger shot tonight at 9:30pm.  No doctor visits tomorrow - yay! (Other than Dr. Liu.)  I just have to call in to the surgery center for pre-op questions/information tomorrow.  Alright I've got to dig up a how-to video on this trigger shot...

 

Current mood: Worn out, but ready.