Day Fourteen

EGG RETRIEVAL
Well I had my egg retrieval today at 530 pm. I have 5 eggs. It is not a lot, but hopefully it will be okay. The doctor said I can hope for maybe 3 embryos. That kinda leaves a dilema with how many to transfer. I was really hoping for at least 4 so I could use two and freeze two. I guess there is still a chance I could have 4 embryos. I just got back and am feeling pretty sore, so I will fill you in on the rest of the details tomorrow. Our embryo transfer is set for 5pm Thursday. Keep us in your prayers!!

Now it is Day Fifteen, and I am trying to go back and remember what happened the rest of the day! Hmmm. Oh yes. We checked out early, I think at 6 am, and went straight to the airport. I had to start fasting at 9am in preparation for my surgery. I splurged at the airport and spent $6 on a Cinnabon and $6 on a disgusting Wendys croissant sandwich. I almost threw up as I ate it, but didn't want to waste the money so I choked it down. I don't what it was that put me off so much???
For the flight now was fussy at first but fell asleep. Luckily the flight was only about an hour so it was a piece of cake. We didn't get so lucky as I was on the way in, and had to wait through the the immigration and customs lines.
We are staying at a bed and breakfast called La Estancia. All of the hotels were so expensive here is Panama. I was trying to find a reasonably priced hotel somewhat near the clinic. This place is $75 a night which I think is pretty expensive, but it is half the price of all the places the places that had been suggested to me. It is very basic and has no TV, but it is way up a Ancon hill which is a historic hill and was occupied by the US military for years. I don't really know all the background, but it is a beautiful area and there are monkeys daily in the trees off the balcony. I saw 6 little cappichino moneys. It is very peaceful. I will just have to order take out the days i am on bedrest since there is no fridge or microwave in my room.
I was so nervous before my apt that I just wanted to sleep to make the time pass by. I ended up just going with Scott and Noah to the big mall here, and that was fun, the time went by fast and it was less depressing then just sleeping the time away.
I got to my apt early but didn't have to wait too long to get in. I think they called my name at 5:45 and I had a 5:30 apt. I went in, was shown to the bathroom, went in to a changing room and was instructed how to put on the paper clothes. I went into the operating room where the anestisiologist was waiting for me. I was soooo nervous. I was afraid to under anestesia. The nurse had a hard time finding a vein for the IV. She kept asking me to stop moving. Honestly, I thought I was as still as a statue! I think she had to prick me 4 times before she finally got it in. It was not little pricks either. It was like she would almost get the IV in and then lose it. My arm is still sore.
After the anestesiologist got the IV in she put a think on my finger to moniter my heart rate. My heart was going a million miles an hour. She said that she could not do the anestesia until I calmed down. She asked why I was so scared, and I said that I don't like the feeling of not knowing what is going to happen while I am asleep. I was able to calm down by closing my eyes and singing songs in my head. While my eyes were closed I could here the Dr and I think a nurse or two come in. He asked the anestesiologist how I was and she said in Spanish that I was very nervous. The Dr agreed and that is the last thing I remember until it was over.
I don't really remember waking up or moving to the little recovery room, but I remember them putting my clothes on my stomach. I asked in a complete daze, "How many did you get?" There were two nurses in the room, so one left to find out. The other nurse asked in Spanish how I was and I said that I just wanted to rest. The other nurse came back in and said that I had 5 eggs, as I was lying curled up in a ball with very strong cramps. After lying for a few minutes I realized that I wanted to see Scott and quickly got dressed and tried to leave the room, but realized it was locked from the outside. I layed backdown, still feeling very sore and groggy. After not too long a nurse came in to give me my first progesterone shot. I think the needle was probably 5 times longer than the cetrotide needle, but at the time I was so out of it, I really didn't care. She gave me my shot in my rear and asked my husbands name. I was so happy to see Scott and told him we had 5 eggs. We went into the office where the Dr was waiting for us. He went over our results and what to expect next. He asked if we had any questions. We bought the other 9 progesterone shots from the nurse. It wasn't until later that I realized that no one explained to me how to use them! I was too out of it to be thinking to ask that. Another girl who is here for IVF is staying across form the hospital, so she was able to go back to the hospital today for instructions. The shots only have to be taken every other day, and to my dissappointment, yes, the needle does have to go all the way in!
I was feeling very crampy when we left, but didn't want to sit and wait. I just wanted to go back to the hotel. Did I mention I had been fasting since 9am? I had to stop a few times on the way down to the cab feeling crampy and dizzy. I layed down in the cab, and got into bed when we got back. After a little bit I started to feel a little better, and decided to take a warm shower. After the shower I felt so much better, and by the time I went to sleep(about 2 hours after the procedure) I was only a little tender, but not really in pain. As far as the anestesia, I felt much better after about 45 minutes to an hour. It was much better than when I had surgery on my broken pinky toe, which pretty much put me out for the entire day!
Well there is my whole story of my egg retrieval with no details missed(and lots of mispelled words I am sure. I will have to go back through and proofread, but it is one a.m. so I am going to save that task for another day!