Egg Retrieval Day

So this is how it went this morning:

They took us into one of the little rooms they use for IUI. They gave me 2 gowns, one for front and one for back. They gave DH green hospital scrubs. So we changed and put all our belongings in bags. Then just outside the procedure area they gave us covers for our feet. I was wearing socks under them but Tiago could still where his shoes. Then I had to put a cap on over my hair and Tiago got a cap that ties in the back, like doctors' ones. Then we went into the procedure area and to the recovery room. We put our stuff in a locker and I went pee. Then we sat and waited. The nurse put heat on my hands to help get my veins to pop out. They gave me an ativan and let me sit a few more minutes. Then the nurse came and put in the IV, which friggin hurt. The drips they were giving me were normal saline and antibiotics. Then the embryologist came go talk to us a little. Then I had to pee again to make sure my bladder was empty, or else the doctor would have to insert a catheter. Then we went into the procedure room. They asked us if we wanted to be a part of a study to see if lidocaine injected in the cervix actually works to minimize pain. At the clinic, they normally give the lidocaine. But in some other clinics they don't. So the study is that in some people they will inject the lidocaine, and some people they will give a placebo (normal saline). So I agreed to do it, because they were going to poke my cervix with a needle either way.
So then they injected the sedation and pain meds into my IV and the doctor was there a couple minutes later. The embryologist was in a room right beside and a half door opened so we could see him in there. I was feeling woozy; kind of drunk feeling. It didn't hurt like usual when the speculum was inserted. But then, he was poking me with the needle in my cervix and that was the most painful thing I have ever experienced. I was yelling and balling my eyes out. They had to give me more meds, to the maximum dose. The nurse was trying to tell me to breathe deep but I couldn't, I was pretty much hyperventilating. It was horrible. Once that part was over I felt a little better, just sore. Then with the ultrasound probe and needle it wasn't that bad. The needle going into the ovary hurt but nowhere near as much as the other needle. As the doctor was sucking the eggs and follicular fluid out, the embryologist was looking at them under a microscope. He would take each egg out and put it in its own test tube and he would count them out loud as he was going. At the end there were 9 eggs. The nurse injected maxeran for nausea. Then they helped me into a wheelchair and pushed me to the recovery room. I sat there for awhile and they gave me water, applejuice, cheese, and crackers. I kind of was falling in and out of sleep. I had to fill out a questionnaire about my pain for their study. I ate the food and then went pee. And the doctor came to talk to me. He said they like to get 8-10 eggs, so we're in normal range. Everyone seemed happy with the numbers. Then the nurse took out my IV and we went and changed and left. They gave me two reqs for pregnancy test. The first one will be March 17.

When we got home, all i wanted to do was sleep and I slept for about 4 hours. When I woke up, the pain meds must have worn off because I was in a lot of pain. I still am; I have taken tylenol and have been using a magic bag on my pelvic area to relieve some pain. It mostly hurts when I move, but every so often I will get a burst of pain on the left side. Hopefully I will feel better tomorrow.

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