Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Talk With My Nurse

I had a good long talk with my nurse today. She's so incredibly sweet and personable, so it makes me happy to know she is with me on this journey. She answered all my questions about the egg retrieval and the protocol. She said technically the protocol is an antagon protocol, but it's customized for my situation. I'll be on bcp for 2 weeks actually, then will start the micro-hcg and the stims, then also will add something to keep the maturing eggs from ovulating while the others catch up. She said I will probably stim for about 10 days, depending on how the eggs are maturing. Then, when I have lots of good follies ready, they will give me the trigger shot to do at a specific time at home. Then, we'll come in for the egg retrieval.

I asked her whether I would be knocked out for the retrieval and she said yes, but that it's very light. She said it only lasts about 10-15 minutes and I won't feel anything from the retrieval. Also, she said someone will call frequently to update me on the embryos and how they are doing, etc. She made me feel like we are going to be in really good hands here. She said there is always a nurse on call 24/7 and if I ever have any questions or concerns, I can call anytime day or night.

As for whether we will need ICSI (which is where the embryologist actually injects a single sperm into the egg), she said we will have to wait and see. The embryologist will decide whether it's needed once he/she has the eggs and the sperm sample. She said sometimes what they do is half ICSI, half natural just to get more information about the eggs so they will be armed with more knowledge in case the first IVF doesn't work. As for PGD (pre-genetic diagnosis), they will not be doing that for us since there is no indication of a genetic defect and no history of miscarriage.

I am starting to get a really good feeling deep down inside. This could really work for us! I might really be pregnant by the end of October/early November!! It's very exciting! I am in such good, capable hands and the clinic is very confident that this will work for us. I hope to keep this happy feeling in my heart throughout the process. It's still about 7 weeks away from starting, but I know it will go by so quickly and before I know it, I'll be starting birth control pills!

1 comment:

  1. I'm getting caught up on your story!

    I was sore after the ER and ended up taking it easy most days until my transfer on Day 5. I was up and around doing things, but I wouldn't have wanted to be too busy. After the transfer I felt MUCH better, but had mandatory bed rest of two full days only getting up to use the bathroom- no shower. I ended up taking it easy for a couple more days because the medication I was on made me feel a little sick, but I'd day by 5 days post transfer I was feeling back to normal. I thought the TWW went much quicker in our IVF cycle than it did in our IUI cycles, because you spend the first five days trying to recover from the ER and worrying about how your embryos are doing in the lab. Then once they're transferred, you just have a little over a week until your beta- at least at my clinic.

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