Egg Retrieval - done!

Today was egg retrieval.  I was so nervous because I have never had to be in the hospital or have surgery for anything.  The Cypress Surgery Center has an amazing staff who made me feel as comfortable as they could.  I faced my fear and sat with the anxiety until it went away.  Picturing holding my baby has really helped me get over any mental hurdles.  I know millions of couples have gone through this and have ended with a happy ending.  :)

I checked in about 8 am.  I was starving - probably because my mind knew that I couldn't eat anything until I was done.  Jon was taken to collect next door and I was taken in for pre-op.  I went over paper work and had to change into that lovely hospital gown.  The socks were very comfy though and I got to keep them as a souvenir.  The nurse put in the IV - I told her to not worry about numbing the area because I had heard that that hurts more than the actual IV itself.  I took it like a big girl and it really didn't hurt that bad.  The tape she used to hold the IV in place hurt more.  I sat in the hospital bed for awhile while various people came to check on me.  The doctor was very ecstatic when talking about how good my follicles looked.  He said it's always good to be the first one.  :)  The anesthesiologist was very comforting and told me exactly how it was going to happen.  I wasn't going to be put under - just heavily sedated enough to fall asleep.

I get wheeled back into the operation room - ignoring the screaming I was hearing from another room.  I almost made a Grey's Anatomy joke but figured that would be a typical thing to say so I just giggled to myself and waited to be told what to do.  They had me move over to the operating table which was nice and warm.  They disinfected the area that they were going to be working on and put my legs in these fancy stirrups.  They felt like snow boots.  The anesthesiologist kept my mind focused on her talking to me about my life, career, education and then she said ok - I'm putting the meds in the IV.  I remember I did my deep breathing exercises that my yoga instructor taught me - she asked me if I was getting sleepy yet and I said yes - then I was out. 

I woke up about 30 minutes later - being very appreciative to everyone.  I remembered saying how thankful I was for how well they took care of me and how I was going to get them a fruit bouquet w/ my baby's picture attached to it.  I'm sure I just sounded like a drunk - but I did mean it. lol  It only took me about 20-30 minutes to be ready to leave and head home. 

I am feeling pretty good right now.  It feels like I'm about to start my period w/ some slight cramping and light bleeding from where they poked me.  Awesome news though is that I had 16 eggs retrieved!  I will know more tomorrow as to how many of those eggs were used to make embryos - some may not have been mature enough. 

I am filled w/ joy knowing that my babies are being made right now. :)