IVF Update...

Hi all...been a while!

Well, we are mostly through our IVF process. Here's what has happened since the last update:

1. Blood work and ultrasound on 12/10...at this point they tell me that I'm ready to go for the retrieval. I have to do two shots of Ovidrel...which is a medication that starts the ovulation process. It basically thins out the walls of the follicles so that the eggs can get through. I had to take it exactly 36 hours before the retrieval...which was scheduled for 11:30am on Saturday 12/12. So...I had to stay up until 11:30pm...which, let me tell you, I'm WAY too old for. The wife knocked out at 11. Hard to sit there in bed watching the clock while she snores away.


2. 12/12 - the big day. No food or drink after midnight...which is really miserable. Especially on the way to the doctor while the wife is knocking back coffee. I would have protested, but one of us without coffee is bad enough.


3. We go in at 10:30 so we can go through all the prep stuff. They knock me out with Propofol (which the anesthetist referred to as the Michael Jackson drug...I don't know if the pharmaceutical company is too happy with that association). They get 11 eggs. Pretty impressive, overall. I go home, half drugged with the wife and Hydrocodone.


4. The next 24 hours are kind of miserable...mostly because Hydrocodone has acetaminophen in it, and I'm allergic. It makes me itch like I have a poison ivy or something. I don't sleep all that well.


5. The nurse calls the next morning (12/13) to let us know that 9 of the eggs successfully fertilized. VERY COOL!!! We were only expecting about 50%.


6. The nurse is an angel, and finds a pain med that I won't have an allergic reaction to...which is apparently very complicated because most every narcotic has acetaminophen in it. But she searches until she finds one. I rush to the Teeter to pick it up. Finally, an hour later, I feel like I'm not dying anymore.


7. I start shots of Progesterone on 12/14. These the wife has to give me, because they go in, well, two large muscles behind me. I'm not acrobatic, so it is finally her turn to participate. The first day of this, I prep the rather large needle and make her watch the training video twice. I lay there...waiting...for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, I say "are you going to do this? You're killing me!". Response: "shut it...this is a lot of pressure!!". Finally, we get it done. The wife was kind of shaken up, but I'm fine. I'm used to needles now. (PS - it has gotten a bit better now...but she still gets all nervous. Truth be told, it's kind of cute.)


8. They call on Tuesday...all 9 are still growing and doing well. We are on track to do the transfer on Thursday 12/17.

Well, for now I'm out of time. Next in the series, the transfer. That part is pretty cool...and involves less pain, but still some suffering. I'll get that one out soon...I promise!!