You can read part 1 here, read part 2 here, read part 3 here, read part 4 here, read part 5 here, read part 6 here, read part 7 here, read part 8 here, and read part 9 here.
I am officially a week out from my second egg retrieval! If you want the quick version, my friends really rallied behind me during a very difficult week and I got 16 additional mature eggs! This brings my total to 25 frozen mature eggs and the goal was 20 so I'm quite happy (dare I say EGGstatic?)!
Okay, time for some more details. In the early afternoon of Tuesday the 14th, I got the official word that it was time to trigger that evening. That meant that my procedure would be Thursday the 16th. I excitedly called my mother to tell her and began spreading the news that I was ready for my retrieval.
Very sadly though, around 4:30pm, just as I was packing up my work stuff for the day, I got a call from my mother that my grandmother (my stepdad's mom) had passed away and she and my stepdad were leaving right away to go out to Long Island. I immediately went into problem-solving mode, not yet ready to deal with the reality. I was taking a walk with a dear friend just minutes after getting the call from my mom so I asked her if she would take me to my retrieval and stay with me for a few hours afterward. Being the incredible friend that she is, she readily agreed to the very early morning and responsibility of making sure I was okay.
That evening, I sent my boss an email explaining what was going on and took my trigger medications as promptly as I could (for those that don't know, trigger medications have to be taken within a 10-minute window of when your doctor tells you to). I packed up my stuff and headed to my parents' house (which they had already left). I planned to stay there because my apartment has a lot of stairs and climbing them is quite uncomfortable post-retrieval with my ovaries being enlarged whereas my parents' house has relatively few stairs and has a yard in case I didn't feel well enough to take my dog on a walk.
I also began telling my support network that I needed them. This became especially true when the next day my dad was sent to the ER (he is fine now and back at his retirement facility). And boy did my network show up. People sent gift cards for food delivery, care packages, flowers, and so many kind words. People arranged times to visit me and check in so I wouldn't be lonely. I really can't say how much I appreciate it.
I stayed overnight at my friend's apartment because she lived very close to where the retrieval would take place. We cooked, ate, and watched a Try Guys video. Early the next morning, my friend and I headed to my retrieval. I was less nervous this time than last time because I knew what to expect. Things moved along, but when it came to placing the IV for my anesthesia medication, boy did I feel like a pin cushion. My veins are normally difficult to find, but add on being dehydrated and it made it nearly impossible. It was pretty painful to get the IV placed, but finally, I got it in my left hand.
I do not remember being taken back to recovery, but my friend said I was very compliant and said "Okay" after everything the nurses told me to do. I was told they got 21 total eggs, but I was cautious to be optimistic because last time, they got 20 eggs and only 9 were mature. I had some cramps in the beginning and so they gave me Tylenol. Soon enough though, my friend took me home and I pretty promptly fell asleep. My friend stayed and worked at my parents' place for some time to be sure I was okay and then she had to head off for an appointment of her own.
For the past week, I've been recovering. Overall, it has been easier than last time. Whether this is because I had a slightly different cocktail of meds this time, or if my body was just like "Ah yes, we've done this before," I don't know.
But for now, I am done with egg retrievals and done with this phase of my parental journey. At some point, I will make plans to get pregnant, but my timing depends on a lot of things.
Thank you all for following along and supporting me throughout my journey--I truly appreciate it and love you all.
(Prompt by me)
"Pregnancy/Baby Bump" by Alabama Extension
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