It is Today

Monday morning, I am awake with anticipation. In just a half hour I will be leaving for the fertility doctor for my egg harvest procedure (not sure proper term). Saturday, the doctor decided to go ahead and move forward with the trigger (exactly 36 hours before my retrieval).  Saturday night I had three shots in total. Two in my stomach and the trigger shot, in my gluteal muscle. Candice (my roommate) kindly did this one for me, since it was a bigger needle and harder to reach on my butt. I had been told the needle is more intimidating than it actually is.... and this is so true. I barely felt her doing it. I do have a nice bruise now :)

Yesterday morning, I went in for my blood work and the nurse said my levels look perfect for today. I asked her what perfect meant she explained that basically the PH level, hormone levels etc. need to be beyond a set point to ensure a good retrieval today.

The procedure should take in total 45 minutes or so. I will be asleep for this. Sorry if this next information is "Tmi" (too much information). I have just found little information myself, on how this happens and thought maybe this would be helpful if someone else is going through this as well.

The procedure is done vaginally. They will go in and extract the eggs from my ovaries. I am a bit sore today as to be expected in that my ovaries are enlarged and full with what I hope are a bunch of mature eggs. I will be home today from work resting and should be back in the office tomorrow. It is an outpatient procedure that should have me home before lunch today.

I am ready for this to be completed but am a bit nervous about how it will go. But maybe I most nervous about the number of eggs they are able to extract. Most IVF patients, the many I sit next to in the waiting room, the doctor coordinates timing of their cycles to stimulate their ovaries for extraction. Unfortunately with my diagnosis I was not given the benefit of time. The doctors simply had to start/ interrupt my cycle where it was to begin the medicine for retrieval. So with this being the foundation that we started on I know I should be grateful for any number of eggs they are able to freeze, but still want to know that I was able to get as many as possible.

Goodness I am looking at the time and I need to get in the shower before we head to the doctor. My roommate and Rachel (best friend from college), are going to be there waiting while I am back in surgery. I am so grateful.

I will hopefully update later.... just depends on how I am feeling. I do hope that the Christmas tree we decorated in our house yesterday, the delivery of cookies to our neighbors and Christmas records made the eggs happy and in the spirit. :) That was yesterdays goal. :)

Thank you for thinking of me this morning, and most of all praying that the number of eggs I can trust is the exact number that I someday need, or perhaps not. That this was all along the plan and it will be good.

I was listening to this song this morning and it seems ever so true, I am really grateful and hope this finds you as well.

"Through it all, my eyes are on you and it is well with me." - It is well. Bethel Music.

*** More Christmas photos and cookies later!