ICSI #5 - Easy EPU

So yesterday I had my egg collection. No big deal, been there done that. Although I have to say I wasn't happy with the nurse this time - when I got up on the operating table & they asked me to put my legs up in the stirrups she lifted my gown up onto my belly so my bits were hanging out in the breeze! I mean I know they will be when they start the collection but usually they wait until I'm knocked out to do that! Can't a girl feel like she's retaining SOME dignity??!

After going home I wasn't in too much pain, just a tiny bit tender in the abdomen. I didn't need any pain relief so it can't have been too bad. I guess that's probably because they only had to poke around for four eggs this time! In my first three cycles where I averaged 10 eggs I was a bit more sore. I woukd take the extra pain if it meant I had more eggs. But alas..

The lab just called with an update & out of the four eggs collected only three were mature & therefore injected. And out of those three only two have fertilised. It's pretty rubbish but that's life. I'm not losing hope yet. I started feeling clucky this week, the first time since having my toddler, so I'm taking that as a good sign. I'm really ready for success now. I'm truly open to a new little one entering our lives & filling us with more love! Bring it on please Universe!!

ICSI #5 - Trigger night tension

Gearing up for yet another EPU (Egg Pick Up or Egg Collection) tomorrow.

I got the call yesterday afternoon with all the details about my trigger and hospital admission but unfortunately I was on-air (working in the control room of television news) at the time and missed the call. I realised it was about 4.40pm so I called back to ask if I could speak to someone after 5.30pm as that’s when I’d be free, but nope – they were only available until 5pm! So I had to speak to someone whilst we were on-air.. absolutely nightmare! I was trying to count & animate graphics & concentrate on my job at the same time as listening to a nurse give me important details & jot them down! I felt so rude that I had to keep asking her to wait a second, then get her to repeat what she just said. Then she kept asking me to repeat the details back to her because she was concerned I wasn’t taking it all in. It was very hard to talk back as I was trying not to let my colleagues hear what I was saying as they don’t know I’m doing IVF again. Ugh. I couldn’t call back in the morning as I needed to inject the trigger that night & they wouldn’t leave details on my voicemail.

So after all that, I had a minor panic last night because I was unsure I’d heard the nurse right. She told me to trigger at 9.40pm but not to inject Gonal-f anymore. Then when she asked me what time I usually inject the Orgalutran, 10.15pm, I’m pretty sure she said “you may as well have that at your normal time too”. Of course when I got home after 7.30pm I started to think about it. I’m “pretty” sure they’ve always instructed me to do the trigger at night & not to inject anything else that day. I tried googling things like “trigger and orgalutran” and “last orgalutran before trigger” but nothing was that clear. My interpretation was that the orgalutran shouldn’t be taken close to, and especially AFTER” the trigger injection. I posted the question on an IVF support page on Facebook & one lady responded. She suggested I ring the clinic’s after hours number but she also thought I shouldn’t do the orgalutran again. I rang the clinic and the machine’s message said the after hours specialist was available between 5pm and 10pm. By this stage it was10.45pm. I rang & got voicemail. Starting to stress out a bit at this point I decided to send a text. Straight away the Dr called back & was rather abrupt (I guess I woke him up!). He basically said there’s no point doing the Orgalutran as it won’t stop ovulation after the trigger. So I felt better. But since then I’ve started stressing about ovulating! Did he mean I should have taken it BEFORE the trigger?!  What if I ovulate before tomorrow morning? I just went to the loo at work and (TMI warning) had a lot of CM. As a 5-cycle veteran of this process you’d think I’d know what the hell I’m doing by now! That’s why I’m blogging this extremely boring post – so I can refer back to it next time & hopefully avoid the anxiety! Ha.

Right. I’ll be finished work in about half an hour (10.30pm) then it’s off home to quickly pig out and drink a gallon of water before I have to start fasting at midnight. I have to be at the hospital at 8.10am tomorrow. DP will bring DS and then drop him off at daycare at 8.30am before coming back. He’s on standby once again in case the frozen sperm doesn’t defrost well. At least our usual Dr (FS) should be performing the op tomorrow – last time he was away so there wasn’t anyone familiar in the operating theatre. So that’s a plus & makes me feel a bit better. Only 3 big eggs appeared in the ultrasound so looks like we’re working with small numbers again. It’s like déjà vu. Only this time we’ll be successful ;-)