Egg Retrieval Day

Optimism coursing through every vein in my body, I woke up early at 4:15 AM… I think due to sheer excitement. I took a shower and forgot I was not supposed to put on deodorant. I enjoy taking showers, so subconsciously it may have been an excuse to take another one before I headed in for the procedure. I donned my lucky shirt - a vintage looking t-shirt with Wolverine from the X-Men ready to attack on the front. I suppose it might be a bit odd for a grown woman to wear sci-fi cartoon characters outside of ComiCon, but I don’t care; he brings me luck, and today I am taking all I can get. 

I had to wait a bit until they served breakfast. I managed to choke down my scrambled eggs. With all the talk of eggs - "How many eggs do you think they will get?", "How many eggs might fertilize?", "What is the percentage of quality eggs?" - actually eating eggs in any form is no easy task. But speaking of eggs, mine need protein. I am not sure if it is an old wives' tale, scientific fact or a new internet rumor, but the word on the street is that protein can help egg quality.  Whether it is true or not, it seems worth doing.  And scrambled eggs have protein in abundance - thus, the last and final day of choking these down.  Tomorrow, I can eat the dosa or something else delicious.

So one thing I've learned about IVF is that it makes you  hungry - I mean Hungry Hungry Hippo hungry.  I do apologize for all the references to food, but I haven’t been able to satisfy my stomach since I began these injections. So food and eggs (mine that is) are nearly consuming all thoughts.

My procedure was scheduled for 3:30 PM, and after 10:00 AM I was to halt all consumption of food and beverage. Trying to hold off the thirst that was sure to follow, I downed a Gatorade at 9:59 like a frat boy with a Natty. I then waited for 3:00 to roll around… I checked in on all of my blog family and took another shower.  I went to the clinic and then got dressed in the gorgeous gown supplied by all hospitals.  I remember the anesthesiologist asking a few questions about asthma and snoring, and then I remember waking up in the room I started out in. The whole surgery took about 20 minutes.  Dr. Shivani came in and said that everything went really well - they were able to retrieve 14 eggs.  My 14 sweet little egg babies!