Retrieval

Retrieval finally happened!  I'm going to skip over the weekend adventures and then hopefully get back to them on later posts but, for now, I just want to talk about yesterday.  J was here for retrieval and we drove over the border with Mario, the doctor's driver, for a change.  The office was very crowded and I was thankful that I didn't have to wait upstairs in the main waiting room.  After signing in they had us go downstairs where all the procedures/surgeries take place.  They treat several women at the same time so the husbands cannot accompany the patients into the treatment areas. 

The nurse took me into a back room and asked me a few questions about and J and myself. Then we headed back to the surgery area and she had me put on a hospital gown, and a cubby shelf on the wall was available to store your belongings.  Once I was ready, she had me go into what was the waiting and recovery area. In this room, there were a couple of rolling bed/stretchers and some large comfy chairs.  I was told to sit there and wait. Soon enough the other chairs began to fill with women in hospital gowns as well.  Three of them were there for transfer and, as we talked, a still unconscious women was wheeled out from the procedure room on a bed.  The arrival of this patient signaled that my time had come and into the procedure room I went.

As far as surgeries go, it was very similar to the operating theatre at Seton Hospital on 38th street - although not quite so white and plastic-y. Still, with a quick glance, as the anesthesiologist got to work, I could tell that all the basic equipment was present.

Since I've been seeing Dr Garza, the nurses have replaced the J sound in my name with an H sound. I'm not sure what caused me to say anything while I was on an operating table but, for some reason, I was suddenly inspired to correct them. What a hubbub it caused!  The anesthesiologist placed a mask over my face and I began breathing in gas - in the background I heard the nurses chattering a multitude of variations of my name. I also heard the anesthesiologist's radio which, attached to his belt, was yammering on and on in Spanish.

If felt like the anesthesia took a long time to take affect.  I wanted to pull the mask off and breathe clear air but of course that wasn't an option.  Finally, with my mind filled with happy thoughts, I closed my eyes and went to sleep.

The next thing I remember was my name being called, being moved off the table, and saying, "how many?"  A male voice, and I'm guessing it was Dr Garza, said, "six or eight".  I fell back asleep and woke up a moment later in the recovery area.  I felt very proud of myself for first waking up in the surgery and then again right away in the recovery area.  All the women were greatly impressed with my alertness *blows on nails*.  While some women come out of this procedure in a lot of pain, others just experience mild cramping.  I was not in much pain myself and did not require any pain medication. 

While I was in the recovery room I was keenly aware of how uncomfortable J probably was outside in the waiting room.  Unfortunately he's been sick for days and, while we had a great time exploring together, he was also quietly suffering. As I felt pretty good I asked one of the nurses if I could leave.  She said no though and had to wait for the doctor to clear me.  Thankfully it didn't take too long and after sharing good byes and best wishes with the other women, I went and got dressed. 

Next I had to be given a progesterone prescription (these are the IM shots that everyone says hurt a lot).  I was waiting for the prescription when three or four of the nurse surrounded me and asked again, in broken English, how I pronounced my name. As I sat on my chair, they leaned in until their faces were about two feet from my own.  Their eyes locked onto my mouth as I slowly said my name and, with great effort, they repeated after me.  All of a sudden a light bulb seemed to go off and one of them took out the appointment book and wrote my name in letters that made sense to them.  Without skipping a beat I pulled the book towards me and wrote my name in Malayalam script, explaining that it was from India.  They had such smiles on their face and seemed to really love this little bit of information.  I'm looking forward to seeing them again soon!

Following this I went out into the waiting room to find J.  I was bubbling with excitement and one of the husbands commented on how much chipper I was than his wife after she went through the retrieval process.  The van was ready for us and we headed back to the hotel.  Thankfully there was no wait at the bridge and we slipped right through.  J and I were both hungry so, after dropping off our things, we went out in search of food.  All in all I think we were in Mexico for about two and a half hours.

At 11:00 this morning, which is just half an hour away, I'm supposed to call the office to find out when transfer day is.  After the first sixteen hours or so they are able to see how many, if any, of the eggs fertilized.  They will discard the ones that didn't make it and put the rest back into incubation.  The eggs are then left alone for a couple more days before being checked again.  It is expected that some of them will stop growing and not make it to transfer day. I'll count myself fortunate if I have two to transfer - and if there are any extra that can be frozen for a future attempt, that would be amazing!

Thank you all for your best wishes and positive thoughts that have come our way.  As you can see from above, they have certainly played a part!