Post retrieval update

Well it's three days post retrieval and things are going well!!
We had a total relax day which included a massage on Tuesday to prepare for Wednesday and the hardest part on Wednesday was the fasting lol - my retrieval was scheduled for 11 am and I had to be on a complete fast for 8 hours, I was soooo thirsty hahah but I survived!

We got to the clinic and again hugs and kisses all around!!! Growing up in a polish home I don't find this awkward at all because this is how we greet also, except we do a kiss on each cheek whereas here its only one cheek.

They wasted no time getting me into my private room - which had a bed, a recliner rocker for DH, TV with satellite and a private bathroom. I got changed into my gown, and the nurse came into the room to get my IV started, they refer to her as magic hands and it's totally appropriate - I didn't even feel the needle and took her one try. With my previous IVF it took two nurses and four attempts to get my IV in - my poor hands were bruised for weeks! I have the tiniest one this time, and its not even a bruise, its more tender than anything.

Next I met Carlos the embryologist - nice guy, cracked a few jokes, definitely made me comfortable in the OR as DH could not be in there with me (in Canada he sat next to me the whole retrieval) here they video streamed the whole procedure into our room and he watched on the TV which was nice that he could still be "involved" in the whole process!!!

Well next came the drugs - first the good pain killer and then Carlos asked me if I felt like I was on a wine high or if it feels like tequila - I said wine - and he gave me more drugs lol, then I felt the tequila - hahaha. Dr. Gaytan came in quickly to tell me everything will be fine and that is the last thing that I remember.

Woke up in recovery, remember a little bit - but I guess I was awake when they wheeled me in - and transferred beds, the nurses and DH helped me move -but I don't remember any of this, I also do not remember telling DH to take pictures, and yet telling him to raise the camera to ensure he got the whole room - hahaha - DH told me at dinner on Wednesday night - I did not believe him, because I didn't remember that at all - well there are pictures to prove it!

I think we were in there for about an hour - finished my juice and kept it down, so we were free to go - another difference from in Canada - I walked myself out of the clinic - my DH in August had to hold me up to get to the car - I was so out of it then, I couldn't even walk to the pharmacy in Edmonton to get my prescription - and it was only a partial sedation back then  - and I was in pain with my first IVF  - here I was still a little tender - but it was manageable - we had a follicle count before we left the clinic - and we had 54 follicles retrieved! They were still sorting them when we had left so we did not find out till Thursday how many were mature.

Got back to the hotel and I headed straight for the buffet - I was STARVING - yet again another difference with my IVF in Canada - there I went straight to bed and barely ate for three days - here I have totally gone about my days like normal and my appetite is quite "healthy" lol.

I haven't really experienced any "pain" I have taken a few tylenol to help, as the recommended Advil was doing nothing for the tenderness, I still walk a little slow - but my tender tummy is definitely improving drastically each day - I actually walked a "normal" pace with my DH on Friday night.
We have been taking it easy - just lounging on the beach and enjoying the sun - we have had some of the nicest days we have ever experienced in Cancun the last three or four days, so its been great for the tan - lol.

I didn't sleep much Wednesday or Thursday - anxiety of updates from the clinic I guess you could say was the cause. As you know we did not have good results in Edmonton, so waiting to hear what was happening here brought me slight anxiety, I was checking my email Thursday morning what felt like every two minutes, lets say my phone was at about 50% battery life by the time I got the email at 2 p.m.
We were lounging on the beach, and as soon as I read it - tears, and tears, of JOY - from the 54 follicles retrieved, we had 48 mature eggs, and from that 44 had fertilized!!!!!! AMAZING - I was beyond over the moon!!! To hear such success after we had nothing fertilize in Edmonton - brought very intense joy for DH and I. We had a great afternoon, and in the evening at dinner I celebrated with the smallest glass of wine (I vowed off ALL alcohol since started our injections, not that I ever drank much to begin with)

Then Friday - again checking the email constantly - DH couldn't take it either so he emailed the clinic looking for an update lol - and they got back to us - we had 40 embryos still!! Amazing - again we were beyond the moon - but we had something that had stumped us - We had ICSI counts, and IVF counts. We could not figure out what this meant - we were under the impression all follicles were given ICSI......So after pondering all afternoon - I was just happy we still have 40 embryos, but DH couldn't take the unknown and "confusion" of the email and he finally called the nurse.
Well the phone call lead to us learning that the embryologist made the decision not to perform ICSI on all the follicles because we had some very strong eggs - so he did traditional IVF and ICSI - we are still waiting to hear how many of each - because currently we have 11 embryos that ICSI was performed on and 29 that IVF was performed on.

Now because we have success, I am not overly upset that the clinic did this, but as I have been thinking about it - part of me is - because they knew we had total fertilization failure with traditional IVF in Edmonton, what if it happened again??? Obviously they used WAY more eggs for traditional IVF than for ICSI.
But what can be done at this point? No point getting upset, we have strong embroyo's and we need two more days and then hopefully we have enough to perform our transfer which is still scheduled for Monday - this is sosososososo exciting to think about.

Well tonight my familia arrives in Cancun, this is the week that our previously planned family trip is happening, so it will be so nice to have my parents, and brother and his wife and her whole family here.  We also move hotels today, we are heading off the hotel zone and going to the Mayan Riviera, so we will have a bit of a trek to the clinic on Monday, but that is ok - it is only for one trip!

Well today I get another update from the clinic and confirmation time of our ET - so today is another milestone for us!

Everything is still beyond amazing for us and we have nothing but good things to say about the clinic here - again this is the best decision we have made in our infertility journey and I say it will bring nothing but good results for us.

Well I probably won't update till after ET so till next time!

xo