Our AMAZING Retrieval News!!

This was written around noon today/Tuesday —-

Hello to all my absolutely wonderful cheerleaders, supporters, encouragers, and prayer warriors!! I ended my last post by saying; I hope I would have the best possible news to report post retrieval. Well I have an AMAZING update! Excuse me for rambling or being all over the place, my excitement has taken over!

For those who have kept up with our story, you know were expecting about 8 eggs to be retrieved based on ultrasound and Dr. Garzo and Dr. F’s thoughts.

Chris and I said just before I went into surgery that we would be happy with 6-8 eggs.

Well I woke up from surgery to some pretty darn phenomenal news!!

DR. GARZO RETRIEVED 12 EGGS!!!!!!!!!! 10 were mature, and 2 intermediate. The intermediate ones are given the opportunity to mature in the lab.

This is OUTSTANDING for us!!! I seriously cannot explain our shock and excitement. We knew he was great, and my gosh he exceeded our expectations!

I feel extremely fortunate to have had an incredible team with me from start to finish yesterday. I swear, nurses are born with a God given talent and a particular disposition. I love and respect all of my nurse friends and will always be forever grateful for all you do. I was treated with ultimate kindness and care. When I woke up, I was positively emotional and asked my nurse to write down everyone’s names and roles in my procedure so I could personally and appropriately thank them.

As you have most likely gathered by now, I am an extremely sentimental person and wanted to document our retrieval day as much as possible. This is the day our children were made, literally. Strange as it may sound, it is true. So much pain, heartache, emotion, time, work, stress, money, disappointment, love, you name it was put in to get us to this point. September 21, 2015 will forever be a top day in our lives.

Jesus Calling was utter perfection on 9.21.15.

Lovely message to start the day.

Here is what retrieval day looked like for us in words and pictures: (As I have mentioned before, I don’t share these details because I think each and every one of you need or care for them. It is more for me to have in the future when I want to go back and reminisce)

Beautiful sunrise on the drive to RPMG 9.21.15

• 6:15 – Wake up, shaking like a leaf, total nervous wreck.
• 6:30 – Last growth hormone injection and Valium.
• 6:40 – Out the door, 5 minutes EARLY!
• 7:15 – Arrive to RPMG/La Jolla Women’s Surgery Center extremely loopy from Valium.
• 7:30 – Head to pre-op room to review paperwork, check vitals, change into gown, etc. Heart rate and blood pressure were through the roof.
• 7:45 – Dr. Garzo checks in. Janet, the nurse anesthetist checks heart and vitals.
• 8:10 – Goodbye hugs and kiss to Chris. Head into operating room. Issues with getting IV started, it took FIVE tries, ouch. I felt super relaxed right when the Versed started and hardly remember some of the prep. Dr. Garzo came in, and I think I saw the follicles on ultrasound, but do not remember.
• 8:30 – Retrieval started about this time.
• 9:10 – Dr. Garzo let Chris know surgery/retrieval was successful.
• 9:15 – My dear nurse didn’t know exact numbers, but said I would be pleasantly surprised.
• 9:30 – Chris came back to recovery to see me. Dr. Garzo said we would be very happy with results.
• 9:45 – Liz, the Embryologist, met with us and let us know 12 eggs were retrieved, 10 mature and 2 intermediate. When expressing our shock, the embryologist said, “Dr. Garzo is famous!”
• 10:00 – Moved back to pre-op room. Dr. Garzo came back to check on us after we received results and to give me a hug goodbye. He was so beyond sweet.
• 10:20 – Chris was called for his appointment.
• 10:30 – My vitals were checked every 10 to 20 minutes, pain level at a 2.
• 11:00 – Since vitals were good, and I was drinking a lot of water and able to use the restroom, we were set to be discharged! I was taken via wheelchair downstairs to the car, and we were on our way!
  

  Valium infused car ride.

  

  We have arrived!

  

  La Jolla Women’s Surgery Center Waiting Room

  

  Nervous wreck

  

  View from the pre-op room

  

  Loopy!

  

  

  Trying to stay calm 

  

  So lucky to have him by my side through this journey!

  

  Ready to GO!

One of my heroes….Dr. Garzo!! I had to crop myself out because I appear to be sleeping in the photo.

Operating Room

Right when Chris got to recovery. I was still “coming to.”

After receiving the AMAZING retreival news!!!!

We picked up lunch on the way home, and stopped at the pharmacy to get pain meds in the event I needed them. I was feeling well, much better than I had anticipated.

Once back at the house, I had a TON of energy, likely adrenaline and excitement! After eating a little, I couldn’t get comfortable on the couch, so I rested in the chair on our patio for a bit. Then I crashed. I then put myself to bed for a couple hours, which I NEVER do, but knew it was needed. As the night went on, the heating pad was my close friend. I wouldn’t say I was, or am, in pain, just slightly uncomfortable. It feels like cramps mixed with abdominal pains. I just am taking things slow and easy.

Gorgeous sunset on 9.21.15

I woke up this morning early, feeling really well! I had the day off work to relax, as I didn’t know how I would be feeling. I took care of some things around the house and was quickly out the door to Starbucks! I couldn’t wait to get a REAL coffee!!! Reese got her whipped cream treat too! I had a whole “to do” list planned, but that was quickly aborted!

I have missed you!

Spoiled!

Today’s relaxation partner 🙂

This moment in time feels extremely surreal. We have conquered one giant milestone in this journey. The anticipation for appointments, medication, injections, emotions, and ultimately retrieval are behind us, for cycle #1 at least! We can’t believe it!

Here is how the week looks from a lab/update standpoint:

• Day 0 – Yesterday / Eggs retrieved would be fertilized via ICSI.
• Day 1 – Today / Call from the lab to let us know official maturity level and the number fertilized
• Day 2 – Wednesday / No call or update
• Day 3 – Thursday / Call letting us know the amount of embryos still growing and the grade/quality. Assisted Hatching will take place. They scrape the embryos so cells begin to develop on the outer shell.
• Day 4 – Friday / No call or update
• Day 5 – Saturday / Call with how many made it to blastocyst stage and are ready for freeze. Biopsy the outer cells of embryos to be sent off for genetic testing.

HUGE HUGE HUGE UPDATE!!!! Since I started writing, Liz, the embryologist called!!!!!! I was so scared to answer, but OH MY GOD! She asked if I had a moment. YES, of course I do! She said ALL of the 10 mature eggs retrieved FERTILIZED successfully!!!!!!!!!!! I started shaking with excitement, tears in my eyes, screaming, pacing the room back and forth. This is HUGE!!!!!!!! Typically there is an 85% fertilization rate, so 10 out of 10, I CANNOT BELEIVE IT!!! The two intermediate eggs did not mature, so they were discarded. We still have 4 extremely intense days to go, but to start with 10 is outstanding!! Statistically speaking, 50% make it to Day 5, and of those 70% are genetically normal. Liz is hoping it will be a better percentage because I am “young.” Ahhhhhh!!!!!! Holy hell is this real?!?!?!? I was on the phone for hours, and seriously could not stop talking.

I am on cloud nine, in a state of shock and jittery beyond imagination! We are meeting with Dr. F and the new clinic today to discuss cycle #2 and next steps. I am set for an Acu appointment following. The new clinic and my acupuncturist are in the same building, which happens to be down the street from my office, super convenient. We are then headed out for a date night and cocktail or two!!! I will update further tomorrow!

I thank each of you from the bottom of my heart. You have NO idea how much your love, support, and encouragement have helped during this process. We are beyond fortunate to have you in our lives. My words will never do justice in appropriately expressing our true appreciation. THANK YOU for being with us each step of the way. We have a long road to go, but are embracing each accomplishment as they come!

Love to you all!! Xo

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Sometimes the best thing you can do is not think, not wonder, not imagine, not obsess. Just breathe, and have faith that everything will work out for the best. – Robert Tew