We arrived at the surgery center right on time and were led to our room. I changed into the gown and in no time the staff was running all the pre-op procedures. The anesthesiologist came in to meet us. The embryologist came in to say hi. Our RE check in to see how we were doing. Twenty minutes later I gave ML a big kiss and walked back to the retrieval room.
Nervous, yes, I was pretty nervous at this point. The room was full of people, hustling around with their different responsibilities. As the nurse was positioning me on the table, the anesthesiologist was telling me that I'd start to feel like I'd had a few cocktails. Within a minute I was asleep.
They were saying my name and raising the table as I woke up. I was hurting. I grabbed the hand of the dr who was standing closest, needing some comfort in that moment. The nurses had me moved into a wheelchair and back in the first room where ML was waiting. I was in a lot of pain, but also very out of it. Tears streamed down my grimaced face. I held on to ML's hand and curled up into a little ball.
I could hear the nurses talking and they were quick to get some extra pain meeds pushed into my iv. It wasn't until the second or third round of additional pain meds that I could start to relax. ML wiped my tears away and sat close assuring me that I could relax and rest now.
ML woke me up sometime later and gave me a little juice. I was still curled in a ball, fearful that moving would bring the pain back. The nurse gave him all sorts of instructions about our medication protocol for the next few days and post-op instructions. I thought that I was listening, but can't really recall much of what she explained.
We'd brought our Progesterone in Oil with us so that the nurse could show ML how to give me the shots. She did her thing and I said "Wow, I didn't even feel that!" ML looked a little surprised at my announcement, and the other nurse reminded us both that I was on a lot of pain medication at the moment!
We finally made it home, into my pajamas, and onto the couch. ML brought me a heating pad that helped a lot with my comfort level. I drank a little bit of my odwala protein drink. ML got called into work for a couple hours, so we called my mom to come and be with me. I'd also scheduled a masseuse to come to the house. She arrived and got set up. My mom got here and ML left.
The massage was actually the best thing that I could have done. She was so gentle and soothing. Her hands on my skin were just the thing to lower any residual anxiety and bring me back into a balanced state of calm relaxation. I felt so much better after she left.
The rest of the afternoon/evening was spent curled on the couch with my mom and ML, watching season one of Glee, taking my vicoden every 5 hours.
I am feeling a hundred times better today. So long as I don't move :)
Thank you all SO much for your amazing support! I really was out of it yesterday, but my mom told me that my phone beeped all day long with text messages and emails from my this incredible loving community.
