Blob-blog

We officially have blobs! Credit to my sister for naming this the Blob-Blog!

Well, what a busy few days!

When last we spoke, I asked for pom-poms and well wishes for the eggs. It seems that it worked – thanks guys!

Had another scan on Friday, where the nurse could see 5 good sized follicles and 2 that were just below the right size, which she expected would make it to the right size over the weekend. I had to take my last lot of medication on the Saturday morning and then the ‘trigger shot’ of HCG at 8:30 on Saturday evening.

As part of a natural cycle, a woman’s body releases HCG to tell the ovaries to release the egg, which it does about 38-42 hours later. In IVF, the shot of HCG is taken 36 hours before the egg collection, because it means the follicles are ready to release the eggs but haven’t yet done so (or they would have disappeared into the depths of the fallopian tubes and become lost forever – SO DRAMATIC!).

Saturday was interesting, really. So far for IVF, I’ve been taking the medication in the evening, so that any side effects would happen overnight rather than potentially ruining my day. I’ve been feeling generally a lot more tired on the medication anyway, so I was completely unprepared for how sudden and intense the tiredness would be when I had to take the medication in the morning on Saturday!

Within about 15 minutes, I’d gone from wide awake and enthusiastic about my day of housework (I know, weird, don’t judge me) to being unable to do anything except sleep on the sofa for 2 hours. Obviously, I really hope that this cycle of IVF is successful but if it isn’t and we need another, I’ll definitely be doing the injections in the evening again. Certainly wouldn’t be able to function at work, if they were done in the morning.

I then had a totally medication free day! Yay for Sunday! No more pincushions for legs! Also meant I got to enjoy this bad boy:

Cherry-scented bath bomb, a pressie from my husband's lovely parents.

After egg collection, they like you not to have baths due to the risk of infection if you’re submerged in water. After embryo transfer, it’s DEFINITELY not advised, because embryos are unable to regulate their temperature and it could result in the pregnancy not taking. So I was determined to enjoy what could be my last hot bath for months!

It. Was. Glorious.

On Monday morning, we arrived at the clinic at 7:30 and sat outside until it opened, because we’d sliiiightly overestimated the amount of time it would take us to park. To be fair, anyone who has ever had to park at the hospital where our clinic is based would totally understand why we left early. Of course, being that Monday was a Bank Holiday, there wasn’t as much going on at the hospital as there normally is!

It seems like a lifetime ago that we had our bad experience at the hospital, when we found out about my blocked fallopian tubes, but this was definitely in the back of my mind as I was taken through to the ward/recovery area of the clinic.

I am happy to report, however, that the experience couldn’t have been more different! I don’t know if this is because I was actually in the clinic this time, rather than having surgery in the main hospital, but it was a really supportive few hours this time.

I filled in some forms, signed another consent form, spoke about my allergy to Penicillin, changed into my butt-gown (thanks again for the name, sister. Are you sure you’re an adult?) and took some antibiotics. The man who would be performing the egg collection came to speak to me and was really reassuring. Turns out we actually got the consultant who is in charge of the whole clinic and is at the cutting edge of the current IVF research, so we couldn’t have asked for better!

While I was waiting to go to theatre, my husband went to give his sample and was back before I went in. Selfish of me but I’m glad he was back by the time I went to theatre.

I was taken to theatre around 8:45, and within 5 minutes was having the sedation administered. When I had the general anaesthetic for my surgery in May, apparently I fought the sleepiness, but this time with the sedation, I tried to just let it happen and actually, as someone who has felt so tired recently, it was quite comfortable drifting off to sleep!

I woke up in the recovery ward at 9:15, was given biscuits and many cups of water, then the nurse popped her head in to tell me that they’d collected 5 eggs. I know that isn’t a huge number, but I had been expecting the worst, for them to have got none, so it was a huge relief!

It took me a bit of time to get my sea-legs back after the sedation, and I had to eat and go to the toilet before they’d let me home, but we were on the way home by 10:30, with instructions to wait for a phone call on Tuesday morning, when we would be told how many eggs had fertilised overnight and would arrange for me to come in for the embryo transfer.

Fast-forward a relaxing rest of Monday, to Tuesday morning. Glued to my phone, jumping every time it made a sound. I really needed to get on with some work but I wasn’t in the right frame of mind at all!

Eventually, the nurse rang us and explained that we have 3 embryos that ‘fertilised well’ and seemed strong. They want me to go for the 5-day transfer, which means Saturday, so they must have some confidence that these embryos will make it to 5 days!

So there you have it, 3 little blobs made of me and my husband, just happily sitting in the incubator, doing their cell division. Waiting for Saturday morning, when one will be transferred back to me.

I know that I need to stay both positive and realistic, so am not getting my hopes too far up, but right now I don’t feel nervous anymore – I’m just excited.

The big hurdle with my fertility is that blocked tubes mean the sperm and egg would never meet. Now, they have done. We have 3 embryos to prove it. We’ve actually overcome the biggest of our problems conceiving so it’s up to nature to take care of the rest once the embryo is transferred.