Retrieval Day

Imagine if you will, laying on an OR table, 2nd IV placed, patient draped, legs in stirrups.

It's 9:55AM.

But retrieval was scheduled for 9:30AM.

The doctor is no where to be seen.

Where is she? I'm told she was pulled over for speeding to the office and is talking her way out of a ticket.

She's still on the fucking road? WTF?

I am beside myself. I am at 34.5 hours post trigger shot. The clock is right in front of me, I can't avoid looking at it and watching the seconds tick by. I'm hooked up to an EKG (that machine that goes "biiiiiiing!" and I can hear my heart rate speed up just a bit every time I start to freak out).

I ask for an U/S to make sure that I haven't lost my follicle. My one and only follicle, which today measured just over 25mm.

It's still there. For now. I'm relieved for a few seconds.

I ask if there's another doctor in the office who can do my retrieval. The anesthesiologist dashes off and returns. "No". There's no one else.

Yes, that is the way my retrieval went. But not before my IV in my left hand didn't work, blood dripping down my hand, and then the anesthesiologist had the insight to place it himself in the other hand.

She arrived just a few minutes later and the anesthesiologist pushed the milky white propofol quickly through the syringe. (Have I mentioned that I love the stuff?) I remember as I drifted off asking her, "Hey, I know it says I've got one follicle, but please really look around. My ovaries like to stick to the back of my uterus. Really." She agreed to leave no stone unturned and out I went into a delicious sleep.

I woke up from my snooze, I asked my nurse if the egg was alive. She knocked on the embryologist's window and her head popped out. "Yes, it's alive AND mature".

Huge sigh of relief. (Doing ICSI on that one embryo set me back $1050 as Aetna doesn't think it's "medically necessary". Hell if it's not! I supplied the billing department with 7 IVF cycles worth of fertilization reports showing 100% fertilization for 5 ICSI cycles, 80% for 1 ICSI cycle, and the one cycle where I did natural fertilization, I had 67% fertilization rate, 6 out of 9, but only 33%, or 3, of the embryos were any good.)

I felt like I'd slept in, but I'd only been asleep 30 minutes. I got up at 5:15AM to drive myself the 81 miles to the clinic so I was utterly exhausted when I had arrived.

Yes. Drove. Myself.

The boyfriend was in client meetings in the city and couldn't get away. There was no one at his office that could fill in.

I knew they'd freak out if they knew I was there alone but I had no choice. I really don't know anyone here. No friends I can call up for a favor. So I did what I had to do.

I lied.

After they let me dress, they put me into a room to snooze and wait for "the boyfriend to arrive". I waited about 20 or 30 minutes. No one came back so I headed to the waiting room. The receptionist said I couldn't leave until he arrived. A few text messages sent ... then I heard the receptionist say to another, "...he just called...he's sending a car for her."

.::evil grin::.

The car was a taxi I'd called. He came in, asked for me, and I departed. Once in the car, I explained my situation and that I merely needed a ride to my car, which was around the building.

I handed him $10 - I'm sure it was plenty. I didn't even think to double-check. I was that petrified that they would figure me out and cart me back into the building.

And off I was.

I know it's crazy. I stopped at WFs for a decaf and some food just to make sure I was OK. I was. I made it home just fine. It was 2 hours since I woke up when I took off down the highway.

I'm in the same boat for transfer. The boyfriend is out of town - left today and he's gone for a week - and I'm on my own for Monday's transfer (that is, if the embryo survives the night). The clincher this time is that I need to be on strict bedrest for 48 hours. All day Monday and Tuesday. There's no way I'm driving 81 miles home in traffic to get home. It's too stressful a drive and I want to do everything by the book.

My plan is to get a hotel down the street for 2 or 3 nights. There are a few nice ones within walking distance that might run me $70/night. I can park there, check in and get my room all squared away with laptop, snacks, water, magazines, meds within easy reach. I'll walk over for transfer, and then call a shuttle to return me when it's done so that I don't have to drive. I'll order room service and ask for them to just come in the room so that I don't have to get up or clear dishes.

I think I can manage this way. At least I hope so. My other option is to get a car to drive me both ways. I can't imagine how much that would cost me but it seems that the hotel is probably the best way to go as I'm not going to get room service out of the cats.