Note to readers: The following is the second part to my update about my transfer. You can find part one here.
I woke up Thursday morning in disbelief that our transfer day had arrived. I packed my Valium and some comfortable clothes to change into afterwards and I kept thinking, "How will I possibly be able to focus on anything at work this morning?" Thankfully, the morning flew by. I had a one hour meeting just before I had to leave for my appointment; it was both a big help and a major hindrance in passing the time. The meeting didn't require a lot of focus and concentration on my part, but I kept wishing people would not talk so much so it would end early. And let me tell you, there were some long-winded people in that meeting. I actually feared it would run long, causing me to be late for my appointment. But fortunately, it ended about 10 minutes early.
After my meeting, I emailed DH to see if he was ready to go (he was), packed up my laptop so I could work from home while on bed rest, and met DH in the parking lot. Of course the drive to our appointment could not go without some type of hiccup. As we were leaving the parking lot, I realized I had not taken my Valium yet so I dug in my work bag for the bottle with the lone pill in it....and it wasn't there! (Insert instant panic on my part.) I frantically informed DH I couldn't find my Valium and we discussed that we didn't have time to go home to get it before our scheduled arrival time. Thankfully, DH had his wits about him, which was more than I could say for myself, and recommended I call our RE's office to see if they could give me a Valium once we arrived. While I made the call, DH pulled to the side of the road in case the clinic didn't have an extra Valium and we needed to turn around and go home to get my pill.
I told the front desk I had an urgent question for the nursing staff about my FET that was scheduled for that day - and they didn't make me leave a message! Now I know how to get a real person to talk to me the first time I call. ; ) I explained the situation to the nurse and she put me on hold to see if she could track down a Valium. While I was on hold, my brain started functioning again and I realized I had another bag with me. It was in the backseat and had my change of clothes in it. I frantically dug through it, and behold! I hadn't lost my mind after all! My Valium was right there. At that very moment, the nurse came back on the line and said they had an extra pill for me. I apologized profusely and said I had just found my Valium in my other bag so I was good to go.
I hung up the phone, DH merged back into traffic, and I took my pill. Whew! Only 15 minutes late taking my Valium - that wasn't so bad. Although, I think DH was a little worse for the wear - and probably rolled his eyes at me many times. In my defense, he should be used to this by now. I constantly think I've forgotten something when I really haven't - although, sometimes I really have. ; ) And then I guzzled about 24 oz. of water so I would have the required full bladder for the transfer.
We arrived at our clinic about five minutes early and the front desk staff person informed us transfers were running a little behind schedule. Um, what?? Enter thoughts of: "Gah! We could have turned around to get my Valium at home!" Then, "Oh wait, I didn't actually forget it at home and I already took it. Ha ha! Silly me. It's a big day, of course my mind is all over the place! And I'm on drugs. Don't judge me. Wait, no one's judging me, I'm only thinking this and not saying it out loud." And then we took our seats in the waiting room.
I checked Facebook on my phone and DH observed a woman pushing a stroller outside that was big enough to hold six kids but only had five in it. He chatted to me about how the lady pushing the stroller must have been a patient at our clinic. When they moved into my line of sight, I noticed it was one of those strollers that a lot of day care providers use for taking small children on outings. I was pretty sure DH breathed a sigh of relief after that.
After about 15 minutes, a nurse called us back to our patient room. She gave her short speech, then we changed into our hospital-issued attire: scrubs for DH and the fabulous gown that opens in the back for me. Oh, and a robe to help keep me warm, so the nurse said. I also brought some fun knee high socks to wear this time. They had alternating hot pink and black stripes. I bought them at the 2010 Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure. So yes, they said "The 3-Day" on them and had pink ribbons. I thought it was a nice way to have my mom with me on this big day. Our nurse said she walked in one of the 3-Day events so we had a little bonding moment.
The RE who would be doing our transfer entered our room a few minutes later. We had Dr. K again (he did our last fresh transfer also but is not our regular RE). The REs at our clinic are on a rotating schedule so there's no guarantee that our RE will be the one to do any of our transfers. Dr. K gave his speech, showed us our embryos, and answered our questions. We were transferring two embryos, and after the morning's thaw, the first two survived. Yay! They were frozen as Level 2 blasts in July; one thawed as a Level 2 blast and the other thawed as a Level 3 blast. Dr. K said the Level 3 was still a high enough quality embryo to transfer, it just didn't rehydrate quite as well as the other embryo and Level 3's produce viable pregnancies all the time. I was worried about the Level 3 being strong enough but Dr. K's explanation made me feel (a little) better.
So here they are! :D
Just after Dr. K left the patient prep room, our nurse came back to walk us to the transfer room. I situated myself in the stirrups, another nurse brought me a warm blanket, and the u/s tech checked my bladder right away. I wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as I was for our fresh transfer but she still had me go to the restroom and empty two cups worth.
I dutifully did as I was told, walked back to the transfer room, and re-situated myself in the stirrups. The u/s tech confirmed my bladder was good and then the party started. DH held my hand as Dr. K talked us through each step of the process: inserting the speculum, cleaning my cervix (which didn't hurt at all - I've read on other blogs that some women experience pain with this), performing the trial transfer (all was good), and then the real transfer. The real transfer didn't go as smoothly as it did for my fresh transfer or for the mock transfer seconds earlier. The catheter kept getting "stuck" and would not move far enough into my uterus. Fortunately, it didn't hurt and after some expert maneuvering by Dr. K, it was in place and our embryos were deposited. The u/s tech froze the image and printed off a photo for us.
The photo is a little blurry, but here it is!
After the transfer, the medical staff left DH and I alone in the room for 10 minutes. This was primarily so I didn't stand up too soon after the procedure, but I loved the alone time with my hubby after our first fresh cycle and I loved the alone time again after this frozen cycle. It was just a great bonding moment for us both times.
The 10 minutes were up before I knew it. I actually asked the nurse if it had really been 10 minutes already because it felt like it shouldn't have been over yet. She confessed it had only been nine minutes but I didn't worry (too much) about that extra minute. She walked us back to the recovery room where I relaxed for another 30 minutes on a bed with one of those "blankets" that are attached to a machine that pumps warm air into the blanket. It was lovely. I might have even dozed off for a few minutes while DH scheduled my blood draw appointment for my beta (October 8th at 9 am).
Soon enough, I said good-bye to the fancy hospital gown and robe and changed into my comfy lounge wear for the ride home. The nurse suggested I watch a funny movie or something when I got home. She said "that's what they say to do." Whoever "they" is, I hope "they" are right.
DH had a meeting at 2:30 that afternoon so he had to go back to work after our appointment. Our time at the clinic took longer than we remembered from the last time, so he was in jeopardy of being late for his meeting and drove like a mad man on the way home. I relaxed as best I could, which wasn't too difficult since I was exhausted from staying up late the night before, and we made it home with just enough time for me to hit the couch while DH warmed up some spaghetti for me in the microwave. We were both really hungry by then but DH didn't have time to eat before leaving for his meeting. I appreciated so much that he took the time to make my lunch for me and risk being late for his meeting. He is so wonderful to me. <3
I watched a little TV (mostly 90s comedy sitcoms) and drifted in and out of sleep the rest of the afternoon, only getting up to use the restroom. When DH returned home that evening, he relayed the story to me how his meeting didn't actually happen until 3:45. Someone had a client issue to resolve (or something) that caused the meeting to be pushed back. *Sigh* We wouldn't have had to rush home after all and DH could have had a proper lunch. Oh well, there was no way we could have known that in advance.
So now my 48 hours of bed rest are over and I'm obsessing about every cramp or potential symptom. I didn't obsess last time; I don't know why I'm doing it this time other than that one word...hope. I have so much more hope for this cycle. I pray to God just about every minute of every day that our two embryos are growing strong and have implanted and that this is it for us!
Sorry for the long post, but I just had to get it all out. If you stayed with me all the way to the end, thank you! And if you prayed or are praying for us, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I believe so much in the power of prayer.![]()
I woke up Thursday morning in disbelief that our transfer day had arrived. I packed my Valium and some comfortable clothes to change into afterwards and I kept thinking, "How will I possibly be able to focus on anything at work this morning?" Thankfully, the morning flew by. I had a one hour meeting just before I had to leave for my appointment; it was both a big help and a major hindrance in passing the time. The meeting didn't require a lot of focus and concentration on my part, but I kept wishing people would not talk so much so it would end early. And let me tell you, there were some long-winded people in that meeting. I actually feared it would run long, causing me to be late for my appointment. But fortunately, it ended about 10 minutes early.
After my meeting, I emailed DH to see if he was ready to go (he was), packed up my laptop so I could work from home while on bed rest, and met DH in the parking lot. Of course the drive to our appointment could not go without some type of hiccup. As we were leaving the parking lot, I realized I had not taken my Valium yet so I dug in my work bag for the bottle with the lone pill in it....and it wasn't there! (Insert instant panic on my part.) I frantically informed DH I couldn't find my Valium and we discussed that we didn't have time to go home to get it before our scheduled arrival time. Thankfully, DH had his wits about him, which was more than I could say for myself, and recommended I call our RE's office to see if they could give me a Valium once we arrived. While I made the call, DH pulled to the side of the road in case the clinic didn't have an extra Valium and we needed to turn around and go home to get my pill.
I told the front desk I had an urgent question for the nursing staff about my FET that was scheduled for that day - and they didn't make me leave a message! Now I know how to get a real person to talk to me the first time I call. ; ) I explained the situation to the nurse and she put me on hold to see if she could track down a Valium. While I was on hold, my brain started functioning again and I realized I had another bag with me. It was in the backseat and had my change of clothes in it. I frantically dug through it, and behold! I hadn't lost my mind after all! My Valium was right there. At that very moment, the nurse came back on the line and said they had an extra pill for me. I apologized profusely and said I had just found my Valium in my other bag so I was good to go.
I hung up the phone, DH merged back into traffic, and I took my pill. Whew! Only 15 minutes late taking my Valium - that wasn't so bad. Although, I think DH was a little worse for the wear - and probably rolled his eyes at me many times. In my defense, he should be used to this by now. I constantly think I've forgotten something when I really haven't - although, sometimes I really have. ; ) And then I guzzled about 24 oz. of water so I would have the required full bladder for the transfer.
We arrived at our clinic about five minutes early and the front desk staff person informed us transfers were running a little behind schedule. Um, what?? Enter thoughts of: "Gah! We could have turned around to get my Valium at home!" Then, "Oh wait, I didn't actually forget it at home and I already took it. Ha ha! Silly me. It's a big day, of course my mind is all over the place! And I'm on drugs. Don't judge me. Wait, no one's judging me, I'm only thinking this and not saying it out loud." And then we took our seats in the waiting room.
I checked Facebook on my phone and DH observed a woman pushing a stroller outside that was big enough to hold six kids but only had five in it. He chatted to me about how the lady pushing the stroller must have been a patient at our clinic. When they moved into my line of sight, I noticed it was one of those strollers that a lot of day care providers use for taking small children on outings. I was pretty sure DH breathed a sigh of relief after that.
After about 15 minutes, a nurse called us back to our patient room. She gave her short speech, then we changed into our hospital-issued attire: scrubs for DH and the fabulous gown that opens in the back for me. Oh, and a robe to help keep me warm, so the nurse said. I also brought some fun knee high socks to wear this time. They had alternating hot pink and black stripes. I bought them at the 2010 Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure. So yes, they said "The 3-Day" on them and had pink ribbons. I thought it was a nice way to have my mom with me on this big day. Our nurse said she walked in one of the 3-Day events so we had a little bonding moment.
The RE who would be doing our transfer entered our room a few minutes later. We had Dr. K again (he did our last fresh transfer also but is not our regular RE). The REs at our clinic are on a rotating schedule so there's no guarantee that our RE will be the one to do any of our transfers. Dr. K gave his speech, showed us our embryos, and answered our questions. We were transferring two embryos, and after the morning's thaw, the first two survived. Yay! They were frozen as Level 2 blasts in July; one thawed as a Level 2 blast and the other thawed as a Level 3 blast. Dr. K said the Level 3 was still a high enough quality embryo to transfer, it just didn't rehydrate quite as well as the other embryo and Level 3's produce viable pregnancies all the time. I was worried about the Level 3 being strong enough but Dr. K's explanation made me feel (a little) better.
So here they are! :D
 |
| As you can see, the top embryo (Level 2 blast) is more hydrated than the bottom embryo (Level 3 blast). |
Just after Dr. K left the patient prep room, our nurse came back to walk us to the transfer room. I situated myself in the stirrups, another nurse brought me a warm blanket, and the u/s tech checked my bladder right away. I wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as I was for our fresh transfer but she still had me go to the restroom and empty two cups worth.
I dutifully did as I was told, walked back to the transfer room, and re-situated myself in the stirrups. The u/s tech confirmed my bladder was good and then the party started. DH held my hand as Dr. K talked us through each step of the process: inserting the speculum, cleaning my cervix (which didn't hurt at all - I've read on other blogs that some women experience pain with this), performing the trial transfer (all was good), and then the real transfer. The real transfer didn't go as smoothly as it did for my fresh transfer or for the mock transfer seconds earlier. The catheter kept getting "stuck" and would not move far enough into my uterus. Fortunately, it didn't hurt and after some expert maneuvering by Dr. K, it was in place and our embryos were deposited. The u/s tech froze the image and printed off a photo for us.
The photo is a little blurry, but here it is!
 |
| Green arrow indicating the fluid-filled sac that contains our two embryos. |
The 10 minutes were up before I knew it. I actually asked the nurse if it had really been 10 minutes already because it felt like it shouldn't have been over yet. She confessed it had only been nine minutes but I didn't worry (too much) about that extra minute. She walked us back to the recovery room where I relaxed for another 30 minutes on a bed with one of those "blankets" that are attached to a machine that pumps warm air into the blanket. It was lovely. I might have even dozed off for a few minutes while DH scheduled my blood draw appointment for my beta (October 8th at 9 am).
Soon enough, I said good-bye to the fancy hospital gown and robe and changed into my comfy lounge wear for the ride home. The nurse suggested I watch a funny movie or something when I got home. She said "that's what they say to do." Whoever "they" is, I hope "they" are right.
DH had a meeting at 2:30 that afternoon so he had to go back to work after our appointment. Our time at the clinic took longer than we remembered from the last time, so he was in jeopardy of being late for his meeting and drove like a mad man on the way home. I relaxed as best I could, which wasn't too difficult since I was exhausted from staying up late the night before, and we made it home with just enough time for me to hit the couch while DH warmed up some spaghetti for me in the microwave. We were both really hungry by then but DH didn't have time to eat before leaving for his meeting. I appreciated so much that he took the time to make my lunch for me and risk being late for his meeting. He is so wonderful to me. <3
I watched a little TV (mostly 90s comedy sitcoms) and drifted in and out of sleep the rest of the afternoon, only getting up to use the restroom. When DH returned home that evening, he relayed the story to me how his meeting didn't actually happen until 3:45. Someone had a client issue to resolve (or something) that caused the meeting to be pushed back. *Sigh* We wouldn't have had to rush home after all and DH could have had a proper lunch. Oh well, there was no way we could have known that in advance.
So now my 48 hours of bed rest are over and I'm obsessing about every cramp or potential symptom. I didn't obsess last time; I don't know why I'm doing it this time other than that one word...hope. I have so much more hope for this cycle. I pray to God just about every minute of every day that our two embryos are growing strong and have implanted and that this is it for us!
Sorry for the long post, but I just had to get it all out. If you stayed with me all the way to the end, thank you! And if you prayed or are praying for us, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I believe so much in the power of prayer.
