Ugghhh....

Ugh has to be the word that about sums up how I'm feeling at the moment. My scan yesterday was very positive - my lining is "beautiful" and things look "really nice" in there so I'm okay to go ahead for a fresh transfer on Monday (please God there is something to transfer by Monday). The doctor was also pretty shocked at my ovaries and she said I must be super uncomfortable. They're the size of oranges right now but they're not leaking so apparently that's the main thing. She sent me home with STRICT instructions to relax - no housework, no exercise, no nothing. I've dreamt of hearing those words my whole life so it was pretty special!

Now though, the novelty has worn off and I am just FED UP of feeling so uncomfortable. I am so bloated and miserable. I'm trying hard to keep positive and I do feel positive - mentally I'm doing okay. Apart from this morning when I cried uncontrollably because I couldn't decide what to wear (I was sneaking out for a break from the couch and Netflix for a quick coffee (herbal tea) with friends). I'm going to go ahead and put it down to the hormones. And the discomfort. I'm just a bit concerned that things aren't right in there but I have to stay positive and just hope that I start to feel better soon. The doctors know what they're doing and she said that I'll be scanned (and drained!) if necessary on Monday.

Also, my acupuncturist has gone AWOL - what a time for that to happen. I left her a message yesterday asking her to contact me to set up pre and post transfer sessions but so far, nada. I'll give her until tomorrow and try her again but I can't help but worry (obviously - I've nothing else to do and sometimes I need to take a break from worrying about my embryos and give something else a go). It sounds like I'm a crazy person but in general I feel pretty okay mentally. If only my tummy would deflate and my ovaries would shrink. In the meantime, my hot water bottle and Netflix are calling.

Waiting for that call

I had my egg retrieval yesterday - 14 eggs. I'm pretty happy with that. The doctor said that they don't like to get more than 15 generally, as the quality tends to reduce when you go above that. So we're happy with where we're at. As for the procedure itself, I was pretty nervous beforehand but it was a breeze. I've had problems with general anesthetics before, with sickness and taking a long time to recover, so I had the egg collection done under sedation with a hearty dose of zofran to counteract the sickness. So that worked a treat and apart from feeling a little tender (only when the nice painkillers wore off) and wiped, I was fine.

I'm back in tomorrow for a scan to check me out for OHSS as I had so many follicles. I'm drinking as much water as I can - aiming for 4 - 5 litres a day and trying to get protein with every meal. I'm off work for the next few days so my plan is to lie on the couch, hot water bottle on my tummy and Netflix on the go.

I should get the fertilization results today. They said they'd call "at some stage" so I'm getting really nervous as the time ticks by. I really hope we get a good result. We're hoping for a 5 day transfer (and the doctor said he was hopeful that we'd have something left to freeze) as long as the OHSS doesn't become a problem. So there's a lot of variables, but I'm trying to take it one day/one hour at a time....and in the meantime, I have everything crossed for some good news.

Keeping on, keeping on.

Today I had my first progress check/scan. I have about 20 follicles in all, but there are some 5mm in there so I don't think they count. The biggest is 16mm and the rest range from about 12-15. They're a little concerned about OHSS for me so my Gonal F has been reduced to 112.5 and I'm back on Monday for another scan. All going well, they expect egg collection to be on Wednesday or Thursday. I can't believe how quick that is! It feels like we just started...we kind of did just start. I really hope things continue to go okay in there and that I don't hyperstimulate. I'm going back and forth between hoping they all catch up and I've lots of eggs and then remembering that I don't actually want that!

I'm pretty bloated and uncomfortable at this stage and my tummy is getting a bit beat up looking. I've a few bruises and I'm just lumpy and bumpy. It's really attractive... All day I basically live for the moment that I get to come home from work, put on something with a nice loose elasticated waist and put my feet up with a hot water bottle on my tummy. Basically, I'm channeling my inner 80 year old (not hard for me). M has been great - he has really looked after me and the house the past week and it's allowed me to kick back, relax and get some rest.

Mood-wise, I'm still feeling good. I've had acupuncture twice this week and I'm really enjoying it. I'm at the stage where I can really switch off during it so it's great to relax. I'm still trying to get a bit of yoga in too to quieten my mind when it's needed and also get a bit of a stretch to let the blood flow. That's about the extent of the exercise I've been getting this week. Fingers crossed my ovaries keep doing their thing in there and in the meantime, I have a busy schedule of yoga and hot-water-bottling to get to...

This is not me, but it accurately portrays 

how I feel about my hot water bottle...