Retrieval Day

We got to the doc's at 6am this morning, filled out paperwork, then I got into the lovely gown and got my IV put in. I absolutely hate the sight of blood, and had to close my eyes when blood started pouring down my arm when the IV went in! At 7am, they finally started giving me some pain meds or something, and wheeled me into the operating room. They told me I would be under general anesthesia, so I was happy about that. Then they had me move over to the operating table, and then asked me some questions. The anesthesiologist asked me some questions and told me I'd feel the meds going in & would probably feel cold. The doc gave me an extra blanket to keep me warm, and I was just looking around and listening to everyone for a couple of minutes. I was sitting there thinking, "gosh, is this stuff going to kick in soon & knock me out, or what?!" I didn't have to get in the stirrups like other donors I've read about, they must have done that after I was out, which I am happy about, because I wouldn't want to remember that feeling of embarrassment! I was looking at the ceiling when I finally went out.

I woke up in the recovery room in pain! I remember the left side hurting really bad, and my throat was super dry and sore. I pulled my knees up to help alleviate the pain in my abdomen, and started to cry. The nurse gave me pain meds in the IV and went and got my DH. He came in, and I was still hurting, and I think I was still about to cry. The meds finally kicked in, and I started to relax. The bed was up at an angle, so I motioned to him that I wanted to lay flat, and he told the nurse. I also did not like the feeling of the pillow under my head, so he moved it, and let me hold it on my chest (like I normally sleep at night!) I came to pretty slowly, and finally I felt okay enough to have the bed put up again so I could drink some water. I think I went through 2 bags of fluids in my IV! I asked the nurse how many eggs they got, and she first told me 8, but then told me 10 later on. Apparently, 8 of them were from the left side, that's why it hurt so bad, and only 2 from the right.

The icing on the cake was that I found out I have a lovely bladder infection! I had to pee in a cup before the retrieval, so I guess that's how they found it. The nurse said you can get a bladder infection as a side effect of all the hormone injections, so the doc gave me a prescription for that. Awesome! (sarcasm)

After we got home, I slept for a few hours, then watched tv and relaxed on the couch for the rest of the day. I took a few of the painkillers the doc gave me throughout the day, but my abdomen still hurts. I think part of the pain is from the retrieval, but the other part is from my lovely "irregularity." The hormones took a toll on my digestive system, and no amount of fiber was helping. So I'm pretty sure my intestines are pushing against my sore ovaries, and making the pain worse than it would normally be. I hope it gets better really soon, because I have to go back to work tomorrow, and school on Wednesday!!

That's all for now!