Egg Recovery

Yesterday was the day of my ER. I fasted the night before and reached the hospital at 745am. R was then asked to produce his sperm sample to the nurse and I was whisked away to the changing area to change into the surgery gown. The anaesthetist came and briefed me on the procedure and the kind of sedation which will be given to me. All I wished for was for me to be completely out while the doctor is prodding my lady bits.

I was then asked to go into the mini operating theatre and there the nurses prepped me as I laid down with my legs spread wide open, losing every shred of dignity I have. Soon, I was being sedated and transported to another island. When I woke up again, I felt cramps in my lower abdomen. I was thn given a cup of hot milo and asked to rest a bit more before they were able to release me home.

Before I left home I was told that I will have to come back 2 days after for the embryo transfer. I am excited because I have 8 viable eggs. Let's hope that every egg fertilises and makes it through the thawing stage.

Today, I am feeling quite shitty, (literally). I have yet to shit, (TMI) and my stomach is one bloated helium balloon. No matter what I did, the bloatedness doesn't get any better. My neighbour, who is extremely kind, made me some ginger tea. But still.. nothing.

I intend to lie down and chill for the rest of the day and wait for R to come back with dinner. I'm also feeling some excitement whenever I think of the ET tomorrow. I cannot wait to be reunited with my babies! Let's hope that they stick ok?

xoxo,

J.

Uber tired

I apologise for not posting yesterday. It's been really difficult to stay awake and I can only do so for like 3 hours each time before needing to fall asleep. I am saying it's like waking up at 7.30am, jabbing yourself, then sleeping again till 10am, waking up and having breakfast, sleeping AGAIN at 12 noon, all the way to 3/4pm, wake up, shower, watch tv, clean house and dying to sleep again at 7pm kind.

Yesterday was the final day for all injections and I've never been happier for it to stop. I mean, being brave and injecting yourself is one thing, but going through the pain is another. So yesterday I had my last Orgalutran at 9am and then went to KKH 24 hours clinic at 9pm for my Pregnyl jab. Boy did that last injection hurt! After that, R sent me to Rocher to buy beancurd as a reward. *bliss*

So today I am just resting at home, doing absolutely nothing and waiting for the time to come for my ER. I cannot wait for this to happen so my precious embryos can be united with R's babies. When put together, that's where miracles happen! I will be going over to my mum's place to rest and recuperate and then when it's time to go for the ET, I will spend my 2ww at mum's as well. We have a helper who has been with the family for almost 10 years and she will be around to fuss over me while I not move around like a statue. (in bed of course) I wonder if during this period of time, I am allowed to sneeze or laugh too hard or sleep on my side for fear of dislodging the embryo. Must make it a point to ask the Dr about this. Hahah.

I'm hungry now. Sorry for the abrupt end. Will update you guys from mum's place tomorrow.

Side note: Recently I have made some awesome friends at the SingaporeMotherhood forum. They are ladies who, like me are either going through IVF or will be going through it. I suggest joining the forum if you are also going through it as this is a great platform for sharing and support.

Wish me luck!

xoxo,

J.

Ouch!

Boy did this morning's injections hurt big time. I had asked R to assist with the pushing in of the liquid as I needed to focus on breathing in and out through the pain. Now I not only have 2 painful spots on my tummy, it's also kind of throbbing and I feel like puking.

Yesterday we went out and bought bella some pet diapers but found that they could not fit. It's so very frustrating for me because now we need to go out and buy another pack for her and I don't even know if they stock it in her size or not. The sleepiness is returning again. Gonna catch somemore rest before going over to my parent's place for brunch.

- J.

Sleepyhead..

I can only say I have never been so tired in my entire life! I have no mood to do anything, playing with Bella, watching Gossip Girls, watching shows on Cable, you name it, I have no mood for it. I just want to sleep sleep sleep!

Earlier after knowing that I will be going for ER on Tuesday, I went with my ex colleague, Jerald for a movie and after that we went to play Left4Dead. Hahaha. This is prolly my last week to go out and act like a teenager before I embark on the treacherous journey of the 2 ww before maybe becoming a mama!

I honestly think it's the heat that has been getting to me. Not only it's making me feel sleepy it's also making me feel cranky! Thank God for air conditioning. I believe that it's the hormones that's causing me to feel warmer than usual. Man, I can barely keep my eyes open even while writing. So anyway, the plans for me for the next few days are as follows:

Sat: Last Puregon jab. This will be using the normal injections instead of using the pen. I was jabbed using the normal syringe and needles today and boy, it's painful! Thank God only 1 for tomorrow. I will also be on Orgalutran (http://www.medicines.org.uk/guides/orgalutran/Infertility/) You may read up here.

Sun: 9am, Orgalutran. No puregon. 9pm, must go to KKH 24 hr for the Pregnyl jab. (ouch)

Mon: Everything as per normal. No food and drinks after 12 midnight.

Tues: Wow wow wow! The day of the ER! I will need to report to KKHIVF before 815am. R will need to submit his sperm sample to them first thing in the morning.After that I will be sedated (mmm, greatest feeling!) and then my precious eggs will be retrieved out of my body! Let's pray that they will all be of good sizing and that every single egg counts!

So that's my schedule for next week, all the way to the ER. Whatever happens next I am not too sure.

I'm thankful that my neighbour, K will be fetching me home from the ER. R has to work and since his probation is 6 months, he is unable to constantly be absent from work. So after the sperm submission he will have to go back to work. Parents (and in laws) are working, so they are definitely out. This is why I am thankful for wonderful neighbours like K.

Ok, time for bed. Can't stay awake any minute more. Goodnight world.

xoxo,
J.

Why IVF?

So I am now sitting in the KKHIVF centre waiting for my scan like what I've been doing for the past week. Today is 25th May, Friday, exactly 7 days from when I first begun my daily injections. I'm bored to tears waiting for my turn when I suddenly thought, "I could create a blog and blog about what I'm going through, the uglies and the niceies!" Therefore here we are, J's blog on her ivf journey.

My name is J. I'm 28 years old and happily married for 4 years almost reaching 5. I have a wonderful husband, R. He's a year older than me and is eveything a girl can ask for. While he may not be the hottest man around town, he is definetely the most patient and loving husband one could get. We have a lab retreiver pup, Bella. She is our first furkid and we love her to bits. I got Bella after an early miscarriage but that's another story altogether. Bella is the best thing to happen to us but right now, being greedy people, we want a real, proper kid for ourseleves. From day 1 of our marriage, we have always told ourselves that we will try naturally, without any contraceptives and if God permits, we will be blessed with a child. However, 1,2,3,4 years have past and we are still childless. Last month we decided to be a little more aggressive in our baby making and went for IUI. Needless to say, we disn't make it and we were back to square 1. Being pregnant, not. Our doctor immediately arranged for us to start IVF. We had always thought we needed to be put on some waiting list and most likely will have to wait 3 months before we were able to start. Imagine our shock when the doctor informed us we can start this coming cycle! So after AF came on Day 1, I called KKIVF and was asked to go down on Day 3 of my period. I went down as instructed on Day 3 and we went for the necessary briefing of how to inject oneself and what to do blah blah. I was put on 133.3 iu of Puregon for my cycle as Dr S was afraid I will get OHSS. I have PCOS. So it makes OHSS a real possibility for people like me. In the last scan, I have 6 major follicles for measurement. It ranged from 6-10mm. I'm praying for more follicles and a better reading today. Am going to stop here for a while as it's my turn next.

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Woot! Scan is over. I have about 6 nice follicles on right side and 3-4 nice ones on the left side. My eggs are growing quite nicely and I'm quite pleased with the results. During the last scan, I only had 6 major leading follicles. But I told myself, I'm not going to worry and think about it because I know my Daddy God is there to make things right for me. Some ladies in the forum have reported grouchiness, depression and all that. But the truth is, although I may feel a little cranky when it's warm, I feel pretty damn good about this whole thing most of the time! So now I will be waiting to be reviewed by the doctor. In the meantime, I'll just share something else with you.

Bella is in heat! This is her first cycle and poor baby will have to go through surgery to spay her once she finishes her period. She did dribble abit of blood here and there and I will be heading to the pet shop to get her some diapers or whatchamacallit. It's be fun as it's my first time buying diapers! Hahah. Cheap thrill.

Ok back to the IVF. In terms of diet wise, I have been pretty much eating the same stuff, except with more veges and fruits. I totally cut away KFC from my diet but allow myself to have Mac breakfast on the days I need to come for scans. Hahah. I heard of ladies eating loads of eggwhites. I probably might start doing it after the embryo retrieval as I heard it helps in the cramps which I don't have! I have to admit, I feel sleepy quite often now and I hope this goes away soon. On alternate days I do take chicken essence and Longan Red Date tea to warm my womb. Hopefully this helps in the implantation. Everyday I also take holy communion and acknowledge my Daddy God's love for me and His promises to me. "There will be no loss, be fruitful, go forth and multiply." I also feel awfully thirsty all the time and feel a need to drink water as much as I can but I rather drink up than have OHSS. I promise that I will log in and write everyday so for anyone who will be doing IVF can use my blog as a reference or guide or just read for pure entertainment. Shall put up this first post for now.

More of such posts to come!

xoxo, J.