Emryo a go go!

On the Saturday morning (12th November) we then received a phone call to say that of the twelve eggs, six were mature enough for sperm injection but only four had fertilised. I was very disappointed, twelve to four overnight! This made me feel very negative and ready to give up as I knew the chances of getting any through genetic testing was rapidly diminishing. We had to wait until Monday for the next communication. The embryologist rang to say that all four had continued to grow to the required number of cells so could all be tested but that we would not get the results until Tuesday afternoon - another torturous wait! Tuesday was very nerve racking, I was feeling sick by the time that Dan took the call from the Embryologist. Unfortunately, only one of the four was suitable for embryo transfer but that was all we needed; I was happy with that although disappointed that we didn't have any to freeze. We knew from this point on that we truly had one shot and that all our hopes rested on the non-existent shoulders of one tiny embryo. We travelled back down to London again ready for embryo transfer which had now been re-arranged for 2:30pm on Wednesday 16th November. I was asked to come with a full bladder; not difficult when drinking three litres of water a day! When we arrived at Guy's hospital we were told that there was a twenty minute delay and to continue sipping water. After fifty minutes I was ready to burst but we were finally called through to the room where we were both dressed up in strange coats, shoe covers and hair nets (like Gregg's bakers Dan decided). I was then stripped from the waist, laid on a bed with stirrups and scanned by a nurse whilst the consultant put a catheter in place. The embryologist then removed our embryo from the incubater and we were able to watch on the screen as it was put in the correct place. It was all over really quickly! We were then able to go home and relax. Nothing we can do now apart from cross our fingers and wait!

Treatment!

We went for our final scan on Wednesday 9th at Guy's hospital in London. I was surprised to find that they were happy with the size of my follicles and that my lining was thick enough so I met their criteria for egg retrieval. The date was set for Friday 11th. On the day of Egg retrieval I was given a pain killer suppository to use on the morning and was then asked to arrive at the ACU (assisted conception unit) one hour before treatment. All was going to plan until we received a last minute phone call asking us to go in earlier but thanks to the speedy Northern Line we made it in time. We were asked to put blue plastic bags over our shoes and taken through to a room with beds behind curtains and relaxing music. I was given a gown, hair net and slippers to change in to before I spoke to any of the doctors. After a slight bottom revealing crisis, Dan managed to find me a gown with all of the relevant ties and we were good to go. We were lucky to have the corner bay with what would be an incredible view over the roofs of London if it wasn't so foggy! I soon met the consultant and anaesthesiologist who explained the procedure and set me at ease as they were so friendly. Dan was taken away to make his 'contribution' and I was taken into what I suppose was theatre. It was a fairly small room full of gadgets and what appeared to be half a bed. I was asked to perch on the end and they they strapped my legs into what I can only describe as padded boots. I was wrapped up in a blanket and tucked in to make sure I didn't get cold. A cannula was inserted into the back of my hand and then I felt the drugs being administered and I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. I woke up as I was being pushed back into my bay and Dan was emerging from the loo (typical!) I had a cuff on my arm to measure my blood pressure, a thingy on my finger to measure my pulse and an oxygen mask on which was removed fairly quickly. The nurse gave me some paracetamol, offered me codeine if I wanted it and left us alone whilst I woke up properly. I felt a bit sore, rather like period pains, so Dan asked for the codeine. The nurse then brought me a cup of tea and some biscuits which were very welcome as I had had to starve for six hours before the procedure. Once I was feeling fully awake (only a few minutes really), the nurse removed my cannula and I was able to get dressed again. We then had to wait for a short time until they were able to tell us about the number of eggs retrieved and the quality of the sperm sample. They collected twelve eggs and decided that the sample was good enough for them to be able to do ICSI(Intracytoplasmic sperm injection). I was sent home to rest and to drink three litres of water a day. I also had to start using Cyclogest pessaries twice a day. I was quite sore for a few days but it was no worse than period pain.

First scan and blood tests

Went to the Centre for Life on Friday morning for my first scan on day seven of stimulation. The consultant seemed happy with the development of my follicles but concerned about the lack of thickening of the lining of my womb so ordered some blood tests. The results showed that my 'levels' are low so they have increased my dose of Gonal F to 225 and I've been instructed to drink at least two litres of water a day! Spending this weekend drinking water and trying to think like a chicken! Next scan Monday morning to see if it has helped. Fingers crossed!