Surgery Time

Our last ultrasound/blood draw appointment was on Monday, November 11. The doctor liked the look of everything. He said everything looked good, but maybe too good. I was in risk of hyperstimulation, which could make me really sick. So he added a new drug for me to take for that. He knew we were close to being ready for the retrieval, but would see how the blood work results were.

Our call that afternoon said we would be ready for Thursday the 14th. We would need to be there at 10:15 and they gave me the long list of instructions. I couldn't eat anything after midnight the night prior, no lotions or perfumes, and what to bring with me. We were also told to do our trigger shot Tuesday night/Wednesday morning at 12:15am. And we could quit our other injectibles on Monday night.

We were both excited. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, but then nerves were setting in. We were getting close.

We knew we wouldn't be able to stay awake past midnight so I set an alarm on my phone. We both feel asleep on the couch and got up to take care of business. We really struggled with the shot. You have to mix two vials and then get the exact amount. It was taking us time and we were worried because this is a timed drug and there was a reason we had a specific time to take it. Luckily we got about 3/4 of the dosage we were to take and went to bed concerned. I was trying not to cry. I just don't want anything to go wrong that we can help.

I called the nurse the next morning and she said we were all good. What a relief! But that day before the surgery, I was so nervous. It's all I could think about. I kept thinking about all the papers we had to sign about how this could fail and even result in death. I wasn't worried about dying, but I just wanted everything to be ok. This was definitely a BIG deal and it was hard not to worry.

We had let our friends and family know what was going on and when and we knew we had lots of prayers. It really meant a lot to us and helped to calm us down.

I was able to get a good night's sleep, but still woke up earlier than I needed to. I watched some Seinfeld on the DVR to occupy my mind. It really was a mental game of trying to get myself to relax. I didn't want to be stressed to complicate anything.

Once we made the drive to Lexington, it didn't take too long to get things started. Supportive text messages started popping up from the amazing people in our lives. We went into the post-op room and I got into a hospital gown and the nurse had me take pain killers that should kick in by the time the surgery was over and then she started the IV. The doctor and anesthesiologist both came in to discuss what was going on.

A moment when we were alone, Mike asked if I wanted him to pray. I quickly said no. I just didn't want to start crying or get even more nervous. We've both been praying like crazy the past couple weeks, so I know God was with us.

The nurse came to get us. I went in to the surgery room and she directed Mike into the 'collection' room to do his part. As I got up on the table, there were tons of people in the room, but they were all friendly faces that I had meet before. The anesthesiologist quickly went to work and I would guess he had me out in about 60 seconds.

Zzzzz....