# 5 The Egg removal.

It was 5.45 am. I’m lying in bed completely unable to get back to sleep. My mind was thinking so much, I almost couldn’t concentrate on one thing at once, the most annoying thing was, I didn’t even really need to be thinking about any of it. I was organised. Everything was packed. I had taken my trigger injection 8 hours earlier, when I went to bed. What if’s, I wish, If onlys, all out of my control were like a hamster wheel going round and round in my head. I sat up and quietly snuck out of the bed, knowing full well I couldn’t eat, but would soon not be allowed any more liquids. I had a glass of water and decided to take a shower. I had a shower the night before to shave, but still wanted a ‘freshen up‘. (They are very strict at clinics that you don’t use any perfumed products or alcohol based products, so pretty smelling shampoos, conditioners, body washes, deodorant, perfumes, mouthwash, I even screamed “nooooo” at my husband when he went to use the fairy liquid to do the dishes. It is bad not only for the eggs on the day of the retrieval, but would have also affected my husband's sample if the perfume remained on his hands.)

Our commute was over an hour's drive in the morning traffic, we were 10 minutes late 2 days before for our final scan, so we made it with plenty of time to spare and left a little earlier this time. It's only human to have some anxiety, but I was actually proud of how calm I was and how I remained.

The one decision through the whole process I was unsure about, was whether to have the entonox (gas and air) or have the sedation. After talking to another friend who had been through it and struggled with the gas and air, I was 100% sure I would have the sedation. Due to my usual low blood pressure and the fact that I would need longer care after the sedation the nurse and doctor both came to advise me that they would advise the gas and air, but I stuck by my decision as I wanted to relax and I most certainly do not regret it!! Most people would have had a diclofenac pessary before the egg removal, but I have an allergy to Ibuprofen so I was already a pain reliever down.

I’m in my not so glamorous gown, my husband has done his bit and is now back with me getting into his blue scrubs ready to go into the operating room. I took one last squeeze as they needed a completely empty bladder and I walked into the room where the nurses and doctor were all ready for me.

After confirming who I am yet again, I scoot down the bed and the doctor inserted the sedation through my cannula into my arm and a nurse put the oxygen over my nose and mouth. Suddenly everything went slightly squiffy and I felt like I was floating. The team were incredible and talked me through every step that they were doing. The internal scanner was unable to have the lubricant because again it could damage the egg quality. Once the scanner was in this is when I wished I could have had the pessary, because when the 4 injections of pain relief were inserted up, it took me by surprise and was rather unpleasant. However, the most painful part (as to be expected) of this whole process was most definitely the needle that reaches through the walls to the ovaries. Which obviously happens twice. Now, I’m guilty of not exactly doing my studying on this part, like I said to the nurse when she asked, I think some things are best left unknown. All you need to know is, let’s face it, it’s going to be uncomfortable and if I can give you a piece of mind, the remaining discomfort over the next days after was the sensation of a period pain.

The nurse would say “running running“ when the eggs were being sucked out of the ovaries through the needle into a tube. They got passed on to the embryologist in the next room who would then shout how many eggs were being received. At the last count when the doctor had finished we were up to 8. As I was being wheeled out of the room I remember being told “final number is 10. I was sooo happy! It was all out of my hands now.

The embryologist came to visit us before we left the hospital. Long story to short...IVF was no longer an option. We were being offered ICSI. My husband's sample was on the low side and the IVF would only fail. ”OK” ICSI it is. It was time for home, tomorrow’s telephone call can’t come soon enough!

Every hour feels like a day...Is this actually going to be the worst part?!...The wait…