IVF and ICSI

$5,900 for 30 follicles

We had the retrieval scheduled for today. Yesterday I started calling the hotels to book one. To my dismay I learned there was a conference in town and most of the hotels were sold out. I had a choice between a 4 star @ $300 a night or a 2 start at $100. I went for the 4 star, I didn’t think we would be comfortable in the 2 star.

At 3:40 AM I got a call on my cell phone. It was a lady from Mount Sinai hospital in TO, located less than 1 km from the hotel we were in. She was looking for the parents of a baby at the hospital. I was completely confused and drunk with sleep I started to think it was the IVF clinic. I quickly realized she had the wrong person. She told me their baby was critically ill. And she could not get hold of them. She told me she would have to send the police to their house. Not to arrest them, but to get the message to them. So it sounded like the baby was not going to make it.

What are the chances of us getting a call from a nurse in charge of a baby that may not pull through the night on the eve of our retrieval? In fact 6 hours before the retrieval took place. I would say pretty slim. My wife and I have the names of the parents. And we lightly considered naming our future baby after them, or after their baby if the sex is right. Reincarnation? Who knows.

We got to the clinic on time at 7:30 AM, and boy, was it busy. It seems half of TO is infertile. It was a little disorientating being there. Plus on such an important day I didn’t really want to sit and wait to be called. I wanted them to usher us into where ever it was were going when we arrived. We had a 60 inch plasma to help pass away the time. Fortunately the wait was not too long.

They took Lisa first to get her undressed and hooked up to the IV drip. I had to wait some more. When I was called I was ushered into a room with my wife and two other couples doing the same as us. Lisa sat in a reclining comfy chair. In her right arm was the needle with the IV tackle attached to it. She was wearing a hospital gown.

Wait, wait, my contribution, wait, into the procedure room we went. 3 nurses, a doc, two technicians, a mom-to-be, a dad-to-be, and 30 follicles were at this party. And my wife was the focus of all. On the ultra sound screen we got to watch the black voids flow away into the needle. Each of black voids are follicles containing fluid and the eggs we need. It was pretty amazing to watch. We got 30. The IVF team were pretty amazed. The doc said DW did not look hyper stimulated, but we have to measure fluids in/out for the next week. Plus take her weight, and her waist measurement.

Back to the room we went. DW wife a little groggy. We left in an hour with our Prostogen in tow.

On the way home DW scared the heck out of me when she passed out. I nearly drove her to the hospital, but I surmised it was probably the drugs catching up with her, plus being hungry and a lack of fluids.

I’m now sitting on the couch with Lisa using the lap top to write this. She’s sore, but seems well enough. 6 days we’ll get the news on if the implantation will go ahead or not.

If not, the embryos will be frozen, then implanted when the OHSS has passed.

posted by Paul and Lisa @ 11:57 AM