We woke up at 4:00am to get ready for the first flight to Oahu. Kiana took the same flight, so Chris dropped us all off. And we spent time with her at the airport.
I had to insert the endometrin vaginally exactly 5 hours before the embryo transfer, so I had to do it in the airport bathroom. John was worried I was going to drop it on the floor. I didn’t.
Once we got our rent-a-car, we went to Morning Glass to get one of my favorite breakfasts and a decaf coffee.
And then stopped by the Manoa Safeway to get a 1L of water because I needed to have a full bladder for the embryo transfer.
I gave the front desk our Christmas card. It must be so cool to see pictures of IVF babies that were made in their clinic.
John got to wait with me in their lobby! Yay! We met a same-sex couple from Kauai that had their embryo transfer scheduled right after mine. We were drinking the same water and compared drugs stories. Cheers!
30 minutes before the embryo transfer, I had to take my doctor’s special cocktail that includes Valium, Benadryl, and some other stuff. I was supposed to feel it after 15 minutes but I didn’t.
It was time to go down to the Operating Floor. I was expecting the same funny poster of a test tube with babies swimming in it, but the nurse said my doctor recently had the colors of the walls changed and they got new artwork to match.
As I was waiting, I put on my Cozy Warrior socks that I wore last time for good luck and for a warm uterus. I was also wearing my Grandma’s 49ers hoodie and John’s shirt from our wedding venue. <3
My doctor came in, cleaned my vagina, and I told her last time she said to remind her 3 o’clock. She said she likes when patients remind her what she said. She did a mock transfer. I have a retroverted cervix so it was a little uncomfortable with her having to straighten out the speculum.
She told the lab people to tell the embryologist to put the catheter at 30 degrees. Then he brought in my thawed embryo! It’s so amazing that this embryo has been frozen for 2 years and is the same “age” as Zaccai!
She transferred my embryo into my uterus and said “From my lips to God’s ears…”
The nurse said the transfer went beautifully.
They told me to lay down for 15 minutes. Then they went next door to do the embryo transfer for my new Kauai friend. I was waiting for them to come back to tell me I could pee, but I couldn’t make it. As soon as 15 minutes hit, I put my bottoms back on and ran out and asked someone where the bathroom was. A guy in scrubs said “This is the operating room.” I said, “Cool. Where’s the bathroom?” Ridiculous.
We went to get McDonald’s french fries for the post-transfer good luck tradition. The cocktail finally started to kick in and I knocked out in the car. We went back to the airport and I didn’t need a wheelchair like I thought I might.
Lorie picked us up from the airport, I went to sleep, John and Zaccai went to get more good luck french fries.
And we ate pineapple to help the embryo stick.
Thank you Kiana for these beautiful peonies!
Love the doctor’s “from my lips to God’s ears” Wishing you so much luck this time around (again)