Today I am Thankful for...

Today I am thankful for Erin, who was the first person who advised me I might be more comfortable when medical professionals stick things up my cervix if I take a valium or two.

Yes, today was transfer today.

Before we left I took the puppy for two long walks in the hilly neighborhood. It was a sunny morning, and I tried to soak up the vitamin D.

Just before we left the house, I drank 8 oz. of water with 5 mg of valium. I drank another 12 oz. in the car. Apparently, if one drinks at least 24 oz. of water, one's bladder will be full, and this makes the actual transfer easier on both one's doctor and one's cervix, though not one's bladder.
When we arrived, I iced my right hip with a bag of frozen edamame. (I used our hot and cold pack yesterday for my left hip and forgot to freeze it.)

Then I went into an examination room, and a nurse gave me the progesterone shot and took my vitals, and then my acupuncturist came in and gave me a treatment. Then I took another 5 mg of valium and drank some more water for good measure.

Then I put on a gown over my sweater, and booties over my socks, and one of those really attractive surgical shower caps that is so attractive it will soon be worn by people such as Gwyneth Paltrow (who got pregnant by accident, and not through a process involving over 100 needles.)

My husband dressed in scrubs and booties, and he got a little cap like surgeons wear, and it gave playing doctor a whole new meaning.

But then the doctor came in waving a photo of three clusters of white circles on a black background and a detailed chart listing the health, progression, and quality of our embryos.

I won't bore you with the details of the chart, but I will say that the photo was of three of our best embryos. One of them looked like a daisy, which the doctor explained was really lucky photography, since all of them were close to perfect, and all of them develop in three dimensions.

We had already decided to only transfer two embryos, and we again reminded the doctor of this, so the third one in the photo will be frozen along with several others.

Then we went into the "procedure room" and they got me all set up in the stirrups, which was somewhat painful because now both of my ass cheeks were hurting, and then the doctor whirled around on his stool and revealed a window behind him.

"Before you lie back," he said, "we're just going to talk to Matt for a minute." Matt is the embryologist.

The doctor pulled up the blind covering the window and pulled the sliding glass door to the side.

"Two embryos for Nayla Joseph," he said.
"Just two?" asked Matt.
"Just two," said the doctor.
In case you were wondering, the answer is yes, it was almost exactly like the transaction at a drive-though fast-food window.

Then they did their transfer thing, with a "special catheter" and ultrasound visualization. The doctor and nurse complimented me on my very full bladder, and then applied pressure directly on that spot.

I looked at the ultrasound image on the screen and saw what I have learned is the thickened uterine lining. Then, as they threaded the catheter in, I saw two bright spots in the center of the lining.
"There they are," the nurse said.
"I see them," my husband said.

The doctor lowered the head of my table and raised my legs.
"This is the voodoo," he said. "There is no evidence it makes a difference, this raising your legs and putting you on couch rest, but it makes me feel better."

After my husband and the doctor discussed his prescription for a Caribbean vacation for us, I was allowed to empty my praiseworthy full bladder and head back to the examination room for the second acupuncture treatment.

So thank you, Erin, for the suggestion of valium.

And now, back on couch rest...


Needle Count
Take original total of 98, then add;
2 progesterone-in-oil shots
14 acupuncture needles for pre-transfer treatment
15 acupuncture needles for post-transfer treatment

Total so far- 129 needles.