Winter is coming

I got my wisdom teeth removed a couple of years ago after much procrastination.  I hate needles, and I hate needles in my face even more, so it wasn't until they started threatening to cause cavities in the surrounding teeth (due to the difficulty of brushing them so far at the back) that I decided to go ahead and do it.  It was one of the best decisions I ever made.

As someone who has smoked weed a grand total of twice in my late teens/early 20s, I was a huge drug virgin.  But let me tell you, the stuff they put me on made me totally understand why people become addicts.  DRUGS ARE AWESOME!  I was awake for the entire procedure which involved a large man using clamps to YANK OUT PARTS OF MY FACE and I just.  Didn't.  Care.  I was so chilled out that when I heard the first telltale clink of a tooth hitting the metal pan, I (through a mouthful of blood and cotton) actually said "Cool, done one side already?  Can I see?"  Of course I'm sure it sounded much more like "Goo, dlarh gah soo yaahaaeey?  Caahhishleeee?"  Once I came down I had a new appreciation for mind-numbing substances and hallucinogens.

So I was reasonably excited to see what they would put me on when I arrived at the clinic this morning for my egg retrieval.  Imagine my disappointment when they told me I would just have a little something to "make me loopy" and another something to "make me comfortable".  This didn't sound like it was going to be an awesome trip at all!  And it really wasn't.

Not to scare anyone off (especially you, clinic sista Vanessa!) but I definitely wasn't knocked out for my retrieval.  Nor, for that matter, did I feel particularly loopy.  Or comfortable.  Yeah, definitely not comfortable.  While I'm sure whatever pain meds they gave me must have numbed things, I did feel quite a bit of pinching as they inserted the needle.  And when they were doing the right ovary (which was supposed to be the easy one based on the smaller number of follicles), it apparently kept "rolling around" on them so they had to apply quite a bit of pressure and poking which was distinctly NOT PLEASANT.  I believe it was at that point that my resolve kind of broke and some tears leaked out and I just wanted it all to be over.

And then it was. 

We got 9 eggs.  We'll find out sometime tomorrow how many were mature and how many fertilized.

The other kick in the ass this morning came from my RE shortly before she began the retrieval procedure.  She informed us that my bloodwork yesterday morning (after my HCG trigger) showed slightly elevated progesterone levels.  While they weren't super high and she assured me that this wouldn't affect the quality of the eggs, she recommended against a fresh embryo transfer since it is likely that my lining will be "out of sync" with the embryos and hence compromise the chances of implantation.  It's called Premature Luteinization and the science is here.  Instead, they want to do a "freeze all" and then a frozen embryo transfer (FET) once my body has had a chance to get back to normal.  So now instead of a two week wait, we have a two month one as I await my period from this cycle, have another full unmedicated cycle (where they will yet again do an endo biopsy), and then start a new cycle where they can do an FET probably in March.  Hence my Game of Thrones-inspired blog title.  Winter IS coming, my little (hopefully soon to be) embryos.  At least I'm in good company, right Daryl?

Have I mentioned that my uterus is an asshole?  Because it is.  An uncooperative asshole.

Anyway, I'm not really complaining.  Well, I am, but kind of good-naturedly because at the end of the day I am very happy that we got 9 eggs out of my equally uncooperative ovaries.  And I'm generally feeling good, despite the discomfort of the retrieval.  No bloating or abdominal pain to speak of right now.  I've eaten a bagel and had some coffee and am suffering no real ill effects except for some nappiness, which will be dealt with shortly enough.

And on the positive side, I have already told M that we are going on some sort of beachy vacation as we wait these cycles out.  No ifs, ands, or buts.  Well, except my white butt gettin' its tan on.