Follicle Check #3 and #4

Yesterday marked my third follicle check and what I would consider a really nice development. I went from being stuck at four to having several in the teens and one over 20.

Here are the exact numbers:
Right: 20.3, 19.3, 16, 16, 12.6, 10.3, 10 and 5 <10
Left: 14.3, 14.3, and 7 <10

When I got the call back on Monday, they said that I needed to speak to one of the IVF nurses about anesthesia, and she specifically mentioned my BMI as a concern. I knew this was probably an issue, so I just said OK and planned to stay a little longer.

I was done with the bloodwork and ultrasound by 8:30 and the nurse said that she was busy with another ER so I should come back around 9:30 so that they could "check my airway." I left, drove around, had a bagel and all the while was stressing a little about what "checking my airway" actually entails.

Would the intubate me? Stick something down my throat? Some kind of chest x-ray? I knew that these were all unlikely scenarios, but I do have an aunt who is a very "difficult intubate" and who has had many issues with anesthesia in the past. She is unique in our family to all of these health issues, but it was still freaking me out.

I returned at 9:30 just to sit in the waiting room for another half-hour until the nurse finally came and got me. She brought me back to the mysterious area in the back (where I had never been before) where all of the ERs and ETs happen. She sat me down in the patient changing room (with all the handbags and shoes of the women in ER and ET) and I waited for another 15 minutes.

Finally, the embryologist came in and introduced himself. The conversation basically went like this:

"Do you have any allergies?" No.

"Have you ever been under anesthesia?" No.

"Do you have any breathing problems, sleep problems, heart problems or cracked and broken teeth?" No.

"Lean back your head. Now open your mouth. Say ahh. OK, you're all set."

Umm... What? I just waited for an hour for that? No flashlight, no popsicle stick. He didn't even look in my mouth. Just "say ahh." Whatever. I will take the absolute ridiculousness of that because a) I didn't have to do any of the scary things I had feared and b) it's a hilariously funny story. C and my mom were in hysterics when I told them about it.

Anyway, back to OvaryLand, the technicians were pleased to see such a rise in follicle size from my last ultrasound and were predicting an ER as early as Saturday. They ordered me to come back this morning.

This morning I returned and the follicles really hadn't grown much. The nurse said that they typically like to see at least two follicles over 20 and that pesky 19 only grew 0.4 from yesterday. All of my levels looked good, however, so I'm back again tomorrow to see how that 19 fares.

Again, here were the exact numbers:
Right: 20.7, 19.7, 18, 17.3, 12.7, 12.3, 11 and 8 <10
Left: 17, 16, 14.3, 11.3 and 4 <10

So now it's looking more like a possible trigger tomorrow night and a Sunday ER, as long as the follicles keep progressing as predicted. Squeeeee!