It's a go! (by JB)

Okay - so I am not going to be witty or wax eloquent. I'll just cut to the chase. Wendi did great and we now have two embryos (a.k.a. sticky babies) in residence in utero.

I'll start the story last night, well actually early this morning, at about 3:30 a.m. That was when Wendi woke up, and woke me up, with toe cramps. This is an occasional issue for her from time to time, and it is apparently endemic to Wendi's side of the family. So from about 3:30 to 5:30 we both slept off and on until her feet decided to get some sleep. The alarm sounded at 6:15, we both took showers and got dressed, and we walked over to the hospital at 7:30.

Wendi packed the camera in her bag, but we both kinda forgot about having it. Suffice it to say, we have no photos for you. But we were put in the same room as before - the good one: the one that I went in infertile and came out fertile again - so just remember those photos from before. The nurse, who had worked at Mayo for over 38 years, brought Wendi her valium (nite, nite, Wendi - see you next Thursday), and we waited for almost two hours, Wendi dozed and I studied. Then the toe cramps returned! (insert tension-building music)

Just a few minutes after that, they came and got us. Wendi was standing against the wall, trying to stretch out her foot while trying not to fall over from the valium, and the nurse was trying to get Wendi to spell her last name. Wendi kept showing her the hospital wrist band with her name on it with a drugged look that said, "if you are not going to massage the cramp out of my foot, leave me alone!" It was kinda funny, but I only dared to laugh on the inside. I finally said very slowly, "Wendi, spell your last name." She did and we were escorted down to the pre-op area.

Nothing much happened there. We waited some more. Wendi went to the bathroom - which she would soon regret. Then a sweet surgical assistant (or something like that - I'm not too sure what her title was) rolled Wendi to the operating room. Oh - just so you know, or didn't remember, the procedure is done in the O.R. since they have all the ultrasound equipment in there. Wendi was transferred to the O.R. bed (read that as awkwardly scooted over while trying not to flash everyone in the room and people walking by the room).

Dr. G. and a new REI fellow came in and things got started. They did an initial ultrasound (cold jelly all over Wendi's tummy) and decided that she did not have a full enough bladder. I knew instantly what was in store, but poor Wendi just looked at me with a blank stare. Then I saw her eyes widen with horror as she realized that, yes, they were going to fill her empty little bladder up on the spot. Welcome the urinary catheter to the show. It was actually not as bad as she was expecting it was going to be, but I would be punched if I said it was fun. So up goes Wendi's bladder and in goes the Dr.

There was some initial troubles (Wendi will read that as a huge understatement) in "visualizing" the cervix, but it was finally accomplished with the frequently used phrase, "Now just try to relax." Then there were some more, uh, "issues" in placing the catheter through the cervix. You see, my dear wife does not have a "typical" cervix. Most women have a cervix that is similar, please excuse the illustration, to a tunnel on a highway. Wendi has a cervix that is more reminiscent of rides at theme parks that make you barf. So, after about twenty minutes, we were ready to go.

The embryologist (that is such a cool title I must say - reminds me of Jurassic Park) came in and told us that our two embryos were doing great. I think Wendi told him he was the man. He got flustered and went back to his lab. He then came back 4 minutes later with our embryos. They tried to reinsert the new catheter - yes they had taken out the first one - but couldn't get it on the roller coaster in time. There is a two minute window for these things. So our embryos went back to the lab into the warmer. We waited a few more minutes. The embryologist switched catheters, and we tried again. Success!

I will say that it is pretty amazing to see those little guys on the ultrasound screen being dropped into the uterus. Of course, Wendi started crying (give her a break, she's on massive doses of hormones!).

And then that was it. Luckily the toe cramps did not return as feared. We were wheeled back to the room. Actually, Wendi was wheeled back. I had to walk. They don't let two people ride on the beds at the same time. We waited an hour in the room. Wendi slept some more. Then I ran home and picked up the car and drove back and picked up Wendi. We grabbed some Greek food on the way home.

Wendi is now asleep in the bedroom with a tummy full of gyros and two sticky-babies. Keep them all in your prayers (not the gyros). Thanks for the ones already said.