Cautiously Optimistic.

The discharge papers we received after our frozen embryo transfer read as follows:

Dear patient, your next step following this transfer is to wait. Anticipating the pregnancy test can be difficult. Time passes slowly and 12 days feels like forever. If this is your first IVF cycle, you may be filled with greater hope than during previous treatments. Managing expectations can be tricky. Patients don't want to be too hopeful for fear of being let down, but worry that not being positive enough can affect the outcome. Being "cautiously optimistic" feels like the goal; but maintaining that balance is tough. Feeling anxious is common and will not impact on the success or failure of your cycle. 

What they should have said:

Dear Patient, are you ready to think of NOTHING else for the next 14 days, other than your upcoming pregnancy test? Are you ready to almost completely lose your mind leading up to what is going to a) be one of the most exciting days of your life, or b) one of the biggest letdowns EVER? Are you prepared to spend the next 14 days convinced that you are pregnant? The fact that you are constantly exhausted, well that is either a sign that your are pregnant or is more likely due to the fact that you gave up those lattes cold turkey last week. Are you are nauseous 24/7? Don't bank on that being a little baby in there, more likely you may be coming down with the stomach flu. Oh, and your jeans are tighter? Please don't think that is anything more than the fact that we have forbid you from going to the gym for the past 2 weeks and since you are banking on getting pregnant I'm sure you have been stuffing your fact with anything in sight. Sore boobs, back, etc. Come on, please don't read into this, don't your remember that you are still stuffing your body full of hormones on a daily basis? Yes, you should still hold out hope, but please desperate baby crazed woman,  don't blame us if this didn't work. Oh, and best of luck to you.

Can you tell I'm losing my mind a bit over here? We are almost one week through the "wait" and for a while there I was doing pretty good. I have a feeling that this next week is going to be a lot loooooooooooonger than this past week was. I am feeling all of the above mentioned symptoms but having been down this road before I can assure you that they are mostly all psychosomatic. Yep, for at least two weeks I have somehow convinced myself that I am preggo, setting myself up for a huge disappointment in the end.

I'm not quite sure that is what they had in mind when they said "cautiously optimistic."

(Photo Credit: From Here)