The following morning, still not feeling pregnant but trying to remind myself as often as possible that I actually was…I was there, I saw it happen…I decided to go for one last walk through the park near the hotel before I had to catch the train back to Prague.

I’d read somewhere that walking was good for implantation.

It was early, around 8am, and there were not many people about, just a few rollerbladers (it’s popular here, love it!). It was delightful. Cool crisp air, early morning sun streaming through the trees.

I took photos of the park and again imagined bringing my children back to their place of origin and walking through this park with them.

On the way out of the park, I heard loud obnoxious squawking, and turned toward it. I followed the sounds until I came to two beautiful, and enormous, peacocks high up in a tree just hanging out.

I’d never seen a peacock running free before, only in a zoo or animal farm of some sort. This was amazing. Another sign perhaps?

It was a great way to end my journey in Olomouc. I felt happy and ready to move forward.

My return journey on the train was as comfortable as the first trip and I was once again grateful to have paid the extra for the business class seats.

The attendants did not speak English though and neither did my cabin mates. But, I had all I needed in my pack, including food and water so I was covered.

Arriving back in Prague felt good and I wished I was staying for a few days instead of getting straight onto the airport bus and heading to the airport hotel.

At the same time I was feeling ready to be home. In my own bed, with my kitty for comfort. I missed my kitty, I missed his furry little face and his big green eyes.

When I arrived at the airport I had to call the hotel to get a pick up. The shuttle driver was super nice and she turned out to also be the receptionist.

The hotel was nice and on a different day I might have enjoyed walking around the grounds. But I was tired! My room was nice, but warm, I took a shower and then fell asleep for a few hours.

The hotel had a pretty good menu and I had the most delicious plate of vegetables that were sautéed in some delectable flavouring. I also had an amazing burger.

The return flight to Canada was early the next morning so I got some sleep.

The flight to Paris was not the most comfortable, in fact, the entire plane smelled like sweat – year old, baked in, sweaty feet and armpit sweat. And you know how with smells, you usually get used to it and stop smelling it, that never happened. I was consciously aware of the smell the entire 1 hour and 25 minute flight. I was grateful when that flight was over!

However, after the last experience in the Paris airport I pretty much ran to the next gate – which I checked, triple checked, and checked again.

I made it to the correct gate, and got on the flight almost immediately.

Once again I had an empty seat between me and the next person – and this time the plane was newer…a.k.a. seats with padding! I was pretty excited about this!

Though the seats were much more comfortable and my view from the window was pretty amazing, this was not the most comfortable flight. There seemed to be a lack of food, I was hungry all the time and the longest stretch of about 5 hours without food was torture. The sun never went down the entire flight either, so I didn’t sleep a wink.

When it was time to insert the progesterone balls, I had to clean vomit in the bathroom before I could use it. Not the greatest part of the journey, but other than the lack of food and the vomitous toilet it was pretty good.

Arriving in Vancouver was a relief. I was glad to be home.

The lack of smokers on the street was also a welcome reprieve for my lungs! The one thing I did not enjoy about the Czech Republic was all of the smokers. The no-smoking movement has not caught on, and cigarettes are still super cheap…

As I started the long drive home, fatigue started to creep into my bones. I was TIRED.

So tired I missed the turn off through the city that would take me direct to where I needed to go. I thought I was fine to go a different way and ended up lost for a good 45 minutes. Not what I needed on top of the 2 hour drive home!

Eventually I found my way back to the highway and the rest of the drive went without hitch.

I finally arrived home at around 3pm.

My kitty was so happy to see me and I was happy to snuggle with him.

Though I was extremely travel smelly. What is it about travel that stinks you up?

Long, hot, shower later, feeling happy to be clean, I slipped into some pyjamas.

Then the nausea started. I did not feel good AT ALL!

I chalked it up to exhaustion and tried to get some sleep.

A few hours later I woke and bolted for the bathroom where I vomited until I thought there was nothing left.

I was wrong…there was more…all the way to the breakfast they had served on the plane at around 6am – around 18 hours earlier!

Then diarrhea hit me. I had alternate runs to the toilet either to vomit or the other thing.

I felt like I’d been stuck in the washing machine and dryer – I was dizzy, wobbly on my feet, and washed out completely.

I’ve had to be hospitalised before for dehydration and I knew how important it was to stay hydrated. Water went right through me, literally, and so – in my pyjamas, looking like death – I hopped in the car and went to the 7Eleven down the road and bought 4 bottles of Powerade and some saltines.

I ripped into both in the parking lot of the 7Eleven before I attempted the drive home.

This helped. And within an hour the excavation from my insides stopped.

I felt nasty though. Very sick.

A fever started while I slept fitfully and I sweated rivers.

I felt like death.

The next day, still sick, still feverish going from super hot to shivering cold, I called my doctor’s office. They could only get me in the following day.

I explained my symptoms and told the girl that I’d just had an embryo transfer and was worried about the baby. She told me if I was really worried to go to emergency.

That seemed a bit much, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to make the drive.

Instead I Googled it.

Google told me that the temperature was an issue only if it went over 38.6 for prolonged periods of time.

Dragging myself to the pharmacy (only a few blocks away) I bought a thermometer and again asked the pharmacist if I should see a doctor. They didn’t know, but also suggested emergency if I was uncertain.

I bought more Powerade with the thermometer and decided if the temp was too high or didn’t come down in a few hours I would go to emergency.

Thankfully, it did come down, but when I first tested my temp was sitting at 38.5. It was high.

I continued to eat crackers, and I tried a little chicken broth with spinach as well. Mostly, I slept and when I woke I drank more Powerade and took my temperature.

My fever broke sometime during the day, and though I was still dizzy and shaky, I started to turn the corner from sickness to health.

When I saw my doctor the next day I told him about it, he “pfft’d” my concerns and told me it sounded as though I’d done the right thing and the baby would be fine.

I wanted to believe him, so I did. Phew!

He wrote me a requisition for bloods. Four tests three days apart and told me to do those when the two-week wait was up, and to make another appointment to see him when the tests were done.

I went home to sleep some more.

Thankfully, I’d had the foresight to take an additional week off work and did not have to return for another five days.

I spent most of the week resting.

Though I also went to the movies later in the week with a friend to see Beauty and the Beast. Wow. Beautiful movie. I cried from about a ¼ of the way through for the rest of the movie (right from the library scene onward). Bawled. Loved it.

I still had nausea even though the vomiting had stopped and the diarrhea had stopped, but the nausea seemed constant. I put that down to jet-lag. Same with the tiredness. I could have slept like my cat – 16 hours a day or more – no problem. Again, I thought it was jet-lag.

My first week back at work was brutal. I was barely able to keep my eyes open and had a hard time concentrating on what was happening around me. At the end of the day, I pretty much came home and fell asleep until the next alarm sounded for the next medication dose. I ate small amounts of food each time I woke and continued drinking Powerade all week.

And still, two weeks after returning home, I called it “jet-lag”.

But was it…?

Warm smiles and Love,