Back to hospital

On Saturday afternoon, only a few hours after transfer, I was more bloated than ever. I tried to rest, but was just too uncomfortable.  Everything was hurting, I was super emotional and getting scared.

My husband had forced jugs of water and bottles of Gatorade down my throat for the past few days, but I knew I was still becoming dehydrated.

That night, lying in bed, I was struggling to breath. My stomach was so distended that it was affecting my lung capacity. I calmly woke my husband at about 2am and told him something was very wrong.

We rang the afterhour’s emergency number the clinic gave us... but there was no answer!  So he decided to take me to the emergency ward.

I was starting to panic at that stage and barely made it across the car park; I threw up 3 or 4 times on the way.

On being admitted, I went to the bathroom and there I continued to vomit... I called out for my husband who caught me in the nick of time as I collapsed to the floor.

For the next 12 hours I lay in emergency, hooked up to oxygen and an IV drip. It took 3 different nurses 2 attempts each to insert the cannula, as my veins had collapsed due to the dehydration (you should see my bruises). From there I was finally moved to the  OB/GYN ward and for the next 24 hours they monitored me...

Measuring my girth, weighing me (I had put on nearly 4 kgs since the pick up), blood pressure, blood tests and urine output. I felt just horrible.

My husband decided to have me transferred to the private hospital, so I could be treated by the Doctor that did the pick up and hopefully to expedite the whole process (we were still waiting on an Ultra sound 2 days later!)

The 3rd night I slept better, as I had peace and quiet and my own bathroom.

On Tuesday morning I had the Ultra sound back at the IVF clinic and it showed no signs of OHSS! So they sent me home... where I have been ever since.

I tried acupuncture and Bowen therapy in an attempt to drain whatever fluids/gases were filling up my stomach and slowly but surely it has been getting better.

I’m still sore, but I have weaned off the endone they gave me at the hospital, down to the panadeine forte, to regular panadol. (TMI, but all the pain killers were making me very constipated which was only adding to my woes).

I have booked in for a blood test next Wednesday to see if I'm pregnant, but to be honest I'm not holding my breath.

This last week has been hell, if we get pregnant then it was obviously all worth it, but if we don't, the thought about having to do it all over again is a very daunting one.

Transfer

On Saturday morning, we headed into the clinic for the transfer.

I was convinced they would cancel because I was sure I had OHSS. I had all the symptons; nausia, extreme bloating, weight gain, little to no urine, excessive thirst, really dry skin and lower abdominal pains.

However, after an uncomfortable Ultra Sound, the Doctor seemed positive it wasn’t Hyper Stimulation, just fluid and gas build up and therefore she was happy to proceed with the transfer.

I couldn’t believe it was all happening so fast!

As a lay on a little bed, legs akimbo, there on a plasma TV screen was our 3 day old embryo.
I watched as a scientist used a pipette-thingy to suck it up and then the screen went to black.
Through a mysterious doorway in the wall above the bed came the pipette-thingy and within a few moments it was done... just like that!

As i lay there, I realised, for the briefest moment in time... I was pregnant.

I went home, sore, scared, bloated and tired.
I named our embryo "Sprite", and begged it to hold on.

Egg pick up

On Wednesday morning we awoke before 7 am and although it would have been too early for breakfast, just knowing that I wasn’t allowed to eat made me hungry!

We arrived at the private hospital, checked in and waited in a small waiting room.
Within a few minutes a nurse took us into an office, checked my paper work, weighed me and then berated me for signing something before the doctor had filled out the form. She then had me change into a flattering hospital gown.

The only thing that made me smile that day was the sight of my husband in scrubs.
For a moment I imaged what it would be like being married to a surgeon.
But as he struggled to get the footsie covers over his big feet, that illusion was shattered.
I lay down under a warm blanket for a few minutes before being wheeled off to a pre-op room.

There I met my anesthesiologist, the doctor performing the egg pick up and the scientist assisting her. I was given an injection referred to as “champagne”... and I felt a light buzz. Then they wheeled me into the operating theatre and the last thing I remember was a male nurse introducing himself...

I woke dazed, confused and sore in the recovery ward.

I remembered that the doctor writes in pen on your hand the number of eggs they were able to retrieve...

My right hand read 14!

I drifted in and out of sleep for what must have been a few hours. I felt a leaking sensation between my legs and made the mistake of putting my hand down there, only to be upset by the sight of a lot of blood. I called over the nurse, he pulled back the cover and gasped!

That is the single worst sound one can hear in a hospital.

He replaced a soaked pad-thing 3 or 4 times, before he deemed me ok to move to the next section of the recovery process. A nice nurse gave me a sandwich (which has never tasted so good) and suggested when I was ready, that I get dressed.

When I sat up and draped my legs over the side of the bed I felt something leave my body...

I suggest you stop reading now if you are squeamish...

There in front of me on the bed was a clot of blood the size of a grapefruit and I started to freak.

I tried to stand and as I did I felt more blood running down my legs and onto the floor.

I cried out for help and the nice nurse assured me it was ok and cleaned me up.
She walked me to a bathroom and within a few seconds I felt my knees wobble as I threw up in the sink. My head was pounding, my heart was racing and my abdomen was throbbing. After being seated and given some anti-nausea medicine, I was eventually allowed to leave.

The next 3 days were a blur, I slept poorly, awoke every few hours in pain, found it difficult to roll over, let alone get up and my stomach was so distended, I thought my skin would tear.

On Thursday morning we were told that only 2 of the 14 eggs had fertilized.

My heart broke.