Five | 5

1st February 2011, 1201pm

IVF, the true experience.
Its the 1st week of Februaruy. Goodbye January. You came too soon.
What is coming up in February? For me? I'm going through FET (Frozen Embryo Transfer), a follow up on my 2nd round of IVF programme which i had the Ooycte/Egg Collection just before Christmas 2010.
My gynae Dr Stephen Chew decided not to proceed with the Embryo Transfer(ET) as he wants to bring the success rate higher after what we learnt from IVF Round 1.
During Rnd 1, I had OHSS. Though it wasn't severe but I experienced bloatedness and had too many follicles after just 2x of GonalF injections. He had to reduce the dosage and on some nights there we none to be administered. He was alert and called for last min Ooctye Surgery.
Before that, they monitored my E2(blood test) and found it to be too high and the nurse asked me several times if I really wished to go ahead as OHSS will hit me hard :(
At that moment, I don't really feel much changes. Just feeling full which I had no idea it was due to OHSS bloatedness. I would feel wanting so much to urinate but not much came out.
When the nurse explained and asked, I told them to go ahead. I knew my husband would be devastated but at the same time he would leave the choice to me and to see me suffer is the last thing he wished for.
I just felt that might as well I jst go ahead. Success or not is secondary, I do not want the many injections I went through wasted. I don want to be injected daily again :( and so I went ahead.
All was well after the OS. As the follicles was a lot, more than 30 - you can imagine how hurt my stomach was with the so-many pricks. I couldn't walk straight. My husband had to get the wheelchair and push me out. I walked out of the car like an old woman.
I was given Dosinet - pills to help me overcome the OHSS and antibiotic. I did not ate much. I was lucky as my husband was able to keep me company as he was on reservist. He took urgent leave to accompany me at home after the surgery :)
The next day, I had breakfast and that's when miserable kicked in. After several hours, I tried to drank Ensure milk as I wasnt feeling hungry due to the OHSS bloatedness but need to have food intake. Moments later, I puked out the milk. Then the terrible vommiting starts.
Whateva I put inside my mouth, I puked it out. Husband was stress and worried, I could tell but he remained calm. He called CHR and they said if I can't take in the Ensure milk then don't, to continue taking Dosinet pills and if I cannot endure to go admit to A&E. Dr Stephen will check on me.
The last straw was when I only had 1 sip of plain water and I puked. It was literally pushing clean my stomach and it was terrible. I plead to husband to send me to A&E. If I can't even tolerate a sip of water, I'm gonna be dehydrated. He finally gave in and drove me there. He checked me in at A&E, as I was having slight flu, they suspected me as having H1N1 and don the mask on me.
I was in the A&E from 4+pm and was push out on the bed at 10+pm. The moments in between was terrible.
The doctor don't know what is happening to me and they tried to contact Dr Stephen but as it was a Saturday, CHR closed and so effort to get my gynae had to go through many rounds.
As my husband was not allowed in as I was suspected of H1N1, I got to do d explanation. Was feeling weak so did not explain much to them. Worse, while in there I kept vomitting. The nurse put me on drip and administered injection to stop the vomitting.
It was hard. I was feeling so down. All I could think of is to make sure I had plastic bag in my hand in case I need to vomit. Another gynae came and scan me. They did H1N1 swab test on my nostril. It was painful :'(
After they managed to get Dr Stephen n happy that I was not having H1N1 they released me to rest at isolated ward for H1N1. Haiz. Luckilly, the nurse allowed my husband to accompany me all through the room, provided he wore a mask.
The vomitting stopped. I slept every 30mins to be woken up when the nurses came in to have the blood pressure and temperature taken.
Now. The status was, the next day I was to have my Embryo Transfer as the embryologist called and said I got 2 surviving embryo(s) out of 4, and 8 gd eggs out of 12 eggs collected from 32 follicles. The rest are empty shells.
As the 2 embryos are not that strong, very weak he wants to put it in me asap hopefully it can attach to my cervical walls and stuck there for growth.
So the doctors are to monitor me and make sure they jab me so that the vomitting stopped. The next morning, other nurses will fetch me to go to the operating theatre for the transfer. Provided I stopped vomitting.
I did stopped vommiting throughout the nite and did not take in any liquid at all and was on drip of many packets. The trouble was, for the ET - the lady needs to be on full bladder. How can I achieve that when I'm just on drips?
And so Dr Stephen asked them to let me on lots of drip. On that morning, they pushed me on a wheelchair to the OT, I left behind my husband, he had to stay. Once there, I had to lie on the bed with my drip. I wanted to cry seeing the familiar faces welcoming me :'( Dr Stephen was there and also the CHR nurse. They came back to do the ET on a Sunday :( I felt bad.
Dr Stephen asked if I felt full? I said yes and so he proceed but he found out that my bladder was not haf full. He and the other nurses in there worked together figuring out the drip to make it flow into me at the maximum rate.
I was just lying there and thinking, "just do what u want-im too weak to protest"
After 20mins? When he thought it was ok, he placed both embryos in me. I was conscious all the way and was tilted to have my head down and legs raised when they pushed me back to the isolated ward.
Terrible to have onlookers observing me along the walkway and in the lift :'(
Was happy to see my husband, he looked terrible too. I slept. When I woke around 3+pm, I wanted to urinate but was very scared of the tingy pain and was not allowed to go toilet. Had to use the bed pan, husband held on to it while I urinate. Felt so weird!
Good news, the vomitting stop. Dr Stephen asked the other doctor to release me and to allow me to eat whateva I want as long as I don't puke. To avoid Ensure milk since due to that I puked. To even take Coke if can and does not vomit. Heh. Too bad I was not interested in Coke, at all.
I went back at 5+pm. Husband laid me to bed. Mil checked upon me. I asked to be sent to my mum's place as I do not want to be a burden to my Mil since husband need to be back at work. It was hard on him but he finally relent. Since then, plastic bag and toilet roll is always by my side - for puking. Yes, still does but not that bad as previously. Ribena cured my throat and only Ribena - only those carton not self made Ribena.
Slowly, my back got straighten and 3days before the two weeks bedrest timeline was up - I discovered blood spots on the undies. I panicked and thought it was a miscarriaged. Called CHR and they asked me to go down after the holiday. It happened on National Day-9th August. Went there with my mom and the nurses took my blood test and I went home. The next day they told me my result was -ve therefore that blood was my period.
I was sad, of course, who wouldn't?
But it was for the better. Dr Stephen told me to rest a few months before doing the 2nd round of IVF.
How time flies. Now is my final stage of 2nd round IVF and yes I did experience OHSS too but it was controllable and a much more better experience than previous round.
I shall stop here and continue on the next post :) a bit traumatic remembering those moments of puking, drips :(