As anyone who has been reading my blog knows, I developed OHSS after my egg retrieval. I really thought I was on the road to recovery when my symptoms suddenly got worse. I was unable to keep any food or liquids down, the shortness of breath got worse, I was unable to sleep due to intense acid reflux and I gained close to 16lbs in less then 4 days.
On Friday the 25, I finally had enough and returned to my doctor. This time she seemed a lot more concerned and confirmed that the fluid building up in my chest and abdomen would not go away on it's own. She explained that it needed to be drained and we couldn't wait any longer.
At first I was not that nervous, my husband was with me and I was so uncomfortable at that point that I was willing to do anything for a little relief. It wasn't until the doctor told me that my husband once again couldn't be in the room with me through the procedure that I became upset. I just don't understand why they have such an aversion to moral support. That or they just don't understand how significant a loved one holding you hand can be.
I was taken to the same room where they had given me IV medications a few days prior and once again put on the smallest gurney I have ever seen. If I had tried to lay flat out, my knees would have hung off of the end. Instead they wanted me laying on my side so it worked. The nurse started out by placing another IV line in my wrist to start fluids and antibiotics. Because I was much more dehydrated this time, she had a hard time even finding a vein to place the IV. Thankfully she was able to get it in on one try and after about 10 minuets of fluids the doctor came in to put in the drain.
At first it was a lot of repositioning to find just the right spot and to try to make sure the fluid would drain from my chest as completely as possible. While she was looking around with the ultrasound I decided now would be a good time to tell my doctor that I have a huge fear of needles and I appologised
ahead of time for any screaming that she may have to listen to. No sooner did I say this than another nurse came up behind me with a folded blanket and another pillow. She was standing over my head so I asked the doctor if that was to cover my mouth so the other patients in the waiting room wouldn't hear me scream. At first she looked at me very puzzled, then suddenly she started laughing uncontrollably. So much so she had to put down the ultrasound and hold onto the table. The other nurses, not understanding a lot of English, had no idea what was going on. Finally after a few breaths, my doctor translated to them what I had said. They too started to laugh with sort of a shocked look on their face that I would think such a thing. This really helped calm me down and it made for another great story for later.
After using the blankets and pillow to put me into the most uncomfortable position imaginable, it was time to start. Without any pain medication or shot to numb the area, the doctor grabbed what I can only describe as a large 8" long gold pipe and got ready to insert it into my lower stomach, right above my right hip. Before inserting it, she turning to me one last time to tell me the importance of not moving while she got it into the right area. Like she had to tell me not to move. I was so scared that if I did, it would go right through me or worse, through my liver or something.
Thankfully I was able to reach over my head and grab onto a rail in the front of the gurney and at least pretend it was Jeff. His hand holding mine, giving me the strength not to move and the courage not to scream.
At first the needle didn't feel any worse than some of the injections I have been administering to myself, maybe just a little more painful. It wasn't until she had to go through the muscle layer into my abdominal cavity that the pain really hit. It was really intense for about five seconds then it felt more like a lot of painful pressure. I could actually the doctor move the needle around to get it into just the right spot. She finally stopped when it was laying at an angle near the side of my uterus. After that I could feel every inch of the needle in my body and every time I made the slightest adjustment to my body, I could feel it moving inside, poking and hurting.
Once the needle was placed where she wanted, they taped it in place the best they could and started draining the fluid. I could hear it running into the glass bottle on the floor next to by bed and even though I am not a squeamish person at all, this made me a little nauseated. Thinking that there was not a great amount of fluid to drain, the doctor said they would leave it in for about 30 minuets just to be on the safe side. By the time they brought Jeff back to sit with me, the bottle was over half full.
For the next half an hour, I begged Jeff to talk about anything and everything to get my mind off of how much pain I was in. To distract me from the immense urge to move into a more comfortable position and to ignore the feeling of this large foreign object now squiring me. To my great dismay he seemed to be fresh out of any topics of conversation, focusing more on the process taking place. Finally I got his attention by telling him that I now knew what it felt like when someone takes that time of death temperature on TV. If you have ever watched any of the CSI, NCIS or some crime type show then you most likely know what I am talking about. I also correlated this feeling to having been run through the middle with a meat thermometer in a bad BBQ accident or falling onto a piece of rebar. All of witch I knew were extreme exaggerations, but at least it got Jeff's attention and his laughter took away the reality of what was happening.
Soon the nurse returned and had to change out bottles as the first was completely full. She held up the bottle for me to see and said "no wonder you felt so bad." I knew something wasn't right, but I had no idea it was at that extent. Even she seemed surprised at the amount still draining. After about ten more minuets and one more quick peek in to see how things were going, I started begging Jeff to get someone to take it out. I couldn't stand it being in there any longer, it had to come out soon or I was going to take it out myself. I'm not sure if it was because of the pain, which wasn't really that bad, or the idea of knowing that it was in there that brought me to the verge of panic. I was begging Jeff to get the nurse and he did his best to calm me down and talk me through it. He said over and over that it was better to leave it in and get as much fluid out as possible then to go home feeling like I have been and have to have this repeated. Even though I knew this is what was best, mentally it was a struggle to lay there, not moving with this thing going through me.
Finally the fluid stopped draining and the nurse came in to remove it. Like going in, there were places that hurt more as it came out. Even once it was laying on a table next to me, I felt like I could still feel every inch of where it had just been in my body. That turned out to last a few days, but healed quickly. After it was all said and done, just under two liters of fluid were removed. Almost immediately I started feeling better. I was able to breath much easier and the pressure on my stomach, sort of like I had just eaten a really big meal even though I hadn't been able to keep food down in almost three days, was gone. After waiting another half an hour for the IV medications to finish dripping their way into my veins, it was time to go home. Walking was a bit uncomfortable and I was slightly light headed, but overall I still felt better than when I had arrived. On the drive home is when I really noticed a huge difference in how my pants fit (the fact that they suddenly did) and how much more comfortable it was just sitting up, and it made me grateful for having gone through it. It's not an experience I would ever want to repeat, but it is one that I can honestly say was a huge relief once it was done.
It is now Monday the 27th and I am feeling almost 100% back to normal. I haven't gotten sick once since having the fluid drain and my breathing is completely back to normal. I have also lost 18lbs since Friday and my clothes finally fit again. Not all of the fluid was released during the procedure, but the medications that they gave me allowed me to (never ending) pee the rest away.
So I promise that I will try to finish writing the story of my embryo transfer because that was an experience all on it's own. Until then, please forgive me for getting so behind and making you wait so long for updates.
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