This Monday morning, I woke up extra early and drove across town to complete testing that I had started last month during which time my doc found the polyp. That testing was painful to say the least so I was not really looking forward to this procedure, other than hoping it would bring me good results and put on “on track” for our regularly scheduling programming.
I needed to have a full bladder so when I woke up I did my best to drink as much water as I could. But, with the birth control pills I’m feeling a bit nauseated so I just did my best. By the time I got there I was almost full and the sonogram showed my bladder actively filling. After the quart of water I drank, I should think so! It wasn’t long before my doc came in and greeted me with a chipper, “Hello!” Then he began explaining what procedures we’d be doing this morning. I reminded him I was familiar with those procedures as we did them last month. He looked at me with furrowed brows and a questioning look in his eyes.
“We did this saline hysterogram last month.” I reminded him. “We found a polyp. I had surgery to remove it.”
Blank stare from him. Moment of panic from me. Then relief (from both of us, I think)”Ah, yes! That’s right!”, he pronounced. “How was that for you?”
Remembering my history has never been his strong suit. He has the best stats in the region and some of the best in the nation so I’m not going to hold his bedside manner against him. He’s sweet as apple pie and is outrageously good at the science and technicalities of what he does. So, I roll with it. We move on to small talk about the surgery and then the Super Bowl and the Black Eyed Peas half time performance while I was on my back, legs spread, getting a catheter inserted through my cervix and up into my uterus. God bless him, he was doing his best to keep me relaxed as one thing I think he DID remember is that this was not too comfortable for me in the past (due to my funny “rollercoaster” inside shaping).
First test: mock transfer. I kept breathing, remembered to keep my jaws open and even opened my mouth wide (midwives will tell you, open mouth, open cervix). Apparently it works. It took all of 2 minutes and it was over.
Next test, the not-so-fun one. Empty my bladder and then put another catheter in (catheters go in easier on a full bladder, much more painful when it’s empty but this test needs to have an empty bladder because they fill my uterus with saline). Again, he talks to me, trying to keep me relaxed. I do my part as well. It really, really hurts but I think he’s not gonna mess around trying to not hurt me this time. He just goes for and I can feel the catheter push hard past the 90 angle that is just past my cervix and finally get up in my uterus. It was more painful but quicker – definitely better than before. I appreciate that.
“We’re in.” he says. I exhale.
He pushes in the saline and the nurse stands to the side so I can see the ultrasound. My uterus looks empty this time! Yah! All clean. No polyp. No mass. Just clean. He and I are both happy about this.
Next test: Uterine blood pressure, so to speak. After he takes out the catheter, he reinserts the “vaginal ultrasound wand” and starts up a new different part of the machine that we were looking at before. This time we are looking at my uterus but from a different angle and we have sound. I can hear my heart beating through my uterus. Trip out. He does some math, clicks some buttons, measures the visual “heart beats” and tells me that my numbers look really good. He explains that he wants to see how well my body pumps blood through my uterus. Apparently, it does just fine. Yah! Another one down, one more to go.
Last test: Blood work. This is certainly not the last of blood work that I’ll be doing but it’s the last test today. It’s more of a general screening for women’s health related stuff, including gonorrhea and syphilis. Suffice to say, I expect all those tests to come back normal.
Next steps: This Thursday we go to a “group session” from 6pm-8pm that is a general info meeting. We’ll get to talk to docs, and in particular the embryologists which I am excited about.
Then, Monday, February 14th (one week from today) we’ll go to another group session from 6p-8pm to learn the particulars of all the injections that Gina will need to give me over the second half of February. That night we’ll start our first injection. I feel so mixed about this: on one hand I’m excited because it means it’s all getting closer and the injections will help bring our baby to us. On the other hand, I’m not fond of getting shots 5-10 times a day. But, we’ll get through it I’m sure and maybe even it’ll easier than I think.
For now, birth control pills and acupuncture. BCP’s are making my boobs hurt a bit and slightly nauseas but I’m told that will pass. Really, it ain’t no thang. Mostly keeping busy with work right now and mind off everything.