Last Friday, December 17th, despite the hectic last day of school before Winter Break, despite a class party, gingerbread houses, squirrely kids anticipating Santa Claus and despite stormy weather, traffic and a mere two hours away from performing with Manuia for our Winter recital, I went in for my third IUI.
Luckily, PRS, the sperm bank, had contacted me the day before to inform me that they would be closing early on Friday and suggested I pick up my swimmers before 3pm, should I need them. I begged and pleaded for them to have them ready for me that afternoon (Thursday) as I knew I wouldn't be able to get them before 3pm on Friday. After pulling a few strings with the lab, the clerk was able to arrange a pick up for me. Phew! I would have been devastated if I had missed my golden opportunity this month!
So the lil guys hung out with me in my apartment and in the car the next day while holiday festivities took place in the classroom. After school, I headed over to Kasier, who really didn't want to see me until the next day, though I explained to them I planned on doing two inseminations this month and insisted on getting an appointment that day.
PRS recommends doing two inseminations each cycle - one the day of your LH surge and one the day after. This of course, increases your chances of getting pregnant. I of course would love to have done two IUI's for the previous two cycles, though that would have meant purchasing double the amount of sperm, shelling out double the amount of money and taking double the amount of time off from work.
Deciding to do two IUI's this cycle was mostly due to the timing. I happened to ovulate early Friday morning, which meant I could go in after school and do the next on Saturday - I wouldn't have to take any time off! Also, I was down to my last two vials - why not go all out?
Round three, took place in an overly girly, frilly and fuzzy-warm doctor's office, complete with seahorse mobiles hanging from the ceiling, dragonflies clinging to the venetian blinds, colorful, tropical fish swimming across the walls and flowery oven mitts warming the foot stirrups. Total sensory over load; it was as if Laura Ashley and Martha Stewart threw up all over the place.
My doctor, the first female to have performed an IUI on me, was a bubbly blonde with a personality that pretty much echoed the decor. She was a bit concerned about the amount of washed sperm in the syringe - only .2cc. She did her best to pump air into the syringe so as to usher the liquid out and send the lil guys through the catheter.
After the familiar cramping and uncomfortableness, the doc removed the catheter and noticed there was still a small bubble in the syringe. Lucky for me, my doctor was diligent and went ahead and reinserted the catheter and repeated the process - yay, cramps and twinges of pain - again.
Round three complete. Round 3.5 took place the following day, in Santa Clara, as they are the only Kaiser clinic to perform inseminations on Saturday. My friend Chrissy and I headed down together for the mini road trip. Or perhaps I should say, my "partner." Haha.
Upon arrival, the Santa Clara clinic appeared to be a ghostown. After hailing a nurse to check us in and bickering over the unusual fee increase for the visit, I asked if I could be seen early - as clearly they didn't appear to be very busy. The nurse proceeded to answer my question, directing her attention on Chrissy. Midway through her terribly confusing response, I interrupted her to inform her that I was the patient, as clearly she had mistaken Chrissy as the one undergoing the procedure. Briefly taking her eyes off Chrissy, she turned to me and said, "Yes, I know," and then turned back to Chrissy to finish her explanation. Huh? Ok.
After the failed attempt to communicate (thanks Mercury), the nurse took me in the back to take my vitals. I asked if my friend could join me, the nurse responded, sure," Your partner can sit here." Ohhhhh! I get it, she thinks that Chrissy is my lesbian partner! No wonder she was giving Chrissy so much attention!
After checking my weight and vitals, the nurse led us to the examination room, where she proceeded to give 99.9% of her attention to Chrissy - it was as if I wasn't even in the room! When I asked a question, she responded and made eye contact with Chrissy. When she came into the room with the thawed and spun out vial, she gave it to Chrissy to hold, announcing, "Your partner can hold the specimen and keep it warm." Chrissy, the supportive partner that she is, gladly accepted, beaming from ear to ear.
When the nurse left the room, we giggled like mad and Chrissy performed an entertaining victory dance. All attention refocused on me when the nurse practitioner came into perform the procedure. There was no mistaking the patient now - I was the one half undressed, flimsy, plastic tarp covering my lower half, laying on the examination table. Finally, I got a little eye contact and recognition!
The nurse practitioner, a female again, was very supportive, professional and patient. She had some great advice, suggestions and wonderful explanations to my questions. She suggested I zero in on one primary provider, as I have met with so many different doctors over the course of the last year preparing for this journey and now undergoing the procedures. Makes total sense. When I do get pregnant, I have no idea who is going to deliver this baby, nor do I know which hospital I will have my baby in. Something to think about.
The nurse practitioner also suggested, that if I do not get pregnant this time around, I should change something - be it hormone medication, donor sperm or undergoing an evasive procedure known as a HSG that will determine whether my tubes are blocked. All mentally noted and currently being taken into consideration.
As thoughts of changing donors, scheduling the HSG and researching other hormone medications swarm through my head, I have decided to not make any final decisions as I have two weeks to wait out. If I am pregnant in two weeks, than these questions are of course null and void.
Mentally, I am in a better place than I was last month. I am not sailing on high positive thoughts, nor am I hanging on to doubtful, negative thoughts. I am doing my best to "surrender" and allow the stepping stones of this path I have chosen to fall into place.
Perhaps the best word to describe my current state is "indifferent." That may sound a bit uncaring or nonchalant, though I have faith that I will get pregnant when the time is right. So, if it happens this month - yay! AND if it does not, than there are reasons. Reasons that may not reveal themselves to me right now, though reasons nonetheless.
Thanks everyone for reading and supporting. A special thank you to Mama Rosa for teaching me the lesson of "surrender" and to my sistrens for keeping me sane through this tumultuous time, and finally to my mother for keeping it simple - at a time when I know you may have your opinions, you have chosen to just "be". To be there, to be supportive, to be a mother.
Keep checking back everyone! I have two weeks off and lots more to say!
Peace,
T
No comments:
Post a Comment