I went back to work on Monday and it was a little overwhelming at first, since I had to combat jet lag which hit me really hard in the morning, and then the rolling bouts of nausea, followed by the random headaches and lastly the quiet throbbing pain. I managed to get through the day and went to Dr C's clinic at 6:30pm - she said I looked great and there was no need for a scan.
I gave her an update of how many eggs T has - the ARGC actually retrieved 19 eggs from me but only 15 were mature. Out of that, 11 fertilized. Dr C was happy for T and me. I gave her a quarter of a rind of Fortnum & Mason's award-winning Stilton cheese to thank her for her help, and left with a promise for dinner in January.
Tuesday and Wednesday went by fairly quickly and as the jet lag got more manageable, so did the nausea. It's early Friday morning now and I hardly have any nausea left, although on Wednesday night I was pretty miserable and had to take paracetamol to quell the pain. I hope by this weekend I'll be back to 100% so I can start hiking and running again. Gosh, I sure miss my running sessions, pounding on the asphalt with nothing but myself and my thoughts and my heart beating so fast.
==
T's embryo transfer happened on Wednesday. They had 4 beautiful blastocysts but of course the ARGC could only put 2 inside her. The other eggs are still developing and of course will be frozen for later use. The transfer went well and now all she has to do is to rest. I have been sending good thoughts to her and telling the embryos to STICK to her womb, although I am a skeptic of Reiki. Still, there's no harm with all that positive energy, so why not?
There is one scene in the anime movie "My Neighbour Totoro" where the kids and Totoro do a dance at the garden for the seedlings to grow faster - I wish there is an equivalent dance for me to perform for the embryo to grow!
Friday 11 December 2009
Sunday 6 December 2009
a record
Just so that I will remember what it was like twenty years down the road, these are the symptoms I have after the egg retrieval.
Nausea - comes in waves. Sometimes it hits me so hard I am left reeling
Pain and discomfort that ranges from lower abdomen to diaphragm
Difficulty breathing - happens only at certain sleeping positions, generally when I lay on the side
Back ache
Stomach acidity - probably the most feared symptom because I am terrified it will develop to severe Esophagitis which is the worst imaginable pain anyone can go through. I can feel the acid rising in my tummy so small frequent meals seem to be the order of the day
Bloating - I must have gained at least 10 pounds by now. Stomach is very big and bloated.
Barfing - probably from the increased levels of acid in stomach
No difficulty in peeing (pee is very clear and frequent, every 2 hours of less), drinking at least one glass of water (330ml) every hour, no other signs of bloating in other parts of body except the abdomen.
I'm not showing all the signs of OHSS and I know general discomfort is expected for someone like me with so many follicles. I can only hope it'll all go away soon.
Nausea - comes in waves. Sometimes it hits me so hard I am left reeling
Pain and discomfort that ranges from lower abdomen to diaphragm
Difficulty breathing - happens only at certain sleeping positions, generally when I lay on the side
Back ache
Stomach acidity - probably the most feared symptom because I am terrified it will develop to severe Esophagitis which is the worst imaginable pain anyone can go through. I can feel the acid rising in my tummy so small frequent meals seem to be the order of the day
Bloating - I must have gained at least 10 pounds by now. Stomach is very big and bloated.
Barfing - probably from the increased levels of acid in stomach
No difficulty in peeing (pee is very clear and frequent, every 2 hours of less), drinking at least one glass of water (330ml) every hour, no other signs of bloating in other parts of body except the abdomen.
I'm not showing all the signs of OHSS and I know general discomfort is expected for someone like me with so many follicles. I can only hope it'll all go away soon.
aftermath version 2.0
I arrived in Hong Kong yesterday at 2pm. Thank goodness I had an upgrade to business class as it would have been a nightmare to be stuck at the back of the plane. I could hardly sleep because of the discomfort and nausea, despite the flat beds and excellent meals and service. During the 12-hour flight I glugged down at least 3 litres of water - and still it didn't seem to help. The rolling pain and nausea usually quickly ease away when I take a dose of paracetamol but once it wears off, I'm grimacing in pain again.
Was it this bad the last time? I think I was in a worse state before. But my memory for pain doesn't linger long so it seems this is just as bad. Since coming home I unpacked and pottered about, and tried to stay awake as long as I could to combat jetlag. I managed to go to bed at 11pm but got up a few times to drink more water and to pee. At about 5:30am I tossed and turned so much - general discomfort in the abdomen area and slight difficult in breathing - I decided to get up and read.
The ARGC requires me to drink 1 litre of milk and 2 litres of water a day. I'm slightly lactose intolerant so I drank only a glass of milk this morning and at least 1 litre of water already. I'm hoping the pain will ease off quickly before I go back to work tomorrow. I'll need all the strength I can muster!
==
Before I left London, T showered me with gifts. Two large bags of gifts, to be precise. I felt like Santa Claus with ten kids at home or a shopping-maniac who love to burn the plastic. Obviously I am quite the opposite as I dislike shopping - such a pointless affair - but her generosity and gratitude made me all fuzzy inside. She wrote me a heartfelt letter which I read while on the plane coming home and I was trying so hard not to cry. It was beautifully written and touched my heart. Like I said before, I would do this all over again for her even in the context of the awful aftermath of egg retrieval. Yes I would.
Was it this bad the last time? I think I was in a worse state before. But my memory for pain doesn't linger long so it seems this is just as bad. Since coming home I unpacked and pottered about, and tried to stay awake as long as I could to combat jetlag. I managed to go to bed at 11pm but got up a few times to drink more water and to pee. At about 5:30am I tossed and turned so much - general discomfort in the abdomen area and slight difficult in breathing - I decided to get up and read.
The ARGC requires me to drink 1 litre of milk and 2 litres of water a day. I'm slightly lactose intolerant so I drank only a glass of milk this morning and at least 1 litre of water already. I'm hoping the pain will ease off quickly before I go back to work tomorrow. I'll need all the strength I can muster!
==
Before I left London, T showered me with gifts. Two large bags of gifts, to be precise. I felt like Santa Claus with ten kids at home or a shopping-maniac who love to burn the plastic. Obviously I am quite the opposite as I dislike shopping - such a pointless affair - but her generosity and gratitude made me all fuzzy inside. She wrote me a heartfelt letter which I read while on the plane coming home and I was trying so hard not to cry. It was beautifully written and touched my heart. Like I said before, I would do this all over again for her even in the context of the awful aftermath of egg retrieval. Yes I would.
Friday 4 December 2009
15 really golden eggs
I've laid 'em. 15 eggs. They are T's now, to keep and nurture and grow.
==
I woke up at 5:45am, feeling really thirsty but no food nor liquid allowed after midnight. It was a chilly morning, frost all built up on the car's windscreen. G scrapped it all off in a jiffy and we got going. Not surprisingly, I was not the first one at the clinic. A different nurse today, Nurse Z, took us through all the papers and documents, then a warm hug goodbye to G and B - I won't see them before I fly off - and of course a good luck hug from T and off I went to the basement.
I changed into the patient gown and was also given CSI-type of socks/shoes to wear. Pretty nifty. If I didn't have the Marks & Sparks bathrobe on me I would have felt I was going to see Gil Grissom just round the corner.
I was led to the operating theatre - very different from the one in HK. It was larger and looks more like an OT. The anesthetist spoke to me about HK and I remarked to him how funny this turned out because when I was about to go under the previous time, the anesthetist was talking to me about England! Coming full circle indeed.
The mask was put over my mouth and nose, then the gas came on. Embarrassingly enough I coughed! But the next thing I knew I woke up and it was 8:45am.
T is thrilled that I got 15 eggs. Honestly I was a bit disappointed just because the previous time it was a spectacular 55 eggs. Anyway I hope all 15 are mature golden eggs.
==
I managed to get upgraded to business class for my flight home, which will take off in about half an hour. I pulled the "had a surgery this morning" card and the good lad at the check-in counter let me through. Good man.
I said bye to T and there was so much tears. She thanked me from the bottom of her heart, and I truly wish she can have a huge family. There is so much to say to her and so little time. I told her I would do this again in a heartbeat, and if this come to naught, I'd even carry the baby for her. It's a lot to ask from me but I would. She is one special woman and I am so glad she, of all people in the world, now has the chance to have babies.
==
I woke up at 5:45am, feeling really thirsty but no food nor liquid allowed after midnight. It was a chilly morning, frost all built up on the car's windscreen. G scrapped it all off in a jiffy and we got going. Not surprisingly, I was not the first one at the clinic. A different nurse today, Nurse Z, took us through all the papers and documents, then a warm hug goodbye to G and B - I won't see them before I fly off - and of course a good luck hug from T and off I went to the basement.
I changed into the patient gown and was also given CSI-type of socks/shoes to wear. Pretty nifty. If I didn't have the Marks & Sparks bathrobe on me I would have felt I was going to see Gil Grissom just round the corner.
I was led to the operating theatre - very different from the one in HK. It was larger and looks more like an OT. The anesthetist spoke to me about HK and I remarked to him how funny this turned out because when I was about to go under the previous time, the anesthetist was talking to me about England! Coming full circle indeed.
The mask was put over my mouth and nose, then the gas came on. Embarrassingly enough I coughed! But the next thing I knew I woke up and it was 8:45am.
T is thrilled that I got 15 eggs. Honestly I was a bit disappointed just because the previous time it was a spectacular 55 eggs. Anyway I hope all 15 are mature golden eggs.
==
I managed to get upgraded to business class for my flight home, which will take off in about half an hour. I pulled the "had a surgery this morning" card and the good lad at the check-in counter let me through. Good man.
I said bye to T and there was so much tears. She thanked me from the bottom of her heart, and I truly wish she can have a huge family. There is so much to say to her and so little time. I told her I would do this again in a heartbeat, and if this come to naught, I'd even carry the baby for her. It's a lot to ask from me but I would. She is one special woman and I am so glad she, of all people in the world, now has the chance to have babies.
Thursday 3 December 2009
the nest is built, all I have to do is to lay the golden eggs once again
Egg retrieval is set for tomorrow at 7:15am. I will have to be at the clinic by 6:45am, no food no liquid after midnight tonight. T will of course accompany me, G will have to come along to produce his "fresh sample". He joked that he is under intense pressure. Sometimes I do wonder how the men feel in situations like these - that their little "joy" 1) is so easy relative to what the women have to do to produce the eggs 2) will produce (potentially) many children of his own. Hm.
Anyway it was a relaxing day for me and it felt SO good not to have to take the tube to Regent's Park and hang out at Marylebone. As much as I adore the area I truly needed a break from the clinic. I spent the afternoon at the Natural History Museum (what a pilgrimage it is for atheists like me!) and walked to Knightsbridge where I had a lovely massage at Berkley Hotel Spa. Ah, such bliss.
When I got home I started packing right away as my flight back to Hong Kong is at 6pm tomorrow, which means I wouldn't get much rest after the surgery. I felt rather sad that I will be saying goodbye to T and family. I will miss her. She is such a remarkable woman, so warm and generous, that I have grown quite fond of her. I am very glad to have found a friend in her.
This experience has been nothing short of a miracle - how we met and how it all happened. I don't however believe in fate and all that "it's meant to be" faith, but it doesn't stop me from marvelling at this amazing series of events that led to the culmination of donating my eggs to T. I only hope that she will get pregnant eventually - like I said so many times before, I know my eggs will be in very good hands with a mother like her.
Wish me luck! I wonder how many golden eggs there will be this time?
Anyway it was a relaxing day for me and it felt SO good not to have to take the tube to Regent's Park and hang out at Marylebone. As much as I adore the area I truly needed a break from the clinic. I spent the afternoon at the Natural History Museum (what a pilgrimage it is for atheists like me!) and walked to Knightsbridge where I had a lovely massage at Berkley Hotel Spa. Ah, such bliss.
When I got home I started packing right away as my flight back to Hong Kong is at 6pm tomorrow, which means I wouldn't get much rest after the surgery. I felt rather sad that I will be saying goodbye to T and family. I will miss her. She is such a remarkable woman, so warm and generous, that I have grown quite fond of her. I am very glad to have found a friend in her.
This experience has been nothing short of a miracle - how we met and how it all happened. I don't however believe in fate and all that "it's meant to be" faith, but it doesn't stop me from marvelling at this amazing series of events that led to the culmination of donating my eggs to T. I only hope that she will get pregnant eventually - like I said so many times before, I know my eggs will be in very good hands with a mother like her.
Wish me luck! I wonder how many golden eggs there will be this time?
Wednesday 2 December 2009
the journey of ups and downs
So I thought I would get the trigger on Tuesday and get the egg retrieval done on Friday. By noooooo that was not the case. I went back to the clinic on Tuesday afternoon and all I got was "wait, the blood test results aren't back yet". So I waited till 6pm and nurse V asked me how I was feeling. I said good, except for a bit of nausea earlier in the day and of course, bloatedness. I also had a teeny weeny bit of cramps but it could just be because of something I ate? She trotted off to find Dr T and then came back and said nope, no trigger. I was so frustrated I wanted to cry. Really. I begged her but she said Dr T would not let me trigger because Pregnyl (the trigger drug) may make me feel worse. I told her I only had VERY mild nausea, it could just be nothing! But Dr T refused. SIGH.
I got another jab of Cetrotide (nurse V mixed it up there and then) and went home, feeling awful and frustrated. I told myself I won't postpone the flight to Saturday as that means arriving back in HK only on Sunday evening and that's just way too late for me. I need to be home ASAP - I have been away too long.
==
This morning I went back in for another blood test and another one at 1pm. I got quite worked up when I went back to the clinic just before the second blood test because another nurse whom I've never seen before took my case and said she can't say if I'm triggering tonight or not. I felt so mad I could feel the blood rising and I knew all that energy had to go somewhere somehow, but I'm not allowed to go for a run. How frustrating! While waiting for my turn for the blood test I paced around cursing at the incompetent system of the ARGC - of course not out loud, for the exempletives I used were most colourful. F***!
After walking from Oxford Circus to Piccadilly and having done almost all my Christmas shopping, I trudged back to the ARGC. Finally I saw nurse V and really, at that point I wouldn't have taken no for an answer. If Dr T wouldn't give me the trigger, I'd personally marched upstairs to his office and put a knife to his neck. Or break into a pharmacy and get the Pregynl. Or just fly back to Hong Kong. Heck about the eggs.
Nurse V then gave me the good news - I will trigger this evening at 7:15pm. T finished work just then and came to meet me and we went back home together, braving the awful downpour. Before I left, I gave Nurse V a goodbye hug. As frustrated I was with the ARGC, she has been great. I will miss her.
Pregnyl isn't an easy drug to mix. It's actually more difficult than Cetrotide because this time it's just two ampoules in the box. By the time we got home it was almost time and I poked myself at 7:19pm. Total of 7500 IU of Pregnyl. Once I got them in, T gave me a warm hug. She is just the nicest and sweetest person, really. All the support I received has been amazing and I truly truly want her to get pregnant and have lots of kids.
Tomorrow will be my day off so I will finally get the chance to sleep in and take it easy. Off to the Natural History Museum in the afternoon! Yay :) All I have to do now is to drink a LOT of water (one glass every hour). The end is near. Very near.
I got another jab of Cetrotide (nurse V mixed it up there and then) and went home, feeling awful and frustrated. I told myself I won't postpone the flight to Saturday as that means arriving back in HK only on Sunday evening and that's just way too late for me. I need to be home ASAP - I have been away too long.
==
This morning I went back in for another blood test and another one at 1pm. I got quite worked up when I went back to the clinic just before the second blood test because another nurse whom I've never seen before took my case and said she can't say if I'm triggering tonight or not. I felt so mad I could feel the blood rising and I knew all that energy had to go somewhere somehow, but I'm not allowed to go for a run. How frustrating! While waiting for my turn for the blood test I paced around cursing at the incompetent system of the ARGC - of course not out loud, for the exempletives I used were most colourful. F***!
After walking from Oxford Circus to Piccadilly and having done almost all my Christmas shopping, I trudged back to the ARGC. Finally I saw nurse V and really, at that point I wouldn't have taken no for an answer. If Dr T wouldn't give me the trigger, I'd personally marched upstairs to his office and put a knife to his neck. Or break into a pharmacy and get the Pregynl. Or just fly back to Hong Kong. Heck about the eggs.
Nurse V then gave me the good news - I will trigger this evening at 7:15pm. T finished work just then and came to meet me and we went back home together, braving the awful downpour. Before I left, I gave Nurse V a goodbye hug. As frustrated I was with the ARGC, she has been great. I will miss her.
Pregnyl isn't an easy drug to mix. It's actually more difficult than Cetrotide because this time it's just two ampoules in the box. By the time we got home it was almost time and I poked myself at 7:19pm. Total of 7500 IU of Pregnyl. Once I got them in, T gave me a warm hug. She is just the nicest and sweetest person, really. All the support I received has been amazing and I truly truly want her to get pregnant and have lots of kids.
Tomorrow will be my day off so I will finally get the chance to sleep in and take it easy. Off to the Natural History Museum in the afternoon! Yay :) All I have to do now is to drink a LOT of water (one glass every hour). The end is near. Very near.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
