IVF in Kerala - I am pregnant!

I am pregnant!
We did IVF- ICSI and are waiting for the blood test results. Read here about the IVF
Then started the OHSS symptoms.

24-06-2011   11pm

That was not the last night :) I survived it. Early in the morning on 24th I was shifted to Gynecology ICU. Next when I woke up daylight was filtering in. I was in a long and narrow room,with a few other beds and a toilet. Ramesh was sitting next to me, and DrTC had arrived. Seeing my condition he must have regretted not admitting me yesterday morning itself. My body was still not hydrated enough even with all the IV, and they were frightened that there was a chance my kidneys might fail. (They did not tell me that then- only after many days). Then a nurse came with the blood test result, and DrTC said, ‘it’s positive’.

Wham. That simple. A sentence I was longing to hear for so long, for eight years, and it was uttered and heard- just like that. And we could not even properly understand.. Where were all those fireworks supposed to be happening when I heard it, where was the rain inside to cool my heart and soul? Where were the thousand dreams jumping and rushing and coming all together? Where was the joy- absolute, pure, indescribable joy? Nothing. We just stayed there listening. He was saying, ‘It is not yet the day to test blood for beta HCG, but even today the count is much above normal. On 28th only Beta HCG should be reaching count 100, but today it is already 40, and it doubles every 24 hours, so definitely on 28^th it’ll be much more than 100. The high beta HCG count shows that there is a chance that you are having twins- but don’t tell anyone yet. You might have to get an abortion if OHSS become severe and dangerous..’ Even that did not make much sense except that I prayed to God-'oh God, Please let my baby/ies be unharmed…'

Doctor said that as a result of OHSS, there is excess amniotic fluid in me which had to be tapped out. Tapping is scheduled to be done tomorrow morning. I spent today whole day on the bed in a state of semi consciousness. The constant IV drip ensured rehydration of my body little by little. Luckily they allowed a bystander during the day and Ramesh stayed till night until they ordered him out. 

NEXT..Draining the excess fluid

IVF in Kerala - OHSS after IVF

OHSS after IVF - stomach bloating and vomiting

We did IVF- ICSI and are waiting for the blood test results. Read here about the IVF

23-06-2011   1 pm

Today morning started with an unbearably upset stomach and vomiting. My stomach is bloated like a solid mass. Ramesh took leave and we went to the hospital in the morning itself. Doctor did a scan and said it was OHSS like we suspected. He sat with us and told us that this is a good symptom, usually it happens when pregnancy is positive. It will cause some mild uneasiness, but just bear it and it will soon go. If I complain too much, it can even cause a problem with the pregnancy- a good thing that is about to happen may just not happen. If the pregnancy test shows negative, then in 2-3 days the symptoms will go and with the next period everything will be the same again (I could not bear to think of having another period before nine months). Don’t take any medicine, just go home and relax- don’t get yourself admitted in the hospital, he said. I felt relieved, happy and hopeful. I did not want to get admitted. We reached home and my husband left for office. This stomach cramps and bloating is becoming too much. Its OK, it’s OK- I keep telling my body. I am trying to relax.

24-06-2011       3 am

23rd June, early evening, the symptoms started again..vomiting, pains, stomach cramps, nausea, bloating and fullness. And then it became unbearable. I went online again, even those websites advised not to worry, it will go. I messaged  DrTC, and again he replied telling me to relax. Ramesh came back from office, and tried to make me drink water, but whatever I ate or drank just came out as such. I could not hold anything inside. We were both sitting on the bed in our bedroom, Ramesh was bringing many things like fruits, coffee and tender coconut..I could not have anything though I really wanted to. I took a sip of the sweet tender coconut, and suddenly it came out and I ran to the bathroom. I was exhausted. I could not even lie down. Night approached, and the vomit in my mouth tasted like some antibiotic. At around 10pm I had nothing left in me, and I vomited something red. (We suspected it was blood and I got very anxious and scared). Ramesh was massaging my back when I vomited, and he decided enough was enough- ‘Come,we’ll go to hospital. We need not wait any longer’. We drove to the hospital and reached at around 11 pm. (Even in that horrific stage I enjoyed the cold night drive through the city …as always). As soon as we reached I was taken to the labor room and admitted. The large room had around 10 beds with a nurses’ station and two toilets. The lady doctor in charge had a slight Non-Malayalee accent to her Malayalam, and she asked if I was pregnant. I said I wasn’t sure, just had my IVF. She wanted some urine for testing, and gave me a small plastic container to collect it. My body was completely dehydrated and I tried desperately to get 5 ml urine in the bottle. The nurse who took it from me gave an amused grin on seeing the quantity. They started giving me IV fluid drip. I requested the lady doctor to please inform DrTC. She called up and spoke to him, then came and gave some injection. In my half consciousness I felt that this might be my last night on earth. There was a sense of adventure to that thought, a wild thrill. Everything about the hospital became science fiction in my imagination and I thought about my poor husband waiting outside, about the love and bond we share, about the probable presence of a baby inside me, about my parents who would be so scared and yet impressed by my courage to face these things (since they know how weak and scared I am to even think about a hospital or an injection- and here I was getting loads of them, a drip and what not). I vomited again, lying down there. My whole body seems like it has stopped all functioning and I get this feeling that I might die soon, in the early morning hours, as it is long past midnight.

NEXT...OHSS