D Day

Fri 9th April - Egg collection day

Grab a cup of tea for this one - lots to say

Wednesday night I took my final injection of Pregnyl at 22.15 as told. There were no side effects, in fact I felt nothing which was a bit worrying as I thought I would feel something as these easter eggs ripen ready for release, but no, nothing to report.

At 10pm last night I took one of my 3 Temazepam tablets. This is supposed to relax me so I have a good nights sleep and no anxiety. Please note - these little bad boys work quickly, within 20 minutes you will be drowsy, slurring your words and bumping into random walls. Make sure you are in bed before you take it otherwise you will be banging into the toilet whilst having toothpaste running down your chin like I was.

After an amazing nights sleep hubby had the very hard task of trying to wake me and get me up and dressed. I was still sleepy and a little drowsy so I would suggest you have your bag packed the night before and get your clothes out ready to put on. Dont wait until the morning as you will end up with odd socks on and embarrassing pants. Luckily I had already thought about this and had everything ready.

You dont have to pack much but you must take the following. Your full, sealed sharps bin, your remaining 2 Temazepam tablets, your bullet suppository, a relaxing CD, fluffy socks (the brighter the better) and your paperwork.
I would also recommend taking fast acting Paracetamol (god you will need it) a drink, a panty liner or pad, a cushion for the car journey home and chocolate - just for the comfort factor.

We arrived at the clinic very early but this wasnt a bad thing as they had a private recovery room ready for us to use and it had a telly in it. I suppose this is the good thing about going to a private clinic rather than a hospital - you also get biscuits with your tea and coffee.

The nurse came in an hour before the op to confirm my details, to go through the procedure and to watch me take my remaining Temazepam. She then told me to take my suppository, not orally though remember lol. With the bullet in place and drowsiness taking hold I got changed into a dressing gown and settled onto the day bed. Then hubby had to do his stuff and surprisingly he took it in his stride, no big deal, no problem for a change. He also did a fab sample which I feel is down to the daily vitamin C & zinc tablets he has been taking for the last 3 months.

Now you would expect time to drag when your drowsy and waiting for an op but no, it flew past and they were soon coming for me. Hubby and nurse helped me walk into the 'theatre' which was basically a converted bedroom of the old house but things were bleeping and the lights were bright so it was fine. I was asked to lay on a bed, the same as the scanner beds, and lay my legs over the 'stirrups' they then covered my legs in blue paper tubes so I looked like a proper supermodel. Then came the insertion of the speculum. Now unfortunately they cannot use lube for this so it goes in warm but dry and can be very uncomfortable, but this is the least of your worries. The scanner goes in next but it doesnt even touch the sides.

I did not feel the anesthetic going in each side, probably because of the shock of the speculum but also because the nurse was distracting me by asking me about the CD I had brought in.
I did however feel the rest of the op - very well. The surgeon first went for my left ovary - the easy one which had the biggest eggs. This wasnt to bad to start with, it stings as the needle goes in and moves around but its bearable. You get to see the fluid draining off into test tubes but its not the colour you expect - its 'day glow' orange/red radioactive like colour. The test tubes fill quickly and are taken away to the lab in the adjoining room. You will hear them shout through how many eggs they are getting but you will struggle to raise a smile because the needle is going deeper - and then the pain comes, like nothing you have felt before (if your a wimp like me) This is when the nurse suddenly remembers she has gas and air behind her and suggests you have a good deep breathe of it and although the pain is awful, the gas is great and takes your mind off it for a split second.

Left ovary was finished, we had 5 eggs and the surgeon was happy, well he was until he moved the scanner to the other side. I didnt see it but hubby said all 3 nurses and the surgeons faces dropped and looked confused. Apparently, just like my first scan, my bowel was in the way and the ovary was hidden. I remember offering to get up and dance around if that would help to move it and luckily the nurse had a sense of humour and suggested Irish dancing but instead she was asked to push on my delicate stomach with all her strength to move my poor intestine out of the way so the surgeon could go in. Well I have never felt pain like it and it must have looked pretty unusual to see a nurse almost flat out trying to push a patient off the right side of the bed while the patient was almost reeling in pain and hyperventilating on the gas and air. Poor hubby, I forgot I had hold of his hand, he still has the fingernail marks on it where I gripped him very tightly - another recommendation for you -cut your nails short.

Remember I said about the fluffy socks, well its not just because the room is cold, or for the fun factor but it is to make sure they dont turn blue in the stirrups because after just few minutes not only do you lose feeling in your toes but your feet turn icy cold due to the blood supply being trapped under your knees. I actually found this very distracting and very odd. the nurse had to wiggle my feet for me at one stage as I had lost all feeling in them. So big toasty socks are a must!

After a very long time of painful pressure, which was probably only a few minutes, it was all over and I was giggling because I had over-done the gas and air. Everything was removed and my feet were allowed to have blood flow once more. We had 9 eggs in total which was fantastic. I was helped back into the recovery room where I climbed onto a lovely fluffy sofabed and realised how exhausted I was. The Surgeon then came in and advised of the possible side effects. Swelling, abdominal discomfort.... and I really dont remember any more but I hoped hubby had been listening properly. Then the tea and biscuits arrived which really pepped me up and before long we were allowed home.

I must say thought that the standard of care was excellent and we were not rushed at any point. I felt in safe hands