Thursday 23 July 2015

Checking for ovulation

I went to the clinic on day 11 of my cycle which was 21st July 2015. The idea was to scan me and check for ovulation. After my disastrous experience with the first ultrasound where my bladder was so full that I couldn't even get up from the sofa in the waiting room,I was well prepared. Had just 2 glasses of water 45 minutes before my appointment. There was again a wait for Dr Prashant Nadkarni but not as much as last time. He quickly scanned me and was so happy with the results that he exclaimed, "Excellent!" Nothing gives a person such a big high as hearing his/her doctor utter this word! Both my ovaries were ready to produce an egg each, the doctor said that ovulation should happen very soon. To confirm this, he asked me to give a urine sample for testing. I did that immediately. I thought we would get the results quickly but I was wrong. After waiting for 30 minutes, I asked my husband to go back to work. Finally after waiting for 45 minutes, I was ushered into a room where Dr Prashant Nadkarni rushed in and told me that my test was negative.

Everything from this point on happened so fast. The doctor said he would induce ovulation so that it occurs within 48 hours. I would need to take the injection between 6-9 pm that day. I was given an ice box which had the injection (HUCOG 5000) along with instructions on how to prepare for IUI. Since I was going to be sedated, the list of instructions were very long. No eating from midnight, no passing urine from early morning, no cosmetics/perfumes/jewellry etc on that day. I always had the highest regard for Dr Prashant Nadkarni but on this day, it appeared that he was in a hurry and he just gave me basic instructions and then told me that the nurse would explain everything else to me. Now I understand that this is a routine procedure for him and the rest of the staff. But for me, this was the first time I was going to be sedated so I had some questions about that. I also had questions about the IUI itself. The nurse gave me all the instructions to prepare for IUI but my worries about the procedure remain unresolved. I was asked to go to the 5th floor to register for admission. My IUI was scheduled at 9 am on 23rd July. I was instructed to get the sperm sample by 7-7.30 am since it takes about 1 hour for them to prepare it.

I was also asked whether I would be able to inject myself. Having never done this before, I said I wasn't comfortable. Dr Prashant Nadkarni instructed the nurse to give me a letter so that I could get the HUCOG injected from outside. I've recently shifted my apartment so I wasn't aware of a clinic near where I live (live near KL Sentral) I opted to go to Sentosa Medical Centre which is near the Grand Seasons Hotel. I definitely felt some cramps in my lower abdomen which started some 3 hours after the injection. I searched on Google (love ya Google!) and I was informed that this is common.

After this visit, my respect for the doctor has gone down. I don't doubt his qualifications and the fact that he gives the best medical care to his patients. But as a woman going through this bewildering journey for the first time, I do expect my doctor to take out time,  patiently answer my questions and provide me with all the necessary information. I shouldn't be googling for what to expect during IUI, what do to after IUI etc.




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