IUI and all the drama

My first IUI was scheduled for today. I was very nervous all of yesterday. In a previous visit, Dr Prashant Nadkarni could not examine me via a transvaginal ultrasound so he had decided to do both the examination and the IUI together under sedatives. Until today, I found the idea of being put to sleep terrifying. My fears, fortunately, were unfounded :)

My husband and I arrived at the KL Fertility Clinic by 7.20 am. We first deposited the sperm sample on the 6th floor where the clinic is located and then proceeded to the 4th floor to be admitted for the IUI at the KLSMC hospital. The nurses there were so warm and friendly; I immediately felt relaxed after meeting and talking to them. I was made to take off my clothes and wear a hideous hospital gown which is tied at the back. My medical history was taken and the nurse checked when I had last eaten and if my bladder was full. The anaesthesiologist came in shortly. Like the nurses, she was friendly and had a great bedside manner. She explained that she would make me feel relaxed and I would fall off to sleep quickly. I was wheeled into a room that looked like OT at 9 am. Looking at all the doctors dressed in their surgical gowns and face masks, I began to feel panicky. The anaesthesiologist put an oxygen mask on me and injected me with something. There was a sharp prick but it was just a second long. She asked me to think about my home in Delhi, think about the lawn. I remember telling her that there was no lawn but there was a balcony. She said, "Think about the balcony and the view from there". And that is the last thing I remember.

I know for people going through this for the time time, being sedated sounds scary. But trust me and trust the doctors, there is nothing to it. You just fall into a deep, dreamless sleep and it seems as if no time has passed at all.

Someone gently called my name and said it was all over. I woke up feeling groggy. I was back in the room and it was just 9.20 am! I had no recollection whatsoever of what had happened and how I got back to the room. I wanted to pee but the nurse asked me to wait. After around 30 minutes, she sweetly escorted me to the bathroom and helped me to pee. I was aware of what was happening but my energy levels were low, and things seemed to have slowed down. I was concerned to see blood when I wiped after peeing. The nurse told me it was normal. She said that the doctor had to go in deep in my case and that she would get me a pantyliner once I had changed back into my clothes. After that, there was nothing to do but lie on the bed and wait. My husband played games on his mobile and answered work emails while I was in a state of complete relaxation! I was given light snacks. I had just a couple of bites of the bun and some sips of  milo. This would turn out to be a mistake as I would later realize.

My husband and I went back to the 6th floor to consult with Dr Prashant Nadkarni. He had briefly popped by my room before the IUI and had told me that he would talk after the procedure. The time again, I was disappointed by his lack of care and his inability to find time to talk to his patients. One nurse quickly told me what were the next steps, and that was that. I had questions about the procedure, the blood, the quality of sperm (whether it had improved since the last test) etc so my husband insisted that we wanted to talk to the man himself. The nurse said that it would be a longish wait.

It was already 11 am and my husband had not taken an off from work. I told him to go back to work and I would talk to the doctor and go back by myself. I was asked to wait in a small room where Dr Prashant Nadkarni rushed in for a brief while. His first words were- yes, you wanted to see me? This really annoyed me. I felt like telling him that you should want to talk to me and tell me how everything went even if it was a really simple 5 minute procedure. I quickly asked all of my questions. He said I was very tight and the cervix was deep so that's why the bleeding happened. He said that the procedure would have made things looser which would make it easier for me. I have no idea what is supposed to be easier- sex? childbirth? scans? The sperm test was ok, the count was up from the last time but it was still slightly short of the standard levels. He said all in all, my chances are pretty good. I can carry out my normal activities starting tomorrow.

I walked out of the clinic feeling dejected. Not sure why but I would have preferred the doctor to spend some time with me rather than me demanding that I wanted to see him. The entire time, he was talking to me, he was standing up which isn't conducive to a patient asking follow up questions. I kept telling myself that he's super busy and super important and super qualified. I'm not sure if I'll be continuing with him if the IUI doesn't work out. Lets wait and see.

So after walking out of the clinic, I booked a taxi and was waiting outside Wisma Perintis for the taxi. I was going over my meeting with Dr Nadkarni in my head when I began to feel whoozy. Spots began appearing in my line of vision and I knew I was going to faint. In my head, I was yelling shit and I began to call out to people on the road to help me. Suddenly, I was on the ground and was surrounded by 2-3 people. There was a nice guy who seemed like a college going student who gave me water to drink and helped me up. I asked him to call my husband. I don't know who he was but thank heavens for that boy. You were such a help, god bless you. My husband rushed back and picked me up.

Lesson from this- if you are being sedated (even if it is for a simple procedure) you should have someone around you all the time on that day. And also carry some toffees or chocolates. I suspect my BP or blood sugar was very low. I had hardly eaten the breakfast I had been given which was a mistake on my part.

This was the drama for the day. Luckily, I didn't hurt myself in that fainting spree. My thanks again to the boy who helped me.

How do I feel now? It is night and I still have some spotting. There is a heaviness in my lower abdomen and I'm not feeling hungry. Apparently bleeding and cramps are common after IUI. While the doctor told me that I could go to the gym starting from tomorrow, I'm going to listen to my body cues. If the cramping or heaviness continues, I'll skip the gym. I'm going to do some positive visualization at night before going off to sleep. Fingers crossed!