Friday, August 20, 2010

Gettin' Personal with the Nurse Practitioner... ;)

Other than last cycle, I believe the previous IUI I had done was in early 2007. I had forgotten the difference in IUI experiences between the 2 main nurses at Dr. S’ office. I quickly remembered yesterday morning.

Nurse H is an RN and does the IUI very quickly. She uses “petite” instruments, and although it is uncomfortable, it is pretty painless.

Nurse M is a nurse practitioner and uses larger instruments, takes her time and really ‘gets in there’. Although it is a lot more painful, it kind of feels like she does a more thorough job. You know everything is exactly where it needs to be, although your breath is knocked out of you during the process.

These are just my impressions, but who knows! Honestly, I think they both are capable.

Yesterday, I had Nurse M. Between her more aggressive approach and the fact I was carrying a lot more eggs, I think this is why I’ve had so much residual pain since the treatment. My stomach is huge, like a beer-drinkers gut, and it is impossible to suck it in. I’ve also had some spotting and cramping.

I was happy to have Nurse M do the procedure, as I had some follow-up questions from my last appointment. Nurse H had done my ultrasound and was conflicted about whether to do the IUI right away (and capture the large egg on my right) or grow the eggs on my left another day (and risk ovulating before the IUI). She consulted with Nurse M and, although they decided with waiting on the IUI, I hadn’t heard the reasoning.

Nurse M explained that the real reason for waiting had nothing to do with the eggs at all; it was because of the lining in my uterus. The lining needed another couple of days to get ready. That made sense because when we did my last mid-cycle ultrasound, my lining measured 8.1, and this time it was 7.1. Nurse M thought it would be better to wait and let that lining thicken a bit more.

I also asked if they could give me an ultrasound before the IUI to see if I’ve ovulated. It turns out, it’s too difficult to tell via ultrasound because the follicle doesn’t just burst at ovulation, the fluid seeps out slowly. You can’t tell for sure that ovulation has occurred for a few days.

It seems they made good call by waiting because Nurse M stated she was convinced I was ovulating yesterday. I spotted a bit before I got there, felt cramping and pulling and my cervix was wide open when she did the IUI. She also said my chances for higher order multiples are very slim, especially because many of the eggs are so small. Then she joked, “Now that I’ve said that, watch… you’ll have four!” Hardy-har-har. But in all seriousness, I feel at peace with our decisions.

So now we begin the lovely 2 week wait. After last cycle, hubby has decided to confiscate all of my pregnancy tests. He’ll give me one on the actual day I am supposed to test. I hope he’s prepared because, even though taking the tests early can be an emotional roller coaster, at least seeing all those negatives last time prepared me for the “final” negative on the actual test day. This time around, I’ll live in that undeniable 2ww hope until the day my dreams are either realized or come crashing down.

10 comments:

Michelle said...

I'm glad you're at peace with everything. You and your family will be in my thoughts. I hope your 2WW goes by quickly.

Stephanie said...

Ooh, you have me a bit nervous now about the IUI. I wonder what the bloating/cramping is caused by? I'm glad to hear that you have the best case scenario and I'm crossing my fingers you get two lines at the end of this 2WW!

Luna said...

It can be so interesting how different people approach the same situation. I really do wonder if it makes a difference.

Well... I hope cycle 2 is it, and you don't have to wait until 3 or 4!

women:s health and fertility said...

I am visiting from ICLW & noticed that you are having some interesting IUI experiences. It always amazes me that patients (and doctors) allow nurses to do important procedures, a procedure that you pay for, and realistically, should be done by the doctor himself. The only other comment that I have regarding your experience is that IUI's shouldn't hurt. In fact, you should not feel them at all. The residual bloating and discomfort you have are probably from your enlarged ovaries. If you like, you may visit my blog where I have many Q & A's from patients around the world that may help you with future decisions you may face. Good luck on your journey & remain informed! www.womenshealthandfertility.blogspot.com

Rebecca said...

Herre from ICLW. Wishing you all the luck in the world this cycle.

I think my IUIs varied depending on which person did them, too. One always seemed to had a hard time getting my cervix and it was very crampy. She also then seemed to hit my uterine wall which was uncomfortable. But, then she seemed to insert the sample very slowly which made me feel like she was aiming or something! :) The other doctor was in and out in a second. I didn't feel anything. It always felt wrong that way -- even if it was perfect.

Regardless, I hope the timing works perfectly!

Elise said...

I'm visiting from ICLW, and just wanted to let you know I'm rooting for you that this IUI works!

No Baby Ruth said...

I'm stopping over from ICLW and wanted to wish you very best of luck with this IUI! I hope that it's the magic one that does the trick and that by next month's ICLW we're celebrating a BFP!!

No Baby Ruth said...

Hi again - I'm the previous commenter. I'm not sure why my name shows up as Baby, that seems kinda non-PC in this world, jaja. Anyway, just to clarify... I'm No Baby Ruth

http://nobabyruth.wordpress.com/

kirby said...

The little eggs may be the ones that stick....I had two large and one small and we *think* that one large one and the small one took because our twins are measuring 3-5 days apart developmentally and have stayed that distance apart consistently. Wishing you guys lucky baby dust! :)

Oh and Nurse H did our 2nd IUI (Nurse M, the first) and well, you know the result! It really is such a miracle that any one of us infertility girls gets pregnant and I really hope it happens for you guys too ! :)

teridiane said...

Never had an IUI done by her, but my favorite personality-wise is definitely Nurse M! She was always so supportive with us. :)

FAITH IN GOD MEANS HAVING FAITH IN HIS TIMING.