I had thought the end would come with the methtrexate shot. Boy, was I wrong.
On Wednesday, July 20, I had the methtrexte shot to induce miscarriage of an embryo that wasn't developing properly. They couldn't find it in my uterus, and also didn't see anything in my tubes. We thought this was the end.
On Sunday, July 24, Derek and I headed out to a road race (cycling) that Derek was participating in. Around 8:30 am, I started experiencing moderate pain on my left side. I took a couple of Tylenol, but it didn't really make a difference. By the time the race was done, around 11:30 am, the pain had increased to the point that I sort of started to worry. We were an hour out of town and I made the decision to come home and go to the hospital.
Half way home, I had a flash of hot pain in the left side of my back, which really scared me, so we headed to the nearest town - Okotoks - and I went to the ER. The on call doctor felt around my abdomen, said he didn't feel any free fluid, gave me a form for an ultrasound and a prescription for painkillers and sent me home. I didn't feel comfortable with this at all, so I called the fertility clinic.
After a discussion with my doctor, we decided to wait until the following day, a Monday, for me to come in extra early and she'd do a blood test and an ultrasound. I arrived at 7:00 am and she finally saw something - on my left tube. Just 'something'. I went for the blood test and then headed for work, still in moderate pain.
Tuesday morning I again went to work, loaded up on pain medication, and waited for them to call. My parents were arriving that afternoon and we were to head out for a family vacation the next day, on Wednesday. I went home at noon and gave mom and dad a bit of an update about what was happening.
At 2:00 the clinic called. Between the previous Wednesday, when I'd had the shot, and Monday, my numbers increased from about 2100 to over 2900. Something was wrong, and the clinic asked me to come in immediately.
The doctor performed another ultrasound and finally, finally, found the mass. It was on my left tube and was about 2.5 cm. We discussed the options - another shot, or surgery - and I opted for surgery. There was still a big risk of rupture, and the risk of repeat ectopics after one is high, so removing the tube is the best way to get rid of that risk. So, mom, dad and I headed across the street to the hospital ER and checked in. Derek met us a few hours later and won husband of the year award for bringing me comfortable clothes, my iPad, facewash and lotion, and fuzzy socks.
The pain gradually grew worse and they put me on a morphine drip. At the time, I thought I was totally unaffected by it and coherent. In retrospect, I was nicely high. Good times! I forced the family out around 8:30 and waited for something to happen. Around 10:00 pm, my dear sister called the ward desk and I went up front to take the call. As I was standing there wobbling back and forth, I felt a sharp pain. I told my sister I had to go lie down and went back to my bed. The sharp pains seemed to be getting worse, even through the morphine. I could feel it spreading across to the right side and up to my diaphram. I was just about to call the nurse when she came in to let me know they were ready for me in the OR.
Surgery began around 11:00 pm and I remember looking at the clock in my room at 2:30 am or so. After a broken sleep due to vitals checks every 15 minutes, I woke up around 7:00 am. I was able to go to the washroom and walk up and down the hall by 8:00, so called Derek to come around 9:30.
The surgeon came by and said the surgery had gone well - the ectopic had ruptured, which must have been the pain I felt, and they removed my left tube. The left ovary looked good, as did my right tube and ovary. I had three incisions - in the belly button and two inch long incisions on the left lower abdomen. It was done. Finally.
I was well enough (or hopped up on enough drugs) to head out for the family vacation on Thursday, which was much needed. The worst part was that my family cracks me up, especially my dad, and laughing hurt. A lot.
We got home last night and I was back to work today (actually, I was in a course, but back to a regular schedule anyhow), and I feel ok. Still tender and sore, but totally tolerable.
I am thankful for a lot of things - my parents and husband taking care of me, that I wasn't at home when it ruptured, that I only lost the tube and not the ovary, that we can still stick to our IVF schedule, and that I have had time to heal before going back to work. I am still terrified of doing the IVF only to succeed and fail again, but I think I have to give it a shot. It just has to work this time, a person can only take so much.
Next step is Day 3 blood tests when my cycle returns, and the IVF/Egg Donor seminar in late September. Can't wait!
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