FET #1 cycle updates: SIS / trial transfer

My SIS was scheduled for Tuesday, December 8 at 11:45 am. I called my RE's office a few days prior to get a prescription for Valium to take before my appointment. I think I called December 4; I have a record in my cell phone from that day but I can't remember what, specifically, it was for so that's my best guess...I had to get my prescription somehow so this seems like the most logical option. Anyway, the day of my appointment, I had a meeting with my boss immediately before I needed to leave so I wasn't able to take my Valium one hour before my as instructed. The best I could do was 30 minutes, or risk being high during my meeting. ;) And because of the Valium, I needed my hubby to drive me to and from my appointment, which was fine because we work in the same building.

We left at 11:15 am only to discover our normal route was closed due to construction. I was pretty confident I knew an alternate way to get to the clinic but I pulled up Google maps just in case. We had no more issues and arrived with a few minutes to spare.

Soon one of the nurses called me (and hubby) back to a room, gave me instructions to undress from the waist down, leave socks on, and wait for my doc on the table. I briefly reminded her I have a history of difficult SIS tests and that I wasn't looking forward to this one. At all. We had a quick discussion about it, which made me feel better, and before she left the room, she read in my chart my last FET was successful with B/G twins. We had a small moment of bonding as she informed us she also had B/G twins (maybe 5 years old??) with "J" names. So fun hearing other moms of multiples talk about their twins, especially the names. I love hearing what others name their kids. And I love it when the names start with the same letter, like ours (even though we didn't plan it that way). She said she felt like age 5 was a big milestone to reach where her kids became so much more independent. I'm both excited and terrified for that day to come.

Then the nurse exited (I must make a mental note of her name next time...Theresa, maybe??), gave me a few minutes to get situated, and returned with my doc - Doctor C. He asked me a few questions - to which I should have reiterated the nausea caused by my BCPs but I didn't think of it in time - including if I was in my happy place from the Valium. I told him I didn't feel any differently but maybe it was working and I didn't realize it. He thought that was likely. Then we got started.

First, the nurse inserted the vaginal ultrasound wand to get measurements of the thickness of my uterus and any follicles. My uterus was good (I forget the measurement but it was thin) and I had one follicle (on the left, I think) measuring 24 mm. No one told me directly what the measurements were; they just read them off to each other and recorded them in my file. So I asked, specifically about the second one (which, as I mentioned, turned out to be a follicle...I mean, I had an idea based on what I remember from my IVF and FET in 2012 but I wanted to be sure). Dr. C said it was probably a cyst on a follicle that didn't fully develop because I was on my first week of BCPs. I assumed if I had been instructed to start my BCPs earlier in my cycle, there likely wouldn't have been anything to measure; i.e. my one lonely follicle wouldn't have grown at all, or at least not a measurable amount.

Then we moved onto the fun painful part - the SIS and trial transfer. I'm not going to sugar coat it. It hurt like an SOB but not nearly as badly as my last failed SIS in my OB/GYN's office over the summer. As the procedure began, I took several deep breaths, especially when the catheter was threaded past my cervix and into my uterus (the trial transfer part). Then deeper breaths as they inflated the balloon and pushed water through it to get a look at the inside of my uterus, specifically checking for any abnormalities such as polyps, fibroids, or septums. Dr. C said everything looked good, and the cramping became almost unbearable as they captured the last couple ultrasound photos. Relief came as my doc removed the catheter and balloon. Not a huge amount of relief, but some was better than none. I was actually surprised how long the cramping lasted.

And my hubby was there with me the whole time. I told him before the procedure started, he could go to the waiting room if he wanted but he elected to stay with me. I was pleasantly surprised and appreciated the support through something I knew was going to be very painful. Afterwards, though, I insisted he leave the room to give me a few minutes alone to catch my breath and clean myself up. I thought for sure the cramping would have been gone by the time I was dressed but it wasn't. I even needed hubby's help walking to the car after my appointment. I eventually fell asleep on the way home and woke up as we were pulling into the driveway (about a 25 minute ride), and was mostly pain free at that point. But the Valium was in full effect so I slept most of the rest of the afternoon...until the kids came home. It was good, and I was so relieved they didn't find any more polyps or fibroids.