When I left the story last I had just had my first drain for OHSS and we had just found out we were PREGNANT!!
OMG were we excited! I was finally pregnant. Finally. The shots, the doctor's appointments, even the fluid from OHSS was all worth it. We were finally going to have a baby. My EDD was March 2, 2011 or 3/2/11 which I thought was a very cool date.
Sunday night was amazing. I could eat. I could breathe. I could sleep. Oh yeah, and I was pregnant (did I mention that yet?!) By Monday things started to turn again. I could tell fluid was building up again. I just hoped it wasn't as bad as Saturday. I called the nurse and she moved my ultrasound and bloodwork appointments up to earlier the next day instead of in the afternoon. She said there might be more fluid but it was very rare for someone to have enough fluid build up in 48 hours for another drain, just keep drinking gatorade and eating salty foods. She added to sleep propped up so I could breathe easier. As the day dragged on things got worse. As night approached we hoped it wouldn't be as bad as Saturday night. We didn't think they would be because the nurse had said that it was very rare, right? Wrong. The night was almost as bad as Saturday. I didn't throw up but I was miserable and in extreme pain.
We made the long drive to the clinic first thing Tuesday morning. I vowed if I needed to go to the hospital I was using any and all wheelchairs provided. Well the ultrasound showed what we knew already, there was a ton of fluid in my abdomen and lungs again. The nurses and doctors were shocked. It was very rare for the fluid to build up again this fast. I had a very severe case of OHSS. But they said no one ever needed more than 2 drains so things should improve after this. They checked my hormone levels. My estrogen was over 6,000 (normal early pregnancy levels should be about 500) and my progesterone was over 500 (normal is about 25-50). The doctor said I could stop all hormone supplements. Ummm, ya think? The great news was my beta level. It was 177! It had more than doubled. My nurse began to hint that there were probably 2 babies growing based on my numbers. I was 9dp5dt or 13 days past ovulation or 3 weeks 6 days pregnant. All pain was forgotten. I was really pregnant. This was really happening!
The doctor was concerned that my level of dehydration combined with pregnancy could lead to life threatening blood clots so he wrote us a prescription for Lovenox before we left the clinic. It was another injection so the nurse quickly went over how and where to administer this shot and helped us call it into a Target nearby. The pharmacist informed us that the drug wasn't covered by insurance and was pricey. Like $50 a day pricey. Sweet. We had no choice so we told them to fill just enough to get me through the next few days to give us time to talk to the insurance company and see what we could do about coverage. We headed over to the hospital. Since it was a weekday we were admitted to the day surgery center and an IV was started. The same radiology nurse was working and came to take me to the procedure room. We got to share the amazing news with her since we were still waiting on results when we had seen her last. It was incredible to say those words aloud. A different doctor performed the procedure and it was more painful that on Sunday. My insides were inflamed and more sensitive since they had gone in at the same spot less than 48 hours ago. They got two more liters. Did I mention that abdominal fluid looks like beer? Matt thought my first drain looked like Sam Adams. Today's fluid looked like good ol' bud. Again I immediately felt better. I could handle the pain of the drain because this would be my last right?
We headed back home and called family and close friends on the way to share the good news. Everyone had been such a big part of this journey that we wanted them to be a part of the celebration. It was still amazing to say those words out loud. We had an appointment the next day. CCRM wasn't taking any chances. They wanted to see me everyday that week to make sure my hormone levels weren't continuing to rise and the fluid was going down. By Wednesday I still felt pretty good as we drove down for the appointment. My mom and grandma went with me since Matt had already missed so much work. My bloodwork showed that my estrogen and progesterone levels were stabilizing and my pregnancy hormones were rising at a very quick rate. The ultrasound showed some fluid but not enough to drain. They hoped it would stabilize and start being reabsorbed. We were sent home. That's when things started to get bad again.
It was beginning to feel like a bad episode of the twilight zone. And the pain, OMG the pain. Every breath hurt. Every movement hurt. We knew what Thursday's ultrasound check would bring. Another hospital trip. Another drain. In addition the lovenox shots burned when they went in and left huge red welts all over my belly. As if I wasn't in enough pain.
We were right. Everyone in the clinic was shocked. I had a very very severe case of OHSS. One of the worst they had ever seen. Great. We asked how long this could go on. Their response was not what we wanted to hear. It could last as long as the first trimester or another 8 weeks. We looked at each other and knew we would lose it if this continued for that long. The doctors hoped that my body would start reabsorbing the fluid soon.
We headed over to the hospital for yet another drain. The staff was getting to know us pretty well by now. The pain during the drain was the worst so far. The radiologist said it was because my insides were bruised from the trauma of the other two drains in the same spot. All the fluid kept pooling on the right side because my left ovary was bigger than my right and was pushing all the fluid that way. In addition to the two liters of fluid both my ovaries were around the size of grapefruits. They drained another 2 liters off and this time it looked like coors light.
As hard as all this was, I knew we would get through this because we were going to have a baby!
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