Whilst on the waiting list for IVF we were advised to try IUI at a different hospital, while we were waiting, but we had to pay for this privately.
NB: (If you are on the waiting list for NHS, do not do this as this actually meant we were taken off the waiting list even though it was a doctor who advised us to go ahead and do this)
We were told that it would cost between £700- £900 a sum we felt eager to spend to give it a shot.
NB: (it actually ended up costing more like £1400)
I was on Clomid for my IUI cycle and boy did I feel like shit! Terrible night sweats, mostly drowsy and sleepy and generally feeling heavy and emotional.
The clomid was doing it’s job however. We had lots of follicles growing on both ovaries. On the last scan, they almost cancelled the cycle as they said I was at risk of triplets, we had one 19mm follicle on one side and 3 smaller follicles (between 12mm-18mm) on the other side.
Luckily they decided to go ahead with the IUI the following day. The nurse did the trigger shot for me, I went home to try to relax.
We came in the next morning, and I was feeling quietly calm and excited. I remember thinking positive thoughts and feeling like we were going to have our baby, all we needed was a little helping hand.
Hubby’s sample was good, and we were all good to go.
The Nurses struggled to insert the catheter at first and there was lots of prodding around, I was starting to shake uncontrollably but i think it was just adrenalin coursing through my body.
They had to try a smaller catheter and eventually that worked but i felt like we’d been there for ages. As soon as they inserted the sperm, I had a terrible shooting pain, like the worst period pain you’ve ever felt x 20. The nurse told me to relax but I was in agony. I tried to lie still, but all of a sudden I started to burn up, I stripped off my clothes and thought I was going to be sick.
Luckily I had a sports bra on but I pretty much took off all my clothes bar that, plus obviously i had nothing on my bottom half. Like the scene from Psycho I was projectile vomiting all over the room.
I had never felt in such a state before.
I had to have an injection in my bottom to stop me being sick and to reduce my temperature.
When we got home we were both pretty exhausted. Just want to point out that this reaction was not normal and I think it was a reaction to the medication or to the prodding of the catheter. The nurses were brilliant and really looked after me. They said they had never seen a reaction like that before, and I do still wonder why I reacted so badly.
The IUI was unsuccessful, unfortunately.
It is actually a funny story looking back, and I hope the idea of me running around naked in the hospital, vomiting, at least made you laugh a little. The things we do!!
Anyway despite the not very nice experience it definitely prepared me for IVF, and made me realistic about the process. It also was so bad I knew I could deal with anything this journey throws at me.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
