Why did I do this again?

Hah! I kept my pretty pedicure! No one said a thing. It's all about looking good. And now for the bad news....

What kind of world is it when taking a percocet and Tylenol #3 doesn't work? For all those who wanted to know what a http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=ufe&bhcp=1 uterine artery embolization procedure was like, I'll be happy to tell you - it sucks. I was not in the precious group of women who do get pregnant through IVF, but I am in the small minority of women who do experience great pain and fever after this procedure. But I'll get to that in a moment.

A nurse told me that they would be giving me sedation during the procedure that would make me sleep. I was right to be a little doubtful about that because I was wide awake for the whole thing! And it lasted about 1 1/2 hrs. I chatted through a lot of it, but not when the radiologist was doing his thing. Somebody has to concentrate on what he's doing. It was only after the procedure that the pain set in. I hung in until the morphine drip kicked in. Bless the people who invented that. Now I know why people get hooked on it. It didn't make me high, it just took away the pain. And when I needed more, I pressed the magic button and it delivered a shot. However, it was programmed to only deliver a certain amount in any given time period so you couldn't overdose. I stayed overnight in a ward (didn't see much point for a private room since I wasn't planning on staying very long. (The wards here are free, but semi-private and private rooms are extra). That was a mistake in hindsight. We actually have insurance for semi-private rooms, but neglected to bring that info when I was went in for the procedure. When you are in a ward, you have nurses coming and going at all hours of the night, taking temperatures, and blood pressures with machines that go beep, beep beep and having loud conversations with patients who are suffering pain. Every time I feel asleep, either my nurse or someone else's would come by with more beeping machines. I have to say, though, they were all really great. I was well attended to.

The next morning, I was feeling pretty good, I was discharged but about half hour later at home, the pain come back with a vengeance. At one point, I was actually tripodding (as in limbs went rigid) and sobbing with pain. So much for chanting for no pain. I was ready to convert. Hubby was on the phone calling the nurse line and alternatively letting me squeeze his fingers while trying to keep me from hyperventilating. Jack Bauer (the character on 24 who undergoes torture without giving up the goods) would have been ashamed of me, because I would have turned in my whole family to get drugs that would actually work. By early evening, I had a fever so we went to emergency at another hospital, Vancouver General. They've had a lot of bad press in the past but let me tell you, I had the best care there. I got my morphine and in a private ER room! I sent Scott home around 11pm and I finally got a private room around 1:30am on the cardiac floor. I slept like a dream for hours until my IV bag ran out and the machine's alarm went off. Then I saw 2 gyn residents and my own gyn later this morning before I was discharged. Once again, fab nurses, great care and I went straight home and popped my medication. Apparently what I went through is quite "normal", it's called post fibroid syndrome. I don't know how they could call fever and unrelenting pain and nausea normal, but whatever. I guess my pain threshold is low, but I would have rather stayed in the hospital for one more day instead of weeping for mercy and swallowing percocet and T3s.

But my toes and my pudenda look fabulous! Glamour wins!