So I arrived at the clinic in pretty bad shape the morning of May 7 - and I must have looked it too because everyone kept giving me these "you poor thing" looks. They took me back right away to the procedure area and one of the radiology techs came in to do my ultrasound. There was definitely more fluid than on Saturday and it was definitely all over, including around my lungs (which explained the breathing situation). I don't really remember much of what happened next - it was all kind of jumbled. I know I got changed into a gown, someone took my vitals and put an ID band on me, and someone else (the doctor? a nurse?) came to talk to me about the procedure. I think there were consent forms. Honestly, at that point I felt like saying "Please just do WHATEVER will make this better!" Who knows, maybe I did actually say that? I did have the presence of mind to remind them all, several times, that I was supposed to have my beta that day. They assured me they could take the blood for that when they got my IV started.
In any case, it wasn't long before they came to get me for the tap. From my end of things, it was very similar to the retrieval. We went into the procedure room and I got settled on the weird little table/chair thing. The anesthesiologist got my IV going while assuring me that I would be feeling better soon. The last thing I remember is him putting the heart monitor leads on me and the oxygen cannula being draped across my face. It was a pretty short procedure - about 20 minutes or so. For a pelvic tap, or culdocentisis, they go in vaginally under ultrasound guidance and find one of the fluid pockets in the pelvic zone. From there, they drain out as much fluid as possible, relying on gravity to pull fluid down from higher up in the abdomen. And that's pretty much it.
When I woke up in my recovery room, I knew right away that I felt better. The difference was like night and day! I felt like I could run a marathon! Except maybe not - I hate running. Paul said that they'd drained off 1400 mL of fluid. That's like, almost a liter and a half! It was pretty amazing. I had to stay the requisite amount of time to be monitored and so they could check my urine again. But as soon as they said we could go, I was ready. The first thing I wanted to do was eat. All that fluid in there had made it hard for me to eat much without feeling painfully full, but that didn't mean that my appetite went away!
I was supposed to take it pretty easy the rest of the day, so we went home and set up camp on the couch. The doctor had said if I was feeling all right, I could still go to my acupuncture appointment that afternoon. I was looking forward to it mostly as a distraction from obsessing about the beta. I knew they'd taken the blood for it, but since I wasn't actually conscious when it happened, it was easy to keep forgetting. Then every time I would remember, I'd start to feel panicky again. Fortunately, I did not have to wait all day long for the results...
Cookie called a little after 2:00 p.m. and gave us the news that IT WAS A BFP!!!!!!! I don't remember much of what she said - I was kind of in shock. I mean, yeah, sure, I'd had some symptoms. But between the OHSS and the side effects from all the progesterone, I hadn't really allowed myself to read much into anything. I did ask "Are you serious???" to which she replied "Yes!!" I think she rattled off some more about my results, including the actual levels, but I wasn't really able to focus on any of it. The whole thing was like a dream. She also said they wanted me to come back the next morning to see Dr. B and have a second beta. I vaguely remember setting up that appointment.
After the call, Paul and I just sat there, grinning stupidly at each other and not really saying much. I think we were both in shock. For so long, we'd waited to hear those words. For so long, we had hoped and prayed for a positive test. Now that it had happened, we weren't entirely sure what to do next...
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