The Infertility Stuff, Part 8

After about four months, it was finally time for my surgery date! Mr. X and I drove to Omaha. I took a week off work--told my boss and a couple of close co-workers about the surgery, and also told my parents, but no one else knew.

When we got in, we checked in to the hotel and then went for my pre-op appointments at the Creighton University Medical Center. They did all of the routine stuff and we asked a ton of questions.

Then, we went to the Pope Paul VI Institute for the appointments there. We got to meet Dr. Hilgers, and he explained the surgery to us. The day after the laparascopy, we would be coming back to view a video of the surgery with him and hear his plan for further treatment.

Well, I'm a total wuss when it comes to bodily fluids. I can't watch surgery scenes, needles, blood, etc., on TV. So, I was really afraid that I would get queasy or faint when we watched the video of my surgery! Fortunately, they have a prepared video that shows clips of the various procedures that will be performed, so Mr. X and I asked to watch it. They gave us a little room with a TV and VCR, and we watched it alone--which was great, because then I wouldn't be embarrassed if I got squeamish! I was actually really surprised that it was fascinating and didn't freak me out at all. It was great to have such a detailed understanding of what they would be doing.

The next morning, we went to the hospital. The chaplain (a deacon) came in to talk with me, and--strangely enough--it turned out that he knew people I work with, and I knew people he works with. He was delightful, and helped to keep me calm until Mr. X could come and join me in the room. When the priest arrived at the hospital, he came and anointed me. I've never received that sacrament before, and it was amazing. The doctor came in and talked with us, and then they wheeled me away for the surgery.

When I woke up, I was back in the same little room I started from. The doctor had already showed Mr. X photos of my surgery! Once I was able to get up and go to the bathroom, they sent me back to the hotel with Mr. X. Actually, the first day was lovely. I was really sleepy, and we just hung out in the hotel room, watched movies, and dozed. Mr. X brought me food from the restaurant in the lobby. By dinner, I was starving and really wanted a burger and fries. So, he went down and brought back a cheeseburger and fries for me and salmon and steamed vegetables for himself. (This will be important later . . . )

The next morning, we went back to the Pope Paul VI Institute. By this point, I was feeling much sorer--both from the surgery and from the gas bubbles. We watched the video, which was really interesting. It turned out that I had both endometriosis and PCOS. And both tubes were completely blocked! With the selective hysterosalpingography that Dr. Hilgers uses, they were able to open my tubes completely--hooray! But because of the amount and the location of the endometriosis, I was going to need more surgery--boo!

I had really mixed feelings after hearing the results. I had really been hoping that he'd say something like "well, there was this one tiny little thing wrong, and I fixed it!" But at least I knew that I had the best possible care from the best possible medical people, and that the doctor had a clear plan for taking care of things. In the end, he said we would probably have a 60-75% chance of having a baby. So, that seemed like pretty good news!

We went back to the hotel to relax for the day. Unfortunately, Mr. X wasn't feeling great. You know how I said the salmon and steamed vegetables would be important? He had food poisoning!!! The day after my surgery!!! The poor guy! We were quite a pair. I don't think that's a day either of us ever wants to repeat.