Hysteroscopy... and more waiting

Sooo, I had my hysteroscopy on Friday (October 4). I just refer to it as surgery as it was a surgery with all bells and whistles. I was scared... not of the surgery itself, but of being put under general anesthetics. I have never been totally out for an operation before (well, actually I was but I was 3 or 4 years old, so I don't remember). I couldn't comprehend how I can be aware of everything one minute and then be asleep the next and then wake up.... scary.... as I do have certain phobias which are not the topic of this post.

The day before the surgery, I called the hospital to get the time for the surgery, and was told to arrive by 10 a.m. I was a bit nervous as that hospital is located across the city and we had to take the highway which at that time is almost always at a standstill. In the morning after sending DS to daycare (with lots of kisses and hugs from mommy) we checked Dr. Google which said that the trip would take 37 min in current traffic. I was thinking: "No Way! More like an hour and 37 min" We left just before 9 a.m. and headed South. Surprise, surpirse, the trip actually did take 37 min, well probably close to 40 min but still not bad.

There were no people in the registration area and we got registered pretty quickly.  I did not have anything to eat since the night before and nothing to drink since we left the house (or even just before that).  I also had to take a drug (vaginally) that helped my uterus to open up so the doctor can take a look.  That drug caused some cramping and light bleeding but nothing stronger than regular menstrual cramps, so I was somewhat ok. We were told to go upstairs and wait in the surgery waiting room, and so we did with tons of other people, for over an hour (or closer to 1.5 hours) until I was taken by a nurse.  She gave me gowns to change, took my blood pressure and went over some questions. Then the fun started.  She said that she needed to take my blood, and I told her that my veins are not the best, plus I have not had any food or water in a while which makes the situation even worse. She was touching both of my arms and decided to proceed with my left arm. I wasn't looking what she was doing but she did not get any blood.  I told her that usually if the arms don't work I get blood taken from my hand with a butterfly needle. She liked the veins on my hands but said that there are no butterfly needles on this floor. For some reason, she put in a small tube for IV in my hand and that didn't work for an IV, but she used the same hole to take blood. She suggested that I get an IV in the OR and we parted ways. I went back into the hallway to meet DH.

We didn't wait long until me and some other patients were called by another nurse who was escorting us to the surgery. We past a waiting room, and the nurse said that in that waiting room our significant others would be waiting for us after the surgery and that after the surgery is completed, the patient is going to be wheeled pass that waiting room so that significant other can follow into the recovery room. So we continued going and came into the third waiting room. Oei.....

I was bored out of my mind, but what was upsetting are the little children that were also waiting for their surgeries. There was this girl who was about 3 years old as she had her paci, and she continued to cry that she was hungry and wanted to eat, and her mommy and daddy tried to explain to her that she needed an empty stomach for the doctor to do the surgery.  I had tears in my eyes. I was just hoping that they would take her soon so she would stop suffering. Other kids were a bit older and understood everything, but she was too young to understand. I kept thinking about DS and how I wouldn't be able to explain that to him either and that made me even more sad...

I wasn't taken until about 12:40 p.m.  The nurse that took me told DH that he can grab something to eat for 20 min and wait in another waiting room (which was wrong, as the doctor was supposed to come out to that waiting room, and since he was in another waiting room, he didn't talk to the doctor and neither did I since she was in another surgery when I woke up).  I was very nervous. When the put wires on me, I could hear my fast heartbeat.  The room was very bright and for some reason it did have a bit of a calming effect.  The anesthesiologist actually was from former USSR and also spoke Russian :) He had no problem putting the IV into my hand. I told him that I was very scared and he said that he is going to give me something to make me drowsy.  I remember him, the doctor and the nurse joking about him putting vodka in my IV and him saying that even though it is believed that Russians are great drinkers people in some other European countries can hold their liquor even better. All I remember laughing at that joke and turning my head to look at the nurse who was holding my mask to tell her that I am feeling a bit drowsy, and I was out. The next thing I remember is opening my eyes and seeing a nurse. I told her that she had three eyes as I had double vision. She put something warm on me and I felt back asleep. When I woke up next I was more alert. The same nurse asked me if she had three eyes :) I looked at the clock and it was around 2 p.m. in another 30 min I was wheeled into recovery room with DH. We were lucky as we got a private room (which they only have one or two).  We only stayed there until about 3 - 3:30 p.m. as I had no difficulty drinking and holding in an entire glass of water and going to the washroom thereafter.  I was feeling a bit groggy but otherwise not much pain.

We did have a company over that evening, and had to go to a birthday party on Saturday, so I didn't get much rest. When Monday came, I got very busy at the office (surprisingly things picked up a bit in my practice - knock on wood). So I had no time to rest.  I did call the office of my surgeon and the nurse said that she is in surgeries all days until Thursday.  I asked if she can check in my file what happened during the surgery, and she told me that yes, a polyp was removed.  So at least this whole ordeal was worth it.

Last night I emailed my RE to find out if he wants to change anything with my protocol for FET. I told him that it is not urgent and he didn't reply as of yet.  I have had light bleeding and it only is starting to die down now.  I went to a swimming class with DS so used a tampon just in case.

So now I am just waiting.... waiting for the bleeding to stop completely.... waiting to talk to the surgeon.... waiting for an email from my RE.... waiting for AF to start and waiting to call in my Day 1 to get FET#2.1 on the road.