Advice needed on OHSS

[Geordie_chick]

Hi, I have been suffering with OHSS prior to ET which was on 14th (36 eggs!) Yesterday I was in a lot of pain, my stomach bloated, nausea and cramping pains. A checkup at my clinic revealed nothing major wrong - some free fluid and my ovaries had some fluid in them. I was told to go home, rest, lots of water and high protein diet (so milk for breakfast with extra protein powder, cheese and biscuit for lunch and eggs for dinner seem to have been the order of the day - it's a vile diet).

Problem is that we're due to go on holiday on Friday night, travelling to the Isles of Scilly in Cornwall which means a several taxi trips, overnight train journey and a short 10 minute flight by plane. There's a small local health centre but any serious problems mean that patients have to be airlifted to the mainland. I seriously need a break but since my consultant expressed some serious doubt yesterday I don't know what to do and consequently feel very worried.

At the moment I'm resting in bed but even having a bath, dressing and making a cup of tea tires me out. My family think I ought to go but they've never had OHSS and I'm finding it hard to be positive. I am sorry if this is a rather trite, selfish topic, I am sure that there are people who'd love to be going away and not worrying about more important things but I am a bit scared!

[Julie C]

Hi Geordie_chick,

Wow....36 eggs!! How old are you?? What shots did they have you on?? Seriously...pls tell me!! I'm jealous!! ha ha

How many eggs were xfered back?

After my only 3 eggs did not fertiz, I would in a heartbeat give up a holiday to rest at home in return for my health and health of possible baby you now have. This is what you've been working towards right? You can go on holiday after the baby.

Stay home, rest, watch movies and snuggle with DH.

Just my opinion.

Good luck!

Julie

[Ghost]

Hi, I have been suffering with OHSS prior to ET which was on 14th (36 eggs!) Yesterday I was in a lot of pain, my stomach bloated, nausea and cramping pains. A checkup at my clinic revealed nothing major wrong - some free fluid and my ovaries had some fluid in them. I was told to go home, rest, lots of water and high protein diet (so milk for breakfast with extra protein powder, cheese and biscuit for lunch and eggs for dinner seem to have been the order of the day - it's a vile diet).

Problem is that we're due to go on holiday on Friday night, travelling to the Isles of Scilly in Cornwall which means a several taxi trips, overnight train journey and a short 10 minute flight by plane. There's a small local health centre but any serious problems mean that patients have to be airlifted to the mainland. I seriously need a break but since my consultant expressed some serious doubt yesterday I don't know what to do and consequently feel very worried.

At the moment I'm resting in bed but even having a bath, dressing and making a cup of tea tires me out. My family think I ought to go but they've never had OHSS and I'm finding it hard to be positive. I am sorry if this is a rather trite, selfish topic, I am sure that there are people who'd love to be going away and not worrying about more important things but I am a bit scared!

It will fade in the next several days. It is only sustained by the residual hCG from your trigger shot, which is keeping your corpra lutea active. In a normal pregnancy there is one corpus luteum, but you have at least 36 of them. hCG keeps them alive and producing other hormones, and those other hormones are the likely culprits of your OHSS.

No way to know how many days it will take. Maybe 10 days after your hCG injection. Maybe more, maybe less. It varies.

36+ follicles and they triggered you with hCG......then froze all your embryos anyway???

I've heard good things about the high protein diet. Also heard that Gatorade is good along with the protein (ask your doctor). We've never tried it because, ahem, we have not had an OHSS case in years. Back when we had OHSS cases, we administered the protein by IV.

I would be hesitant to travel beyond the access of competent care in your condition. Not to scare you, but OHSS is very serious and once in a while it is, well, ultimately serious, if you get my drift. Some clinics would have you in the hospital already. They canceled your transfer for a good reason.

Your frozen embryos just might work out beautifully.

Good luck.

[Geordie_chick]

Hi thanks for the advice. Of the 36 eggs, 17 were fertilized and have been frozen, we're looking at blasto rather than a straight ET but not for a few months so no baby geordie_chick too look after as yet - I am rather relived having felt disappointed when the clinic said they didn't want to take the risk. Yes, they did administer the HCG, problem was that my left ovary was well hidden from view and the ultrasound said 10 in my right ovary. So it wasn't until the retrival that they knew exactly how many.

I'm 37 and had been told by the NHS in UK that we had unexplained inferitility after some basic checks on me and DH. Since going private we've found out that DH as low mobility and I have PCOS which pretty much explains why nothing happened for six years since a miscarriage about 10 years ago.

I've made an appointment to check with the consultant. I feel so much better this morning, and for the fist time want some foodm I have hunger pangs - hurrah! Mentally I want to go and sit by the sea, take in the view and do nothing, just get away from house so I'll take it slowly and see what tomorrow brings.

[Bean]

Gerdi how are you feeling?
I had OHSS , believe me you don't want to be somewhere far from your clinic if your symptoms get worse.I'm lucky that we live exactly 4 minutes driving to hospital and clinic))) i was there on time))
Please stay in bed and Ghost is right drink a lots of fluid like Gatorade we got tonn of boxes)) I drink a lot after that .
Don/t worry that you froze your embies ,next cycle your ovaries won/t be so stimulated like in fresh cycle.
good luck and take care !

[Geordie_chick]

Thanks Bean. I was ok but I think that the high protein diet is upsetting my stomach a lot this afternoon. I feel okish otherwise just very frustrated.

I have found out that I coudl delay our holiday until Sunday night which seems more favourable but I'll see what the hospital says tomorrow. Watch this space.

[baobao]

Hey Geordie chick, glad to know your holiday could be postponed till Sunday, hope you get better by then.

In hindsight, I'm rather glad I didn't go through with the ET, I'm 3 days past ER and 5 days past the HCG jab, and the OHSS doesnt seem to be going away. I'm still feeling heavy, bloated and I think I might even be running a little temperature. No appetite either. Wonder if it will get better after a few more days like Ghost said. Anyway, sorry for the rambling, just feeling rather lousy right now.

Have a good weekend everybody.

[Geordie_chick]

Hi baobao

I have good news, my consultant says that I can go tonight. I am allowed, since there was no ET, to take anti nausea tablets (I get travel sickness anyway ) and just to rest and take it easy. He is certain that the amount of protein I've been having has upset my stomach so I've cut down a lot and feel much better for doing so.

I hope that you're feeling better too. Your symptons sound familiar and if it's of any reassurance, my clinic said that they kick about 3 days after and start to ease off after 5. Make sure you get a checkup and are monitored. Most of all rest and look after yourself.

*Sends a virtual hug to you and bean*

xxxx

[ksscott]

I was also diagnosed with ohss and I'm having a hard time dealing with it. I had 34 eggs taken on Friday and have been in terrible pain since. At first RE said it wasn't OHSS, that it was too soon for that and it was probably pain from having so many eggs taken. But when I went in for my 5 day transfer they wouldn't do it. They froze 10 blasts and were watching 7. I know I should be happy with that but I'm devastaed, shocked, just so sad. In addition to the disappointment is the pain. My whole body is sore (arms, neck, back), it hurts to stand up and lay down. My breathing is ok, unless I move. I can't lay on my side at all. Plus no appetite and sick to my stomach a lot. I haven't been back to work, I'm worried about that. Question - Did your RE give you pain meds? Mine did not but I have been using hydrocodene I had left over from ER. Without it I could not type this message. Any advice to make it through would be so appreciated. Thanks for listening, Kendra

[baobao]

Hey Geordie Chick,

You would probably have returned from your trip by the time you see this, hope the motion sickness wasn't too bad and that you had a great holiday!

Thanks for the hug, really needed it today cos I had such bad diarrhoea (sorry to be so explicit), and I thought I was going to faint in the toilet. Definitely feeling better now, just hope that was the last episode of this whole awful OHSS story. Have an US scheduled for next wednesday, so in the meantime I'm just drinking lots and laying horizontal till my butt hurts...

Kendra, sorry to hear OHSS has claimed another victim. I wasn't given any painkillers even though my OHSS was considered moderate. Actually this is the second time I've had OHSS, the first time I couldnt get up without feeling as if my whole uterus was gonna drop out. No real advice to give you, just plenty of rest (lay on your back, it works for me) and drink lots. As for the appetite, I had none for the first 2 days after ER, only got it somewhat back today, and even then it's for a short period. So whenever I feel that I could eat something, I do it quickly or the hunger pangs/churning stomach is gonna make the OHSS more unbearable. Hope this helps.

[Geordie_chick]

Hi Kendra, I hope that you're feeling better now. It does sound like you have been through a similar experience to me. Like you, my treatment is on hold but please do take heart that you have done so well, be proud of what you have been through and I promise you will get better.

I was told that I could take nurofen since I wasn't pregnant but my one big help (apart from my husband) was an electric blanket, it was warm and helped me to sleep and rest. And chicken soup, it was the only reason I managed to go on holiday since I managed to keep this inside me on the day we were due to go, prior to that I hadn't eaten for four days!

Like you baobao I also had horrendous diarrhoea and thought I might faint - such is the sharing of this experience with my husband, the bathroom door had to remain open in case I did pass out!

Yes, I did manage to get away, I slept on the overnight sleeper train (the benefit of being so knackered by the treatment) and I have to say that I didn't do very much for the first few days but was taking small walks by the end of the week. It's three weeks and two days since I had the ET and I am still tired but have managed a week at work and slowly getting better. Do rest and take your time.

I hope you both do as well - big hug to you both

[baobao]

Hey Geordie_chick,

hope you had a good holiday. Sorry to hear that you are still feeling tired and all, OHSS can really have devastating effects that linger!

OHSS is long gone for me, I was almost back to normal after one week. Pretty amazed at how fast it went away after all the bloatedness/diarrhoea etc! US showed no fluid and a few days later AF came.

So I'm actually now on oestrogen pills, and going for another US tomorrow to check if lining is building up alright. If all goes well, ET should be sometime in the coming week. RE said there is no need to rest a cycle if everything looks fine, so keeping fingers crossed!

Have a good week ahead and take care of yourself...