Sunday, July 29, 2007

Our IVF Story -- Part 2 (as Shared by My Husband)

This post is entirely written by Hubby:
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I was sitting beside my wife and praying for a miracle when the phone rang and it was Dr S. ( the substitute doctor while Prof Wong was out of the country ) asking some questions about her. He asked how old she is because apparently out of the 21 follicles only 3 matured and out of the 3 only 2 has the egg inside. This is a very rare case and the doctor was wondering why. Anyway he just said he will do his very best but of course it was long shot.

We were discharged in the afternoon around 5 pm and went straight to my cousin’s place. But before this we had a hard time getting a cab due to the rush hour traffic and rain (talking about bad timing). Anyway eventually we were able to reach my cousin’s unit near orchard a few blocks from Shangri-la Resort Hotel. We had a great dinner and we talked about all the details while my wife was asleep. My cousin and his wife were very supportive but I saw in their eyes the worry on the outcome of the number of follicles.

The next day I asked my mother in law to look after her while I took the time to go to the nearest church. I was praying for a miracle but then again I thought also that if it turns out the other way I had to be strong for my wife after going through the long and tiring procedure. After the mass while I was walking towards the bus station to return to my cousin’s place when I noticed that I had a recorded missed call from the hospital. I suddenly dialed the number and I was connected to the Embryologist Doctor from the hospital. I asked her what the call was all about because I was expecting a later call from them when she bluntly said that it was not successful. She explained that the two eggs they extracted did not fertilize. Part of the procedure was for the egg/s to be fertilized with the sperm extract to create an embryo. Then the embryo would be injected to establish pregnancy.

Even if I was expecting the worst it was still shocking and depressing to hear the bad news. It was the very first time when I could not control my emotions and so I had to sit down on one of benches in the streets of Singapore under the heat of the sun. I think at that time it was more than 34 degrees Celsius because it felt like my shirt was drenched in water. I even saw some local Singaporeans looking at me strangely and wondering what had happened.

Anyway after that I had to think of the best way to tell my wife and so I was composing those words while I was inside the bus. I even missed the station I was supposed to disembark due to my quest for the right words. Honestly it was difficult but I had to do it and so I decided to call my close officemates to hear some suggestions from them. They both suggested telling my mother in law first so that we can both tell my wife at the same time. And so 10 minutes before reaching the place I thought of calling my eldest sister to ask her opinion. She said to be strong and just tell her directly.

Finally when I entered the room my wife was awake while my mother in law was in the living room when I decided to go straight to her side and tell her that the procedure was not successful and for her to be strong and to pray more to our Creator for giving us at least the opportunity to try.

I am very proud of my wife for having the courage to undergo this procedure and for this I love her so much more than ever.


Looking at the positive side at least we get to go on with our lives with less pressure on raising a child especially with all those tuition fee problems during the enrollment season which I always hear from friends and relatives. We get to go out anytime and enjoy our income on whatever we can afford without hesitation. My wife loves bags …and mind you these are expensive ones. Talking about stretching my Citibank credit limit. And of course we get to eat at different restaurants which we both love to do from the cheapest places such as Yoohoo at Metrowalk ( PhP 100 for two),Bonnie’s barbeque at Tiendesitas and Tapa King and to the expensive ones such as Seven Corners, Circles and Brazil Brazil.

Finally just to share, my philosophy in life is that LIFE IS SHORT and so enjoy it with your loved ones.:-)


From HUBBY

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Reading both postings on your IVF story brought back the memories of the hope and the heartbreak. Through my tears then - I told Stan that it had been a long long time since I had cried that much - I could only pray that the experience would make you both stronger in your faith in God's infinite wisdom and goodness, and in your love for each other. As I see you moving on from the experience, I know now that your lives will be fulfilled with making the most of the blessings you already have, and the many more that are still to come.

Anonymous said...

Thank you very much! I just want to say that we wouldn't have moved on without the love and support from you, and the rest of the family. Yes,we are blessed and we are thankful to have you.