Polly
02-09-2008, 11:45 AM
Since I've never had it done, what is it like? How is it done? How long did the effects last for you? Did you have it done more than once? Did health insurance pay?
Polly
Hello... well i had it done in November 2001, we'd been under investigations for over 12 months, had done several cycles of clomid with no notable effects at all (and they were beginning to note my body was clomid resistant) and so the drilling went ahead.
I had "ovarian drilling and diathermy via laparoscopy" - so basically they went in by key hole surgery (camera through the belly button and then 2 small incisions, one over each ovary) and as well as the drilling, where they effectively destroy part of the ovary in hope of "jump starting" it by panicing it into thinking it's menopause so kicking out more eggs (or that's how they basically explained it to me at the time.. alas many drs talk to me like a moron as i look young and have a bizarre looking husband) they also lazered/performed a diathermy on the cysts that were blocking follicles so effectively free them up for egg production.
I went in at 8am in the morning, my surgery happened around lunchtime (they put me under for the surgery, apparently I was then inflated with gas :giggle and the camera in and the tools to do the surgery, i had 2 stitches in my belly button and 2 over each incision when i came around) and in theory i would have been allowed out around late evening however little did we know i react REALLY badly to being put under... i was violently sick (I made the exorcist look pretty!) huuuuugely so to the point i ended up spending the night in hospital on an IV and meds to stop me throwing up... not good!
I ended up with a v.sore tummy (but could get up and down no problem, just couldn't lift heavy stuff for a few days) and i felt really bruised, I also had a pain in my shoulder for a few days (which i'm told is/was the gas they use) I took ibruprofen for 24 hours and then was fine.
I had monthly bloodwork done after the surgery and after 2 months with no apparently effects from the surgery (no hormone changes at all) they decided to try me on clomid as well with it... I suffered a small post-op infection too which was treated with anit-bs but we were told this may have damaged my tubes (which was a kick in the teeth as they were the only "good" bit of my reproductive system prior to surgery!) in May 2002 we married- may 23rd 2002 we went for our 6 month follow up appt to be told the surgery was a complete failure, they were very sorry go save for egg donor IVF. June 2002 we conceived Jude, June 2003 we conceived Dylan, September 2004, Feb 2005 and April 2005 we suffered miscarriages (the feb one actually being a missed m/c) and then March 2006 we conceived Loki... so although they tell us the surgery was a complete failure something sure went right after it as I went from being the mother of one to the mother of 4 who has also managed to conceived 3 more times in with that.
Would I have the surgery done again? Probably not, but if it would have given us just Jude then we'd probably have considered it again for a 3rd but thankfully we never had to.
My surgery was funded by our public health care system, alot of my fertility investigations had to be paid for privately but because drilling came under the heading of gynae for cycle regulation rather than for fertility means it was fully funded (but i think it would have been worth the money even privately funded as 3 kids from one surgery, you can't knock that!)
Scar wise, you don't really notice them in with all the stretch marks :giggle but when you could notice them many people assumed they were tubal scars from sterilisation, they're in the same place. When i first had it done one of the young lads who worked from David at the time came over and said "Cool.. lets see" as he thought i'd had my belly button pierced and he nearly passed out with embarassment when i told him no, i'd had my ovaries drilling :lmao
I'd recommend it to anyone who was told it is a viable option.