Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Eggs & MiLs

I've got a couple of things going on that don't necessarily warrant their own posts, so I figured I would just combine them here. 

First, I am being asked to undergo another egg donation cycle that is covered under the same contract (which means I don't get $$ this time). I'm torn about this. I really don't want to let the intended parents down, but after the hell I went through last time I'm not sure I can do this. They keep telling me "It shouldn't happen again because now the clinic knows to give you less of the medication." To which I reply, "It wasn't supposed to happen LAST time, either. It was supposedly a 'remote possibility.'" Problem is, once you go into hyperstimulation, it can't be reversed. They can stop the cycle, which is incredibly dangerous, or you can ride the thing out. They want to do this toward the end of the summer, when my husband will still be gone. I sure as hell don't want to do it when he gets back, but I also don't want to be writhing in pain on the floor again, BY MYSELF. It sounds really shitty (and is troll-fuel), but if they were paying me this time I would be more inclined to do it, because then my potential suffering would at least finance a trip to Europe for me and my husband. In other words, it would provide a light at the end of the tunnel. I hate myself for feeling that way, but it's a lot of physical anguish to go through for people you've never met. Think of it like bone marrow donation - you are more likely to go through it voluntarily for a friend or a family member's benefit, but who would put themselves through that for a stranger? (Besides Will Smith in Seven Pounds.) I feel like I was lucky last time that no permanent damage happened. I feel like doing it a second time is pressing that luck. 

Also, A and I have been talking about starting to try to get pregnant this fall when he comes back. If I undergo the cycle in late August, it means pushing back any attempts by at least 8 weeks unless I want to risk an ectopic pregnancy or, even worse, twins. I'm also pretty sure that the major contributer to my weight gain over the past year was due to the last cycle. Not to mention the fact that in the middle of my last hormone-induced psychosis, I decided it would be a good idea to leave my husband. As you can imagine, he's not entirely thrilled about the idea of me doing this again. Lots of thinking to do....

The other issue is my mother in-law. I've written about this before, how I used to be extremely close with her and my FIL until last year when I moved out. A bombarded her with his impressions of what was going on - that I was having an affair, that I was lying to him, etc. She was given a lot of wrong information that has shaped her current negative feelings toward me. We've been emailing back and forth since he left. I asked to come and see her so we could talk, but she said she wasn't ready for that. I want so badly to explain things, even knowing that she isn't likely to believe me. I know she's pissed, but I want to be like "Listen! Don't you think you got some seriously biased information??? Do you think A would have gotten back together with me if all of that shit was true???"

But I can't do that. I am now outside the Circle of Trust. On some levels, I deserve to be where I am. I did choose to leave her son, after all. But she believes that I left her son for someone else, which isn't true. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe that has nothing to do with it and even knowing that's not true won't change her anger. Sometimes I feel like it's selfish and a waste to try to explain myself to her. Maybe I shouldn't even bother. 

She has offered to go to dinner the weekend we'll be visiting A at the base. It will just be me and her. I have no idea what to expect or how much pain I'm going to endure. I'm not sure I even know what to say. 


6 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow. Heavy stuff. I don't think that you should feel guilty about putting your health above another round of egg donation. It sounds like the first one was pretty hard on you. I don't think it's wrong to want some financial compensation for taking that risk. I would feel the same way in your position. I would also feel uncomfortable making the decision if I was being offers more money because I would find it hard to determine whether I was allowing myself to be coerced.

That's probably not going to help you make your decision - I wish that I had something more useful to say about it.

Ditto re: your MIL. Good luck.

Isabel said...

Didn't they end up with extra eggs last time? What happened to them-I have no idea how these things work. Why do they need more? That sounded like a harrowing experience-having gone through that should let you off the hook. Don't do it out of guilt or any feeling of obligation-that's crazy!

Psych Post Doc said...

Personally, after reading your initial experience w/ egg donation I would pass on it again. Plus, it's a point of contention between you and your husband, not what you need right now.

Good luck with the MIL. I probably wouldn't be that motivated to have a relationship with her but it sounds like you miss what you had so I hope she gives you a chance.

JLK said...

@Isabel - apparently either they used them all, or some of them "expired." It's actually very weird because from what I've been told they only got 2 cycles out of them with the former surrogate, which means either a bunch of the eggs didn't fertilize well enough for implantation, or they tried to put way too many eggs in at once. But I have no idea.

PhizzleDizzle said...

I'd pass. It sounded like a bitch last time, and man, they took a fuckton of eggs! Plus, women are born with a finite number of eggs, save some for yourself. If you want to start a family, I'd put yourself first.

And good luck with your MIL. I really hope that works out.

Comrade PhysioProf said...

Seems to me like a no-brainer to put your own health and well-being first, and decline to go through the danger of another cycle of egg donation.

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