One of the prerequisites to having the IUI procedure was giving Dina an injection of hCG precisely 36 to 40 hours before ovulation. After a couple of tests at the doctor’s office they told us we would need to give her an injection Friday night at 8:00. She got the kit, which was basically a prefilled syringe with a fairly small needle. This all seems innocuous enough, until you factor in the ‘minor’ problem that neither Dina nor I do very well with needles!
She was a pretty nervous about the fact we would have to administer an injection in her abdomen. But what was more worrisome, was the fact that she knew she would not be able to give it to herself, which left me as the likely candidate to have to actually give her the shot!
She gave me a call with the news that we would have to perform an injection in her abdomen, and asked if I would be able to do that. My response, as truthful as I could make it, was “we’ll figure it out.” Obviously, that really wasn’t the reassuring response and confidence instilling words she wanted to hear. She promptly called one of our very dear friends and put her on ‘alert’ that she might have to help.
When I got home, Dina asked me again if I was going to be able to do this, which I said once again that “we would figure it out. “ As we discussed it, she warned that we were running out of time to make other arrangements. So I tried to reassure her that I would be able to give her a shot.
After dinner as 8:00 approached, she began to get a bit nervous, which pretty much was a reflection of my own emotions I’m sure. She gave me the kit and I read through the instructions. And, being the internet geek that I am, I even went to the doctor’s website, where they had a pretty good instructional video! Go figure!
It was 8:00 and it was time! Knowing ‘my’ history with needles, I figured having her lying down would be a much better option if she did happen to get light-headed or actually pass out (or if “I” decided to do either of those!). She sat down on the couch, trying one way then another, and then finally settling in with her legs stretched out across my lap and her leaning back toward the other end of the couch. Her nervousness really beginning to show, she raised her shirt to expose her belly button…”the width of two fingers spaced to the side, and at a 45 degree angle… you’re sure you can do this…” she says. And then the giggles set in. There is obviously no way in the world I (or anyone else for that matter) was going to be able to give her this shot with her laughing and her tummy shaking.
I gave her a minute to pull it together and tried to pick a spot, remembering the instruction and the video and her ‘coaching’. About the time I got myself psyched up to actually poke her with the needle and started to approach her abdomen, she covers the spot with her hands and stops me. “Are you sure you can do this?” she worriedly asked me again.
“It will be fine, just a stick and a sting. No big deal.” I respond. By this time I’ve “obviously” instilled a great deal of confidence and broken right through that barrier of nervousness she had built up. I tried to approach her with the syringe again, and again she put one hand over her abdomen and one had over her face saying “wait a minute!”
I again tried to reassure her it would be fine, “it’s a small needle, no big deal; it will be over like that.” Looking over her hand and still blocking her tummy, she responded, in a rather exasperated voice, “You are NOT A TRAINED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL, you don’t know that!!”
After a brief reprieve while we both laughed at her last ditch effort to avoid the shot, she settled down, we both took deep breaths and I proceeded to administer the shot. There was no great flash of pain, no blood, no wailing and gnashing of teeth, no passing out, and both parties survived the shot episode!
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