IUI Dream (or, Nightmare)

After having gotten a positive OPK very late last night, meaning my very first IUI is coming up very soon, of course I had a completely crazy dream about my IUI last night.

First, you need to know that I work at a hospital, in the emergency department, where medical procedures happen all the time, and I'm often involved. I work with lots of "medical people".

So in the dream, my IUI was happening at the hospital where I work (which is completely ridiculous in so many ways, one of which being I work at a children's hospital!). Most of the dream consisted of us waiting around (also a common occurrence in EDs!), and the actual IUI never even happened. For some reason, there were about 4-5 people involved other than me. Now, in a pediatric ED, this is common, but not so much for an IUI! And, as it turns out, two of the clinical assistants (CA) were people I know and work with. As we were waiting, one says to me, "I didn't even know you were trying to have a baby!", to which I responded "No one did", and then something about how they still wouldn't because she couldn't say anything because of HIPAA (medical confidentially law). But as we're waiting (for the doctor? Although he was definitely in the room at times, setting things up, but didn't really say anything), I'm in a flimsy hospital gown, and I'm wishing I had more to cover me up, especially because I'm sitting here waiting for an IUI while chatting with two colleagues of mine, who are involved for some unknown reason.

At one point, one of the CAs showed me a clear plastic cup, and told me she'd put warm water in it for me. (This, I think, comes from how ultrasound gel is often warmed for the patient's comfort before being used. And from my brilliant idea last week after my pap that someone should really invent a speculum warmer.) But inside the cup, sitting in the water, is the syringe with the attached catheter to be used for the IUI! And I could see the swimmers in the syringe, and they were a weird reddish-brown color.

One more thing I'm adding that I remembered later - I hadn't taken a shower yet that day, and I hadn't shaved my legs in, oh, I don't know... probably many months! I actually looked down and saw all the hair on my legs and was like, yuck. This is so NOT what they want to see when they're doing an IUI! And since I hadn't showered, I was worried that I smelled bad, and that they would notice.

And at one point I turn around and realize we're outside! The "room" where they do IUIs is really just an area set-up for them in the hospital's courtyard, so while it's closed off from the street, anyone from inside the hospital has access to it. At first it's mostly empty, but then more and more people start coming, and soon it's really crowded. Lots of kids, too, and it got so crowded, that a little girl was leaning on the table where the cup of water/swimmers was sitting, to the point that I reached over and moved the cup back so she wouldn't knock it over!

And then all of a sudden the CAs and a bunch of other people started dancing, like a flash mob type of thing, all together, to the music that was suddenly playing! It was like a big party, and there I was, in my hospital gown, barely covered, waiting for my IUI to happen right then and there.

That's all I remember, I think. And yes, I DO know that this will NOT be the situation when I go in for my real IUI! It will be me, and a midwife, in a small private room, sans music, sans crowd, sans dancing, sans warm-water-filled cup with reddish-brown swimmers, sans colleagues...

Just me and my donor having a private moment with the help of a midwife who is trained in such things. :)