Follow along the crazy path that my husband and I never expected to take while trying to conceive our first baby.


9/21/11

I Love Helpful People!

So today I had my much anticipated appointment with a family doctor in my town. My hubby and I just moved to a new county, so I figured I might as well pick a new doctor so that I do not have to drive over an hour to see my old one. Plus my old doctor kinda pissed me off  frequently and I felt that she never really took me seriously. In my previous post about all the sayings that annoy me, she would say every one of those basically- except the grandkid one! So a new doctor sounded like a great idea to me!

When I made the appointment a few weeks ago, the front desk staff asked if I preferred a male or female doctor. I'm kind of weird about this sort of thing, as I only want women doctors. I just would not feel comfortable talking to a man about my periods or lack of ovulation, of showing him my va-jay-jay. Plus, I feel that a women can relate more to my situation than a man.

So when I got to my appointment, they did the usual- weighed me, took my height, had me fill out paperwork.... My doctor knocked on the examine door to come in, and I did not really know what to expect, as I had never met her, but I did not expect what I saw. Dr. R was really tall, African American, dressed up like she was going on the most important date of her life (little black dress with stilletos and a fancy hair do), and must have been from the deep South as she had a thick, thick accent. She was very friendly, and asked me to share why I was there and kind of the history of my reproductive system, which is always a great story!

Well my history is not explained in a 5 minute segment, so we talked for about half an hour. She listened to what I said and took notes on her computer and asked me questions to get me to elaborate. Bottom line, I explained to her that for basically the past year (ok, I know it's been 10 months, but whatever- a year is close enough) I have been keeping track of all of my cycles and when I ovulate, and I have found that I do not ovulate regularly, and in fact have only done so three times since November. One of the times I ovulated, I got my period three days later, so it was an absolute complete waste of an egg. I also explained that my cycles vary from 18 days to 25. The look on her face when I explained this was priceless- she basically looked horrified. I said, "Yeah I know, it sucks to get my period all the time! I finish up with one, have a one to two week break, and start up again."

Yes, she totally pulled the age card on me and explained that I am lucky to have my age on my side and that I should be hopeful as medicince can make 60 year olds have babies. I explained to her that I am not in a hurry to get pregnant necessarily, and that I am hopeful, I just want to make sure that I am doing all I can each month and that I actually have a shot at becoming a mom. Because right now, the reality is I do not have a chance due to lack of ovulating and short luetal phase when I do ovulate.

Dr. R said the next steps would be to request my records from my old doctor (which I CANNOT believe I forgot to do ahead of time!). She wants to look them over to make sure that she does not repeat any blood work I have had recently or repeat anything else, such as a Pap test, as my insurance company won't cover repeated tests (this I appreciate so so so much). She then said that after looking over my records she would consult with an OB/GYN as to the appropriate next steps. Dr. R let me know that I would most likely need a few more blood tests,which I could do at the family practice, but then I would be turned over to an OB/GYN who would most likely prescribe me Clomid (YES!).

So today really did not feel all that productive- I did not come home with a Clomid prescription, which would have been best case scenario, but things are moving in the right direction, which is something I am grateful for and have not been able to say until now. I love my new doctor and feel that she listened well to my concerns and took them seriously. I am grateful that she wants to take the time to learn more about my history and what appropriate next steps to take.

Annnd because I am so impatient, I called my old doctor's office and asked if they could send my records over ASAP. I'd like to get the ball moving sooner than later. Plus, if I do get prescribed Clomid, I am hoping it will be within the time frame of my next few cycles (at this stage, I am hoping to be taking Clomid by Christmas- that's a totally reasonable time frame I think). I will keep you posted once I get a call back from Dr. R about next steps. Overall, today was a good day and I am getting one step closer, thanks to my helpful doctor. I love helpful people!

1 comment:

  1. Sounds like a great appointment for sure. Clomid has good success rates for the most part - my only regret is that I didn't request to have more bloodwork/monitoring during my time with Clomid. Be sure to ask for that as it can really help take a lot of guesswork out of the process of your 2ww.

    I hope the paperwork and everything goes quickly! Hang in there!!

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