Top Doc

It is March 4th now. Mr. W had semi-surprised me with a 10-day road trip to my favorite place on earth. I am only semi-surprised because I made the call to see Top Doc in the clinic 600 miles away and my appointment is this day. I am surprised because Mr. W turned this one day appointment I was planning on catching a plane for, into this fabulous 10-day event (that started February 26th) and my favorite place on earth is a mere 50 miles from Top Doc's clinic.

This is a fact-finding mission, or at least an inquiry to a second opinion. Top Doc's clinic is in one of the greatest cities in the world. Mr. W and I lived there for three years and arriving in her office is a bit like coming home. I am calm and comfortable, although the office is swanky and hip. Despite the fact that Top Doc is running almost an hour behind, I am enjoying one of the best views I've ever seen from the sofa in the waiting lounge. The staff is gracious. The place is quiet and there is ample privacy. We are not sitting on top of others and it's actually possible to check in and pay your bill without announcing to everyone else what baggage you bring to IF.

I have booked a one-hour consult with Top Doc and have sent our charts and tests ahead of time. Mr. W and I step into her office. She is bright, warm, and prepared. She is flattered that I have found her article online and thinks they can help. She also knows my RE and thinks he has an equal chance at success. Mr. W instantly likes her professionalism and candor. It helps that she is giving Super Doc some ego hits along the way too.

She reviews some protocol options but says she would like to do an u/s. I have explained the difficulty in the mock transfer, the laminaria, and the suspect hyper suppression and she is perplexed by it all. Her u/s reveals I am already PO again despite having just seen AF after my canceled cycle 19 days ago. Blood work confirms this and my progresterone is 5.2. She offers to do a mock transfer while I am there. Sure.... let everyone try at this point. She explains she has not done a laminaria in 10 years, and her preference is to dilate the cervix on retrieval day (if necessary) while under anesthetic. I am liking this alternative to special seaweed a whole lot better, but just then Top Doc announces she is done with the mock. There is no problem. She would like to review my case with her colleagues and phone conference with us the following week for options, which we think is fine.

Coincidentally, RE's nurse is leaving me a voicemail at the same time I am having the appointment with Top Doc. They have a new protocol & calendar ready and would like me to come in ASAP for another mock transfer. Uhm.......yeah, ok. As soon as I get back in town and decide what I'm doing.

In the car on the way back to my favorite place, Mr. W is optimistic and says we should seriously consider moving this show to Top Doc's clinic. I suggest we take a more analytical approach and let each clinic present their own protocol and then we will make a decision. Mr. W agrees to temporarily cast his pocketbook vote aside.