Thursday, July 16, 2009

Behind Door Number Three

And so the quest for the perfect clinic continues. We had our third opinion consult on Tuesday. It was interesting and informative, I suppose. He was a realistic optimist, I would say. He thought there was some work to be done in the protocol department to improve the outcome. He also said our situations are always the worst cases that walk in the door (severe MFI with old hag in tow). Nice. At least he's honest. So what other bombs could he drop?

1. I have some follicle recruitment issues, similar to the dominance syndrome. A variation of a protocol he's been testing in monkeys looks promising. I'm serious. He "monkeys around".

2. I may be tending toward new PCOS-like symptoms. Ok, this one is new.

3. He's a big believer in TCM, but says cut the herb crap. His jury was still out on DHEA.

4. He says skipping out on the wine is ridiculous. (Ok, he is scoring serious points, but I tell him not to blow sunshine up my skirt.)

5. He says Mr. W definitely needs to get some samples cryo'd soon.

6. From the land of WTF, he says my hormone levels are so normal it's silly that this hasn't worked. But clearly, I am a poor responder. So it may likely be a statistical game of which month or cycle will work this time. Or not. Or it may be more about which month my bank account thinks it will work.

7. And from the holy shit category, he thinks there MAY be a correlation between what has been going on in my GI tract and this IF. And therefore, he would not allow us to do IVF until the remaining results and/or treatment is done for the stomach issues. Oh gawd. More on that in a later post.

8. When I told him we had a consult at another clinic and would make a decision in the next few weeks, he asked who we were considering. I said Top Doc out of state. Coincidentally, he had just referred his niece to her because she lives in that city. He spoke very highly of Top Doc and admitted we had a very difficult decision to make. And so we do.

9. Oh, and according to him, I need to kick my optimism level up a notch.

He did dispel some myths...some reservations I had about going there, which I said a few posts back that I would elaborate on. He confirmed the lab is located on site. (I thought it was elsewhere.) He offered a reasonable explanation for an error that occurred a few years ago. (You never want to see an error, but the media blamed it on the lab. He explained it differently and I felt he was very candid.) However, he did confirm that other clinics in town may also use their lab, but said that physicians were not allowed in the lab.

So we're pretty much back to square one and have actually made a little chart. It's a tough choice and everything is on the line.

6 comments:

  1. This is a tough one...as I was reading the list, I was alternating between, "Good!" and "Oh."...I guess they can't say everything we'd like to hear, right? A chart is an excellent idea! I'm sure that you'll know in your gut the right place for you after opening Door Number Four.

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  2. That is a lot of information to absorb. The good thing is that doc #3 is optimistic. I like the suggestion of getting Mr. W's guys cryo'd. I also like that he was honest enough to speak highly of another doctor. You're going to need that chart, I think, to be able to make a decision. I just hope the GI resolution isn't going to be too much of a pain (either figuratively or literally).

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  3. I love it when they tell you to be more optimistic. I'm all for the mind/body connection, but seriously? Have these people never heard of expectation management?!?

    I'm glad you had an informative visit. I wish you luck in making your decision....it sounds like a hard one.

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  4. Good for you. Not sure if you have seen sprogblogger's chart - you can find it on her blog under "waffling" she was comparing clinics for DE but it could be a useful format.

    Looking forward to what the next step brings.

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  5. As I've done my consults, I learn different things from each new perspective. the hmmmmm that I felt about your GI issue was one of those vicarious moments of huh, I wonder what that's about? And I wish you could get more insight into what he is thinking so that you can have that information anyway.

    I always love certainty and rarely get to experience it. I was hoping you would meet this doc and have a YES sort of experience, but it sounds more like ok, that could work.

    Hope you get pregnant while you are looking for a clinic, that would be the best possible thing.

    and optimism?it would be great if it came in a tincture.

    thinking of you,
    kate

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  6. I learn something new every day. I had to look up "tincture" and I was all confused (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tincture) "#4-a heraldic metal, color, or fur". WHAT? Then I read #5 and realized I am a dufus. Laughing yet? I'm glad you have two RE's that seem on the ball. I know that selecting either one will be a smart choice. I hope the GI stuff is sorted out and you have some good news soon.

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