The Not-So-Sexy Infertility Adventures of a Girl in the Big Apple

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Arrrgh.

This has been one of the more annoying days I've had since I went on leave 5 months ago.  I feel like I normally feel after an aggravating day at work.  I'll try not to bore you with every detail, but here's a synopsis:
1) I lost my internet connection and spent 2 hours with Time Warner Cable and various other tech helplines to fix the issues
2) My printer stopped working because it couldn't connect to my computer through the internet
3) I started spotting and cramping so I think AF is coming tomorrow (3 days early, off of an already short cycle - weird!)
4) Realizing that tomorrow might be Day 1 and therefore Sunday would be Day 3, I started calling around to labs to see where I could get my Day 3 bloods drawn & separated per C.CRM's instructions.  NO ONE would do it - not LabCorp, Qwest, Manhattan Labs, 2 hospitals.  They were either closed on Sunday or would not do the blood processing if they weren't being paid to perform the tests themselves.  I eventually called up one of the nice nurses at my old clinic and begged, and she was kind enough to get me set up there.
5) Also realized that if tomorrow is Day 1 that my HSG is now scheduled outside the normal Day 5 - Day 10 day window they give you.  It's now going to be on Day 11.  I hardly think that matters, but C.CRM might not agree.
6) Was supposed to get my Chem22 and testosterone checked today but with all that was going on I missed the window.  Also couldn't print out my orders because my printer wasn't working!
7) Called my C.CRM nurse to discuss all of the above and had an alarming conversation where it seemed like she was not at all on top of the details of my protocol.  This is the 4th or 5th time I've had a conversation like this and I'm getting kinda concerned.

Out of all of the above, the thing that bothers me most is #6.  I have probably corrected my nurse (very nicely and courteously) on things she has gotten wrong 10 times in the last few weeks - and these are important things, like which protocol I am on!   Because I keep questioning things, she has gone back 4 or 5 times to clarify things with Dr S and every time she comes back I have been right and she was wrong.  This is getting me scared - I shouldn't be correcting her, she should be correcting me, right?

Tonight she got confused about when I'm supposed to start estrace - Day 1 or Day 3.  She originally said Day 3 and then today she said start it tomorrow.  I then asked if she was sure - wouldn't taking it Day 1 mess up my Day 3 blood test where they test for E2?  She said no, but then went back and read the notes and realized that Dr S had said to take it on the evening of Day 3.  I could tell she was kind of embarrassed and she said "This is what happens when you start the cycle before all of the testing is done (ie, making the decision to prime on the same month I'm drawing Day 3 bloods).  But as long as you're okay with it, I guess we can move ahead."

Okay with what?  I'm definitely not okay with my cycle getting screwed up!  If I thought that cycling in November would compromise the quality of my treatment in any way I would never have asked to do it - who would?  But they cleared me to go ahead so I am making the assumption that my care won't suffer as a result.  I think that should go without saying.

I meant to call her back to clarify that directly with her, but she left before we could speak.  I want to have that conversation directly though - it's important to me that she knows that I am not willing to rush things and have something go wrong with my protocol as a result.  Hopefully I will actually get in touch with her tomorrow (that's the other thing, no matter how many times I call I never hear back from her until 6:30pm EST time, which is really late!)  Has anyone else experienced these issues or is it just me?  I wonder if they are a little overwhelmed right now because they've grown to quickly.

Don't mean to whine & complain too much, I just had to vent some frustration.  I feel better now (exhale).

Here's hoping for smoother sailing tomorrow.

4 comments:

  1. Hmmm...that is concerning. I would be worried too. I haven't experienced these issues myself. My nurse has always seemed to be on top of everything. I would try to politely bring it up with her tomorrow if you can. You have a LOT at stake here and are spending a lot of money to cycle at this clinic - you need to feel confidence in your nurse as she is just as important as the doc in this process. Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

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  2. I can see how you would be really frustrated about the nurse being unsure about your protocol. I've had problems with getting my nurse on the phone - I have better luck with email, but timing is of the essence here. Just getting Day 3 labs drawn and shipped out to them is alot to deal with. I had my HSG on Day 10, so I wouldn't think 1 day would make a huge difference. I agree that you should call and let her know you can wait another month or two if the protocol is going to be compromised by anything and get a clear answer on that. You don't need any extra things to stress about. Good luck!

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  3. Oh gee...I though it was ok to do you CD3 labs between day 3-5. I might be wrong though. I would just email the ivf main nurse email to get things squared away. I always get a quicker response with email. I would call too, that way they know you need to talk. It's never very easy getting a hold of anyone there when you call but they do usually return your call that same day. Good Luck and stay on them.

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  4. That is really frustrating. I think having a good nurse is critical especially since she'll be the one you have the most contact with . Is there anyway that you can request another nurse? I loved my nurse, Annie, and she was so responsive and thorough. I really think one of the reasons that my cycles at CCRM went so smoothly were because of her.

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