Hope Springs Eternal

True be told, I've had a bit of a sh*tty day.  Our provincial government has decided to legislate a contract on teachers which essentially strips any class size legislation, autonomy regarding professional development, seniority....and more.  So crappy.  On days like this, I honestly question why I'm a teacher.  But that's not what this post is about.  On to better news.  

Image courtesy of Google Images.

I had my quicky appointment with Dr. R today.  While I appreciated Dr. C., Dr. R. was a breath of fresh air.  He looked over my file and essentially came up with a plan of attack.  There are four things we're going to do differently for my FET.  First off, I have to get my thyroid checked.  It's been checked in the past but since I have a family history of hypothyroidism in my family plus after my first IVF cycle, my thyroid levels were out of whack.  Second, I have to get a sonohysterogram at some point this week.  Third, he wants to perform a full uterine biopsy or as he said it "a four corner scrape".  Dr. C. did one but he didn't do the full biopsy.  When Dr. C did it, it hurt like a son-of-a-gun and that was only a partial scrape.  What's this one going to feel like?  Ouch!  Lastly, the day of the transfer, I will be given an injection which will prevent my uterus from contracting.  He reassured me that the fact that I only have a day of flow isn't an issue.  Apparently, the more important factor is the length of my cycle.  When that changes, then there are complicates.  Thankfully, I'm still like clockwork when it comes to AF.  I also mentioned that I'm concerned about my age.  He rebutted with "You're not old.  You're a project."  Normally, I wouldn't take it too kindly to be called "a project" but when he said those words, I almost burst into tears in his office.  Like many who have been on this horrible, depressing path, I've been feeling pretty hopeless about TTC.  This meeting with Dr. R has given me hope.  I haven't had that in a while.  

Well..that was uncomfortable

Like any good infertile, I googled the crap out of endometrial biopsy.  The reactions to the procedure varied from "that was uncomfortable" to "Oh mother of God this hurts".  As you can imagine, my mind immediately went to the "this is going to hurt like a mo'fo" side of things.  Driving in today, I was terrified.  Sweets is in pre-production on a project and could join me so I was on my own today.  

The clinic was hopping.  There were a ton of people there.  Apparently they've just opened up the clinic to a new program "Pelvic Pain" so I assume a number of the people there were not for fertility treatments but rather pain management or relief.  I had a bit of a wait so the new demographic in the clinic allowed for some interesting people watching. 

Dr. C and I chatted for a bit.  I asked him a few more questions regarding more blood work (immunology) as well as the biopsy.  He didn't feel that immunity was our issue.  And while there is no conclusive evidence that biopsies lead to better implantation numbers, he would perform the procedure because I asked.  Further, he feels that within the next two attempts, I will get pregnant.  He was confident in fact.  I wish I was as confident as him!

The procedure was super quick but quite uncomfortable.  He scraped my uterus 5 times.  It was if someone took a window scraper and used it to remove the frost inside me.  Ugh... With the first application of the instrument, my uterus cramped up and I immediately started perspiring.  Thankfully it only lasted a few minutes.  If it continued much longer, I think I would have been incredibly vocal about my pain.  As soon as the procedure was over, the cramps subsided.  While I'm still experiencing some cramping right now, it's incredibly mild. 

Dr. C is starting up his own private clinic.  Tomorrow is his last day.  He encouraged me to remain at my current clinic for my FETs; however, if they are not successful, he stated that if I wanted to move to his clinic, no referral would be necessary.  Though I haven't been successful with him, I do trust him.  Granted, he's incredibly cerebral, a little awkward and goofy, he has an excellent reputation in the IF community.  I feel quite comfortable at my clinic, but I think that if we have to do IVF #3, we'll be moving to Dr. C's new clinic. 


I had to wait a while for my nurse's appointment regarding the FET protocol.  It's the same protocol as before so nothing to report there.  

The highlight of my visit today?  My clinic mom Ra.vi was there today. :)  She's awesome.  As soon as she saw me, she gave me one of those million dollar smiles and asked how I was doing.  Since there was a backlog of patients today, I had to wait a while to see the nurse.  During my wait, Ra.vi offered me some of her homemade curry and naan.  Delicious!  Love Indian food.  On my way out, Ra.vi was going on her break.  We rode down on the elevator today and she gave me a huge hug before exiting.  
She made my day. :)