I was able to visit the RE today, I was in the office from about 1:30 until nearly 4:00. I knew it might take a long time, but really?!?!?!
Anyway, we were able to come up with some solutions if not conclusions.
Here is the play by play.
1:30-arrive at clinic, I was forewarned that the clinic doesn't open it's doors after lunch until 1:30, however, I also knew that my appointment was scheduled at 1:30 so there was no way I was being seen upon arrival without filling out paperwork.
1:35-doors to clinic open, I'm first to sign in, but last to be called upon because I am the only new patient of the 4 or 5 women who are checking in at the same time
1:45-I'm finally given the new patient paperwork, it's not so bad, it's just personal information, not health information
1:50-turn in paperwork
2:15-I'm finally called back after everyone else in the waiting room is gone, not in back rooms, but checked out and left, meet with an MA who asks me questions, but doesn't really ask me to elaborate, they apparently have copies from my gyno (who has no idea what my other gyno who did IUIs, my rheumatologist, my endocrinologist and my GP had to say, or even did for that mater) I basically answer yes/no questions because she obviously doesn't care about the details
2:30-I am placed in a room that is very much like a small conference room with a large glass table and 9-10 chairs around it and find that I am facing a wall with about 10-15 plaques on it that say that this Dr. has been voted one of the best Dr's in Texas for the last...oh...10-15 years or so
2:45-A resident is sent in to further question me, but still is basing all of his questions off of the paperwork given by my regular gyno, he does however allow me to elaborate on my Hashimoto's and the husband's varicocele and repair, he cares nothing about the stack of paper's I've brought with me, but does acknowledge that I've done my homework and seem prepared
3:00-The Dr. Himself has been consulted by the resident and comes in to verify a few things and obviously plans to order more testing, only I'm one step ahead of him and am able to provide the necessary paperwork referencing the cystic fibrosis, rheubella, etc etc screenings I have already had done. He moves on to repeating day 3 and day 21 bloodwork, which I am also able to produce (in duplicate, from both February, 2011 and July, 2011). He also questions semen analysis, which has been done twice...but not 6 months after varicocele repair...FUCK...called out on a technicality. He indicated that we needed to have that repeated before we could make any decisions or come to any conclusions.
3:30-A fun unexpected pelvic exam along with a chlam.ydia and gon.orrhea swab...as part of the evaluation, he does cervical manipulation and re-questions me about pain during intercourse (insert red flag).
3:35-The most brief and succinct discussion of endometriosis ensues, which based on the 2 seconds he had his fingers in my vagina tells him that I have it, included in the *wealth* of information he gave me was a nod to the fact that I needed to be on a different form of folic acid since I have had to discontinue my pre-natal so that I don't overdose on vitamin D while supplementing it over the next 16 weeks.
3:40-I am re-dressed and sent to the waiting room for the front desk to schedule my husband a semen analysis and a 3 week follow up for me
4:00-I am finally called to the desk after watching 2 unattended 3-4 year olds chase each other around the waiting room (actually they were quite well behaved considering there was no obvious adult watching them) I check out, pay the co-pay and leave
Conclusions
-They think I have endometriosis and I am inclined to agree as no one else has been able to put their finger on it prior to now
-Sex shouldn't ever be painful, and neither should manual cervical manipulation, if it is, it means bad things
-Doctor's can give out homework, I was given a 20 page document on "Endometriosis, A guide for patients", but from what I have read so far I am sort of convinced, but that is a whole other post
-Front desk personnel can not multi-task if it takes them 20 minutes to check someone out
-Even if you think you're on top of your game, someone is bound to prove you wrong
-I think that my RE is more willing to help me because I was "so incredibly organized" according to him, which he must have said 3-4 times during our initial sit down
My opinions
First of all, does every RE really need to have a wall plastered by baby pictures somewhere in their office?
Up until now, I have only considered infertility merely an inconvenience. I simply thought of it as delaying pregnancy and having children rather than truly preventing it. I always thought that if someone could just determine the problem, there would be an easy fix. But things in life aren't always that easy. I really try hard not to complain too much, I'm just feeling a little broken.
Maybe this will end up being an easy fix, but my patience has run out. I don't know how I will make it through the next 3 weeks until my next appointment. I've just recently learned how to function respectably in 2 week time increments.
Is it worth inquiring about why I have to wait 3 weeks if my husband's semen analysis is scheduled one week from today? Should I have my husband try to move it up when he goes for the semen analysis? Is that being to forward/annoying/pushy?
*denotes extreme sarcasm
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