Dr. Patton is Cool :)

I'm happy to report that Michael and I both really enjoyed our appointment at OHSU today with Dr. Patton.  He was friendly, attentive and seemed genuinely interested in us (as were all of the staff members we met or who helped us).  I was truly impressed with them!

Dr. Patton reviewed our medical history and most recent testing and then explained the IVF process very clearly, making sure we understood everything and that our questions were fully answered.  I told him that I am most apprehensive of taking the fertility drugs, since I didn't feel like myself toward the end of the Clomiphene Challenge test (I described it to him as "PMS x 100).  He assured me that Clomid is worse in that respect in comparison with the fertility drugs that I will be taking with IVF.  I guess they don't have as many side effects since they are a "pure" drug and Clomid is made in the laboratory and is very concentrated to stimulate FSH production.

After we met with the doctor, we met with the IVF coordinator who went over our next steps while Michael and I tried our best to keep up.  To put it succinctly, there are a whole lot of blood and ultrasound tests in my future!  :)  We're talking 2-4 injections per day, plus trips to the clinic for blood tests and ultrasounds every 1-3 days to monitor my hormone levels and developing follicles.  But I feel ready, so it's okay.  And I feel strongly supported by all of you and by our families; it helps tremendously to have that kind of support when gearing up for something as intense as this.

The next step for us will be for me to call when I begin my period (in about a week), and go in for a trial transfer, during which they will inject pure saline into me to make sure the catheter can pass through my cervix and that there are no polyps or fibroids.  Although now that I think about it, I should ask about the necessity for the test since I had the hysterosalpingogram last August which showed a normal uterus, and ORM said the test was good for 1 year.  If I do end up having the test, they will also measure the depth of my uterus and "map" the area in preparation for egg retrieval.

Besides all that, I need to go in for a thyroid level check in 2 weeks and Michael and I both have to get STD testing before we can start IVF.  So I'm glad we got in when we did instead of waiting for the May 10th appointment with Eileen's doctor . . . it would be another month that we would have to wait.  As it looks now, if all goes smoothly, potentially we could be doing IVF in June!

And getting pregnant then would be an amazingly sweet birthday gift indeed.