Yesterday proved to be a horrible day for driving. We planned to pick up our surrogate at 12:30 and arrive in the city around 1:30. We left our house at 12:00 and the snow hit! It came out of nowhere. Both B and I had driven around just hours prior, and nothing was happening then. The snow made visibility terrible, and there were white out conditions, but we eventually made it both to our surrogate's house, and then to the city, around 1:45. Our appointment was at 2, so thankfully we made it all in one piece. We got to the office, and parked in the Bing Crosby level of the garage (B was disappointed that we didn't get Louis Armstrong), and made our way over. After we checked in, we filled out paperwork, which asked some very personal questions about our fertility history. Poor B! He's so modest, but he handled the paperwork like a champ!
We then hit our first snafu. Somehow our surrogate's appointment didn't get saved in the system, so she wasn't on the list for the day, and the doctor was booked solid. She made arrangements for an appointment for the next day, and went to take her paper test while we saw the psychologist.
While B and I were meeting with the psych, it began to thundersnow. Let me tell you, you haven't experienced thundersnow until you are 15 floors up, in an office with two walls of windows. The questions the psych asked were pretty basic, and morbid. She asked us if we would consider termination, reduction, and what we would want done with our extra embryos if we died. Then the information overload began. She told us every step of the process. Quite honestly, I don't remember a whole lot, because at some point between injecting myself four times a day for ten days, and not being able to drink caffeine, my brain shut off. What I can say is this, IVF will become our whole lives. They have everything down to a science and timing is everything. If we have a 9:00 appointment, we better be there before 9:00, because, if we aren't, too bad so sad, we have to start over. They aren't playing around. Another thing we learned is because of our age, they will only be using one egg. Holy anxiety batman, talk about putting all our eggs in one basket (literally). Thankfully, they will be able to freeze the embryos, so after the first cycle of IVF for me, I won't need to do it again (hopefully).
Then came the medical consult. The first words out of the doctors mouth were I just spoke to psych and heard you are interesting. Nothing makes you feel more nervous then hearing you were called interesting by a psychologist. Thankfully, she was referring to my medical history, and not my sanity. The doctors took down all my stats, and information and sent me over to get an ultrasound. Then we hit our next slight issue. They couldn't find my ovaries. Man did they try, three people gave it a go, using all methods they could, but still no avail. Those suckers are hiding, and they are good at it. You know that kid who was always awesome at hide and seek? That's my ovaries. I will have to go back sometime soon and they will have a better ultrasound machine, as well as a different approach to finding them. They aren't worried, they just say that I'm going to be just a little more difficult then most. This doesn't surprise me, given the fact that all my other body systems and anatomy are weird, might as well just tack it on the list. The final score Ovaries: 1 Ultrasound: 0
After we lost in hide and seek, I had to have my blood drawn. As I am a professional pin cushion, this didn't bother me whatsoever. Until I saw not 1, not 2, but 8 vials brought out. I had a nice chat with the phlebotomist, and then we were on our way.
We had not seen our surrogate in some time, and we were very excited to find out that the doctors last two appointments had cancelled, which allowed our surrogate to be seen that day! She passed the first part of the psych (the interview) with flying colors. We have medical and psych clearance, so phase two is a go (pending the results of the written test- which I am not worried about). The written test is 560some questions, all true false, and all about your mental health. For example, are you happy with your life, do you want to harm animals etc. I know our surrogate well enough to know she is of sound mind. That being said our next step is a meeting with all three of us, and psych to begin working towards making a baby. That meeting will happen in about 10 days, and there will be a whole bunch of new information to overload our brains.
We celebrated this news with dinner at Foodlife (Watertower place) go there now if you haven't. It's the best place in the world, it has about 8 different types of cuisine, so it appeals to everyone. They also have AMAZING brownies. I had meatloaf, potatoes, and mac n cheese. B had Swedish meatballs, and potatoes. Our surrogate had a salad and pulled pork. Which one of us is the healthy one? We wanted rush hour to die down, so we went shopping for our surrogate's kids (Lego's and American Girl are so in right now). Then we battled the unplowed streets of Chicago, and arrived home at 7:45. Driving was a nightmare, but the day was a success, so it was worth it.
Now we sit, and wait until the next step. As always we are so grateful for all of the support, and encouragement. We can't wait to see where this journey takes us next.
Speaking of journeys, here is a shot of the roads I found. My phone picture turn out blurry. Note how it's not snowing, but the roads are still not plowed. A+ Illinois.
No comments:
Post a Comment