Although we struggled for more than 18months to conceive Jakson, we were able to conceive him naturally.
It took me two years of trying to be able to make the decision to go and see a fertility specialist. Normally it's once you pass the 12 month mark but I wasn't mentally ready at that time.
It was really hard for me, I felt like a complete failure....I felt I was letting down Johnny, Jakson and our baby to be.
If only I'd known how long this journey was going to be I would have made that appointment for the fertility specialist very quickly!
Due to limited funds and my ignorance with how much a private specialist cost, we decided to go through the public health system.
I got my referral and made the appointment.
I thought it was a bit weird when they sent my paperwork to fill in, it just didn't seem right and I knew I should have called to question it but I didn't.
When it was time for the appointment, we got there and I gave them the paperwork and we sat down, waiting to be called. The receptionist called me to come to the desk and gave me a bag and says 'Congratulations!' yep, it was the gift bag that they give to pregnant women
I had to tell her that I am not pregnant but here for fertility help, she than looked at who had I was booked in to see and it was for a pregnancy appointment not a reproductive medicine appointment!
It turns out that it was both the doctors and hospitals fault, a miscommunication if you will!
The doctor didn't put enough info on the referral and whoever received the referral and made the appointment didn't read the full referral properly.
I can't tell you how hard it was to not cry that day, my eyes were filled with tears as the receptionist and her supervisor apologised profusely to me and Johnny. I can't begin to describe how horrible it was
We went to pick Jakson up from my mums after the appointment and both my sisters were there and obviously wanted to know how the appointment went, and telling them what happened was just as hard as when the lady presented me with the bag and a big excited congratulations
They only have the reproductive medicine clinic on Wednesdays so they made an appointment for us for a couple of weeks away.
I had a good cry in the car and when we got home.
Having to actually tell someone that I am was not pregnant is much harder than knowing I am not, if that makes sense?
To have to verbalise it and say it in a room full of pregnant woman was one of the most difficult things I've had to say.
As it was mothers day, I also missed the Mother's Day afternoon tea at Jakson's day care. Thankfully my mum was able to be there for him, but it's something that I should have been there for
Johnny had to take the day off work, and had to take another one off when our proper appointment came round.
So that was our first experience with medical fertility help, and it was not a good one. I guess it kind of set the tone for what has been our experience so far.
I'll try and be brief now while I outline what has happened so far
- The specialist putting me on Clomid (a drug to help you ovulate) and deciding not to put me on the waiting list to have a laparoscopy (which going by my symptoms, they should have)
- The specialist did not monitor me during my 4 cycles of Clomid. I later found out that they should have been doing a scan each cycle to ensure the Clomid was working properly
- After 4 cycles of Clomid we stopped as it was obvious that is was not working.
- We also found out later on that the laboratory they sent Johnny's tests to was a sub-standard laboratory and most fertility specialist will not use it
- Seeing a new specialist through the public system (there was always a new one each appointment - no continuity at all) they looked at my file and asked why I had not had the laparoscopy yet? I said to them because no one has ordered it and they were shocked. The put me on the list immediately and said it should only take about 3 months of waiting.....well that 3 months turned into 7months because there was a problem with the surgical lists and I got pushed back when I shouldn't have been.
Finally at one of the appointments the specialist rang them and told them to give me a surgery date immediately, the following day I got a letter telling me my surgery would be in May.
- Before the laparoscopy I talked with the anaesthesiologist and told him I am allergic to Tramadol, well he still decided to give me Tramadol and I had a very horrible 48 hours after the operation with very nasty side effects including extreme vertigo, pain and trouble breathing, nausea and headaches.....all this to go along with the normal post-op pain!
It was only when we went to see a private specialist Dr. Parmar that things turned around. Dr. Parmar has been wonderful, very caring and thorough.
I really hope that although the start to our fertility treatment experience was horrid, one day the end with Dr.Parmar can be on a happy note
Its horrible what you have to go thru Jodie, when we lost Albury I had to go back to the hospital 6 weeks later for a check up, was told it would be in a completely separate part of the hospital, but it wasnt, instead I had to sit in the waiting room with all the pregnant women, crying my eyes out coz my little girl had died, and I was surrounded by reminders. It was a pain I wouldnt wish on anyone.
ReplyDeleteIm always here to talk to if you need Jodie, call anytime, or pop over for a drink!!