I Did It!

I went in for the dreaded blood draw. It was kind of a let down. It turned out not to be a lot of blood, just a lot of teeny, tiny vials. I didn't faint, although my arm did get numb, and the tech was good. She got my vein on the first try and kept me distracted while the vials filled. All in all, it was smooth and easy! :-) Now we just wait for the results.

The other thing that absolutely needs to happen before we try again is a test for The Mister, called a sperm DNA fragmentation test. Dr. R. is lukewarm about it, but I really want it done. If I'm going to be considering immunology treatments, then I want to be as sure as we can be that there's nothing else causing problems. It's one of those things that's mostly fixed by diet, lifestyle, and supplements.

I think I've decided against the second opinion consult--at least not with the RPL specialist I mentioned before. For one thing, I didn't realize how short a time she had been in practice (only 10 years, including her fellowship). For another, all the on-line reviews I read about her criticized her bedside manner. She was apparently rushed, rude, and unsympathetic. Oh, and because she works at a teaching hospital, she has residents handling a portion of her practice, and you can't refuse to be seen by them. It also sounded like she wasn't open to discussion multiple options and treatment plans. On top of that, Ms. Bird said none of her patients who work with doctors at that particular teaching hospital have ever gotten pregnant. Not very reassuring.

So I'm sticking with Dr. R. at the moment. At least he has a good bedside manner and encourages me to be an active participant in my care and treatment.