Today we had another ultrasound. For the first time we waited for quite a while in the waiting room. And, for the first time, the waiting room was full. There we all were, couples and individuals, sitting in the room for the same reasons, but not talking to or looking at each other. Nobody dares acknowledge the elephant in the room, I guess. People of all ages and walks of life were there for one purpose. It was kind of fun to do a little ‘people watching,’ I’ll admit. Some were talkative with their spouse, some read books, some were fidgety and nervous, and others just stared at the floor. Most were intently focused on their smart phones and pretended like they were doing something important on them. That place could serve as a great social experiment! I asked the receptionist if we needed to pay a copay or anything, and she kindly said, “Actually no, you’ve already paid in full and everything is now included.” Thanks…that was a huge copay last time, so it’s nice that you’ll include everything now J. After 45 minutes we were called back for the ultrasound.
We met with Dr Peterson. He’s the original physician who did our consult. It was nice to see him again and have him be part of the actual care. Things were again ‘normal’ and we’re ready to proceed with the next step and meds. I mentioned my concerns about over response and hyperstimulation. Dr Peterson said, “I’ll go look at your protocol and labs and see if we need to make an adjustment.” He came back in a few minutes and said he adjusted the dosages a little to accommodate my concerns. As a great physician does, he said, “If you are concerned about it, then I will be concerned about it with you.” I was impressed. I then mentioned my fears of conscious sedation during the actual egg retrieval and that prompted him to sit down and talk more. I’m a little bit of a worrier, and always have in the back of my mind the worst-case scenario. But, I have been sensitive to narcotic pain meds in the past, so I’m a little nervous to be sedated. Plus, I just have issues with not being awake while things are happening to me…that’s just kind of freaky! He again acknowledged my concerns. He vowed to put info in my chart to communicate these concerns to the other physicians and to have them titrate the meds gently and be prepared with nausea meds. I was grateful for the extra few minutes he spent with us just ‘being concerned’ alongl with me and being an advocate for his patient. Sometimes I think healthcare workers like to smooth things over and minimize patient concerns. We spend a lot of time reassuring patients that ‘things will be fine’ and ‘not to worry.’ And, sometimes that is appropriate. However, today I was reminded that patient concerns need acknowledgement and addressing, not just smoothing. If a patient or family is concerned, we need to act. My own physician was a great example to me as a nurse of how to ‘be concerned’ and present with a patient.
The doctor then directed us to meet in the office with the nurse. This is where we were reminded that the name of the game is ‘hormone manipulation.’ She clarified all the meds and how to give them. There were prefilled medication pens, reconstitution vials, big needles, little needles, charts, and additions to the calendar. I think the medication side of this could be slightly overwhelming. I think it was good for Jerry to hear it all, too. Between the two of us we will hopefully get it all right! Less than two hours later the pharmacy called me to verify my address, the medication orders, and payment amounts. They overnight all the meds at once by FedEx. I’ll have them by tomorrow to start them on Monday.
One day at work I was giving a patient a bunch of medications at the same time. He said, “I hope they all know where to go and what to do!” I’m starting to feel the same way!
We left the clinic today feeling confident and, once again, reassured that this is the right place to be. Things are going well. We feel supported by the physicians and are excited for the upcoming weeks.
No comments:
Post a Comment