Today we had our phone appointment with the doctor at the genetics laboratory. It went as well as I think a phone appointment can possibly go. The doctor who runs the lab is one of the people who invented PGD 20 years ago. That alone is amazing and reassuring, but it turns out he is also a kind-hearted personable guy as well. :)
The main reason for the phone appointment was to create a connection with us and also to help reduce any stress we may have about the whole process. I was honest and told him that the PGD part doesn't scare me as much as the whole IVF process.
He had some good advice: (1) Stop worrying about it. Let the doctors worry about it. That's why you pay us and that's why you (should) be trusting us. Stay informed but once you learn what you need to learn, don't obsess about it. Stress is one of the biggest enemies to fertility and one of the few factors we can have an effect on. So relax. (2) Remember the big picture. When the time comes to start the process, don't let it run your life. Remember all the good things you already have in your life and focus on that. (Hopefully) a short time from now, you'll have a baby and those injections will seem like nothing. And finally some husband-specific advice, (3) When she starts the injections, be on your best behavior. And don't underestimate the power of bringing home flowers. (I liked this one!)
The last thing that I thought was really cool, was he asked us to send him a photo of us. I guess when we send them the samples after the embryos have been made, it takes about 18 HOURS to run the tests. This means the doctors work a lot of overtime. So they like to have a photo of each family posted in their lab - to give them motivation and to remind them how important their jobs are.
So yeah, a pretty important phone call. And since we are not doing our cycle until January, I am really going to work on the "stop worrying about it" advice. Starting now - I've got the season finale of Mad Men waiting for me on the DVR. :)
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