Not our first rodeo

Altogether true. Wholly, an understatement. We have been here many times already and have thus far been quite disappointed. Each time is always full of new hopes, anxieties, and excitement, as we allow ourselves to dream just a little. Not too much that a defeat will knock us down and not allow us to get back up, but just enough to make the effort worth it. Each time is filled with a new bit of cynicism, too. We are wounded but not ultimately defeated.

So, to the rodeo we travel once again. I think going back into treatments is somewhat bittersweet. As much as we enjoy the prospect that maybe this time will be THE time, it is hard not to be a wee bit apprehensive. We have been enjoying just being a couple, doing the things that couples do when they aren't worried about black clouds hanging over their heads. Starting this process once again throws us into a whirlwind of unknown and sometimes unexpected emotions. We now have to start planning ahead, changing plans to fit into or around any upcoming cycles. Everything starts to be affected by what we will or may possibly be doing on a given day or during a given week. Everything is affected by how things will or may end up. Some people who haven't walked in similar shoes, albeit unintentionally, start to tread lightly around us because they just have no way of fully understanding. None of this is easy, but ALL of this IS outweighed by the potential reward. We cling to that. We have to.

Today was in someways a "kickoff" to all of the above. I had my initial consult with South Jersey Fertility Center (moving forward, known as SJFC). I met with my new RE, Dr. Van Deerlin to discuss our fertility history and our fertility future. Dr. Van Deerlin was extremely sincere, thorough, and likeable. He made a point to memorize our history prior to coming in to speak with me. This was impressive and the first time that an RE had really put forth such an effort. It was refreshing. The recommended treatment our RE proposes is quite simple: IVF. Getting to that point is a little bit stickier, but it will happen. Here is what things look like for us:

• Matt needs to see our PCP in order to receive a referral for a SA
  
• Once the referral is in place, the SA will be done at SJFC
  
• I need to contact the IVF Nurse Coordinator to get set up for all of my screenings. She will need to coordinate all authorizations and approvals with Aetna.
  
• We will both need to repeat testing that we had done in the past, namely the infectious disease screening (for HIV, AIDS, Hepatitis B and C, measles, etc.)
  
• Starting with my next cycle, I will have a plethora of things that need to be done: pelvic evaluation, uterine measurement, cervical cultures, a
  sonohysterography (which checks for uterine abnormalities), and day 3 FSH and E2 bw

All of this will take at least one cycle to complete, so it will be at least one to two months before we will even begin the actual IVF cycle. The cycle will be a straightforward IVF cycle. Nothing too fancy. Nothing too new. Much more on the actual IVF cycle will be noted once we get closer to that time.

So, we have unofficially blown the dust off of the cowboy boots and are ready to climb up on that bull and get back in the ring. Hold onto your hats...rodeos can be rough...