Let the games begin

M. and I met with the RE this morning for u/s and b/w. Dr. K. was ready for us right away so we bypassed the b/w and went straight to u/s. I find myself getting confused these days with this gowning process. I realize this should not be complicated, but because I have been baring all for so many different people lately, I have been making a conscience effort to focus and make sure I don't screw this part up.

• GI - remove bra and underwear (see Jen, I didn't say panties), socks can stay on, gown opens to the back
• Acupuncture - remove bra and socks, underwear stay on, gown opens to the front
• RE - remove underwear, socks and bra stay on, cover nether region with a paper blanket - quality material there

I am just waiting for the day that I take off my underwear for acupuncture and throw my legs in the air. Okay, now on to the good stuff:
Dr. K came in and started my date with the dildocam. I had forgotten how uncomfortable this part can be before the litter of follicles begin to grow as he had to press so hard to find my undersized ovaries - damn underachievers. I'm not certain, but I think at one point I saw my lung on the screen. (I guess I should be thankful as I thought I had lost it during the colonoscopy prep). My right ovary (the troublemaker) is harboring a small cyst around 11mm, but this is not a showstopper.
The nurse coordinator was busy so Dr. K walked us over to let the phlebotomist (I'll call her ego-girl) know that I needed a blood-draw. After he left, she asked us to go back to the waiting room because standing in the hallway was a fire hazard. I like to think I am mobile enough to go with the flow of traffic at the first sign of smoke, but being the calm and un-medicated patient I am, I followed her orders and we retreated to the waiting room.
A few minutes later the nurse coordinator came back to get us to give Lupron instructions and to go over signing our final consents - 13 pages informing us all about IVF. My personal favorite is:
13. Psychological Risks - If the procedure is unsuccessful, or side effects numerous, I/we may experience frustration, anxiety and depression as well as psychological stress.
Ya think?!?
She then walked us back to ego-girl who once again told us to go back to the waiting room. There are 2 chairs in her room and one was empty this time, but she maybe needed that to stay empty for earthquake safety or something . We went back to the waiting room again for at least 10 minutes and nobody was called back during this time. When one of the nurses opened the door, I saw someone *gasp* waiting in the hallway blocking the fire lane. Bitch must have been medicated because she didn't retreat to the waiting room and actually got her blood drawn.
Finally, one of the nurses saw that we were still waiting and so ego-girl called me back. I dashed through the hall quickly as to try to not cause any more problems in the fire lane. She asked if I had any add-on blood-work. I didn't know I could "super-size" my blood-work order so decided to stick with the basics (estradiol and progesterone). Boring, I know. So here is our conversation:

Ego-girl: "So it says you are starting a new cycle?"
Me: "Yes."
Ego-girl: "Then I will check to see if they want your FSH too."
Me: "No, this isn't cd3 blood-work. I am 7dpo and they want to verify that I ovulated so I can start suppression injections."
Ego-girl: "Okay, I guess you wouldn't need FSH now then. They use that to check the thickness of your lining, I think."
Me: "No, FSH is the follicle stimulating hormone which stimulates follicle growth."
Ego-girl: "Oh, well, maybe it is one of the other ones then. Being a woman can be so technical with all the hormones and stuff."
Me: "Ummm, I guess so."

Is it just me or do you think she should take a little time to learn about these things? I mean, it's not like the RE's office has a ton of different bloodtests that they do. And if she doesn't know anything about this stuff, she might try not talking out her ass. This isn't my first trip on this merry-go-round, my friend. I only hope I can handle her as nicely while I am medicated. M. is excited for this possible entertainment.
So, end result for today is that my estradiol was 122 and progesterone was 13. Yes, the big fancy machine and the labwork both confirmed that I ovulated. I think this is cute considering I have known nearly the exact day I have ovulated each month for almost the past 3 years. I ovulated on Monday the 26th this month, but now it is really official.
With this information we were given the go ahead to begin our first Lupron injection tonight, but not without checking out and charging $8650 to our Discover card. With all that cash-back bonus, we might be able to get groceries this month too. Woo Hoo!!
Lupron injection #1 is done. We are officially on for IVF#2.