Huh?

On Friday, Harris went in for his semen analysis at my doctor's office.  There is a urologist in practice there as well who has done his work in the past and we felt good using the same scenario again.  Things have changed in the last five years though and Harris was relieved to find that he no longer had to go into a cold bathroom to "get" his sample this time.  LOL!  There was more privacy and compassion given to the male patients than before and the women working there were very generic and complacent about what was getting  ready to happen.  All in all, it put him at ease...or, well, as at ease as he could be in that situation.

So, we spent the weekend checking email to see if the results had come thru since the techs work on the weekend by nature of the business.  But, alas, no email until today.  I have been out of town for the last day and only saw the results tonight.  They have really confused me a great deal.  So, of course, I have now spent time on the Internet trying to google stuff like, "What does my Kruger morphology report mean?"  and "How do I understand my semen analysis?"  (I swear, if somebody stole my computer and checked the search history, they'd probably think I was off my rocker!)

I have found some results and looked at the report in comparison with those.  But, I can't find one that has everything I'm looking for.  It's like reading a foreign language and the numbers on the page are confusing at times.  Of course, the alternative to googling like a mad-woman is to wait and ask my doctor when I go in later this week, but who waits?  I want to know now!  Waiting is such a constant in this process and I'm ready to move, not wait more.  

Cobblestone Roads

When we went to France for our 5th anniversary in 2004, we had read about the lovely pedestrian only streets paved with cobblestones.  They were lovely and had beautiful little shops that fit with the Parisian idea we'd had in mind for the trip.  HOWEVER, what we didn't anticipate was that those lovely little cobblestones could be brutal to walk on and roll luggage down.  So, I am once again reminded of those streets with their pits and dips (which caused us to turn ankles and break suitcase wheels) as we walk this road of infertility - nothing is as easily traversed as you think it will be.

Harris got his semen analysis done on Friday and we're hopeful to get the results on Monday.  I have spent a good hunk of time yesterday and today working to try and get my medical records to scan with zero luck.  I have tried one scanner and it will only do a page at the time.  My network printer is able to see my laptop, but unable to scan to it.  There's no logical reason for these two options to not work.

If someone out there is praying for me to have more patience, please stop.  Thanks.

Seriously though, I will just suck it up and have Staples do the scan jobs for me.  It'll probably cost me an arm and a leg, but in the grand scheme of things at least it will be done!  I am excited to send the records over to SCI and I have to keep focused on that.

Medical Records and Surrogacy Questions

Triumph!  I had the bloodwork done this morning.  It didn't go well, to say the least.  When I left there, I had 5 bandages and enough burst capilaries (sp?), etc. that I looked like either a stabbing victim or a heroin junkie with track marks.  Certainly not my best look.  At least it's done and I can put it behind me for now.  Man, I hate needles!

Okay, so I am in the process of getting my medical records from my reproductive endocrinologist's office.  I have been working the last week to try and get them sent to me digitally, but the person who was trying to do that was unable to figure out the process.  So, I am going to have them do a printout and then scan them in myself when I get home.  This will take hours, but at least I will have them to store in a non-paper copy for myself.  After seeing multiple doctors for the last few years in the process of dealing with this stuff, I can say for certain that you should ask for copies of everything from your physicians every year or so (depending on frequency of visits).  I have also taken custody of all my x-rays so that when they are needed, I don't have to go to every hospital, doctor's office, and urgent care used while growing up. 

One other thing, I am not just planning to blindly send my records off.  I will not send information (confidential or otherwise) to anyone outside of the SCI facility.  When I get assurance that the channel is secure for transmission - and when I know exactly where the stuff will go - then I will send everything Dr. Shivani needs. 

On the surrogacy front, I have been reading thru Chai Baby's blog for the last few weeks and she did a TON of research.  This has made my life so much easier.  In one of her posts from September of 2009, she asks several good questions about care of surrogates during the time they are carrying for you.  Below are the questions: 

1. What is surrogate housing? Are we talking about a house? an apartment? a dormitory?
2. What happens when the women are in this space? What can they do?
3. What contact do they have with their families?
4. Do they go on outings or are they house bound?
5. What is the role of the care taker/social worker/cook? How are they paid? Is is a salary or a % of what the surrogate gets?
6. Are their photos available?

I am writing to her now to find out what answers she got from this inquiry as it was directed to SCI and Dr. Shivani.  When I get a response, I will update. 

Another good link that I found on that blog references information that was put forth by Peter (who had completed the process himself) before writing.  Seems like good advice that is worth repeating.
http://www.globaldoctoroptions.com/story/peter

*If you want to meet the surrogate, do so after the baby is born and in your hands. This is the point at which the surrogate and her family have no negotiating leverage. While they still have the baby, they have negotiating leverage, should they choose to use it.
*Do not get involved in any negotiations. Refer all requests to your
agency and/or doctor.
*Do not give the surrogate your contact information. If she and her family can’t contact you, she can’t make additional requests or demands.
*Don’t appear to be rich. This will be difficult, because as a westerner, and by being able to pay for the surrogacy process, you already appear richer than anyone the surrogate may know. But if you invite the surrogate and her family to an expensive
restaurant or make multiple plane trips to visit her during her pregnancy,
you’ll appear even more rich. Which makes you a more inviting target.
*If you do plan on meeting with your surrogate, coordinate closely with your clinic to understand what they might add to the above comments.

I have my next doctor's appointment to revisit and revise "the plan" on Wednesday afternoon.  Harris has an appointment on Friday to have another semen analysis done.  His last one was 5 years ago and I know this needs to be updated just to make sure he doesn't have a condition that is contributing to our issues.  Last time, he was normal across the board with motility, count, etc.  No abnormalities, no concern.