Old blood

I've discovered a wonderful new way to temporarily silence the avid infertile- give her copies of all the test results and other information in her medical file, and plop her in front of the internet.

Yes, it's a Google bonanza here at the barn since I managed to get my grubby little mitts on the pack of test results which Dr Best Friend handed over today. Actually, if I am perfectly honest, it was a bit of shambles this morning. My appointment was at 8.50, and there was somewhere I absolutely had to be by 10.15. Which in theory sounds like it may be enough time, but let me assure you, it is not- when getting to that somewhere involves first going into the office to pick up some papers, then getting in a cab for twenty minutes. Factor in Dr Best Friend running twenty minutes late and you have one very stressed out pony.

So she was in a bit of a flap, and I was in a bit of a flap, and to make matters worse, she hadn't gotten around to making the copies for the pack, as she had said she would two weeks ago.

Oh, Dr Best Friend, what an uncharacteristic lapse!

She went charging off to do it right then and there, bless her. But she couldn't get the file apart properly so there are some very interesting black marks down the side of the copied pages, not to mention what looks like a photocopy of a rather disturbing deformed finger on one sheet. Huh.

Actually, I have to say, having pawed through the pages a couple of times, there is hee haw of interest. That is not to say I have not been very entertained for three quarters of an hour or so, inputting all the random hormone results into the great maw of Google. But much as I was hoping to find something illuminating, I really don't think there are any revelations here.

What is interesting is what is missing. No estradiol (E2) results. I quizzed Dr BF about that in the frantic two minutes before she scurried off to do the copying, and she said that they don't do that hormone check as standard. Um. Gosh. You know, I have been undergoing fertility investigations for a year now, and I would have thought something like estradiol might have been on the standard checklist. Am I wrong about that? And why pray tell didn't Dr Ticktock ask about it when he was merrily diagnosing us as "unexplained"?

Then Dr Best Friend mumbled, in the midst of all the flurry of activity, that maybe she could ask the lab to run the estradiol test on "old blood". By that point I really was about to be very late indeed, and so I ended up having to run out of the door (managing to snag my gym bag on the door handle, nearly tearing off my left arm in the process). So we didn't discuss that option in any depth. But if I am not much mistaken, an estradiol test, like FSH, should be done on Day 3. Given that my last Day 3 FSH test was almost exactly a year ago, I kinda doubt that my old blood is really all that viable somehow. Besides, why make do with old blood when I have so much nice new blood right here in my equine veins?

On the upside, the tests for HIV and Hep B&C were negative for both me and E. Hurrah.

Comments

[Soper]

Hurrah!

What a dumbass. Sheesh, did SHE get a Google M.D.?

[Emily]

Soper, I protest, the Google MD is a MUCH higher standard then some of the Harvard MDs I've come across. That being said, yeah, where did she get her MD? WTF? If you don't have all the test levels, you don't have a complete picture and are, ur, just tapping your hooves.

Thinking of you Mare.

xxoo,

[sweetisu]

Run tests on "old blood"??? They KEEP the old blood????? WTH! I demand a better doctor!

Hurrah on the HIV and Hep test results - all that foolin' around the barns didn't taint you guys one bit. j/k. :-)

[JJ]

As one socialized health care recipient to another, I'm told they don't test E2 here until you get to the IVF clinic, which is ALL out of pocket of course.

[lobster girl]

Aaargh! Mare, you're descriptions of your health care experiences make me want to pull my hair out! I wish you didn't have to tolerate this crap. You DO need an E2 check, dearie, and it does need to be on day 3. And I'm betting year old blood wouldn't cut it either (though I am both fascinated and horrified that they actually might keep blood for that long).

[Kristin]

Somehow, the thought that they had my old blood stored somewhere (without me knowing) would really disturb me.

ARGH, I hope your fertiltiy health care improves once you are at the new place.

[Anna H.]

So. Frustrating.

xxoo

[Jen/VintageUterus]

Do they really keep old blood? GROSS!!

You know, I've never thought about this before, but what DO they do with it when they're done with the tests?

[deborah]

I don't know about old blood, but there's plenty of bad blood at my clinic.

[Amyesq]

LMAO Deb. Yes there is. And old blood sound just gross, thankyouverymuch.