Getting Ready...

...for vacation!  I've been spending my February working per usual, finishing out my indoor volleyball season (the final tournament is this week), and getting ready - oh so ready - for a vacation.  I'm so glad I decided to go with my husband to the national bowling tournament as an excuse to get out of town and have some much needed time off.  I debated because for one, plane tickets are expensive and if I went it would be double the cost.  More food, more hotel costs, more everything.  And with the cost of IVF looming, I didn't want to spend any more money.  However, if he went without me and just went with his buddies, he probably would spend just as much money without me being there to hold the purse strings.  At least if we are going to spend it anyway, I might as well have some fun, too!  And with our recent IVF failure, this is a good break from reality.

We're going to Lake Tahoe,NV for the weekend first.  We'll be doing a "winter" vacation of sorts - snowmobiling one day and a scenic cruise on the lake another day.  But it couldn't be a dinner cruise because DH is susceptible to motion sickness.  We learned this on our honeymoon taking a boat on the ocean to Margaritaville in Jamaica.  I don't want to call him a wuss, but I'm just callin' 'em like I see 'em!  Anyway, we'll do some exploring around the lake, too.  We heard that Tiger Woods has a mansion around there somewhere - so maybe we'll do a little celebrity stalking, too.  The California side of the lake has some beautiful, expensive homes that will be cool to see, too.

Then on Sunday, we'll return to Reno, NV and explore all of the activities that this little Vegas town has to offer.  Which, from what I've heard, will only consist of gambling, drinking, gambling, and bowling.  Woo hoo.  This is where my baby-sitting skills will be put to the test!  I'm sure we'll have fun on the penny machines and I've suggested a night at a karaoke joint to distract us from the roulette tables.

DH will bowl for two of the days in Reno.  Singles and Doubles one day, and the team event on another.  Don't be impressed by the words "national bowling tournament".  You don't have to actually be good to bowl in it.  Heck, I could bowl in it if I wanted to (and I'm not good).  You just have to pay the fee on time with your team and show up on the right day.  If you actually bowl extraordinarily well, you could win some money, but it is pretty doubtful.  Over the course of about 6 months, this tournament hosts over 15,000 teams or about 75,000 bowlers.  We have used this little excuse to go on vacation before.  In past years, we've been to Corpus Christi, TX and Las Vegas and DH has been to Baton Rouge, LA, Albuquerque, NM, and of course, Reno, NV - all in the name of bowling.  It's as good an excuse as any!

Thank you to a Second Opinion

I want to thank everyone who has commented on my blog and our infertility woes.  Your words have been so supportive and have really made me think about what our next steps should be.  I decided that you were all right in that a second opinion can't hurt.  Knowledge is power.  I've made an appointment with the second RE for 2 days after we get back in town from our vacation, on March 11th.    It was the first consult appointment they had.  The next appointment would have been in April!

My husband wasn't necessarily too keen on the idea of getting a second opinion.  I think he is afraid that sending my records to RE #2 will make RE #1 not so happy and could mess with what could be IVF #3.  I assured him that this type of thing is probably pretty common and they won't think twice about it.   We've been seemingly treated like a number with them, so word that tranferring records probably won't even get back to the doctor, and if it does, it probably won't register with her who we even are.  I also assured him that if we don't like what RE #2 has to say or if he agrees with RE #1, then we can stick with our original clinic if we want.  No harm, no foul.

I don't want to hate on my original RE.  She is a really nice lady when we get to talk to her.  The clinic is #1 in the state, if not the region.  I haven't had the opportunity to talk to many others that go there.  Infertility is a pretty hush, hush topic even in the waiting room of an infertility clinic.  The one couple that we know of that sees the same RE is still not pregnant after 2 years, but they've done one fresh cycle and two FETs.  All made it to transfer.  Their situation is completely different from ours.  The clinic's pregnancy rates and stats are pretty good too.  But one can only rely on those statistics so much because who knows what they are really counting.  They're probably not counting people like me who don't make it to transfer - twice.

As for the new RE, Dr. H, I've heard good things.  My cousin just had a baby after seeking treatment with him.  I'm not sure of the details or her situation though.  Again, not something that is broadcast.  And the woman I talked to on the phone to make the appointment seemed really nice. First impressions are important, right?  And her name was Melissa, also.  Maybe it's a good sign?!