No Bak Kut Teh

Here's what happened during my second visit to Sunfert.

Feb 17 2015
A day away from Chinese New Year's eve and here I was at my second appointment with the doc. And I brought the hubs along! I was so thrilled that he managed to take the day off. Never mind that he seemed to be in a foul mood after receiving a call from the mechanic who did a crap job with his beat-up car.

I waited for a while to be called in to see the nurse, who took my blood to check on my hormone levels. I asked if it was also for a HIV test that the doc mentioned the last time, but the nurse didn't seem to know anything about it.

We got to see the doc after an hour or so I think and I was really praying in the days leading up to the appointment that there would be no cyst found in me (again). God must've heard my prayers because woohoo, I was given the all-clear to immediately start treatment for IVF. The hubs seemed thrilled at the news, and found it amusing that the nurse needed to take another sample of my blood, because they had missed out on sending it for the HIV testing that I earlier asked about. Doc joked about "having to find the same hole to poke back into." Ouch!

I wasn't too worried about that though, but I think I just got charged extra for the double blood work! Bummer.

By the way, the IVF will cost us approximately RM16.8 k. The figure would possible be raised to RM18.5k in April, when the GST kicks in. Instead of an easy payment plan that you can pay over a year, Sunfert has taken the liberty to divide the figure into the different stages leading up to the completion of the IVF programme.

This is how the division works:
Today - second day of period scan + start of FSH injections = RM2k + (not inclusive of blood tests)
Next week (23/2) - for first scan to see the response in my ovaries = RM2k +
Another scan on 25/2 - to see if we need to slow down on the injections = RM4k+
Egg retrieval possible on 28/2 = RM7k

We told doc of our desire to freeze the eggs for a frozen transfer, as I was expected to travel to Singapore from March 13 - 16, which wouldn't be ideal if I were to be pregnant then. Doc said "Well that's the trend now, to freeze all the eggs."

So off I went to see the nurse (I think I waited almost an hour) and was told to do these injections:
Today: 1 FSH injection by mixing 3 green vials of powder with 1 1/2 bottles of ampoule (water).
Tomorrow: Same but alternate to the left side of my tummy. (exact location to be found by doing a L-shape with two of my fingers from each hand, from the navel).
19/2: Same
20/2: Same
21/2: Same + one Cetrizide shot (to prevent the eggs from being released prematurely)
22/2: Same as above.
23/2: Just the Cetrizide shot and to visit the doc.

The nurse was very friendly and knowledgeable, and was a stickler with details, which I liked. I was given a print out of the payment plan, which really made things easier to chart. So much more assurance for me, knowing when I would get pregnant :)

The hubs had to deal with his grumbling tummy so he had gone off to the Chili Espresso diner on the ground floor. Another great thing about having Sunfert in a neighbourhood mall (Nexus) is that we can do everything here in one go, and not have to drive to another place for lunch/breakfast. They even have Chatime, which I have been refraining from.

Oh and Doc said I could eat anything, except Chinese herbs. Because the evil herbs are doused with some hormones or something, and that would interfere with the treatment. Not even Bak kut teh is allowed!

I told myself that it would still be okay to eat all the spicy tom yam dishes I want. But I'd definitely cut back on the sweet drinks. No cola or fizz of any kind.

It was a good second appointment, and I couldn't be happier that Chinese New Year was just around the corner. I started doing my 'count the eggs before they hatch' routine, and got myself all excited that we might just be having a sheep baby.