Wednesday, April 2, 2008

I'm Calling 13 a Lucky Number

Retrieval today, and things went soooo smoothly. It helped that I was pretty damn calm about the whole process. I guess it’s because I’ve not only done it twice, I’ve also done the full-blown surgery thing—it makes it hard to get worked up over a little twilight anesthesia and some cramping. (Though it still really did hurt right after. Ow!)

Anyway, broke my own record and got 13 little eggs. I’m pretty psyched about that, at least as psyched as I can be with an achy belly and anesthesia-fuzzy brain.

I also made a fuss about a not-so-nice receptionist at my RE’s office, and I’m patting myself on the back for that. Here’s the story:

One of the problems with being with the same RE for over a year and a half is that the people you love keep taking other jobs. First, my favorite nurse left me. Then the bestest and nicest insurance specialist. Then I lost my favorite blood-drawing nurse (who seriously was my ROCK through two miscarriages—the woman has had 4 miscarriages including one stillborn; she finally ended up with a daughter via IVF and has been a constant source of stability and comfort for me). So yesterday, my RE’s receptionist was replaced. I really liked the old one, at least after I’d broken her in. (We'd had a few spats early on, when I was losing it and irrational she was less than sensitive, but we both apologized and it ended up making us get along much better.) She knew me, knew my history, and was very helpful and sweet to me.

So after my retrieval my RE tells me to go home and go to bed, but first call my nurse to talk about drugs tonight. I first call my nurse from the car, at about 8:30 a.m. The new receptionist answers. I give her my name and ask if I can please talk to my nurse. She says coldly, “You’re going to have to call back after 9:30, when we’re done doing our morning monitoring.”

Okay, not the end of the world, as I still have to get home and eat before I go to bed. And they are really busy in the mornings. Of course, she could have asked my situation, found out if it was urgent, etc, but I’m not letting it bother me.

By the time 9:30 rolls around I’ve finished eating, am in my pajamas, and my bed is calling me--urgently. I call my RE's office again at 9:37. Again, I say who I am and who I need to talk to. Same clipped tone, “I’m sorry, but you really need to call after 9:30––” she says.

I cut her off. “First of all,” I pointed out, “it is after 9:30.”

“It is?,” she sounds surprised.

I go on. “Second, I just had my retrieval this morning, I’m dizzy from the anesthesia, I need to go to bed, and I have to talk to my nurse first.”

I sat on hold while my nurse finished a sono, rather than leave a message. My nurse is a total doll. Once we had finished talking about my drugs, I told her, “just one more thing. I don’t want this new receptionist to know it came from me, but you should know that she was not so nice to me this morning.” I relayed the entire story above (leaving out the part where I wasn’t really ready to go to bed at 8:30 when I called the first time, because why should that tiny fact benefit the bitchy receptionist?).

My nurse was pissed. She told me that this wasn’t going to be our permanent receptionist, to which I said, “oh, then it doesn’t matter that much to me.”

“It matters to me,” my nurse replied.

Hee hee hee. Had this receptionist been willing to listen, I could have warned her: don’t fuck with a woman who just had a giant needle stuck up the wazoo.

**************

Okay, okay, one more McNulty pic. When I showed J this pic last night, he said, "Yup, that's a Devil Kitty."

(Hey, am I going to lose my readers if I ever stop posting his photos? What am I going to do when he gets old an boring?)





13 comments:

Working Girl said...

You go gurl!!! 13 is a great number!!! Hope you receive a great fertilization report!!! Rest well.

annacyclopedia said...

First of all, I will stick by you even if (at this point it seems unlikely, but I know cats do lose their nuttiness once they stop being kittens) McNulty gets old and boring. I like your blog with or without McNulty.

Second - woot! Go, you record-breaker, you! 13 is a great number. You'll be in my thoughts and prayers as you wait for the fertilization report. Hope your belly feels better.

Third - good on you for letting your nurse know about the receptionist. That's so uncool, the way she treated you, and perhaps you should send her a little postcard warning her not to fuck with anyone who's just had a giant needle up the wazoo. A nice anonymous postcard giving her some good career advice. Not to mention it's just a good life lesson!

Emily (Apron Strings) said...

Woo-hoo! Thirteen is a GREAT number! And yes, receptionist can just kiss your rear...

Kitty looks so CUTE! Nevermind that he's a little nutty... it just makes him extra loveable!

MissNoAngel (find me on Twitter) said...

Yay for the smooth retrival! Yay for 13 eggs! Yay for taking down the evil receptionist! AND yay for cutest kitty ever! ;) Glad it went so well today!!

Ms. J said...

Yer a girl after my own heart . . . I always let TPTB (The Powers That Be) know when their staff is "reflecting poorly" on them. If I have to, I whip out the ol' "My Husband Is a Doctor and HE . . ." -- which is sorta bullsh*t, since he is a solo practitioner with no staff (just billing person), as he is a chiropractor. But it gets the point across. I also rave about when I encounter GOOD staff manners, so I don't feel like I am a total meanie, hee hee.

Jen said...

13?!! Wonderful! I can't wait to hear your fert report (I will be stalking for it)!
McNulty is adorable.

Io said...

Thirteen is *fantastic* My husband was born on the thirteenth, so it is definitely a good number.
I will have those little kids of yours in my prayers.
And while McNulty *is* an incredibly cute little devil cat, I will still read when he is a big boring cat and you are a big fat pregnant lady.

Malloryn said...

Yay, that is an awesome number! Way to go. I hope you're feeling better very soon.

McNulty is so cute, as usual. No worries, I'll still be reading your blog even if you stop posting pics of him :)

::fingers crossed::

Katie said...

Yay for 13! I am a day ahead of you... Sorry about the receptionist and I hope your belly feels better-- I had a marked improvement today.

annacyclopedia said...

Thanks for your good advice re: my circle of support/people who know. You are absolutely right, and I've had similar thoughts myself already. I reached out to people in real life before I found the blogosphere, and in some cases I now wish I had kept it quieter. Right now my response is just to stop sharing details, even with people who might be curious. I understand there's lots to be curious about, but I don't ask all my mom friends the nitty gritty about their kids' conceptions!

Thanks for the affirmation - makes me feel more sure I'm on the right path with this sense I have.

Hope you're feeling better and all is well in your world.

Ms Heathen said...

That's fantastic news! Keeping my fingers crossed for a good fertilisation report.

kate said...

Woohoo! 13!!!!!! That's a lot!

Yeah, you totally have a devil-kitty, but an adorable, sweet, only-ever-so-slightly demonic kind of devil-kitty.

And yeah, good for you. I really think it needs to be mentioned more often when we receive crappy service, even if that service is received in a doctor's office. I'm glad you were able to reach the nurse and have someone who "gets it" hear your complaint and agree with you.

Me said...

13 is a fantastic number, very lucky as far as I'm concerned.

Very impressed with your handling of the twit of a nurse :)

Loving McNulty, too cute.