I heart Dr. Receptive

Last week I had another appointment with Dr. Receptive to see what he thought about my day 19 bloodwork results and also to ask him about getting more bloodwork done while I waited for my mid-May RE appointment. Once again, I walked out of that appointment feeling good.

Dr. Receptive said he was glad to see all the numbers within normal range even though the bloodwork was done later in my cycle. He said that he was glad to see that my FSH levels were not “screaming at the top of their lungs” and were just “quietly talking.” Most of what he tried to tell me, I was already familiar with, but you have got to love a doctor who tries to explain things to you so you can understand it. (And with such anthropomorphism! I love it!) And he did it without being condescending. I think the other thing about him is that, unlike my experience with the doctor who told me about my high FSH results, both times I have talked to him he gave me the sense that all hope is not lost. It wasn’t in anything he said explicitly (“Don’t worry, everything will be ok”). He is somehow comforting without being unrealistic. He certainly has a gentle compassion about him and he is definitely a doctor who is open to patients doing their own research. In fact, he complimented me on the fact that I was trying to learn about POF and being proactive in dealing with it.

I told him about my appointment in May and my idea to get my day 3 FSH retested as well as progesterone testing done before my RE appointment because it was highly likely the RE would ask for those again. He had no problem writing up the lab requests for it and he asked me questions again about insurance coverage and made sure to put in my possible diagnosis of POF to ensure the greatest chance my tests would be covered. He asked if I was aware I could ask to be put on a wait list for any earlier appointments that might come up with the RE (I was and had been). Then, he made a note to himself to talk to an OB/GYN affiliated with the medical practice I have an RE appointment with, who was coming in a few days to talk to her about my case. He said maybe he could see if she could see me before mid-May just to get me into their system (which he has no access to) and get some things rolling.

So, my plan for my next round of bloodwork is to wait for my next cycle and do all the bloodwork within that cycle. I could have gotten my progesterone done now then waited for my cycle to start next week and do my day 3 repeat, but I called the RE’s office to see if there were any cancellations and to confirm they have a note to give me an earlier appointment should it come up. It seemed to me that the chance of getting in any earlier than mid-May is low to impossible. So, I thought I’d collect some good data on myself this next cycle and try to get as much out of my next RE appointment as I can. One thing that has been nagging me is whether I’m really ovulating. I’ve read that people with POF can have an LH surge and all the signs of ovulation but no ovulation. And when I was temping before, I had a temp rise after my LH surge but it was moderate, and I would see only see a more substantial rise 3 days later. I never knew what that meant but maybe with some bloodwork and close monitoring I can get a better picture of what my body is doing.

So, the BBT is coming back out of retirement for a few weeks and I know I’ve got some OPK’s under the sink somewhere. I’m going back to monitoring my temps for my next cycle so I’ll know what “dpo” I get my progesterone drawn. Then, it’s just a matter of waiting for the test results and maybe another pick me up appointment with Dr. Receptive before seeing the new RE.