# Impatient and looking for help...



## Paperbird (Jan 27, 2013)

Hi All 

First of all I'd like to apolgise if this has been asked on numerous occasions, but if you could help answer or direct me that woud be great.  As with many of you we're starting on a journey of investigations.  Our journey so far...

All blood tests "normal" for both of us 
Samples from DH - no sperm and hyperviscid  
Referral to urologist - 40 week waiting list! 

So that's nearly a year to wait to even see what could be wrong or what could be done and then onto another waiting list? I don't know. 

Does anyone know that if there is a blockage with DH, is surgery available to correct this rather than going straight to IVF etc  I get the feeling that this isn't routinely done but the OCD part of me is thinking that this stage is being jumped and instead of investigating they go straight to TESA/MESA etc. 

We now need to make a decision on whether to go private or not, we are by no means well off and this would be a struggle which throws up a whole other host of thoughts...should we get into debt, how would we pay this, will this add extra stress...I'm sure there are a number of you who have had these discussions! 

My thoughts just now is that I have so many questions and no one to answer them! not at least for another 40 weeks! Any help would be very much appreciated. 

x


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## melbg (Jun 10, 2012)

Hi,
I can't help with the medical specifics but have you thought about getting a private appointment with the urologist if they do them? Then if your dh needs any treatment go back on the nhs list? 
I don't know if it's possible for you but I did this a few years back for a hip problem. The nhs wait to see the consultant was 6 months, but 4 weeks privately. I went back on to the nhs afterwards but saved 5 months of worry, i'm sure I paid £80 but going back a while.

Good luck however you move forward, we all understand how frustrating ttc problems can be.
X


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## Hels23 (Jan 22, 2013)

Hi Paperbird,

I can totally relate to your frustrations. See my signature below for my history as I could go on forever about it all.

Basically we had to wait almost a year to see a specialist through the NHS, it's ridiculous. And our apt has finally come round and it is tomorrow but in the meantime we saved our pennies and booked a private consultation to get some answers because we've waited so long and I know for a fact when we go to see the specialist tomorrow they will want to arrange several tests and to save time at least now we have results to show them and this should hopefully speed up matters and we will start getting answers and if any drugs would help first before we go down the IVF route.

Can't believe we've waited nearly a year for this apt and it's only a consultation, it's not like I'm going to start any treatment/drugs tomorrow so that's why we went private to save some time, we're sick of waiting, we just want to start our little family, NOW.  

So I'm afraid I don't have any answers for you as such but if you can save up and get a private apt booked to get a little further then this should hopefully help, and then at least you have your options open. Keep your apt with the NHS but still go private. They perform lots of tests on the same day as your consultation when you go private so it's all done there and then and you get results straight away, no waiting a week for this result or that result.

Good luck and I'll keep you posted after my NHS apt tomorrow, fingers crossed we might now be getting somewhere. I WILL BE PREGNANT THIS YEAR and have our little bundle of joy. I am determined. We are not going to wait much longer and be messed about.

xxx


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## Paperbird (Jan 27, 2013)

Thank you both so much for answering! It's good to know that people are listening and can share my thoughts. 

Hels23, how did you get on at your appointment? 

Melbg, I took your advice and got ourselves a consultation with a private urologist, in fact the same urologist that we will be seeing whenever our nhs appointment comes through.  typical!

So we've been diagnosed with obstructive azoospermia, which means that there is a likelihood that he has sperm but there's a blockage somewhere.  And surgery isn't really an option, he's only seen surgery being performed once in 20 years.

So our options are: MESA and ICIS. 

The ironic thing is that by the time we can save to get the treatment done privately we'll have probably been seen, at least the consultation, by the nhs.  Or do we get ourselves into debt? Who knows!?

I think we're going to try to get all the pre-test done privately, the amh and ovarian assessment and the genetic and bloods checks.  And then take it from there....wherever that may be.  At least we'll be able to make an informed decision on the state of my eggs etc. 

It's a long road....

Xx


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## Hels23 (Jan 22, 2013)

Hi Paperbird,

I'm glad you had an apt with a private clinic, it really is worth getting those tests done before hand as I can tell you that now from our first consultation today after waiting 10 months for it.

Well, I am/we are 'the unexplained' category. Great! Not sure which is worse, to know there's a problem that's hopefully fixable or knowing that everything's completely normal with both of us yet it's been 2 years and we haven't conceived since my ectopic, arrhhhhhh 

As you can see I'm still frustrated. However, we went along today and asked lots of questions, she checked our results from tests we have had done at St.Mary's(standard blood tests to check ovulation through my cycle, ultrasound scan-April/May 2012) and she checked our results from the private consultation too.  She said Clomid would not be beneficial to us because I am ovulating and producing eggs and Clomid therefore would not benefit us in any way as this only stimulates egg production which is not what I need as this wouldn't help because I'm producing eggs anyway. 

We explained we don't want to waste anymore time having more tests when they've already been done and repeating things, she said she totally agreed and we would not need to repeat any tests. She said she will refer us to the IVF clinic now as this is the only option for us as no drugs would help as we are both 'normal'. She said as we have had all the tests done and my only tube is fine and free from blockages as per my hsg test I also had done 6 months after my ectopic then this should speed up the process for us. 

The burning question's long will we have to wait?/what's the timescale? 

We asked her how soon will we hear from the IVF clinic for a further consultation to discuss treatment. She was honest and said she did not know, she said this is the question everyone asks and she really does not know, she said sometimes the waiting list is long at certain times and others it's not too bad, as she doesn't have experience with working in the IVF department as this isn't her area of work she doesn't know. However she said normally they said 18 months from when you are first referred to St. Mary's so this for us was last May so she said could be for us 3-4 months till we maybe start treatment. Hmmmm I'm not convinced, however I will await the letter with my referral on and a date for consultation and think positive and in the meantime maybe I might just fall pregnant naturally(positive thinking, positive thinking, positive thinking). Who knows! 

I will give it 2-3 weeks for this letter to come through and if I don't receive anything I shall be on that phone chasing up my referral letter. I shall then be hoping my consultation with the IVF clinic at St. Mary's(NHS) will be before the end of April and will hope I can start IVF by the end of June/July. 

If when we go for our next consultation they say the waiting list is more than 8 months or so then I think we will go private.  We are going to save up in the meantime, just in case.  It will be hard but worth it if we get the result going private and alot sooner too.  Just means we won't be able to have our usual fancy holidays this year but hey that's fine. Starting our family is more important to us.  If we can start NHS IVF soon then the money we have started to save can go towards baby things for when we get our bundle of joy.

I have a plan to be pregnant this year and hopefully IVF will work for us and hopefully it will be the first cycle. I know I'm being very optimistic and I know I have read a lot of threads on FF about ladies who have had a failed first cycle or MC after getting a BFP however I have to keep positive otherwise what else do I/We have.

So Paperbird, definitely get all your tests done if you can privately before your first NHS consultation plus you will probably get more answers to your questions before your 40 weeks are up and believe me that 40 weeks will come round so fast. Last May when we were told the first available consultation date was Jan 2012(originally Jan but apt was rescheduled to Feb12 by the hospital) we were like January? what? That's ages away. But the time has flown by so fast and we are where we are. 

Keep me posted with your tests and results and fingers crossed you get some answers soon 

xxx


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## Cleohegarty (Jul 18, 2012)

Had a little read and you were unexplained have you tried concieve plus not saying it will work but we have been using and i will give anything ago.


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## Hels23 (Jan 22, 2013)

Hi Cleohegarty,

Thanks for your post. Yes we have tried it and still use it but still nothing. We've tried all sorts. Ovulations kits, upside down cycling, you name it we've tried it. hehe. We have healthy diets and exercise regularly. Still nothing. It's so frustrating. 

Thanks for your thoughts x


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## Paperbird (Jan 27, 2013)

Hi

Sorry for being away, trying to get my head around things but loving your positivity, hoping it rubs off on me!  

So....next step for us was my amh test and ovarian assessment....it looks like I have pcos with an amh of 83.2!!! This is off the charts I fact the chart only goes up to 60! Freaking out, what does this mean?  
X


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