As I approached the door to knock, the nurse happened to come out of the door and asked me my registered/appointment number. After I let her know she asked me to wait and went to the room next door. The display outside then changed to number "3" and a lady went in. After about 5 minutes the nurse returned to clinic room 2 and after about 10 minutes she came out of the room and called me in (without displaying number "2" outside) to the waiting area inside the room while the lady for appointment #3 was consulting Dr. Lee. As I was waiting, I overheard Dr. Lee congratulate the lady and her husband on their successful IVF. He told them "Congratulations, you are pregnant!". I couldn't help but feel happy for them!! At least it gives me some hope that may be I too will be pregnant soon! =)
When the lady left, I was called and I asked if my husband could come in. They gave me permission and I called my husband in. He asked me details pertaining to my cycle and pulled out my chart/history on his computer. He asked me when the first day of the last and current cycle was and the date I took the last birth control pill. He then gave me a follicle monitoring sheet (誘導排卵監測單) and instructed me to do a baseline ultrasound immediately at the ultrasound lab down the hall and bring the results back to the nurse once done.
Once outside the ultrasound lab, I had to knock and go in to get a number as well as give the follicle monitoring sheet to the service desk. We had to wait 40 minutes for my turn. I went in as soon as my number was displayed outside the lab. Once inside, I had to wait for about 3 minutes before the technician showed up and asked me my name to confirm she has the right patient's follicle monitoring sheet. The ultrasound itself was pretty fast. The process was with minimal discomfort. I went in expecting it to be another uncomfortable process as per prior experience but came out relieved and very impressed. Was it the technician or the equipment that made the difference? I think it was both. The technician was very skilled in my opinion. The equipment looked new and did not make any noise. This was a stark contrast to my experiences in Toronto at different labs for trans-vaginal ultrasounds and with Dr. Woo at IVF Canada for my IUI follicle monitoring. I figured at Mackay Memorial Hospital, they utilize the latest technology and equipment available. Trust me, I am extremely impressed.
After the ultrasound, the nurse gave me back the follicle monitoring sheet and I took it to the nurse at Dr. Lee's clinic. My name was called after around 15 minutes. Once inside, I had to wait at the waiting area again. Just thought it worth mentioning here that the waiting area and the doctor's desk is separated by a curtain. When I initially consulted Dr. Lee in November 2013, I felt odd because I think after having lived in North America for more than a decade, I am so used to being "private". I mentioned it to my husband but he shrugged it off saying this is what makes the system so efficient. True, I observed that in just a matter of 3 hours that day, the doctor saw more than 30 patients. Everything is operationally efficient and orderly. There is no wasting of either the patient's time or the doctor's. Back in Toronto, I have to wait at least 2.5-3 hours before I can see my family doctor, which is a real pain. In order to see a specialist, the patient has to first get a referral from the family doctor. The family doctor's office then contacts the specialist's office, who then gets back to the family doctor with the date and time. Once the family doctor's office get the appointment date and time, the patient will be advised. Sometimes it can take months to get an appointment with a specialist. My father had to wait for than a month to consult an eye specialist for his cataract surgery. In Taiwan, there is no such issue. Anyone can see any specialist any time by booking an appointment. All appointments across the country goes by the number system. Public Healthcare in Canada is awesome and free for all Canadians but it sucks at wait times for crucial health issues.
When it was finally my turn, Dr. Lee advised that he is prescribing 225 iu of Gonal-F for day 2 to day 5 (total 4 days of stims) and I am to go back to see him on day 6. I was instructed to do another ultrasound to check follicle growth before the appointment on day 6 and to always have the follicle monitoring sheet at hand so that it is more convenient for both parties and less time-consuming vs. if they have to pull out their records all the time. I am following protocol 4 for this workup.
I was instructed to pay the bill and pick up the injections first and return to the clinic for the doctor's assistant who will show us how to administer the Gonal-F shot. After we paid the bill and picked up the injections from the pharmacy on the ground floor, I went back to the clinic and sought Dr. Lee's assistant who provided us with two forms to sign, date and return to her on day 6 (Aug 29). The first form was patient's basic information. The 2nd form was the agreement to undergo ART procedure at Mackay Memorial Hospital under the care of Dr. Robert KK Lee. We also gave her a copy of our marriage certificate, passports and driver's license along with HIV and Syphilis test records. She showed me how to prime the Gonal-F pen and administer the shot myself. I must say it was pretty difficult to give myself the shot the first time! Just the sight of the needle made me feel a bit dizzy! It wasn't so bad after the needle inserted into the skin, like a slight pinch.
That concluded our day 2 visit. The total cost of this visit was NT$15,308 which is approximately US$512 or CA$558. This includes the fee for registration, consultation, ultrasound, pharmacist and Gonal-F injections for 4 days. So far so good, fingers still crossed. Baby dust to all! =)
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