Today is day 3 of menses and I had to report to KKIVF to start on my IVF program. My cycle is termed "Antagonist Cycle", meaning, the short cycle.
I did some reading up on the procedure @ KKIVF and after reading a few blogs, I decided to go earlier to get my Q-number. For those who are going to KKIVF for the first time for the first scan, here are some tips and process!
1) You will need to do an ultrasound. It's a transavaginal scan, so do empty your bladder.
Anyway, the scanning starts at 8am, but you can go at 7.30am to start q-ing. 7.30am suits us cos we can avoid the morning peak jam as well as the hefty ERP charge. so we went to get a q number and I was 2nd in queue! (Number 1001 is sample and the real queue number starts 1002). You will be allowed to sit at the IVF centre even though they have not begun seeing patients. So don't worry that you go there early and there's no chairs for you to rest. You can even go and have your breakfast cos the scanning will only start at 8am. There are 4 options on the queue machine. Press Button "1". It will print out 2 labels. One for you to keep and the other for you to staple your appointment card (you got it when you first when to see the doctor at the Fertility Clinic). Or if you have papers to bring, you can staple it with your printed label and place it into the box outside Room 5. In case you forget to bring your papers, no worries. You can just indicate your IC number on the label. Staple, staplets, pens are all provided at the station you got your Q-number. I went on a Tuesday morning so it was not crowded and I did the scanning at 8.05am!! Scanning is done at Room 5. Only 1 scanning room but super fast. Approximately 5 minutes per patient.
2) After the scan, the nurse (counter 6) will call your number. There are some forms for you to complete for Medisave purposes. At the same time, she will also hand you your medication prescription which you will have to go to the pharmacy at level 1 to purchase. That should take another 15-20 minutes.
3) Come back and press button 3 for treatment. You will go into the nurse room (Room 1) and the nurse will show you how to do the injections. I have done it before but I just let her go through the protocol. She was very thorough and clear so you will not miss it. Then you are done!
4) Do note, these medication needs to be refrigerated. Unlike Raffles Hospital (they gave me a cooler bag and a big pack of ice), KKH only gave me that small packet of ice (see left of the below picture). Gosh....and they told me that I will need to return the packet and they will give me a new one the next time??? Duh...I will bring my own ice instead.
From others' experience, I brought my own cooler bag but I did not realize the pharmacy would only provide such a small packet of ice. I guess that small packet is enough, but how do you feel adequate? hahahah. Thus, instead of going for lunch, I went straight home!
5) Today's time at KKIVF is quite short - 2 hours but costed me $6 in parking fees. Another point to remember. Scanning is from 8-10am only. They don't scan after that.
6) Okay, if you qualify for the Medisave withdrawal and government subsidy, the below cost will not scare you. Medication today for just those 2 boxes of Puregon 900 and the 3 sticks of Orgalutran below...... $1,561.76. I did not pay a cent. Thank goodness for the Medisave and goverment subsidy. That is why I chose to do my IVF at KKH. Previously, at Raffles Hospital, the Puregon for just Puregon 300 was already $287.11. And the Orgalutran was $95.40. If I had paid for these medication at Raffles Hospital, I would have paid about $2000 in cold hard cash. But at KKIVF, slightly cheaper and it does not come out from my pocket. Huge difference even though the money is still part of my money (Medisave). But well, I would not have seen that money till I am 60 anyway.
My dosage is quite high. Doctor ordered Puregon 450 for Day 6-8....seems kinda high. I used 175 previously. Let's see what happens. However!!!!! I was told to take the Orgalutran today??? From Day 3 to 5. Weird. Orgalutran is to suppress ovulation? I wonder why I need to take this when I have not even ovulated? I am only Day 3. I asked the nurse and she said it's a new protocol.....Shall follow instructions then. The thing is.....Orgalutran is pain....the needle seems blunt and you have to use more strength to poke than the Puregon. When you handle Orgalutran, you will find Puregon a breeze. Previously, I reflected to the doctor that it hurts. She told me I could apply this medication to numb the area before I inject. I mentioned to the KKIVF nurse (the one that showed me how to do the injections) and she told me I should have asked earlier. Cos now I have to go back to the pharmacy to get it. Hmmm....pharmacy quite a torture cos it means another wait. She told me the small bottle costs $13++ and she feels it's expensive. Instead, she asked me to numb the area with the ice! I decided to try her method cos I did not want to wait for the doctor to sign the request then wait again at the pharmacy. Anyway, I tried and it works!!!
To digress a little. The nurse who showed me the injection was a Senior Staff Nurse (SSN). She looks near retirement age. Actually, I think it's great that the hospital deploys the older nurses to these positions. Not so tough on the older ladies cos this SSN gets to sit most of the time. Rather than have them leave nursing due to working hours and conditions, these kind of jobs still allow them to have contact with patients and yet, not too hard on them! In addition, their age seems to add some stamp of authority to what they say. Hahahahaha
