Credit: WpClipart.com (public domain photo)
My wife says I don’t show my emotions enough. Perhaps this is a flaw in my character. However, as a reproductive endocrinologist whether it is in the midst of surgery or under the gun of treating a patient from far-away lands like Sicily or Mongolia…keeping my cool has its benefits.
With international travel very much in the news lately, it made me think of my experiences treating international patients for infertility. And the added stress and honor that comes with being chosen for the job.
The patient from Taormina, Italy had already gone through gonadotropin/IUI cycles without success in Italy. The wife barely spoke English. She was very nervous, not just because of her fertility challenge, but being so far from home and not being able to communicate well added greatly to her angst. For me, a patient’s anxiety level is something that I am very sensitive to, and it could raise my own stress level…which it did. However, add to that the fact that this couple left their home, lives and jobs to come all the way here for an IVF attempt that– if it failed– would require yet another transatlantic flight and additional weeks away from their normal lives.
I suppose distance plays into the potential stress factor since another patient– from Mongolia– who came to me at Long Island IVF was travelling, according to my astute Long Island sense of geography…from the opposite end of the world. Yes, even for an unemotional seasoned infertility specialist like myself, I have to admit my heart pounds a little stronger in these situations.
Like for all my patients, I prefer to oversee their care personally and if possible perform their procedures even though I have complete confidence in the exceptional abilities of my partners. I think patients like to see their own doctors that they have bonded with and trusted during the preceding weeks and months.
The intervening 10-14 days of nail biting time is rough for patient and doctor alike. Fortunately, my Mongolian patient had the most beautiful baby from her first attempt and my patients from Taormina who I have become very friendly with, now have two of the most gorgeous children from two separate embryo transfers three years apart.
I guess sometimes I do let my emotions get the best of me…when I look at the baby pictures remembering all that I have been through with my patients including when I injected the embryos that we all saw as a drop of fluid in the uterus on the ultrasound machine…I still get choked up.
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Have you travelled out of state or the country (or would you ever consider it) for medical care? If so, why, and how far would you be willing to go? Do you have any fears of travelling related to contracting infection or disease?