Today

This post was originally written on Monday, September 26th...

Today was an interesting day.

JPug's second analysis was completed last Monday and I've been anxiously awaiting the results since then.  We received the results of his first test more quickly than I expected (2 - 3 days) so I was sure we'd have the results of the second test by last Friday.  I waited by my phone and was sure to carry it with me when I left my desk at work...but it never rang.  Just after I arrived at work this morning, it finally did.

Before I go any further I should probably explain more about JPug's process to date.  During our initial appointment with Dr. K, she wrote JPug a prescription for his first analysis to ensure everything checked out.  As a reproductive endocrinologist, her specialty is the woman but it's also her duty to ensure everything is ok from the man's standpoint, giving both parents the best opportunity for conception.  JPug made an appointment for the following week and a few short days later the results were in.

Judy, the nurse from Dr. K's office who sounds like she's a southern belle straight out of a Better Homes & Gardens magazine, called me and stated..."His results were a bit off and we'd like to bring him back in another month for a re-test".  She didn't provide further information but her words weren't full of worry or concern.  It's difficult to ask follow-up questions in a situation like this...I didn't have a copy of the results in front of me and I had no idea what "typical" results would be considered as this was JPug's first test.

In the month since the first analysis, I consulted our friends who went through this process previously and they suggested getting a copy of JPug's results...genius idea!  Once we had the results in hand, they painted a much different picture than the short conversation I had with Judy just weeks prior.  It's pretty amazing the various characteristics analyzed during the process...without going into unnecessary detail...across the board, JPug's analysis showed that his numbers were low.  Not close to normal low but more along the lines of 50% (or less) of where they should be low.  By this point we were just a week or so away from the second test so I looked forward to seeing how numbers compared between the two.

Last Monday, JPug went for his second analysis; today the phone rang with his results.  I had tucked the first results away in my planner...as the phone rang, I pulled the results out and grabbed a red pen so we could clearly tell the initial results from the newest set.  Somewhat as I expected but still no less comforting, the second results were low.  Judy provided the name of a male urologist/reproductive specialist (Dr. N) and suggested that JPug make an appointment at his earliest convenience.  Before letting her go, I asked Judy if JPug providing multiple samples for a single IUI treatment is possible.  She went on to say that it's possible and a process their office completes regularly (military families who are trying to conceive, etc.) but we'd need to wait until talking to Dr. N as IUI may not be an option based on the analysis which means we'd need to move directly to IVF.

I know these terms aren't something I've explained to this point...I know what they are because I've lived and breathed this situation for months but most readers don't.  Please bear with me as I'll definitely go into more detail in my next post.  The moral of her words was this...I was crushed.  All I can say is that I'm looking forward to our first appointment with Dr. N and hope to have more pieces of our ever-evolving puzzle soon.

Nearly two weeks have passed since I originally wrote this post.  Our appointment is this afternoon...