Multi-tasking

Decapeptyl Injection Day 29
Gonal-F Injection Day 6

I can't believe I haven't written for 12 days. So much has happened. Where to start?

Ok firstly, husband arrived and then left again, it was touch-and-go for a second, as we thought we may have to freeze the 'donation', but he is back tomorrow evening from a quick China trip. The 'donation' will then be done safely and securely here in Israel, I might add in the tiniest most revolting little bathroom in Assuta Hospital. This is a Private Hospital and you might think that it would all be very fancy-shmansy, not the case. Very old and very off. The 'donation' room in question is this little loo, with one or two magazines with sexy adverts. That is all they give the poor 'donors' for 'assistance', no full page spreads, no sexy models conjuring up all sorts of erotic fantasies, just normal magazines with the odd 'spanish fly' advert. I know I shouldn't compare, but I can't help myself. In Johannesburg my 'donor' had a whole suite ala 'Lazyboy' chair and a selection of porn which could make Hugh Hefner blush.

My whole IVF experience in South Africa was on a different level completely. It was all just so easy there, medication, blood tests, scans the whole fandango. And it all just looked good, beautiful consultation rooms, clean, and of course prompt service and friendly faces. Here they all just scare me. I have to do that whole psych-up thing, "be strong, don't be weak" and WHATEVER you do - do not cry! As I have blogged before I belong to a scheme which falls under National Health, Kupat Cholim, I am not doing the IVf through them for two reasons, firstly I have not been a member long enough to claim for fertility treatments, and secondly I would be covered 100% if it was my first child, but due to this being my 'little quest' for no.3, I do not have that privilege. So as a private patient it is quite a battle trying to find a pharmacy that will sell medication to me as a 'private', or, they can sell to me, but they don't have stock. Mission, mission, mission! It is a drama each time. I have already explained about the blood-tests (and my 'superior status')which are a very regular happening on this IVF train, every few days. Tomorrow I have to go for bloods again 7.30 am. The scans are another story which usually coincide with bloods, I can either go to a Kupat Cholim branch (full of those rude old aggressive ladies) or I can go directly to Assutta, or of course to my favourite Professor. Tommorrow evening I will be going to him again.

Way back in Feb/March this year in Johannesburg, the IVF Clinic that I went to did the loveliest most gimmicky thing ever. When they put the two carefully chosen embryos back into you, they give you a picture of them. Two beautiful round little 8 cell, 3 day old embryos. It is a stunning thing to see, and then of course to imagine them actually becoming your little babies, real people. Well it didn't happen that time, but I carried that picture around with me for ages. 'They' decided to un-implant at 6 weeks, maybe the stress and trauma of everything that was happening in March was just too much. Or maybe they were just not my two little souls. Here in Israel the whole "Embryo transfer" was far less pretty. Walk into 'transfer' room (wearing standard hospital blue gown - done up at the back), sit in stirrup chair (from 1912), open legs, and then ... relax, not. Embryo's transferred, get up and walk back to special reception room, sit in broken Lazyboy chair for 10 mins, then go home. And no keepsake. I am waiting for the oh-so private Assuta Hospital to send me one of those cutesy little cards where you get to rate service/professionalism. I am fully aware that it's going to be a long wait.

So, where am I now? I am still an injection-queen, today is my 29th day of injecting myself, and I ROCK! I finally started the Gonal-F, 10 days over schedule, I inject the Gonal-F at night, and still the Decapeptyl in the morning. Tonight was my 6th Gonal day, so tomorrow is just standard procedure, ie the bloods and scan, and probably I will be given a lesser dose for a few days and then the trigger (for the follicles to mature and be ready to release the eggs) and then back to Assuta for the "Egg Retrieval", anaesthetic and all. Yummy! I have no idea when this is going to happen, this is a slow process and everything depends on my reaction to all the medications. My mother is coming, yay, in a week, so unfortunately she may have to play her usual "Florence Nightingale" role with me again. I thought originally that she would be with me with I get my pregnancy test results, but with the whole 10 day delay thing, it is not going to happen.

So what else happened these past 12 days, oh, Uri's parents house was broken into. Turns out the Holy Land is not so Holy. The house was totally trashed, every cupboard, draw, shelf, bed, everything was tossed and ransacked. It was not a pleasant sight, and walking into the chaos took me back to a very ugly and scary place in my head from 9 months ago. They were fortunate because nothing much of value was taken, it was mostly just a mess and thankfully valuables left in their undiscovered hiding places. My little 'bubble' gets burst a little bit more when I hear another story of a robbery or car theft (my sister-in-laws car was stolen outside a hospital where she was visiting her dying father). There are stories of mafia-type murders, and very rarely rape. I guess you have to be careful where ever you are. I still don't lock my car doors when I am driving, or front door when I am home, also I don't have burglar bars or burglar alarm at home. I am still enjoying this type of normality, I hope it doesn't change.

My painting is going great, we now have a proper teacher, she came this last Thursday and we painted in my friends back garden. I really thought I did a mini-masterpeice, but my self confidence came a-tumbling when the teacher told me that I still have lots of work to do on it. In the meantime 'it' has centre-stage on the wall in my lounge. Even Adam said it was great, stupid art teacher, what does she know anyway.

The cat has been named, Balu, still not sure of the gender, so it 'swings both ways' for now, sometimes 'he' is 'she' and sometimes 'she' is 'he'. Still allergic to its' self, sneezes and snots all the time. And totally and utterly useless mouse-hunter, catcher and eater. The mouse is still reigning here. Still pooping all over the place. I was so desperate last week that I went to Bnei Brack (very religious Jewish neighbourhood) and finally found the Rabbi's picture, I came home so confidently KNOWING that this was going to do the trick. Also, totally useless. With Rabbi Shayale Krestia's grave stare on him, the mouse does little mouse flik-flaks and poops right in front of the picture! And I really had faith in him, my Mouse-Rabbi. Useless!

So talking about Rabbi's and faith etc, I did my 'thing' this past Shabbat. I decided to take that leap into being a better Jew. I observed my Sabbath. From sun-down Friday night to sun-down Saturday night I did not drive, watch tv, cook, turn on electricity, etc. It really wasn't that hard, I made a few mistakes, but I guess that is normal for first-timers, it was just me and the children. Friday night Noam fell asleep early, and it wasn't really the way it should have been, no husband and no Kiddush. Saturday was great, some friends came around with their children in the morning and then I went to my arty-friend for lunch, I only got back home at 6pm. I walked to my friend, obviously, she lives on the moshav as well, by the time we were walking home it was pitch dark. There is just the most wonderful atmosphere here, like one big happy family. Walking home last night, there were other families walking, people jogging and rollerblading or skateboarding, and Adam and Noam shouting 'hi' to their friends as we walked past houses. It is a lovely feeling to be here and to live like this. Evenings and days' like yesterday make up for all the rude old ladies, dirty old 'private' hospitals and mice.

And then today I cleaned my house from top to bottom, my twice-weekly-illegal-Chinese-maid has not pitched for two weeks. It is really a problem here, there just is no labour, there are no people hanging around street corners desperate for jobs. There is a lot of illegal labour here, but if you are caught employing an illegal you get a hefty fine. My neighbour was just bust, she had employed a Philippine woman for 7 years and she just got caught. I just don't want to take a chance, so if Wei-wei decides to pitch up, she doesn't know it yet, but she will be out of a job. So I am back to being the maid/nanny/gardener and cook. Fortununatley I am a woman so I can multitask.