I write this first to say, I am not bitter about not achieving the result intended, but the lack of…read morecare or empathy the medical staff exhibits (the non-medical staff, admins, billing, office manager were great) is disheartening and wrong.
During the single IVF cycle my husband and I went through (we were unable to produce viable embryos after ICSI), we encountered a medical staff that never instructed us to discontinue one medication they'd prescribed us when starting another, despite being told to continue to take everything instructed unless or until told otherwise, which resulted in a delay and lack of ovary stimulation follicle growth. Upon question, we, the patients, were blamed because we, to quote our original IVF nurse "should have known". We were then assigned a new nurse, who after the first call, never contacted us again. I do not need a dedicated nurse, I understand they work as a team, but if a nurse is not going to be available, and it results in a delay of care or response, then a dedicated person should not be assigned and it handled in a team manner.
Then, I was provided, IN WRITING, the dates, times, protocols for egg retrieval, made arrangements with work and family for the time needed to come in for the procedure, I got a random call that the doctor changed his mind and wanted to push the procedure back. No reason given than that he "changed his mind" and I shouldn't have received the confirmations and scheduling at all, and that the nurse did it by "accident". I do not take issue with a change if it was explained that this was medical in nature, but it was well after plans were made and expenses were put out, and there was no accountability as to why the plans went out incorrectly in the first place, when multiple steps had to be taken (scheduling the appointment, creating the instruction list with times and dates reflecting the original scheduled appointment) and zero accountability.
The last straw was when we were informed that, unfortunately, none of the embryos made, and were not being sent to the genetic testing lab, since they weren't viable. Disappointing, and at the moment, devastating. The doctor, Dr Van Deerlin, chuckled/giggled at the beginning, even though there was nothing amusing being said, and I said that I would appreciate that he control his laughter, since this was really upsetting news and we didn't find anything to be amused about. He continued the call, and again, later, giggled/chuckled two separate times, even though no jokes were made, nothing lighthearted was being talked about, and I was barely not in tears on the phone. After the third time, I called him out again and asked what was so funny, and was told "nothing, must be a bad connection". I recognize that doctors have to look at things clinically, but laughing at a devastated couple, less than a few hours into awful news being received, and even after being asked to stop, is completely wrong. I was told I could not avoid being under his care, as the doctors work as a team, and if he was the only doctor available during one of the time-sensitive ultrasound appointments, then he was the doctor that day, since, apparently laughter is subjective.
South Jersey Fertility STILL has over $4500 of out money, that we had to pre-pay for the embryonic testing and storage, even though we never made it to the testing stage.
Stay FAR AWAY if you want any sort of empathy. You are a number there, not a person.
