Creighton Care

After three months of failed conception I started to amass my troops. I contacted my NFP teacher asking her to look at my charts and analyze what was wrong. I re-read the Creighton Fertility manual seven times to self-analyze what might be wrong. My husband showed my secular gynecologist the Creighton manual to see what he thinks might be wrong. I looked up airline ticket prices from California to Omaha. Why Omaha? As many Creighton followers already know, Omaha is the mecca of Catholic fertility care. I was obsessed with finding out all I could based on the Creighton model.

I found a NFP physician I could see so I booked an appointment. Now, I know I am thoroughly spoiled by today's health insurance standards. I have great health insurance. I'm doubly insured. I'm used to boutique-style health care. Please don't hold it against me. I know I'm blessed. For sure.

So, when I walked into the medical building, I noticed how everything looked like a janitorial crew hadn't been there for a week. No dusting, candy wrappers left on the floor. Everyone else in the waiting room was very pregnant. And they didn't look over 22. After waiting for a half an hour, I asked the receptionists if I was going to be seen next. Frankly, I wasn't feeling confident in having a physical exam with what the office looked like.

But, the doctor was very nice and just talked with me for twenty minutes or so about my Creighton charts. Despite my NFP teacher saying I had limited cervical mucus, (Oh no! Not that) the doctor said my mucus score was way high. (Saints be praised!)

He said he didn't see anything in my charts to indicate that conception would be a problem. But, he wanted to run some tests next time so that when I do get pregnant, I'll have the healthiest child possible. Well, sure, everybody would want that. He told me he does "extra" stuff that Creighton doesn't do. I went with the proverbial flow that time.

The second appointment, we went through a detailed health history. My past surgeries are confined to my nose and throat. While I used to have persistent, recurrent bladder infections, those have since gone away almost completely. (I love anonymous blogs :)) I told him I'd never been pregnant, ever. And sex has never been painful, never.

He did a pelvic exam which wasn't exactly gentle. Do you feel any pain here? No. How about here? No. No pain. I eyed the ultrasound machine and asked, "are we going to do an ultrasound?" "Why, do you want one?" "Well, I guess not."

I should have just told him straight out: Yes, I want an ultrasound now! Can't you tell some things with an ultrasound that might be useful to me? Instead, the doctor wanted some blood, urine, and hair samples for testing. "What kind of testing", I asked? Oh, we want to see about heavy metals.

OK, I see where this is going. After they told me the labs and tests would not be covered by insurance and I'd have to pay myself, I still submitted to the blood draw and urine collection. Hair sample would be collected at home.

When I got home I looked up these special labs and found out one had been sued for fraud. And it showed up on quackwatch.org My husband had once suggested I see an alternative doctor a few years back and her primary specialty was treating autistic children through chelation therapy, because some people believe heavy metal exposure causes autism. I'm not one of those people.

I noticed this Creighton doctor was connected to D.AN! (De.feat Autism Now) I felt the doctor was not forthcoming with me about how he wasn't looking at my infertility issue, he was thinking about preventing autism in my as-yet-created, unborn child. Not a bad thing at all, of course but that's not how I wanted to go about doing it. I told my husband I did not want these tests performed. He told me that was fine by him.

So, I called the labs and even though they hadn't received the samples yet, that they should not perform the tests. I called the doctor's office and told them I didn't want to do the tests. The receptionist said I had to talk directly to the doctor. I didn't want to do that. I called my husband and told him I didn't want to do that.

But, I mustered the strength and called. He sounded offended. He asked me if I didn't want to be treated by him anymore. "No, of course I still want to see you." I felt like I was breaking up with a boyfriend. But, weeks later I still haven't called for another appointment. And I don't think I ever will.