Baby the Second

I am having a challenging time identifying a doctor here, or really even navigating the healthcare system at all. It's so confusing, and it's clearly not patient-driven, because there is essentially no information online about physicians' practices and hospitals. Someone gave me a list of "recommended" doctors, but it's completely outdated. One of the hospitals on the list has closed, and at least one of the doctors isn't practicing any more. It was hard enough for me to decide on a doctor and a practice in a healthcare system I was familiar with and confident in. It's exponentially more difficult in a foreign country. Also, all of the OB's here seem to be men. I am soooo not into that. I have had bad experiences with male doctors and my nether regions (painful ones), and my rule is that if you don't have a hoo-hoo, you shouldn't touch mine.

I have found one that seems like a good fit on paper. She's practicing at a hospital I think I could live with, not too far from my house, and I found a few newspaper articles which seem to reflect a philosophy close to my own. I wish I could talk to some of the women in my office who are pregnant or have recently given birth so I can find out what their experiences have been like with various doctors and hospitals in the city, but there is no way to do that without outing myself, and I don't know any of them well enough to know if I can trust them. It's hard to commit to a hospital, in particular. It's hard to choose without feedback from someone you know and trust, and without being able to ask questions. I will have to troll message boards to see if I can come up with some personal experiences.

(As an aside, Little House on the Prairie happens to be on right now, and it's an episode addressing infertility. The female character, one I'm not familiar with--Ann?--is furious that everyone thinks she should consider adoption, because she is just so sure she can get pregnant, no matter what the fancy city doctors tell her. Huh. Ohhhh, there is a sad little boy that needs adopting, and she's resisting because she wants her own kids, and her husband wants to adopt him. Who knew LHONP was so in tune with reality? I'm in tears watching how badly her husband wants to adopt. And now, she has decided she wants to adopt him. I love a good old-fashioned happy ending. And bacon. Which I can smell. Yummm. . .T. must be cooking me brunch!)

And don't even get me started on the labyrinth of health insurance. I have American insurance, and we generally have to pay out of pocket for care, then get reimbursed. Ouch. The flip side, though, is that healthcare is more affordable here. Tests that costs thousands in the U.S. are only hundreds here. But still. . .ouch.

I was also just reading about Clo.mid, and it looks like it really isn't recommended for women my age, due to it's negative impact on the lining, which the RE had also mentioned last time. I've noticed that the skin on my hands and neck is thinning and looking kind of crepe-y if I don't keep it well-moisturized. It looks ancient, and it is weird to see it. I don't feel like I'm old enough to have skin that looks like that, and I certainly have never been a sun goddess. Aging is so odd. I guess you never feel as old as you are, or you look. Dr. Google tells me that thinning skin is a result of dropping estrogen levels. Another warning sign, I suppose. Argh. I feel old today.

As an aside, I am launching a new project on Tuesday. Stay tuned!