I am ready to pull my hair out with this steroid thing. Or hit someone. One of the two. I've tried to do everything the right way to get a healthy baby and stay healthy myself. We did medication for my husband's tumor. I did an entire year of prednisone therapy including IVs. We skipped IUIs, I've lost weight, I've prayed, I've gone to every doctor under the sun. And now that we're so close it might get taken away because of the very thing I did to try to help!

Originally the high risk OB did not want me to be on steroids when I conceived. She talked to my nephrologist who explained to her that the steroids were what was keeping my kidneys functioning normally. Once she understood that it wasn't a quick fix to healing, she agreed that I could go ahead. I started on the birth control pills last Friday and my nurse told me she needed my nephrologist to come up with a plan for how to handle me being on steroids and having minor surgery. Apparently prednisone makes your adrenal glands atrophy or something, and they don't respond to stressful situations correctly. So I asked the nephrologist and he indicated that "they" would give me stress dose steroids. But since he's the one that prescribed it originally, they want him to do it and they won't move forward without a written plan from him. He is not understanding this, and I don't know how to get through to him because I'm not a doctor and I can't explain it in their terms. I asked the RE to call him but they won't. I don't know why. So now I have two weeks until I'm off BCPs. They need to make a plan, order meds, and get me in for a saline ultrasound, and they won't do it until they get a plan from him. But they won't talk to him to tell him what they want! And he is clearly not understanding. He said that he put me on steroids every other day to lessen the side effects and prevent atrophy of the adrenals, so maybe he thinks I just don't need anything extra, but either way, they need to know, and this is not working out. And they need to know last week.

I'm having an extremely stressful time at work, and I'm confused, so I called my dad and asked him to call the nephrologist. My dad is not a doctor, but has worked in the medical field developing medical instruments for... gosh... 40 years? So he has a better handle on things than I do. I explained to him everything that I know, and he's going to call today to try to explain what's going on and what the RE needs. I don't know if they'll listen to him or if he can get through to them, but my dad knows his shit, and he knows how to make people listen, so I really hope he can do this. I'm not angry with the nephrologist, I just.. can't explain it any other way than I have, so I need someone else to try.

This whole thing has been such a pain, and I'm mad at my RE's office for being frustrated with me. What do they expect from me? I'm not a doctor. I may be smart but I'm not trained in this field. How hard would it be for them to pick up the phone and say "I need this from you." ? I mean.. it's a hell of a lot easier for them than me. I know they're busy, but... help me out here! I'm not asking for much. I'm paying them, I'm doing all the tests, I'm losing the weight. I just want you to tell me doctor what you need from him. Why can't you do that?

I'm really ready to scream, and this is all going on on this incredibly truncated timeline during which I'm trying to do my job... which picked this week, of course, to stress me the hell out. Something has to give here. I've done everything I could... I've tired so hard and waited so long. Something needs to just fall into place for me. I mean seriously.

I need a break. I need sleep. I need rest. I need fun. I need 40 or so drinks (just kidding... mostly. I drink maybe twice a year). I'm just exhausted already. And I hope things smooth out because I'm up shit creek otherwise. Again.


Update: My dad is magical. Nothing is resolved yet, but he did call the doctor. He couldn't reach him so he called the secretary. He said she really seemed to understand what they needed, and that she wanted the explanation in email. My dad sent it over to her and she's going to take it to the doctor right away. My dad noted that it seems like my nephrologist sort of half-listens sometimes. So he'll pick out only certain parts of what you tell him. Not because he's a jerk, just because he's always doing so much at once. So hopefully the secretary will be able to explain it to him and we can get the plan over soon.