You are sitting at a nice restaurant, trying NOT to think about infertility, when all of a sudden you see someone who looks very familiar to you — “Honey, isn’t that our Reproductive Endocrinologist over at table seven?”
It’s sort of like when you were in school and saw one of your teachers out in public. You never actually realized that they existed outside of work. You simply believed that the fertility doctor, interns, vagina nurses and even the secretary (who takes all your money) just lived inside the clinic, and of all a sudden, your real world and (jealous, bitter) fertility world collide. You stare at this woman from across the room. You want to ask her a million questions but she seems to be eating a steak and she probably doesn’t want to talk to you about your vaginal area with her dinner date. Should you say hello? Probably not. Should you ask her a question about ovulation? Maybe not. Should you show her your breasts and ask her if the left nipple looks darker than the right? Maybe she could tell you if you’re pregnant right there in the fancy restaurant. Sure. Sounds like an appropriate dinner conversation. After all, this woman looks into your vagina on a weekly basis, she should be your personal on-call doctor.
And there are other times when run into other staff members from the fertility clinic – the secretary, the 16 year old fertility intern – while you’re shopping or getting your hair done. You think to yourself “Wow. That woman looks so familiar to me. Where do I know her from?” And then you remember. She spent the morning looking into your lady parts with a trans-vaginal wand.
You both don’t make eye contact and you go back to your happy place where fertility doctors/nurses and interns all live within the clinic and their sole purpose in life is getting you pregnant.
[...] #729 You saw your Fertility Doctor at a Restaurant [...]
as a teacher I had to laugh at this part “It’s sort of like when you were in school and saw one of your teachers out in public. You never actually realized that they existed outside of work.”
As an IF I have to say this part almost made me pee my pants “that woman looks so familiar to me. Where do I know her from?” And then you remember. She spent the morning looking into your lady parts with a trans-vaginal wand.”
“
I saw my RE at Disneyland, of all places! My husband and I took our niece there for her birthday and who should we run into at the line for Pirates of the Caribbean, but… yes, Dr. Z. My father in law was also there and did not know we were IF so that was extra awkward. Hilarious post!
I just came across your blog and have read through lots of posts (I can’t stop reading!) Thanks so much for making me laugh.
[...] #729 You saw your Fertility Doctor at a Restaurant [...]
I saw mine at Staples last weekend. Sigh.
about 10 years ago (before IF) my gyno saw me in a bar with a bunch of my friends the same evening i’d been into his office for my annual exam. and he was with his fiancee. and introduced me as one of his patients. it wasn’t awkward for me but i have to believe it was a little awkward for the fiancee. meeting a woman that your soon-to-be-husband has just examined in the nether regions has got to be a little weird!!!
Lukily I’ve never experienced this one!! How embarassing.
In the last two months, I’ve been behind my gyno in the line at the supermarket and seen him at a restaurant. When he asked how I was, I wanted to say “you’ll never believe it but I’m ovulating on my own!” but instead said “Fine, thanks.”
This actually happened to me! I saw my fertility doctor while out at a resturant for dinner. I hid. I hoped he wouldn’t see me. He’d given me a super strict diet to follow, and I was eating something greasy and fattening and awesome. I had hoped to spy him eating something equally bad-for-you so I didn’t feel like such a hypocrite. Unfortunately he had like a salmon salad or something.
Jerk.
I’m just waiting for the day that will happen, becaus it will in our town. I just hope I’ll be pregnant by then.
I saw mine at the grocery store and my husband recognized him before I did. I almost wanted to ask him if any of the foods in my cart would make the IF worse!
This hasn’t happened to me but I am worried I will see him everywhere I go! And if we did see each other, I don’t know what would be worse… that he didn’t recognize me (must not be all that important of a patient to him) or that he did recognize me (oh yeah, that’s that patient who just cannot conceive no matter how many treatments she receives)!
I needed this today — found out IUI was unsuccessful… again. Thanks for the laughs!
I’m a nurse in the ICU at the same hospital as my fertility doc, and I sometimes take care of his patients, so…..LOL :/
I see mine at gymnastics all the time. He picks up his dd at the same time I drop mine off. He is very discreet. He says hello but never mentions anything professional. I’m sure he’d rather not deal with it in public any more than I would. One time at an IUI he told me that he wanted a high five at gymnastics in two weeks. At the time it was funny, yeah until two weeks later when it didn’t work and I made my dh drop off our dd. Ugh!
I also work at the same hospital that our doctor works at part time, pass each other in the corridor most weeks….. thankfully he is a nice guy and gives me the same smile he gives everyone else
)
We saw ours at the grocery store, he asked when we were going to come in for our next IVF baby! We were impressed that he knew our faces
I used to be a teacher, and I had a girl believe that the faculty lounge was where the teachers slept at night.
I saw my RE at a professional tennis match, but I don’t think he recognized me due to my sunglasses. Hope that doesn’t happen again!