1st week in October - The phonecalls from Sue and the lovely Welsh Gwen

I received a telephone call from my Breast Cancer Nurse querying a conversation we had yesterday, which I don't remember at all, about my Husband and I trying for a child.

Sue mentioned that chemotherapy treatment could induce early menopause and asked if I would like to be referred to fertility services and if so, this would have to happen very quickly and prior to chemotherapy.

Within a couple of hours a lady called Gwen from Fertility Services phoned. She was a straight talking , no nonsense Welsh woman, asking for my husband and I to come into the Fertility department that week to discuss the ethical/medical/ authorisation forms to complete for the Human Fertilisation Embryology Authority.

Gwen had already stated that this appointment was quite laborious and could indeed take all morning. I knew she meant business when she said she would make us coffee and could ask for a break at anytime.
The question on the form asking "In the event of your death or mental capacity" hit a nerve, especially as I was still waiting for my breast surgery appointment to come through.

Other questions that arose

Do you want eggs or embryos frozen and the differences
How many eggs they would hope to collect
The procedure in collecting/harvesting the eggs

What I did find out was that I am too old for IVF treatment and that without my breast consultants tireless work, this service would not exist for childless couples diagnosed with cancer.  We had a discussion with the Embryologist and decided to freeze embryos rather than eggs. He explained that he would like to collect six, but there may only be one or even none. He also outlined other options to consider in the future, but to discuss this at a later date, if that was applicable. They will keep the embryos on freeze for one year and then we could return as private patients in the future.

We were then given a timetable/ protocol letter to follow to the tee.

The standard delivery of fertility treatment is completed within 6 weeks.
Due to the urgency of our situation, we completed a cycle of fertility treatment in 2.5 weeks.

and again

It was just too much to take in..........

So the following day we went to Bath for the weekend.