Tuesday 25 August 2009

Monday 10th August - meet the doctor!

MONDAY


Walk down to Prospect Svobody (find the big statue above - not me - or the other trad Virgin Mary) and see lots of cabs all over the place. DH flags one down and we go to Intersono for 9.00AM and get charged 40UAH (should have been 20 -30). Astonished at the state of the cabs - they look like they won't make it to the end of the road, let alone the clinic!


TIP 1 Take a sheet of paper with the clinic address in Cyrillic. This way you can just shove it at the taxi driver (who almost certainly won't speak English) Also worth trying to agree price before you go.


We went straight to the desk and asked for Dr Lubov. Get to put on lovely blue shoe covers (why don't any UK hospitals do this?) Meet Lyucyna and are whisked upstairs to have immediate blood tests for Syphilis, etc. Amazed at getting instant results (a prick in the finger which is then put on several different paper tests) when NHS take a couple of weeks.

Wait for 15mins back downstairs, then meet Dr Lubov (Young and speaks fluent English). Further questions and then asked to take knickers off. This was in same room as DH. Went behind small screen and then on to bed - impressed by very decent ultrasound machine (unlike Altra Vita's which looked like it needed to be wound up). Lyucyna pointed out that lining good at 13mm and fibroid should not be a problem.


TIP 2 Wear a skirt, you only have to hitch it up and not quite so embarrassing!


We were told that donor was currently having her aspiration. Dr Lubov then suggested we go get some food and coffee on other side of block. Back for 11am for DH to do his “business”. Think this fairly straight forward as he didn't seem to comment much on it. Both of us wondered if we should have made love the day before - would it have meant weaker sperm? Something to look at in future (if necessary!).

Medication revised, now only taking three Proginova each morning and starting to take 800mg Cyclogest each evening. Other medication as before, I.e. 1 Aspirin, 1 Folic Acid and 1 preconceive vitamin tablet.

Waited for confirmation that all is okay (on very comfortable sofa in clinic lounge) before clinic ordered taxi to opera house (with reputable taxi company).Told to return on Saturday for ET.

Walked around the Plaza, but was very disappointed to find that there were to be no performances at the beautiful Opera House while we were there.

Very hot day and lovely cool spray spattered from the fountain.

In afternoon, went for lunch at restaurant on Rynok Place - The Centaur (named after famous little drunken centaur on wall round corner). Attempted to eat traditional Ukrainian lard. I had recently tasted this in Lucca, Italy and was very impressed - it didn't taste of fat at all - texture much stronger and was more like a smoked meat - and I was keen for DH to try too. But this was not Italy. This was just rolls or slices or swirls of pure greasy fat, with some slightly flavoured. And we had a whole plate to eat! We both felt sick. We then followed with traditional Ukrainian Dumplings (with truffles - Varenyky) swimming in olive oil, served with cream and more fat. Felt really ill. Had ordered glass of Ukrainian wine, which tasted like dettox.


TIP 3 - learn Cyrillic before you go - you will be utterly lost otherwise. Many of the words you will see will just be English written in Cyrillic! Fortunately we did learn it. NB The Ukrainian Cyrillic is slightly different to the Russian - don't get muddled!

Had a great time wandering around Rynok Square - beautiful buildings all around and each one has a story! Lots of museums for later perusing and lots of tourist trinket shops!


Went up the tower, which is on the top of the Municipal Building in the centre of Rynok Square. Great vews! Nb You have to pay a tiny fee to go up - find main entrance and it's just to your right.


Found cornershop at end of our road and bought some supplies – cheese, bread and yoghurt drink (we were trying to buy milk) for supper. Quite tricky finding milk - moloko - as they have hundreds more cartons of fermented yoghurt than milk, and the milk is UHT. Like Moscow, we couldn't get fresh milk (not sure why in Lviv - we were told they "don't do cows" in Moscow, tho!). DON'T put the fermented yoghurt in your tea by mistake! And don't smell it - it reeks of yeast!


TIP 4 - If you want milk, make sure it says “Moloko”.

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