We spent 9 years of our life in a small country town in North Queensland called Charters Towers. These are my memories of the people and events that were a part of our life during that time.
April and I began to be concerned about not having children after our first wedding anniversary. A local doctor in Emerald referred us to the public gynecologist. This began a sometimes heartbreaking experience of dealing with infertility.
Relying of the public hospital system can be a humiliating experience. You are at the doctor's mercy. In rural areas there is little recourse if there is a problem with a doctor. A patient's right to a second opinion is worthless if there is no one else to see. We had to deal with arrogant incompetence, insensitivity and rudeness. It annoyed me to see this man later extolled on a current affairs show as a rough saint of the bush. Many times after a consultation this saint's rudeness and insensitivity would leave April in tears.
Moving to Charters Towers allowed us access to an excellent private specialist in Townsville. We began what was to be an emotional roller-coaster in our efforts to have children. April was prescribed increasing levels of clomid, a hormone that encourages ovulation. A good part of this year was spent taking April's temperature to see if ovulation had occurred.
The years of dealing with infertility were taking their toll on our relationship. The drugs alone cause hormonal imbalances that result in mood swings. At the end of the year we decided to take a break. We joined a private health insurance fund and needed to wait for 12 months before we could claim on a pre-existing condition. This was a welcome relief for our relationship. We decided to wait a year and then look at further options.