Fertile Wishes: Dr. John David Gordon Discusses Infertility, Life and More...

In a previous post (https://fertilewishes.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-final-step-embryo-transfer.html) I discussed preparation as being a key element of success. In that post and in one other I discussed my previous camping experience with Leah and how being prepared (as all good Eagle Scouts should be) is of upmost importance. In the photograph accompanying that post you can clearly see our equipment piled upon the break room table. I was so impressed by the packs and tent that we had rented from Outdoor Equipment Rental that I decided to purchase the 3 man version of that tent (TN3 from Kelty). It was quite possibly the smartest purchase that I have ever made and literally may have saved our lives.

So when we last left our intrepid duo, they had survived a total freak-out by yours truly when descending from Circlestone Ruins in a snowstorm incited by my insensitive comments about the original inhabitants of the Supersitions. Bad idea. Remember when I described the trail as being dry c…

On Tuesday morning we were scheduled to take a day hike to the Circlestone ruins (https://thephoenixenigma.com/circlestone/) which is a unique archeological feature located at an elevation of 6010 feet which is close to the highest point in the entire Superstition Mountains.

The rain was indeed intermittent so after exploring some of the valley around the Reavis homestead we decided a to head out to see the ruin for ourselves. The hike was very intense with a significant elevation gain and a trail that was pretty much creek beds and dry waterfalls (at least dry when we started). By lunchtime we had reached the base of the trail that would take us the last 0.8 miles to the ruins. The rain had held off and once we approached the top of the trail I made a mental note that we needed to be sure to NOT LOSE THE TRAIL on the way down. There were some small cairns to indicate the path but not much else. Once we made it to the edge of the ruin I made my first mistake....

"Man, that was a…

On Saturday before our departure we headed out to Dick's Sporting Goods for some last minute supplies. Leah called me over to look at her phone and showed me the current forecast for Phoenix:
Monday: Rain
Tuesday: Rain
Wednesday: Rain
Thursday: Rain then clearing

I was really devastated by this news. Over lunch I poured over other options: fly to Las Vegas, drive to West Virginia, stay home and watch Netflix. In a panic I called my outfitter. He checked the weather and said that he thought it didn't look too bad. Monday looked OK, Tuesday intermittent showers and Wednesday clearing with Thursday looking awesome. His advice: stay the course, go on the trip.

The trip as planned was an off-the-grid adventure. No cell phone, no cabins, just what we carried on our backs. We would drive from Phoenix into the Superstitions and then take dirt roads for over an hour to the trailhead and then hike into an area known as Reavis Ranch. 10 miles in with over 1500 foot elevation gain before…

Readers of this blog are probably familiar with my beloved daughter Leah who will be entering her final year at the United States Naval Academy later this summer. After graduating next year she will be committed to serving her country for 5 years and beyond that...who knows. In any case, Navy in the winter is cold...and wet...and rather dreary. Plus it is the place where some say that fun goes to die...the other is the University of Chicago. In any case, Leah had one request after Christmas this year and that was to go backpacking with her dad (that's me) someplace warm and dry. Not an unreasonable request IMHO.

So I began looking for backpacking trip options that were warm and dry and someplace where Southwest has nonstop flights out of BWI....the answer was clearly Phoenix. So I contacted a company in Phoenix that offered guided hikes into the Superstition Wilderness outside of Phoenix. The company's motto: "If you want to kill yourself by hiking into the mountains off…

I received the sad news from my cousin last week that my beloved Uncle Lew had passed away. I have previously written about Uncle Lew on this  blog. He was a wonderful man and an outstanding physician. He will be missed by all.

Here is what the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists had to say....

Lewis E. Braverman, MD, MACE, 89, passed away peacefully on Monday, June 10, 2019. He leaves his wife Mimi Braverman; his sons, William Braverman and Daniel Braverman; and his five grandchildren.

Dr. Braverman was an undergraduate at Harvard College and graduated from medical school at Johns Hopkins University in 1955. He completed an Internal Medicine Residency at Boston City Hospital and an Endocrinology Fellowship in the Thorndike Memorial Laboratory.

Dr. Braverman had a passion for mentoring fellows, students and junior faculty, and is remembered as a superb mentor to generations of endocrine trainees. He was of exemplary service to AACE, serving as both the Edit…

It is with mixed feelings that I ended my nearly 20 years at Dominion Fertility today. I am so proud of the wonderful staff at Dominion and so thankful to the patients who trusted me to be their fertility specialist. I rejoice in their successful pregnancies and mourn along with them in the failed treatments.

However, I am so excited about what the future holds for me and my family as we prepare to leave the DC Metro area for Knoxville, TN. As a Princeton/Clemson family we are well prepared to wear orange come football season! I look forward to becoming part of a new medical community and hope that old friends will look us up in our new hometown come August.

Keep checking back for updates and new contact information if I can find a teenager to help me figure out why my new domain name is not working correctly.

Fondly,

DrG dr.gordon@southeasternfertility.org