I used to have really horrible problems trying to get Serafina to go to the vet. At one point I had to try to administer a sedative just to get her into the carrier. Of course I don't know which is harder... getting her to ingest a sedative or getting her into a carrier without one.
I'd have to leave about 1 hour for me to get her rangled into the carrier, and even then I'd often end up being late for the appointment.
Fortunately, she's mellowed over the years quite a bit. So now my tactic is:
Get the carrier out (quietly) and get it opened up.
Bring the carrier into the same room where Serafina is. Get it as close to her as possible.
Approach her nonchalantly, pick her up, and pop her right into the carrier before she knows what's going on.
I think what's helped is that it's no longer uncommon that I'll pick her up and she'll let me pet her. So if every once in a blue moon that results in her getting put into a carrier, she doesn't really make that correlation and "lets it go".
Good luck.
P.S., I think having a vet come to you is an awesome idea for what it's worth.