Insurance...

I've spent the morning crying because I just found out we reached our lifetime max for fertility medication. The lifetime max is only $5k! How I'm grateful I haven't had to spend that out of pocket til now, I am extremely upset that my medication is going to be $1200 this cycle and if, God forbid, it doesn't work, it will be 100% out of pocket in the future, how I let this information slip by me is beyond me! I want to kick scream and cry at how greedy the pharmaceutical and insurance industry is. I didn't choose for my body not to work and to have to go this route, I'm not being greedy trying to play God, we have tried and tried traditional methods and numerous less intrusive means. I was so excited yesterday to find out the procedure will be less than I thought and though "wow now we have money for cryo" but now that money "saved" is going above and beyond what we were expecting for meds. I'm just so... Defeated right now... My loving husband said its ok and we will still do it but it's the principle I'm mad at! I know I should be grateful I have any insurance coverage at all because so many people don't have any, but I'm mad for that too! Why do we have to have a maximum on it? I don't want to get into a political debate, so I'll end there, I'm just frustrated and disappointed. Also, I want to send the warning out to everyone that has insurance coverage to not forget to pay attention to your prescription coverage, it can sneak up on you!

-Mrs Red

Ashley's IVF Results

So after our transfer (3/26/12) I ate LOTs of pineapple! A few fellow IVFers and I also read what helps implantation that fresh pineapple is supposed to help implantation. So I ate 1/2 of pineapple 3/26-3/30! I thought its worth a shot! I love fresh pineapple. I had some mild cramping throughout the week and I thought my bloating (from the retrieval on 3/21) was starting to go down on over the weekend. Monday I woke up and I was really bloated again (I was hoping this was a good sign) we also received our letter from the embryologist that we had 5 embryos frozen- great news! We only lost one embryo :) Most people only get to freeze one or two - we are so lucky. Tuesday I had a little break down before going to bed. I was crying thinking about receiving bad news on Friday. I hadn't had any symptoms or if I did I attributed them to other causes (having a headache for two days 3/29-3/30, vision changes for the past week, breast soreness but I am taking progesterone) I also woke up at 10:44 pm that night with horrible cramping very similar to when I have my period except a little worse. Wednesday I had to be up at 4:00 am to go in for my first bHCG lab. I prayed the whole way there 1.5 hrs. When I got there I asked the nurse if she would be calling me today if the lab came back at 0. She said they still make you come back on Friday so that's when I'd get results. I told her I was just curious because my DH and I were contemplating taking a hpt test even though I didn't really want to find out that way because we would have family at our house as soon as we got home on Friday and they'd be staying the whole weekend and I also would be having my sister's baby shower on Saturday. So I went to work and on my drive home from work I was trying to figure out if it would be best to take a hpt that night or Thursday night, when my phone rang! A the nurse's voice said "Ashley, this is Jean, I've just been dying to call you all day, your labs came back great! Not just good, great!" I said crying "Oh, I didn't expect to hear from you today, thank you so so so very much I can't tell you how much this means to me." She said I just couldn't have you waiting and thinking about this all week and then having to go to your sister's baby shower on Saturday. I didn't want you to worry, and if I had any doubt I wouldn't have called you but your labs are great, with a possibility of twins. Your bHCG is 332 and progesterone is 169." After I hung up the phone I cried, no balled like a baby, to the point I probably should have stopped the car! I was so happy and in shock! A few minutes after I calmed down I called my husband to see when he'd be home. He said he had to work late and would be home in a few hours. So I was trying to think of a way to tell him! We originally thought we'd find out by me peeing on a hpt and we'd both find out at the same time and have it confirmed on Friday by a call from the doctor's office. So I got home and made a sign/card that said "we are finally pregnant". When my husband got home I was trying to act as normal as possible. After a few minutes I said come here a minute we need to talk, so I had him come into our bedroom and sit down at the edge of the bed. I told him Stella and I have something to tell you. (Stella is our lab) I handed him the card, he opened it and a huge smile came across his face and he said "really?" and I told him all the details of the nurse calling. We decided to not tell any of our family until we received our results on Friday to make sure things stayed positive!

So Friday morning my mom road with me (clueless) to my appointment. The nurse asked what my mom thought and I said I haven't told her yet. She laughed and said she's road with you three times now you need to tell her on your way home. I said yes it's been hard keeping it from her. So after leaving the clinic I told her. She is so excited and happy :)

Friday afternoon Jean called and said your labs came back great again today they more than doubled 872 today! She said she thinks we are having twins!! :) (We hope so too!)

Friday night we told my parents and my sister & her husband, I put a little piece of paper saying we are pregnant and candy in a plastic Easter egg for each of them. We also told my husbands parents and siblings at our Easter Gathering on Saturday, and my grandma on Easter. We will tell my other grandparents today or tomorrow. Everyone is very happy. One of the most special parts in all of this is our due date is 12/12/12, which was my grandpa's birthday. He passed away 3.5 yrs ago and I can't help but think he's had a hand in this. We thanked everyone for their prayers and asked them to continue to pray for everything to go well and for us to have healthy pregnancy and baby(s).

We will tell the rest of our family and friends as soon as we know if there is one or two and we see heartbeat(s) which will be in the next week or two and know that everything is going well. I am fortunate that I am a sonographer and can find out sooner than our viability ultrasound that is scheduled for 4/25.

I've been feeling pretty good, bloating, tired, and crampy but I'm enjoying it! We are SO excited and still in shock it's so hard to believe! We are praying for everything to work out and continue to go well - hoping for the best and ready and hoping for twins, but would feel very blessed with one as well! :)

February 13, 2011

One year ago today my husband and I went to the fertility clinic for our first actual IUI procedure. We were both so nervous. A few weeks before I caught bronchitis and was still getting over it. I hoped that my coughing wouldn't hinder the procedure... So we get to the clinic at 7 am and Miguel makes his deposit. Then we go to Einstein bagel brothers and have breakfast and just wait til it's procedure time. We got back about 30 mins early and just waited in he waiting room. Finally they took us back and told us how awesome my hubby's swimmers were and explained the procedure. Then we started. They put the speculum in and then put the turkey baster in and inseminated me. My husband gel my hand the whole time. It pinched a little but it wasn't bad or anything. Then they left us alone in the room. I kept trying not to cough but didn't help. I had no idea the Obgyn tables tilted like they do haha. Well we went home and I took a nap in bed (even though bed rest isn't required). When I woke up, my hubby had the biiiiigest bouquet of flowers for me and an even bigger smile and said happy valentines day! It was Sunday February 13, 2011. I'll never forget it. The date of my first failed IUI. I was crushed when we found out it didn't work... Even more crushed when my best friend told me she was pregnant. I was jealous because she is so fertile, and I'm well.... Not....

One year ago today... We were so happy and full of hope, it really was a good day. Too bad it couldn't have been memorable for a better reason :-/


Mrs Red