You guys.
This IVF junk is NOT for the weak of heart.
Every day that passes seems to bring us a new and not necessarily exciting adventure.
My skin is getting thicker by the day.
So, last week I found out my thyroid levels were a tad higher than they needed to be, so along with birth control pills for suppression, I was also put on low-dose generic Synthroid.
It took about a week for them to work themselves out in my system, and after a weirdly over emotional Friday, my energy had returned and I seemed to be on the up and up.
I paid for my April medical premium and thought I had worked out all the kinks with the upcoming delivery for IVF specialty meds.
And then I got a call Monday night from the specialty drugstore, Prime Therapeutics.
We have an issue with your order...please call us right away.
6:30pm. Urgent. Cool.
So I pour myself a vodka tonic and spent the next 30 minutes of my life resolving a minor issue with the needle portion of the order.
No big deal, I thought.
They asked if I wanted to go ahead and file the claims since the order was scheduled for delivery Tuesday.
Weird....I thought they were supposed to be delivered Wednesday?
Well..either way is fine with me...sure, file the claims.
A few seconds go by and I finally hear the lady's voice again.....OK ma'am, your total comes to TWELVE THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED.......
I didn't hear the rest of the actual total because I'm pretty sure I blacked out.
NO! I loudly exclaim.
There must be a mistake. I specifically chose a high-deductible insurance because of all of this.
I should be covered at 100% after I meet that $3,500.
Unfortunately, you are under a grace period with the insurance as your premium is delinquent, therefore, nothing is covered.
I get this huge pit in my stomach, but try to process everything in my head.
OK....so the check just needs to clear. No problem.
Can we please put a hold on this shipment? I can't pay for that out of pocket tonight.
Yes, we can void the order and try again after everything clears, but you will have to get authorization through Blue Cross to do so.
The next morning, after I tossed and turned all night, worried I had made a mistake with insurance coverage, I checked my bank account to confirm the check had, in fact, cleared.
Ok, good. Off and running.
At the same time, I had emailed my nurse because I never actually got a full report about my blood work and labs, and had also requested the laundry list of medications in writing so I could compare when they arrived.
She had responded by 9am.
I had Dr. Jacobs review your recent labs and ultrasound results.
They do show some diminished ovarian reserve – compared to about a year ago.
Your AMH is 0.77 (normal is 1 or greater)
Your antral follicle count was 14 a year ago, but is now 8
Your FSH is slightly elevated at 10.6 – this was 9 a year ago.
SO – what this means is that we will need to use a higher dose of FSH (follicle stimulating hormone)
in order to get the best response possible from your ovaries.
So. Many. Balls. In my face.
I got really emotional and called Mark.
I kind of gave him the jist...I was absolutely not expecting this and it made me rather upset.
Right when I think we are off and running, we are hit with yet another hurdle.
I gathered my thoughts, calmed down, and after a series of emails...sorted through the rest of the morning.
I have no choice but to tackle my ovarian issue head on, and was given a couple supplement options to hopefully help as well.
The nurse recommended a powder supplement Myo Inositol 2000mg, twice daily, and CoQ10 600mg (in pill form) daily.
She also confirmed the type of CoQ did not matter at this point, because after a decent amount of research, I realized there were a few options to choose from.
Blue Cross confirmed the end of the dreaded grace period (what an oxymoron) and initiated a re-claim with the specialty meds.
I spent roughly 40 minutes on the phone sorting through all the details, and the cute $12,000 price tag went back down to $3,000, as expected.
And then, of course, I started Googling.
OMG....I was so overwhelmed, I closed my browser and said a little prayer instead.
Please Lord let me keep positive spirits and a sense of humor through this whole thing.
It is literally my only option.
I guess I was thinking this would be a simple series of A,B,C and then baby.
But really it's like A...then sub-heading aa, followed by C, and back-tracking to Paragraph 3, and did anyone read the friggin' Cliff's notes?
Every day we have been given a new set of directions, a new set of meds, a new agenda, and a new list of tasks.
And every day I have to resolve that it's OK and keep moving forward.
Eye on the prize....if only I could see better.
I hate it when balls fly at my face....(there goes my social life).
Thanks for reading!! XO
