Waiting for the Witch

Well I went off birth control pills on Wednesday and I'm just waiting for the witch to arrive. In a little bit nervous because my cycle needs to start on October 2, and if I don't get my period before then, don't push me off to a different transfer date. I just went back and looked at my old IVF blogs, and realized that it was the fourth day of Lupron last year (after birth control pills) when the which arrived. So if Im matching up days, that would actually be today!

The shot started out being easy at first, but as of today, my stomach is very bruised. I'm glad it's not summertime and I'm trying to sport an amazing bikini, Because this stomach cannot see the light of the sun! So far the Lupron is actually okay, but I'm just hot all the time. Mr. LaterThanMost and Brooklyn are wearing blankets all day while I'm sweating my ass off! Lol 

Okay, let's get this show on the road and bring on the witch!

I Think I'm Funny

Is that okay? I feel like my own blog is rather funny. Last night I went back and read a lot of my previous posts And seriously, I was cracking up. Some of those earlier posts really had a sarcastic wit to them! Some still make me laugh and some still make me cry, but nevertheless I'm lucky to have this entire journey documented. 

Okay you want the details from this morning! The Lupron  shot was easy peasy. I did forget how hard it is to inject yourself though, and then move your hand down the needle so you can push the liquid into your own skin. I also forgot my skin stretches when I pull the needle out and it looks like my skin is attached the needle! Vom!

And FET is a lot different different than a IVF cycle. First of all, the guy pretty much does nothing this time around. Mr. LTM did avoid a throat punch though because he Did ask if I did my injection this morning! Hey, at least he remembered! Also I feel like I need a lot more notes this time to make sure I take the right medications on the right days. I put a giant calendar on the refrigerator, wrote each medication on the correct day, and used checkboxes so I can check each med off as I take it. Good thing I love organization!

Tomorrow is Accupuncture session two. I need to post about how I have not learned to relax!

227 Shots to Go!

Yes I'm that big of a freak and counted the total amount of shots that I'll be taking. I was being conservative though, I didn't even count the flu shot that I got today!

Tomorrow morning I start my Lupron injection. I had the paperwork all set out tonight so I could review the directions for this type of injection. I do remember that the needle is small and the shot is rather easy, however I remember the injection site would get itchy after a few days! Also, I totally remember telling people that I was " Loopy on Lupron" with my IVF. I think it kept me up at night and I remember a lot of night sweats and being hot. Oh no! I just remembered lots of nights that I slept on the couch! 

There is so much to talk about in the numbers update. Although I'm on my iPad and it's more difficult to type! A our injects class on Thursday we learned that our RE office is now using assisted hatching with all procedures. That is a laser technique where they split the outside layer of the embryo to help it shed and implant. It's  also supposed to increase success rates. Now I'm wondering if we transfer two, should we only use assisted hatching on one? From my reading this procedure is more necessary in frozen transfers because the freezing process actually toughens up the embryo's outer shell. Now that we know the process, we can make even more of an informed decision.

Alright, t minus 8 hours until injection one! Thanks for reading!

October 21!!!

That's it! My Frozen Embryo Transfer is all scheduled for October 21. I'm not going to lie, I thought it would be sooner. When the nurse called me yesterday to confirm a calendar, we missed the October 9 transfer date by one day. Guess why? Because they didn't call me back and do my injects consult on Tuesday like she was supposed to! Whatever, two weeks is not that big of a deal.

Next week I go in on the 19th for the injects training. This time I totally know what I'm doing. When I picked up my meds I organized them with the needles without reading the packages. I knew that the tiny needs were for my Lupron and the giant cow needles were for the progesterone in oil. So, she pretty much just needs to go over everything with me and I'm good to go. I'm rather sure that she said I would start my medications on September 24.

On the two or one dilemma. . . right now I'm solidly at two. The timing of this is perfect for my school year (um, six weeks earlier would have been amazing). I won't have to take any unpaid leave if I don't want to, so Mr. LTM and I won't see a reduction in my salary. Not that we are really tight on money here, but you know I like my shopping! I haven't talked to MR. LTM about the number to transfer, I will bomb him with that conversation on October 20 when embryology calls. . . after a few drinks. :) As easy has this has been so far. . . I REALLY don't want to have to go to a fresh cycle. That's why I want to transfer the two. I'll admit, my IVF was easy for me. A little pain here and there but I can do it again. I kinda just don't want to go through the weeks and weeks of appointments. I'm not saying I won't, but I'd rather do this and have it work.

I've thought of my life with a set of twins and it's not good. I'm still leading a life of leisure with one child. Mr. LTM does a ton of child-rearing on his own while I'm out and about having fun with friends or mommy time. I'm not too sure of his patience level with twins, but that's a test for everyone. Playing the numbers game, I'll just be hoping for a healthy pregnancy. If I can get that with one, great!

Saturday I'll be off to my first accupuncture appointment for this round of treatments. I'm excited to go back! The stress release is amazing!

WTF Just Happened?

Do you ever have one of those days were one minute you know your day is going one way, and then the next minute your day is off in a completely different direction? That was today.

My HSN was scheduled for 1:45pm. I worked a half day and then ran a few errands. I got to my RE's office at 1:30pm, which I know was stupid because he is ALWAYS late. Today was no exception. I waited until 2:30 to be called back into the office. Now, the normal me would NOT put up with his crap, but I know my doctor is very well sought-after so I try to take it easy on him. The office is freaking nuts.

So they finally come and get me and tell me to disrobe for the HSN. After I'm ready, the ultrasound tech tells me she is going to wait in the hallway and "catch" the doctor as he runs by! She wanted to stop him before he went off and handled another appointment. This made me chuckle. So, he comes in and gets me all examined. He gives me the bill of clean health and says that my uterus looks great. In fact, he literally told me I got the "Uterus of the Day" award. How can you not laugh at that? The nurses giggled. I was glad to not have any issues. So as I'm cleaning up I realize that I need to book my injections consultation. I asked the office manager and she told me to call the IVF nurse. So I leave the building and realize that if I called within the next hour, the IVF nurse would have to call me back before the office closed. Hehehehehe. So I wait.

Meanwhile, I've check my mail and insurance has sent me a letter. They will not approve the procedure until they get the million pages of my fertility file so they can see that I actually need this procedure. Son of a bitch! I only had to take birth control until Thursday, and this is surely going to extend my FET calendar!!! Now I call the insurance company to see if they received any documentation from my RE. After being transferred three times, they inform me that that division of insurance is now closed for the day. WTF? It's 4:00pm Chicago time. Ok, guess I'll call back tomorrow. In the meantime I've now called the RE to leave a voicemail for the insurance girl. I let her know that she needs to forward my file to get my cycle approved. *Sigh*

4:30 rolls around and it's the IVF nurse. She lets me know that my HSN looked great and she wants to order my meds and schedule my consult appointment for injects. Whoo hoo. Oh wait, my cycle hasn't been approved! So I tell this to the IVF nurse who informs me that the insurance girl is on vacation for a week! WTF!!! No worries, the IVF nurse will submit my file. I just have to email her a copy of their request. I verify her email three times (three), and then she says she will try to put my meds through to the hospital pharmacy anyway and we can see if they get approved.

So we hang up and I send her the document of what insurance needs, but of course the email gets returned back to me for the incorrect address. Son of a bitch! I even try Googling the shit out of that email address and I get no results. My cell phone is now ringing and it's the pharmacy. Are you kidding? They are calling already? I give him my insurance info and he informs me that he isn't really sure how to submit my info to two insurance companies since I have two! I KINDLY inform him that he better get his act together, because insurance company number two is the one who pays. He says he will get busy and call me back.

So, I hang up with him (are you stressed yet?) and I begin Googling that incorrect email again. I'm so pissed that its not working. After about five minutes the pharmacy calls me back. Before he can say wether the meds are approved or not, my other line is ringing and it's now the RE's office, which I know is closed for the night. O.M.G. I need a drink. So, I get the pharmacy guy to hold and it's my IVF nurse. She informs me that she is an airhead and she gave me a mixture of her personal email and her work email. I'm so happy to get the real email that I don't really care what she initially gave me. I rush her off the phone and tell her the pharmacy is on the other line. I click back over and the pharmacy can get all of the meds approved but one injectable med which is $189. Um, I ask him for the grand total and he tells me it would be $267 including the one that isn't covered. I tell him to sign me up and I'll pay for that one med that won't be approved yet. All of a sudden he's telling me I can pick the meds up within an hour. WHAT?????

Next thing you know I'm flying over the pharmacy at the hospital. Before I get there I Google my accupuncturist at the first red light I get to. I give him a call and leave a message stating that I'm suddenly finding myself in a very fast-moving frozen embryo cycle and that I need some appointments. Soon as I know it, I'm already at the hospital pharmacy. I give them my credit card and I walk out with a bag of meds, full knowing that I probably paid $100 more than if I would've waited for insurance approval but SCREW that! Before I leave the building I find a secret corner and pull everything out and check it against the receipt. It's all there. Four types of pills, two types of injections and literally about 100 needles. Needles so big that I think they are for a vet to give to a cow. The good news is that it's all there. Before I reach my car, the accupuncturist is on the phone and he is excited to help me with pregnancy number two. He has now squeezed me in for an appointment this Saturday.

So, as it all turns out, I should be starting my meds in about three days and I'm just blown away by how fast this all went down today. I thought I was just getting an HSN today, and the next thing I knew I'm only three days away from finishing my three weeks of required birth control and starting my injectables.

Oh God, I hope this all works.

Rescheduled

I'm starting to wonder if I feel like I'm just the know-it-all this time, or if my RE's office is driving me insane.

So three days after they cancelled my procedure, I called to get it rescheduled. I couldn't talk to the scheduler because she was working with IVF patients all morning. Totally get it, that's fine. I asked to be transferred to her voice mail so I could tell her to go ahead and schedule my procedure, and I will work around the time that she picks. Well, she didn't get back to me for two days. Ok, fine. So I take a half day from work and now I'm all set to get the HSN on Monday, September 9. Well, I only needed to be on the pill for three weeks and next week is three weeks. They won't order my meds though until I pass the HSN. Um okay. How many people literally don't pass the HSN? Like 5%? Now I have to schedule another day off of work. They won't even let me schedule my injects training class until I pass the HSN. I kindly asked if I could just book the appointment so I could plan my day off from teaching accordingly, but big. fat. no.

Now, there could be a couple of things going on here. #1. When I did IVF I was off of school the whole summer, so perhaps I dealt with this bull a little better. Or, #2, FET patients get the shaft while IVF patients get all the appointments. I mean, my IVF was about $22,000 and the bill for the FET is only $5,000. Or, #3, I'm just really annoying and being too pushy. I dunno, just seems they aren't very flexible.

Anyway- so I'll go Monday for my HSN. Then I'll call on Tuesday and have them schedule the injects class for me. That's normally the same day that they call and order the meds from the specialty pharmacy. Then I'll call billing on Tuesday and make sure that they have approval from insurance to move on with the procedure. GAH!

So the ever waiting question remains. . . transfer two or one? I cannot decide.