Medication costs

As you know IF medication is really expensive, especially if your insurance doesn't cover it. My DH & I have great insurance EXCEPT...they won't cover anything IF related!! I am thankful that it covers all of my blood work and ultrasounds, but no medication or procedures. So as I prepare for my upcoming FET, my nurse coordinator wants me to get my medications ordered.

I asked if she had any samples of these medications that I could have since I pay 100% out of pocket. I also looked on my clinics website for women donating medication. I made lots of calls to the normal IF pharmacies to compare prices. I talked to a wonderful woman at Walgreens that told me that my insurance company might cover some of these medications because they are also used for treating other things besides IF. The only catch is that if the insurance company needs a Dr. authorization than they usually deny you once they find out it is a fertility doc....but I figured it was worth a try. After finding out of the information I asked my nurse if she would mind sending my prescriptions to 3 different pharmacies so I could save $....to my surprise she did!!!

This is what I ended up getting:

• Lupron - $99 (cheapest price I found by $30) - Walgreens specialty
• Z-pack - $ 4 (covered by insurance) - Walmart
• Dexamethazone - $4 (covered by insurance) - Walmart
• Prenatal Vitamin - $4 (covered by insurance) - Walmart
• E2V - Estrodiol - $40 a vial (to my surprise covered by insurance!! Freedom Pharmacy sells it for $ 115 a vial, so I saved a total of $150) - Precision RX
• PIO - $0 (a pregnant girl from my clinic donated 4 vials to me worth $300!!)
• Ovidrel (250mg pre-filled) - $50 (cheapest price by $30) - Freedom Pharmacy
• Endometrin suppositories - $0 (my nurse gave me a box worth $150)

I saved a total of $663...just by making a few calls!!! I am so thrilled to only be paying $241 for all of my FET medications!!

The reason for sharing this is not to brag but to tell all of you its worth calling your insurance company even if they don't cover IF (like mine), and asking nurses and friends if they have any extra medication they would like to donate. I also wanted to tell you that if you are new to my blog or IVF I received many of my IVF meds for FREE through this program. If you have any ways for saving money on meds please share with all of us!!!

My meds will be delivered tomorrow!!

Wisconsin pictures

We had so much fun in Wisconsin. This was a "thrill-seeking" vacation...which is right up my alley!! We went to 2 water parks where we rode some scary slides and roller coasters. We also went on a zip line tour which I have been wanting to do for years. It was great to get away for 5 days!!

Watching Wisconsin cheese being made

Boat tour of the Dells (rock formations on the Wisconsin river)

The water parks were amazing!!

Watching a movie at a Drive-In theater

Getting ready to do the Zipline

DH..would you believe he is afraid of heights!!!

Getting hooked up to the line

Before this picture was taken I was hanging upside down (on purpose)!!

I am already ready to go on another vacation....DH says I have a problem..LOL!! 3 months till we go to Punta Cana.......

Father's Day

I am back from Wisconsin...we had a blast. I will post pictures later.

I think this is the longest I have gone between posts!! I have been really busy and there is not much to talk about on the TTC front.

I started BCP's last Monday. I wasn't supposed to start them until July 2nd, but I asked to start them early because I was tired of the cramps and spotting! So I guess I am officially on my way to the FET!!

I am not looking forward to tomorrow for many reasons....

• It's the first Father's Day without my dad
• DH's dad is also deceased
• DH is STILL not a father

I am going to my parents house (2 hrs away) tomorrow to be with my sister who is in town from Austin. We are going to be going through some of my parents stuff...what horrible timing, like its not going to be a hard enough day as it is! I don't want to leave DH alone on this hard day but he insisted I go since he has to work anyway.

Hugs to all of your DH's....even if they don't express it as much as we do, Father's Day is a hard day for them!!

Keeping busy

The summer is already keeping me very busy. I am very thankful to have lots to do because it helps pass the time until the FET in late July. I was hoping that we could try naturally this month since I don't have to be on BCP's until July 3rd, but no such luck. I have been spotting everyday...gotta love the after effects of IVF!!

If you have been reading my blog for any amount of time you know I love to travel. DH and I go on at least 3 vacations a year. We have been so busy this year with IVF and my dealing with my father's death and estate that we haven't been able to go anywhere (except Branson after our failed IVF).....traveling is my therapy. We booked a trip to the Dominican Republic in September for our anniversary, but I can't wait that long to go on vacation so I booked another trip on Monday. The crazy thing is that we are leaving in 5 days!!! We are going to the Wisconsin Dells for 4 nights. If you have been there I would love to hear about your trip......

Medicated FET

Yesterday I sent my nurse coordinator an e-mail telling her about the spotting and asked what I should do. She talked to Dr. A and unfortunately he thinks I will have to forego the natural cycle and just do a regular FET. That way, we can start birth control pills and regulate my body.

I am fine with that decision. I tried twice to do a natural FET, and my body didn't cooperate so now we are going to do a medicated FET. (Someone asked me a few weeks ago what a natural FET is, and this explanation is straight from my RE's blog. The main difference is there is no medication required.)

The only thing that sucks about doing the medicated FET is that we have to wait yet AGAIN! I asked when the soonest I could do the FET assuming it would be July because its to late to be in the June cycle. Here's what happened....

C(coordinator) : The next cycle is Sept 14,15 and 16 but meds will start early August.

Me: What about the July cycle?

C: The July cycle is full, actually over full, and was closed. I can see if we can add one more, but I’m not sure. They are usually pretty strict due to lab space. I’ll check and let you know.

Me: That would be great because we are going to be out of the country for the September transfer, so we would have to wait till October. I am begging!!! Thank you for trying!!

• Insert TOTAL freakout. I was so upset!! I couldn't imagine having to wait 4 more months to do the FET. That would be 6 months between the IVF and the FET!! The next 2 hours felt like an eternity while I waited for her response.....

C: I can put you on the schedule for July!!! I will work on a calendar, but the transfer would likely be August 5th. Meds would start around July 12th, I believe.

• I immediately started crying and told DH to come and look at the e-mail. He was also moved to tears...which NEVER happens. We were both so relieved!! We did our happy dance...hugging each other and jumping up and down!!

Me: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! I really appreciate you fitting me in...it means the world to me!!

C: No problem. I know it’s important for you. We will have to start you on birth control pills with your next period. We need to have you on the pill by July 1st. In the meantime, I will work on a packet and call you to arrange a calendar review.

Yesterday was a stressful day but ended up with great news. C already called this morning to discuss a few things and is putting my calendar in the mail today!!!

Out of whack

I started spotting AGAIN!!! Since my IVF cycle I feel like I have been spotting constantly!! Here is what has been happening since my April IVF cycle:

• April 15th - Transferred 2 blasts
• April 23rd - Confirmed negative betas
• April 26th - AF shows right on time
• April 29th - WTF appt., gear up for natural FET
• May 9th - Cramps & light brown spotting on CD 14-18
• May 11th - Ultrasound showed NO dominate follicle - anovulatory cycle, FET cancelled
• May 24th - AF shows right on time
• May 31st - Yesterday.....

I started having cramps and spotting again.....only 2 days after AF is gone!! Today has been heavier than spotting but nothing like my normal periods. My RE told me sometimes it takes a month or two for your body to get back on track after an IVF cycle.

Have any of you had this type of thing happen to you after an IVF cycle? If so when did your cycles get back to normal?