IVF Meds=!@%#!

Yesterday afternoon I called the IVF nurse/coordinator to let her know I'm still eager to get things going with IVF but that I've been playing phone tag with the financial clearance person. She said we could go ahead & get the meds ordered. She told me the specifics of what I would need and that I could call pharmacies for prices. And then things started unraveling from there.

I made a stupid mistake when planning & budgeting for everything. I interpreted the information about discounts from the Ferring Heart Program wrong. I thought the FHP discount would put our total for meds around $2500. Imagine my disappointment and disgust when I called the pharmacy & they gave me the total of $4860+$10 program enrollment fee to get the discount (!@%#!). This price is for Bravelle & Menopur, 10 days worth, WITH the discount. In addition to being disappointed & disgusted, I came home feeling defeated because it makes us $2300 short.

I realize one reason these meds are expensive is because pharmaceutical companies have to make a profit and price goes up with less volume. But why does it feel like such a trap? Think of all the unused vials out there that go to waste or are used for injection training purposes because of FDA guidelines. Add that to the "IF sucks because... list!"

Things looked a little brighter when PC reminded me that was just one pharmacy and he would see what he could find out online. By the time he was finished, he had made a spreadsheet of different pharmacies and price comparisons. See exhibit A below.

How sweet is he? How lucky am I? He lifts me up when I need it most and sees the glass half full when I think it's beyond empty! If we are able to use some of the pharmacies he found online, we can get the cost closer to $3000. These meds better stimulate the economy ovaries in a major way!

Acupuncture- Before IVF

My acupuncture plan throughout IVF is to go once before, during and after the procedures. Today was my before visit. I don't know all the correlations with acupuncture and IVF success rates but my main reason for going is that it relaxes me more than any massage or glass of vino!
It is also always interesting to hear what Dr. C has to say. His main goals for me from this visit were 1. I need to exercise more and "break a sweat" were his exact words and 2. Spread out the multi-vitamins, especially while going through IVF.

About the exercising... he said "you know when someone cuts you off in traffic and your body tenses up? Your body is like that all the time and you need to get rid of some pent of energy." He also said, "I realize you have a job that can be really stressful but you are going to eventually end up with ulcers & gallstones if you don't manage it better." (Lovely, all I could think about was how Cesar Milan imitates the dogs with pent up energy and scolds rehabilitates the owners for not giving them enough exercise). Remember this post? Nothing has changed and I sure don't want to decrease my chances during IVF because of all this extra tension I carry around. So I guess I need to get moving and do that belly & butt busters DVD that I so loathe!!!
Breathe in, breathe out.

The multi-vitamins... I kind've got lost in the explanation but something about how our bodies stop doing what they are meant to do through eating a healthy, balanced diet. PC says it makes sense but I've got to think over that a little more. That's the one habit I'm really good at!
And good news... from the Eastern medicine viewpoint, my hormones appear to be in balance!

organizing for IVF ???

Calling all Type A :] (or not) bloggers out there who can share advice about how you organize for/during IVF? Anything in relation to preparing meds, doing the injections, keeping on schedule... ??? I'm feeling so overwhelmed & haven't even got past financial clearance yet!!!

2010 Recap

Since I took a one year hiatus from blogging here, I wanted to recap the (mostly non-IF) low/highlights of the year (besides the usual day to day routine):

We enjoyed our first year in the home we built! 1 year of payments behind us and only 20+ more to go, ahhhh the joys that come with it! This pic was taken two days ago when 6-8 inches of fell across many parts of the Southeast.

Puppy #1 and Puppy #2 grew... and grew... and grew!

PC totaled his truck, one and a half flip. It was scary. I don't want to post a pic because it still makes me sick to think about. Truly a Blessing that he walked away from it without a scratch.

I also took a year hiatus from graduate school, and I'm not proud of it. This year is now-or-never with my degree plan. Sigh.

I canned green beans with the MIL in the summer! This work makes me appreciate every bite a little more.


I learned a little more about the stock market, couponing/budgeting, cooking, landscaping, property laws, editing pictures and... (still thinking)

We camped a few times, always fun. Then we sold the camper. And used the money to put in a half bath in our basement. Um, I hesitate to add this but PC is really proud that the half bath comes complete with a urinal. Compromise...

We decided on Jan.-March 2011 for IVF. Got all of the pre-tests, including trial transfer, out of the way in the fall of 2010. I need to share a funny about that later!

I had an MRI because of a spot on my right breast and family history of breast cancer. Right was fine but a place showed on the left. Went for a biopsy and they couldn't find anything... Blessing!

PC and I celebrated 5 years together:] PC has become a 95% MAC supporter (in this case I'm referring to the computer, since hopefully I get 99.5%). It won't be long until he c.r.o.s.s.e.s o.v.e.r!

Read a few books, watched a couple of movies and went to a couple of concerts. My favorites- The Hunger Games Series, Tangled and Gary Allen (that's a diverse list!)

We went on long weekend trips in March, June and December as budget-friendly as we could.

MIL was sick to the point of being admitted to the hospital the week of Christmas. Another Blessing that she came home Christmas Eve and has slowly been regaining strength day by day.

We still have our same jobs although we lost some income due to the economy. Our families are healthy and well despite a few setbacks along the way. Infertility still sucks but life is still good!

And we wrapped up 2010 with snow on Christmas Day! High expectations for 2011...

2011- IVF, Here we come!

I am stepping back into the blog world, one year later, to document a new chapter of the infertility roller coaster ride. Our first IVF cycle! Right now... waiting on financial clearance so that our nurse can get the meds ordered. Since insurance covers nothing, we're paying for the cycle with a loan and for the meds with savings. We're getting a little discount by participating in the Ferring Heart program, we'll take it! Hope to connect with some New Year IVF'ers and for many BFP's!