New TTC Thread

[KiKi Mouse]

I'm in the dreaded end of my latest TWW...argh!!!!!
Lots of imaginary symptoms...I hate this. I have been fooled so many times before.

How is everybody else doing?

 

[WDWAurora]

Good luck KiKi Mouse! I had my visit to the RE for my "class" today. WEIRD!! I was by far the youngest in the room, and I was the only one who didn't bring DH/the partner. They said it was optional, and I have this thing about hating him taking off for work for THESE visits-I want to save him going to appointments with me for when we are actually pregnant. I know, I'm weird. All the husbands were asking questions, which was kind of weird. I got my treatment plan. If you're interested, here's the shortened version:

1. Prenatals (Duh)
2. Talk to financial counselor (done)
3. Call on cycle day 1 & schedule baseline.
4. Take Femara days 3-7. Do Bravelle injection days 7-9. (injection requires mixing powder and liquid. Weird!)
5. Another ultrasound on day 10.
6. Same day of ultrasound, staff will call and tell me how to proceed.
7. If necessary, take another injection to prevent ovulation (if the eggs aren't big enough).
8. Ovidrel injection to trigger ovulation.
9. Progesterone suppositories.

Yikes.

 

[KiKi Mouse]

WDWAurora,

re: 7. If necessary, take another injection to prevent ovulation (if the eggs aren't big enough).

??? why would you want to prevent ovulation? Just to save eggs? Sorry if I seem clueless.

I can understand you wanting to save DH's time off for when you are pregnant etc. I say the same thing to my husband.

I hope this works for you. I can't imagine how stressful this must be for you.

 

[si-am]

I'm on just a state insurance plan, and everything I've done so far has been covered. Well, the 2nd and 3rd ovidrel triggers weren't, but the first one was. I probably could have argued more with the insurance, but I just wasn't up to it. My twice monthly ultrasounds were and all my other visits and the femara. I'll update after I find out about these next injections. There's a lot that can happen after just trying Femara. There are probably still a lot of tests you haven't had yet, either.

Have you had an HSG yet? That's something they will likely do. A lot of us can give you more info on that if you haven't done it.

My insurance has covered everything so far, but IUI and IVF and anything related to those procedures is absolutely excluded.

I had a sonohystogram which is similar to an HSG except it uses ultrasound instead of x-ray. It was really, really, really painful-- I was sobbing on the exam table and totally embarrassed myself. I'm pretty sure I"ll have to have an HSG to check my tubes, but I don't know if I can go through that again without some heavy pain meds!

I just read your treatment plan. Is it a problem for you taking off work for all those appointments and tests? I hate the cycle bloodwork I've been doing because I don't want to tell my employer why I keep leaving for doctor appointments but I feel like they're getting annoyed (and curious).

 

[mickeyboat]

Hi everyone!

Welcome si-am. Hope your stay here is a short one. I think going to a RE is a really good decision. Just because you have cysts doesn't mean you have PCOS - a blood test can help diagnose it and there are treatments that have worked with some people (me, included). Lots of luck to you! My HSG was very very painful, too, but not everyone has that experince.

Denae

 

[DMickey28]

I am also in the TWW. It's our first month TTC #2 so I am not too optomistic. Took a little while with DS. I haven't really started charting hard core yet, just CM and CP. I think I O'd this weekend and we only BD twice but it was within the window.

It's a little early for me to concieve (according to my perfect world timeline) but since it took a while with DS I am ok with getting pregnant now or in a year ...

Good Luck everyone ...

 

[skuttle]

Courtney...Wow...that's a lot of stuff!! I hope it works for you. I would probably do the same with my DH. He's a teacher so it would be hard for him to take off for that kinds of stuff, too.

Kiki..good luck in the 2WW!! I must say that I dread the 2WW now that I've had another chemical pregnancy. Even if I'm late and get a BFP, I know it's probably too good to be true. Ugh...to be "normal." To be able to BD, have a late period, take a HPT and get a BFP and then just be a happy pregnant girl for the rest of the 30-35 weeks. Even if I do get a pregnancy to stick, I think I wouldn't be able to enjoy it for a LONG time!

si-am...is your employer male? If so, just throw out there that it's for "female issues" and I'm sure they will not ask any more questions! LOL! And that's not really a lie.

So I just did the math and realized that our "prime time" for this month will be while we're at WDW. Ugh!

 

[WDWAurora]

My insurance has covered everything so far, but IUI and IVF and anything related to those procedures is absolutely excluded.

I had a sonohystogram which is similar to an HSG except it uses ultrasound instead of x-ray. It was really, really, really painful-- I was sobbing on the exam table and totally embarrassed myself. I'm pretty sure I"ll have to have an HSG to check my tubes, but I don't know if I can go through that again without some heavy pain meds!

I just read your treatment plan. Is it a problem for you taking off work for all those appointments and tests? I hate the cycle bloodwork I've been doing because I don't want to tell my employer why I keep leaving for doctor appointments but I feel like they're getting annoyed (and curious).

Your insurance sounds similar to mine. I'm going to call soon and re-assert that I'm not doing IUI, which may make them help with the drugs. I had a pretty horrible experience with my HSG, so I don't blame you for dreading it. If they offer you tylenol 3, the kind with codeine, tell them to keep going. The only actual pain killer in that is the tylenol, just has the codeine to make you stupid or something, because that's all it did for me. My experience is typed up in the thread somewhere, but when I talked about it, others had had VERY similar experiences, which made me feel better, because I'd always heard "mild discomfort." Um...mild? Really? I've had any variety of injuries, wisdom teeth out, stress fractures in my ankles, etc. and nothing even compared. I've always had a decent pain tolerance, but between the pain, hot flashes, and nausea, I could barely make it. DH couldn't even help me out of there because his touch felt like fire. BAD! I think with decent pain pills, it would be fine. Oh, and they also had to do mine twice due to equipment failure, so that didn't help anything. It was really interesting, but the pain was so bad I couldn't "enjoy" the cool factor of what I was seeing. I'm sorry for being so un-encouraging! Like I said, better pain pills and I'm sure it's fine.

As for time off, I haven't really had to take very much. I work for a school system, but I serve 16 schools and any number of 3-5 year olds in preschool settings, so I'm out and about all the time. The ultrasounds are done first thing in the morning, usually at 7:30 or 8, so I can be at work at 9 or so. If I'm in a school, I just skip my lunch hour and don't worry about it. I've had to take 2 half days for appointments so far, and that's since April, so not too bad. Tuesday I had a holiday anyway. The only appointments I will have this cycle are the ultrasounds (which could end up on a weekend-I've had one on a weekend before). Otherwise, I just go in a little late. For bloodwork, sometimes they do it in office, but some of it I can have done outside, so I either go to the walk-in clinic near work during lunch or to these free standing labs (there are locations everywhere) and they have good hours for me. So, there's been some luck involved so far, but it really doesn't require too many appointments, and especially not long ones. The ultrasound appointments take less than 15 minutes if I don't have to wait!

Allison-overwhelming, right? I can't imagine getting that box with all the drugs. I remember someone posting pics of theirs a long time ago for IVF, and it was unreal. I guess that's what I have to look forward to. I never thought I'd be doing all of this.

I actually think the best part of my plan is the progesterone suppositories. They can only help, and I've wondered if there wasn't a lining issue.

 

[yellowfish78]

Hi everyone! I'm just going to jump right in here.

I'm 30 and DH is 36...we dated for 6 years, he proposed in front of the castle 2 years ago, and we just got married on 10/4. We are in month 2 of TTC our first.

It's good to see boards out here like this one! I'll do my best to keep up!

 

[Jen_in_NH]

I'm sorry about the IUI. This is what I'm worried about with going to an RE. Honestly I don't know what else can be done for me except IUI and IVF and my insurance flat out will not cover either of those procedures-- not any part of it.

It just seems like so much money to pay out of pocket for something that might not work.

And if it DOES work, I won't have any savings left to actually take care of a baby!

Talk to the RE's staff about how they handle the billing. My insurance says they do not cover IUI or IVF, but somehow, the office coded it so they paid for the meds (I was using clomid, follistim, HCG trigger, and progesterone = $900), the ultrasounds, and all the bloodwork. The only thing the insurance didn't cover was the actual IUI itself.

 

[TAKitty]

It is nice to see some positive activity going on! My friend told me that December is the month more babies are conceived, so here is hoping that the next two months are successful for us!

Last month I became so stressed out before the IUI that I actually thought I might need a root canal. My tooth and jaw hurt that much! It was only after the IUI that I realized that the pain went away. I am now trying to stay positive and less stressed!

Skuttle: Talk to your doctor about a low dose asprin. They give them to moms going through IVF because studies show that a low dose helps the egg to stick and keep. Just a thought.

 

[WDWAurora]

Wow, I'm actually happy with my insurance! I got the initial quote for my drugs of somewhere over $1100. I had kind of accepted that was going to be the cost. Imagine my surprise when the mail order pharmacy calls today and says it's going to be $212! I mean, still a lot of money, but in comparison it is SO much better. I'm starting provera or something similar to try to get my cycle started tonight.

 

[KristineN]

Just a word of caution....my clinic did the same thing. Everything was covered except the actual procedures. 13 months into treatment my insurance came back and decided infertility treatments were indeed not covered and demanded repayment for EVERYTHING they paid put....clinics will manipulate the system because so many insurance plans do not cover infertility treatments....but if you get caught, the liability falls on you and not the clinic...which I find ridiculous. Needless to say we have a HUGE amount that has to be repaid.

Talk to the RE's staff about how they handle the billing. My insurance says they do not cover IUI or IVF, but somehow, the office coded it so they paid for the meds (I was using clomid, follistim, HCG trigger, and progesterone = $900), the ultrasounds, and all the bloodwork. The only thing the insurance didn't cover was the actual IUI itself.

 

[WDWAurora]

Another minor accomplishment today...I figured out where to have the meds delivered to. Sounds minor, but they require a signature, and I am all over the place during the day, so it can't come to my office and it can't go to DH's office. Ugh. So we're sending it to his sister (the one that has a 3 week old). She's home and she agreed. They know what's going on, although probably not the extent we're going to now. Anyway, it's nice to have it worked out.

 

[si-am]

Just a word of caution....my clinic did the same thing. Everything was covered except the actual procedures. 13 months into treatment my insurance came back and decided infertility treatments were indeed not covered and demanded repayment for EVERYTHING they paid put....clinics will manipulate the system because so many insurance plans do not cover infertility treatments....but if you get caught, the liability falls on you and not the clinic...which I find ridiculous. Needless to say we have a HUGE amount that has to be repaid.

That's awful! I hate insurance companies.

My doctor told me that in her experience, insurance companies are great at helping you find out WHY you are having fertility problems.... they just won't pay for you to fix it.

Cruel!

 

[KristineN]

you're absolutely right....as soon as the her the word infertility they go nuts. I even hired a lawyer.....by far this is the biggest nightmare I have dealt with

That's awful! I hate insurance companies.

My doctor told me that in her experience, insurance companies are great at helping you find out WHY you are having fertility problems.... they just won't pay for you to fix it.

Cruel!

 

[D&DDisney]

Okay... just thought I'd share my most recent scare. It seems I haven't been to the doctor enough lately...

Yesterday I woke up with a weird feeling, like I had wet the bed or something.
Went to the bathroom and found out it was blood. Now it wasn't that time of the month or anything so I was freaking out. My DH (trying to stay calm) gets the kids up and takes them to school while I monitor things and call the doctor. The doctor listens to my symptoms (things had seemed to get better since I woke up and I didn't feel sick or anything) and tells me to monitor things today and come in tomorrow (today) for an ultrasound or go to the ER if things got worse.
So today I have to go in and have stuff checked out. I am afraid of what it might be since I had that pain this summer which they couldn't figure out what was wrong and it mysteriously went away. Don't think it was a miscarriage either since its been a "normal" month so far. AF arrived a week ago - right on schedule.

Please send some my way if you can. Hope nothing serious is wrong.

 

[vetrik]

D&D - I hope they are able to figure out what is going on, and that it's nothing serious! Good luck getting everything checked out.

Aurora - That's quite a plan they have for you, I can't believe you even had to take a class. It doesn't seem right that people have to go through all this time, effort and money just to have a family. I really hope that this new treatment plan will have success for you - you deserve it!

skuttle - It must be nice to have the trip to look forward to, and then hopefully you will be able to set up your DH's appointment. I ended up going to the New Kids concert last Saturday for my birthday. They were awesome! I had so much fun at the concert, even though I couldn't drink. I saw them back in 1990, but this was even better!

Welcome to those just joining, and good luck to those in the TWW!

I don't want to upset anyone by talking about pregnancy, but I just wanted to share that I had my first ultrasound on Wednesday, and it's not ectopic this time. I was almost 6 weeks, and we saw the very faint flickering of a heartbeat. I have to go back for another ultrasound next week for another look at the heartbeat, but everything looks good so far. Everyone here was so supportive when I was diagnosed with the ectopic back in July!

 

[mickeyboat]

I don't want to upset anyone by talking about pregnancy, but I just wanted to share that I had my first ultrasound on Wednesday, and it's not ectopic this time. I was almost 6 weeks, and we saw the very faint flickering of a heartbeat. I have to go back for another ultrasound next week for another look at the heartbeat, but everything looks good so far. Everyone here was so supportive when I was diagnosed with the ectopic back in July!

Yeah! Congrats!

Denae

 

[yellowfish78]

D&D - I hope everything goes well at the drs today.

Vet - That's great news! I'm jealous that you were able to go to the concert...when they were in Cleveland I had to choose between the concert and my rehearsal dinner.