Tuesday, May 29, 2001
Day 5 IVF Prep
Today is my only day to be at work this week! Yesterday was a holiday, and tomorrow through Friday I will be on vacation. Yippee!
My prescription order is okay. It was faxed on Friday after all, and the pharmacy will send it (and charge my credit card) about 4 days before I need it. That's one less thing to worry about.
Today is my only day to be at work this week! Yesterday was a holiday, and tomorrow through Friday I will be on vacation. Yippee!
My prescription order is okay. It was faxed on Friday after all, and the pharmacy will send it (and charge my credit card) about 4 days before I need it. That's one less thing to worry about.
Monday, May 28, 2001
Day 4 of IVF Prep
In a note to another email list, I wrote:
The reason I'm taking bcp now is to regulate my cycle so that my own hormones don't get in the way of the hormones I'll be taking by injection to make lots of follicles. There is a "down regulation" phase, where I will take drugs to stop my hormones, then there is a "stimulation" phase where I will take drugs to make lots of follicles mature (instead of the normal 1 or 2 per cycle), then there is the retrieval where my follicles (which hold the eggs) will be removed and fertilized (in vitro = in a lab) with my husbands sperm, then there is the transfer, when (most likely) 3 fertilized eggs will be transferred into my uterus.
In a note to another email list, I wrote:
The reason I'm taking bcp now is to regulate my cycle so that my own hormones don't get in the way of the hormones I'll be taking by injection to make lots of follicles. There is a "down regulation" phase, where I will take drugs to stop my hormones, then there is a "stimulation" phase where I will take drugs to make lots of follicles mature (instead of the normal 1 or 2 per cycle), then there is the retrieval where my follicles (which hold the eggs) will be removed and fertilized (in vitro = in a lab) with my husbands sperm, then there is the transfer, when (most likely) 3 fertilized eggs will be transferred into my uterus.
Sunday, May 27, 2001
The stick for blood went easy on the first try for a change! I was in and out of there in less than 10 minutes, and I was even almost on time for Sunday School. (I would have been if I hadn't stopped at McDonald's drive-thru for breakfast.)
Last night DH and I discussed what he should say to people if anyone asked where I was. We both attend extremely regularly, "religiously" you could say. (Ha ha!) It's a small church, so people notice if we are gone unexpectedly, particularly if only one of us is gone. We had decided on a truthful, yet vague, "She had something personal come up." I don't even know if anyone asked him... no one said anything to me. I'm relieved.
My next thing to worry about is the side effects of the BCPs. The literature warns of nausea, and my sister and my email list mentioned that also. I start taking them while on vacation, so that could really mess up my plans. :-(
Last night DH and I discussed what he should say to people if anyone asked where I was. We both attend extremely regularly, "religiously" you could say. (Ha ha!) It's a small church, so people notice if we are gone unexpectedly, particularly if only one of us is gone. We had decided on a truthful, yet vague, "She had something personal come up." I don't even know if anyone asked him... no one said anything to me. I'm relieved.
My next thing to worry about is the side effects of the BCPs. The literature warns of nausea, and my sister and my email list mentioned that also. I start taking them while on vacation, so that could really mess up my plans. :-(
Saturday, May 26, 2001
Day 2 of IVF Preparation -- Yeah, I'm up late, it's still "Friday night" in my head, though.
I got my prescription of birth control pills filled this evening. That was weird; I've never used them before, and now that I am trying to have a baby I have to buy birth control pills. Ain't it ironic! My cost was 25% of what I was quoted over the phone, so my insurance company must treat them like most other pills. I was expecting to pay 50% of the quoted price, so that was a nice surprise.
I also don't start taking them until Day 7, so I'm confident that I will need only 2 packs, instead of possibly needing to buy a third pack for just a few pills.
I got my prescription of birth control pills filled this evening. That was weird; I've never used them before, and now that I am trying to have a baby I have to buy birth control pills. Ain't it ironic! My cost was 25% of what I was quoted over the phone, so my insurance company must treat them like most other pills. I was expecting to pay 50% of the quoted price, so that was a nice surprise.
I also don't start taking them until Day 7, so I'm confident that I will need only 2 packs, instead of possibly needing to buy a third pack for just a few pills.
Friday, May 25, 2001
Here we go! Day 1 of IVF Preparation
After 2 days of thinking it would be the day my cycle started, it finally has started, right on time. I'm having my Day 3 fsh and e2 labs done on Sunday morning, and I'm not happy about the time of day, but that's the way things will go now -- IF treatment has first priority on my time, unfortunately. The nurse was going to fax my boatload of Rx's to the pharmacy today, but we had a mix-up and it probably won't get done until Tuesday. Actually she forgot to write down the name of my pharmacy, then when she called me back to ask, I was on the phone (with the pharmacy) so she left a number for me to call, but when I called, a modem answered. I tried faxing a note to the number, but the fax wouldn't go through. Since they close at noon on Fridays I called the "emergency" number to have her paged and got a different nurse. So I called the pager service back to have the other pager called, but that lady said the other pager was turned off. I'm annoyed at the nurse, but it's actually okay, because I won't be needing any of those drugs for a couple of weeks yet.
Mood: crabby, and I'm not even on any drugs yet!
Physical symptons: normal minor period bloated and crampy feelings
After 2 days of thinking it would be the day my cycle started, it finally has started, right on time. I'm having my Day 3 fsh and e2 labs done on Sunday morning, and I'm not happy about the time of day, but that's the way things will go now -- IF treatment has first priority on my time, unfortunately. The nurse was going to fax my boatload of Rx's to the pharmacy today, but we had a mix-up and it probably won't get done until Tuesday. Actually she forgot to write down the name of my pharmacy, then when she called me back to ask, I was on the phone (with the pharmacy) so she left a number for me to call, but when I called, a modem answered. I tried faxing a note to the number, but the fax wouldn't go through. Since they close at noon on Fridays I called the "emergency" number to have her paged and got a different nurse. So I called the pager service back to have the other pager called, but that lady said the other pager was turned off. I'm annoyed at the nurse, but it's actually okay, because I won't be needing any of those drugs for a couple of weeks yet.
Mood: crabby, and I'm not even on any drugs yet!
Physical symptons: normal minor period bloated and crampy feelings
Thursday, May 24, 2001
Wednesday, May 23, 2001
It feels like today is going to be my next Day 1. It's a couple of days before I expected it, but that's okay with me! This way I will get to do my Day 3 lab work with my PCP and have my insurance pay for it. If I start tomorrow through Saturday, then I can get the blood work done at my RE's and probably get insurance to pay. If I start Sunday, that's okay for having the blood work done at my PCP, but if I don't start until Monday I will have to have the blood work done while on vacation out of state at my own expense.
I hope I can say "for sure" that today is the day by 4:30 when my RE's office closes.
I hope I can say "for sure" that today is the day by 4:30 when my RE's office closes.
Monday, May 21, 2001
Things are pretty much in a holding pattern right now. I'm still waiting for my period to start so I can start the IVF prep, but it's not due for several days yet, so I'm just waiting. I need to get my birth control prescription filled soon, so I'll have it when the time comes.
We're also trying to make sense of our year-to-date medical charges and payments (both ours and from insurance) so we can file with our medical savings account and get some of the money "back". It's not really getting money back, but just making it come out of pre-tax income instead of regular taxed income. I'm going to have to ask for a detail of all charges back to when I started going to the specialist so make sense of it all.
We're also trying to make sense of our year-to-date medical charges and payments (both ours and from insurance) so we can file with our medical savings account and get some of the money "back". It's not really getting money back, but just making it come out of pre-tax income instead of regular taxed income. I'm going to have to ask for a detail of all charges back to when I started going to the specialist so make sense of it all.
Friday, May 18, 2001
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