IF Testing and Treatment Week of 12/30/19-1/5/20

kpearse99

@NYTino24 I wish, so much, that I had advice or words to say about all of this. I'm so sorry you have all of these unanswered questions and all of these uncertainties. It's not easy when you just "don't know". I also agree with @bows22 that you should insist on these other tests to rule all possibilities out. The anxiety of tracking everything got to be too much for me a few months back and that's exactly why I stopped tracking, especially after the IUI's. It was too much added stress and I have felt much more calm during the TWW's when I'm not tracking stuff. Do you feel like you still need to track your temps and everything?

AFM - We have our re-grouping consultation today with the RE to discuss what other options are out there for us, should this IUI not be the one. Any specific questions you guys can think of that I should ask??

inthewoods23

@NYTino24 I'm so sorry you're going through so much anxiety ❤️. I agree with @bows22 that it could be worth it to go through the HSG and other things that your doctor feels as unnecessary (which I can only guess is because you've had a successful PG in the past). It's much better to rule things out than to assume everything is fine.  Our bodies change over time. Going through the tests would also give you the extra time to prepare yourself for IVF.

emeraldduchess

@kpearse99 good luck today at your follow-up with the RE. 💜 

bluetickgal

@NYTino24 I’m so sorry for all the anxiety/uncertainty!! I’d try not to put too much stock into your temps, especially this early after O. But I know that’s easier said than done!! I hope you can get some further testing done, especially if you think that could calm your anxieties a bit! Sending hugs and positive vibes your way and hoping that this is your cycle! 💜
@kpearse99 good luck with your re-grouping appt today! I can’t think of anything specific to ask, but I hope you feel good about how it goes! Still have everything crossed that this IUI is it for you though! 

mvt2003

I'm about to call the financial coordinator at my IVF center, who I met last visit and didn't especially like. Posting this so I don't chicken out.  

kpearse99

@mvt2003

littlebug2010

@NYTino24 I hear you on the moving fast part. I havent even gotten to that point yet, but I had major anxiety before my first RE appointment, and kept second guessing if we were just moving too fast.  Thankfully I took the appointment, so that I am already in the office, after what happened in November.  Hugs.

@kpearse99 Good luck today. 

I just got the call that my RE appointment is now on the 7th, moved up from the 23rd.  I am so thankful that we can get in in less than a week.  Im feeling anxious and not really sure what to ask about, especially if there isnt anything in the results.  I think I will be asking about the fibroid I know I have, but no one has talked to me about, and seeing if I should get my thyroid tested further, but I dont really know what else to ask about.  I am also waiting to hear about going in for CD3 testing. If my body does what it normally does, that will be on Wednesday of next week.  I have no idea if that will be the case, but I like to be prepared.  

bows22

Pre-op appointment was relatively uneventful - the medical assistant took me back and did my weight and blood pressure and then handed me a gown and told me to undress from the waist up. I said “I didn’t think I’d have an exam?” And the girl was smugly like “yep breast exam!” So I do as I was told but of course when the PA comes in she is like oh my gosh no you don’t need a breast exam. It was funny but come on, how are they so disorganized?? Good grief. 

She said they say 3-5 days for the biopsy but that she did a procedure 2 days ago and just got the results so hopefully I’ll get them late next week! 

mvt2003

@bows22 Glad your pre-op went ok! I do think you're right and you need to leave this practice once all of this stuff is done! Hoping you get the results quickly too! 

@littlebug2010 Oh that's awesome, so glad they can get you in earlier!!! 

@kpearse99 Thinking of you, friend! How did the appointment go? 

AFM, got a call back from the finance department, they're trying to get through to my new insurance but they're experiencing high call volume today shockingly They'll keep trying tomorrow, so I should know more then. I'm resigned to the fact that my injectables will most likely not be covered, even though IMO that goes against the spirit of "full IVF coverage." I'm probably going to O this weekend, which means I'm about 2 weeks out from starting BCP! 

NYTino24

@bows22 Hope you get results fast!
@littlebug2010 I’m so glad they got you in faster. I’d ask what steps they want you to follow and why if you move on to treatment. For IUI, my info was relayed back and forth by the nurse... I requested a phone conference with the RE for the IVF consult and ended up finishing it in person because it was CD3 and she was in office when I went in for BW. 

Random question - Does anyone have an ovary that “hides” during ultrasound? I’ve had it happen a couple of times to my left ovary. I also keep getting cysts on my ovaries on and off after ovulation and wonder if these things could affect this process. I’m starting to feel desperate for answers instead of just accepting this as being unexplained.

inthewoods23

@mvt2003 my injectables were covered a little bit (I think) but I had to go through a specific fertility pharmacy (Freedom) to get the coverage. Originally I was going through Schrafts.

@bows22 oh goodness, but at least the appointment was fine otherwise. Hope we both get our biopsy results quickly!

@NYTino24 hides as in it's position? I have one that sometimes doesn't get a good view, but they usually just need to move the wand around to get the right angle to get it in the ultrasound view. I guess it's sometimes tucked back a little bit. I've heard of some REs not being able to retrieve eggs from an ovary because they couldn't get access to it. 

NYTino24

@inthewoods “Hiding” is the word two different people used and one other was digging around to find it. I didn’t ask what it was hiding behind, but I know a full intestine can make it hard to see. I never knew how flexible and mobile they were before that.

Another thing - How many of your REs discussed diet for treatment? I’ve heard of so many others IRL being told to eat more of this and less of that, but it hasn’t been mentioned at all to me.

inthewoods23

@NYTino24 same. I asked at our initial consultation and since we're not getting too much caffeine and our BMIs are either normal or overweight (but not too bad) she said there was nothing wrong with our diets.

The only time diet was mentioned was of our next FET fails. I'd be put on a dairy and gluten free diet.

pom9207

I am having a super lazy and chill week, so I didn’t participate earlier... Just wanted to say I am lurking and thinking of you ladies; happy new year & I believe 2020 will be a start of a great decade.

littlebug2010

@NYTino24 yes! I think it’s my right one, but it hides. I can remember multiple times having them really jab me to find it. I can’t tell if it’s a bad tech or if it’s my ovary. 

Thanks for the advice for the appointment. 

emeraldduchess

@bows22 well that's quite the awkward situation! 
@mvt2003 I think @inthewoods23 is right, your insurance may cover your injectables, but you'll probably have to use a specific pharmacy. My insurance covers my progesterone through Village Pharmacy, but I have to go through CVS Specialty for my Ovidrel to be covered. 
@NYTino24 I asked about diet as well and since our BMIs are where they should be, the RE wasn't concerned. Although she did say that we should eat as healthy as we can and limit caffeine and booze. That's pretty much common sense, though. 

mvt2003

@emeraldduchess @inthewoods23 I hope we can have them covered, but I got some weird answers on the question line during open enrollment that they will not be covered if they’re self administered, which makes no sense to me. I was told the order will have to be written a certain way (that makes no sense) in order for it to be covered, and my RE’s office was like “yeah, that’s not a thing”. So I’m not holding out a ton of hope for it. I’ve been begging for someone to let me see a plan document outlining my coverage but I either get ignored, told they don’t have it either, or told it will be sent in the mail and I never receive it. 

NYTino24

@mvt2003 I’m sorry you aren’t getting straight answers. 

We just found out we will max out our YEARLY fertility med coverage with just one IVF cycle so we are gonna pay $5,000-6,000 in meds alone if we need a second retrieval. All the more pressure. To add to the drama, my RE is only available for a second IVF consult on the same day as my beta, so I’ll pretty much need to decide then and there plus fork over a $7,600 check that day if it’s negative. I’d love to schedule DH’s final SA for that day so I can get all of the bad news to happen on one day, but he’s working a 24 then. 

emeraldduchess

@mvt2003 I'm really surprised that the meds won't be at least partly covered since our state has laws about IF coverage. I really hope you get clear answers soon! 

ramzlau

@kpearse99 How did the appointment go? 

@NYTino24 My RE is a strong advocate of no alcohol and a Mediterranean diet for H and me. Since our BMI are relatively normal and we aren’t big drinkers I haven’t really done any changes. Sorry for the nerves and doubts about the right course of action. Have you asked your RE if you have exhausted all tests that would improve your odds of an IUI working if you just want to confirm all options are exhausted? One thing my RE says is “it’s my job to get you pregnant”, meaning she focuses less on answers and more on outcomes, so whatever improves our odds drives her decisions rather than getting answers. It helps me to remember that is her stance as sometimes I do need to push back or question things or ask for logic/statistics to understand why she is making the decision she is. 

@mvt2003 I hope you get answers soon! 

@bows22 Yay for a good pre-op, but awkward! Hope the results come quickly with good outcome! 

AFM: AF came as expected on Jan 1st. Finally heard back from nurse at REs office and she said we have to skip this cycle because I am not in country for CD3 ultrasound. I am pushing back because we don’t normally do medication the first half of cycle any way, so why not just do CD8 ultrasound and if the follies aren’t growing as should, then cancel cycle then rather than not even attempting? I also asked if we could just get an ultrasound done here and have results sent to her, but no response yet. I am also asking what the different protocol will be.

Has anyone done Letrozole without a baseline done? Since we know how I react to it I am just wondering why she wouldn’t just have me start it in CD5 for a few days before the CD8 check then continue if needed. I kind of feel like the nurse is just giving standard responses since the doc is out for vacation. 

NYTino24

@ramzlau last cycle I had an 11 mm follicle already by CD3, which we didn’t expect. That’s one reason they do the baseline before meds. I hope they don’t make you skip this cycle, but I kind of understand. They want to protect you and themselves.

mvt2003

@emeraldduchess I truly did not expect it to *not* cover injectables just because of our state, but they've been so squirrelly about the topic of injectables, it leads me to believe my policy will be written in such a way that they can wiggle out of it. There have been no plan documents provided to me - the only summary of benefits tells me to see my plan document about infertility coverage, when the only document in the plan documents section is that very summary of benefits!

Also, when we met with our IVF center, the financial coordinator was less than enthused when we told her our insurance was changing from H to C, she seemed to expect that C will wiggle out of paying for my injectables. She actively encouraged us to take on MH's insurance (which basically works out to be the same amount of money if we pay for our injectables ourselves, and screws us on our out of pocket maximum, so total wash).  

Hoping I get some answers today, I've been living in this financial limbo since October, and I'm just feeling tired and down about it now. 

kpearse99

@ramzlau I think it's good that you're pushing back, they should at least let you get your baseline done where you are and have the results sent to you.

@mvt2003 I really hope you get some answers today!!

@bows22 so glad you'll get your results in a timely fashion!!

AFM - the meeting with the RE went pretty well. He said that based on all of our test results we are in great shape to get KU one way or another and that he is still really confident that it will happen for us, but that he knows how much I've been beating myself up over it all. He reassured us that he is not worried about us in any way shape or form. He said that he will not add any injectables in to our IUI routine, because it increases the risk of multiples too much and again, we need to try and avoid that from happening as much as possible (see spoiler).
**TW for previous pregnancy**

For those that don't know or don't remember, we need to try and avoid having multiples as much as possible due to my first pregnancy giving me hypertension and putting me on bed rest. And also because of my petite build.

Our options to move forward are:
1) Do 3-4 more cycles of IUI but switch to Clomid. Since I've tried several cycles with the Letrozole, he said it's time to switch it up and try something new.
2) IVF
3) We are KU this cycle and don't need to think about this any further (please let this be the option!!!!)

We got all of the information on IVF and the financial rep will call me soon to discuss cost.  DH and I spoke again last night about how the meeting went and he reminded me that he has said, from the very beginning, that we won't be spending money to try and have a baby and that this sounds like it's going to be pretty expensive since my insurance does not cover it. We are pretty much on the same page about that and that is okay. (And to be honest, I'm not so sure I really want to put my body through all that is involved with it.) So our plan is do move forward with option 1 and do a few more IUI cycles but change up the meds. I was relieved that this was an option for us, because I'm not ready to stop trying the IUIs, to be honest. In the meantime, we'll get all of the IVF info and cost and at least have that in our back pocket if it's something we want to end up exploring.

I asked him if he's ever done multiple day IUI's and he said that he has and that is something we could try if we wanted to, but that studies have shown no difference between single day IUIs and multiple day ones. 

wabash15

Lurking****
@nytino24 my left ovary would frequently be 'Hiding" I would need to press on my abdomen in a certain way and the tech would have to fish around quite a bit to try to get an image of it....

mvt2003

Just got the call from the financial coordinator - we're approved for IVF, no word about the medications though. The nurses will be submitting for that approval separately, so more to come on that. I should be ovulating this weekend, so BCP starts in 2 weeks! 

bluetickgal

Quite a bit of good news on this thread, I’m liking it...sorry for the not-so-good news though! 

@littlebug2010 so glad your RE appt got moved up!! Hope it goes well next week! 

@bows22 so glad your pre-op appt went well...but what was that silly medical assistant thinking?! 

@NYTino24 here’s to hoping your IUI was a success and you won’t need that one cycle of IVF that maxes out your coverage!! 🤞🏻

@ramzlau so sorry for AF’s arrival! That stinks that you have to skip treatment this cycle! I am not monitored with taking Letrozole, but I think that seems to be pretty uncommon. Hopefully you’ll be able to talk to the doctor and get something figured out so you don’t have to skip this cycle.
@kpearse99 so glad your appt went well and you were given a couple different options. Fingers crossed for option 3 though!!
@mvt2003 yay for IVF approval!! Hope the next couple of weeks fly by so you can get started!! Also, hopefully you’ll be surprised and the meds will be covered too!! 

kpearse99

Has anyone heard from @kiki047 lately? I miss that girl!

keikilove

@kpearse99 No, but I’ve been thinking about her a lot too. @kiki047  You’re on our minds, hope all is well with you!😘

kpearse99

@keikilove me too!!!

NYTino24

I heard from @kiki047 a few days ago.

@mvt2003 Woohoo!!! So exciting.
@kpearse99 I’m so glad you have a plan you’re happy with.

Doc has to reschedule my second IVF consult now, to 8:15 instead of 10. I hope they rush her the beta results so she has them when she calls. I’m especially curious now because my progesterone was “greater than 60” this morning. That’s like double what it has ever been in other cycles. 

kpearse99

@NYTino24 I hope the higher progesterone level means wonderful news for you, but I don't think you can count too much on those numbers. I've read that you can't predict pregnancy from progesterone and that our progesterone levels rise and fall several times during the day and it's almost impossible to know if when you had the blood draw was done at a high level or a low level. 

mvt2003

@NYTino24 I hope so much that it means great things for you!!! 

NYTino24

@kpearse99 I don’t count on anything anymore, especially TTC numbers. Just gonna try to ride the waves. 

kpearse99

@NYTino24 me too, friend... me too

inthewoods23

@NYTino24 really hope that means good news for you. Would be a fantastic way to start the year.

keikilove

@NYTino24 Hoping that progesterone numbers is a sign of wonderful things to come! You were even in my dream last night, hahaha, we were all telling you to try to remain positive & hopeful & that maybe you truly won’t need IVF after all.🤞🏽❤️🤞🏽

emeraldduchess

@kpearse99 I'm so glad you had a good appointment. Crossing EVERYTHING that this last IUI was it for you, though! I'm glad that your RE is very conscious about your past experience and has your health in mind. 
@NYTino24 I hope that high progesterone means good things! I have asked my RE a few times about monitoring my progesterone post-O but she doesn't seem to think it's needed. Plus I am on the supplements so the results might not be accurate. 

NYTino24

@emeraldduchess they check once a few days after I start the suppositories. They make a huge difference for me. My level was 0.34 on beta day last cycle after stopping the meds 36 hours before. Knowing the levels does nothing except give me a little peace of mind knowing there is or isn’t a chance... They want at least an 8 after ovulation, BUT I know people who have had success with a 5 or lower. 

@keikilove I had a crazy, very detailed dream last night. Did you get to see what I look like in yours? I’m curious as to what you imagine. We’ve had threads years ago where people told what they think members look like and also doppelgänger threads. I think a Bitmoji one could be fun! 

@kpearse99 Keeping my fingers crossed there are good things in your immediate future!!

kpearse99

@NYTino24 I want to apologize if what I said about the progesterone stuff was too negative and not being supportive. If it came across like that to you, or anyone else, it was not my intention at all and I am so sorry if I upset anyone! ♥️♥️

NYTino24

@kpearse99 I’m okay. Thanks for checking! I appreciate your friendship.