If IVF weren't $12k cheaper at the MTF

MrsOjoButtons

I would fire my RE. 

I spoke to my IVF coordinator Friday because it was CD1 and I need CD3 blood work.  She tried to fax the order to the civilian hospital where I now live, but said the fax number wasn't working for some reason.  She emailed me the paperwork instead, told me to print it out and take it to the hospital, then once they get the results they can send me my IVF calendar.  Easy peasy.

Nope.  I brought the paperwork into the hospital this morning and they couldn't do the labs because the doctor didn't sign the order.  I called the clinic, but of course it's Sunday, so no answer, and they either don't have or just don't advertise on-call phone numbers for after duty emergencies.  I called the front desk of the hospital to see if they could call a staff member at home, but the guy said since my doctor worked a 24 hour shift yesterday, they wouldn't call him.  He transferred me to the Labor & Delivery ward, and of course they wouldn't help me because I'm not their patient.

So now I wait another month.  I had all this blood work done last October and it's supposed to be good for a year.  

IVF is only costing us $4k at the military clinic, so I'm trying to not grind my teeth over it, but hellooooo, that's a huge administrative error!  My hope is that even if we don't get pregnant with this fresh IVF, we can get some decent frozen embryos out of it so I can do FET at a civilian clinic.   Ten months of this stupid waiting list, then the classic hurry up and wait routine.

AmCheri

Oh my.  I have no helpful comments, but I just wanted to say that I am so sorry. I can't believe that people can have such a blas? attitude about IVF.  Totally sucks.    

MrsOjoButtons

AmCheri:

Oh my.  I have no helpful comments, but I just wanted to say that I am so sorry. I can't believe that people can have such a blas? attitude about IVF.  Totally sucks.    

Amen!  I emailed the coordinator last week and while I wasn't snarky, I was very blunt and told her it's clear I'm not a priority, and I said I hoped it was simply because I wasn't actually cycling yet.  She responded very nicely and said the clinic had just been going crazy for three weeks and she hadn't reviewed charts in weeks.  She promised to email me the list of tests I needed within the week, and she did come through.  

Realistically, I know my IVF isn't as important to anyone else as it is to me (and Joe), and that makes me sad.  

Also, I've been overthinking a tonofshit lately, so I know there's not much to say to my rants.  I know you guys empathize though, so it's worth getting my thoughts out here.  

AmCheri

Nothing but empathy here!

The scary thing is that timing and responsiveness from your clinic is so critical with IVF.  There's no room for error.  And what the heck did she mean that she hadn't reviewed charts in weeks??  Seriously?  You're a better woman than I because I would have freaked out on her.   

Getting your thoughts out does help, even if we don't have any particular words of wisdom in response.  Hang in there.  It will happen for you! 

MrsOjoButtons

Thank you, Am.  I'm guessing the charts that needed to be reviewed are for all the people who are on deck on the waiting list.  Three months before our turn for IVF, she's supposed to email us the list of all the remaining tests we need done, so I'm guessing that's what got put on the back burner, all the "new" people who aren't really new, but have been on the list for what seems like an eternity.

I'm trying to reserve my crankiness because I don't know who exactly is causing the problems.  I'm a paralegal and I've worked for my fair share of craptastic attorneys and I've been the middle man between the attorney and unhappy clients.  I know sometimes it's the big guy with the fancy degree that's causing the problems, so I'm not sure if in this case it's the doctor or if it's the coordinator.  I DO know though, the lack of signature on the order is a bad sign from both of them.  

happywifemomofone

Don't know for sure-but my clinic allow CD3 labs between CD2-4.  Would talk to your RE tomorrow, after all-this is their mistake.  Good luck!!

FraggleChic

Oh, Ojo, I know exactly what you mean. We're using a military RE at the moment and I absolutely hate, hate, hate it. I'm so sorry. Infertility is so hard in itself but when you combine it with the military lifestyle it makes it 100x harder.

naybird

As if IF and IVF aren't hard enough on their own? Ugh, I hope RE and staff can get their act together! You don't need any added stress! Hang in there!  Venting really does help!!!

MrsOjoButtons

FraggleChic:

Oh, Ojo, I know exactly what you mean. We're using a military RE at the moment and I absolutely hate, hate, hate it. I'm so sorry. Infertility is so hard in itself but when you combine it with the military lifestyle it makes it 100x harder.

Do you deal with a total lack of communication and hurry up and wait too?  I heard the Walter Reed IVF waiting list was much shorter and considered switching to them, but with all this travel, I'm just over it.  I don't have a single RE in my state, nearest one is over 9 hours away, so I'm feeling helpless about my options.

The IVF coordinator just called me back and said, "Well, I don't know what to do now."    She wants me to come a week early to do my sonogram there so she doesn't have to deal with my local civilian hospital, but of course if anything pops up on that sonogram, I fly home without doing IVF at all.  I had my last saline sonogram in 2008 and it was fine, so I'm guessing the chance of anything major is slim, right? 

My next period should actually fall when I'm in San Diego for a wedding, so I'm crossing my fingers the days line up and I can just go get all this done at their facility without procrastinating until the very last minute.

FraggleChic

MrsOjoButtons:

FraggleChic:

Oh, Ojo, I know exactly what you mean. We're using a military RE at the moment and I absolutely hate, hate, hate it. I'm so sorry. Infertility is so hard in itself but when you combine it with the military lifestyle it makes it 100x harder.

Do you deal with a total lack of communication and hurry up and wait too?  I heard the Walter Reed IVF waiting list was much shorter and considered switching to them, but with all this travel, I'm just over it.  I don't have a single RE in my state, nearest one is over 9 hours away, so I'm feeling helpless about my options.

The IVF coordinator just called me back and said, "Well, I don't know what to do now."    She wants me to come a week early to do my sonogram there so she doesn't have to deal with my local civilian hospital, but of course if anything pops up on that sonogram, I fly home without doing IVF at all.  I had my last saline sonogram in 2008 and it was fine, so I'm guessing the chance of anything major is slim, right? 

My next period should actually fall when I'm in San Diego for a wedding, so I'm crossing my fingers the days line up and I can just go get all this done at their facility without procrastinating until the very last minute.

 

Oh definitely I sought a referral off post last week and it was denied. We're on the IVF list for next July but we might switch to Standard and go somewhere else. There's a doctor that gives a 50% military discount on IVF cycles just st. south of post. The RE's office on post does not return my calls in a timely manner and last month they didn't even put in my Femara  script or laba work like they were supposed to. I get that they offer a huge savings on IF treatments but the logistics of an IF clinic at a military hospital need some serious work.  They just moved the IF clinic here to a new location--right next to the OB/GYN clinic. So while I'm on one side, waiting to be seen, I get to hear women booking their pre-natal care about 10 feet from me.