Still Waiting

This week has been rough. For the past few days I have been sick and missed two days of work. I hate missing work, but I felt awful. I went to the doctor yesterday and he said I had a bug and gave me antibiotics. The antibiotics are kicking in and I am feeling better.

I went to my dermatologist and it went great. He recommended I start using cetaphil restoraderm http://www.cetaphil.com/Products/Restoraderm.aspx  I love cetaphil products so I am excited about using it. He also gave me a prescription; however, he did not know if it was safe to use during pregnancy. I am going to ask my RE at my next appointment and if he does not know, I will call Dr. Rister (OB/GYN).

I am still waiting on my cycle to start. I keep wondering if it will start on its own or not. I am okay with it starting late. One of my best friends is getting married in January and I am the Matron of Honor. We are kinda worried about how things will go if I am pregnant. If I get pregnant during this cycle, I will be due January 31 and the wedding is January 21. The more delayed my cycle, the later my due date. I am ready to get this started, but I am worried about the wedding also.

Once my cycle starts, I will post more blogs.  I think it will start any day now. It is kinda hard to tell what is my illness and what is PMS right now.

Sort of IF Related

Ever since I started my infertility drugs my eczema has been out of control. I posted a question about eczema and injections on a fertility community board. I received the response that I was expecting, injections will make my eczema worse. I decided I better go to my dermatologist before I start my injections. I have an appointment tomorrow and maybe Dr. McCarty will have some answers for me.

I spoke to my family doctor about my eczema and his nervous about putting me on anything that is not over the counter. Dr. Horner is worried about me being pregnant and on steroids, even if it is topical. I am hoping Dr. McCarty will have a solution because this eczema is killing me.

We will probably start injections next week. I will be posting more once we start our injection round.  

Prescriptions

I finally received all my medications last night. I cannot believe they came in such a big box.



This is the inside of the box. I cannot believe how much medication is in this box.

The actual medication. From Left to Right: 2 boxes of Gonal-F Shots, 2 boxes of Endometrin (Progesterone), Orivdel, Sharps Container, and Alcohol Swaps.

My next appointment with my doctor should be the last week of April or the first week of May. At that time I will find out more information on how I administer all this medication. I am just glad I finally have the medication.

Prescriptions are Mailed

Yesterday afternoon CVS called and confirmed my order for my Prescriptions. I think we finally have all the medications ready to go. YAY!! Now we are just waiting for them to be delivered. Then I will need to wait until my cycle starts, which will be next week, to start taking my first round of injections.  My representative at CVS said she will help me with my refills if needed. I am praying I do not need any refills and this next cycle will work!

Prescription Order is Almost Over

The insurance nightmare is almost over. YAY! My doctor’s office called to verify I was okay with the Endometrin. They are calling Caremark back to verify my prescription. The next step is for my representative from Caremark to call me so I can make a payment for the co-pays. I am so excited that after a week of working on this situation it is almost wrapped up.

Nightmare of Insurance

The insurance nightmare is not over yet.

Yesterday afternoon, I contacted Caremark Specialty Pharmacy and told them I needed to pay for my prescriptions. The guy was really snippy with me and told me representative assigned to my case was going to call me with the cost. He also said I just need to wait for her to call me. I said that our account manager said I needed to call and pay for the medication. He said he did not understand how our account manager would know that information.  I have been told since last Thursday that this person was going to call me.

I received a private message from one of the wonderful bump girls (thebump.com) and she recommended Endometrin (progesterone), instead of the compound drug. When I heard that word, it jogged my memory. When I spoke with the mail service pharmacy last week, I remembered them saying I had a prescription for Endometrin; however, I did not know that was progesterone and I had them cancel the order (as instructed by the specialty pharmacy).

I e-mailed all this information to my benefits coordinator here at work and she contacted our account manager. Within a few minutes, my representative from the specialty pharmacy called and apologized for all the confusion. She even gave me her direct line and was handle everything from here on out. She is even going to contact my doctor’s office to see if they can change out the compound drug for Endometrin. My prescriptions are going to be delivered tomorrow, with the exception of the progesterone. If my doctor’s office does not confirm the change in prescription today, then they will set up a second delivery for the progesterone. YAY!!! At least I will have my Gonal-F and Orivdel injections at my house tomorrow. I need these two medications for my next appointment with my doctor.

Then, about an hour after I spoke to my representative, another person called me about my prescription. This person said they just received my prescription from my doctor and wanted to set me up for a delivery date. Really???? Well I told her I was already set up and she apologized then said that there systems do not talk to one another. I gave her my representative’s direct number to verify that this was not a duplicate prescription.  

NOT INSURANCE RELATED

One of my very dear and close friends is ready to deliver her baby any day. I am so excited and happy for her. At least through this process I am learning what it will be like when we finally are pregnant. She also asked me to be in the delivery room with her. I am excited and cannot wait for the baby to be born.

The Need to VENT!!

I just want to vent that Insurance company and doctor’s office is driving me crazy. For over a week, I tried to have my prescriptions filled with no luck. My doctor uses Freedom Fertility Pharmacy and my prescription carrier (CVS/Caremark) does not cover the pharmacy. So Freedom had to transfer my prescription over to Caremark Specialty Pharmacy to fill my order. The following is my progression so far.

Monday (4/4/2011) at 9:00 am – Freedom Fertility Pharmacy said my insurance would not cover the drugs and they need to transfer my prescription to Caremark Specialty Pharmacy. Freedom said Caremark would have the prescription within one hour.

I called Caremark Specialty Pharmacy at 10:45 am- They said it would be two hours before they would get my prescription into the system and I was to call back at 1:00 pm.

I again called Caremark Specialty Pharmacy at 3:45 pm and my prescription was still not in the system; however, they entered my information in the system.

Tuesday (4/5/2011) – I called Caremark Specialty Pharmacy – My information is still no in the system. They called my doctor to verify my information.

Wednesday (4/6/2011) – Caremark is still trying to verify my information with my doctor’s office.

Thursday (4/7/2011) - Caremark is still trying to verify my information with my doctor and now I received an e-mail that my mail service prescriptions cannot be filled. I called Caremark back and the Specialty Pharmacy said my prescription had went to mail order. I was told I needed to call and cancel the prescriptions or I would be charged. I called CVS Customer Service and they said they could cancel everything. I called the Specialty Pharmacy to ensure that the mail service did not cancel anything the Specialty Pharmacy needs. The Specialty Pharmacy said they are still trying to take care of everything with my prescriptions and a representative would call me to confirm my medications.

Friday (4/8/2011) – Our benefits coordinator contacted our account manager with CVS/Caremark. We were told that my doctor’s office told them they were too busy to verify my prescription. AT THIS POINT I AM FRUSTRATED! I called my doctor’s office but they were closed for the day.

Monday (4/11/2011) – I receive this from the account manager with CVS/Caremark:

I have confirmed that the scripts have been verified by the doctor and that the delivery is scheduled for delivery on the 12th. 

Regarding the Progesterone powder it is a plan exclusion as bulk chemicals are not covered.  Some compounds are covered under the plan when mixed with a federal legend drug and based on the drug code the pharmacy submits.  Compounds can be a mix of several drug and it is hard to determine if there is an alternative because her doctor would now better on the specifics for the compound.

If the code for Progesterone powder is at Mail or Specialty it will reject due to it being a bulk powder. Specialty is unable to run the claim until they fill the order. 

What???? Yes, that is my exact words. Our benefits coordinator contacted the account manager again. If I want the progesterone caps I have to pay 100% out of pocket; however, our plan covers injections. I remember my doctor saying he was not going to give my injections because they were too expensive.

I contacted the doctor’s office and the nurse (the one who told CVS she was too busy to verify my prescription) told me they only give injections to IVF patients. I reiterated my story again. She said kept trying to convince me that I did not need them. I told her I have a Luteal Phase Defect (LPD) and need progesterone. She said the progesterone caps are only $50 to $60 and I said my co-pay is only $20 for the injections. Then she said I would have to be taught how to give the shots and my husband will have to give them ever night (What is the difference between giving myself progesterone shots and the gonal-f shots that I will be giving myself before the progesterone?). I said my best friend is a Labor and Deliver Nurse and can administer them. She said Oh, let me talk to the doctor and I will get back to you tomorrow.

Can I please just scream over this madness????????????????

If you are pursuing advanced fertility treatments, ask your benefits coordinator how to process specialty drugs for your insurance plan. I work in HR and still missed this one minor detail that has caused me a great bit of grief.

I'm in a Hurry and God's Not

I bought Joyce Myer’s DVD, “I'm in a Hurry and God's Not”. I am so excited about watching the DVD this weekend. The following is information about the DVD.

Don't believe Satan's lie that nothing is ever going to change. Learn how to trust God and develop a good attitude while you wait. This teaching will help you understand the tremendous value of patience and how it's developed, what to do to make the most of your times of waiting, and seven of God's greatest desires for your life.

I tried to wait patiently during this journey; however, it is not always easy. I am excited to hear Joyce Myer’s insight and see how I can improve. Once I finish this journey, the next journey begins (carrying a baby for 9 months).  So, I better practice being patience.

I still cannot express the joy I feel about this next part of our treatment plan. I feel like I am beaming from ear to ear. I have never felt this joyous about any of our other treatment plans. I feel like God’s telling me we are getting close to having our dreams come true.  

10 Commandments of TTC

I saw this on the bump and had to repost this to my blog. It is really cute, I hope you enjoy.




Commandment 1
Thou shall not pee in vain.
Just because you have a gazillion HPT (Home Pregnancy Test) in your bathroom does not always mean you should pee on all of them.  Check out the HPT accuracy chart.


Commandment 2
Thou shall not ask in vain
Go ahead and break Commandment 1 before asking strangers on the internet if you are pregnant.


Commandment 3
For 2 weeks thy shall wait; on the 14^th day thy shall test.
If you are POAS (Pee on a Stick) at 8 days past ovulation AND complaining about the 2 week wait you have failed to fully understand the ‘wait’ part of the 2 week wait. What you are participating in is the 1 week wait. Testing at the end of the 1 week wait almost always results in a BFN (Big Fat Negative) which may or may not turn into a BFP (Big Fat Positive), you just have to wait to find that out. If you are really struggling with the 2 week wait, waiting 38+ weeks on a baby will be difficult.


Commandment 4
Thou are unique, but most likely not that rare.
No two people have the exact same TTC (Trying to Conceive) journey. While experiences may be similar, just because something happened to you or didn’t happen to you is not indicative of pregnancy. That being said, implantation spotting is rare, most likely you are not experiencing it. The first and most common symptom of pregnancy is a missed period, but you have to know when you Ovulated (by charting or ultrasound) and the average length of your LP (Luteal Phase) to know for sure you are experiencing a missed period versus late ovulation.


Commandment 5
Thou shall know thy body
If you want to have a baby emerge from your body the best advice is to take some time to learn how it gets there in the first place. (http://www.tcoyf.com/) Here are some hints; it doesn’t involve a stork, the 14^th day after your last period guarantee, or having your legs up in the air after sex.


Commandment 6
Thou shall not covet a pretty chart
A pretty chart does not always equal a BFP (Big Fat Positive) and making your chart prettier by changing data will not make the egg and sperm reappear and meet up.


Commandment 7
Thou shall not worships clocks
Your cycle can change for a variety of different reasons so it is not always like clockwork, otherwise it would be called your menstrual clock as opposed to your menstrual cycle.


Commandment 8
Thou shall not give into phantom symptoms
Those symptoms you are having are either your period, or a baby and there is no way to know which one until your periods starts or you test positive.


Commandment 9
Thou shall not self diagnose infertility.
So apparently you are not the fertile myrtle your Mom told you that you were when you were 16. Mothers don’t ever lie, so you can rest assured that this was not a scare tactic—or was it? It can take a healthy couple a year to conceive. Most infertility issues are not hereditary, so just because your mother or grandmother or Aunt Lou or 2^nd cousin twice removed had issues conceiving doesn’t mean that you will have trouble.  Being a RE means that after four years of training in Obstetrics and Gynecology in medical school, a candidate also completed a three-year approved fellowship. Then, to become board certified in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, that candidate completed board certification in obstetrics and gynecology (written and oral exams), and then certify in reproductive endocrinology and infertility (written, oral, and thesis exams). That is who you should see if you have concerns regarding your infertility.


Commandment 10
Thou shall know what thy is getting into.
Everyone knows someone who got pregnant the first month they tried or they were on industrial strength birth control and got pregnant. I hope you do get pregnant on your first try, but just in case know that TTC (Trying to Conceive) can be a frustrating, aggravating, infuriating, confusing, devastating, heartbreaking, nerve-wracking journey. Sometimes it will be about as much fun as a throat punch and you might yell at your body, yell at your chart, yell at your husband, yell at your insensitive friends, yell at strangers and pregnant teenagers on T.V. Even if you temporarily lose it, and most people will, keep in mind what you are doing this for, try to stay positive and hopeful and above all else, be patient.

To New Beginnings

On Friday, Mark and I went to Frisco to meet with Dr. Barnett. I love driving on North Dallas Tollway, it is so peaceful compared to the rest of Dallas. It is also very beautiful. We arrived in Dallas an hour early, so we were able to drive around and shop a little.

Dr. Barnett wants to take aggressive action.  The main concern Dr. Barnett had were my age and my past medical history (Surgeries and Endometriosis). Because of these issues, Dr. Barnett wants to be aggressive and he said we will do IVF by the end of the year, if the injectibles IUI does not work.

The current plan is for us to take gonal-f (injectible medication), Ovidrel (HCG shot) and vaginal progesterone capsules. There is a higher risk of multiple while taking gonal-f.

Here is additional information on  gonal-f. 

Gonadotropins are injectable fertility medications that contain follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and/or luteinizing hormone (LH). Gonadotropins allow women, undergoing fertility treatments, to stimulate the development of multiple follicles.

We missed this cycle for treatments, so we will start the last week of April. I really feel good about this, which is the first. This whole time I was seeing Dr. Rister felt like nothing was going to work. I have complete faith in Dr. Rister, but I felt God telling me I will have to go further in this journey. After leaving Dr. Barnett’s office, I felt a sense of joy in me, which I think is a great sign.  I am excited about these next steps and looking forward to the future.

For now, while we are waiting on our next treatment I am concentrating on myself. I started back at Curves, which has Zumba now, YAY!!! I am doing things around the house that needs to be completed. All I want to do over the next few weeks is relax so that I am prepared for our next round of treatments.