Annoucement

After all of our struggles and everything we been through, we found out on April 30^th that we are pregnant. We are so excited that we were able to make it through this 3 years storm. You can click the link to the left to read more details on our pregnancy. I hope this blog will still be an inspiration to others who are struggling and give them faith to keep trying.

We are still waiting to make a big annoucement at our jobs and facebook. I think everyone who is reading this pretty much knows we are pregnant. We are excited to make this annoucement.

Time Out

For our loyal readeres: We are taking a time out for right now on the baby making. We have some issues we are dealing with and will have more information in the future. Thank you for all thoughts and prayers.

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.

Infertility Feels Like

I found this document online and I think it describes infertility very well. I do not think the whole document applies to my feelings, but it is a good description of the over all feelings. The beginning starts on page 2 of the document.

www.infertilityeducation.org/pdf/Infertililtyfeelslike.pdf

End of Cycle #34

Today Mark received his semen analysis results and everything is normal. YAY!! At least now we know it is just me and not both of us. We go see Dr. Barnett on Friday and we are excited to hear what he has to say about our situation.

The last two weeks have been very difficult on us. We had so much pressure to make this cycle work and when we saw it was not working our hopes were gone. We saw our marriage counselor on Friday and he was very uplifting. I feel like we are a new us every time we have an appointment. We were on a two-month schedule with Dr. Corley; however, since we are stressed with IF, he wants to see us every month again.

I probably will not write again until after our appointment with Dr. Barnett on Friday. I do not have anything else to report until then.

Still Hanging in There

Sorry I have not wrote much lately. I really did not feel like writing for the past few days. My cycle is doing crazy things this time and I am down because I do not think this cycle is working. I have an appointment with Dr. Barnett on April 1; hopefully he will be able to tell us our next steps.

Yesterday, I had blood work to determine my progesterone levels. Dr. Rister called me this morning and said my progesterone levels were at a 5. Dr. Rister said it showed I ovulated and we will wait to see what happens. I did a little more research on what the level 5 means.

A progesterone test is done to confirm ovulation. When a follicle releases its egg, it becomes what is called a corpus luteum and produces progesterone. A level over 5 probably indicates some form of ovulation, but most doctors want to see a level over 10 on a natural cycle, and a level over 15 on a medicated cycle. There is no mid-luteal level that predicts pregnancy. Some say the test may be more accurate if done first thing in the morning after fasting.

The level 5 is not the greatest, since I was on medication, but at least I ovulated.  I am starting back on Prometrium today and hopefully in a week we will know something.

Dazed and Confused

My fertility monitor is still reading high today; however, my temperature is above my cover line (second day). Usually by now, I received a peak day and my fertility monitor would read low. I have a feelings this month is not going to be a success, because of all the odd things that are happening. Yesterday I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Barnett in Frisco. If you want to know more about him, here is his website http://www.dallasivf.com/ I like Dr. Barnett and I am excited to see his point of view on everything that has been happening.

The last two days have been very hard on me, Mark, and my family. I am thankful for the support of my friends and family. I try very hard not to let myself get down about this, but some time it is hard not to. I cried again several times yesterday, out of frustration of not knowing what is happening to me. I keep turning to God for answers. God has given me a peace that we will have a baby, I just do not know when or by what means (either giving birth or through adoption).

Several people have questioned me on why we are proceeding forward or why do we not just relax. Would you tell this to a person with cancer or any other illness? Infertility is a medical condition and I will do what it takes to overcome it. I am a fighter and when I am knocked down, I get back up. Sometimes I want to sit and cry before I get up, but I always get back up. God is giving me the grace and the strengthen to move forward. As long as I have a peace about our choices, I am going to keep moving forward. I trust God and I have faith he will direct us in the right path.

Confused

I am having a very odd cycle. So far, no peak day today. I went to my doctor’s office yesterday and Dr. Rister said my follicles are smaller than my mid-cycle appointment and it looks like I ovulated. I still have not had a temperature shift yet or any sign (besides the follicles) that I ovulated. Next week I am scheduled for a progesterone test to see if I actually ovulated.  I could see Dr. Rister was very disappointed too in what was going on with me.

I am very frustrated right now. I was so excited about this cycle and thought everything would go as normal. Well I guess I was wrong. I went home and cried last night. I am going to call Dr. Barnett (my doctor in Frisco) today and get my appointment scheduled. I need to have my paperwork transferred to his new office and figure out what else I need to do.

Dr. Barnett is a reproductive endocrinologist that performed my surgery to remove a fibroid from my uterus in 2006. Dr. Barnett is great and we saw him in 2009; however, we were not ready to use medication at that time. Now, I feel it is time to move to the next level, which will be to go back to Dr. Barnett. I spoke with Dr. Rister about this option early on in this cycle and he agreed that the next step is to see Dr. Barnett.

The longer this goes on, the closer we are to having to go through IUI (artificial insemination), which I am not excited about doing. At least with IUI, it is not as invasive or expensive as IVF. If you want to know the different, see my blog on 3/11/2011

Cycle Day #18 – No Peak Day

I was so sure last night that when I woke up this morning I would have a peak day. Nope, no peak day today. Now, I need to go see Dr. Rister and will probably receive an HCG shot, and I am not looking forward to the shot. The last time I receive this shot, I could not walk for two days. I am not sure what my body is doing this month.

This weekend I picked up my grandmother’s old rocking chair from my mom. The chair is in bad condition; however, I think I can fix it. One of my friends has offered to help and Mark’s uncle is good with wood work. Hopefully, with everyone’s help, we can fix the chair. This chair has rocked several generations of our family, and I would love to rock my little one in this chair also.

Questions

Yes, I am posting twice today, but I had several people quizzed me on what is Infertility, IUI and IVF. I found some resources on the internet that describes infertility, IUI, and IVF. I hope this information will answer many questions that are being asked. You can click the source link at the end of each section to read more detailed information.

What is Infertility? Yes, it is a medication condition

Infertility is a condition of the reproductive system that impairs the conception of children. It affects approximately 6.1 million individuals throughout the United States. The diagnosis of infertility is usually given to couples who have been attempting to conceive for at least 1 year without success.

Conception and pregnancy are complicated processes that depend upon many factors:

1) the production of healthy sperm by the man,
2) healthy eggs produced by the woman;
3) unblocked fallopian tubes that allow the sperm to reach the egg;
4) the sperm's ability to fertilize the egg when they meet;
5) the ability of the fertilized egg (embryo) to become implanted in the woman's uterus; and
6) sufficient embryo quality.

Finally, for the pregnancy to continue to full term, the embryo must be healthy and the woman's hormonal environment adequate for its development. When just one of these factors is impaired, infertility can result.

Read more: http://www.americanpregnancy.org/infertility/whatisinfertility.html

IVF vs IUI (Artificial Insemination)

IVF or in vitro fertilization is a process where the female egg or ova is taken outside the womb. There on fertilization of the eggs are initiated in a fluid medium with the sperm cells. As fertilization comes to an end, the fertilized egg or the zygote is introduced back into the female uterus looking forward to a successful anchorage of the zygote and commencing of a pregnancy. The process of fertilization is entirely carried outside the body, in vitro. When the conventional reproductive technologies fail, in vitro fertilization tends to come in handy giving birth to test tube babies. On the other hand IUI or intrauterine insemination is a process by which the sperm cells are artificially deposited in the female uterus. In case of IUI the sperm cells are first carefully prepared through sperm washing. Then only the good sperm cells are collected and introduced in the cervix with the use of a catheter.

Though IVF is a popular process of reproductive technology, but these days often couples tend to go for intrauterine insemination which is a lot less expensive and invasive as well. In IUI it is just a catheter that is inserted into the woman‘s cervix and is a quick and easy process causing a lot less pain. On the contrary IVF is much more invasive and painful. Another advantage with IUI is that it is not as costly as in vitro fertilization. Every cycle of IVF costs as much as $15,000 while that of IUI costs just $500.

IVF is a process that comes in useful when for some reason the eggs and the sperm cells are not able to fertilize biologically. For that reason they are removed and allowed to fertilize outside the ovaries in a fluid medium. But IUI is particularly suggested when the element of male infertility hinders pregnancy. In such cases the sperm cells are weak and cannot travel the entire way for fertilization. Hence they are artificially inserted into the cervix to diminish the distance that the sperm cells have to travel.

Summary:

1.  IVF stands for In vitro Fertilization while IUI stands for Intra-uterine Insemination.
2. In IVF both the sperm and egg cells are removed from the body and allowed to fertilize in vitro in a fluid medium. In IUI the sperm cells are artificially inserted into the female cervix using a catheter.
3. IUI is a lot less invasive and painful than IVF.
4. A cycle of IVF costs as much as $15,000 while that of IUI is costs lot lesser, just $500.

Read more: Difference Between IVF and IUI | Difference Between | IVF vs IUI http://www.differencebetween.net/science/health/difference-between-ivf-and-iui/

Another Day in the World of Infertility

This month has really been great. My side effects have not been as intense and I feel great. I started a new work schedule that also helps. I wake up every morning and exercise for about 10 minutes. Then yesterday when I came home GiGi (my furbaby, see picture below)  and I walked a mile. I started to lose some weight, but it is still not falling off of me like it should. Usually when I exercise it just falls off, but now it is coming off very slowly.

My temperature is still low and my fertility monitor is now showing high. We are getting close to having an egg or two. I feel a lot more relaxed this time around. I am still waiting expectantly that God will bless us.

My Furbaby GiGi