Friday, October 3, 2008

Meet My New Best Friend

The Follisti.m pen.
That’s right, I’m starting IVF.
Less than 24 hours after I came back from
Bali, I found myself sitting in an IVF orientation class.
When I found out about the miscarriage in August, I called to get on their schedule as I really didn’t want to waste any more time.
My RE assured me that with my early miscarriage I’m 100% good to go as long as I’m mentally and emotionally ready to go.

I’ve never felt so ready.

There was a moment in
Bali when I was having a massage and I thought, “but I got pregnant last month with just a little help from Clomid, I can do that again.”
Why not a few more IUI’s?
So I walked into the IVF orientation thinking “I’m just here to get some information”.
Then I opened up my folder and saw my RE had already written out all of my RX’s, they handed me a free Follisti.m pen (no meds inside), and away we went.
When I got to the stats page…well, my mind was already made up.
I was here for the long haul now. IVF take me away.

The Iffy News:
Maybe I could get pregnant again through IUI.
Maybe. But I’m no spring chicken (remember, I’m 39) and those stats are dismal. I’m incredibly lucky it worked even once. I’m wasting my time and insurance money to expect it to work again. I’d like to think I’ve paid my dues in miscarriage land, but those stats are dismal too. I’d love to see that I have at least a 50% chance at having a real, live baby with IVF—but I only have a 33% chance of doing that (and that's transferring back 2-3 good blastocysts).

The Good News:
33% sure as hell beats the IUI/Clomid stats of 5-10%.
We have enough insurance left to cover two full IVF cycles (without meds).
My RE says that I’m a perfect candidate for this to work.

The Best News:
This week has been spent running around
New York City with a soft sided cooler and an ice pack doing d.rug deals.
Some really wonderful people have stepped forward to donate their leftover medications to me for this first cycle.
I’ve received meds that aren't covered by my insurance co-payment--for free.
This has been a huge stress relief as the meds are almost as much as the cycle itself.
I am still overwhelmed at the kindness and generosity of these friends—two of the couples I met online (not in blogland) and have only met in person a handful of times.

It really does take a village to make a baby!

The Guilty News:
I think I’ve been holding this news back because I feel guilty.
What I mean is: this is an easy decision for me because I have the insurance money to pay for it.
I’m well aware that most of you out there don’t have this luxury and it’s so unfair.
Please don’t hate me for it.

Why Am I Finally Telling You This?
Because I just started my period.

IVF starts tomorrow.
I’m on a ‘no Lupron’ cycle which means I start stimming tomorrow, I’ll do retrieval in two weeks.
By Halloween we’ll know if I’m pregnant or not.
Damn that’s FAST.
I am so, so,
so excited to finally be doing this.


19 comments:

nutella said...

Ah ha! I'd wondered about the radio silence. So glad that it been due to good news. This is very very exciting for you guys and I agree, that 33% stat does seems promising. Your insurance is there for a reason, and I'm glad that you are able to take advantage of it. Not only would that never have been an option for us, I'd never had had the courage to do it. So good for you! Keep us posted, and we'll be sending you all the good wishes we have.

mulberry said...

fabulous!! fabulous... i love a new plan, a new plan with better stats, a new plan with weird medicine pens (dakota let me prep all her shots and i found it weirdly thrilling, like i was DOING something). thrilled you still have insurance $ that can go towards IVF... let's hope this produces a little goblin for halloween.

N said...

How exciting! I'm glad to hear from you, and I really hope that this works out. It does seem like it's absolutely the most sensible option.

Lizzie said...

Happy, happy, happy Halloween. That's what is in your future. YAY.

tui said...

Wow exciting stuff! I'm glad you were able to come to a decision about IVF and especially one that you're excited about - makes a nice change from the drudgery of pushing on through IUIs with little hope. And damn - those stats look so much better!

I think its awesome that your insurance company covers this sort of thing - don't feel guilty, think of it as sticking it to the insurance companies on our behalf by sucking up all their available resources lol

Goodluckgoodluckgoodluckgoodluck!

JPG said...

Great! Will be crossing fingers, holding thumbs, pouring libations, sacrificing virgins etc to help you along. Jus xx

Anonymous said...

Congrats on this new stage in your journey. I agree with pp, don't feel guilty, feel lucky that you have it and use every penny you can.

Anonymous said...

I am really excited for you!
Good luck and may this be the ticket.

Mostly the American health systems seems like craziness, but once in a while it works better than Canada. I don't know of any insurance that pays for IVF here. Maybe I just haven't heard of it. I am thrilled for you that insurance will pay.

R said...

WONDERFUL!! WONDERFUL!! WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

That is fantastic news!

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad that your insurance covers all this - what a wonderful thing. And I totally support your decision to move onto IVF. I mean, yes, you could probably get pregnant again with IUIs, but it could take a while and IVF _is_ an option for you, so why not? I'm so excited that you start so soon!

Yay.

j.k-c. said...

So excited for you!!!
And Halloween is my birthday, so I think that's a great day to get a BFP!!!

jessie said...

Wow - that is so fast! I'm really excited for you! No need to wait, you're ready

Les Make Babies said...

This is great news. I'm thrilled for you guys that insurance will cover so much! With the increased success rate, IVF is really a no brainer, if it's affordable. I'm glad you guys are getting medication donations - you both seem like really wonderful people - it's not surprising to hear that your 'village' is stepping up to help. Good luck - I'll be following your cycle and keeping my fingers crossed.

NotesFrom2Moms said...

im so glad that you are in a situation to be able to do this. I don't have meds to offer but i have hope and good wishes... good luck.

K said...

How exciting! I hope IVF is just the silver bullet you need. And as someone who paid out-of-pocket for every single penny of our IVF cycle, don't feel bad for having coverage. WE are the ones with stupid insurance, not you. We should all have YOUR coverage, not the other way around, so any insurances that already cover it feel like a step in the right direction to me. Good luck!!

tbean said...

Thrilled for you--IVF is absolutely the best choice for you right now and it is just fantastic that your insurance will cover it.

Chris said...

I'm keeping my fingers crossed and sending you positive baby vibes. Halloween is not far, is it? I'm so excited and hopefully for you and K!

Anonymous said...

Here's to your newest adventure!