Monday, April 2, 2012

"So that's what $4,500 worth of drugs looks like!!!"

I've debated long and hard if we should continue posting about our infertility treatments on the blog.  I took a break from writing about it once we came home from the cruise in November.   However, I believe that not only is it important to keep record of it for our own personal sake, but also for others who may be facing the same trials we are.

After a few more failed IUI cycles, lots of tears, much thought, prayer and an approval from our insurance company- we are going forward with IVF!!  I cannot tell you how nervous/excited I am.  Once we got our approval and I had a doctor appointment set- I felt completely clueless.  I had no idea what to expect or what the timing would be or anything.

My first doctor appointment (about 2 weeks ago) was a normal blood draw and ultrasound.  Then, as I left they prescribed me with birth control and set up our next appointment which would be my teaching appointment (which is actually tomorrow!).  Then came the fun of having to make tons of phone calls to my insurance to make sure they were on the ball with approving my pre-certifications for my medications.  That was a hassle!  But, after about 8-10 phone calls- we finally had everything resolved.  I received my first of 2 shipments of meds on Friday.  The next one came on Saturday.  If I thought injections for IUI were overwhelming... this was even scarier!

This is the box of my first shipment.  I tried to get a size reference so I pulled out book 7 of Harry Potter.  The box was huge.  That's all there is to it!

Then here is the spread of my meds that came on Friday.  Note that in each of the bags there are 2-3 boxes that you can't see straight on.


Here is a top view of it.


Then, here is the rest that came on Saturday.



I then sent a text with a picture of the meds to one of my sisters and she replied "So that's what $4500 worth of drugs looks like!!"  LOL... seriously...  it's ridiculous.  I guess I should mention that we did not pay that much out of pocket, thankfully.  On my shipment paperwork it gives the price of everything and then it gives what our total of it was.  Our insurance covers quite a bit of it.  I seriously don't know what we'd do without this insurance.  I really believe that Heavenly Father helped point us in the right direction as far as Jon's job was concerned.  We couldn't have asked for a better insurance plan.  As crappy as they are to deal with over the phone, I am so grateful for their coverage.

Anyways, I have my teaching visit for my medication tomorrow and then on the 12th I go in for my baseline appointment and at that point all the meds will begin!  Oh- I almost forgot!  Both Jon and I had to go in for "infectious diseases" blood testing.  I had mine a little over a year ago, so they needed me to do it again and then Jon was pulled in for it too.  LOL.. can't leave him out of all the fun! ;)

7 comments:

Natalie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Natalie said...

I have a sister who is going through the same thing. Would you mind if I shared your blog with her? Thanks for being so willing to share your experiences!

Stephanie C. said...

I'm so excited that you guys are able to move forward with IVF! One of my friend's did it and now has 7 month old twin boys who are ADORABLE! You and Jon are going to have a super cute baby(ies) :) You're so strong for blogging about your experience. I know from my friends that it is very difficult.

Camber said...

Good luck Crystal! Seriously, let me know if you have any questions. Honestly what you've been doing with IUI is a good prep, because some things will be similar (shots, ultrasounds, etc.). The nurses will tell you what to do every step of the way, so even though it seems overwhelming at first you just take it one step at a time. You can do it! I'll be praying for you. Good luck!

Unknown said...

You've always inspired me Crystal. I'm so grateful that I had the opportunity to visit teach you so long ago in our student married ward. I hope that everything goes well for you two. I'm sorry you have to have such a trial, but so glad that you have good insurance. That helps a bit. Good luck!!!

Brittny said...

Wow! That's quite the haul of drugs! You're so awesome to go through all of this, I don't think I would be so brave. Best of luck to you! You're in our thoughts and prayers. We love you guys!

Unknown said...

I think keeping this documented is a great idea, not only for your sake, but for others who may be going through similar experiences. My cousin and her husband struggled with infertility for a long time and got pregnant with IVF after I think their third try. Here's a link to her blog:
http://teedle.blogspot.com/
You can read through her archives about her experiences. She was really good about writing about a lot of it. Good luck!!!