let the games begin

So, yesterday morning I crawled out of bed at 6:15. I was on the road by about 6:40. Yay me! I'm sooooooo not a morning person. I don't know if you've picked up on this but mornings are best spent in bed. Surrounded by husbands (well, one) and dogs. I'm a snooze-button master.

I packed up my morning shot and drugs (with a little ice pack for the trip) and hit the road for the drive to my clinic. The shots are going fine, btw, thanks for thinking of me and asking. I'm only using the tiniest insulin needles so I barely feel them.

I deserved at least something special for getting up so early, right? And there is a drive-through branch of my favorite donuts in the whole word right on the way. I needed sustenance but settled for 2 original glazed donuts. Not still warm but they still did nicely.

Traffic was a breeze and I got to the clinic just in time for my appointment. What? No one else in the waiting room? How can that possibly be? It was Monday morning, right? I was preparing for the long lines of Garden State. Guess I must have a little ptsd over those draws.

They took me back and used a butterfly needle. Oh, man. I love those tiny little needles. I never even bruise from them. You can use them on my poor old, tired veins night and day. Again, this was a different from Garden State blood sucking vampires as you can imagine.

Then I had a couple of hours to kill until the ultrasound. I found a little restaurant with friendly wait staff and settled in a with a big mug of green tea (and some eggs and toast, I'll admit). I had time to read the paper and do 2 crossword puzzles. I love my paper because there are always 2 full puzzles. I was proud to finish them both with no blanks leftover. I also read the bridge column but it was a boring hand.

When I got back to the clinic was when the first sucker punch was thrown. The business person said she needed to charge me for icsi. Um, what? We've had numerous SAs including the strict ones with no problems. We got pregnant by the famous letrozole+hot tub+ champagne cycle. Yup, lots of hot tubbing and old fashioned sex led to our ectopic. We had absolutely no issues with fertilization at Garden State when we did our ivf. We've never had remotely bad numbers on any samples. We're freakin' PROVEN. So, I was more than a little surprised at this news.

First, I had a baseline ultrasound as well as a fluid one. I had 3-4 tiny antrals per side (quite good for me at this point), no cysts, and my uterine cavity looked mahvelous. I tried to focus on that good news.The fluid ultrasound was a bit painful and crampy so it was good to at least think about the possibility of multiple follicles developing. I'm not getting all carried away with the numbers, just trying to think that maybe I will get more than one follicle.

Then, I met with the nurse. All good there. Except for the icsi stuff. She can't tell me much about it so I need to talk to the embryologist who I guess is also the andrologist.

So, we talked. Turns out they do icsi for EVERYONE but only charge you if they think you need it. Hmmmm, I've got some problems with this. They also seem to use incredibly strict numbers so perhaps more people need it this way? Is this some kind of a scam to get another 2k from as many people as possible? I don't really even want icsi, I think it's one more level of intervention and I don't think we need it. I really feel suckered.

For now, they're agreeing to do another SA (since the first was done in a different lab) where they only look at that one parameter. All the other parameters are GREAT. They agreed with that. I can bring in the sample when I go back in two weeks. Even better, it will be fully covered by our pitiful insurance. If the numbers aren't better then we cough up the additional 2k. I'd say I was feeling nickled and dimed to death here, but 2k is quite a bit more. Even I can do that math.

Anyway, with that appointment all finished up I raced by home to ahhhhhh-acupuncture. It was great to get on the table and let all the stress just dissipate. All that and took the cramps away too. Back to zen ...

Comments

[InSpring]

Millie,

It's sound like you're off to a great start!

I think ICSI is something they really should get permission on rather than to demand as a requirement, they are, after all, your embryos!

[Julie]

I came over from Liana's blog. That sucks about the ICSI and I would ream the doctor out if I were in your shoes.

[Pamplemousse]

Millie, enjoy those needles! I am rooting for you (even if you don't need ICSI!)

Just to let you know that my IVF cycle is on the brink of being cancelled and I cannot update my blog.

[Nina]

Thinking of you Millie. Sounds like you are off to a good start!

[Pamplemousse]

Hey Millie! You OK? How are the shots going?

[wessel]

Yeah, I know about that "free ICSI" stuff. I also thought it weird that he only charges if you need it for male factor reasons. He makes it free for older women because then it is being used to compensate for old egg issues. Still, a strange way to approach things, in my opinion.

Good luck with this cycle!