Clomid - Day 3

No news is good news, right? Well, I have no news. I feel fine. Perhaps I am lucky enough to escape the side effects of Clomid? Other than that, I don't really have anything to write about.

The school year starts tomorrow. We were closed yesterday and today to clean and organize for the upcoming school year. Lots of new kids start tomorrow. Should be a long day. And I have a dentist appointment. Another one of those things I wanted to do before the IUI. I figured I would need x-rays and that would be a no-no during pregnancy, so a last minute, but much needed, appointment it is. I hate going to the dentist and haven't been in a couple years. I take decent care of my teeth but I hate, hate, hate getting them cleaned. And I need a crown to replace the temporary I got after a root canal a couple years ago. Yes, this temporary has lasted a couple of years. I don't know how much my dental insurance covers though. I suppose I will find out tomorrow.

Clomid - Day 2

I'm on day 2 of Clomid and haven't had any real noticeable side effects. I have had some hot flash type moments but I could also attribute that to my cold. Other than that, I'm golden! We'll see how tomorrow treats me.

I heard back from the pharmacy that will be mailing me the other prescriptions (Bravelle, Ovidrel and Prometrium). They were waiting on authorization from my insurance. They told me it could take a few days and I was a little nervous since I take the Bravelle shot on Saturday. But, they called today and the total cost for these medications is $95. Just $95. My jaw nearly hit the floor. Out of pocket it would have cost me over $400 but thankfully my insurance authorized them all for only $95! I should get them on Wednesday.

I let my boss know about the IUI and that I would most likely need a day to a day and a half off next week. Normally I wouldn't tell her about it and just request the day off but September is the start of the school year and she doesn't want people taking off the first month so the kids can get settled and so the office staff is there to help the new families. Thankfully she was understanding and supportive. I was a little nervous about telling her.

Bring on day 3!

It’s a go!

I had my day 3 blood work and sonogram appointment this morning.  My ovaries looked good…no cysts.  Not that I was worried about it, but the tech said that was what she was checking for.  I have my timeline for what will happen through day 11:

Day 3-7    Take 50 mg of Clomid each night

Day 9        75 IU shot of  Bravelle

Day 11      8:00 am appointment for blood work and sonogram

If everything looks good then I would take the trigger shot of Ovidrel, otherwise I would come back the next day and each day thereafter until my follicles are ready.

I was given the prescription for Clomid and was told that I would receive a call this afternoon letting me know if this cycle was a go or not.  By 1:00 I was getting nervous about getting the prescription filled so I went ahead and got it filled.  It was free with my insurance so either way, it didn’t matter if I had waited.  But, as soon as I got home I got the call letting me know that this cycle was a go.  Perfect timing.

While at my appointment this morning I saw the parents of one of my students from last year.  Their son just graduated to the 3 year old class.  I didn’t get to talk to them but I did wave hi.  You just never know who you will run into at the RE!

So, I took my first dose of Clomid earlier and so far so good.  No side effects that I’ve noticed.  I have a wicked cold so aside from being stuffed up, sneezing, coughing, and having a sore throat I feel great!  I asked about any drug interactions with Clomid and she said that the only thing I should avoid is decongestants.  Damn.  The one drug I would like to take right now.  Oh well, I will suffer without complaint.  I think I have some nose strips and vaporub.  That will at least get me through the night.  Hopefully.

Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Timing is everything

As hard as it is to admit sometimes, I believe that everything happens for a reason. I hate that we've had to wait for four years and counting to have a baby, but there is a reason. I hate that I had a miscarriage, but there is a reason. I hate that we can't do this on our own, naturally, but there is a reason.

Waiting is hard on anyone. It tests your patience to the nth degree. I've cried myself to sleep countless nights, waiting. Would I put this kind of weight (no pun intended) on anyone else's shoulders? Absolutely not. There is a reason we have been waiting as long as we have. I may never know the exact reason but I think it has been to give us time to truly be ready. Both emotionally and physically.

One of the most difficult things I've gone through emotionally and physically, has been my miscarriage. I wouldn't wish that kind of pain on anyone. It's been almost two years and it is still very hard to think about without tearing up. I would trade anything in the world to have that baby in my arms right now. That baby would be turning one this September. Hard to believe, right? But, I can't turn back time and change things. I have to accept things the way they are and move on. I am using it as a learning experience. It has opened my eyes to see that I wasn't ready yet. It caught me off guard completely. My blood sugar wasn't under strict control. I wasn't working with my doctors closely, hell, I didn't even have an OB/GYN. Well, I did but he was too far from my house to keep on as my regular doctor (he was closer to my last job). I was not prepared. At all.

Now I have an OB/GYN that I like and that is close to home and works with the hospital I want to deliver at. Well, ideally I wouldn't have to deliver at a hospital but because of my diabetes I'm pretty sure it's necessary. I am working closely with my endocrinologist to ensure my blood sugar is under control as well as my thyroid. She told me at my last appointment that she wants me to call her the second I find out I'm pregnant because she wants to make sure everything is perfect regarding my blood sugar and thyroid. My RE referred my to a doctor who specializes in maternal and fetal medicine, basically they work with high risk pregnancies. I feel confident in my support group of doctors and nurses.

In a way I am glad that we have to get assistance in getting pregnant. It will allow me to plan better. I will know exactly when everything will happen. It won't be left up to chance. I started spotting today and I think it's the first time EVER that I have been happy about my period starting. I think I may have even said, "YAY!" So, starting today I am being super careful about what I eat and I'm watching my blood sugar like a hawk. The continuous glucose monitor has been a blessing. I have much better control now. I still get occasional lows and highs but because I know about them, they don't last as long.

Once I begin a full flow day (possibly today but most likely tomorrow) I will call the doctor's office to set up my day 3 appointment to begin monitoring my ovaries. I believe that they said I would take Clomid, too. Once my follicles are mature I would take a trigger shot to release them and ovulate and then do the IUI the next day. I can't believe we are finally doing this. And to sweeten the pot, we were approved to do 6 IUI cycles, good until next August. I'm still waiting for the cost information in the mail but we may just use those 6 tries before we resort to IVF. Not sure yet if it will make sense financially.

I am just happy to finally be moving forward. I've waited a long time for this and I feel more than ready.

Approval

Everyone seeks approval. At some point in your life, either consciously or subconsciously you seek approval. Whether it's from your parents or from your friends or from your boss, you seek it. You want to be accepted.

For the last 3-4 weeks I've been anxiously awaiting approval from my insurance company. Every day when I came home from work I'd cautiously approach the mailbox with baited breath. "Is the approval letter here?" "Do we finally get to move on to the next step?"

And every day my anxious smile would fade and my hopes dashed. Nope. Not today. Maybe tomorrow. But tomorrow would come and once again, no dice.

The financial lady at my RE office told me it could take up to 4 weeks and as it's been getting dangerously close to 4 weeks, each day has become more and more tortuous. Well, I have had enough. I put my foot down. I called my insurance company this morning.

We have been approved.

And apparently it was dated on the 9th or 10th of August. I asked about a letter being mailed to me and she said something along the lines of my doctor would just call to verify the approval. Seems a little backwards, but whatever. We are approved and that's all that matters.

I called and left a message with the financial lady to let her know and to have her call me with what our cost is going to be. Hopefully she will call back today but if she doesn't that's ok. I can wait.