Progress! (and ranting)

You know what would be so freaking awesome? If DH and I could have sex and BAM I get pregnant!  Isn’t that what normally happens?! I don’t think that’s how it works...OK, maybe it does but just not to us.  To get pregnant with no testing, no surgery, no medicine, and no IVF!? You people out there that can decide when you want to have a kid make me jealous. You’re like “humm, I think I’d like to have a child with an Oct birthday...” and BAM you do. Or you “don’t want to be pregnant in the hot summer” so BAM you aren’t because you timed it that way. For real. I have no concept of that.  And don't even get me started on women that get pregnant on accident. It completely blows my mind...

It’s been one headache after another with all of this testing (blood shipped to the wrong address, collection kit sent to the wrong clinic, Reprosourse forgetting to send me dry ice or just plain not calling me back, etc.). And now Fed Ex is on my crap list after they failed to deliver a shipment of dry ice this morning. I needed it for the sperm sitting in my fridge right now. Yes, you read that  right. DH was supposed to send his sample on dry ice to MA for testing today and now it’s all messed up because Fed Ex has no idea where the dry ice is. His sample is now invalid and most likely will have to be redone. Thanks Fed Ex. You just complicated my life even more. Now Reprosource has to get approval from my doc for the retesting and we get to start all this over again. I’m not happy.

I GOT THE REFERRAL TO AZ FOR SURGERY!!!!!!!

There was a a momentary outburst of panic on my end when the letter online from Tricare said that the referral was to ANOTHER new doc in AL and NOT AZ but I called Tricare and it was taken care of.   After talking with AZ the first time, surgery was supposed to be the week of Sept 24. Well, the hospital can’t schedule it for that week now for whatever reason and they want me on the 21st. That is like the worst timing ever.  That’s 7 days from the required consult (which I have to do to get a pre-authorization referral from Tricare).  I'll now have to fly back and forth and can't do both the consult and surgery all in one week. Can you tell that I’m in a bad mood? I bet you’re thinking, “but this will all be worth it in the end.” It’s only worth it if we get a take home baby from this. It has not been worth it up to this point. We’ve invested too much time and money in this to quit now. Ugh. Rant over.

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I now remember why we stopped all of this nonsense 4.5 years ago. It's already getting to be too much and the real fun hasn't even started yet.

DH and I are finally done with the Dr. B testing. In all, 26 vials of blood from me (separate fasting and non fasting tests), 7 vials from DH, and two semen analysis's. Now we wait. It should be 6ish weeks for results and then I should know my new med/supplement protocol.

This is from my first blood draw for Dr. B...that's what 19 vials of my blood looks like.  It really wasn't bad at all.  The staff that walked by would make comments like, "Wow that's a lot of blood!" and "Man, I'm glad that isn't me in that chair!" Gee thanks!  The lab techs and nurses were great and super kind about it. They made me sit there while my blood spun down and gave me ginger-ale and crackers before I was allowed to stand up.  I'm just glad this part is over.

Next up is figuring out the logistics of surgery...

No Go:

Positive: I am very well hydrated. My kidneys love me.
Negative: The 17 vial blood draw didn't happen as the collection kit was sent to Birmingham and NOT to Montgomery. It's a blasted mess. Because it contained dry ice, the courier that was going to bring it back to my local clinic can't. And the dry ice is going to melt. And I somehow have to figure out how to get it to me. And I can't remember the last time anything infertility related was easy, painless, and smooth.  And, I'm mad. I'm mad that I didn't confirm the address of where the shipment was going. I'm mad that the contact I've been working with at ReproSource is hard to get a hold of and never calls me back or responds to my emails.  I received DH's blood draw kit this morning at home so at least there's that. He now gets to come with me next week (as long as I figure out how to work this) and we get to do this fun stuff together. *Insert eye roll here*

While I expected hiccups, this is not what I had thought was going to happen.  I paid $149 for the kit and now it has to be redone. Not cool ReproSource, NOT cool.

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As of today, Friday Aug 10, the referral to AZ still has not been pushed to Tricare. I just received another call from my case manager and she put me on a three way call with a general surgeon from Maxwell who had me explain to him what the differences were between a laser laparoscopy vs excision and why I thought I needed it.  Really. They wanted to know my official infertility diagnosis (which is habitual aborter by the way) and if I wanted to have more children. They also asked if I had children (umm...is that info not sitting right in front of you in my record that I HANDED to you?!?) and if I was trying to get pregnant. Would they be more willing to get me this surgery if I WASN'T trying to get preg?  I'll never know.  I gave a brief history as quickly as I could to him and told them how I had success in AZ and no where else.  I was then told that Tricare most likely will not approve any travel expenses but should approve the referral as it is technically continuity of care (even though it's out of network). I'm good with that...but this is the same thing TRICARE themselves told you last week so why isn't this taken care of yet?

I'll be honest here. AZ is not my first choice in this.  Dr. G (The doc that helped me get preg with Skittle) is an interesting soul (very kind, but wacky if I do say so myself), but does know his stuff when it comes to endo. He was the first doc of many before him that even suggested I had the disease. He saw the markers for it when other RE's didn't...or at least the others didn't care enough to check. I feel like I'm pinning a lot of hope on him that he can do the same surgery he did 9 years ago on me again.  I haven't even talked to the guy in 7 years.  I'm doubting myself for pushing his clinic and now just praying that the surgery (even if it's less than ideal but better than laser alone) coupled with Dr. B's protocol can help us.

How can I pray for YOU?

"Every day may not be good...but there's something good in every day." -Alice Morse Earle

More Insurance Fun:

I'm sure you all are bored to tears reading about all of our insurance woes but here we are again. It has been back and forth for weeks now trying to find a provider that does the surgery I want/need but at the same time is contracted with Tricare. I have now been assigned a case manager from base to help with this whole mess.  My case manager from Utilization Management has put me in contact with Tricare several times, doing three-way calls, to help sort this all out. Basically, all the doctors I have suggested either are no longer contracted with Tricare, or flat out will not accept any insurance at all (which I have mad respect for by the way), or have a 6 month+ wait list.  I was told point blank by a Tricare rep that excision surgery is not medically necessary (!?!?!?!?!?) and that if I want to go to the endo care clinic in Atlanta or see a specialist in NY, they will not pay a dime towards my care.  Even if I change from Tricare Select vs. Prime, they will not help me in any way.

FINALLY just yesterday, after being on the phone with Tricare for over a half hour, it was recommended that my case manager put in for my old doc in AZ that did my first endo surgery and second IVF, which ultimately helped us conceive Skittle.  The problem?  He no longer is in network for Tricare as of Jan 1, 2018.  BUT, because we've been trying to locate someone to do that surgery for quite a while now and there are no providers within 100 miles of me that do this surgery, they are still pushing the referral since I was his patient in the past.  I'll take it!  Coordinating my care between four doctors is close to a nightmare but I am determined to see this through.  Surgery in AZ will be difficult logistically, but it can be done. Dr. B has given his blessing (not that I need that) for surgery in AZ and is requesting to speak to the surgeon about my case.

The endo care clinic has been lobbying in DC for quite a while now trying to bring awareness to this disease and pushing for better insurance coverage for excisional surgery.  I hope they keep up the good fight as I now see everything they warned me about!

If this blog can help just one other person with the difficulties and struggles of infertility, I think it's all been worth it to show my vulnerability and pain.

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I have been back and forth with ReproSource (the lab that works for Dr. B), trying to figure out all the testing I need. DH's first of two semen analysis kits have arrived and of course he's TDY.  Sigh. It's taken weeks to be able to schedule the first of my blood draws but it's finally happening tomorrow. Pray for me?  It's a 17 vial blood draw in the morning. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate time!

Here's a pic of Skittle cause she's cute :)

Love you all!