Deposit Paid!

Well, we are in! This morning I paid our deposit for April IVF! If you're one of the lucky people with insurance coverage for IVF they require a deposit to ensure you're fully committed to the cycle, and to cover any "patient responsibility" up front. We have part of our deductible left to pay, so our deposit will cover the rest of our deductible. Anything left once the patient responsibility is covered, is either refunded, or left as a credit on the account for future copays.

A couple of nights ago I went to dinner with our neighbor and friend who was also a patient of Dr. H. She went through a Frozen Embryo Transfer in November and is pregnant with their first baby! They have been dealing with infertility a lot longer than Matthew and I have, so whether they wanted to or not, they've kind of become our "infertility mentors." Since they've been through this already, many times, it's been really, really nice to have someone to talk with who truly understands everything. It's also nice that she has seen the same doctor. It's easier to compare protocol when you know it's all similar because the doctor is the same.

Anyway, back to where this story started...we had dinner and I told her we were making the leap to IVF in April. She showed me the protocol calendars Dr. H's office had given her for the two previous cycles she went through. Once you start birth control, and have had a baseline office visit, they give you a calendar showing what medicine to take what day. The doses can change, but the meds themselves will usually stay the way they have them listed on the calendar. There is A LOT of medicine! Holy crap! I knew there was a lot, but seeing in on the calendar, all color coded, wow.

She was also so incredibly sweet to give us a bunch of left over things she still had that weren't useful for them any longer. After the egg retrieval is done I will have to have (well Matthew will have to give me) NASTY shots of Progesterone in Oil (PiO) right in the butt. It is a very thick substance, which of course translates into a HUGE needle! She had a bunch of left over, unopened PiO and unopened needles/syringes of various sizes. She also had a huge sharps container that was barely used so we have that as well. I have a feeling it's going to fill up quickly! At least we are saving a little bit of money throughout this process :o)

So I was relieved the other night after talking with her, and incredibly thankful for all the extras she had left over! I think it's been good for Matthew to have a guy to talk with who can relate as well. Guys are even more reluctant to talk about this stuff than women are, so even though they wind up doing a lot of joking around, it's good for Matthew to know there is someone, besides me, who understands his frustrations.

Tomorrow I have a baseline ultrasound to check for cysts, since I haven't had that checked since the end of our last IUI. Hopefully everything is clear! I really don't want to have another one drained...