Dr. B and NP G. are AWESOME!!!! I LOVE them already. They are a little kooky but I think it’s a good thing. First off the list Dr. B said he was going to give me my favorite drug of all: Prometrium at 200mg twice a day for 5 days at bedtime. Then he said get a SA for hubbs. Which I don’t think he was too thrilled about considering: “She is the one with the problem.” But then NP G. said “Well it would end up being a total waste of money to have all the tests done on Mrs. Farmer and buy all the meds for this protocol then get started and then find out your swimmers weren’t swimming…” Bingo!! That did it!! I saw the light bulb go off. Then Dr. B. said we would need to get Mrs. Farmer set up for an HSG. And then on the 1st cycle (When your ready) we will start with Gonal-F so we can do a total of 3 rounds on that before they would move us on. At this point at his office it looks like for one round it will cost $2,595.00 I’m not sure how this compares around the country. I thought it was a pretty good price. Here is the breakdown.
Meds $1,000.00 (average)
Initial u/s (med check) = $245
Monitoring us & b/w (mid cycle check) = $500 each
(Unknown number depending upon how quickly I respond to meds)
Progesterone check (u/s b/w) = $350
I will be paying all this out of pocket pretty much because my insurance has NO coverage for any fertility treatments, testing etc. The lady in the financial office said that they a lot of times can get the HSG covered and the initial u/s and some blood work covered by my insurance but it can get pretty sticky. So here we go!!! No turning back now!!!
Welcome ICLW’ers I look forward to visiting you all!!!
P.S. I’m soo sorry I haven’t been able to comment or even really read blogs this week because the phone lines at my home have been screwy!! Hopefully I will have Internet this weekend and I can catch up on reading!! It’s so hard to read at work or write for that matter. Just thought I would let everyone know that I’m not ignoring you all I MISS you VERY MUCH!!!!
12 comments:
I'm so glad your dr. appointment went well!! That sounds like a reasonable price for one cycle. I hope they can get the HSG and U/S covered. Some insurances will cover diagnostic only for fertility. Good luck with it!!!
Yikes! Gonal-f, eh? You're really going for it. Well, honestly, good for you. My hubby and I were scared off the injectibles due to the high risk of multiples (and we're not up for reduction.) Then again, I don't have PCOS, so maybe that makes a difference.
I am so glad you like your male dr. I knew you had nothing to worry about.
The price range sounds about right. If I'm remembering correctly, I was told it would be about 3 grand if we went that route. Also, we were misled on the price of IUI/Clomid. They told us we would only need one US per round, and it was at least 2. That was annoying. Also, I did not understand why I needed to take an OPK following an US. I thought the US replaced the OPK. Silly me!
Well, how unlucky for you that Miss V was ready for her close-up, and then got cast aside. Hopefully, hubs got to reap the benefits ;)
I have the worst insurance on this side of the Mason-Dixon line, but it did cover the HSG, so hopefully, it will be the same for you. I predict exciting times for you in the near future. ((hugs))
I'm in my first Gonal-F cycle, so when you get there, feel free to ask away. I've felt a little out of the loop with only knowing one person who has done injectables, so I just want to tell you the door is wide open for questions. :)
Also, I'm on my 6th day of meds (by Sunday's appt it will be 7), and Sunday will be my 3rd monitoring visit with b/w and u/s at each, as well as u/s and b/w at CD3 before starting meds. Just something to think about when analyzing costs. Did they mention anything about a class? We had to attend a class on injectables, and it was $150 if not covered by insurance.
So glad you had a productive appt! And, I'm really glad you like the doc! I'm also glad Farmer is on board with the SA now. :)
Sorry, I forgot to say that I started out with Gonal-F and had to switch to Follistim after the first day b/c I had an allergic rxn, which is not too common. Side effects are much better on Follistim, though I'm sure the allergy situation was partly to blame. Effects are: bloating (different from TOM bloating for me), tender abdomen, ovaries feeling like wiggly jello, a few emotional meltdowns (poor TH), a few mild headaches, and some mild pain after injection. Honestly, it's WAY better than I thought it would be.
Insurance is paying for us, but I have a lifetime max on meds. If this cycle doesn't work, in Oct, I'm going to have to decide if we want to switch insurance plans to put me on the one offered that covers one round of IVF. Hopefully we won't be dealing with that, though!
I'm so happy your first experience with your doc was good. Heck, I like him, and I haven't even met him. I'll be starting Gonal-F sometime around October 8... let's do it together :0)
Yay! Sounds like the appointment went really well, I"m so glad to hear it. And good for you for going to injectables quickly - I think there is no sense dickering around when you are ready to start a family.
Aw, I'm so glad you like your Docs. It really makes the process so much easier!
Congrats on the first appointment, I am glad that it went well! I am a dreamer too :-)
yay! i'm so thrilled that everything went so well :)
just to word of warning from an IF PCOS vet. 2 out of 3 of my Gonal-F IUI cycles ended in conversion IVF due to more than 5 follicles. It can be very tricky to get the dosage right and we PCOSers are prone to overstimming.
i have to say though, if you have the means to convert (a lot more $$) i would recommend it as the chances of conception with IVF are much higher and it worked for me both times we made it to transfer.
(just something to mull over... because the first time it was a total surprise to me and i freaked out! lol)
I started the Gonal-F at 112, Day 2 and 3 were 112ish with Follistim, and then Day 4 put me at 150, where I've stayed. Tomorrow, I have another monitoring appt, and I'm wondering if I'll be able to trigger (yes, with Ovidrel) tomorrow night. I'll probably post an update tomorrow afternoon.
Also, I forgot that one of my side effects was definitely hotflashes and just overall being hot. This morning I woke up with crazy nausea. My pharmacist actually called to check on me, and she said it was common to get the nausea later in the dosing, as the meds build up in your system. Just passing that along. :)
You and I are in the same boat. My insurance doesn't pay for anything. Ughhh...
Good luck!
ICLW
Oh that is fantastic that the appointment with your doc went well!! I have heard nightmares of horrid docs but I was lucky enough to have a good-un from the beginning. Cannot help you with the cost as am in Australia so that's not going to help you but wanted to wish you all the best - I am watching every step with interest!!
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