And Dylan (finally) made us 5: you are not alone

SOOOO.... HERE IS WHAT HAPPENED AT OUR FIRST RE APPT YESTERDAY. I CALLED THE DAY BEFORE TO DOUBLE CHECK MY TIME, I WAS TOLD 2 PM AND TO BE THERE HALF HOUR EARLY. DAWN MET ME IN THE CITY AND WE WALKED OVER TOGETHER. I HATE BEING LATE SO WE GOT THERE A FEW MINUTES AFTER 1PM. WE GO IN AND WE ARE TOLD TO GO TO ANOTHER FLOOR... OK, NO BIG DEAL. WE GET TO THE FLOOR WE ARE SUPPOSSED TO BE ON AND I AM TOLD THAT MY APPOINTMENT WAS FOR 2:30 NOT 2 AND THAT THE DOCTOR WILL NOT SEE ME BEFORE THEN. OK, SO WE HAVE TO WAIT ALMOST AN HOUR AND A HALF, A LITTLE UPSETTING BUT WE DECIDE TO MAKE THE BEST OF IT AND SIT AND TALK. ABOUT 2:05 THE RECEPTIONIST, WHO HAS HAD ALL MY PAPERWORK AND INSURANCE INFO, CALLS ME OVER TO ASK IF I HAVE A REFERRAL - I TELL HER THAT I CONTACTED MY INSURANCE BEFORE I EVEN MADE THE APPOINTMENT AND THEY TOLD ME THAT LIKE OB/GYN VISITS I DO NOT NEED A REFERRAL FOR CONSULT AND INITIAL EXAMS FROM AN RE... I ONLY NEED REFERRALS FOR TREATMENT. SHE LOOKS AT ME LIKE I AM CRAZY AND TELLS ME SHE WILL HAVE BILLING LOOK INTO IT BEFORE I GO IN TO THE DOCTOR. AT 2:15 THE WOMAN FROM BILLING CALLS ME OVER AND HANDS ME A PIECE OF PAPER - SHE TELLS ME THAT MY INSURANCE WILL COVER DIAGNOSIS AND CORRECTION OF INFERTILITY AS WELL AS IUIs BUT I HAVE TO CALL THEM TO REGISTER WITH THEIR INFERTILITY DEPARTMENT FIRST AND GET AN AUTHORIZATION NUMBER. WHY IN THE HELL DIDN'T MY INSURANCE TELL ME THAT 2 WEEKS AGO??? SO NOW I HAVE TO GET THROUGH TO THEM IN THE MERE 10 MINUTES I HAVE LEFT BEFORE MY APPOIINTMENT. FINE. I CALL THEM AND OF COURSE THE DUMBASS ON THE OTHER LINE CAN NOT FIND MY DOCTOR AS A PARTICIPATING PROVIDER (HELLO, I GOT HER NAME FROM THEM IN THE FIRST F-ING PLACE) SO I GET PUT ON HOLD. 5 MINUTES LATER SHE TELLS ME SHE FOUND THE NAME AND HAD TO LOOK UP MY BENEFITS, SHE REPEATS WHAT I AM COVERED FOR AND THEN TELLS ME BEFORE SHE CAN AUTHORIZE ME HAS TO ASK ME SOME QUESTIONS. OH SHIT!!!! SO SHE ASK SOME BASICS AND OF COURSE ASKS ME IF I HAVE A MALE PARTNER THAT I INTEND TO GET PREGNANT WITH. I CONVINCE MYSELF THAT WHAT I ANSWER NEXT IS THE TRUTH BECAUSE, HELL, I NEED SPERM TO GET PREGNANT, WE ARE ONLY GONNA TRY ONE DONOR SO TECHNICALLY THAT DOES MAKE HIM MY PARTNER, RIGHT??? ANYWAY, I FINALLY GET MY AUTHORIZATION NUMBER, HANG UP, LOOK AT THE CLOCK, IT IS 2:29!!! MY HEART IS POUNDING, MY HEAD FEELS LIKE IT IS GONNA EXPLODE BUT I GOT THE INFO ON TIME. WE SPEND THE NEXT 20+ MINUTES WAITING TO SEE THE DOCTOR. WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MY 2:30 APPOINTMENT???

ANYHOO - THE DOCTOR CALLED ME AND THEN THE WHIRLWIND REALLY BEGAN. SHE WAS FINE WITH DAWN AND I BEING A COUPLE, WE TOLD HER ABOUT OUR PLANS AS FAR AS WHAT WE ARE WILLING TO DO AND FOR HOW LONG. SHE TOLD US SHE LIKED OUR ATTITUDE AND THAT IT WAS A "VERY HEALTHY" WAY TO LOOK AT THINGS. OK, WHATEVER. SHE THEN TOOK MY MED INFO, IN DETAIL AND LAID OUT OUR OPTIONS. THEN SHE GAVE ME A PHYSICAL (OF COURSE MY WEIGHT BECAME AN ISSUE THE MINUTE I STEPPED ON A SCALE, IT AMUSES ME TO SEE PEOPLE SURPRISED AT THE ACTUAL NUMBERS AFTER SPENDING HOW LONG WITH ME?!?!) THEN THE LOVELY SPECULUM MADE AN APPEARANCE. ALL SEEMED WELL ON THE "SURFACE" - THEN OFF FOR A BLOOD TEST. THE FAMOUS MIS TEST (TO CHECK THE BLOOD FOR INFO ON OVARIAN RESERVE) MY INSURANCE DOES NOT COVER THIS BUT NOT TOO BAD BECAUSE I HAVE NO OTHER CO-PAYS SO WE PAY $75 AND HEAD TO HOOTERS TO EAT AND TALK.

HERE IS THE NITTY GRITTY: (SOME MAY DISAGREE, BUT THIS WORKS FOR US, PLEASE DON'T JUDGE)

WE LOOOOVE OUR RE - SHE IS AMAZING - I WOULD HAVE WAITED FOREVER TO SEE HER
WE HAVE TO WAIT TWO WEEKS (OUR FIRST TWW) FOR THE MIS RESULTS
I HAVE TO GO IN ON MONDAY FOR A PAP AND MORE BLOOD WORK
WHATEVER CYCLE I DECIDE TO I HAVE TO DO THE 2ND DAY E2/FSH BLOODWORK
SAME CYCLE HSG (SHE WARNED ME THIS IS NOT FUN) B/W 5-10 DAY
AT SOME POINT THEY WOULD LIKE US TO TAKE AN ORIENTATION CLASS BEFORE BEGINNING THE IUIs
WE ARE PROBABLY GONNA GO WITH CCB - THEY SEEM TO BE THE MOST OFTEN USED BY OUR RE AND I HAVE HEARD FAIRLY GOOD THINGS ABOUT THEM
OUR PLACE WILL STORE FOR $500 ANNUAL - MORE EXPENSIVE THAN AT CCB BUT THEN WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT SHIPING B/C THE SWIMMERS WILL ALREADY BE WAITING FOR US
SHE DOES NOT SUGGEST USING MORE THAN 1 VIAL PER CYCLE
WE ARE MOST LIKELY GONNA TRY AT LEAST ONE ICI AT HOME
WE ARE ONLY GONNA TRY IUI FOR A FEW MONTHS
AT MOST WE WILL DO CLOMID OR AN INJECTION OF OVIDREL (AT HER SUGGESTION), BUT NO OTHER DRUGS
IF FOR SOME REASON SHE FINDS SOMETHING THAT MAY PREVENT ME FROM GETTING PREGNANT, WE WILL NOT TAKE STEPS TO SURGICALLY CORRECT
IF THAT IS THE CASE THEN WE WILL STAY WITH HER AND DAWN WILL GET CHECKED OUT TO SEE IF SHE IS AN OPTION
IF NEITHER OF US IS AN OPTION OR WHOEVER IS DOESN'T GET PREGNANT WITHIN THE TIME WE AGREED TO GIVE OURSELVES, WE WILL BE VERRRRY SAD, BUT WE WILL CONTINUE TO BE GRATEFUL FOR THE BEAUTIFUL SONS WE HAVE.