Bailey

In case you haven't heard we've had a little scare with Bailey (our four-legged daughter). We took her to the vet on Thursday morning to have a little spot removed from her leg and to have her teeth cleaned. We noticed the spot back in the summer sometime, and we didn't really think much about it because a lot of dogs get little bumps and it's usually nothing. The vet was pretty sure it was nothing too, but when he went in to take it out, he said it worried him because it was harder to get out and it was stuck to other things about it. He had to do a little extra "digging", but he's pretty sure he got it all. We went to pick her up from the vet Thursday night, and the vet said he would be very surprised if it wasn't a malignant tumor. WHAT?!? Our 3-year-old baby might have cancer? You can imagine the look on our faces when he was telling us this. They sent the tumor away to the lab to get tested, and we should know in the next few days whether it is malignant and whether he got it all out. We are really hoping and praying that it's nothing....if you all know us, you know that Bailey is just like a child to us. I'm pretty sure she does have a better life than some kids. Please pray for Bailey and the good news we're hoping to receive later in the week regarding her health. We know dogs don't live forever, but she is too much of an important part of our family for anything to happen to her right now.

What would we do without this?

GREAT news on Day 5!

When we went to our IVF class back in October, we were told that the medications alone would cost around $3,000 for most people. At the time, I knew my insurance would not cover ANYTHING related to fertility, so this was an expense we were expecting to pay at the time. Well, since then, I've dropped my insurance and I am now on Brad's. Since Friday, we've been on the phone off and on with different pharmacies price-checking everyone's rates for all of the meds. We finally heard back from the first pharmacy that contacted us today, and they told us it was going to cost just a little over $2,000 for everything. When we heard this earlier today, we were actually happy with that because we were thinking it would be closer to $3,000. On the way home from work today I got the best news that we've heard so far! Brad's presciption insurance called me back, and we had no clue, but his insurance pays for ALL of the meds....yes ALL of the meds!!! All we have to pay is the co-pays for each! Altogether I think it's going to cost a total of around $160! I didn't believe the girl on the phone at first, and I think I asked her about 20 times if she was sure that was right. Needless to say, this is the best information we've gotten so far, so hopefully that great news will continue to come our way in the up and coming weeks! :)

Let the journey begin!

Yesterday was the big day we were waiting for! Cycle day 1 of our IVF cycle was officially here (today is actually cycle day 2). I called our IVF nurse, Jen, yesterday after school to get everything started. We received our "plan" for the next couple of months, we talked to the speciality pharmacy in NYC where we'll be getting my medications from, and we completed the payment to the clinic. I still don't think Brad has gotten over ths shock of having to pay that much money during one phone call.
As for the medications, the pharmacy is supposed to be running our prescription insurance to see if they'll cover any of the meds. We've been told they do pay some, so we're hoping that's still the case when we hear back from them on Monday.
It's so nice to finally have everything mapped out now. Here's a little preview of what's to come...I start taking 21 days of birth control pills tomorrow, then on Thursday Brad and I both start a z-pack. I will begin the Lupron shots on January 31st...this lasts 2 weeks. Brad is excited about this one. Our IVF nurse and his aunt, Sherri, have warned him that the nickname for this drug is "menopause in a bottle." I'm kind of anxious to see what that's going to be like! :) Brad's already mentioned that if it gets too bad, he might be moving out for a couple of weeks. haha
I will be going down to Nashville on either the 10th, 11th, or 12th of February for my suppression check. This is just where they'll be checking to see if my hormones have been suppressed enough from the Lupron. February 13th is the day I start the FSH shot. After I begin this injection, I will be going back down to Nashville on Feb. 17th and 19th for monitoring. This is the point that they want to make sure my ovaries aren't hyperstimulating (or doing too much). The actual egg retrieval will be sometime during the week of February 22nd.
The UK game just came on so it's time for me to cheer on the CATS! Over the next few weeks, I'll have a lot more to be blogging about, so be sure to check back often! :)

Getting closer....less than 2 weeks!

Well, we're down to less than 2 weeks before we start the whole in-vitro process....I can't believe the time is already here. Where did 2009 go? We have had a very nice and relaxing couple of months not worrying about all of this fertility stuff. It was such a good idea for us to wait a couple of months to start. It has given me time to process everything, and I am actually EXTREMELY excited to get the ball rolling. Yes, I'm still not looking forward to the daily shots in the stomach...and eventually my back hip (I don't think anyone looks forward to that part), but I am looking forward to the outcome of what this whole process will bring. One of my best friends, Stacey Forsythe, just gave me a book to read before we start everything. It's called The Secret, and it's just mainly about how positive thinking brings positive results. So yes, I KNOW that what we are doing is going to work. :)
Brad and I went to Walgreens on Friday to get our first presciptions filled. For the first couple of weeks all I have to do is take birth control pills and a z-pack. I think they're trying to do something to my hormones so that they will be ready to go. Brad also has a tough job to do. Not only does he have to deal with me and all of the crazy meds that will be in my body, but he also has to take a z-pack! They want to make sure our bodies are clear of any bacteria so that everything will go more smoothly.
As far as the holidays go, we had a GREAT Thanksgiving and Christmas with our families! We (including Bailey) were spoiled AGAIN! My parents got us a Wii, and I think I am obsessed. I always thought boys were supposed to love video games, but I just can't quit playing! I figure that I better play it while I can because starting tomorrow it's back to work! I am looking forward to seeing my kids at school, but I am also counting down the days until my next break...2 full weeks until I get a 3-day weekend. :)

Change of plans....

Well, we've changed the start of IVF cycle again. After talking with a few people, we found out Brad's insurance company would end up paying for over half of the IVF medications...which will save us quite a bit of money. This came at a perfect time since we were both in the open enrollment period. I went ahead and dropped my insurance (starting in January), and Brad added me to his. Now, the new plan is to hopefully start IVF in January. We were kind of disappointed to put it off another month, but I think it will be nice to not have that added stress. We can enjoy the holidays before all of the crazy stuff starts!

On a side note, I can't believe the holidays are almost here! Thanksgiving is less than 2 weeks away. We (well probably just me) are putting our Christmas tree up tomorrow. For those of you who know me, this is VERY late for me. I usually have the tree up by the first of November. Brad thinks it's against the law to put the tree up before Thanksgiving....I guess we've just had to learn to meet in the middle! :)

In-vitro class

Today we headed back down to Nashville to go to the 3-hour long in-vitro class that everyone has to take before going through this process. Before I go on about the class, let me just start by saying that I'm thankful we made it to the class after the way Brad was driving in rush-hour traffic! We almost rear-ended someone and about 2 seconds later, we almost side-swipped some girl (who wasn't paying any attention). We did make it safe and sound, and we were even 20 minutes early! :) *Brad's going to kill me for putting this on here! haha
Anyway, we were escorted back to a conference room with 3 other couples, and the IVF nurse who was leading the class started by going through what a normal IVF cycle will consist of. I thought I had read everything about in-vitro on the internet, but WOW...going through each day for 2 months made it seem so overwhelming. When it came time to discuss the injections, we were able to "play" with the needles so we could decide which one we wanted to use (and no, we didn't stick ourselves or each other...we only practiced mixing the meds and filling the syringes). We also met with a financial lady, and then we got to speak with our individual IVF nurse. She's really friendly and about our age, so she'll be really easy to talk to. After we met with her, Brad and I both have to have some blood work done.
Going into today, the plan was to start the 2 month long in-vitro process in November, which would mean the procedure would be right around December (Christmas break). Well, we found out today that the lab is closed for that week around Christmas for cleaning, so we either have to start at the end of this month, or wait until Decemeber to start. I'm in the middle of taking 2 classes for my masters, so my first thought was that it might be better to wait when I don't have that extra stress weighing me down. So needless to say, we will be starting around the middle of December, and the actual procedure will be in January sometime. Brad is still trying to talk me into starting it this month, but I don't think I could handle it right now. He keeps saying I have a couple of weeks to change my mind, but I really don't think it's going to happen. :)

Beach Bums

We just got back from our VERY relaxing week in Destin. It was our first trip since our honeymoon with just the 2 of us (and Bailey). The weather was absolutely perfect everyday...high 70s to low 80s everyday! :) Our days pretty much consisted of waking up, breakfast, walk, beach, lunch, nap, supper, walk, TV, bed! We took a nap the first 4 days we were there....I don't think I've ever napped so much, and it was GREAT!
This trip came at a perfect time for us since we will be starting our 2-month in-vitro process in the next few weeks. We will be going to our in-vitro class on Wednesday in Nashville to learn all about what our lives will consist of for the next few months. We are extremely excited to get this process moving forward, and we can't wait to see what the outcome will be. (Hopefully it will be a very positive one!)
Enjoy the pictures from our Destin-ation! :) haha