Last-Minute Stressing

When I started writing this blog, we were in the “hurry up and wait phase” of our second IVF cycle–that all changed before I finished writing the blog…

Read more: Last-Minute Stressing

Fair warning: While I don’t go into any gory details, I do talk about my period in this blog. If that makes you uncomfortable, scroll down until you see the *******. After that, you should be safe. 

Last week, I went in for a blood test to confirm that I’d ovulated, and the next day, I added Estrace to my list of daily meds/supplements. (I currently have a large, twice-daily pill box that makes me feel like an 80-year-old man. It’s mostly egg-health supplements and vitamins that fill it up, but it still makes me feel old.)

My nurse instructed me to keep taking the Estrace twice a day until my period started. After that, I’d come in on day two of my cycle for bloodwork and an ultrasound. Based on those results, they’d tell me when to start all my injections. 

Like many women, I keep track of my cycles in an app so I’m not caught unawares. And while my body’s timing typically lines up with the app’s estimated timeline, sometimes it’s off. 

Last month, my cycle started four days after my app predicted it would. (Which was super annoying at the time because it pushed my potential egg retrieval date to the day before I’d planned to go to Portland vs. the four or five days before the trip had I started when the app estimated I would.)

It seems my body was trying to make up for that this month because I started three days earlier than the app anticipated, which just so happened to be today. 

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My day two appointment was already scheduled for the morning of Friday, March 17, and I had to hurriedly call the IVF nurse line to have them reschedule it for tomorrow, March 15. (Thank goodness for understanding bosses and supervisors who have been wonderful about these unexpected appointments/appointment changes.)

This means my injections will likely start on Thursday or Friday, March 16/17. In the tentative schedule I was given at the end of February, the injection dates were March 21-28. 

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been slowly acquiring all the medications I’d need for IVF. There’s a laundry list of them (as you found out last week). Some took longer than others to arrive and others had to go through prior authorizations before Kaiser would cover them (or not). 

This was a little different than in our first cycle. Last year, I used a local fertility pharmacy that delivered everything I needed a couple weeks before I needed it. Going through them again, though, would’ve cost $4,000 more than going through Kaiser, so the convenience wasn’t worth the extra cost.

I finally picked up the last two items I needed yesterday. (Or so I thought.) 

I’m going to preface this next part by saying that I’m not bashing the Kaiser Pharmacy at all – they’ve been wonderfully friendly, helpful, and understanding, not to mention ordering medications through them saved me thousands of dollars – but there have been a few snags. 

It’s possible these snags are the result of Kaiser covering IVF for the first time, and I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

While double checking all my medications and accompanying supplies today, I realized I didn’t have everything I needed.

I didn’t receive all the syringes and needles I’d need for all the medications. And some of the syringes I did receive came with ginormous (comparatively speaking) needles that are not recommended for subcutaneous injections. (I confirmed this with my mom, who’s out visiting for a couple of days and who is very familiar with needles as she’s a retired phlebotomist.)

I had to hurriedly put in an order for more needles/syringes (and ask the IVF nurses to put in a separate prescription for more syringes/needles) through that local pharmacy I mentioned earlier. Fortunately, this other pharmacy can do same-day next-day deliveries, and they also have amazing customer service. 

I should have all the supplies I need this evening, and I’m glad mom’s still here to go through them with me to make sure I really do have everything. 

And now that I can stop stressing about not having everything, it’s time to go mentally prepare myself for the bombardment of injections and needles headed my way in the coming days. Send help… (just kidding, sort of).

See you next week!

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If you’d like to help us on this journey–whether through monetary donations; sharing our fundraising efforts; or sending prayers, thoughts, or good vibes–please visit our GoFundMe page or reach out to ivfthat@gmail.com.