G-free info..and that's about it for today

So I don’t have much to say today..cherish this because it doesn’t happen very often. I have discovered that my sinus infection isn’t going to go away on its own and I am going to be forced to go to the doctor on my home from work today. Goodbye $25 for my co-pay! Just hoping to hear from the endocrinologist’s office this week. If not, I will be forced to call the office again, I really hope they don’t get mad at me, I am just trying to make my dream of becoming a mother and having a period a reality and no one is going to stand in my way, I mean it. I just wanted to let all of my celiacs followers in on some important information. A co-worker of mine found me snacking in the kitchen and told me that Costco is now carrying gluten free products, specifically gluten free flour which can be really expensive to buy in the normal grocery stores. This conversation led me to do some research and I found that Costco also sells ready to eat, gluten free meals for adults and children. Also why I am sharing information…for those of you in Denver, Einstein’s Bagels Denver locations are now testing Gluten Free Udi’s bagels. Udi’s has amazing g-free products so this is exciting news. Hopefully, Einstein’s will have a great response and decide to continue carrying these bagels. Then us g-free folk will be able to enjoy a breakfast sandwich like everyone else :0)

Why strangers find the need to ask???

I woke up yesterday with the start of a sinus infection…booo. I refuse to miss work because of it though, I’m not gonna. I will just end up cleaning the house and doing laundry not even resting so I might as well be here at work not getting behind right?? I am chugging emergen-c so hopefully it works. Still no visit from Aunt flow and still no call from the reproductive endocrinologist’s office. This wait is going to slowly make me go insane!!!! I am waiting until the end of the week and then I’m calling again, I don’t care if I am annoying the secretary this is my health we are dealing with here people! So I wanted to share a story from last Saturday night. During the day on Saturday, my mom and I met a friend of mine for lunch and then walked around the local mall. I was surprised to see a ton of very pregnant women there which really upset me. My mom tried her best to make me feel better but when I pulled into the garage I was still upset. I was surprised to find my husbands family in the living room when I got home. I felt better seeing everyone as I walked in. We decided to go to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant that my husband’s family has been going to for over 20 years. This location is new but the owners are the same. When we first sat down, the owner’s sister came over and asked my father in law “is this your only grandchild?” my father in law just nodded. Then she looked at my husband and I and said “what is going on, you guys don’t want kids”. Shocked we just sat there for a minute and then my husband said “well we have two dogs right now and that is enough”. She seemed to be happy with the response and went about her business. When it was time to pay the bill she was the one who brought us the bill. As my husband handed her his card she said “well I hope that you two decided to have children they are such blessings”, my husband just smiled and said “we are trying”. The owner’s sister then said “well great, if it is meant to be then it will happen”. She is lucky she walked away when she did because I was about to hit her right in-between the eyes. She had taken a lovely dinner out with family into another situation that reminded me of the situation I am currently in. When she asked that question, it was like a slap in the face. Why do people who hardly know you think its ok to ask “when you are going to have kids”? To me, it so rude to put someone on the spot like that. There I was enjoying the evening with family, trying to forget about all of the pregnant women at the mall and right about the time I forgot, there is someone else reminding me…and I hate when people tell me what is meant to be will be because I don’t want to believe I wasn’t meant to be a mother!! Enough about that….I received a call from an insurance agent this afternoon. He left a voice mail while I was in a meeting so I am anxious to call him back after work and see what he has to say. Maybe he found some coverage?????

Progesterone Supplements? Or no Progetserone Supplements...that is the question

Hello world, I’m back…after a much needed break! I don’t have much to blog about today. Enjoyed the long weekend, got a facial, bought groceries and hosted a game night at our house for V-day where I learned some new tricks to Guitar Hero (yes I know it’s sad that I am still playing video games at age 28 and am better then my husband who plays the real guitar). I did want to share a few things that I have been doing in order to prepare for the possible fertility treatment costs. I called and asked my insurance agent (my dad) to check with various companies he does business with to see if any of them cover infertility and fertility treatments. I figure any monthly premium has got to be better then paying $15,000 out of pocket, right? Another thing I did which I read about online….Having determined that the insurance provided to me by my company does not cover infertility and fertility treatments; I wrote a letter to the Human Resources department asking if they might change coverage to include some infertility/fertility treatments. Currently, my company provides financial aid to employees who go through the adoption process and also cover all pregnancies that occur naturally without any help but there is no coverage for anyone in-between the two which is 1 out of every 10 women. Over 50% of companies that provide this type of coverage only do so because an employee asked so I figure what the heck. I am also considering taking myself off my natural progesterone supplements until I see the new doctor in March. My grandmother, who is a retired nurse, thinks that my body won’t do what it is supposed to if I keep giving it hormones it doesn’t have to work to produce...kind of what birth control does. I see her point but am scared to go of the supplements because I don’t want to make my FSH go up. I keep going back and forth on whether to stop taking them but I have had cramps the last couple of days which makes me want to stay on them. Man, I wish that my period would just start and this would all go away. This weekend while I was cleaning out my closet, I heard a commercial for Midol and found myself wishing I had periods so heavy and crampy that I needed a whole bottle to make me feel better….sick huh? For some reason, I still think everything is going to be ok. I had completely normal periods, started my period at a normal age, no one in my family has had fertility problems. I really think the reproductive endocrinologist will have some answers for me. I just have a feeling that my body just cant “re-start” after being on the pill for so long and I think my Celiacs also has something to do with it. Hope everyone has a great day!

Help finding fertility insurance coverage...anyone?

So the quest to find fertility insurance is one that is going to be very difficult. The state of Colorado doesn’t have any mandates in place which means that insurance companies are not required to provide any coverage on fertility treatments. My father is an insurance agent and is helping me do some research. I am hoping to get coverage in case I need it. Right now I am just trying to be proactive in getting coverage in case I need it. What I would really like is for my body to freakin wake up already. I am hoping that my body just needs a little help getting my brain to “talk” to my ovaries and then I will be fine. If not, I want to be ready to move onto the next step in trying to get pregnant. Does anyone know of any companies that provide coverage for fertility treatments? I know it might be a hefty monthly premium but anything is better than paying for the treatments all by myself. Any suggestions?

Insurance Information

Happy Monday to everyone! I am going to start this blog off complaining..weird right? I never complain. When my infertility journey started last May, I called both my primary and secondary insurance companies to see if either would cover my acupuncture treatments. My primary said they didn’t cover it and my secondary said that they did cover it. All I had to do was pay out of pocket and then submit the receipts. It is now 10 months later and I have yet to see any of that money. For months, I would log on to view my account and see that the processing had been stalled because they needed a diagnosis code, or a letter from my primary insurance or my primary insurance information. I provided everything I could to them and after not receiving a check in January, I called them last Friday afternoon. What they neglected to tell me in May when I called is that acupuncture is covered, but only after my $3,000 a year deductible. So not only am I not going to get any of the $1,500 I spent in 2009 on acupuncture back, it will not be able to count towards my total in 2010 because it is a different calendar year which means….I am out that money. Moral of this story, when you are calling your insurance companies to see what they cover and don’t cover, please be sure to ask if the coverage is before of after you meet some kind of deductible. I don’t even care that I’m not getting the money back because my acupuncture has been my saving grace through this whole process. Carol, my acupuncturist, is incredible and she is very encouraging. In my experience, you rarely find doctors in the fertility field that are positive so you if you find one…keep them around you are going to need them. Right now, I am sort of getting my financial ducks in a row. I am trying to get insurance coverage for fertility treatments. My secondary insurance will cover up to $15,000 for life which is great but may not be enough. I have been doing some research and below is what I found on the Shared Journey website. Link is http://www.sharedjourney.com/costs/insurance.html.


There are three types of fertility insurance:

1. Standard Health Insurance: Standard health insurance requires that you pay a monthly premium in exchange for specific fertility coverage.

2. Refund Programs: With these types of programs, you pay up front for your fertility treatments. If you do not have a baby, between 70% and 100% of the money is paid back to you.

3. Financing: Loans can be taken out to cover infertility procedures. If you do not have a baby, these loans do not have to be repaid in full.

You need to ask what the insurance will cover. Medications, IVF, IUI, etc.

Who Can Get Fertility Insurance?

Unfortunately, not everyone can get fertility insurance. Though it varies from insurer to insurer, there are normally certain qualifications that you have to meet before being approved for fertility insurance. To qualify for infertility insurance, couples who already hold an insurance policy usually need to be: under the age of 40,struggling with fertility for a specific period of time (ranging from one to five years) and policy holders for at least one year.

Laws Governing Fertility Insurance

Depending upon where you live, there are different laws regarding fertility insurance. Some states have a mandate that requires all employers with more than 50 employees offer health care coverage that includes some type of fertility insurance. These states include: New York,New Jersey, Ohio, Montana, Massachusetts , Arkansas, California, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Texas, Maryland, Connecticut, Hawaii , Illinois. Other states have no mandate requiring employers to offer fertility insurance.

Are You Covered?

Before undergoing fertility treatments, it is important to check your insurance policy to see if any fertility treatments are included with your plan. Be sure to ask your employer for a copy of your full insurance policy, listing all inclusions and exclusions. If fertility treatment or testing is not specifically excluded in the policy, your provider is required to pay for the treatments. Write a letter to your insurance provider asking for detailed information regarding your infertility insurance or speak with your insurance broker. If you are not covered, you may be interested in investing in an infertility insurance policy. Call your local providers and ask for an insurance quote.

It is important to also remember that if you will have to get more coverage, not to come out and say you need fertility treatments. Insurance companies will be reluctant to cover anyone who already knows will need expensive treatments which can be costly to an insurance provided. I’m not telling you to commit insurance fraud, I am just saying to only give the necessary details. Hope this information helps! I am off to find out what my coverage on my primary is.

Goodbye Starbucks and an Insurance Question

Ok, so I am officially giving up caffeine again. I think it’s causing my night sweats and flashes during the day. When I didn’t have caffeine in my diet, I didn’t have any signs of them and now that I am drinking it again I am getting flashes during the day and sweats at night. I don’t know what I will do without caffeine! The walk to Starbucks in the middle of my morning is that perfect 15 minute break from the craziness that is my life. I walk in and they know my name, what I want and I can sit and enjoy my soy, pumpkin spice latte without any phone calls or emails. I suppose I could still go and order decaf….but what’s the point? Why take in the calories if it’s not going to help keep me awake? Maybe I will take the three dollars I was spending every morning and at the end of the month and spend it on something for myself as a reward for no longer drinking Starbucks? After all, don’t I deserve something for making the lifestyle change? Soy is not good for fertility anyway. Well actually depending on who you talk to, Soy is really good or really bad for fertility...everyone has their own opinions. I just believe everything affects everyone differently. Like perfume for example. One perfume can smell amazing on one person and smell really bad on another….yes, I just compared my fertility to perfume…we all know I have issues. This girl isn’t going to take any chances, seems like I already have enough things working against me on the fertility front. No more soy and no more caffeine. Last night my husband and I had a “passion moment” which I have previously written scares me more then it pleases me. It really hurt, I am hoping because it is because of where I am in my crazy cycle and not because the lining of my uterus is continuing to thin. I miss the days of being able to enjoy passion moments without worrying about it hurting or things getting dry. I waited so long to find the person I was going to spend the rest of my life with and now we can’t even enjoy our passion moments as we should be able to. I will continue to believe my body is on a siesta and also continue to have hope that my new doctor will be able to help me get things moving again. Enough about me (at least for now), today is the last day to answer the current questionnaire on my blog. I will post the results tomorrow and put up a new questionnaire. I will also start giveaways the first week in March. Items will be related to fertility, women’s health and of course fun things like clothing and purses. I will do one giveaway a week. I hope that you will continue to follow me as I find out if natural conception is in my cards or if my husband and I will be trying IVF. Oh, I almost forgot! Does anyone know how I can get insurance coverage for fertility treatments? Is there a company any of you used when you went through IVF treatments? My husband’s insurance covers only one treatment and I have been told that most of the time it takes two treatments to get preggers. I just want to be prepared.


I wanted to share the post below. Pretty amazing and thought it went with my “perfume” discussion above regarding how everyone’s body is different. This and other information is available at babymed.com. Babymed is a great online community for all of you with fertility issues, questions or have no issues and are trying to get pregnant. Free ovulation predictor and other tools. Check it out and I hope you are encouraged by the story below. Thanks for following and I hope everyone has a great weekend!

“I was on the birth control pill for about 10 years. When I quit taking the pill I did not have a period FOR 6 YEARS! I tried provera which is a drug that is supposed to jump-start a period, 3 times, and it worked I tried clomid which is supposed to make you ovulate. No pregnancy. I did nothing for at least 6 months now and I started a period naturally on Dec. 13th! After 6 years! I thought I would never have kids much less a period. These doctors knew nothing. They would try to tell me maybe I was too thin 5'8'' & 115lbs. basically accusing me of being anorexic. No one not even a fertility specialist said anything about "Post-pill amenorrhea" which is seen in 1 of 30 women. Here six years later I am finding this out. So I guess I say to all of you, never give up. I am taking advantage of this one lucky period in hopes of conception or a second period to come.”

ANNONYMOUS

Tax Problems and Advice...take it or leave it

Last night my husband and I went to see our tax lady and were very excited to see what we were going to get back. We were sure a good return was in the cards for us. Turns out us not having a child or in tax terms “dependent” caused us to owe! I almost fell off my chair when the tax lady said that we. Come on! How the F, can we possibly owe the government money after we watched them take over 40% of our pay/bonuses in 2009? After demanding an explanation from my tax lady (who could tell I was on the verge of tears), I listened and cringed every time she said the phrase “because you don’t have any dependents”. There I was, trying to stay freaking positive, trying not to focus on my fertility issues and just trying to get some long deserved money from the government and there was my daily fertility reminder! Just let me be happy and positive please! I mean it’s not like we are choosing to not have any dependents so please lets dig the knife deeper into the wound! To make matters worse, we were not able to write off any of my medical bills since they didn’t exceed the certain % of our combined income. Don’t get me wrong, I feel very blessed that both my husband and I not only have jobs but are both doing very well in our jobs. It’s just that we were hoping to use money from our tax return to save for IVF and also hoping to get some of the money back we spent on fertility drugs, appointments and acupuncture. For those of you “dependentless”, my tax lady told us a few things we could do so that we can get a good return next year.


1. Increase the amount we are putting in our 401Ks each month

2. Donate more or at least keep track of what we donate

3. Be sure that both of you are claimed as 0 and not 1 on your W2. Once you have children, one of you will need to claim 1 and the other 0 or else you wont be able to get the dependent write off.

4. If you purchase a car in 2010, get an equity loan? Have no idea what that means?

I had a hard time getting to sleep last night because I was so upset over the “no dependent” thing and because I was dreading waking up from a night sweat which has become a regular occurrence. Not sure why? This morning I had an abundance of thick, white CM. This is encouraging to me so despite what all of the doctors have said I am going to continue to believe things are going to get better. I am no longer eating gluten (wheat), I am watching the caffeine and alcohol intake and am going to start taking all of my supplements again. I will help my body heal and I will have a baby. I am starting to look into getting better insurance coverage for my fertility treatments, wish me luck! And best to luck for everyone as they do their taxes! Good articles to ready today….

1. Information on how Celiacs is related to fertility issues

http://www.celiac.com/articles/643/1/Fertility-and-Pregnancy-in-Women-with-Celiac-Disease-by-Michelle-Melin-Rogovin/Page1.html

2. Information on fertility meds (stimulating the endocrine system) http://www.havingbabies.com/fertility-drugs.html

Happy Hump Day to Me

I am sad to report that I didn’t get to catch up on my sleep last night. I did try my best. My husband and I went upstairs and laid in bed around 8:00 PM and I started to doze off immediately. He kept waking me up because he couldn’t go to sleep, who does that? Especially to someone who has trouble sleeping? He finally went to sleep and allowed me to doze off only to me awaken by one of my Chihuahuas licking my face at 12:30 AM. When I woke up, I realized that I was really hot again which upset me and I never went back to sleep. My mind started racing. What if this new doctor cant help me? Will I be successful with IVF & donor eggs? Etc. Etc. It is now 6:57 AM and I am exhausted with the puffy eyes to prove it. Maybe that is why I am so pissy today. While riding the mall shuttle from the parking lot to my building, I sat in-between a couple who were with there little girl. I don’t have kids (not my choice) so I am going to guestimate that she was about 4 or 5. I know it was about 5:30 AM but I am pretty sure that I saw that both parents were wearing sweatshirts with marijuana leaves all over them in gold or silver. Now I don’t want to judge what people should and shouldn’t wear but isn’t that wrong to wear things like that around your children? I mean once your kids are a certain age shouldn’t you try and filter what they see and hear as much as you can? I mean those people might as well buy the little girl one to wear! I am probably just over reacting due to lack of sleep, constant cramping from my progesterone supplements and no period for three months…but in my opinion you really shouldn’t wear shirts, pants, jackets or even earrings with bad messages on them around your kids.


I will get off my soapbox now. I am also unhappy to report that I heard from my current OBGYN’s office yesterday. I had called to get some prescription refills while I wait to get into the reproductive endocrinologist. When I called a few days ago, I put a few questions in to the doctor, one being if I actually have hypothyroidism or had the doctor just put me on thyroid medication due to some low readings trying to stimulate my system. Translation…do I need to be taking this medication the rest of my life? Or was this for the treatments you were trying. Are you ready for the frustrating part of this story? After almost 11 months of testing…my answer was “we don’t know”. I was hoping to be able to tell the reproductive endocrinologist whether I did or did not have hypothyroidism but here I am 11 months after originally being diagnosed with POF and I still don’t have any answers except that I have ovarian antibodies and that I tested positive for some but not all signs of Lupus and I might have hypothyroidism. So I am paying $70.00 every three months for a medication that I may not have to take. I pray that one of the appointments in March leads me closer to some answers. I just have this feeling that my body is trying to have a period but something isn’t working, I just need someone to find out what that “something” is…maybe it’s my brain?

Morning of Panic!

Today I woke up in a panic around 10:30 PM last night…yes I said woke up, I am a grandma and fell asleep around 8:30 PM. I was soaking wet from a night sweat which immediately sent me into a huge panic. That is the first time since June that I have had a night sweat which immediately makes me think my body is no longer producing the necessary hormones, like estrogen and progesterone. I somehow got back to sleep and then woke up again at 3:00 AM soaking wet again and just decided to get up and get ready for work. I have to wonder if my fertility yoga might be causing my body to try and “work things out” with my endocrine system. What if the yoga is causing my body to try and get the old fertility system moving again and that is why I had the night sweats? Why else would I be getting them again, all of a sudden after over 6 months? I have started eating dairy again and did have a huge chocolate weight watchers ice cream bar before I went to bed, maybe my change in diet after 6 months also had something to do with it?? I am just not convinced that my fertility is never going to come back. I still maintain that after 10 years on the pill and eating gluten/flour when I have Celiacs have caused my body to go into some kind of shock. The endocrine system is one of the most delicate in the body and any doctor will tell you that no one knows for sure what the pill does to women’s bodies….but lets prescribe it to millions of women like its candy instead of teaching us the signs of when we are most fertile! I am now forced to wait until March to see another doctor. I called the reproductive endocrinologist’s secretary again yesterday and the license is in but now starts the scheduling. I was told the doctor would start seeing patients around March 1st and that I was on the list of people who needed to be scheduled. Let the waiting begin….again…… I called another obgyn that a family friend referred me too. He is very popular in the Denver area and is known for taking the fertility specialist rejects and has helped many get pregnant. My family friend encouraged me to give it a try. I had an appointment in January but had cancelled due to weather and just now decided to call and reschedule. The only problem is that he also can’t see me until March 1st. I am however on a waiting list and am hoping I get a call before March 1st. I am reluctant to wish March upon me because that will mean I will only have one month until I have been off the pill for 1 year and once you have been off the pill for one year and are not pregnant…you are deemed “infertile”. Yes, the month of April bring Easter, a trip to Vegas, my 29th (not 30th) birthday and a definite diagnosis of me being infertile! So I am going to leave you with this today, a friend of mine at work grew up in a Mormon compound. One of the women in the compound was unable to have children so each of the other women in the compound gave birth to one child and gave it to the “infertile” woman. The infertile women produced milk for each of the children she mothered even though she was not the one who gave birth to them. So I ask you this, if her body could produce milk when she wasn’t even pregnant, why cant our bodies heal and do other miraculous things? This story although strange in more than one way is very encouraging because it just proves to me how amazing the human body is and that no one, not even the most prestigious doctors, know exactly what our bodies are capable of…and that my friends is why I am not giving up! I am however choosing to cut dairy out of my diet again….at least until the next chocolate craving..and am going to continue the fertility yoga dvd. I have cramps again today and I really think that is what caused the night sweats…it is working! Having Tuesday everyone!

Beyond Frustrated

Today is Monday, my most un favorite day of the week. Today also means that another week has gone by without hearing from the new doctor's office.  This waiting is killing me!  I feel like the time I may have left to have children with my own eggs is vanishing by the day and I am wasting time. I have already called the doctor's assistant so many times that I would be willing to bet I am on a list of people they are not responding to.  I dont care though, this is my health, my chance at having chidren and I will stalk the assitant if I want to! I managed to not call for a week and a half and just couldnt take it anymore. I just called and the doctor has her Colorado license but will most likely not be seeing patients until March.  Today is Feb 1, that means I have to wait an entire month to see this new doctor!  I have such high hopes for this new doctor. That she might be able to help me get things working enough so that I an harvest some of my eggs or better yet that she will help me restore my fertility. All of this waiting is just getting my hopes up more and more.  I pray that she is able to help me.  I will continue to take my natural progetesrone supplements and stay on a fertility diet, except I will be drinking some alcohol...dont judge me I need to relax!  I tried to relax a bit last night by taking a bath. I had only been in for about 5 minutes when I smelled something funny. I opened the shower curtain to see that one of my chihuahuas had taken a dump right next to the tub...guess it was a present for me??? Anyway I got up to clean it and never got back in my relaxing tub because as soon as the mess was cleaned up, the dryer buzzed and I decided to start laundry duty again.  I did manage to do some of my restoring fertility dvd which actually gave me cramps afterwards. I love that dvd, it gives me hope that our bodies can heal themselves. I think I will also make an accupuncture appointment to, it has beeen over a month since my last treatment.