Problem Solved

First of all thanks for your quick call to arms. Even if I kind of already knew what I was going to do, the reassurance helped a lot.

So what did I do you ask? Well, I put my order in through Portland Pharmacy since their prices were the lowest for the drugs I needed. Another reason why I love my clinic is their responsiveness. This morning after my appointment with Dr. Bowtie (more on that later) the nurse met with me to discuss the different pharmacies they like and their prices. I have a comparison spreadsheet if anyone is shopping for meds - let me know and I can send it to you. Within moments my order was faxed and a rep called. That was about the quickest I spent 2,500 bucks. I then went back to my office and called the insurance company and no one can still tell me why it is not covered this time, but after speaking with managers of managers I was assured it will not be covered. Damn, insurance companies suck. Since I work for a hospital, I got a great deal on the less expensive meds. I need to keep telling myself this because I am trying to find something positive in this whole f'in situation.

The appointment with Dr. Bowtie was fruitful, even though it was just supposed to be a post-op. I of course went in with my list of questions and he gave me his usual smirk when I asked if he was done with his portion of the appointment so I could proceed with my agenda. Since I "heart" lists here is a summary of the discussion because I know you are so incredibly interested..
1. My pubescent complexion, a.k.a. massive breakouts, are a result of the DHEA. As are the mini pimples on my chest and in my head hair. Now I am infertile and a zit machine. The excitement never ends.

2. Dr. Bowtie does not want to talk about the next steps yet because he is "optimistic" about the next cycle. I, being a realist, want to talk about next steps, but the discussion did not proceed in that direction. I pushed and he told me he will meet my sister if he needs to but he is putting his energy into the April IVF. I expressed my concern about how long it takes to get going on things and not wanting to wait to start something else after a possible 3rd failed IVF in April and he assured me that would not be an issue. He did leak that we would have to meet with the Psychologist if there is any donor involvement. I will have to work on my "swallowing what I really want to say to that nasty lady" look.

3. Since I am not only a zit machine but also a cyst machine, I was concerned about going on the pill before my IVF because that is usually when I grow those buggers. Dr. Bowtie told me to call with my Feb period and we will align the start date with my cycle to reduce the likelihood of cyst. He also told me he does not want me to start the pill too soon because we have a few months between now and then and we might as well try to "get lucky". Bring on the OV predictors and timed intercourse - who said I am on a break until April now.

4. After making the "get lucky" comment he reviewed DH's SA results and apparently his numbers are so incredibly high but his morph, viability, and motility so incredibly low that if the right sperm found the right egg at exactly the right time we could possibly get pregnant. This is of course not taking into account my egg quality problem, but it gave me a little hope that maybe DH's swimmers are not totally worthless. The problem is that there is no way to tell.

5. Dr. Bowtie actually humored me when I said I want to work acupuncture into my protocol. He said he is not opposed to the idea of acupuncture but does not have enough evidence to prove it does anything, but if I provide him with some studies he will write a note for me so my acupuncture treatments can be covered by my flexible spending account. How rockin' is that. I am currently putting together a "report" of journal articles and publications for him since I have his ear on this. I, with the help of my o' so easily accessible and awesome acupuncturist, have dug up zillions of articles. I will share the fun when my research is done.

6. Oh the strange mystery pain was confirmed to be a kidney stone. It was not a typical kidney stone, but rather one of the uric acid type for which I can thank my gout ridden father. Geez, dad you shouldn't have. Unfortunately since this type does not show up on scans because they do not contain calcium it is hard to tell if I have others. Luckily I still have some percoset in case another one strikes.