When it rains it pours

Whelp we officially got the big bad "D" word...... So on top of fertility treatment we now have a Deployment looming over our heads. Do to OPSEC I will not be giving away any information surrounding the deployment, however I will blog about our lives in preparation for it as well as throughout it.

 

 

 

So what does this mean for our treatment.......... Well it means we have no choice but to continue IUI full force now. Now we are adding a trigger shot along with it. You might ask why don't we just take a break and continue when he gets back. Well to answer this is simple. 1. I'm not getting any younger, and age is a huge factor for us. 2. If we take a brake we have to start over. So we are going to continue this route. We are getting information on freezing his sperm and me continue doing the IUI while hes gone but as of right now this option is not set in stone due to cost. For us the cost of freezing needs to be reasonable, yes when hes deployed we get extra pay however if the fees are going to cost more than that extra pay it will not remotely be feasible for us to do that option. We have high hopes that we will be successful before he leaves.  

 

What scares me is that there is a chance that he will miss alot of things dealing with a pregnancy. He won't get to feel the kicks and movements. He won't be there for appointments. Hell he might not even be there for a delivery. But to us those things don't outweigh the reward at the end. We have alot of support from family and friends so I won't be all alone. Also with all the technology it will almost be like he's here.

 

Dont forget about the fundraiser our amazing friends have organized to help us with the costs that TICARE isnt covering.

To support, purchace, donate, or share click here.

 

 

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all of your support throughout this jouney.

 

 

 

Road to Baby C Part 7

Another month down and still no baby. We have officially been on this journey for over a year now. I never would have suspected that we would be where we are today. In my mind I though we would at least be pregnant by now. But that dream hasn't become a reality yet.

We are still very hopeful that IUI is what is going to work for us. November was our first round and we didn't do a trigger shot then. For those that aren't aware a trigger shot basically makes you ovulate at a specific time usually right around 12 hours after the shot. So normally you will do the shot the night before you go in for the IUI. We have decided that from here on out we will more than likely be doing the trigger shot as well, that way we can pinpoint even more accurate the time frame. You might ask why we didn't do that to begin with. Honestly the amount of medicine I am taking as it is we felt like it was a good idea to at least try to do at least one part as natural as possible.

Like I've said in other posts about IUI it will take me up to the percentage that a normal person without any fertility issues would have, which is 20%. SO let me break this down so you can get an idea of what I'm working against. Without the meds i am between 0-5%, the meds take me up to about 10-13% which is still not enough. So doing the IUI every month will take me up to the 20%. However it is best that you continuously do it and not skip a month. If you skip a month your chances start to go back down. Which in all honesty is a waste of money in my mind because you will end up having to play catch up.

Unfortunately we are now out of the TI (timed intercourse) phase of treatment so now TRICARE doesn't cover the IUI. So we are having to pay out of pocket. Lets face it when it comes down to it that is alot of money, if it doesn't work we have to pay again...........

Which brings me to another topic. Our amazing friends Caroline and Kyle have started a fundraiser to help us with our out of pocket expenses pertaining to our treatments. My husband and I are so beyond grateful. As you all know we are not the type of people to ask for "handouts" or even do the dreaded gofundme. But with friends like these they have figured out a way to still help us.


The following is a statement from our amazing friends.........

"My husband and I organized this campaign for our dear friends, Andrew and Aly. They have been suffering with diagnosed infertility for over a year, and have recently begun IUI treatments towards their miracle baby. Never once have either one of them asked for "handouts," from strangers, but I can't imagine the financial burden Tricare is leaving them with. It breaks my heart that health insurance companies aren't friendly to those who need specialized treatments in order to g...row their family, or that such treatments have to cost so much money.

I firmly believe that genuine people deserve to be parents, and that faith and love will guide a sweet baby into their loving arms. We wanted to offer a place for family and friends to be able to help their cause, and support awareness.
Please, at the very least, share this post. It is my prayer their story meets a kind giving heart this holiday season. Let's help give a deserving family get their miracle!"


The fundraiser they started was for a shirt, that way not only would people help but they would also get something in return.

 



To order click here, also we are asking for people to at the very least to share the link on their social media. The price of the shirt is $20 

 

Thank you so much everyone for all of your support throughout this journey. It means the world to us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Christmas Wish

Mom, All I Want For Christmas Is…

For you to be here with us.

Mom, I miss you so much. I can’t begin to express the sadness I feel each and every time I remember that you are never coming back. It hits hard during the holidays. When I don’t get that morning “Merry Christmas!” from you. I never did imagine a Christmas without you, but I now face that reality. The reality is that you are gone, that reality is that you left this world way too soon. You should be here. Why aren’t you here? When I hear your favorite Christmas songs, I ask myself, why didn’t the fates allow? What did you do to deserve to miss out on so much? When I look under the tree I can’t help but wonder what gifts you would of gotten this year, what gifts you would have gotten me….screw the gifts, they never mattered to you anyway. All that mattered to you was being alive and well to share another Christmas with your family and friends. Memories of past Christmas’ flood through my mind and I can’t help but remember how great you made Christmas at our house. Come to think of it, you are my Christmas.

 

Without you there is no Christmas, there is no reason to celebrate. I want to carry on the traditions you and daddy gave “J” and I growing up. But how can I without my heart breaking all over again?  How can I see the joy in the season when all I can see in the mirror is tears fighting to break through?

 

One of my best memories I have is the time we would spend wrapping gifts, well you wrapping and me messing up until you task me with the gift tags. I loved when we got to drive around looking at all the Christmas lights. On one of the last times we got to do that I remember you shoving me out of the sun roof so that I could get good pictures while daddy was just shaking his head laughing at us. Those memories will last a lifetime. I can't wait until A and I get the opportunity to create memories with our future kid(s), hopefully by then Christmas time will get easier for me.

 

Thankful FREE PRINTABLE

I know its been a bit since I have done printable. Since Thanksgiving is this week I figured that I would do a Thankful printable for y'all.

To get this 8x10 Free printable just click here 

Have a Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours.

Tricare and Infertility

I have been getting asked a lot lately what TRICARE(military health insurance) covers and doesn't cover. A lot of people have this misconception that TRICARE pays for everything. While that is true in most cases, when it comes to infertility that is not the case.

I am going to quote the TRICARE website for this next portion, then I will be breaking it down with my experience.

TRICARE may cover some types of assisted reproductive services. The services must be medically necessary and combined with natural conception.

Services that may be covered includes:

• Diagnosis and treatment for an illness or injury of the male or female reproductive system. This includes correcting any physical cause of infertility
• Care for erectile dysfunction only from physical causes
• Diagnostic services including:
  • Semen analysis
  • Hormone evaluation
  • Chromosomal studies
  • Immunologic studies
  • Special and sperm function tests
  • Bacteriologic investigation

Your regional contractor may require preauthorization. Check with the contractor prior to receiving assistive reproductive services.

TRICARE doesn’t cover:

• Artificial or intrauterine insemination
• Any costs related to donors and semen banks
• Reversal of tubal ligation or vasectomy
• Care for erectile dysfunction from psychological causes, including:
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Stress
• Non-coital reproductive procedures, services or supplies, including:
  • In vitro fertilization
  • Gamete intrafallopian transfer
  • Zygote intrafallopian transfer
  • Tubal embryo transfer

Exceptions for Seriously Ill or Injured Service Members, Male or Female

If you are a service member who:

• Is on active duty
• Had a serious illness or injury on active duty
• Lost natural reproductive ability due to that illness or injury
• Have a lawful spouse

Then the following services may be available:

• Sperm retrieval
• Egg retrieval
• In vitro fertilization (IVF)
• Artificial insemination
• Blastocyst implantation
• Cryopreservation and storage of embryos

The following is not included:

• Fertility preservation
• Surrogacy

If you receive care or medication in the civilian sector, participating network providers must be used if available. Preauthorization for every IVF cycle is required.

So in my experience TRICARE covers anything dealing with Timed Intercourse. This includes any medications that you need as well as all the doctors appointments. However the moment you move to the next stage TRICARE is out. So for us they are still covering the medication that I require to help me ovulate but they are not covering IUI. So that part is out of pocket for us. The price for that can rang from $400 on up to thousands depending on your location and doctors office. We are extremely lucky when it comes to our price (sorry I am not going to give that away) but I will say that in hindsight we could be paying out our asses. The bad part is if it doesn't work we pay again the next month. I wish that there was some sort of guarantee but of course there isn't. I mean i understand why we don't get money back due to its not like they can reuse most of the medical equipment that is used and our Doctor is giving his time to do this.

Now if we lived near an MTF IUI as well as IVF would be discounted. Our closest one is over 5hrs away. Although we could get permissive TDY to go, however the fact that we go to the doctors multiple times a month it really isn't in our best interest for us to go to the MTF.

There are only 5 MTFs within the TRICARE network.
Military Treatment Facility (MTF)
Walter Reed Army, Washington, DC
Wilford Hall Air Force, San Antonio, TX
Balboa/Point Loma Naval, San Diego, CA
Tripler Army, Hawaii
Madigan Army, Ft. Lewis, WA

What is an HSG test??

I have had people ask what this HSG test that I have talked about is. Since my hope in all of this is to educate people I figured it was time to explain this test. I have one coming up in preparation for our IUI procedure.

What is a hysterosalpingogram?

• Radiographic contrast (dye) is injected into the uterine cavity through the vagina and cervix
• The uterine cavity fills with dye and if the fallopian tubes are open, dye fills the tubes and spills into the abdominal cavity

What to expect during a HSG TEST

A hysterosalpingogram, HSG is an important test of female infertility. This test is a radiology procedure usually done in the radiology department of a hospital or outpatient radiology facility.

This shows weather the fallopian tubes are open or blocked and weather a blockage is at the junction of the tube and uterus or at the other end of the tube.

The HSG study only takes about 5 minutes to perform. However, the test is usually done in the radiology department so there is additional time for the woman to register at the facility and fill out a questionnaire and answer questions regarding allergies to medication etc. The results of the test can be immediately available. The x-ray pictures can usually be reviewed with the woman several minutes after the procedure is done.

Does having a dye test improve the chance for getting pregnant?

Pregnancy rates in several studies have been reported to be very slightly increased in the first months following a hysterosalpingogram. This could be to the flushing of the tubes opening a minor blockage or cleaning out some debris that was preventing the couple from conceiving.

Some studies suggest that using oil based contrast provides a slightly larger increase in pregnancy success rates than the use of water based contrast. (I have told my husband it's gonna turn me into a sticky bun lol) However, the large majority of HSGs are done with water based contrast.

Side Effects and Risks

Some pain and/or discomfort, feeling cramps or achy and vaginal spotting and/or watery discharge.

When spotting or discharge occurs, patients are encouraged to use sanitary napkins or pads as opposed to tampons. While uncommon, a risk associated with HSG is infection.

Calvin Klein Eternity Now VoxBox Review

Its been a while since I have done a review. I forgot how fun and annoying they can be. This one will show that it wasn't really my favorite to review.

DISCLAIMER: I RECEIVED THE CALVIN KLEIN VOXBOX FROM INFLUENSTER FREE IN RETURN FOR MY HONEST REVIEW

 

 

 

In the box you get a his and hers sample. In my opinion the perfume is just okay, I don’t hate it, but I could live without it. Honestly its not something I think I will purchase for myself in the future. If its given to me as a gift then yeah I will use it. However I do like the fact that there is a his and hers and will admit that they do complement each other.

 

 

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