Some of you may remember that I started an Etsy shop called Works of A.R.T. to help raise money for our IVF. At the time, I was in my 2ww fom IUI #3 and really didn't think we'd actually have to start saving, that the IUI was going to work. But here we are a few weeks later, we are officially moving on to IVF and I just made my first sale!
My new online buddy, Carole, mailed me a shirt to embroider for her daughter to wear to a celebration commemorating her doctor's 20th year of doing IVF. Carole is the one that told me about the clinic in Olympia and has been a huge help with guiding me through the steps.
Oh...I still haven't heard from Patient Advocacy. Nice, right? So, here's our plan as of right now. Laparoscopy 25 August. I'll have the surgery and discuss our options at the Post-Op. If the Lap fixes" the "problem" and increases our chances of conceiving without IVF then we will most likely stick with the clinic on post for a few more months. If the results of the lap are normal and we need to move to IVF then we will switch me to Tricare Standard so that we can see whatever doctor we want--without a referral. I need to call the doctor in Olympia confirm everything price-wise before we do the switch. What's the difference between Standard and Prime? Mostly, the co-pays. With Prime, I am seen on post and we pay nothing out of pocket (except for the IUIs, which we do at an off-post clinic). All my meds from the on-post pharmacy, where I always have to wait at least an hour I might add. With Standard, we get to pick our doctor but there are co-pays for office visits, procedures and meds. I think our catastrophic cap would be $1,000 a year. I would not be allowed to go on post for anthing medical anymore which means we would be forfeiting our IVF slot at Madigan. Technically, Tricare doesn't cover any meds for an IVF cycle but I know several people who have had them paid for. It's all about the way the doctor codes it for billing purposes. So, I guess we'll see. If any of my readers have been through a laparoscopy, I would appreciate hearing your stories!
