Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Preparing myself Physically, Mentally and Financially!

So thinking about all of the hormones I am about to pump into my body, I am trying to start thinking about how my sugars might act and how I'm going to feel. My last A1C was 5.1, so I feel I'm starting off in a great place with that. I finally got back into the rhythm of exercising in 2011, which has helped me to drop my total daily basal levels and the overall amount of insulin I take which has been great! (I'm on an Animas Insulin Pump and I absolutely love it!) But I know I'm needing to exercise at least a minimum of 2-3 times a week...and what is coming up with IVF....Exercise Restriction! As soon as I start month 2 of the IVF cycle plan, it's no bouncing or lifting over 20 lbs....(good thing my daughter knows how to walk!) They say you can do some light walking...but for me and my diabetes, it doesn't help me to maintain the lower levels of insulin.

Let's just say I've been working out like a mad woman since we decided to do IVF! Just to try and prepare myself physically with the hopeful pregnancy to come. 30 min of hardcore cardio, strength training and weight lifting. I figure I should do as much as I can before I have to completely stop. BUT...I have also been trying to get in my last min foods that I know I won't eat if I am pregnant, like the good carb loaded stuff! So though I wanted to lose 5 lbs before it started....I'm just playing a balancing act:) I'm not saying I'll cut out carbs if IVF works...but it won't be as many burritos and pizza.

So no exercise and having to take Steroids throughout the process of IVF....I'm a little freaked out how my body is going to react to everything.  I got them to put me on the lowest dose of steroids, but I went on steroids before when I had my allergic reaction to a medicine Dec 2010, and I could not get my sugars out of the mid 200's and low 300's at times. With that experience, deciding to do IVF has been a bit of an emotional experience. Even though you 100% want and are ready to do this, it can still make you feel stress, worry, anxiety. Am I ready? Can my sugars handle this? Is the stress it's starting to bring effecting my sugars now? Will the meds effect me? Can I handle the stress if IVF doesn't work? Can I handle the stress if we try naturally and it doesn't work again? What has given me some sense of peace is that 1) We've tried naturally for a long time over the past years 2) We tried other things such as Clomid, Acupuncture, Herbs, IUI and HCG shots without success....so maybe it's time for this next step and I should just embrace it....but still there is there impending fear And excitement.

And lastly....the financial preparation. Oy vey! A call from the fertility clinic today...I must seriously be in the wrong profession if I'd like to be making a healthy living!! "Would you like Plan Option #1, #2 or #3?" Plan #1 A Pay For Service Fee....you can submit Only this one to insurance. Plan #2 is a Shared plan...where if it doesn't work and depending on the age range you fall in, you can get a certain percentage of money back. The doctors office "Shares" the responsibility with you. And Plan #3 The option plan...where you can do up to 2 full rounds of IVF for the same cost. It seems so easy to choose Plan #2, but if you don't meet certain criteria, you don't qualify and I am out of range for my FSH. You have to be under 10 and I am 10.7. So I can enter on a "provisional" basis...and if I produce over a certain amount of follicles, I can switch to this plan. Plans #2 and #3 you can't submit to insurance and mind you....they cost a Lot more! So which to choose? We have until the end of the month to decide. Cost is a big decision maker in choosing to do IVF as well. We'll have to figure out what works best for us!

2 comments:

  1. here in FL no part of infertility is covered so we are SOL.. luckily i just got a job this year after a 9 mo hiatus :)

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  2. Oh that stinks! More places and plans should cover fertility treatments....congrats on the new job!!:)

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