Thursday, May 16, 2013

Appointment: Epic Fail

My appointment today was such an epic fail, it's hard to believe.

If you remember from this post, I was worried about rescheduling my appointment because Dr. B said he wanted to see me 33-35 days into my cycle (read: at the end of my cycle.) I realized that the date of my appointment (a.k.a. today,) would be at the beginning of my next cycle, so I called to reschedule. The nurse that I talked to said that Dr. B just wanted to do an ultrasound 33-35 days after the start of my last period, so even if I was in the start of my next cycle, it would be ok. Today, when I was called back by the nurse, I expected to go straight to the ultrasound room like I normally do. However, she said that Dr. B didn't want to do an ultrasound anymore, he just wanted to talk to us. Confused, I agreed and walked into the room.

Now, my husband works 12-16 hours a day. For him to be able to come to my appointment is rare, but I begged asked him to come today because I was expecting to receive the results of his SA and I wanted him to be able to ask Dr. B questions (you know, since it's his body and all.) With that said, I totally understand that he was frustrated when we had to wait over an hour to be seen by Dr. B. I've never gone to an appointment at this clinic where I had to wait more than 15 minutes. Usually, they're right on time and on their game. I don't know what the problem was today, but the whole clinic was horrible.

Dr. B walks in, shakes our hands, and starts talking about this past cycle and what we're going to do in the future. He then says, "When you get the SA done we'll look over the results...." I quickly cut him off and say, "Wait. We got the SA done over two weeks ago. You don't have the results yet?!" Confused, Dr. B quickly paged his nurse and told her to get the results ASAP. (Note: I just heard back from her and she said that Keegan's results are fine. No numbers, just "fine.")

Anyways, after that annoyance, Dr. B started talking about our next steps. He said that assuming everything with Keegan is fine (which we just found out is true,) our next step would be to do an HSG (Hysterosalpingogram.) He said that he didn't want to put me on Clomid because the Metformin is making my  body ovulate on its own and adding on Clomid would just make me ovulate "more" which increases the risk of multiples.

I asked how much the HSG would be, and Dr. B said that since most insurances don't cover the procedure, it would be "a couple thousand dollars." He couldn't give us an exact amount, because it would not be done though his clinic, but through the radiology department in the hospital. Dr. B then went on to say that if we don't decide to do the HSG, or we do decide to do it and it comes back normal, then we'd just wait three more months to see if I get pregnant naturally.

Then he left. We waited over an hour for 5 minutes of conversation in which we were told that they dropped the ball on Keegan's SA and that our next step would be to either drop "a couple thousand dollars" or wait three more months.

I've read blogs of girls who say that they feel like their doctors reads their charts just before walking in and doesn't really know what's going on with their cycle. I've never felt that way with Dr. B before today. Usually he's a great listener, is proactive, and leaves me feeling like I have a game plan. I don't know if he was over booked, or what, but today I felt like he just wanted to get in, say that everything looks good from their point, and get out. I was close to tears while we were walking back to our cars.

I just feel so guilty.

Guilty that we're having to go through all of this because of me.
Guilty that Keegan had to miss 2.5 hours of work for all of 5 minutes of the doctor's time.
Guilty that we may have to spend thousands of dollars just for a chance (not a guarantee, a chance!) of getting pregnant.
Guilty that I don't know how to make this right.

I'm not sure what we're going to do regarding the HSG. On one hand, it's thousands of dollars that we don't really have lying around right now. I just can't imagine dropping that much cash, just to be told that everything is fine. However, I can't imagine not spending the money and finding out later down the line (perhaps after spending even more money on IUIs and IVF?!) that my tubes were blocked or I there's something in my uterus.

So, we're kind of in limbo right now. Dr. B wants to do the HSG around CD10, which would be next Thursday if we were to do it this cycle. Since we don't really have "a couple thousand dollars" lying around, it'll probably be next cycle, if we chose to do it at all. If we don't do the HSG, I'm not sure what our next steps are. Dr. B didn't have me make another appointment, so I guess I'd call his nurse, tell her that we're declining the procedure, and see if I need to make an appointment. If not, then I guess we're on our own for the next three or so months.

So ladies, I need some advice. I'm so confused regarding the HSG. Before I heard the price, I was totally for doing the procedure, simply for the piece of mind. Now, I'm not sure if we can just drop "a couple thousand dollars" just to be told that everything is ok. However, what if it's not, and that's what's preventing us from becoming pregnant? For you who have had an HSG and everything was fine, do you regret spending the money? I'm just so lost right now and I don't know what to do.

5 comments:

  1. I would call your insurance and the radiology dept of where your HSG is for more of an answer. Maybe itll go through your insurance and you'll get the bill in while, allowing you to pay later or set up a plan. Ours was somewhere in the $900's. I had it done and was told that everything looked fantastic, but it was also the cycle that i got pregnant. So im not sure how much it helped or what really did it. I had to wait 22 months before being offered the chance to take it, so i think its kind of good that you are being offered the chance now after 3-4 months/cycles. (sorry if i have that number wrong). and dont feel rushed, you can do it next cycle if youd like. Take your time to figure it out because the money can definitely be a stressed, i know that!
    xxo

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  2. Goodness, HSG is my next step too, but had/have no idea how much it is!! Take your time to decided, remember you don't have to do it this cycle!! Look forward to reading what you decide to do. And, great news the SA numbers are good, wahoo!

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  3. I'm sorry you didn't have a better appointment. I totally understand your frustration (though I'm glad you did end up getting Keegan's #s, and that they're fine!) What you end up doing about the HSG is obviously a really personal decision, but I do think it can help rule things out. That said...the fact that you're ovulating is a really good sign :) It seems that your doctor still thinks you have a good chance of conceiving on your own.

    PCOS is tricky because it's so different for everyone (ie: I tried naturally for 2 years, never ovulated on clomid, and had to jump straight to IVF, but I've met others who have taken metformin, started ovulating, and gotten pregnant with 6 months. I hope you fall into that category!)

    I know this is getting long, sorry...pretty much though, you haven't had too many ovulatory cycles yet, so it might just take a little more time. Remember, even fertile couples sometimes need up to a year to get their BFP. I don't think it'd be terrible if you choose to wait on the HSG. You have a lot going for you given that you ovulate and Keegan's SA came back normal! I'm crossing my fingers for you guys :)

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  4. I am really sorry about your appointment. I hate it when I feel like a number over a patient. I really hope he was having an off day.

    I did have and HSG done, but I had it done in combo with an endo check a palup check and more. It was a one stop surgery and my MD billed it under painful periods. My surgery was well over a couple thousand, but we did a lot more than the HSG. I ALWAYS ask them to code it NOT "IF" and not DX code 628.0.

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  5. Oh dear, what a crappy sounding day. I had the HSG done, but I didn't have to pay for it here in the UK, and there was nothing found. I wasn't sorry I did it and I would have had to do it for any clinic to continue with IVF. It is so hard when you have to spend money on treatments that may not get you any closer to a baby. I hope you manage to find a way to get it covered under your insurance.

    Good luck

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