Mistakes

We all make mistakes right?

Here are a few I have dealt with the past 2 days.

1. When I offered the link to my new business blog I was wrong.It is:

www.theacoughlinphotography.blogspot.com

2. Our insurance changed on January 1st. We still have good coverage. It doesn't cover infertility treatments or acupuncture, but it does pay for many things, and I am eternally grateful we have it.

Anyway-because we have new insurance I had to go to a different place for my blood work this past Friday. I have a standing order I have multiple copies of for: Estradiol, Progesterone and HCG. Since my Fertility Dr. is in NJ I have to get it drawn in a lab here- they need to send it out STAT (so it comes back the same day) and then fax the results to my Dr. in NJ who then makes appropriate changes to my protocol. Since I have been doing this for the past 5 years or so, off and on, I made sure to point out the order was STAT and where the number was on the slip where they should fax the results. Friday afternoon comes and I figure since I haven't heard from my Dr. They must not have gotten the test results. I call the lab and sure enough they didn't send them. They were still waiting for the estrodiol results. I asked them to fax over the hcg and prog in the mean while. Sat comes and goes-most labs and my Dr. are open Sat. No call. Monday at 1pm I call the lab again to check on the estradiol. They tell me they still don't have it, actually with prodding I find out it hasn't been run-and won't be until Tuesday am. I had it drawn STAT on Friday morning!
I made a big fuss. I told them it was important-I could lose a high risk pregnancy if I didn't get my Dr. these results. It took an hour on the phone-3 levels of people-my refusal to accept there wasn't something they could do (the key is not to blame the person you are speaking to-just keep restating the facts. Nicely and calmly). There were many long silences. I would not give in. I got a call back an hour after getting off the phone. The woman managed to have it tested last night. There is always a way. Always.
My Dr. got the results this am. And.....my estrogen went down some and they are putting me on 2mg of estrace. Now logically if I miscarry it probably would be due to my balanced translocation. I am thinking if my corpus luteum isn't producing the right amount of estrogen maybe it is because it was a faulty egg. But maybe that isn't true. Maybe like my amazing Dr. thinks estrogen supplementation when needed could help prevent miscarriages. Here is an interesting study done on estrogen and early pregnancy that supports this idea: http://www.earlypregnancy.org/EPBM/EPBM%20IV/Vol.%20IV,%20Num%203/EPBM1135.htm

The point of this is to say-please stand up for yourself. Try not to piss the person off you are speaking to but stick to your guns, calmly. It is your body. You have a right to take care of yourself-and be your own best advocate.

3. Yesterday I also had to deal with a collection agency that has been trying to collect payment on a test that was run on the last pregnancy - I think a genetics test. One that I know was covered by my insurance. I have been talking with them numerous times over the past 2 months-often calling 4-5 different people all who tell me I need to call someone else. Up until yesterday the story went that the test was submitted without the correct insurance info. It was said it was the hospital lab, my dr, my insurance, the dr that performed the procedure, the pathologist at the hospital. Yesterday when I called them they changed their tune. They told me that they did get the insurance info-submitted it and they paid but this bill was the balance of what the insurance wouldn't pay. I took her name-I told her I was calling my old insurance company-and what should I tell them they need to do, since I knew they would pay for it and she was lying or had inaccurate info. She told me I could pay on my credit card now and then clear it up with my insurance. I told her no-how should my insurance pay. She said she had no idea, she doesnt bill insurance,I calmly said "so you are telling me you will only take payment from me by credit card you will not accept payment from my insurance?" She got huffy and said she would send me a form. I called my insurance-held it together, was super nice to the woman even though I was super aggravated at that point. The woman from my old insurance company was super nice-called the collection agency-the lab that did the test-gave them the proper information and it is taken care of.


The point to all of this ramble: hold it together-keep calling-keep going higher up. Call the same place different days until you get what you need. This is one gift I have received from this fertility journey. I have learned to stand up for myself when it comes to my health.