Belly Shots

No, no no...not those photo type of "belly shots".  It's way too early for anything like that.  And no...not those types of "belly shots" either (that only happened once in grad school...at a Mexican karaoke bar...and come to think of it, they're typically called "body shots").  No...I mean "belly shots"...as in injections...of the Heparin kind.

I can't say I'm a little bit bummed.  But before I go any further, of course I'll do them.  Yet I have to admit...I'm a little bit peeved at the doctor.  When my RE first did the test (along with a whole list of other tests) back in February 2009, he waved it off as if were a fluke.  When I got pregnant a few months later, I gladly sucked it up and tolerated the shots...even during the weeks in between ultrasounds to confirm that there indeed was no heartbeat.  So I was extremely relieved in August 2009, when I asked them to retest, to learn that I was no longer deficient, and would no longer need the shots...or so I thought.  Now that I'm pregnant again, he's now saying that perhaps it was the second round of test that were the fluke.  He put the ball in my court, and said that I could go with the most recent results and pass on the Heparin...or I could play it safe and suck it up again.  Apparently there's no point in retesting at this point because my body is already reacting differently with hormones and such.  So...I wish that he had enough foresight when I got conflicting results in February and August to perhaps retest to figure out which result was the fluke.  But I can't live in a "could-a/should-a/would-a" type of world.  The bottom line is that he didn't retest, so I have one elevated test and one normal test--and I want to do anything that's within my power to maintain a healthy pregnancy.  So yes, I'm on Heparin again.  (Perhaps this can be a morsel of wisdom to anyone else out there--if you have conflicting results, it's worth it to press your doctor to get some clarifying information).

So...the next step was to call the insurance.  Previously, they covered none of the Heparin and only a part of the Progesterone.  My insurance changed, so now they cover a part of the Heparin and none of the Progesterone.  The insurance lady was as kind as can be...but she said that my coverage on the Heparin is $10 for 7 vials.  I'm supposed to do injections twice daily...so that copay would buy me 3.5 days of medication.  Over the course of a month, this would be $90 a month...but I guess it's better than the $120 I think I was paying previously.  On the other hand, I remember the pharmacist commenting (last time) that it was a good thing that the insurance covered part of the Progesterone because apparently that's the expensive one.  I'll see what kind of bill that's going to cost me tomorrow when I pick it up...  But hey--if they can help maintain a pregnancy for the full nine months, I know that it will all be worth it.  I would gladly tolerate much more pain and heftier bills if it means that I can finally hold a baby in my arms.

I realize that it sounds like I'm complaining.  And well...I guess I am a bit.  But I realize that access to insurance and doctors is a huge blessing, and I'm extremely grateful for the things that they do cover.  I pray with all my heart that it's all worth it.