Frustrations (but a new start!)

Let's start with the new start...our next cycle starts today!  Yay!  I begin my birth control pill today, along with this testosterone gel that I rub on my upper arm.  I should get my calendar in the next few days with the specifics on retrieval week and transfer week.  I can't decide if I'm optimistic or not.  It's certainly a whole new world to know that success is possible.  But it's the devil in disguise as well -- it will make failure all the more painful.  But I want to think that this one will stick.

Now, the frustrations.  Blerg.

Number One:  Our results came back today from the tissue analysis.  "Normal Female".  Now before you get all excited, know this result is essentially synonymous with "Error".  The potential results were abnormal (male or female), normal male, or the frustrating "Error".  Normal female is not an actual option, because the doctors cannot be certain that the mother's (my) cells didn't taint the sample.  So ultimately we know nothing about why the baby didn't survive, and we do not know the sex of the child.

Number Two:  T and I needed to sign up for our health benefits last year before we even knew if our transfer would be cancelled or not (it was ultimately cancelled).  We went through several scenarios that included doing a frozen, another IVF cycle, having a child, etc, to figure out what benefits were best for us.  We finally decided to do a high-deductible health plan, purely because it would max our tax-advantage savings in the HSA.  We knew we could use the HSA to help pay for the frozen cycle. 

The offset to getting an HSA is to set your deductible fairly high.  Then the HSA should help pay the deductible.  Unfortunately, we did not plan to have an expensive medical procedure early in the year that should be covered by insurance AFTER the deductible is paid.  So the entire D&C, which is in excess of $3,000, is out of pocket for us.  That is really a drop in the bucket considering the other costs of our infertility, but is still a huge blow given that the procedure was not a joyful one anyway.

Number 3:  Have you noticed that the ads on the internet are more linked than ever to your past browsing history?  For example, you look at a fantastic pair of yellow pumps at Zappos, which is not in your budget whatsoever.  You then go to an entirely unrelated website, and those pumps will follow you.  Taunting you.  Buy me, the ad says.  You know you want to.

Well, that also works with cribs.  Baby room furniture.  Nursery bedding.  Baby supplies.  I go to Bloomberg.com today to read some articles for work, and the specific Land of Nod bedding I liked is staring me down.  I know it is a simple deletion of your cookies that would solve this issue, but you don't always remember to do that.  There should be a box you check to avoid ads no longer necessary due to loss.  You think someone could put two and two together in that case.

But let's put that behind us, and concentrate on the new start.  Which kicks off with our Vegas trip this weekend.  Hope you have a nice long weekend too!