It's been so long but I'm back. Is it me causing drama or do I really just have this bad of luck with doctors. I start off loving them one minute and the next I'm arguing with them about one thing or another. Over the last couple of months I had been emailing my nurse and occasionally the head nurse and financial consultant back and forth preparing for our IUI. We'd stumbled a bit with them over some lab work but thought we had it all taken care of. We even suggested that due to all the issues we have been encountering that maybe E and I should have a meeting with them before CD1. My nurse said that everything was taken care of and so as idiots we believed her and didn't push it.
Then on the day I started my period, by the way the most excited I've ever been to start my period, I gave them a call as they requested. All I needed to do was set up an ultrasound appointment between days 2-4 to get a baseline of my uterine lining and my follicles. Instead my nurse immediately starts the conversation by asking if I'd received authorization from my insurance company because it wasn't on file with them. Apparently they had a note in my file that I needed to contact them two weeks prior to CD1 to get the ball rolling on it. Strike 1. Also they didn't have any time on day 2 and were closed days 3 & 4 so we'd need to make the appointment day 1 even though they stressed the importance of days 2-4. Strike 1.1. I was transferred to the head nurse after arguing with her about it. Head nurse proceeds to tell me that because I haven't submitted for an authorization and because their office is currently under construction (Strike 2) they'd prefer to put me on birth control (BCP) so I go into a holding pattern. For those unfamiliar with the process, BCP will basically put my body back on day one as soon as I get off of them. That way we don't have to wait a full cycle, we could essentially restart my period in a week or two if necessary. But since my body took years to readjust after getting off the pill, I didn't want to start them up again. I was basically hitting a brick wall with my RE's office. Eventually I was transferred to my actual RE who reiterated what the others were saying and after talking over me a few times finally listened to the fact that it wasn't me who dropped the ball. We'd hung up with the promise of a call to come.
I then proceeded to call Babe in tears. Neither of us could remember any emails aside from the handful from me begging please tell me if "there anything else that needs to be done before CD1". Babe was furious and it took quite a bit of coaxing on my part for him not to call the RE himself. Instead while I waited I did some research of my own. I called my insurance and medical group and confirmed that I could not have possibly put in a request for authorization on my own as they had suggested. I also found out that in that time, 20 minutes, my RE's office had put it in themselves for the very first time. Then the call came. The head nurse was calling to ask if I'd made a decision on the BCP's. Thankfully I'd had some time to process everything and cool off. Even though I was angry still, no longer was I emotional. I asked her if she was aware I had been in contact with my nurse since March. She responded that yes she was aware I had contacted them about my botched bloodwork. No, not just the blood work. I had literally been asking time after time if there was anything else that needed to be done before we started. I explained that if anyone in their organization knew how disorganized their office had been with my case they would be embarrassed. I also explained because of that I felt that they should take responsibility. She believed that putting me on BCP was taking responsibility. I disagreed. Instead I asked that while the authorization was outstanding, they needed to proceed with the cycle and foot the bill until insurance came back one way or the other. She hesitated and said it wasn't her call to which I requested to speak to the person who could make the call. Our conversation finally ended after I was able to get an appointment for day 2 and with an agreement that my appointments would be taken care of until insurance responded. Score me!
At this point we've already dedicated 7 months to their organization and have a plan in place. I was too determined to let more time and money waste away while they got their act together. If this cycle fails though, Babe and I will probably have to have a come to Jesus conversation about choosing a new RE for future cycles. My hope is that we've seen the last of their incompetence. Even more than that, I hope we don't have to proceed with any future cycles at all.
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