A miracle at bargain price, and thank heavens for good nutritionists

I got an explanation of benefits bill in the mail today. And I opened it and laughed. First time ever, folks.

See, JD is in charge of our finances. And the only way Project 2.0 was going to happen this year was if I supported myself and the fusspot in Lalaland and he focused on saving money towards Project 2.0. And while we are young and my income is fairly paltry this year, we also have very few monthly bills: no mortgage, no car payment, no car insurance. In fact, our monthly bills consist of: rent, utilities, life insurance, health insurance for the fusspot, netflix, cell phones and student debt repayment. And one thing that JD and I have always been in full agreement upon is that once we start cycling we never want to have to stop (until we are fully broke, that is) because of finances. So while I hit up the excellent international thrift stores abroad, JD worked to stash something close to $40,000 in an account labeled "Project 2.0/Mortgage." We figured that would get us through 5 IUIs and 1 IVF if we were lucky, and then we'd take out a short term loan to cover IVFs 2 and 3 before calling it a day.

But my long-time readers know that the current dream baby is the result of a miraculously timed "first appointment." And while we never even filed with the insurance for Project 1.0's fertility bills, I had heard a rumor that "diagnosis but not treatment" of infertility was partially covered. The office manager at the clinic explained that that usually meant a first appointment, but nothing more.

Total cost for the conception of Project 2.0:
$10 co-pay on "assessment of infertility appointment"
$110 HCG trigger shot bought 10 minutes post-appointment

My bargain-priced miracle. I never ever in my life thought that we would have a baby who would cost more to get out than to get in.

And in other excellent news, I saw a nutritionist today. Recommended by another blogger, and unaffiliated with the clinic which will have to official clear me for hospital liability so that I will be "allowed to go into labor." Needless to say, she cost more than the conception of Project 2.0 as outlined above. But she was really good.

She took a complete medical history, which nutritionists never seem to do. And given my insulin resistance, nursing, the-great-gas-baby-May-2010-debacle, my GI problems and nutrient malabsorption and keeping kosher there was actually rather a bit to talk about. And as I dutifully recited a list of all the foods I'd eaten over the last 2 days I figured there'd be a few little problems (primarily the 11 pm dinner last night because there were no groceries in the house, too many Greek yogurts). I had no idea that she would dutifully listen, give me a rather puzzled look, and say "No wonder you are tired. You're at least 1000 calories below what you need at this point." WHEE!!! It turns out that nursing while expecting while dealing with post-infection stomach problems means I need a LOT more calories than I'd thought.

So I am off in the morning to stock up on food. And here's to hoping iron and calcium and a 1000 calories a day more (plus even a few more carbs) helps me get my energy back. Because I am -so- tired of not being able to keep up with my usual full days.

Oh, and sadly the dresser got away from us so I am yet again searching craigslist. Rather annoying that I'll have to pay movers since I am not supposed to lift anything at the moment. And since it will be sitting in our living room/kitchen I'd also like something a bit light in color.

ps - I guess I should clarify. I don't usually talk about particulars of money. But in some ways I feel that talking about the real cost of IF treatments is part of my activism. My insurance would not have covered even a foll0w-up appointment at our clinic, nor an initial consult at another clinic this year. It is pure luck that our bill was so low, and I certainly think that the huge costs are why we took such crazy risks last time around (and may very well in the future, to be honest).