Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Is ignorance really bliss?

Bills, bills, bills. Why do they never stop coming?

So, the coculture biopsy was supposed to be $500 ($250 to do the biopsy, and $250 for processing work). There's an additional charge of $750, but that's later on. When I got there, they charged me $800. I didn't say anything, as I knew they were doing the trial transfer at the same time, because of me being an out-of-townie and all, so I thought the extra cash must be for that. Although, if I may say, that's the quickest $550 I've seen someone earn in quite a while, as it took Dr. S. about 5 seconds to do the trial transfer, and then maybe 10 seconds to do the biopsy.

Anyhoo, yesterday a bill arrived for $301 for "hospital services". Que? So I called this morning, and was told that the initial $300 extra was for the trial transfer, and this really was a proper additional fee for pathology, as Dr. S. must have decided to run another test on the biopsy. Oh, so nice to be told. Just go ahead, spend my money without prior authorization why don't you?

Part of me wants to call and find out what the test was, seeing as how I'm paying for it, and part of me doesn't. I mean, they've published research about the likelihood of success being greater if the endometrial biopsy is "in phase" with your cycle day or not. What if I demand to know what they tested for, and find out that my endometrium is out of phase? Therefore implying that I will have a lower chance of success. Will that destroy the fragile hope that I've built up for this cycle? I kind of want to go in to this not knowing too much, on the basis that ignorance is bliss.

Taking this idea a step further, I know that Big New Clinic doesn't tell you your estrogen or progesterone levels unless you ask. They just tell you if they're good or not. If that. I understand with the progesterone levels they don't even tell you that much, unless you call to ask. There's a huge part of me that's wants to be so Zen and not ask what my estrogen level is every day of the IVF. Because wouldn't it mean less stress? Wouldn't ignorance be bliss here too? Wouldn't it mean I could relax a bit more and just let my body do its thang? Although it'd be hard not to know anything, it might be good to try it every now and then, maybe every other day I can resist asking about the actual level.

Bwahahaha.

Sorry, just nearly spat my tea out, snorting at myself. Me? Not ask about estrogen levels?

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