It was waiting for me when I got home on Friday.
We have been approved for one cycle of IVF/ICSI on the NHS. I am so excited.
Not sure where we go from here. I think I will now have to phone the doctors to see what happens next. It would have been so much easier if they had included that in the letter. I'm desperate to know what the waiting list is like, are we talking 6 months, a year?! Please don't let it be longer than a year!
D and I opened a bottle of Champagne to celebrate, it felt good to finally be taking a step forward. This whole year has been a waiting game, we have been waiting for a decision on funding since June and I was beginning to go slightly crazy.
Some good news at last.
Showing posts with label funding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label funding. Show all posts
Monday, 23 November 2009
Tuesday, 16 June 2009
Very small steps
Yesterday I went back to my doctor. I wanted to talk to her about the NHS funding issue as it had been her who had originally informed me that there was funding, that we met the criteria and that she would refer me to the consultant. My doctor is lovely, she really takes the time to listen and yesterday was no exception. I didn't think that she would be able to help with the NHS funding issue I mainly went because I wanted to know what my FSH levels had been in January 08. Egg sharing requires that you meet certain criteria and having FSH levels less than 8.0 IU/I is one of them. My FSH levels from January 08 was 7.8.
Whilst talking to the doctor it emerged that the practice that I am registered at actually comes under the neighbouring primary care trust (PCT) so there is the possibility that there may be funding with them. The lovely doctor is going to look into it and, if there is, she is going to recommend that we are considered for funding. Although this is good news it does raise a number of issues that we will now have to consider, these include:
1. The timescale of the possibility of NHS funding - it will take at least 6 weeks for a panel to decide whether D and I can be given fertility treatment on the NHS.
2. The waiting list for NHS fertility treatment - if we are approved we will be placed on a waiting list. The length of time on a waiting list could range from 6 months (who am I kidding) to 2 years (probably more like it).
3. Age - I've recently turned 34 so we have just under two years to go down the egg sharing road (which dramatically reduces the cost of IVF) because you have to be under 36.
4. We have said that we will have two attempts at this and then walk away. If we wait for the NHS funding I will be too old to be able to do egg sharing so the second attempt (yes, I'm talking second attempts because I really don't believe that it will work for us first time) will be a full paid attempt.
5. If we go down the egg sharing route but it doesn't work, will we still be eligible for NHS funding?
OK, I'm starting to send myself a little stir crazy now. There is just so much to consider. I hate situations like this. I know that it is a good thing that we may still be able to get funding for this but, part of me just wants to get on with it now. I had got it in to my head that we would be doing some form of treatment before the end of the year and if we wait for the NHS to make the decision and then plonk us on a waiting list we will be lucky if it is next year.
Of course, the husband is so laid back about it he is almost horizontal. He is still hoping that we will conceive naturally so the longer it takes us to have treatment the better. I am trying not to push him but I am getting very impatient. Three years is long enough.
So, I'm getting my blood work done again at the doctors which will save us some money and time if we go down the private/egg sharing route. This is going to take up the next three cycles. We have decided which clinic we will go with. I have requested an information pack from the clinic. The doctor is going to find out whether there is a chance of NHS funding. I'm going to try and and not stress about it (which is easier said than done).
Whilst talking to the doctor it emerged that the practice that I am registered at actually comes under the neighbouring primary care trust (PCT) so there is the possibility that there may be funding with them. The lovely doctor is going to look into it and, if there is, she is going to recommend that we are considered for funding. Although this is good news it does raise a number of issues that we will now have to consider, these include:
1. The timescale of the possibility of NHS funding - it will take at least 6 weeks for a panel to decide whether D and I can be given fertility treatment on the NHS.
2. The waiting list for NHS fertility treatment - if we are approved we will be placed on a waiting list. The length of time on a waiting list could range from 6 months (who am I kidding) to 2 years (probably more like it).
3. Age - I've recently turned 34 so we have just under two years to go down the egg sharing road (which dramatically reduces the cost of IVF) because you have to be under 36.
4. We have said that we will have two attempts at this and then walk away. If we wait for the NHS funding I will be too old to be able to do egg sharing so the second attempt (yes, I'm talking second attempts because I really don't believe that it will work for us first time) will be a full paid attempt.
5. If we go down the egg sharing route but it doesn't work, will we still be eligible for NHS funding?
OK, I'm starting to send myself a little stir crazy now. There is just so much to consider. I hate situations like this. I know that it is a good thing that we may still be able to get funding for this but, part of me just wants to get on with it now. I had got it in to my head that we would be doing some form of treatment before the end of the year and if we wait for the NHS to make the decision and then plonk us on a waiting list we will be lucky if it is next year.
Of course, the husband is so laid back about it he is almost horizontal. He is still hoping that we will conceive naturally so the longer it takes us to have treatment the better. I am trying not to push him but I am getting very impatient. Three years is long enough.
So, I'm getting my blood work done again at the doctors which will save us some money and time if we go down the private/egg sharing route. This is going to take up the next three cycles. We have decided which clinic we will go with. I have requested an information pack from the clinic. The doctor is going to find out whether there is a chance of NHS funding. I'm going to try and and not stress about it (which is easier said than done).
Wednesday, 3 June 2009
The end of the NHS road
It has been 18 months since I initially went to the doctors. 18 months since the doctor told us that there was funding for IF in our region and that we met the criteria.
It has been 8 months since our initial consultation at the hospital and 6 months after I had the laparoscopy and was informed that, if I did not get pregnant in the next six months, our next step would be assisted conception.
6 months of waiting, hoping and anticipating that we would be moving on to the next stage of our IF journey. 6 months of waiting to be told that, as far as the NHS are concerned, it is the end of the road for us. Of course, we can continue our journey alone and they wish us well.
I was in shock. I had done my research. I had seen documents that stated that our Primary Care Trust (PCT) would pay for one cycle of IVF to couples who meet their criteria. Crikey, I had even seen minutes from a meeting in June 2008 that said that they would focus on offering one cycle of IVF to 39+.
When I mentioned all of the above to the Registrar yesterday (obviously the consultant is too important a person to give us the brush off) she was insistent that there is no funding.
Yesterday I was distraught. I felt like they had given us hope and then, at the last minute, snatched it away. I was worried that D would definitely not want to pursue assistance if it meant that we had to find the money for it and I felt angry that they had left us hanging for six months.
So now what? Well, now we try and find the money and we go it alone. D and I talked and we are both committed to giving it a go. D isn't against it and I need to do it to get some closure, if nothing else. At the moment we can't afford it but we are going to look into the possibility of egg sharing in the hope of reducing the cost.
This morning I feel positive. I almost feel happy that we have been released from the NHS. Obviously there is the pressure of funds but, now we can decide exactly when we want to proceed with this and which routes we want to take. In saying that, I'm not going to leave it there. I am in the process of writing a letter to our PCT and I will be making an appointment at my doctors to see whether she can shed some light on it.
It has been 8 months since our initial consultation at the hospital and 6 months after I had the laparoscopy and was informed that, if I did not get pregnant in the next six months, our next step would be assisted conception.
6 months of waiting, hoping and anticipating that we would be moving on to the next stage of our IF journey. 6 months of waiting to be told that, as far as the NHS are concerned, it is the end of the road for us. Of course, we can continue our journey alone and they wish us well.
I was in shock. I had done my research. I had seen documents that stated that our Primary Care Trust (PCT) would pay for one cycle of IVF to couples who meet their criteria. Crikey, I had even seen minutes from a meeting in June 2008 that said that they would focus on offering one cycle of IVF to 39+.
When I mentioned all of the above to the Registrar yesterday (obviously the consultant is too important a person to give us the brush off) she was insistent that there is no funding.
Nope kiddo, it's the end of the road for you two - but don't leave it too long to decide which clinic you want to go to because you have been trying for over three years now.
Yesterday I was distraught. I felt like they had given us hope and then, at the last minute, snatched it away. I was worried that D would definitely not want to pursue assistance if it meant that we had to find the money for it and I felt angry that they had left us hanging for six months.
So now what? Well, now we try and find the money and we go it alone. D and I talked and we are both committed to giving it a go. D isn't against it and I need to do it to get some closure, if nothing else. At the moment we can't afford it but we are going to look into the possibility of egg sharing in the hope of reducing the cost.
This morning I feel positive. I almost feel happy that we have been released from the NHS. Obviously there is the pressure of funds but, now we can decide exactly when we want to proceed with this and which routes we want to take. In saying that, I'm not going to leave it there. I am in the process of writing a letter to our PCT and I will be making an appointment at my doctors to see whether she can shed some light on it.
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