The King & Queen

...of research that is.

We have been busy. Last week , I spoke to the office of our fertility Doctor to get some information on the medications that I would be needing for us to be able to go ahead with IVF. This is big and important piece of the puzzle because it can make up almost half the total cost.

I get the impression that there are drug comanies out there who know that people like us who so desperately want a child will do nearly anything to make it happen. The cost on some of these meds is staggering - like $500 for 2 days worth staggering. So I took a deep breath and started Googling. Hours of looking at websites, calling pharmacies and reading message boards. We learned about several options.

We also learned that the local pharmacy may be conveniently located, but it is much more expensive than some of the other options. We can:

- Pay a ton at our local Apothecary Shop

- Buy leftovers from random strangers on the internet at drasticly reduced costs. They promise to ship with ice.

- Hope that someone donates leftovers to our Doctor who then hands them to us on a silver platter. Also hope that the meds have been stored properly.

- Buy from a pharmacy in the UK that seems to have a good reputation within the infertility community (Yes, there is an actual community. I don;t know if there is colored ribbon for it, but I'm guessing there probably is.)

- Apply for grants and pray hard

We're thinking about a combination of the above, actually. Except for the buying from strangers bit - I'm pretty sure that is illegal and Tim would likely frown upon it. (Much like he disapproved when I heard the cost of this little adventure and suggested bank robbery as a "totally viable option".)

This week one of my big projects is to get the large amount of paperwork put together to be able to submit for a grant. I know this may be a long shot, but it would help us so much to be able to reach our goal. It is a grant from one of the drug companies, actually, and the recipient will get their drug *free* for one cycle of IVF. Free would fit nicely into our budget, so hope, pray, keep your fingers crossed and send us good thoughts. Just don't try to do all that while walking and chewing gum.