It's a Rant: The Follow Up

I am very, very pleased to report that I seem to have found a solution to the birth control dilemma.  After speaking with a nurse a while back, I made an emergency appointment to see a doctor other than my doctor (mine wasn't available).  Thankfully, I had a comp day at work from working Columbus Day because I'm not eligible to take vacation days yet.

When I spoke to the nurse, she said that there was a program to provide birth control to woman whose insurance doesn't cover it, but I was pretty skeptical about qualifying for it because on paper I make a good living and would never be considered low income. Thankfully, that doesn't seem to be an issue.

Apparently there's a federal program called Title X, which is the National Family Planning Program.  Though this program has existed for 40 years, I'd never heard of it before.  Thankfully, Nuvaring is covered under Title X, so now all I have to do is have a nurse visit once every three months and I'll get my birth control from them for free!  This is such a huge relief, I can't even tell you.  Thankfully, I have Wednesday mornings off, so I won't need to use sick or personal time for these visits.

I suspect that I might have been able to get insurance to cover it since I have been diagnosed with menorrhagia, but since my doctor is fully booked for the next three months, and the claim would have to be sent to insurance, who knows how long it would take to get that all sorted out.

Either way, I am so glad this program exists.  I'm feeling pretty relieved, though still paranoid that something else is going to come up.  Also, I kept thinking through out this whole debacle how lucky I am to have a car.  My doctor's office (she moved about six months ago) is a very nice facility, but it's a 30 minute drive from my house and the nearest bus stop from there is 2.5 miles away on roads that often don't have sidewalks.  When I went to pick up my first Title X birth control, they only had one ring in stock, so I have to make another trip out there in a couple weeks to get more.  I'm certainly not complaining, but it seems like if you don't have insurance, you either have to spend a lot of time or a lot of money trying to not have a baby.

Still, I'm grateful this program exists, and I'm happy to be able to tell other people about it.

It's a Rant

I would like to preface this rant by saying that not only am I incredibly lucky to have my job, but I am also lucky in that I have my dream job.  I love what I do; I genuinely like my co-workers; my boss is awesome and though there will always be little annoyances, my situation is really good and I could see myself staying here for many years.

There is one big issue, however, that makes me want to scream.

I now work for a Catholic institution.  Since religion is not a part of my life, and I grew up in a part of the country with very few Catholics, that makes work a little strange at times.  You go to a meeting and there's a dying Jesus decoration on the wall which disturbs me, but no one else seems to notice.  At new faculty orientation, there was a prayer before we tucked into our lunch of wraps and chips and students keep asking me for different versions of the bible, which is really hard to look up in the library catalog.  These are all quirks and interesting things to observe--it's like visiting Canada, where things are slightly different, but you still speak the language.

The big issue is that since I now work for Catholics, insurance will not cover my birth control.  They would cover it if I had a medical condition like a bleeding disorder, but for 'its intended purpose' no dice.  This seemingly small thing has so far caused me to spend at least an hour on the phone with the pharmacist and my doctor's office, and now I have to come in for an emergency appointment to discuss how we're going to deal with this situation.

See, I'm in the unique predicament where the only birth control that works for me has no generic.  Every other type that I've tried has had horrible side effects, and I'm not willing to take three months of horrible mood swings or physical discomfort to road test any different types. That means that to pay out of pocket for the one I use each month is $103.  A good friend of mine pays $6 a month, to give you a little perspective.  I could get a slight discount, perhaps, if I went to Planned Parenthood, but then I would have to have another exam, and pay for that, plus I'm only supposed to have an exam every five years.  Oh, and I don't want to have another one, cause I just had one.  Every time I need to refill my birth control prescription, it seems like I have to show my vagina to at least three people and waste hours of my time.

It's infuriating and humiliating.

Birth control is not hard drugs.  It would be impossible for me to abuse Nuvaring and get any kind of euphoria or extra non-fertility.  I've been in a monogamous relationship for five years and I don't want to have a baby--that's it. My partner ALSO doesn't want me to have a baby.  Being on birth control also has a lot of other perks that help me be better at my job like lighter periods, skipping periods which makes me take fewer sick days. Because of the ability to skip periods my moods are better, I have more energy, I'm not distracted by how much pain I'm in or by trying not to pass out.  It's really a win/win for everyone.

But it's not seen that way.

So I assumed that since this institution is anti birth control that means that they are pro-baby.  Not so, apparently.  The maternity leave policy is just as horrible as the not paying for birth control policy.  Sure, they'll hold you job for you, but unless you use vacation and sick time, you're not getting paid.  And if you have a difficult pregnancy and need extra time off, you better have savings.

I just don't get it.  Are people just not supposed to be having sex at all?  It does the college no good if all the female employees are out on medical leave all the time. It doesn't help families if people live in constant fear of pregnancy and don't want to have sex because of it.   I just don't understand who is in favor of this.  One of the doctors who is credited with inventing the birth control pill, Dr. John Rock, was a devout Roman Catholic who believed that the ability for married couples to control unwanted pregnancy and keep women healthy was god's will--so they could take care of the children they wanted.

I thought that this would be a small issue when I started my job, but it seems to be taking over my life, my budget and my free time.  I estimate that over the last five years, I have spent at least 40 hours of my life and way too much money sorting out birth control issues.  Going to Planned Parenthood or the doctor's office, taking unpaid time off work, waiting around, having far too many unnecessary exams and then getting lectured by medical professionals who seem to think that I want to have all these exams.  I just need the prescription, people!  You won't give me a prescription unless I take my pants off!  But this is how it works when you either don't have insurance, or have insurance which arbitrarily decides not to cover something that you need to live the life you want.

It's completely backwards and it pisses me off.

Has Anyone Out There Gone--Reuseable?

I apologize to any male readers out there, but this is a question strictly for the ladies.  We all know that one of the biggest expenses that comes with being female is paying for feminine products.  To that end, there are a variety of cheaper, reuseable options out there that are gaining traction.  I'm intrigued by some, but I also feel like I need more information.

When I was in college, I tried something called Instead.  It was a disposible cup that you could use for up to 12 hours at a time.  I can't honestly say what I thought of it because every time I used it I was so terrified of leakage that I was just constantly running to the bathroom and feeling on edge.  I decided that it was too stressful to be convenient, and went back to my old familiar Kotex.  Well now there are silicon menstrual cups that can be re-used for up to ten years.  The one I've heard mentioned the most is the Diva Cup.

I am seriously intrigued by this notion because of the significant savings attached to it, but also the fact that you create so much less waste, you don't have a stinky bathroom trash can, and you don't have to worry about changing/carrying tampons all the time-- that's a win-win-win as far as I'm concerned.  But it's also kind of weird, how would you get it as sterile as you'd like it to be and... it's just kind of weird.

So I'm curious, has anyone gone this route yet?  I'm willing to try it for the sake of reporting back, but I'd rather not be the only one-- is anyone else willing to try it and report back to me?  Just so we can get a good all-around view.  Or is this just to personal to try out on a blog?  I await your feedback, readers.