12 replies to this topic

[michelleo]

DH & I are considering ivf in Victoria and we were wondering how you gals from Alberta or elsewhere make it all work. Did you stay in a hotel and wasn't that crazy expensive for 2 weeks? How did you get around, rent a car, take the bus? Did you go do touristy stuff or just relax? How did you get your meds, did you get them when you arrived, did they ship them to you before? Did you fly or drive? Anyone stay in a rented apartment?

After all was said and done how much do you think your cycle ended up costing including everything?

I'm sure it will be worth it since he is the only RE that is willing to treat immunological issues and I wouldn't want to do ivf without the extra treatments he has suggested. I just can't wrap my head around paying for a hotel room for 2 weeks.

Thanks for the help.

[batty33]

I'm not sure about Victoria, but I've used airbnb.com in a bunch of cities and have always found a great place that's cheaper than a hotel...maybe worth checking out. Good luck with everything!

[michelleo]

Thanks for the website Batty, I checked it out and it's pretty cool. How did you feel staying with strangers?

[ladylazarus]

I can't answer the part about hotel/apartment options since I traveled back and forth from Seattle to VFC for all my appointments (less expensive, but VERY taxing) and your situation coming from Alberta is a little more complicated. However, I can speak to the other parts of the question. I used the bus when I got into the city. There is a bus that drops you just a block from the clinic. Much cheaper than renting a car and if you have the time, then it's a fine option. Taxi's are expensive!

I did a few touristy things in downtown Victoria but mainly I spent a lot of time walking and sitting in cafe's writing to keep my anxiety under control. I'd have about a 4 hour wait for the ferry, so not enough time to do anything significant like visit Buchart Gardens, but I really enjoyed the natural history museum and exploring the core of the city. I love the old town type areas. There is alot to see without spending alot of money (see photo). Though it's always good to have a project to work on in case the weather doesn't cooperate.

I really liked this Italian restaurant downtown; kind of magical, especially in incliment weather:
http://www.ilterrazzo.com/index.php

If you had some serious downtime (like an entire day), you can walk on the Coho ferry for about $10 and see Port Angeles (if you've got a passport).

Good luck! I happen to think VFC is a great clinic and well worth the extra effort to make it happen.  DSCN0146.jpg   114.51K   1 downloads

[ADub]

Victoria is my hometown so I was able to stay with my parents for the 2 weeks which was great. I can't speak to the tourist stuff or the transportation since that wasn't an issue for me. I flew out, and my husband flew out only for the ER he was there less than 24 hours. I love VFC and would recommend it to anyone, we had no success and really not great service at RFP in Calgary. VFC shipped my meds to me here and arranged for the ultrasounds, bloodwork etc. In total our cost was just under $10000.

[dawnkey]

Hi Michelle!
We live in Alberta, between Calgary and Red Deer as well and we went with VFC because of the long wait at RFP. We work for an airline so it was easier for us to fly there and we have a friend to stay with. I know that other ladies in the VFC thread have rented long term apartments, etc on VRBO.com and there are hotels close to the clinic that offer medical rates of about $70/night, I believe. The first time we went, we stayed at the Howard Johnson close to the clinic and there was a small kitchen with a sink, fridge, microwave and hot plate with dishes and cutlery. It was a pretty good deal.

The service at VFC is second to none, they shipped our drugs to us and I was monitored with bloodwork prior to and during my IVF cycle. I had no problem flying with the meds. We ended up having to go back and forth a few times before even trying IVF because of other medical issues... all in all, we probably spent about $10,000 for one IVF cycle.

[batty33]

Michello, the website gives you two options, a room/shared situation or an entire apartment. I'm not so hot on the shared accomodations, so I've always rented an entire apartment and none of the places we've stayed in have disappointed. My mom lives in Victoria so I've never used it out there, but I had a quick look and it looks like there are some good options.

[Buddy123]

I’ve been here for 3 IUIs and now IVF – I rented hotels for the 3 IUIs, I also have a friend here so there were some nights on the couch when I was here without DH, she also let me use her car. The clinic also has a house they rent out check with them?

Given that you will have to go to the clinic several times I just figured it easier to rent the car rather than stress myself with public transportation (I used Hertz, I found them to be the cheapest, give them your AMA number if you have one). And really in the big picute the car was the smallest cost and I'm glad I had it.

The meds I needed were shipped to me and the remaining I got when I arrived here.

My costs for IVF (I kept a detailed spreadsheet because me and DH split thing 50/50):
Flight for 2 from Alberta - $1,100
Procedure with ICSI - $5,500
Embroy freezing - $1,000
House and car rental $1,700
Medicine so far $2,250

After everything is said and done, I think it will be about $12,000.

I've been to the clinic 4 times and here for vacation 3 times. I've done the whale watching tour, walking around downtown (I never get tired of that), Buchart gardens (pleasently surprised with it), walked though the Empress Hotel, Fishermans Warf (have fish and chips there), drove to Nanimo and stopped at the little towns along the way, did a bus site seeing tour, walked along the harbour, went to Sydney for lunch, went to Brentwood Bay for lunch, and the Royal BC museum is supposed to be nice but I never went.

[Buddy123]

We were particular about our flights so you can probably get a better rate, and my stay was for just over 2 weeks so my house and car rent might be a bit higher.

Your meds will also vary.

[ellee]

HI I just flew home to Winnipeg last night from our cycle at VFC. This was our 2nd IVF cycle (1st at VFC) and I would not concider ever going anywhere else!!!! Dr H is worth every single penny! I ended up staying for 3 weeks in a hotel. I was able to get a weekly rate that worked out dirt cheep! It worked out to $65 a night with a kitchen! I took taxi for the 1st week, when my hubby got here he rented an suv. I got all my meds from here, they faxed the scripts to my pharmacy. I chose VFC b/c how great Dr H was to deal with even b4 I was a patient, and the treatment of immune issues.
Flights were paid for with visa points
hotel was $1500 for 3 weeks
car was ~ $500
IVF ~$5000
Drugs were covered but would have been ~ $ 2200

I hope this helps. If you have any questions at all ask away, or PM me anytime!
ellee

[michelleo]

Wow thanks everyone, that is very helpful. The clinic renting a house is pretty interesting. I wonder if you share it with other ivf patients? I think that would be cool cause then you would have someone to talk to about shots or whatever.

I love the airbnb website, never knew it existed before. There is a guy renting out his sailboat in the harbour for $50 a night. That would be cool, maybe not during ivf but another time.

My meds would be covered by my benefits at work so I would just have to pay for everything else.

We have friends here that have retired parents living out there and DH said I would probably be able to stay with them but I have only met them a few times and thought it would be awkward staying with strangers for 2 weeks. But then I thought maybe we both take the time off and stay together, DH's work is flexible enough that he could just not work. Then I wouldn't be staying with these people on my own. I guess it would depend on whether he would make more money working than the hotel or apt would cost.

[Buddy123]

Also, when booking your flights/travel arrangements, consider the meds you are on. On the way there I had to do an injection in the airport, on the way back I had to do my vaginal supository in the airplane bathroom......oops, wish I would have thought it out more.

[UpDownAndNatural]

Wow thanks everyone, that is very helpful. The clinic renting a house is pretty interesting. I wonder if you share it with other ivf patients? I think that would be cool cause then you would have someone to talk to about shots or whatever.

Hi Michelleo! I live in Vic now, but moved here almost a year ago from Halifax. I know you posted a little while ago so maybe have it figured out by now but something else I thought I'd mention to you is Couch Surfing. It's not for everyone, and I totally get why some people have hesitations with staying with strangers. Hubby has always been more of a trust everyone kind of person and I tend to be more cautious but I have really loved giving people a place to stay when they're in town. On this site people cannot delete bad references, so the references are really true references of people who have stayed with them/ or they have stayed with. Neither of us have used the site to find someone to stay with but are actually planning on doing that soon the first week of March. This is Our Profile on there. Unfortunately, since we moved from a three bedroom townhouse to a 1 bedroom apartment the max we're really comfortable hosting people for now is 2 - 3 days. But honestly, I can't wait until we have a roomier place so that we can offer people a private spare bedroom from time to time. We both love traveling and learning about other cultures - time and money are both short these days (Especially now that we're on this road!!) So, we figure it's a great way to meet people from other cultures while they're in Canada!

I wish we had the spare room still, because I agree it being able to stay with people going through it would be a cool experience and make it less stressful I think!!

Either way, if you do end up coming to Vic for treatments, PM me! I'd love to at least grab a tea with you! When are you planning on Cycling?