IVF Anyone? Part 3 [Archive] - Page 4

gymwidow

09-28-2006, 02:16 PM

tigerest, thanks, I hope they're getting nice and comfy inside me.

twinkletoes, thanks! Yay for getting started! That's awesome that the nurse can come over in the evenings for you. I'm not sure I could do the PIO ones myself. I'm glad AF arrived and hope she leaves soon!

Bellefior, I think you guys came up with an excellent plan. It gives you all the best options for everything. How awesome that the meds are covered! For giving the shots, I found it really helpful to ice the area for a couple of minutes first. I wrapped two ice cubes in a paper towel and tucked them inside my panties, up against my belly. Then I got the shots ready and lined them up on the dresser and then shot them in, 1-2-3 (I started out on one shot a day and was up to 3 by the end). For the IM shots, icing is definitely a good idea. I wrap an ice pack in one of my DH's bandanas and lay on it for about 10-15 minutes (till it burns). I hardly ever feel the prick of the needle and haven't had any real pain with any of them, which is so great. BTW, the Medrol tastes like crap, so have a mint or something handy to suck down after you take it. (It's an uncoated pill and it always started dissolving in my mouth before I could swallow it.)

Sebski, that's AWESOME!!!!! I'm sending fertilizing vibes your way. I hope they all make it! Now go rest up and feel better soon.

Nothing to report here. Just waiting for my beta next week. Today I did more walking than I have since before the ER and I'm really achy now. Tylenol is my friend! ;)

skb

09-28-2006, 05:29 PM

Thanks for the welcome ladies!

Just bloodwork stuff here so nothing to report.

But wanted to congratulate cath. I have a friend IRL with triplets...eek! I'd have to read back but I'm gathering there were 2 embryos implanted.....leading to 1 set of identicals plus one on the way? Ah, the twists and turns of life!

And hello to sebski too. Yeah for 4! Best wishes for fertilization and ET.

Ah gym....remind me to hire you as my coach.

gator97

09-28-2006, 05:52 PM

Sebski- Yeah for 4 eggs! Fingers crossed for great fertilization results tomorrow!

Bellefior- yeah for meds being covered!

twinkletoes- It is so exciting to get started!

We start stims tomorrow! I'm beginning to get impatient to see how my body responds with the Metformin as a part of my daily regimen.

Sebski

09-29-2006, 03:08 PM

Fertilization report is in... 3 out of the 4 fertilized! I'm very happy... but, also obsessing over why the 4th didn't fertilize. :rolleyes: But, they didn't do ICSI on them, so maybe that's why? Who knows... I just pray that my 3 little embies are chugging right along. GROW EMBIES GROW! I'm their biggest cheerleader! :D

Thanks for all the well wishes - keep 'em coming... transfer is set for Sunday at 10:15am. :)

Blanket "Hello" to all! I'm supposed to be getting ready to go out to dinner... am soooo late and DH is starving! :)

Asha

10-01-2006, 06:52 AM

well, i guess its about time i joined. here's the stats -

asha
Age: 29
DH: 29
Married: 8/03
TTC: june 04
DX: possible pelvic adhesions due to ruptured appendix as a child
3 months of clomid
starting IVF cycle sometime in november

i've finally come to accept the fact that i will not be able to have a child naturally. it's sad to feel like i've given up hope, but then i feel a big sense of relief too that there's no more months of fruitlessly trying again and again to conceive. i feel much less burdened bc its out of my hands now. dh's big hangup with ivf is the cost, and my big fear is having to inject myself with meds. both of us fear that we will have spent all this money and effort, and it won't work out. then we might have to "really" face reality that we won't ever have a bio child of our own. though, we both agree we have to try bc we don't want to wonder "what if?"

jodylovesscotty

10-01-2006, 07:12 AM

Hello Ladies,
I am Still At it lady going through IUI's right now, and if not successful will be going to IVF in January. This past month I had cysts so my RE put me on BCP and now Lupron before we start Repronex again. I am just wondering if I should expect to get a period or not while I am on Lupron. Thanks for your help.

Sebski

10-01-2006, 11:32 AM

This morning was my ET and they transferred 2 'medium' grade embies. One was a 6 cell and the other an 8. The doctor said that there was some fragmentation, but they were able to remove the fragments. What does that mean? I never really read up on that. Ugh. So, I begin the 2ww. I hope they settle in nicely and decide to stick around!!!! Please send me some vibes... I wasn't expecting to hear about fragments. :confused:

Bellefior

10-01-2006, 06:55 PM

Will have time for shout outs hopefully tommorrow but just wanted to say that ever since I started the BCPs I have been so nauseous it's not funny. I forgot what that feeling was like when I first went on the pill all those years ago. Anyone else experience this? I was in a restaurant last night with the ILs and DH and had such a hot flash that I had to go outside (with no coat and it was about 55 degrees out). My FIL asked me when we left the restaurant if I was sure I was not pregnant (and he knows we've already started the meds) and I told him that I was quite sure. I later asked DH what would make him ask such a question and he just said to me "my dad is an idiot sometimes."

gator97

10-01-2006, 07:25 PM

Bellefior- I had awful headaches my first month back on BCP. These last two cycles I haven't had the same side effects.

Sebski- congrats on your transfer. I don't know anything about fragmentation so I won't be much help. Sounds like they were able to take care of it, though, so that is good news. I'm sure you RE won't mind if you call their office to ask more questions if it will put your mind at ease. Good implantation vibes coming your way.

jodylovesscotty- I'm mini-stim so I've never done Lupron. Sorry that I am not any help.

Asha- welcome! There is definitely a grieving process when you realize that you will not conceive naturally. I still mourn that frequently but I always feel better when there is a plan in place. The reality of giving yourselves the injections is far better than the anticipation. It's really not that bad! (of course, my DH does the PIO shots)

skb- not sure I ever formally welcomed you---so just in case i didn't, welcome!

I go in for b/w tomorrow to see the e2 level. Hoping the metformin does the trick and keeps the estrogen from surging too quickly (their concern with my previous cycles). I already feel aches on the left side. I don't have an u/s until Wednesday.

twinkletoes

10-01-2006, 07:34 PM

sebski - Congrats on the transfer! Fingers crossed for you!

bellefior - I can't believe your FIL asked that. That's why we're keeping this under wraps. :)

jodylovesscotty - I start Lupron in a few weeks. I was told to still expect AF to show.

Asha - Welcome. My DH and I put off IVF for years, but then we realized that we couldn't continue to go on wondering "what if." I'm glad you've made it here.

I know I'm missing some SO's... but I'm out of time.

I started BCP today! I go in for my u/s and should start stims on the 20th.

tigerest

10-01-2006, 10:24 PM

gymwidow - Almost time. Hope you are feeling better. Good luck!

gator- Hope your stims are going well. Good luck at your appt tomorrow!

asha - Welcome. It is a hard thing to accept that you need extra help TTC. Try not to worry too much about the injections. I was the worst, totally petrified, and now I give them to myself, no biggy. The needles are so tiny, most of them you barely feel. Hope this is all you need for success!

jody - I dont think you will start your period until you either stop the BCP or lower the lupron dosage. At least thats how it works with an IVF cycle.

sebski - I don't think some fragments is a big deal. Your embryos sound ok. Hopefully they stick around for the long haul! I have heard of people getting pregnant with worse, so don't lose hope! Good luck!

bellefior - Sorry that the BCP's are making you feel so crummy. Hope your nausea lessens.

twinkletoes - Yay for starting BCP. :)

I had the worst ovary pains all week. I was beginning to wonder if I had more than 2 follies in there. It finally stopped yesterday so I am hoping that means I O'ed. I set up a meeting with my RE on tues. He didn't say I needed one, but I made an appt with him anyway. Just want to go over my new protocol before I begin again. I dont expect to have my period until the 14th, and the coordinator said that stims for the next cycle start on the 18th. I hope that's ok. Hopefully they will let me cycle a little late. I don't know if I can deal with another delay.

Bellefior

10-02-2006, 05:02 AM

sebski The only thing I know about fragmentation is the less you have, the better it is. Definitely call your RE's office and ask all the questions you need to. Sending lots of good implantation vibes your way!

Twinkle yeah, I couldn't believe that came out of my FILs mouth either, especially since they are in the know and know I have already started the meds for the cycle. We let both sets of parents know what was going on when we had our diagnosis because a) we thought they had the right to know and b) we thought it would stop my FIL from asking if I was pregnant every it was mentioned I wasn't feeling well (guess I was wrong about that). My father, God Bless him, asks absolutely nothing. We just let him know Friday night at dinner that we had started the drugs, expected the injectables to start mid October, and procedure itself around Halloween. We did tell him if all went well, we'd know before T-Giving if he was going to be a grandfather. He didn't ask one single question. My ILs, on the other hand, haven't quite gotten it yet. FIL has gotten 100 times better, but still has a ways to go, as Sat night's incident shows!

It looks like you and I are definitely cycle twins. I start the stims the day after you do!

jodylovesscotty I'll be adding in the Lupron into the mix in about a week and a half. Doctor's office did say that once the BCPs stop to expect a period, even though you are on the Lupron. Hope that helps.

Asha -I had the same feelings you did when we learned we had to go down the IVF road and there were so many emotions, ranging from anger, sadness, the whole "why me/us", fear, and the shock over having to spend that much money. I found that once we made our decision and paid the money, a sort of calm settled over us. One of the things we do when we end our Resolve Group meetings at the end is to go around the room and mention one thing we are appreciative of. This week I said that I was thankful that I was finally able to find some peace with respect to our situation and comfort in the fact that I knew we were doing all we possibly could. All I can say is that it has taken about 5 months to get to this point and even now I still have my days. Oh, and as for the injections, I had the same fear you did and even though I haven't started yet, my philosophy has become, "you do what you gotta do." I'm not afraid anymore, and the women in my group have all said the first one is the hardest and after that its much easier.

Tiger hoping that everything on this cycle goes according to plan! (Looks like you're a cycle buddy too).

Hello to anyone else I missed!

*******************************

I woke up in the middle of the night with another bout of rolling nausea. This is the second time I've woken up in the middle of the night feeling like I was going to yak (thankfully I didn't). I've been thinking what an irony it is you have to go on BCPs before you start your cycle. I've also been thinking how weird it is because of the hormones in the pills, my body is being tricked into thinking I'm pregnant. I know the hormones are working because we thought I had a fever yesterday because I felt like crap but when we took my temp, it was normal (98.6). Ordinarily that would be a post O temp for me and at this time in my cycle with no drugs, it would be about a full degree lower.

skb

10-02-2006, 12:19 PM

Hi Asha. I'm sure that quite a few of the SAI ladies end up over here. I can't really say that I have mourned the fact that we have been unable to conceive on our own. I can't say that I fear injections. But I won't be surprised if the time comes when I do! Right now I am just excited to get a move on! I am eager to have somebody investigate us further, maybe shed some light...maybe not...., but in the end whether I am pregnant or not, like you said...we will not be left to wonder.

sebski I don't know about fragments either. But sending many *sticky vibes* to you!!! It sounds as though the ET went well and things are looking good.

gator Thanks for the welcome. Funny, feels like I've always been around.

tigerrest I hope all goes well! No delays!

twinkltoes Who thought I'd ever be cheering for BCPs....but how nice you're starting!

melissafromnc

10-02-2006, 04:33 PM

I wanted to wish sebski loads and load of luck. Here's to a speedy 2ww with a great outcome

gymwidow

10-02-2006, 04:43 PM

First of all, without making you guys agonize and read through everything while waiting for the punchline, I’ll just say it:

We’re pregnant!!!!! :eek: :D :eek: :D :eek:

What a weekend. I started spotting on Saturday (11DPO, 8dp3dt) and it got progressively heavier throughout the day. By yesterday morning it was bright red and I was convinced I was not pregnant. I cried all day, even though DH kept trying to convince me it wasn’t over yet. I was able to get in today for a beta and to see my RE. Again, I was 100% sure it was over. We talked about what to do next and even set up an appointment for Wednesday to go over this cycle and plan for the next one. But the RE kept telling us to stay positive and that he still thought we had a chance.

So, we come home, I cry some more, and I make DH answer the phone when the doctor calls. The RE called himself and told DH, “Congratulations, you’re pregnant. And not only are you pregnant, you’re REALLY pregnant.” My beta was 90 today (13DPO, 10dp3dt), so it’s for sure. Of course, there’s still room for worry (seriously, I’ll be in labor and still worrying that it was all a big mistake), but for now things are good. I’m still spotting, but it’s more like brown sticky CM (sorry if TMI) than bleeding and I know that there are a lot of women who bleed throughout pregnancy, so I’m trying not to freak out constantly and am instead just counting down the hours till my next beta on Wednesday.

After DH told me the news, and after I got over the shock (I totally did not believe him, I was so absolutely positively sure I was not pregnant), we went ahead and called our folks and our siblings. And we told a couple of our closest friends who have been following along with our journey. We’ve told everyone not to celebrate too big yet b/c we still have some hurdles to cross, but we wanted to share the good news, and knew they’d be waiting to hear tomorrow anyway!

So, that’s it for now. I’m coming down from all the excitement and am just planning to relax tonight and get out one of my pregnancy books to read. I’ve had them for months, but haven’t read any of them b/c I just didn’t want to jinx anything (silly, I know). But now I feel like I can read them for real. Yay!

I’ll be back tomorrow with SO’s. Thanks, everyone, for keeping us in your thoughts! :)

gator97

10-02-2006, 04:46 PM

Woohoo!!!! Wonderful news gymwidow! Thinking awesome doubling vibes for you!

Asha

10-02-2006, 04:47 PM

congratulations gymwidow!!!

Bellefior

10-02-2006, 05:29 PM

Congrats Gymwidow!!! As I sat here reading your post, I had tears in my eyes! It's been a long hard journey for you guys and I truly wish you all the best.

Seems like we've been having a run on good luck lately on this thread. Here's hoping it continues!

twinkletoes

10-02-2006, 05:42 PM

Congrats, gymwidow!

tigerest

10-02-2006, 06:44 PM

Wow, congrats Gymwidow!

angelgirl8

10-02-2006, 07:52 PM

sebski...all of the embryos from both of my IVFs were severely fragmented. i knew nothing about fragmentation going in, except that i didn't want it! i know they tried to remove some of it, but weren't successful...i think they measured the fragmentation in percentages. that said, all of the embryos that we transferred had a good deal of fragmentation but two of those turned into my amazing twins! i should probably know more about it, but that was the extent of my knowledge.

skb

10-03-2006, 06:36 AM

Congratulations gymwidow!!! This is very good news. It makes me feel so hopeful. I'll look forward to hearing about your pregnancy. Best wishes!

As for me...well the cat is out of the bag. We finally told my BIL/SIL that we are attending the fertility clinic. We have not shared any information with them up until this point. Needless to say they were very surprised to hear that it has been 2 years, we've been evaluated, finished 6 cycles of clomid and have now been referred for IVF. I think my SIL was particularly surprised that I hadn't confided in her. We will be staying with them during our IVF journey. I am disappointed because I thought I would feel more relieved.

gymwidow

10-03-2006, 08:34 AM

You guys are awesome! I cannot tell you how happy I was to be able to share this news with all of you. You guys have been such a great source of support and I feel really lucky to have you all as my friends. Thank you all so much for your good wishes and congrats. I can't wait to bring more good news tomorrow after our next beta results are in!

skb, lol, my coaching services are available! ;) Thanks for your good wishes. I'm glad I could bring some hope to you. It really does happen - we did 5 Clomid cycles plus 2 injectables and went through 6 IUIs total before taking the step to IVF and look where we are now! I'm glad you told your BIL/SIL and I hope that they can give you the support you'll need.

gator, thanks!!!! I hope your first few days on stims are going well and that you see some good results soon!

Sebski, 3 out of 4 is AWESOME! And an 8 cell embryo is very good. I'm glad they could remove the fragmentation and I hope those little guys are settling in nicely! They say good things happen in threes, so hopefully after Cath and me, you'll be the next to share some fabulous news with the group! :)

Asha, thank you and welcome! I'm sorry you've had to join this crowd, but glad to see you here all the same. This is such an amazing group and you'll be well cared about here! Like a lot of others, I shared many of your fears. The money thing was huge, especially with the possibility hanging over us that it wouldn't work and we'd be out all those thousands of dollars. The shots really aren't that bad and I got over that pretty quickly. But still I feel sometimes so sad because we needed so much help to get pregnant. I really wish we could have been one of those couples who succeeded on our own. But the end really does justify the means, and I'm just grateful now that this technology was available to us. Take your time getting used to the idea, and come here as often as you like. We'll always be around for you!

jody, I responded to you over in SAI. I hope this treatment works so you don't even have to worry about IVF!

Bellefior, awww, thanks. I feel like you and I have really gone through a lot of this together and I can't wait to hear good news from you soon! I had horrible s/e from the BCP. I hope yours abate soon. How much longer are you on them?

twinkletoes, thanks, and woohoo for getting started!

tigerest, thank you! I hope you have a good appt today! Will they do b/w or u/s to see if you O'd?

Mooshie

10-03-2006, 12:00 PM

Congrats gymwidow!!! For what it's worth, I also had quite a bit of bright red bleeding. Although I didn't have it until week 7 and 8, I understand it's more common when IVF is done. I was on bedrest for those 2 weeks and have not had any issues since (and today I am 30 weeks!) CONGRATS AGAIN!

Tandis

10-03-2006, 03:34 PM

Eeek! Gymwidow I'm so excited for you! Congratulations! Are you getting a second beta done?

Suzlywoozly

10-03-2006, 08:20 PM

Yay Gymwidow!!! Congratulations!

Cath

10-04-2006, 10:40 AM

Gymwidow - Congratulations. That's wonderful news.

I'd like to thank all of you for your congratulations and reassuring words about the triplets. It really means a lot. I'm laying low right now because I'm still in shock about triplets. I think I've cried every day the past week.

I had a second ultrasound this morning, all three hearts are still beating strong. I sat down with my RE briefly as well. He is just amazed because there is about a 2 percent chance of one of the embryos splitting after transfer. Couple those odds with the pretty low odds they gave me of this frozen egg cycle even being a success, triplets are pretty unlikely. I guess I always find a way to be on the strange side of statistics given the chance.

I've got a referral to a high-risk ob-gyn that my RE usually works with and I'm calling my regular OB to get some names as well. I'll go over options as well, as distasteful as that sounds.

I don't have time for personal shout outs right now, but I've got fingers crossed for everyone who is in the early stages of a cycle right now.

gator97

10-04-2006, 12:11 PM

Cath- good to hear from you. I can only imagine your shock as I think I walked around for a day or so going, "wow, triplets" every hour or so! Only 2% chance? That is insane. I just can't believe you went from a busted cycle to triplets! Hope you find a high risk OB that you like

gymwidow- thinking of you today. hoping for fabulous results!

skb- I felt different levels of relief from the people that we have told.

As for me, I had an u/s and b/w today. And was quite shocked. First, it started with the nurse doing the u/s. She wasn't one of the IVF nurses- I actually had never met her I don't think. And she asked if I was the donor or if I was receiving? Huh? What? Then she said the red chart usually indicates a donor is involved. At which point my overly hormonal self started to freak out. I said, are you sure you have the right person- she checked the chart and it was me. I said, "check my chart b/c it should not indicate anything about a donor." Of course, she figured out that the red chart now meant mini-stim, not donor. And she sort of laughed it off. I said, "Don't mess with a woman on hormones b/c did you see Desperate Housewives on Sunday?". I'm finding the hormones are hitting me hard this time. I'm exhausted by 3 p.m. everyday and I'm very short tempered.

So, shocker in that I have 2 follicles on the left that are 16.5 and 17.5!!! Yikes! It is kind of early for that. On the right I have 3 decent follicles but they are lagging behind the left- at 12.5, 13 and 13.5. So, while it seems the metformin is working in terms of less follicles (I usually get 13 or so which is a lot for mini-stim), it isn't succeeding with the slow and steady response. Oh well, I see the doctor tomorrow and we will see from there but I think ER will be earlier than I expected. I'm just trying to keep reminding myself that less is more, less is more.

gymwidow

10-04-2006, 12:24 PM

Mooshie, thanks for sharing that. I'm finding out that more and more people I know had that problem.

Tandis, but of course! ;) Read below...

Suzly, thanks!

Cath, thanks! I'm so excited that you have all those strong heartbeats, but so sorry that it's causing so much stress. My RE discussed with us what our options would be if we ended up with more than two, and we know what his recommendation would be, but still, I can imagine it's such a difficult thing to face. Good luck to you, and lots of hugs!

gator, thanks. Yikes to having two follies so far developed! I hope they get the hint and take a break now so the others can catch up. And I think you handled that nurse quite well; I probably would've thrown something at her. :p

Second beta results = 213 at 15DPO/12dp3dt. :D Yay! :D That's up from 92 on Monday. I'm so relieved. DH was actually really nervous today, and I was a little bit, but overall for some reason I'm really calm about it and just so confident that this will stick. It's funny since he was the positive one before and I was so sure it wasn't going to happen.

Normally my RE goes to weekly appointments now, but b/c I still have some spotting and b/c I'm just a nervous, high maintenance kind of patient, he readily agreed to have me come back in on Friday for one more check. Then we'll go to weekly, with our first u/s next Thursday (where we hope to see the sac) and our second one 2 weeks from today (where we hope to see the heartbeat). Also, I learned today that now that we're into pregnancy testing, I'm back to being covered by my insurance. Whew!

Anyway, I'm off to call my acupuncturist and make another appointment for Saturday. I saw my massage therapist today and found out she's certified in prenatal massage and she's so excited to work with me throughout this pregnancy. I am too!

Threadmistress, if you don't mind, I'd like to stick around till after Friday's beta.

Bellefior

10-04-2006, 12:31 PM

No time for shout outs today because I've been home riding the porcelain bus since about 7 am. Thankfully it seems to have finally subsided.

I called the RE's office because I was afraid it was the BCP pills that were doing it to me. I had nausea before when I first went on the pill way back when but nothing like this. Anyway, they called back and told me that based on the severity of the symptoms, which would be a highly unusual side effect from BCPs, they believed I had picked up a stomach bug. Given that I've been running a low grade fever I'm definitely thinking they were right. They really couldn't do much for me except tell me to rest and try to drink lots of fluids. I was afraid that they were going to tell me they had to change my protocol or something which would throw the whole cycle schedule off, and as lousy as I feel, I'm just glad we can go ahead as scheduled.

My husband recently gave our bathroom a face lift by changing the light fixture, painting, and changing the shower curtain and bathroom motif, so at least if I'm going to be riding the porcelain bus for a while, I can do it in style ;) .

IVFIVF

10-04-2006, 05:39 PM

Welcome to Asha!

And (unofficial) congrats to Gymwidow! You are of course welcome to stick around as long as you would like :-). I won't update your stats until you tell me to.

skb

10-04-2006, 08:05 PM

Good news on the beta gymwidow. Sadly, I don't think the worrying ever ends.....maybe once baby is born but then I'm sure there are a whole lot of different worries....parenthood. At least there will be no worries with your insurance coverage!

gator ...less is more. .....I saw the wives on Sunday but I have to admit I'm turning into more of a Grey's fan. It's early in the season though!

Feel better bellefior.

Nothing exciting here....dh and I finished all of our bloodwork...again. At least I've found a tech that I adore and I plan to stock her in the future when I require more bloodwork. We're totally off for this month....won't be anywhere near dh during ovulation...FREEDOM.

gator97

10-04-2006, 08:27 PM

skb- enjoy your month of freedom. It is nice, isn't it? It is great to not to have to worry about timing and being in the mood. Of course, once you cycle you have a whole new set of worries :)
I'm not a huge housewives fan. . .but I'm a HUGE fan of Grey's- addicted some might say. I have to say that even though I really trust the safety system my RE has in place, it kind of worries me to think about a "mix-up"- so seeing housewives just kind of freaked me out.

gator97

10-04-2006, 08:36 PM

bellefior- hope you are feeling better. glad you don't have to cancel your cycle!

gymwidow- great results! thinking good thoughts for you for Friday.

Sebski

10-05-2006, 06:57 AM

Hi ladies!

HUGE congrats to Gymwidow!!!! And what fabulous #'s!!!! So very happy for you! :)

Thanks to everyone who gave me a pep talk about fragmentation... I'm feeling much better about the transfer now. Today is 4dp3dt and I started testing to watch the trigger leave 2 days ago. It was so nice to see that 2nd line! Yesterday's was much lighter and I'm hoping that tonights will be barely there.

Question about PIO... I know it can mimick preggo symptoms... but, is queasy 1 of them? For the past couple of days I have a pretty constant feeling of queasy going on. I'm *praying* that I'm not getting a bug or something.

gator97

10-05-2006, 07:26 AM

Sebski- good to hear from you. Glad to hear you are hanging in there. Yes, I do get nausea while on the PIO. I'm also usually extremely tired. When is your beta?

Sebski

10-05-2006, 07:45 AM

Thanks Gator! Beta is a week from today on the 12th. :)

Bellefior

10-05-2006, 08:09 AM

Sebski we had our medications instructions today and they told us that the PIO can definitely mimic early PG symptoms, including nausea, sore bbs, and fatigue.

*****************

Well I'm not totally 100% but I feel so much better than yesterday thank goodness. We had our injections teaching today and I think we're good with it. The hardest part is going to be doing the first injection.

We went over our timeline today and if everything goes according to plan, we'll be having a beta draw/results exactly on my husband's birthday. We're both hoping that its the best birthday ever.

gymwidow

10-05-2006, 01:20 PM

skb, oh, yes, I'm sure the worrying will just transfer from one thing to another. I guess it's just one more thing to get used to! Enjoy this month's freedom!

gator, watching housewives last weekend did make me think twice! I had to identify myself twice during my ER and ET and also had to check my name and SS# on my petri dish before the transfer. But still, I guess you always have that little twinge of doubt!

Sebski, thanks. I'm crossing everything I have for you. I hope you're the next to share wonderful news here. The PIO can definitely do that to you. I don't feel nauseated so much as just uneasy if I eat even more than a bite too much of anything. And I never have an appetite anymore. Hmmmm, maybe that'll be a good thing and will help me drop a couple of the lbs I put on with the meds, or at least keep things even for a while!

Nothing new here. Crampy and very happy to say that the spotting is almost gone! Yippee! :)

Sebski

10-05-2006, 01:36 PM

Nurse just called w/ my b/w results from this morning's progesterone test. e2 is 381 and progesterone is over 40. I asked the million dollar question after she told me the #'s "can this indicate pregnancy" and she followed up w/ the PC response of "no. it just indicates that you could sustain a pregnancy should you be pregnant". Gotta love the cryptic conversations involved w/ IVF! ;)

Gymwidow - thanks for keeping yourself crossed for me! :) You described my queasy feelings to a tee! So happy that your spotting is almost completely gone - that must be such a relief!!!

Bellefior - what a wonderful day to have a beta drawn! Hopefully your DH will have an extra special birthday this year! :)

tigerest

10-06-2006, 07:26 AM

I have been following along just haven't had much time to post. I am swamped at work right now. I will be cutting down my hours once I start my cycle...well actually once I start stims because now my work is sending me to Florida next weekend, but at least I will only be on BCP at that point.

Thinking of all of you....

I'll be around more once I start my cycle. Have a good weekend.

gymwidow

10-06-2006, 08:46 AM

Sebski, that's great! LOL to your question. My RE was sure to tell me the same thing even before we had a chance to ask him! The no more spotting is such a huge relief. I really hope it's gone for good!

tigerest, I hope you have a good trip to FL! Hopefully you'll have some time to relax on a beach. :)

Well, I can't believe I'm saying this, but Threadmistress, please graduate me! :D My RE just emailed me to tell me that my HCG more than doubled again and is now 478. So even though I still don't feel anything at all, I'm surely pregnanter than ever. :) The spotting has also completely disappeared, so I'm being very cautiously excited and optimistic that this is for real and not going anywhere. I plan to continue to read along and post in here, though, and I can't wait to see each and every one of you succeed and graduate very soon!

Much love to you all......... I'm off to join the June mommies. :eek:

gator97

10-06-2006, 11:33 AM

minor vent ahead:
I am SO tired of being hormonal. I'm an emotional wreck and I'm just annoyed with it. I know it is all for a good cause but oh my goodness. So, today, I go in again for u/s, b/w. RE said it was a tough call to have me not trigger yesterday but that I wouldn't go past today. So, I'm surprised when I get the instructions to continue stims tonight and come in again tomorrow for u/s, b/w. Totally forgot it was early day so I didn't retrieve my message until the office had closed- called the on call nurse for confirmation and to question it and she was entirely unhelpful. The nurse who left me the original message wasn't an IVF nurse and she gave me my estradiol number but all she said was that my progesterone indicated I hadn't ovulated yet. What kind of a statement is that. . . . I better not have ovulated yet. ARGH. So, I'm just a hormonal mess. So, we'll see what tomorrow brings but I'm confused and annoyed.
/vent

skb

10-06-2006, 11:45 AM

gator You're having a tough go of it this week with the nurses/techs! I'm feeling impatient today compared to the relief I was feeling yesterday to have the month off......and I haven't even started anything yet! ARGH is right. You know what they say.....things always look better in the new daylight. So hopefully tomorrow will be better for you! Take care.

Sebski

10-06-2006, 01:43 PM

Gymwidow - YAY for being 'more pregnanter than ever'!!! :D So excited for you!!!

Gator - I'm sorry that you're having a rough day today. Not fun dealing w/ RE offices on Friday's is it? If it makes you feel any better, I was told last Friday that I wouldn't be getting a call w/ my fertilization reports until close to 5:30pm because it was Friday. And, they operate pretty slowly on Friday. :rolleyes: <<<hugs>>> Good luck w/ tomorrow's b/w and u/s!

So, trigger shot has left the building. I think. It was glaringly present w/ yesterday's test and I thought today's was negative... until I took it to the window to look in the natural light. There's a hint of something there. But, if my eyes aren't playing tricks on me, it must still be trigger right? I'll be testing again tomorrow so, we'll see... I'm PRAYING that if there is something there, it will get darker.

la_bride_2004

10-06-2006, 07:54 PM

gymwidow Those are great numbers! :) Congratulations

gator and skb Hugs to both of you. Gator I hope you can trigger soon!

sebski I think with the trigger generally you process out about 1,000 units per day, so the average trigger takes 10 days to go out of your system. Thinking positive thoughts for you!

gator97

10-07-2006, 07:06 AM

gymwidow- yeah for MORE than doubling! Great news! You must be so relieved. When is your u/s?

skb and sebski- thanks for the nice thoughts. I've calmed down a lot since yesterday. appt. went fine this a.m. and the RE said, "now you are ready". They just wanted to push me a little further. Found out my progesterone was .9 yesterday. I think if I had known that, I would have been a lot calmer. Sounds like I'll trigger tonight. I'm just wanting to feel normal again.

sebski- thinking good thoughts for you. hope the 12th comes quickly.

la_bride- good to "see" you! How are you?

Applebee

10-07-2006, 08:49 AM

Hi All!

Gymwidow - congrats!!!

Gator - hoping you trigger tonight!!!

Sebski - I hope you're HPTs start getting darker!!!

~~~ Waves to everyone else!!!

Well, I started my stims today. This is my 3rd IVF so you'd think I'd be able to do these shots with my eyes closed...HA! I forgot to change the needle!! I used the Q-cap to mix my two vials of Bravelle then put the 22g x 1 1/2 needle back on the syringe!! As I was sticking the needle in, I thought...hmm, I don't think the needle should be this long. OH SHIT! I used the wrong one. Talk about bleeding like a stuck pig. :eek:

So, I called the on-call nurse b/c the blood seemed watery at first so I thought the meds came out with it. She asked if I went all the way in, I said no, she said ok, then you are fine. She talked w/the doc and he agreed that I was fine and didn't have to do another shot. I still can't believe I forgot to change the needle.

I go back on Tuesday for a stim evaluation.

gator97

10-08-2006, 06:05 PM

Applebee- Ouch! Glad that you didn't have to redo it but oh my goodness.

I have my retrieval tomorrow. Yeah! I'm just hoping for good fertilization results this go around. We won't find that out until Thursday a.m.

And may I send out props to all of you doing traditional IVF. I do mini-stim and I get a lot of follicles for mini-stim, I guess. Regardless, I have around 8 follicles this time. . they are bigger this go around then I have ever gotten before and holy moly, it is uncomfortable. Just walking around is annoying after a little bit. SO, kudos to all of you!

Sebski

10-08-2006, 07:20 PM

Gator - lots and lots of luck to you tomorrow!!! Post back and let us know how it goes when you're feeling up to it!!!

Applebee - OUCH!!! :eek: Glad you didn't have to follow-up w/ another shot after that!

As for me... I'm not sure. But... I think I might have a bfp on my hands. Last night's test was stark white. This afternoon's has a line. Ya don't need to turn it every which way to see it either. But, I took a digi after the FRER (been testing w/ the same brand) and it came up negative. I'm going to keep on testing until my b/w on Thursday... pls. send me 'line darkening vibes'.

Thanks for all the good thoughts ladies!

Cath

10-09-2006, 07:12 AM

Sebski - cautious congrats. Don't worry yet about not seeing the word "pregnant" on a digital test. Those tests usually are less sensitive than the other tests. A line is a line, so I have my fingers crossed for you.

Gator - good luck at your retrieval today.

Applebee - ouch about forgetting to change the needle. Yikes. good stimming vibes!

gymwidow - Yeah for those great numbers!

Reading gymwidow's post reminded me I haven't graduated myself yet. I guess seeing the heartbeats twice should be enough for me to make that leap, so threadmistress, please graduate me.
Frozen egg cycle - Sept. 06
Pregnant - EDD May 23, 2007

I'll keep lurking and cheering everyone on!

Love to all,
Catherine

gator97

10-09-2006, 09:30 AM

sebski- cautious congrats to you! Hoping this is it!

Retrieval went well today. 8 eggs were retrieved. I'm feeling a bit more achey this time but hopefully it will go away soon. Just hanging out on the couch.

gymwidow

10-09-2006, 10:53 AM

gator, I'm sorry you had all those frustrations last week. I'm glad that stage is over and that you had a successful ER today! Go rest and make sure DH waits on you hand and foot. :) My first u/s is Thursday and I cannot wait!

Sebski, thanks! I am thinking lots of sticky BFP thoughts for you and sending those vibes your way. How exciting!

la bride, thank you!

Applebee, thanks! Yikes to your first shot! I can't imagine sticking myself with that big scary one.

Cath, congrats on officially graduating!

IVFIVF

10-10-2006, 12:34 PM

Updated to here.

Congrats to Cath and Gymwidow!

Sebski

10-10-2006, 06:21 PM

Hi ladies! I tested again tonight w/ a digi and got a BFP! :D It was SO FREAKING NICE to see that word... pregnant never looked so nice! :)

B/w is on Thursday. Can't stop smiling!!!

Suzlywoozly

10-10-2006, 10:24 PM

Who-hoo Sebski! Congrats!:D There is nothing better in the world than seeing "pregnant" pop up on a digi test!

la_bride_2004

10-10-2006, 10:29 PM

sebski crossing fingers for a good beta number! : D

Bellefior

10-11-2006, 04:57 AM

I got up bright and early this morning to give myself my Lupron injection before getting ready for work. Filled the syringe. Wiped the area with alcohol. Then proceded to stare at my thigh for 20 minutes. I couldn't bring myself to stick myself with the needle. Finally, my husband, God Bless him, stepped up to the plate and did it for me. It didn't hurt and was over so quickly, I had to ask him twice if he had done it. A mosquito bite hurts worse. Which made me feel like even a bigger idiot.

I'm so disappointed in myself that I couldn't do it, especially after all the time I spent psyching myself up. I'm going to try again tommorrow because I'm not going to let this thing beat me and I will do it.

I know all of you reading this have experience giving yourself injections, so any words of wisdom/advice would be appreciated.

PS. Congrats Sebski, hope you get some nice numbers on Thursday!

Asha

10-11-2006, 05:15 AM

I got up bright and early this morning to give myself my Lupron injection before getting ready for work. Filled the syringe. Wiped the area with alcohol. Then proceded to stare at my thigh for 20 minutes. I couldn't bring myself to stick myself with the needle. Finally, my husband, God Bless him, stepped up to the plate and did it for me. It didn't hurt and was over so quickly, I had to ask him twice if he had done it. A mosquito bite hurts worse. Which made me feel like even a bigger idiot.

don't feel bad. my friend who is a dr. said it was very hard for to give herself an injection for the first time. she said after the first time it was easy.

congrats sebski!! oh, i didn't congratulate cath, good luck and congratulations!

***
eta - does anyone know how to figure out due dates based on ivf? i read somewhere that the due date is not the same if you get preggo from ivf as opposed to naturaly conceiving. if all goes according to plans and i actually get preggo, my embryo transfer will be nov 21-23. when would i expect to deliver? tia!

Cath

10-11-2006, 06:46 AM

Sebski - so glad you saw that word. Good luck tomorrow!

Belle - It gets better after you've done a couple. I think the only reason I was able to give myself shots was because the nurse who taught my injection class made me give one to myself before letting us leave. The worst part of lupron for me was getting red itchy welts briefly at the injection site. If you're really nervous, you should be able to ice the skin for a couple of minutes and that might help numb it.

Asha - Thanks for the congrats and good luck. I'm going to need it. Here's a webpage that has an IVF due date calculator: http://www.ivf.ca/calcu.htm

Asha

10-11-2006, 06:48 AM

thanks, cath!!

Bellefior

10-11-2006, 07:49 AM

Thanks Cath for the advice. It didn't hurt at all and our center actually recommended not using ice beforehand (not sure why). I did get a small red welt and it stung a bit, but that's since gone away.

I do have a practice pad and I'm going to place it over my thigh tonight and pretend I'm sticking myself. I think what I am going to have to do however, is maybe just look away when I do it. I'm guessing after the first one it does get easier

tigerest

10-11-2006, 10:38 AM

Sebski - Congrats! Good luck tomorrow!

Bellefior - There is no way you could be a bigger wimp than me! It took me 3 cycle before I could do the shots myself. Just let your DH do them until you feel comfortable enough to try yourself! Good luck!

gator - Glad your ER went well. When will your transfer be? Good luck and I hope you are feeling well.

Cath - How are you feeling?

applebee - How are the stims going? How did your appt go?

waving hi to everyone else! :)

Well today is CD1.

I just got of the phone with the coordinator, I am not that excited about the dates. :/ Looks like I will be having retrieval and transfer the week of Nov. 13th. And taking my blood tests to see if it worked on Thanksgiving. Fun! Luckily I wont find out if it worked until after thanksgiving. (Especially because I don’t think my Dr will be making phonecalls on thanksgiving.) I was hoping to already know before thanksgiving. Now I am going to be a basketcase on thanksgiving and worrying about resting. Bleh. I guess the good thing is if we decide to do after thanksgiving shopping I will already be awake from the steroids probably. Oh well....maybe it will turn into a GREAT Thanksgiving weekend.

So I start BCP Friday and I will most likely be on those for 2 weeks. She is going to mail me my calendar today.

Applebee

10-11-2006, 03:12 PM

Sebski, congrats!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D :D

Belle - good luck on your needle attempts. Practicing on the pad is good - or an orange. That what I had DH practice jabbing.

Tiger - rats about the b/w possibly falling on Turkey day. That would really bother me as well. Good luck on the steriods.

~~~~Waves Hi to everyone else!!

-----

Stims Evaluation #1 (10/10) 3 full days of stims; Bravelle & Menopur
Left ovary: 8 <10 and a cyst, as usual
Right ovary: 5 <10
Lining: 5.1
E2: 102

They are increasing my Bravelle to 300iu a day. 225iu in the AM and 75iu in the evening. They like the E2 at 100-200 so they want try and increase it and are hoping the addl Bravelle will do that. I go back tomorrow morning. I could feel the left side today, it must be the cyst.

Asha

10-11-2006, 05:36 PM

I just got of the phone with the coordinator, I am not that excited about the dates. :/ Looks like I will be having retrieval and transfer the week of Nov. 13th. And taking my blood tests to see if it worked on Thanksgiving. Fun! Luckily I wont find out if it worked until after thanksgiving. (Especially because I don’t think my Dr will be making phonecalls on thanksgiving.) I was hoping to already know before thanksgiving. Now I am going to be a basketcase on thanksgiving and worrying about resting. Bleh. I guess the good thing is if we decide to do after thanksgiving shopping I will already be awake from the steroids probably. Oh well....maybe it will turn into a GREAT Thanksgiving weekend.

tiger - another thanksgiving gal, i will be having the egg retrieval and embryo transfer the week of thanksgiving.

gator97

10-11-2006, 06:10 PM

Sebski- woohoo! Fingers crossed for great results tomorrow!

Bellefior- the first few shots are the worst. I stared at the needle pointing to my stomach for a good 30 min. the first time. I don't ice ahead of time. I just pinch the skin and jab. The anticipation was far worse than the reality. I turn on the TV to a sitcom of some sort- which seems to help distract me. It is always a mind game with me to just do it.
Glad your DH was able to help you out. Mine does my progesterone b/c I am scared to death of those.

Tiger- my ET is tentatively set for tomorrow a.m. I'll find out in the morning if they want to stick with the 3 day transfer or move us to Saturday for a 5 day. We had such yucky fertilization results last time that I am a little nervous to hear the results tomorrow.
Sorry that your calendar stinks. Hope it all works out for you.
Did you have a great time in Florida. We are having great weather here! Perfect time for a Fla visit.

Applebee- good luck tomorrow!

Hi to everyone else! I will keep you posted after my transfer!

Klo.

10-11-2006, 06:34 PM

Hi ladies.
I'm so sorry to just barge in here like this. I think I may actually still be on the official roster. I was on the original WC IVF board actually.

Anyway, we just completed a FET cycle for baby #2 and just found out today that it was a negative. I'm just wondering if anyone knows approximately how long it will take to get AF? I took my last PIO, Prometrium and Estrace this morning. I guess I could just patiently wait but jsut wondering if it will be in a day or two or a week.

I'm still a bit numb and not making any decisions right now but I think we'll go ahead with a fresh cycle again so maybe I'll be joining up again.

Thanks in advance for any help.

la_bride_2004

10-11-2006, 07:51 PM

(((lo)))) Dang it, I am sorry. I think for me it took a week or so for AF to come after my FET, but I had a chemical pregnancy so that may have slowed it down. Again, more hugs.

Belle Don't beat yourself up- it's NOT easy sticking yourself!! Truthfully out of cycles of injections, I only did one or two shots myself- my husband did them all. The ice comes in handy with menopur or repronex (they can sting) and definitely with PIO- it will numb the area ahead of time. It's not so useful with lupron. Hang in there.

gator Best of luck on the retrieval!!!

Asha Best of luck on the upcoming cycle.

Applebee nice follicle count!

tiger yikes on the calendar- there is never a good time for all this stuff. Sending good luck vibes your way.

Bellefior

10-12-2006, 04:27 AM

Just wanted to update that today I was able to give myself my Lupron injection! I had a lot of advice from a lot of different people, but I think that the best advice came from one of the women in my weekly support group: stand up when you do it instead of sitting down, it will make it seem like it goes much more quickly and doesn't give you too much time to think about it. The other piece of advice was to just do it quickly. And finally, my DH suggested that I take the practice pad and syringe that the pharmacy gave us, place it over my thigh where I would normally be giving myself my injection, and practice pretending I was actually sticking my thigh, which is what I did last night while watching Lost.

This morning I was standing at our kitchen table with the needle in my hand then next thing I knew, it was in my thigh and I was injecting before I even had time to think about it. As I finished, I started yelling out out "I did it, I did it" (waking up my husband in the process :D ).

I want to thank everyone who gave me various bits of advice. You were all a tremendous help!

gator97

10-12-2006, 04:52 AM

Belle--- WOOHOO! That is great!

Just waiting for the call to confirm/move my transfer. I didn't sleep well last night and I am up earlier than I intended to be. I'm just so worried we won't have any good, quality embryos. And I know I'm supposed to be relaxing!

Asha

10-12-2006, 05:40 AM

gator - sending good thoughts for quality embryos your way!

belle - yay!! you are brave. i don't know how i'm going to handle it. i've decided i'm going to make my dh do it, but i'm sure there's going to be a time when he can't. do you have to give yourself injections at a certain time of day?

klo - i'm sorry. i can't offer any advice about what to do after a fet negative bc i'm newbie.

applebee - all your numbers just make me think how much i don't know about this whole process, and i have no idea what's going on. i'm sure i'll become an expert in no time, though.

Bellefior

10-12-2006, 06:53 AM

Asha the protocol they've placed me on has me doing the Lupron in the AM. When I add the Follistim and Repronex in, they want me to do those in the PM, so when that happens, I'll be doing injections twice a day (both morning and night). They also want me doing them around the same time each day.

Gator wishing you luck, please keep us posted.

tigerest

10-12-2006, 08:51 AM

gator - Good luck today. Sorry to hear you didn't sleep well last night. Hope you get good news today!

bellefior - Whoohoo! So glad you were able to do the shot yourself! :)

la_bride - Thanks.

KLo - So sorry about your BFN. When I did fresh cycles my period would always come 4 days after the last PIO, but with my frozen it was a full week later. So really it can be anywhere in that time frame.

asha - Wow, the week of thanksgiving huh! I am hoping thanksgiving is a lucky time of year!!! :)

Applebee - Looks like things are progressing well. That sucks about the cyst, hope it doesnt bother you anymore.

Well I sort of lucked out today (after much stress). I was supposed to have jury duty today and my meds are supposed to arrive today as well. WEll I called in and they dont want me to come in until 11. So I wasn't sure if I was supposed to go to work and then back and they said no that they will give me a note! So awesome, now I get to relax at home and wait or my meds! I didn't sleep well at all last night, I was having hot flashes all night long. My AF is very unpleasant this time. :/

gator97

10-12-2006, 09:57 AM

Quick update:
Of the 8 eggs retrieved, all 8 fertilized. 3 have putzed out completely. We had 1 grade 1, 8 cell, 2 grade 2 7 cell, 1 grade 2 6 cell and 1 grade 2 5 cell.

So, we transferred the 8 cell which the RE described as "perfect" and one of the 7 cells. So, now we wait. Beta is on the 23rd.

Suzlywoozly

10-12-2006, 10:29 AM

Klo- I am sorry about the negative FET :( On all three of my failed FET's, AF showed anywhere from 4-8 days later.

Sebski

10-12-2006, 12:15 PM

Quick fly by post because we just got in from a funeral and are supposed to be on our way to DH's uncles house. BUT I had to come in because today was beta day!!!

I'm officially pregnant!!! :) :)

Beta @ 14dpo = 171 / progesterone @ 25

Nurse said the beta was on the higher side - go back on Saturday for repeat.

Those of you who got your BFPs and are still checking in - what were your 1st betas?

Tandis

10-12-2006, 12:54 PM

Sebski - Congratulations!!! :D :D :D Those sound like a fantastic numbers. To answer your question, I think mine was 1827 at 18dpo.

Gator - Keeping my fingers crossed for you - good luck!

gator97

10-12-2006, 01:07 PM

Sebski- Official congrats! There is a great link of the first page of this thread that has a chart where you can look at HCG levels for your # of days post transfer. You can also input the number once you get your second results and determine doubling time.

Asha

10-12-2006, 05:12 PM

sebski - congrats. that's wonderful!!

gator - good luck!!

Mooshie

10-13-2006, 07:01 AM

Congratulations Sebski!

gymwidow

10-13-2006, 07:28 AM

Sebski, WOOHOO! :D That's awesome! Those #s are great. My betas were:
13DPO = 92
15DPO = 213
17DPO = 478
21DPO = 3391

Asha, count your ER date as your O date. Then go back 2 weeks from the ER and use that as the first day of your LMP. Or, use this formula (I think I read this on CC somewhere?): count backwards 3 months and 7 days from your ER. For me, ER was 9/19, so 3 months and 7 days earlier is 6/12, which is my EDD exactly.

tigerest, I'm glad you got your calendar. That sucks having to be waiting on TG. I hope you can find a way to get the test done beforehand.

Applebee, yay for growing follies!

Klo, I'm so sorry. Many hugs to you.

gator, thinking of you.......... FWIW, I had transferred one 8-cell and one 7-cell. I hope yours stick, too!

We got some exciting news on Tuesday - our u/s showed that we have TWO gestational sacs! We won't know till next week whether either or both are viable. We go back on Wednesday and are hopinghopinghoping we hear heartbeats then. :)

Asha

10-13-2006, 07:32 AM

gymwidow - how exciting - twins!!!! thanks for the info on expected due dates.

yeah, i used that due date calculator, and if i get preggo expected due date will be aug 12th!!! that's perfect timing bc even if the baby arrives early i will be able to finish the spring semester. i will be able to be with the baby for about five months until the end of january bc i plan to take off the following semester for school.

gator97

10-13-2006, 07:45 AM

gymwidow- woohoo! Fingers crossed for TWO heartbeats on Wednesday. How exciting!

Thanks for reminding me what you transferred back. I'm trying to remain hopeful without getting my hopes up. Not an easy task. On our way home from the clinic, I said to my DH, "I just hope at least one of these little guys decides to stick around." And DH looked at me and said, "I never thought about the possibility of both of them sticking around. " :) I think he has been in denial about the possibility of twins. But seemed excited about it now. Luckily my beta is scheduled a bit earlier this time around so I only have to wait until a week from Monday. And after this whole resting period, the week is pretty busy.

Bellefior

10-13-2006, 08:00 AM

Gymwidow congrats! That's so exciting.

Sebski I stopped by your LJ but wanted to wish you congrats here as well.

**************

As for me, today was day 3 of the Lupron and again, I did the injections myself. This is getting a lot easier. I also finally figured out how to give the injection without managing to give myself a big welt in the process!

la_bride_2004

10-13-2006, 06:47 PM

sebski CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know my first beta at 14 DPO was 187 and my second at 16 DPO was 406. At 20DPO it was over 2,200. I did have twins this pregnancy, but unfortunately, one didn't make it past 7 weeks. I loved this website: www.betabase.info

Gymwidow Sending good thoughts your way too!!!!!!!!!!

tiger sorry for the unpleasant AF

Belle yaaay for progress on the injections!

Asha you will learn all the lingo in no time, really.

Sebski

10-14-2006, 12:40 PM

Hi ladies! Thanks so much for all the congrats - I can't help but feel like I'm walking on air these last couple of days! :D

Stopping in w/ my 2nd beta results from today, 16dpo:

14dpo = 171 / p2 = 25
16dpo = 379 / p2 = 35

I asked my nurse about the progesterone not being high enough, but she said not to worry. That its rising slowly and I'm taking the PIO so, it's all good. ;)

I go in on 10/23 for my 1st u/s... I'll be 5w4d at that point. I think it will feel more real then.

Bellefior - great job w/ the Lupron - keep up the good work! :)

gator97 - have everything crossed for you girlie!!!

gymwidow - OMG twins!!!!! How exciting!!! CONGRATS x2!!!!! :)

Applebee

10-15-2006, 05:24 AM

Gator - sending you tons of sticky vibes!!!

Tigerest - sorry for the unpleasant AF and hot flashes added just sucks.

Sebski - good numbers there!!

Asha - to quote la_bride, you'll learn the lingo soon enough!

Belle - yayy for doing your Lupron shots on your own!!

Gym - congrats on the twinkies!!!

Hi to everyone else I missed!!

~~~~

I went for an evalulation Thursday and yesterday (Saturday).

Thursday:
Lt ovary: 9, 3 measurable (11.6, 11.8, 11.6)
Rt ovary: 7, 2 measurable (10.2, 9.9)

They increased my Bravelle to 4 vials a day; 3 in the AM, 1 in the PM.

Saturday- she didn't tell me the count for each side:
Lt ovary: 11.9, 14.7, 14.7, 14.9
Rt ovary: 14.2, 13.1, 12.7, 13.8

I started Antagon last night and have to increase my Menopur to 3 vials and continuing my 4 vials of Bravelle. I go back Monday morning.

skb

10-15-2006, 11:49 AM

One week away and I return to good news.

Congratulations sebski. Good betas. I'd be walking on air too and hope you continue to do so through the remainder of your pregnancy!

Hey gymwidow. Congrats on the twins. I plan to *stalk* you a bit on the pregnancy thread ;) and look forward to hearing all about your twin pregnancy. Take care.

I'll cross my fingers that you'll be joining gymwidow shortly gator...either on the pregnancy thread or the twin mama thread! I am an auntie to twins and have a friend with triplets so I have mixed thoughts watching them all in action. Obviously blessings but oh my goodness the amount of work! Either way...all good.

applebee Hope your appointment Monday goes well. Looks as though it's smooth sailing so far!

Pretty good that you've figured out the shots belle. Hopefully you can coach me along in a few weeks.

asha I giggled that you're still figuring out due dates. I remember when we first started trying and I'd be working out the dates in my mind. What would be better for work? Winter baby? Fall baby and starting school? you know. Now I am lucky if I know what day of the week it is and I don't give the rest a second thought! Glad your timing is working out for you though!

Well I have a bit to catch up on. Had the week off and spent it visiting family, shopping, eatting and not much of anything. Dreading my return to work Monday. Picking up a copy of all my test results etc. to take to our consult. Only a couple more weeks to wait!

Bellefior

10-15-2006, 03:12 PM

I posted this in my LJ, but since it is very much IVF related, I am also posting it here as well.

My weekend started off with a bang. As I was getting probably the best night's sleep I had in the last week (have not been sleeping well lately), my alarm went off at 6:45. And I had to get up, even though it wasn't workday, because I had to give myself my Lupron at 7 am. Not much of a choice since they want the injections given at about the same time every day. So half asleep, I padded off into the living room, turned the TV on, prepped and administered the medication, then proceeded to pass out on the couch for another two hours as I was watching some dog show on Animal Planet.

I went from being petrified of sticking myself with a needle to being able to do it practically in my sleep in less than a week. And to think I get to do it all over again tommorrow morning...

****************

Has anyone else experienced fatigue with the Lupron? Ever since I've started I've been finding that I want to take a nap either midmorning or midafternoon (and fatigue is one of the possible side effects). At least during the weekend, I can catch 40 winks at home, but that is not really an option at my office.

Lola9404

10-16-2006, 10:46 AM

Hi everyone, long time no talk.:)

I hope you're all doing well, I see a number of BFP's, so congratulations to everyone who has made it that far!

I am finally on my way to starting a new cycle. We have been approved by insurance to start another fresh IVF cycle, and so as soon as AF decides to show up we'll be on our way. The timing of this cycle will be almost exactly the same as our first fresh cycle (which was a BFN so I'm hoping it's not bad luck). Now that I will have something to report on I'm sure I'll be around more often.

Hope all is well, welcome to the newbies!
lola

Applebee

10-16-2006, 04:02 PM

Belle - glad to hear the shots are going so well! I didn't have any s/e's from Lupron. Sorry you're having some.

Lola - glad to see you again. I wish you the best with this next cycle!!

~~~~~

Monday's appt:
Lt ovary: 17.9 20.0 16.1 15.5
She saw 11 here.

Rt ovary: 17.8 15.6 15.5 16.0
She saw 7 measureable and few others that were smaller.

Lining: 11.5
E2: 1477

I continue my dosages tonight and tomorrow morning. Go in then for b/w & u/w and will probably trigger tomorrow night. ER should be Thursday.

gator97

10-16-2006, 06:05 PM

Bellefior- glad that shots are getting easier! That is great. I haven't done Lupron but I do get way tired on the progesterone.

la_bride- good to see you! Hope that you are well.

sebski- great numbers! Hope the 23rd gets here quickly.

Applebee- woohoo! Things are looking good. Good luck with everything on Thursday.

skb- hope the weeks pass quickly. Glad you had a great weekend!

Lola- Great to see you! Hope that AF arrives quickly so that you can get started.

I have a PIO question for you ladies. There is a possibility that DH will need to go out of town. Now, this is a non-issue if we aren't pg but we have to plan accordingly. I am TERRIFIED of doing these myself. Not helped by the fact that last night's shot hurt really badly (like none of the other zillion we have done). I think it is because I was not relaxing my muscles. So, how the heck do you relax your muscles when you are doing it yourself? I'll look back through the thread and see what I can find. . . but seriously scared. . . and feeling like a wimp for asking him not to go- b/c it could be an optional work trip that he wouldn't HAVE to go on. Is that awful?

So, going back and forth between hoping I'm pregnant and feeling hopeless that I'm not. I had a CSI-like dream last night about a lost baby. Yeah- a bit obsessed. One more week and counting.

twinkletoes

10-17-2006, 02:01 PM

I can't remember when I last posted, so I don't know who I owe SO's to. Oops! My apologies if I skip you...

sebski - Congrats!

gator97 - My nurse told me it's pretty much impossible to give yourself the PIO. I have a few nights when DH won't be around to give the injection, so she's actually going to come to my house to do it for me. Do you have anyone else would could give it to you? A friend who's a nurse or anything?

bellefior - I'm using you as inspiration for giving myself injections. I start my Lupron on Friday.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I got my giant box of meds today. I freaked out for a minute because of all the needles then realized that they gave me all the needles I need for PIO, even though I didn't order PIO from them. Whew!

I go in Friday morning for an ultrasound. I'm scared to death that something's going to be wrong and we're going to have to postpone everything.

CapeCod04

10-17-2006, 03:31 PM

Hi ladies. I haven't posted in a while because we stopped doing IVF cycles, but I do lurk here and I saw the questions about doing the PIO shots yourself. I had to do mine by myself at least half the time. I would do it in front of a mirror and put all my weight on the non-shot side. This seemed to keep my muscles relaxed. I was able to make sure I got it in the right place by watching in the mirror. It helped that the first cycle, the nurse drew a circle on my butt for me as a target zone! Just take a deep breath and don't agonize over it. Get right to it and you'll be fine.

gator97

10-17-2006, 04:38 PM

Thanks CapeCod! Using a mirror is a great idea. I have two beautiful circle targets on my hips :) Actually, this time she made them smiley faces.

gymwidow

10-18-2006, 08:42 AM

Asha, thanks. I've got my fingers crossed for you! August 12 is a great EDD = it's my dad's birthday! :)

gator, I truly understand. I had my hopes halfway up, but was prepared for bad news, too. LOL to your DH. Mine got it from the beginning and was just as vocal as my RE about only transferring back two. I guess it's a good thing I listened to them both! I'm thinking of you and hoping that this is it. I've never done my PIO shots myself, but one of the women I met at my clinic said she did them. She sat on a chair in front of a mirror and managed okay. If I had to, I'm sure I could.

Bellefior, thanks! Good job on the injections. I'm glad they're getting easier. I don't think I had fatigue with Lupron. I had massive blinding headaches, though. Man, was I glad when those were gone!

la bride, thanks!

Sebski, thank you x 2! I'm so excited for you! Are you going to come join a mommies' thread?

Applebee, I've got everything crossed for you. It looks like things are moving along nicely! I hope the ER goes great.

skb, aw, thanks! I'm happy to have my very own stalker. :p I'm glad you had a good week off. Hopefully going back this week wasn't too terrible!

lola, thanks. Good luck to you! I hope this cycle is the magic one.

twinkletoes, hugs and lots of luck to you!

We had our second u/s this morning and saw and heard the most beautiful thing ever = 2 clear heartbeats. :D We're both so thrilled - I just don't have the words to describe it. Nausea has set in, so with that and today's u/s, I guess I'm finally feeling pregnant! I hope every single one of you experiences this amazing want-to-throw-up-while-grinning-uncontrollably feeling. My love to you all!

ETA: Here's some for everyone:

http://lafemmebonita.com/blinkies//Pregnancy%20and%20Babies/SDK_BabyDust.gif

pocahontas

10-18-2006, 09:11 AM

We had our second u/s this morning and saw and heard the most beautiful thing ever = 2 clear heartbeats. :D We're both so thrilled - I just don't have the words to describe it. Nausea has set in, so with that and today's u/s, I guess I'm finally feeling pregnant! I hope every single one of you experiences this amazing want-to-throw-up-while-grinning-uncontrollably feeling. My love to you all!

DELURKING: Awww...GYM! I know that "want-to-throw-up-while-grinning-uncontrollably" feeling has got to be the BEST! :D How awesome for you! Now go get some rest and take care of yourself!

amychris03

10-18-2006, 10:51 AM

Congrats to Sebski and a double congrats toGym!:)

Bellefior I'm not sure if I had fatigue, or if I just slept a lot because I had horrible headaches from it and thats the only way I could get them to go away. I wouldn't be surprised if that was a symptom though!

Bellefior

10-18-2006, 11:12 AM

Congrats Gymwidow on the twins and a big hi to everyone else!

Not getting headaches from the Lupron, thankfully, but am getting hot flashes, which is, um, kind of interesting :rolleyes: .

And now, totally unrelated to IVF or TTC but just wanted to share some exciting news we received last night. We learned that my husband passed the bar exam he took in July :D :D :D ! It was just so nice to have something to celebrate for a change, and is one major stressor that is finally off our backs!

Asha

10-19-2006, 05:44 PM

belle - what a relief!! i know you two were so worried about that, and it must feel like a huge weight is lifted off your shoulders. did you go out and celebrate?

Applebee

10-19-2006, 06:15 PM

Had ER today! They retrieved 19 eggs! They retrieved this the last time, hopefully they are better quality this time and we get more to transfer (3) and freeze.

I'm doing ok. Sore, but that's usual. Tiny worry today. When I woke up from being under, I was on oxygen. Evidently they were having trouble waking me up.

Be back tomorrow w/the fert report!

gator97

10-19-2006, 06:40 PM

Bellefior- yeah for the great news about the bar exam! What wonderful news!

Applebee- great retrieval results. sorry it was a little scary with the oxygen. fingers crossed for great fertilization results.

I'm hanging in there. Nausea kicked in yesterday. . .but that is a normal side effect of progesterone for me so of course it means nothing. The only weird thing is that since yesterday, I have had a weird taste in my mouth---and I really notice it with milk. I do not like the taste of milk right now (and normally I love it). It almost tastes sour to me. But I have DH taste it and it's fine to him. So, of course, the hopes are up. But logically, all symtpoms are based on hormones. . . and I'm on hormones so I know to trust nothing. Just a few more days and we will know. I really want this to work.

Bellefior

10-20-2006, 06:37 AM

I went in this morning for my baseline ultrasound and everything looks good to go, so tommorrow I will be dropping down the dosage of Lupron and adding in the stims at night. One of the other doctors in the IVF practice who I hadn't met yet did the ultrasound this morning and she had the nicest personality. Who you get for retrieval or transfer depends on who is on duty the day you go in, but I'm hoping it will be either my doctor or the one I met this morning.

Gator and Apple, sending positive happy thoughts your way.

Asha we didn't go out and celebrate Tuesday, but I did bring home a nice bottle of Dom. I only had a few sips because I'm not supposed to be drinking. We're actually having a celebration dinner with the parents on Sunday.

gymwidow

10-20-2006, 07:12 AM

pocahontas & amychris, thanks!

Bellefior, thanks and a HUGE congrats to you and DH! I know what a giant stressor that is and I'm so happy that it's all behind you. Yay for a good baseline u/s and for getting started with stims!

Applebee, woohoo! That's awesome! I hope you're doing and feeling much better - what a scare that must've been yesterday. I've got everything crossed that I'll come back to read a great fertilization report later.

gator, hugs and good wishes and lots of happy thoughts that you'll be sharing wonderful news soon!

Lola9404

10-20-2006, 08:08 AM

Bellefior - huge congrats on your DH passing the bar! how wonderful! And glad to hear your cycle is going well. :)

gymwidow - congratulations!

applebee - that is wonderful - wow, 19 eggs!

hi to everyone else!

Well yesterday was officially CD1 and I start BCP's today. The week of my ER and ET should be almost EXACTLY the same as my first IVF last year. Which is weird and I feel maybe a bad omen since our first IVF was a BFN. :(

twinkletoes

10-20-2006, 11:42 AM

Lola9404 - Good luck starting up. I understand about the timing - I had to make sure my IVF wasn't scheduled to give me the same due date as I had with a previous (miscarried) pregnancy.

bellefior - Congratulations to your DH! When is your estimated ER?

gator - Fingers are crossed for you!

Applebee - 19 eggs! Holy heck! Sending positive vibes your way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I went in today for my u/s to check for cysts before starting Lupron. All was clear, so I give myself my first injection tonight! I'm actually pretty geared up about it, so I'm hoping the adrenaline will stick around and help me get it done. We also had to pay for the entire procedure out of pocket this morning, so I am reeling from the shock of handing over that much money!

They also lowered my Gonal F dosage because I've already got a lot of follicles, without starting stims or suppression yet. (I have PCOS, so there are always a ton of extras hanging out.) I'm a little nervous that I won't respond as well as they're thinking that I will. I feel like I am putting a ton of faith in my RE!

Bellefior

10-20-2006, 01:00 PM

Lola I'd try not to think of bad omens or anything like that, though I can't say that I blame you either. Keep thinking positively.

Twinkle they've given me a tentative ER date of 10/31 or 11/1. I can totally empathize with you over the shock of handing over that much money, but can tell you from my own experience that once you hand over the check, you tend to forget about it fairly quickly (kind of like ripping off a band-aid, once you do it, you kind of forget about it). At our center, our case wouldn't even get submitted to the IVF committee unless it had either been approved by insurance or paid by us, so even though I didn't have my baseline until now, basically, they've been hanging on to our uncashed 9K check for the last month. Good luck with the Lupron shots tonight, let us know how it goes!

twinkletoes

10-20-2006, 04:05 PM

Asha

10-20-2006, 04:06 PM

but can tell you from my own experience that once you hand over the check, you tend to forget about it fairly quickly (kind of like ripping off a band-aid, once you do it, you kind of forget about it.

that's the way i feel about it. i wish my dh felt the same way.

gator97

10-20-2006, 05:24 PM

woohoo twinkletoes! The first shot is always the hardest so it should be smooth sailing!

Bellefior

10-21-2006, 08:56 AM

I did my Lupron! And it was surprisingly easy! I just went in there and did it - no hesitation at all, though it did surprise me how tough human skin is. Now I have no worries at all until I have to start the dreaded PIO. :D

Congrats Twinkle! Isn't it a great feeling?

Remember I said there were no major side effects from the Lupron? Well this morning I woke up with the headache from hell, verging on a migraine and I think it may have been from the Lupron. I've only had a few migraines in my life but knew that this was close to being one, and I felt a headache coming on last night when I went to bed. Tossed my cookies a couple of times, managed to keep down a few tylenol, and my husband kept bringing me hot compresses for my head. Somehow, I managed to give myself my regularly scheduled injection at 7 am (reduced dose) then immediately conked out for another 3 hours. When I woke up, the headache was nearly gone, thank goodness and I was feeling human again. I start stims tonight and am hoping those go as smoothly as the Lupron.

Applebee

10-21-2006, 12:59 PM

Yesterday's fertilization report was 19 mature, 16 growing.

Today's report...15 growing. I'm scheduled for a 5 day transfer Tuesday.

Belle - sorry about the headaches. Hope those stims treat you well!

BBL for more shout outs. Didn't sleep well and still crampy.

Sebski

10-21-2006, 01:41 PM

I feel so bad that I haven't been in here in awhile - work's been kicking my butt... add to that the fact that I'm so nervous about the upcoming u/s (Monday) that I'm trying not to think too much about the pregnancy for fear of jinxing it. Anyhoo -

Gym - congrats again on the double trouble headed your way! ;) I don't know if I'm going to join a mom's group here or not... I m/c in June the day after joining the Feb 2007 mom's group and I don't feel comfy joining yet because of that... once again - the jinxing thing. Crazy, I know.

Applebee - 19 eggos! How wonderful!!! And what a great report so far - lots of luck to you on Tuesday!!!

Gator - I had the queasy's from the progesterone as well... not fun... hang in there tootse!

Lola - yay for starting up!!! Bleh to the timing ... <<hugs>>

Twinkle - congrats on the lupron shots! :) PIO isn't that bad... I do my own and, if it were, DH would have found me on the floor passed out a few weeks ago. ;)

I'm doing well... as I said earlier, I go in on Monday for an u/s... I'll be 5w4d at that point and am not really sure what they expect to see. I'm hoping to the see the h/b but, I know that isn't realistic thinking. Hopefully things will be looking good though... oh lord how I hope things are looking good. Pls. say a couple of prayers for me!

Hope everyone's having a nice weekend!

twinkletoes

10-21-2006, 02:49 PM

Sebski - You do your PIO on your own? And it's really not that bad? I'm really contemplating that, and I really need some cheerleading. :) My DH has a phobia of needles - not so helpful! He can't even watch me do my Lupron. It freaks him out.

Sebski

10-21-2006, 04:13 PM

Yep - I do my own PIO. DH started out doing them, but he's very annoying... does a little countdown and then doesn't pull the needle out fast enough afterward. Anyhoo, some people recommend using a mirror, but that's too much for me since everything's in the kitchen and I don't have a mirror nearby. I just put all my weight on the supporting leg, point, aim and shoot. The anticipation is worse than the actual shot. And, honestly, I think the gonal f needle hurt more for me for some reason. Oh! And, remember that it's the UPPER outer quandrant of your butt (if you're doing it there). My nurse said a lot of people think its actually the cheek, but it's not. Once you get the hang of it, it's a breeze. Also, some people use a heating pad etc. afterward, but I don't. I just rub the area for a few secs to make sure the PIO gets where it needs to go and that's it. The setup of the syringe (switching tips) actually takes longer than the shot itself. :) Sooooo simple!

twinkletoes

10-21-2006, 08:02 PM

Sebski - One more question. Do you do a 1cc or a 2cc PIO shot? I'm a little worried because mine's a 2cc. I remember the 1cc hCG hurting pretty badly when I did that with my IUI cycles, and I'm kind of freaked out about doing 2 whole cc's at one time. :eek:

belle - You're freaking me out with all the Lupron side effects. I have such a full plate, I'm not sure I could handle not feeling well on top of everything else coming up this week. :)

PIO Question - My RE just switched me over to Progesterone in Ethyl Oleate instead of Progesterone in Sesame Oil. Is anyone else doing the Ethyl Oleate version? I'd never heard of it, but my RE says it's supposed to be thinner so it uses a thinner needle, which will make it easier for me to self-inject. I'm interested if anyone else is using it too, and moreso if anyone has used both forms and has noticed a difference.

Sebski

10-22-2006, 05:59 AM

Twinkle - I do 1cc... the 2cc won't be more painful, it will just take a couple of extra seconds to plunge it in. And, if the Progesterone in Ethyl Oleate is supposed to be thinner, then it might not take longer at all. I'm doing the oil though, don't know anything about Ethyl Oleate. You'll do just fine. :)

PIO question... does anyone else's injection site itch after administering the PIO? I have bruising, which is natural. But, I'm also itchy afterward. :confused:

Applebee

10-22-2006, 06:34 AM

Sebski - that's for posting about your PIO shots. I need to do my own Fri-Sun as DH is going to New Orleans for the Ravens v. Saints game. We didn't even think about the PIO shots until yesterday. I was thinking my goddaughter who is in nursing school could do them - good training! LOL But, I think I'll attempt them myself. Good luck at Monday's u/s!!!!

Twinkle - Lupron seems to affect everyone differently. I had absolutely no s/e's from it. Good luck!

Gator - I'm hoping the best for you this week!

Lola - best of luck this cycle hun!

~~ Waves hi to anyone I missed!

Bellefior

10-22-2006, 07:35 AM

Twinkle don't freak out about the Lupron side effects. As Apple said, everyone is different, which I learned in from the women in my support group. The most common side effect for the women in my group seemed to be headache. Some of them had no side effects at all. I consider myself pretty fortunate that the only real side effects for me were the hot flashes and fatigue, and there was only the one really bad headache (yesterday). I'm also wondering if the headache could also be due to the fact that I started my period this morning (doctor said I might have light bleeding coming off the pill and not to worry if it happened) and my hormones are so totally out of whack?

Last night was day 1 of stims. It seemed like it took forever to mix the two vials of Repronex, but I'm guessing that now I know what to do, it will go much more smoothly. The Repronex stung as I was injecting it, but I've been told that is fairly common (though I started using 1 or 2 profanities when I felt the burning). The Follistim pen proved much easier to use, but I had a moment there when I thought the pen wasn't working then realized you have to push down much harder on the button than you do on the insulin syringes you use for the Lupron. Same for the Repronex since the barrel of the syringe and the plunger is also larger than the one used for the Lupron. As I was holding the syringe in the hand, I had the same momentary panic that I had when I first tried to give myself the Lupron and didn't think I could do it, but said to myself, we're not going through this again and just took the plunge and did it. Same thing for the pen. I did welt up a little at the injection site but its gone this morning. The only reminder is a tiny bruise where I injected the Follistim. Now I'm worried since I am up to 3 shots a day that if I keep bruising like this, I am going to run out of places to inject myself. Or at least have to get more creative, so any suggestions from those of you who have been there and done that would be most appreciated. In a weird way, I'm actually looking forward to the PIO shots (even with the larger needle) because that means I am only down to one shot a day.

gator97

10-22-2006, 04:23 PM

sebski- good luck with the u/s tomorrow.

Applebee- great results! Good luck on Tuesday!

Our beta is tomorrow and I've been a nervous wreck all day. While I get my blood drawn early in the a.m.- they don't call until early afternoon but I won't find out until I get home from work. We are going to ask them to leave a message so we can listen together. I'm so anxious. I'm terrified it is going to a negative result again. Think good thoughts for us, please.

twinkletoes

10-22-2006, 08:29 PM

Eek! I accidentally left my Lupron out on the counter tonight after I did my injection. Do you guys think it's still okay? It was out for about 2 hours at room temperature (we keep our house at around 78 degrees). The box says to keep it out of direct light and under 77 degrees.

Thanks!

skb

10-22-2006, 10:20 PM

Just reading the last little bit about all of the shots and thinking....soon my time will come and this is the place to find a good coach! My first week back was busy, this weekend we had company and this coming week fall functions on 3 evenings. If this keeps up my consult will be here before I know it!

gator I personally think you are pregnant!!!

Bellefior

10-23-2006, 04:42 AM

Twinkle the pharmacy that filled all my meds had a 24 hour hot line. Do you have something similar that you can call? If not check with your RE first thing in the morning.

I'm thinking since the Lupron doesn't have to be refrigerated until you use it, its probably not going to be a big deal, but definitely check with the pharmacist or RE.

Gator good luck with your testing!

*********

Last night was day 2 of stims and it seemed to go much more smoothly this time, though I really bled after removing the Folllistim needle. I have noticed that right after I inject my meds, I seem to feel cramping/fullness in my lower area. I'm hoping that this means that its working, though the fact that AF arrived yesterday might also explain it.

Lola9404

10-23-2006, 08:24 AM

Hi everyone,

no real time for shout-outs but I do hope that everyone is doing well!

I've started my cycle officially with BCP's yesterday so we're on our way.

I have a question - have any of you used meditation, yoga or anything like that during your cycle to help you feel centered and relaxed? I am going back to doing acupuncture but I also want to try other things as well and would love to know of any good CD's or yoga DVD's that you might have.

Thx!

twinkletoes

10-23-2006, 08:50 AM

Just in case anyone was curious, I called the pharmacy and the pharmacist says that the Lupron is okay. Whew!

Bellefior

10-23-2006, 01:20 PM

I have a question - have any of you used meditation, yoga or anything like that during your cycle to help you feel centered and relaxed? I am going back to doing acupuncture but I also want to try other things as well and would love to know of any good CD's or yoga DVD's that you might have.

Thx!

Lola our Resolve meeting this week focused on alternative therapies. We discussed acupuncture, meditation, breathing exercises, yoga, stuff like that. It was interesting to hear about some of the different things that people do.

I had seriously thought about doing acupuncture, but to be perfectly honest, as much as I would like to do it I just couldn't see adding in another appointment into my already busy schedule, and I think just trying to fit in the appointment and get to it would be more of a stressor than a relaxer.

However, I did buy a fertility meditation CD (gotta love Amazon, they have everything), which I just got last Thursday and have been using. The title of it is "Health Journeys Guided Meditations Help For Infertility". It has some guided visualizations, but the part I like best is the track with the affirmations, so that's really what I've been focusing on, because I find its what relaxes me the most. First time I listened to it, I did so without headphones, which resulted in my husband laughing and making these weird sitar-sounding noises, so I've learned to use it with headphones. Lately, I've been getting up earlier than usual in the morning, well before I have to give myself my scheduled shot of Lupron, so instead of lying in bed and staring at the ceiling, what I have been doing is getting up, moving over to the couch, and just listening to the affirmations before I start my day.

Also, several people in my group have done yoga for fertility and the DVD they seem to like the best was one by someone called Monica Morrell. I can't really comment on it since I haven't used it myself. I'm not currently doing yoga, but did do it regularly about 2-3 years back, and found what I enjoyed the most was the breathing exercises and meditations at the end of the class and I'm getting that from the CD that I bought.

gator97

10-23-2006, 02:03 PM

Well, after spending the day cranky b/c I knew it didn't work. . . I started getting AF menstrual cramps in the a.m. just like I did last time. I was beyond annoyed. . . Imagine my surprise when the nurse called and I found out that

I AM PREGNANT!!!!!!!

I'm floating on air right now and trying hard to stay grounded at least until our repeat beta on Wednesday. I was supposed to wait until we got home b/c DH is worried if we get negative news that I wouldn't be fit to drive home. But around 2 p.m. I started getting my hopes up again. So, I called him at work and said I needed to listen to the message b/c I was starting to be hopeful again and I knew I'd be crushed if I allowed that to happen. So, after reassuring him that I would be able to handle the negative news alone, I called. Then, I called DH back and as soon as I went to speak, I broke into sobs so I couldn't talk. . .of course, the poor boy thought it was bad news.

Anyway, beta is at 260, I'm 14 days past retrieval, 11dp3dt
Please send me some doubling vibes!!

Bellefior

10-23-2006, 02:24 PM

CONGRATULATIONS!!!:D :D :D Here's hoping that all continues to go well and lots of doubling vibes!!!!!!!!!

la_bride_2004

10-23-2006, 04:05 PM

Yaaay Gator!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

la_bride_2004

10-23-2006, 04:18 PM

Lola

I have a question - have any of you used meditation, yoga or anything like that during your cycle to help you feel centered and relaxed? I am going back to doing acupuncture but I also want to try other things as well and would love to know of any good CD's or yoga DVD's that you might have.

I have some thoughts for you!

Meditation CD's- yes, I used and would recommend them! Statistically there have been studies that show they have helped. A thread favorite here (and back on the WC) was from Anji Online- they have an IVF-specific guided meditation CD.

http://store1.infopac.net/anji/StoreFront.bok

Meditation is a learned thing- I will confess I really didn't like it in the beginning! But if you do it regularly (like every day) it gets a lot easier and you can truly see some profound results.

Acupuncture: I did this. Like Bellefior said, it IS another appointment, and you may start to feel like IVF/IF is a second job, and it can get expensive. That said, most of the people I know through RESOLVE and my mind/body class did go and did end up having successful cycles, so I think it can help. I went fairly regularly for about 4-6 months, and I am not sure it helped me that much, but then, we had male factor infertility. If you do decide to go, it's very important that you go with a acupuncture clinic or practitioner that specializes in infertility and is familiar with IVF.

Yoga for Fertility: I did buy this DVD, and I would recommend it- it's a nice gentle workout. I think though, if you pick any yoga class (except bikram or "power yoga"- stick to Hatha or Kundalini or the more meditation-based ones) it would help you.

http://www.amazon.com/Fertility-Yoga-Monica-Morell-PhD/dp/B0003OXEE2/sr=8-4/qid=1161645233/ref=pd_bbs_4/104-6129653-8376738?ie=UTF8&s=dvd

Lastly, on a tip from RESOLVE, if you are really dedicated, you may consider going to a chiropractor. In my group, a woman went to one for an ankle injury, and ended up with a successful cycle. Soon all the other women started going, and one by one they had successful cycles too. Something about adjusting the spine and getting the pressure points aligned properly is supposed to help. I was a complete skeptic, but I did have a successful cycle several months after I started going, so who knows.

I can be overwhelming! If you factor in support group meetings, acupuncture, chiropractor, yoga classes, etc. you can totally fill your schedule! Pick what interests you. I think for me the meditation, support group, and yoga were most helpful.

Sebski

10-23-2006, 05:00 PM

Gator - HOW WONDERFUL!!! And what a fantastic beta #!!! Sending you sticky and doubling vibes!!! :D

We had our 1st u/s this morning and saw a perfect sac and yolk according to the RE who did the scan. No h/b, but I'm only 5w4d. This morning's beta came back at 11,150 (25dpo). Whew! I was feeling very relieved and then read on betabase that you can see a h/b when the beta reaches 6,000... I know everyone's different, but there's a huge difference between 6,000 and 11,150! Shouldn't I have seen a flutter w/ a beta like that? I go back a week from today for another u/s and made my appt w/ my OB for 11/14. :)

skb

10-23-2006, 05:33 PM

Congratulations gator. Can't wait to hear if there shall be one or two!

sebski Good to know that the sac and yolk are perfect. I'm sure you'll hear the HB at your next US. Take care.

gator97

10-23-2006, 05:52 PM

sebski- yeah for seeing a perfect sac and yolk. That is so exciting! I have always heard that 5 weeks is too early to see a heartbeat so do not worry! It was just too early.

Lola- yeah for getting started! I did do acupuncture for many months and during my first two cycles. I actually took a break for the last few months b/c I took a break from anything I perceived as fertility related-and never started back up for this cycle- not really for any particular reason. I think it is why the stims were so hard on me this time. I had a lot harder of a time during that phase than normal. My acunpuncturist (a friend of mine) did give me a book on infertility and traditional chinese medicine- I think it is the Infertility Cure. Interesting reading. I did follow suggestions in that book for my diagnosis (kidney yin deficient and cold uterus). I also follow her suggestions of staying away from cold food (no ice in drinks) and go for things that are warming. . cinnamon tea is the biggest one I do from that suggestion.

It is one more appt but it was so relaxing to me!

This cycle, I did a lot of "focused breathing" and visualizing. Every now and then I would just pause and close my eyes, focus on my breathing, and visualize the embryos burrowing in. I did this any time I started to feel myself get stressed- and then just at random times.

twinkletoes- glad that your Lupron is okay!

Bellefior- glad the shots went better today!

Thanks for the congrats. We are trying to stay positive but realistic at the same time. We know that we are not out of the woods. I have had an early miscarriage in the past so I'm very worried. So, we need to get to Wednesday with doubling numbers.. . then I'll sort of relax. :rolleyes:

Applebee

10-24-2006, 06:16 AM

Gator - congratulations!! Sending you lots of doubling vibes!!!!!!!!

Heading out to transfer shortly. BBL!!

Bellefior

10-24-2006, 06:42 AM

Today was Monitoring after 3 days of Stims. Doctor said there were 2 measurable on the right (I think at 8 and 9) and one measurable on the left (about the same size as the other two). He also said there were "numerous" smaller ones on the right, as well as on the left. Does this sound right after 3days of stims, because I am totally clueless? I asked him if it would be expected that the smaller ones would get larger and he said "they better". His choice of words really annoyed me, but I decided to let it slide. This was one of the doctors in the practice I had not seen before, and I much prefer the bedside manner of mine and the one I saw last week, so I'm really hoping I get either one of them for retrieval and transfer (though does it really matter if I'm knocked out cold for retrieval?). I've now met 4 out of the five doctors at my practice and though they are all excellent, I know which ones I prefer (the women).

One other thing that annoyed me was when I went into the blood lab the phlebotomist had a giant screen saver of his 4 kids on his computer. Since this is a blood lab that is only used by the patients in the IVF clinic (and the first time I went to that particular lab), part of me thought that was kind of insensitive to have that sticking in your face. My husband told me that the world doesn't stop because we are undergoing IVF, but I'm sure I'm not the only patient who has ever noticed it. The guy who drew my blood was nice, so I definitely don't plan on saying anything, I just thought it was very weird.

twinkletoes

10-24-2006, 07:14 AM

gator - CONGRATS!

Belle - My phlebotomist has a couple of pictures in her office of her daughter, but it's never really bothered me. I know that when I'm a mother, I'll want pictures of my kids around me, so I try to remind myself of that. It was harder when one of the nurses at the RE's office was clearly pregnant. Especially when she was the one to tell me that we'd lost our last pregnancy.

I do worry, though, because I often have to take a baby in with me when I go in for blood draws, and I know that it upsets other patients. Fortunately, the staff lets me sit in a separate waiting area by myself so that other patients don't have to just sit and stare at us. (This was done at my request.) I know that it's not the ideal situation, and I know that it's upsetting, but it's what I have to do. I do make other arrangements for the baby when I have an u/s or something, but when I'm going every other day for E2, I just can't find enough people to help out.

Bellefior

10-24-2006, 07:47 AM

Twinkle I find that if I am in a situation where I am in control or one where I know ahead of time there might be kids around, or people might have or show pictures of their kids, I don't really have an issue with it. This morning just really sort of blindsided me--especially when he couldn't find a vein to stick me and when I said I've always had that as an issue, he pointed to one of the girls in the picture and said "oh, she has the same problem." The fact that I am now hopped up on hormones probably made me a little more oversensitive than usual.

PS. I also wanted to compliment you for how sensitive you are to the issue when you go in for your appointments with the baby and how you've learned to handle it. 99.9% of the people probably wouldn't have a quarter of the sensitivity that you show.

gymwidow

10-24-2006, 08:37 AM

Lola, good luck with this cycle. Don't pay any attention to the dates. Stuff like that doesn't mean anything! I did acupuncture throughout, but gave up on yoga once the nurse told me that the twisting moves can sometimes aggravate enlarged ovaries. You have to be careful what positions you do once you get started on your cycle.

twinkletoes, I take 1cc of PIO still (going on 5 weeks now). I don't think 2cc would hurt anymore than 1; it will just take longer to inject it. But IMO once the needle is in, I don't feel anything after that anyway. The only meds that NEED to be refrigerated are the stims, and I think those can stay at room temp once they've been opened.

Bellefior, I had a few of those Lupron headaches. Man, those were bad! I hope you don't suffer through any more of them. Do you ice your injection sites b/f shooting up? Maybe doing that b/f and/or after would help prevent bruising. I only bruised a couple of times, usually when I hit a blood vessel on the way in or out. It sounds like your ovaries are starting out great. I hope those little ones keep on growing in the next 2 days. I'm sure they will! The pics thing prob. wouldn't bother me much. At my RE's, the room where you get your blood drawn has huge bulletin boards up that are covered with photos of the patients' babies. It's just one of those things that you get used to or just decide you won't let bother you. That's what I did and for the most part, I handled it okay.

Applebee, I'm thinking of you today! Stick, little guys! How many are you putting back?

Sebski, I don't think the h/b is based on the beta level (esp. since beta levels can be dramatically different b/w individuals). My RE said it's based on development, and it's usually not visible or audible before 6w. He was warning us at our 6w1d u/s last week that it was early and we probably wouldn't see/hear anything and then seemed surprised that we did! My PIO injection sites sometimes itch for a couple of minutes after the shots.

gator, WOOHOOOOOOO!!!! Those are awesome numbers! I was only at 213 at 15DPO, and remember that I've got two little ones inside now. I'm so excited for you! Big doubling vibes coming your way!

Bellefior

10-24-2006, 09:31 AM

Gymwidow thanks for the advice on the injections. My RE's office did not recommend I ice (not sure why) but I found out that if I push the meds slowly and steadily, there's less of a tendency to bruise. I keep feeling twinges in my lower abdomen, the doctor said that is to be expected, and I hope that just means the meds are doing their thing. As far as the phlebotomist's picture goes, at least now that I know its there, I won't let it bother me in the future.

Since we arelooking at a possible trigger date of Sunday if all goes as expected, and there is a time change Saturday night, of course, my mind was racing at 3 am wondering if the time change would screw everything up. The doctor told me not to worry about it, they would calculate in for the time change.

Lola9404

10-24-2006, 11:28 AM

Hi everyone, wow this board is jumping!

BIG thanks to labride, gator and gymwidow and anyone else who responded with advice about my post. I'm going to look into starting yoga before I start stimming and I am going to acupuncture tonight and will prob go every week from here on out. If nothing else it really relaxes me! And last time I did acu along with my cycle I did get pregnant, even though it didn't stick.

gator - congratulations!!!!!

I got my protocol in the mail today and I should be receiving meds by the end of the week. BCP's are making me crazy but I think by next week my body should be used to them and settle down. hopefully!!

Bellefior

10-24-2006, 12:18 PM

Well, I finally got the call back from the IVF nurse. E2 is 213 which she said was "excellent". No clue if that is indeed an excellent number, but hey, if that's what she said, I'll take her word for it. They want me to stay on the same medication dosage (5 units of Lupron, 150 of Repronex and 300 of Follistim) and will see me again Thursday morning for repeat ultrasound and bloodwork.

I seem to be getting more and or twinges of discomfort down below. Definitely tolerable, but I asked if Tylenol was okay if it got significantly worse and the nurse said fine (Tylenol is the only thing they want me taking for discomfort). Then she and I laughed over the fact that my husband and I had gone to BJ's Wholesale Club last night and while we were there, purchased a ginormous bottle of Tylenol that will probably last us for the next year or so. I'm really trying not to take it if I can help it, because I really don't want to put any more drugs in my body than necessary.

Applebee

10-24-2006, 07:13 PM

Hi ladies!

Laying here on the sofa trying to relax. DH was in bed by 7pm so I have had to get some things myself, but I'm taking it easy.

The transfer went fine. We put back 3, grade 1AA blastocysts!!! I have a pic, but my scanner is broke so I'll have to try and do it at work on Thursday. My beta is 11/6.

We are calling them Alvin, Simon and Theadore - or Larry, Moe and Curly - or Manny, Moe and Jack! LOL

gator97

10-24-2006, 07:27 PM

beautiful, applebee! Don't worry about having to get up. I've heard it is good to get the blood flowing so to get up every now and then.

Hope that Larry, Mo, and Curly are nestling in tight!

Getting anxious as our repeat beta is tomorrow. We are waiting for the rug to be pulled out from under us.

Bellefior- I'm not much help as I don't get an u/s for monitoring until after 5 days of monitoring.

Lola- yeah for getting started soon. Hope that the BCPs relax a little bit and hope you feel better. Enjoy acupuncture. I miss it, actually. Hope you find some other wonderful relaxation techniques.

tigerest

10-24-2006, 10:48 PM

gator - Congrats on your first Beta! Good luck tomorrow! Hope all is well.

Applebee - Congrats on a great transfer. Wishing you a speedy 2ww!

Bellefior - Before Transfer I found that a heating pad helped a lot with the discomfort!

Lola - Yay for getting started, when do you start stims? Like others have said I found acupuncture helpful but with the IVF appts, chiro appts, acu, and now counseling and resolve support groups I am finding it a bit overwhelming so I am cutting it down some. Good luck.

Sebski - So glad things are going well! Congrats!

Hello to anyone I missed.

Tomorrow is my last day of BCP, YAY! I started my dexamethasone last saturday so I am already not enjoying sleepless nights. I start stims and lovenox on Halloween...rather fitting I thought.

MrsR

10-25-2006, 01:42 PM

Can I join?

Me - Jessica, 32
DH - Matt, 33
TTC since: June 2005
Testing results: 4/06 bloodwork normal, HSG clear, SA normal
Treatment:
5/06 - clomid 50mg
6/06 - clomid 50mg
7/06 - Injectibles (follistim)/trigger/IUI
8/06 - Injectibles (follistim)/trigger/IUI
9/06-11/06 - IVF

I have been lurking here for awhile but work and this cycle have been a bit crazy so I have not posted until now . . .

This cycle has been a bit of a roller coaster already -- it started with me seeing the RE on CD11 (b/c appointment nurse would not give me an appt during my 2WW of the last cycle :mad: ). I was all prepared to take the cycle off and start IVF next cycle but when I saw the RE's nurse, she said that she had spoken with RE and he said I could start this cycle :D :D. So, I started BCP on CD 11 (aka September 28). I started my Lupron shots on 10/18 (my anniversary :rolleyes: ) and will go in for my suppression check on 10/31 (trick or treat that! :rolleyes: ). I am just happy I get to stop BCP tonight!!!

Supposedly I will have ER and ET around the second week of November . . .

gator97

10-25-2006, 06:28 PM

2nd beta results =546 so slightly more than double. I'm a bit more cautious today than yesterday, though. I guess it just feels surreal. Thanks for all your support ladies. . .I never would have survived this without you all.

I'm scared to say it, but I guess I'm ready to graduate:
gator97
Me: 30
DH: 30
Married 11/04
Off BCP 12/04 (started charting 12/04)
8/05 - laparoscopy- endometriosis
1/06 - HSG-clear
1/06 - SA normal
4/06- IVF#1- BFN
7/06-IVF #2- BFN
10/06- IVF #3- Pregnant!

Tigerest- yeah for a Halloween start!

MrsR. - welcome. glad you could jump right in and get started this cycle. This is the most amazing, supportive group of women!

Asha

10-26-2006, 05:37 AM

gator - yay for the doubling beta!!!

mrsr - welcome. we will be have er and et about the same time. though, i am just starting lupron on friday. i didn't have to take bcp's. why do some people take bcp's and others do not?

tiger - good luck with the stims. i hope you can start getting some sleep.

apple - i am keeping my fingers crossed for a successful transfer for you.

belle - it looks like i will be on the same meds as you.

*****
so, i go in tomorrow to have bloodwork to see if i am reading to start lupron. i am not really worried about the lupron shots bc the needle is so tiny, but am freaked out about the upcoming hsg and progesterone shots. my dh looked sick in class when he saw how big those needles were. he said he would rather pay someone to come give me the shots. i told him that could get rather pricey as the progesterone shots last quite awhile. i think when he realizes how much it will cost, he will suck it up and give me the shot. he was the only one the nurse complimented when we practiced on the dummy butt, so he could do a good job. now, i have to go off and check prices for the meds my insurance doesn't cover.

Lola9404

10-26-2006, 06:29 AM

Gator - congrats on your 2nd beta! your numbers look wonderful :)

Welcome MrsR!

tiger - I should be starting stims on 11/17 if all goes well. I'll stim for about 7 or 8 days before ER so we're looking at right around Thanksgiving or just after for ER and then we are hoping to do another 5-day blast transfer like we did the last times.

Acupuncture went well - I just feel so relaxed and much more centered after it. I will continue to go every week up until ER when I'll start going more often.

Last night I had a very vivid dream that I had twins. This dream was much like the dreams I used to have when I was pregnant, before I miscarried. It was strange to have one again knowing full well that I was not pregnant. I woke up feeling empty but hopeful at the same time. Very strange.

Asha

10-26-2006, 06:30 AM

lola - i hope that dream comes true for you! acupuncture sounds wonderful. if we weren't paying so much for ivf and meds, i would consider it.

Bellefior

10-26-2006, 06:57 AM

Update on today's monitoring. I had the same doctor for the ultrasound that I had on Tuesday (with a much improved bedside manner ;) ). Looks like the doctors do the ultrasound monitoring on rotating weekly shifts so he's probably not going to be the one that will be on next week when my retrieval and transfer are tentatively scheduled for.

Anyway, I'm happy to report that today, after 5 days of stims, I now have 7 measurable follicles (all over 10 mm), and numerous smaller follicles both on the left and right, which is very encouraging. Once again, they couldn't fully visualize my left ovary (seems that everyone always has a problem finding it easily with the exception of my RE and the one I saw last week), and because of that he couldn't count all that were on the left side, but it appears that there might be even more than 7 measurable (he couldn't count everything on the left because of the position). It also looks like my right side is more active than my left. They are quite pleased with my progress. We'll see when they call with my E2 levels this afternoon if my med doses will stay the same or not. Although they can't say with 100% certainty, it's still looking like ER will be on 10/31, Halloween.

I am keeping a very positive outlook and am trying to listen to my meditation tapes on a regular basis. I feel like they are helping, who knows if they actually are, but as long as they are keeping me positive and relaxed, as far as I am concerned, that works for me. Will update E2 levels later today.

*******************

Another congrats to Gator, good luck wishes to Apple, welcome to Mrs. R and hello to anyone I may have forgotten!

gymwidow

10-26-2006, 08:39 AM

Bellefior, my RE's office didn't recommend ice either, I got that suggestion from another IVFer. Believe me, when you get to the PIO shots, you're definitely going to want to ice first! My DH stuck me outside the frozen area of my butt last week for the first time, and boy did I feel it! Now we make sure we're in agreement as to exactly where that needle goes before he puts it in!

Applebee, woohoo, that's awesome! I'm sending lots of positive vibes your way, and baby dust!!!!!!

gator, YAYAYAYAY! The third time was definitely the charm for you. I'm so happy for you!

tigerest, no tricks for you this year, only treats!

MrsR, that's great that you could start right away. Lots of luck to you!

Asha, the PIO needle looks a lot scarier than it is. Remember that the big fat needle is only used to draw up the meds; the one you stick with is much skinnier. Ice well (I lay on a bag of frozen peas or corn for a good 10 min first) and you'll do just fine. I rarely feel anything other than a slight pinch when the needle first goes in, and that's it.

Lola, I'm glad you enjoyed the acupuncture. I hope that dream of yours comes true!

ETA: I finally got to reduce my PIO dosage! After 5 weeks of 1cc per shot, I'm down to 1/2 cc now. I hope to be rid of them soon!

Bellefior

10-26-2006, 11:12 AM

Just wanted to update everyone on the latest. Doctor wants me to drop the dose of Follistim tonight to 150 but still keep the Repronex at 150 and Lupron at 5 units. E2 was at 804 and I was told the reason they are reducing the Follistim is because the estrogen is high and they are trying to even out the growth rates of the follicles. I go in for another ultrasound and bloodwork tommorrow morning.

Has anyone had any experience where the doctors have decrease their dose of stims? And if so, what reasons did the doctors give you for doing so?

Thanks!

Lola9404

10-26-2006, 01:14 PM

bellefior - don't worry if they change your stims - they dropped my dosage 2 times in the 8 days that i stimmed for IVF#1. I think they are trying to balance the rate at which your follies grow so that they get as many mature eggs as they can without putting you in danger of OHSS. If you are responding well I think that sometimes they will drop the dosage, if you're not responding as well then they'll up it.

hope that helps!

IVFIVF

10-27-2006, 06:52 PM

*Updated to here*

Congratulations to Gator97 and welcome to MrsR!

Just an FYI, I will start IVF Anyone? Part 4 once we hit 1000 posts.

Asha

10-28-2006, 04:57 AM

LIARS LIARS LIARS

everyone said the little lupron needle doesn't hurt. wrong!!!! it hurt like a mfer. then afterwards it stung and itched, and i got a rash. apparantly the rash thing is normal, and its all gone this morning, so i am not worried. i didn't watch while dh administered the shot, but he admitted to putting it in too slowly. he seriously needs to improve his technique bc in a few weeks i will be getting up to 2-3 shots a night, and that doesn't sound like fun if its going to hurt like this.

gator97

10-28-2006, 06:10 AM

Oh, Asha. Oh, no. Speed is defnintely the key. It always hurt when I hesitated. I'm sure it's hard jabbing someone else with a needle---and he doesn't want to hurt you. So, convince him to just go quickly and it won't hurt as much. I've never done Lupron so I don't know much about the stinging, itching afterwards. I'm sure the other ladies will give you some suggestions.

Cath

10-28-2006, 08:55 AM

Oh, no Asha, I'm sorry the lupron injection hurt. I agree w/gator - speed is key. As for the itching, it got better for me after they cut the dosage of lupron down when I was on stims. Can you ask your nurse at your clinic if there is anything for the itching? I always wondered if there was something that would help.

twinkletoes

10-28-2006, 09:39 AM

Asha - A couple of nights ago I was distracted and I did my shot too slow. And it hurt. A lot. It's definitely better when it's quick. I also always get itchy at the injection site, and the first couple of nights my skin was red around it as well. It's much, much better now. I'm sure it will improve for you as well!

I also don't trust my DH to do the shots quickly enough (I know he would go slowly because he'd be afraid of hurting me), so I just do them myself.

Asha

10-28-2006, 10:22 AM

twinkle - yeah, i think my dh was afraid of not doing it right that's why he went slowly. i mean it took him ten minutes to just fill up the vial. he knows it hurt a lot when he did so i am thinking he will go faster as to not hurt me this time.

cath - yup, i'll ask if the itching continues for a few more times. i am glad to hear it gets better when the dosage goes down.

gator - yup, dh is convinced already he needs to go faster, its just a matter of him doing it.

Bellefior

10-28-2006, 10:59 AM

Asha, ditto what everyone else said. Speed is definitely the key, the faster you jab yourself, the less it hurts. I had a few times when I didn't jab quickly and it hurt more. As far as the rash, I welted up the first two days (looked like I had been stung) then it stopped after that. I find that once the needle is in, if I push the meds slow and steadily, rather than trying to push the plunger down quickly, I don't tend to welt up.

As for me, I went in for more monitoring today and finally got to meet the one doctor out of the 5 in the practice I had not met yet. They are not certain if ER date will be Tues or Weds now, but they did tell me my E2 levels took a huge jump between yesterday (987) and today (1731). Today I had 8 measurable follicles (6 on right, 2 on left) with several smaller ones on each side that are looking like they might catch up (we're hoping so). They are very happy with my response to the drugs and how things are going and I get to reduce my Follistim tonight to 150. I go back tommorrow morning for yet another ultrasound and more bloodwork and will keep you posted. Thinking of you all!

Asha

10-28-2006, 01:21 PM

belle - i am glad you are responding well. tues or weds is so soon. good luck.

Asha

10-29-2006, 08:34 AM

the second night of the lupron shot was absolutely painless!!!! hooray!!!! i made sure to shower praises on dh for his expert shot skills. i kinda feel bad for hubby bc after working a 13 hour day and having driven an hour to come home, he has to give me my shot right when he comes in the door. what a great guy!! soon he will have to begin and end his days with giving me shots.

Lola9404

10-30-2006, 05:45 AM

happy monday everyone.

asha - glad that you've got the lupron injections down! definitely do it quickly, almost like a dart, and it won't hurt!

belle - i am crossing my fingers for you and thinking of you!! hope your ER goes well!!

gymwidow

10-30-2006, 07:10 AM

Bellefior, changing doses is very common - that's one of the reasons why you go in for such frequent monitoring. I've had my doses adjusted in each of my medicated cycles, both injectables/IUI and IVF. I'm thinking very happy trigger shots for you!

Asha, I am so sorry that your first shot hurt! But very glad that the second one didn't. I hope that trend continues! Speed is definitely key, and try icing it with an ice cube for a couple of minutes first if it pinches again.

Bellefior

10-30-2006, 07:17 AM

Yet another ultrasound and more bloodwork this morning. Anyway, it looks like I will probably be triggering tonight. I now have 13 measurable follicles, 3 on the left and 10 on the right, all ranging from 10-18 (8 of which are 15 and above), with several smaller on each side as well. My E2 level took a huge jump yesterday, so last night they had me stop the Follistim completely and cut the Repronex to a vial and a half. They are a little concerned about the E2 level (it was 2473 yesterday) and told me that although they think it is highly unlikely, if today's bloodwork shows the level is too high, they will retrieve and fertilize but then have to freeze the embryos to use in a later frozen cycle so that I don't develop OHSS. I'm hoping that will not be the case so please everyone keep your fingers crossed that does not end up happening. Retrieval will most likely be on Weds.

Now, does anyone have any advice on administering the IM trigger shots? I did have the nurse mark me so at least my husband won't have to guess whether or not he is hitting the right spot, but I am a little nervous due to the size of the needle.

gymwidow

10-30-2006, 07:58 AM

Bellefior, I posted to you over in SAI. Don't worry too much about the IM shot - it LOOKS a lot worse than it actually is. We've been doing the PIO for six weeks now and I barely even bat an eye at them now.

kwm

10-30-2006, 10:28 AM

This is all new to me...we are about to go down this path in the next couple of months...so curious about anyone's experience with ICSI. From reading the thread, prepared for how to do injections now. ;)

gymwidow

10-30-2006, 10:52 AM

kwm, we did ICSI with our IVF cycle. It was recommended for us b/c my DH's SA's were not always great - he had morphology issues and borderline motility, and has DNA fragmentation. We knew we'd have a higher chance of fertilization with ICSI. Of our 12 retrieved eggs, 8 fertilized. We only ended up with two to transfer, but that was all we needed! Do you have any more specific questions about it?

kwm

10-30-2006, 11:00 AM

Thanks. I've done some reading on it and feel very confident with my Dr. I'm just nervous of course. What level/type of testing was done to ensure that the sperm they chose was fully developed? Did you have any challenges yourself? I haven't had any tests yet to determine if I have any challenges, but am hoping that I don't. Did your IVF work the first try?

Bellefior

10-30-2006, 12:47 PM

Well, after waiting all afternoon for my REs office to call back, they finally called, much later than usual. Because they were so late in calling, my imagination ran wild with all kinds of scenarios going through my head. Turned out that the reason my call back was so late was because the lab was late getting them the E2 results for today's patients. My E2 level took a huge jump today to 3529.

Anyway, I will be triggering tonight at 11 pm but they want me to cut the dose of the HCG trigger shot in half (5000 units instead of 10000 units). Basically, I will be doing the same thing that I did yesterday with the Repronex, putting 2 ccs of diluent into the vial, but only drawing half of it up (1 cc). My husband will be given the honor of sticking me with it, and its ok to ice the area if need be. No other shots tonight, no shots tommorrow and no eating/drinking after midnight tommorrow. We are to be in the IVF unit at 8:30 am Weds. morning for a 10 am scheduled retrieval.

I can't believe the big day is almost here!!!!

pocahontas

10-30-2006, 12:59 PM

HI GYM...came from "lurkdom" :D to ask you (or anyone really who knows) what ICSI stands for since I have seen it so often? I am trying to keep up with the IVF thread in case this is my next stop. So I suppose it would help to be knowledgeable...starting with acronyms! :o TIA.

Suzlywoozly

10-30-2006, 03:30 PM

HI GYM...came "lurkdom" :D to ask you (or anyone really who knows) what ICSI stands for since I have seen it so often? I am trying to keep up with the IVF thread in case this is my next stop. So I suppose it would help to be knowledgeable...starting with acronyms! :o TIA.

ICSI means intracytoplasmic sperm injection. This is where they inject one single sperm into the egg.

Good luck tomorrow Bellefior!!:)

MrsR

10-30-2006, 03:41 PM

All my crossables are crossed for you Belle.

So, I go in for my suppression check tomorrow morning. I had a bit of an "oh sh*t" moment today when it appeared that AF arrived. So I called my RE's office freaking out and they said that it was completely normal to bleed when you stop the BCPs.

Now that I think about it, that makes total sense, since when I was on BCP before TTC, when I stopped BCP for the fourth week, I started AF. I had just thought that since I was on the Lupron, AF would stay away . . .

Anyhoo, looks like DH has to go to Philly on Tuesday/Wednesday of next week :mad: -- I hope that my ER won't be that early in my cycle so the trip won't matter -- of course I told DH if that was not the case, he was going to pull the "my wife has a medical emergency" at work so he can stay here -- I am not going through all this cr*p and spending all this $$ (since our insurance does not cover IVF (or anything infertility-related)) for DH to have to be gone when we need to do the ER and then the cycle is a bust.

Sebski

10-30-2006, 05:40 PM

You know how people sometimes post things that make you go :eek: ? I never thought I'd be one of those posters... but, after this morning's u/s it turns out I AM! ;)

I had my 2nd u/s this morning and it revealed 2 heart beats!!!! My RE believes that they are identical twins and that's why we only saw the 1 sac last week. From today's u/s there are 2 yolks and the beginnings of what looks like only 1 placenta. Which means definitely identical. She's almost certain that the 2 yolks will mean they'll have 2 seperate sacs because, 1 placenta and 1 sac isn't very good. Identicals are already high risk and, according to her, the 1 placenta puts it at an even higher risk. Both babies are measuring 6w3d (only 1 day smaller than we originally thought) and their h/b's were 117 and 107 respectively (they'll get faster as the babies get bigger). OMG. I'm having identical twins! I almost fell off the table when she told me... there I was, bracing myself for whether or not we'd see a h/b or whatnot. And, she says "oh look, there's the h/b". I was so relieved and searched my screen to see what she saw... and, something looked weird to me. And then she said it - "oh wait, there's 2 h/b's". I sat right up and said "you're sh!tting me". Joe wasn't w/ me because his boss was out and he had to host a mtg in his place. So, imagine his shock when I called him from the parking lot w/ the news. HA! He didn't believe me at first... it took several call backs before he sounded 'normal' and not freaked. I can't blame him... there haven't been many moments that have literally taken my breath away but, that one did. And, I'm sorry he missed it. But, he'll be w/ me at the next u/s on Monday for sure. Ya know, my gut was telling me last Monday that something wasn't adding up... when I found out my beta was 11,150 and we didn't see a h/b I was like hmmm... my gut said it's twins... always trust your gut! ;)

My head is still spinning from the news this morning and I have to go eat something and get to bed... I'm mentally exhausted!

But, wanted to wish you tons of luck Belle - I have all crossables crossed for you!

Suzlywoozly

10-30-2006, 07:23 PM

Holy crap Sebski! :eek: Congratulations times two!

gator97

10-31-2006, 03:02 AM

Sebski- WOW!!!:D Congratulations!!! How crazy to go from worrying about even seeing a heartbeat----to seeing two!

Bellefior

10-31-2006, 04:01 AM

Sebski wow-wee:eek: ! Double congrats!:D

I am blissfully enjoying a shot free day today :) ! My husband administered the HcG trigger last night at precisely 11 pm. I mixed the syringe, then made sure I iced the area first--when they shipped my meds they included a reusable foam ice pack to keep the meds refrigerated so that's what we used. I went over to the bed, laid down, buried my face in the pillow and before I knew it, it was over, with minimal discomfort--although it was quite disconcerting to hear my husband snickering at the two circles the nurse had drawn on my butt as the target areas ;) . I had to repeatedly ask him if he had put it in at a 90 degree angle (he had) and if he had put it in all the way (he had), since I didn't feel much because of the ice. It was over before I knew it. He was quite nonchalant about the whole thing until the end, when he gave me the used needle and said "can you take this horse needle away from me", so I know he was a little freaked out by the size of the needle too, even though he did a good job of hiding it from me. Now I'm not quite as afraid of the PIO shots, even though I know those are a little different because of the oil.

So tommorrow is the big day. Last night, I was feeling quite bloated and uncomfortable, which the doctor said is expected being this close to retrieval, and had problems sleeping--which might have been due to either bloating or nerves. I'm planning on taking it slow if it all possible today at work, coming home early, then helping my husband with door duty for the trick-or-treaters. Will try to update tommorrow after retrieval (scheduled for 10 am) if I am feeling well enough afterwards.

gymwidow

10-31-2006, 07:39 AM

kwm, I understand! I'm not sure what testing they did, but I know that they evaluated DH's sample in order to choose the best boys available. Unfortunately, they couldn't test for fragmentation on the day of, but that doesn't always make as big a difference I guess if the motility and morphology is good. I also have PCOS, but once I started on meds for that I've ovulated every month since, even when I wasn't taking anything! This was our first IVF try and we were thankfully successful.

Bellefior, that's awesome! I'll be thinking of you tomorrow! I'm glad your shot went well last night. The PIO is just the same, it just takes longer to inject. But once the needle is in, you don't really feel much at all!

pocahontas, Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection. Everyone just calls it ICSI ("icksie").

MrsR, sorry you had that moment! I think the Lupron is supposed to make your post-BCP AF a little lighter. Mine was so light I barely felt like I had my period at all.

Sebski, HOLY MOLY! That's awesome! I am SO excited for you!!!!!! :D

Mooshie

10-31-2006, 09:23 AM

Amazing news, Sebski! Congrats!

pocahontas

10-31-2006, 09:49 AM

ICSI means intracytoplasmic sperm injection. This is where they inject one single sperm into the egg.

Good luck tomorrow Bellefior!!:)
Thanks SUZLY and GYM! And CONGRATS to SEBSKI! Geesh, I need to lurk here more often...ya'll have more baby dust flying than any other thread I know!

skb

10-31-2006, 11:29 AM

Congratulations sebski That is a good *shocker*. All the best to you and DH.

As for me this is finally the week that I have my first IVF consult. I am getting excited. Perhaps foolish but ready to see what these doctors say. DH and I repeated some bloodwork in October and I've been trying to get the results for 2 weeks. I am supposed to take a copy with me to the consult. I have spoken to the lady 3 times already and if DH doesn't arrive home with all of the results tonight I will be going on a hunting misssion tomorrow. Fortunately I have already secured the reports from all of the other procedures that we've had over the past 2 years!

MrsR

10-31-2006, 11:44 AM

congrats sebski that is amazing!!!

I will be thinking of you Belle tomorrow. Hope all goes well!!!

skb -- glad you are finally getting your consult. It is nice to just get the ball rolling.

Well my supression check went perfectly today. My E2 level is less than 20 and I had 6 small follies on my right and 8 small follies on my left. I am to continue on 10 units of Lupron twice a day until Friday. Starting Friday I will still do 10 units Lupron in the morning but then do Follistim injections of 100 and 125 (or 125 and 100, need to check my protocol at home) in the morning and evening (respectively). DH and I also are to take an antibiotic (need to look in my bag in the car to see what it is) twice a day starting Friday for 7 days. I will start going in for daily visits on Monday:D.

If all goes well I will have my ER on Tuesday, November 14 and my ET on Friday, November 17 (if a 3 day transfer) or Sunday, November 19 (if a 5 day transfer).

I am just glad I finally get to "get the party started" . . .

jodylovesscotty

10-31-2006, 12:30 PM

Hello Ladies,
I hope you don't mind if I ask a question. Right now I just finished my 3rd cycle of IUI with injectibles and will find out on Friday if it worked or not. If it didn't we are moving on to IVF w/ ICSI due to issues with morphology. Anyway, my question is how long are you typically on meds for before the ER? My insurance pays $10,000 a year on infertility treatments and I've used almost all my money for the year, but it will start over in January. Med's don't count toward my money, so I am trying to figure out if I should start meds in December or January. I can't do ER until January. Thanks for your help:)

twinkletoes

10-31-2006, 12:43 PM

Congratulations, Sebski!

Good luck tomorrow, belle!

I hope you get the paperwork in time, skb.

Jodylovesscotty - I started my meds about two and a half weeks before my scheduled ER.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I went in yesterday for my suppression check. Everything looked good, so we dropped my Lupron to 5 units and started with 225 units of Gonal F. I go in for a folllie check on Thursday, then again on Saturday. ER is still on schedule for next Wednesday, 11/8.

gymwidow

10-31-2006, 12:47 PM

skb, I'm so glad your consult is finally almost here! Do you have your list of questions ready to ask the doc?

MrsR, awesome!

jody, it depends on your protocol. During my first aborted attempt at IVF, I was on the Lupron protocol. So I had 3 1/2 weeks of BCP, overlapping with Lupron for 7 days at the end. I then continued on the Lupron for another week and then should have started my stims (which would have continued for about 10 days pre-ER). However, I didn't suppress, so that cycle was canceled. Then I went on an antagon protocol, so I started stims alone on CD2, added in two additional drugs on CD7, and ER was on CD13. So that was only 11 days on meds pre-ER.

So, to sum up, if you do a Lupron protocol (which seems to be the most common one), you're looking at about 3-4 weeks of meds pre-ER (not counting the BCP), but if you do a shorter protocol like me then less than 2 weeks. Find out what protocol your doc will recommend for you and then you can decide accordingly. But I hope you never have to worry about this!

twinkletoes, awesome!

skb

10-31-2006, 04:05 PM

Thanks guys....it is nice to get the ball rolling and hopefully the paperwork will all be in order before we get there!!! I do not have a list of questions. Frankly, I just want to avoid a laproscopy. You may recall that my girlfriend, the ObGyn who is affilliated with the clinic, told me that having a lap would be part of the protocol before beginning IVF. I don't understand why I would be subjected to a lap if there is no clinical reason. So I hope she is wrong! I guess my main question.....

How many of you had to have a lap before IVF???? And why would you have to have a lap before IVF??? (I do not have any history of endometriosis, I have regular cycles, there is no ovulatory dysfunction, I've had an MRI, nothing irregular on ultrasound).

Thanks

gator97

10-31-2006, 05:47 PM

skb- yeah to get the ball rolling. My lap had absolutely nothing to do with IVF. . . actually it didn't have anything to do with infertility at all. At that point, we had only been trying for 7 mo. My lap was all about diagnosing endo. I had a laundry list of symptoms and a strong family history of endo. I honestly don't know why you would need one just to start IVF. In fact, we are doing IVF to bypass the endo (which has caused a toxic fluid buildup in my cul-de-sac area and around my ovaries.) so having the lap was only necessary to diagnose. I did have a friend in PA who was not required to have a lap. I think she had to have the HSG and some other minor things (they were IVF due completely to male factor).

good luck!

Suzlywoozly

10-31-2006, 06:38 PM

skb - I didn't have to do a lap before we started IVF but I now regret that we opted not to do one! After two failed cycles, I had a lap done and both my tubes were blocked and badly damaged. I wound up having them removed and they suspected the fluid build up in the tubes were responsible for not getting pregnant. I know that it totally sucks and is inconvenient, but I would consider it.

jody- I was on bcp for approx. 3 weeks then I started the lupron for a week and then the stims for about 9 days. If you don't want to start the injections until after Jan 1st, then I would at least start on the bcp's so at least that gets you one step closer.

Lola9404

11-01-2006, 05:55 AM

Huge congratulations sebski!! what a wonderful surprise! :D

belle - thinking of you and hoping all went well with your ER!

Nothing much happening here. Will start Lupron next week...

Asha

11-01-2006, 06:00 AM

How many of you had to have a lap before IVF???? And why would you have to have a lap before IVF??? (I do not have any history of endometriosis, I have regular cycles, there is no ovulatory dysfunction, I've had an MRI, nothing irregular on ultrasound).

actually, my re discouraged me from getting a lap. he said it is basically diagnostic and would give definitive answers but would not change anything related to ivf. i have tubal issues, too. he said i may want to get one after all the ivf stuff and hopefully pregnancy, but that would be related to my gi issues.

***
i just talked with my clinic and the receptionist said i tested positive for ureaplasma. she wasn't able to connect me to a nurse, so i don't know what this means. i was looking online and i couldn't tell what it is. it seems like an infection of some sort that may be an std!!!! does anyone know if they are going to stop my cycle because of this. i am going to be so upset if this does. i am guessing they will run some tests on me and put me on meds. though, i read something that the meds could last for a long time and uncommon in healthy people and i consider myself to be healthy.

skb

11-01-2006, 09:01 AM

Thanks for the responses re: the lap prior to IVF. I just read your profile suzlywoozly. Interesting that your initial HSG showed open tubes and the lap revealed damage/blockage of the tubes due to fluid. I have had 2 HSG and both times..."rapid spilling of fluid" suggesting tubes were clear and open. But obviously it is possible to have a clear HSG and yet have something that can cause fluid build up in the tubes as in your case. I suppose I will have to defer to my doctor and their protocols! Ugh!

In other news...after 2 1/2 weeks of speaking to my family doctors office we finally have a complete set of our records. We were waiting on the results from the bloodwork performed at the beginning of the month. Poor DH stopped at my family doc's office and the results were supposed to be at the front desk for him to pick up. Unfortunately due to staff error 1/2 of the results were in hand-writing! Kid you not! My doctor had the staff call to enquire about the results because the original copies never arrived at the clinic. The staff member just wrote the results down. Unknown to my doctor, Dh ended up picking up the handwritten results. So I arrived at the clinic today, a nurse that recognized me snuck me in with my doctor. She had to call the lab again and enquire as to why she had not received the results after a month and a second request. Once we received a fax copy of the results mystery solved. They were sent to a medical office down the street!!! (even though my docs name is on the requisition). So there was a double screw up...at my docs office for writing down results instead of getting actual copies and at the lab for sending them to the wrong place. My doctor was mortified and claimed she had never had a problem with this lab. The lab had sent the results to the clinic name (a clinic that had close to the same name) instead of the doctor's name on the requisition. We can only guess as to why the lab suddenly sent the results for both of us to the wrong place. Anyways...doesn't matter now. The good thing is that we have our appointment tomorrow and I haev all of the records!!!

I only hope that our IVF consult goes more smoothly tomorrow and there are no mix-ups when it comes to treatment!!! I'll be back next week!

Suzlywoozly

11-01-2006, 09:16 AM

skb- I actually had two hsg's! One was about three years before having my tubes out. They did this during my first lap. At that time they said the outside of my tubes looked great. The second hsg was in December and they saw the fluid a few months later in April. The only way for them to really diagnose endo is for them to do the lap and actually see it for themselves.

I can't believe that they screwed up your medical records! Good luck with the consult tomorrow. I am curious to hear what the RE has to say.

Suzlywoozly

11-01-2006, 09:20 AM

I am finally back in the saddle and ready to start a fresh cycle. We decided to go to Stanford University for a consult. We really liked the RE and have decided to do a fresh cycle there. I started bcp's last week and I will stop them around the 21st. If everything goes like it did last time, my beta will be two days before Christmas. That could be a good or bad thing!

Did any of you get really bad headaches while on the bcp's? I have had a severe headache for 5 days now and can't seem to get rid of it.

Bellefior

11-01-2006, 09:40 AM

Drive by posting because I really should be resting. ER was this morning and they retrieved 16 eggs! They will be calling tommorrow with the fertilization report and we'll know before the weekend if they are going with a 3 or a 5 day transfer.

Lola9404

11-01-2006, 12:14 PM

belle - that is a great number!! Did they tell you if they were all mature? Rest up and I will keep my fingers crossed for a 100% fertilization rate!!

Patience

11-01-2006, 12:55 PM

gator97

11-01-2006, 03:13 PM

Bellefior- yeah! Fingers crossed for great fertilization results

Suzly- yeah for a wonderful consult at Stanford. I got nasty headaches on BCP my first cycle. It was miserable. They went away after I stopped the BCP. Sorry that doesn't really help.

Patience- I ordered from our insurance company specialty pharmacy. They actually are local to me (across town but local enough). I usually have them delivered but picked them up once in a pinch.

My first two cycles I used Freedom Fertility Pharmacy. I heard great things about them but I have had issues both times. They were accomodating about fixing htem but it was just annoying. Think it must have just been me.

skb- what a mess just trying to get paperwork!

Suzlywoozly

11-01-2006, 05:10 PM

I'm sorry for intruding, but I wanted to ask you ladies a couple of questions regarding injectables.

Do you order your medication and have them delivered or pick them up at your local pharmacy? If you order them, which company do you use? Thanks for your help!

I got all my meds from IVPcare. They were awesome to deal with!! After my RE called in the drugs, IVPcare called me to confirm the insurance info. They called the insurance and tried to get as much covered as possible. They gave me the needles and syringes for free.

Asha

11-01-2006, 06:12 PM

yay belle!!! good luck on fertilization!!

patience - we get the meds not covered by insurance through freedom drugs. they are soooo much cheaper than the regular drustore. also, gonal f is great price through them. my coordinator called in the rx's and they were delivered by fed ex the very next day. everything went smoothly.

Applebee

11-01-2006, 07:45 PM

Hi ladies!!!

Sorry for the drive by post, but I wanted to get your opinions on the pic of my blastocysts that were transferred last Tuesday. I got a friend to scan it tonight.

Doesn't the upper left blast look like a sperm is entering it??? I didn't notice it until the other day when I pulled it out to "examine" it. I called my nurse and she said to bring it with me on Monday when I go for my beta.

It can't be a spermie, but damn, it sure does look like it, right?

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e302/Applebee66/loriAnnEnhancedsiggy.jpg

Applebee

11-01-2006, 07:48 PM

Belle - excellent retrieval!!! Can't wait to hear your fert report!!!

Patience - I ordered from Freedom Pharmacy. I called my IVF #3 order in at 4pm on Thursday and got them 8:30am Friday morning via FedEx!!! Good luck!!!

Patience

11-02-2006, 12:05 AM

Thanks Applebee & Asha. I had heard good reviews about Freedom Pharmacy, but it's better to hear it first hand from the ladies here. I just ordered my Ovidrel from them yesterday. They seem pretty cheap and the customer service reps were very nice. I hope I get the same great service as you ladies did.

Suzlywoozly Thanks! I'm going to look into IVPcare. My injectables will be partially covered by insurance starting next year, so I'm doing my research early.

gator97 That's pretty convenient to have the pharmacy nearby. I would love to buy from the local fertility pharmacy, but they are very expensive. That's why I'm seeking other options. Thanks for answering.

Applebee That does look like a sperm. Good luck with your beta on Monday!

Asha

11-02-2006, 04:28 AM

applebee - your pic made me smile!

patience - yup, the customer service reps are really nice. i am sure its a requirement given that half the ladies would bite their heads off if they were rude bc we've been through enough shit already.

tigerest

11-02-2006, 07:46 AM

Hi everyone! I am way behind! My mom went into the hospital last Friday. She had a bloot clot in her lower intestine and they had to remove a couple feet of her small intestine. It was pretty scary! She is still recovering in the hospital.

But I started stims on Wed. Go in for a follie check tomorrow! Be back later to catch up!

gymwidow

11-02-2006, 08:10 AM

skb, I didn't have a lap. My RE thought it unnecessary since I showed no symptoms of endo and since we were moving to IVF. What a mess with all those mix-ups! I hope that's the last time you have to deal with annoyances like that.

Asha, ugh, sorry to hear about the minor infection. I hope the drugs get rid of it fast!

Suzly, yay for starting fresh! I am going to start crossing everything for you right now that this is the one that succeeds. I don't think I had headaches while on BCP, but I definitely got them while on Lupron. Ugh.

Bellefior, EXCELLENT! I can't wait to hear the fertilization report!

Patience, I work in a big city, so I was able to have all my meds hand delivered by one of the pharmacies in town that stocks IF meds.

Applebee, interesting photo! It does look like a sperm, but aren't they even smaller than that?

tigerest, I hope your mom is better soon! Yay for starting the stims; grow eggies grow!

As for me, I was discharged from my RE's practice yesterday and am now solely in the care of my OB. My first appointment is next Friday. I also was allowed to stop my PIO shots last night, 6 weeks to the day after starting them. Whew. I'm a little nervous to not be taking anything anymore, but am trusting that the doc knows best and that my body is now making enough progesterone to support our little pinto beans.

I was thinking of starting a thread for ART success stories. I always loved reading about people's successes - it made me feel so much better as we went through all our treatment. What do you guys think?

twinkletoes

11-02-2006, 08:49 AM

I'm behind and I'll do more later tonight after I get the call from my nurse on my E2 check. But I just wanted to say that I forgot how much blood draws hurt! Either that, or my RE's new lab girl seriously needs more practice. I've only had two blood draws, and both of my arms have HUGE bruises.

Question - How many days after starting stims did you start to feel stuff? I've had some twinges and stuff, but I don't know if it's my imagination or what. I started stims on Monday.

Bellefior

11-02-2006, 08:52 AM

The RE's office just called with the fertilization report. I am sitting here in total shock. Out of the 16 eggs they were able to retrieve, they were able to successful ICSI 13 of them. Out of the 13 that they ICSI'ed, 10 fertilized. I was totally stunned when the nurse called with the news and started to tear up.

Anyway, I am to call Saturday morning to find out if they are going with a 3 day transfer (which would take place on Saturday) or a 5 day transfer (which would be Monday). PIO starts tonight and I am to continue with the Medrol and Doxycycline until those are completed.

Thank you everyone for your support so far. It has meant the world to me.

Asha

11-02-2006, 09:01 AM

belle - that's wonderful news!!! how many embies are they going to transfer?

Bellefior

11-02-2006, 09:38 AM

Based on the guidelines for my age, looks like they will be transferring two. My center sometimes has a tendency to push to transfer only one if they look really good. I don't think they will suggest that because of the age guidelines, but since we are paying out of pocket, if they do try to convince us to transfer only one, we are going to insist on two. We are paying for this out of pocket, and don't want to have to pay out of pocket for a FET if we don't have to.

Asha

11-02-2006, 09:40 AM

we are paying out of pocket, if they do try to convince us to transfer only one, we are going to insist on two. We are paying for this out of pocket, and don't want to have to pay out of pocket for a FET if we don't have to

this is my thinking too. we need our chances increased, so i really want two. there are no identicals in either of our families so i don't see there being much chance for triplets if they transfer two. they really try to prevent multiples at my clinic.

pocahontas

11-02-2006, 09:54 AM

WOW BELLE! That's great news! YAY LIL' EMBIES! :D

twinkletoes

11-02-2006, 10:34 AM

since we are paying out of pocket, if they do try to convince us to transfer only one, we are going to insist on two. We are paying for this out of pocket, and don't want to have to pay out of pocket for a FET if we don't have to.

We feel the same way, and fortunately our RE agrees and says that as long as there are two embies to transfer, we'll get two. He's even mentioned the possibility of 3, but he says he's wary of that because he's afraid they'd all take! Personally, I'd like to save my $$ for a FET for a second pregnancy in a year or so.

MrsR

11-02-2006, 10:34 AM

yay belle -- that is AMAZING:):):)

We too are paying for this out of pocket and my RE will only transfer 2 embryos at most. He tried to suggest only transferring 1 since that has a 40% chance of success, but we are going with two embies (God willing that we retrieve/fertilize that many) since that has a 55% success rate . . .

Cath

11-02-2006, 01:38 PM

I've been lurking and wishing everyone here well!

Belle - congrats on a great fertilization report! Those are great numbers!

I wanted to comment on this:
there are no identicals in either of our families so i don't see there being much chance for triplets if they transfer two.

Actually, identicals don't run in families, they just spontaneously happen. There obviously is a family connection with fraternals, but not with identicals. According to my RE when he was looking at my second ultrasound (complete with my set of identicals), there's a less than 2 percent chance of one of the embryos splitting, which is higher than the incidence of identicals conceived without medical assistance. I've read that there are some theories out there that ICSI makes it more likely for an embryo to split, but I wasn't able to find any definite research proving or disproving it.

Odds are still unlikely that an embryo will split, but it can and does happen.

I hope everyone here is doing well.

Catherine

twinkletoes

11-02-2006, 03:55 PM

I've got a little more time now...

Belle - What a great fertilization report!

skb - My RE requires a hysteroscopy before starting IVF, but not a lap. Before we started contemplating IVF, I'd already had two hysteroscopies and a lap, so I didn't have to do any of that.

tigerest - Sorry to hear about your mom... I hope she's doing better. Grow eggies!

Patience - I've used both Freedom and MDR. I like Freedom much better. I feel like I get more personal service, and Freedom doesn't charge me to overnight my meds like MDR does.

Awesome picture, Applebee!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Got my stim report. E2 level was only 283. After 3 days of stims. So they bumped me up to 300 units of Gonal F. (I was at 225.) I'm hoping that we'll see some good results with Saturday's u/s.

I'm already having some discomfort in my abdomen - very minor, but I can tell things are happening. :D

Asha

11-02-2006, 05:13 PM

cath - thanks for debunking a myth for me. i didn't realize fraternals were heriditary and identicals were not. learned something new today. i don't think we will be doing icsi.

tigerest

11-02-2006, 06:50 PM

Belle - That is a great fert report! :)

twinkle - Good luck at your U/S on Sat.

gymwidow - COngrats on ending the shots! :)

Applebee - I don't know what to think about that embryo...could be a hair on the lens or something.

Cath - How are things going with you?

I am actually having the opposite problem...because of my failed IVF cycles my RE wants to put back 3, and we are pretty set against doing that. But he wants to wait to see the quality of the embryos before we decide.

Like Cath, I have heard that ICSI may slightly increase the chances of identicals. Did you do ICSI Cath, I can't remember? WE are doing ICSI. BUt still I think its pretty rare.

Sorry if I missed anyone, been having a hard time keeping up. I am not feeling to great today. I have had a headach all day and now my stomach feels unsettled. :/

Tandis

11-03-2006, 03:00 AM

Coming out of lurkdom to say:

Assisted hatching raises the chances of identical twins as well.

From speaking with my RE, I got the impression that a family history of twins doesn't matter when it comes to IVF, so like Cath more or less said, it doesn't matter if it runs in your family or not. Of course, if you're not telling people you're doing IVF, and you end up with twins, a family history makes a good story for those people who ask if twins run in your family ;)

FWIW, we did both ICSI and AH, and neither mattered as far as our twins.

Tigerest - Hope you feel better soon! That's so scary with your Mom. Hope she's doing better as well.

gymwidow

11-03-2006, 06:08 AM

Just jumping in on the twintalk. The hereditary aspect of fraternal twins actually is only on the mother's side (because fraternals result due to the woman dropping two eggs in one cycle, which can run in families; the male contribution has nothing to do with it). That being said, if we don't feel like sharing our IVF story with every single person, I can refer to my (male) cousin who has fraternal twins and just allow that myth to continue and not correct people when they assume it's a family thing. ;)

We did ICSI and AH as well, and as far as we can tell, our twins are fraternal (two sacs, two placentas).

My RE was very adamant about only wanting to put back two embryos. My age (29) had a lot to do with it, and also the fact that we had two very strong embryos on Day 3. We were told we could do three if we really wanted to, but DH agreed with the doctors and so I let them decide and we went with two.

Bellefior, that's great news! I'm so excited and can't wait to check in tomorrow to see how you're doing!

twinkletoes, you'll definitely start feeling twinges after just a few days. I was pretty uncomfortable about a week after starting my stims - sitting for a long period of time was almost painful b/c of all the pressure that put on my abdomen.

Asha

11-03-2006, 06:15 AM

That being said, if we don't feel like sharing our IVF story with every single person, I can refer to my (male) cousin who has fraternal twins and just allow that myth to continue and not correct people when they assume it's a family thing.

if we end up with twins, i'll just say my mom is adopted, so i will say its a possibility that twins may run in the family. who knows mom may have a long lost twin??!
****

did anyone request any time off from work bc of ivf. my situation is a bit unique. i am in school full time and also teach college courses as part of my fellowship. i know technically i only need a couple of days off for the er and et, but its just the mental part of it that's hard. also, the er and et are expected two weeks before finals and terms papers are due. i also don't know how i'll respond to the stims. so, do you think its fair of me to request a possible extension from my profs? i am thinking of asking for a week extension for my papers and take home exams. i've already decided i will cancel classes for the course i teach on the week of er and et. i will just tell the students they can use the time to work on their reseearch papers. though, i don't know if i should be honest with them and tell them what medical procedure i am having done or just be kinda vague about it all. i am pretty sure my re can give me a note if need be. ironically, one of my classes is about gender issues, so i hope that prof will be more understanding since she is educated on such matters. i'm not sure how the other profs will react.

tigerest

11-03-2006, 07:51 AM

twins - I have 2 cousins who have had twins in the past 2 years, so I think
I am covered as far as people blaming it on family. ;) I also think one of them was through ART but they just aren't telling anyone....just a guess because they are much older and were trying for a really long time and them bam...twins! ;)

Asha - For my first couple IVF's I worked full time and it was pretty hard. I found it the hardest to have ER, go to work, and then a couple days later have ET. So this time, probably my last fresh cycle, I cut my hrs down to 32 hrs a week, and I am taking the whole week of ER and ET off. My RE wrote me a note saying it was for medical procedures.

pocahontas

11-03-2006, 08:19 AM

We did ICSI and AH as well, and as far as we can tell, our twins are fraternal (two sacs, two placentas).
HEY GYM...just the newbie still trying to learn a lil' sumphin here. :D But what is AH exactly (now that ICSI has been explained to me?):o

gymwidow

11-03-2006, 10:27 AM

Asha, I took off the day of and the day after my ER, and wished I had taken off one more day after that (sitting up straight at my desk was still very uncomfortable/painful). Then I took off the day of my ET and worked from home for a couple of days after so that I could avoid my long commute.

pocahontas, AH = Assisted Hatching. It's usually done on Day 3 embryos to help them implant. It's when the embryologists drill a small hole in the hard outer shell surrounding the embryo (the zona pellucida I think) so that the embryo inside can more easily work its way out and implant into the uterus. My RE said that his lab usually doesn't do it on Day 5 transfers b/c the shell is much thinner then, but I've heard of some labs that do.

jodylovesscotty

11-03-2006, 01:27 PM

Today we found out that our 3rd IUI cycle didn't work. Now we are moving on to IVF. Our plan is to start meds in mid to end of December and then do ER and ET at the beginning of January when my insurance money starts over again. I would love to join this thread to learn more and go along in the journey with all of you.

jodylovesscotty
Age: 33
DH: 32
Married: 8/03
TTC: January 2005
DX: Morphology (4%), Factor V Leiden (blood clotting disorder)
1 m/c (June 06)
July 06: unmedicated IUI w/ trigger Failed
August 06: repronex, trigger IUI Failed
October 06: Lupron, repronex, trigger IUI Failed
IVF #1: January 07

tigerest

11-03-2006, 01:46 PM

Jody - So sorry about your failed IUI! Glad you have a plan and are able to move forward with IVF soon. Welcome to the thread. Good luck!

Update: HAd an U/S this morning...I have 15 follies from 5-8!! Dr wants to see me again on Monday! In good news they are letting my mom go home tonight! YAY! I am going down to help her out this evening.

Bellefior

11-04-2006, 06:27 AM

RE' s office called today and we will be transferring today at 10:15 am. The nurse didn't say how many of the 10 fertilized were left other than that there were "lots of them" but she did say that there were two that looked "really really good" which is why they are having me come in today.

I can't believe the big day is here! I won't be able to post after the transfer since I'm on bed rest for at least today, but will post as soon as I am able.

gator97

11-04-2006, 06:43 AM

Great news, Bellefior! Good luck, today.

Tigerest- glad that your mom is able to come home. And yeah for 15 follicles!

jodylovesscotty- welcome!

Asha- I took the day of ER off but went back the next day. I also took the day of ET and one day after (ET was on a Thurs. so I got Sat. and Sun for free). I chose not to tell my boss. I don't really get along with her and I'd rather not have her know my business. I did, however, tell a couple people who I work closely with. I do training and knew I would likely miss a day or two of training. I didn't want to put them in a bind so I was honest with them so they could make arrangements. With my boss, I just called in sick. I have lots of issues with allergies and asthma so usually they just assume it is that.

My RE standard protocol for someone my age (31) is to transfer back 2-3 if it is a day 3 transfer. If it's a 5 day, they transfer 2. We have opted for 2 each time.

twinkletoes

11-04-2006, 08:18 AM

Had a stim check today.

I had 7 measurable (between 10 and 14) on the left and 8 measurable (again, between 10 and 14) on the right. Most were hanging out in the 11-12 range, with a couple of 10's and a couple of 14's - one on each side.

I'll get a call later today with my bloodwork results. I think we'll be adding Repronex to the drug cocktail tonight.

Applebee

11-04-2006, 06:09 PM

Hi everyone. This will be short as I'm exhausted from shopping with my mom and two aunts today and plus I'm starving.

I tested this morning with First Response Early Results (FRER). This is 16dpo/er. Sorry for the blurry marker, my MIL smashes them all when she uses them returning stuff to QVC or HSN.

I'm in shock. I'm scared. I'm just hoping it sticks. I didn't tell anyone except DH, my cousin and my online buddies. I'm planning to hold out until Christmas. We'll see.

Beta is Monday.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e302/Applebee66/HPT1FRER11406a.jpg

gator97

11-04-2006, 06:28 PM

woohoo Applebee! That is a beautiful, dark line! Can't wait to hear your beta results on Monday.

twinkletoes- sounds like things are moving right along!

Suzlywoozly

11-04-2006, 10:42 PM

Wow Applebee! That is one dark line!

pocahontas

11-05-2006, 06:12 AM

Hi everyone. This will be short as I'm exhausted from shopping with my mom and two aunts today and plus I'm starving.[color=green]Well, from what I've read...being exhausted and starving are two GREAT signs! ;)

The run in this thread over the past 2 months is amazing! Do ya'll think if I ask my RE can we go str8 to IVF and skip this Clomid and IUI or IUI/injectible stuff she will say, "YES"? :o Seems like the odds are MUCH better over on this side! (Did any of you skip IUIs and just do IVF? Wonder what the odds are she'd let me do IVF instead of these 2 rounds of Clomid/IUI she suggested.:confused: ) DH really doesn't want to do IVF...but he'll get over it because he didn't want to do IUI either and I talked him into that. :rolleyes:

Asha

11-05-2006, 06:17 AM

poca - i did skip iui's. my re highly suggested this bc he said our chances of success with iui's was very low bc of tubal issues. because of ruptured appendix, we have a tubal problem, so ivf skips the whole need for healthy tubes bc the put the embies straight into the uterus. also, cost was a factor for us too. insurance doesn't cover any fertility treatments, so if we are going to shell out the dough it better be for something with a high chance of success. if you are dealing with insurance, they may require you to do iui's first bc it is less expensive than ivf. also, re's are not quick to jump right into ivf bc it is an invasive procedure. my re actually said he rarely reccomends patients go straight into ivf. my re said the odds for me to deliver a live baby would be 60-70%. we are a young, healthy couple with no male factor problems if that gives you any perspective on our possible success rate.

apple - sticky vibes!!!

gator97

11-05-2006, 06:42 AM

pochantas- we went straight to IVF but that was due to our particular situation. I have endometriosis and as a result have residual fluid around my ovaries and in the cul-de-sac area. This fluid is basically toxic to egg/sperm/embryo. . making it quite difficult to get pregnant because it shortens the "shelf-life" of egg and sperm. So, we went to IVF b/c IUI would not bypass the fluid- thus not eliminating our issue.
I don't know your personal situation but I know my RE doesn't normally skip straight to IVF. It's invasive and it's expensive. They like to try other options first. Good luck.

Applebee

11-05-2006, 08:15 AM

Cath

11-05-2006, 08:31 AM

Applebee - Congratulations. I'm so happy for you. I actually yelled out "oh, that's wonderful" when I read your news and woke my dog up!

Anyway, congratulations and sticky vibe for you. I've got everything crossed!

I've got more to say, but now my dog is demanding to go outside.

Suzlywoozly

11-05-2006, 08:48 AM

Pocahontas- We did 5 IUI's but that was with my OB/GYN. When I moved on to the RE, he said that he would have NEVER had me do them based on my diagnosis and DH's low count. Talk about a time waster:rolleyes:

I got my protocol in the mail yesterday and I am starting to freak out a bit. I am not sure if it is anxiety about going to a new clinic or the fact they changed everything from my last cycles. I used follistim for my fresh cycle and responded really well on it. On the prescription, the RE wrote Gonal-F and Menopur. I am not sure why when she told me that she was going to stick with the Follistim. I am so damn frustrated and grumpy! I am probably just overeacting.

MrsR

11-05-2006, 09:21 AM

yay applebee -- sending many sticky vibes your way:D :D

Sorry, guys no time for other SOs as I am at work today. I go in for my first of the daily visits tomorrow so hopefully I will have good news when I get back . . .

Asha

11-05-2006, 10:06 AM

suzly - no need to worry. it sounds like you are on the same meds by a different name. according to my nurse, follistim and gonal f are the same drug manufactured by two different companies hence the different names. if you are paying out of pocket, i would talk to your nurse about switching back to gonal f. gonal f is much cheaper than follistim.

CTs_Punkin

11-05-2006, 10:36 AM

coming out of lurkerville to say

Congrats Applebee - sending you sticky vibes!!!

pocahontas

11-05-2006, 05:46 PM

Thanks ladies. I'm am in total shock. I'm so scared that whatever is in there isn't going to stick around. I wanted to pick up a digital last night to test with but didn't get a chance to. It sure was hard not to tell my family yesterday, they have been cheering me on since I started this journey. I just know how hard it was when I m/c ten yrs ago. I had told everyone I was PG so it was hard to tell them I wasn't anymore.

Pocahontas - I went straight to IVF, but that was due to my age. I consulted with an RE at 38 (21 days before my 39th birthday). DH always said he wouldn't do IVF, but he changed his mind when the doc said that was the best option he thought he could offer us. Good luck in whatever route you take!!!

Well, I do appreciate all the informative responses ladies. And I looked at each of your situations in relation to my own to see what in common I may have that could build me a case with my RE for skipping this IUI phase. I don't have tubal issues which RE knows because she did my HSG in April and told me they were all clear then did my Lap and hysteroscopy in July and saw tubes and ovaries again confirming there was no scarring or adhesions. (Although I did have ENDO also, Gator, but she lasered it off.) Then as far as low count for DH, he has had 2 SAs. The first came back slightly low (like 43% mot. when it should be 50% or above and 9% morph when it should be 14% or above but volume and count were normal). So RE said because it was only slight she wanted him to get a second one with a urologist. Apparently, urologist didn't send up any red flags to RE about the second one. So RE decided DH was fine. But it was in reading your situation, APPLEBEE, that I found I had the most similarity. I think I am only 3 years younger than you. (So I qualify in most books for AMA :rolleyes: ) and I wonder if that argument will fly. I noticed you are in the same state I am also...I would love to know which RE you are with (in case I feel the need to get a "second opinion" :D ) That is if you don't mind...if it's not a problem, PM me. I think I know which hospital/center you are with because I have thought about switching there myself before this...but it is just the distance that has kept me away. Either way, thanks ladies for all of your help!