IVF Anyone?

[islandgirlsj]

Looking for all women who are going through IVF, and want to chat and find some support here. I belonged to the group on WC, and now, well... I'm having serious issues with that site, and I'm missing having other women to chat about this whole experience.

A little background on me.
I have two children, a 16 year old daughter, and a 12 (almost 13) year old son.

My husband has no children, so after a lot of thinking and planning we decided to try to have a child together. I had my tubes tied after the birth of my son, so going through IVF was the best solution right now.

We just finished out first cycle about a month ago, and were unsuccessfull, and are now in the middle of our second.

I hope to hear from more of you that may be going through the same thing.


~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~
Some Usefull & Helpful Information - Links and such (will be added to as we find them)
IVFer's HCG Levels (http://ivfer.com/hcg.htm)
IVF Pregnancy Due Date and Timeline Calculator (http://www.ivf.ca/calcu.htm)
IVFer's Pregnancy Calculator Page (includes includes embryo measurements, heartrates, and fetal weights) (http://www.ivfer.com/pg_calc.htm)


Meet the Women.... and the stats. :D

alo (aloitius on WC)
Age: 29
DH: 32
Married: 10/01
TTC: 2003
Dx: balanced translocation on chromosomes 1 and 4
4 m/c (3 chemical pgs, and 1 loss at 10 weeks of triplets)
Status: IVF with PGD #1 July 2005
Status: embryos carried genetic abnormalities - Was not able to transfer
any.

amychris03
Me: Amy, 29
DH: Chris, 35
Married: 6/21/03
DX: PCOS, lack musculature along outside of tubes
Ectopic PG: 9/04
Status: PREGNANT
EDD: 3/26/06

angelgirl8
me: angelgirl8, 28
dh: also 28
married: 7.6.03
ttc: 1.04
testing: cd3 and 7dpo blood tests fairly normal
5.04: SA normal
9.04: HSG-tubes clear
9.04, 10.04, 11.04: clomid, IUI, trigger, progesterone
12.04: gonal-f 150iu, IUI, trigger, progesterone
3.04: IVF#1 (all but 1 of the 22 fertilized eggs multinucleated and fragmented; transferred 1 4-celled embryo on day 3)
5.04: IVF#2; added metformin: (18 retrieved, 13 fertilized, 4 low quality embryos survived and transferred on day 3)
6.02.05: Pregnant with TWINS!
EDD - 2/8/06

Astro
Me: Astro age 38
DH: DH age 35
TTC since Sept 03
Laporoscopy June 04
Polypectomy October 04
Diagnosed: unexplained infertility with a touch of endo and fibroids.
Clomid/IUIs/Progesterone since July 04
Pregnant with Twins
Status; Miscarried at 16 weeks. :(

AusMarchBride
Me: Ann (39)
DH: Michael (41)
Married: 16 March 2003
DX: Unexplained IF
IVF#1: Jan 05, unsuccessful
[B]IVF#2: May 05, PREGNANT
BFP: June 14, 2005
EDD: February 17, 2006

CapeCod04
Me: Kate (43)
DH: Aron (35)
TTC since Aug 04
Diagnosis: none really - my fertility problem is old age!
1 unsuccessful IUI
1 whacked out injectible cycle that was supposed to be an IUI
IVF #1 - Sept, 05, Failed. :(
Status: Will wait for new cycle to try again.

Happy1
Me: Nikki, 27 (7/17/78)
DH: Tim, 35 (11/2/69)
Married: 6/08/02
Diagnosis: Male factor
Status: Just starting out

islandgirlsj
Me: Lisa (37)
DH: Ken (41)
Married: April 26th, 2003
DX: Have tubes tied, and had tubal pregnancy which took a tube.
IVF#1: Failed,6/5/05 - We have 10 frozen embries, so we move
onto a FET cycle next.
IVF#2 -FET, 7/25/05 - Failed 8/3/05
Currently taking a break. May try another FET in the New Year.

Jad
me: 34
DH: 33
married: 9/02
Dx: male factor
IVF #1 June/July - Chemical Pregnancy
IVF #2: September/October 2005

Jan1902
me: 34
DX: Severe tubal adhesions/blockage during 10/04 HSG
Tubes cauterized 11/04
IVF #1 1/05 BFN
IVF #2 3/05 BFN
IVF #3 Transfer 8/15/05
Status - Failed


Kat (FKA MIPG?)
Age: 36
DH: 40
Married: 9/02
TTC: 12/03
Dx: unexplained (HSG, SA, bloodwork all fine)
10/04: miscarried at about 6 weeks
11/04 - 3/05: four rounds of Clomid + trigger (and timed BD) -- all BFN
IVF #1: June '05 (transferred two 8-cell, grade 1 embies)
Status: beta was 6/23
PREGNANT with TWINS!
EDD: 3/2/06 - Boy / Girl Twins!

KLo
Me: Lois (31)
DH: Kevin (36)
Married: May 11, 2002
TTC: July 2003
BFP: October 25, 2004 (officially)
EDD: July 1, 2005
IF Info: Bilateral distally blocked Tubes, IVF#1 – Transferred two 8-cell Grade A embryos – Successful!! Pg with twins - one lost at 8wks.
ADD: 6/16/05 - Matthew Michael George
TTC #2 with IVF - some time in 2006

la_bride_2004
Me: 31
DH: 36
male factor
Dec 04 IVF #1- OHSS/ chem. preg
IVF #2 - FET June 1
Status: 8/19/05 DH had varicocele repair surgery, hoping for another
round in 3-6 months

Ladybug777 (formerly Scorpiobride on WC)
Me: Jazmine (26)
Dh: Taft (29)
Married: 6/15/02
TTC: 3/03
DX: Bilateral removal of tubes (8/05); initially dx w/ left hydro but lap showed both tubes dilated; mild male factor
11/04: IUI #1 w/ Clomid- BFN
2/05 & 3/05 : IUI #2 & #3 w/ injectibles- BFN
Moving on to IVF

mrselle ~
Me: Jo (30 on 7/14)
DH: Ed (35)
TTC: February 2003
1/2004 - HSG all clear
5/2004 - Pregnant!!!
6/2004 - Miscarriage at 7w5d
1/2005 - Clomid round 1 (P4 = 22.1 at 2PDO); BFN
2/2005 - Clomid round 2 (P4 = 56.3 at 5DPO); BFN
3/2005 - Clomid round 3 (P4 = 54.7 at 5DPO); BFN
4/2005 - DH SA excellent
6/2005 - First visit with RE
6/2005 - Office Hysteroscopy; Everything looks good
DX - Unexplained
IVF# 1 - Aug. 2005
Status - Had severe OHSS, had to cancel cycle, will do FET in a couple months

Sandybride
FET - August
Status: 9/2/05 - PREGNANT!

Scooter
Me: 29
DH:32
Married:8/01
m/c 8/02 at 5.5 weeks
TTC: 4/03
Unexplained Infertility, possible immune issues
3 cycles of clomid & progesterone
2 cycles of clomid + IUI
1 cycle of letrozole + IUI
using accupuncture & on Folgard & baby aspirin
status: on 2nd cycle of letrozole + IUI
next cycle: Bravelle + IUI, and then moving to IVF
Status:8/19/05 - Pregnant

Sidsou
Ann - 33
DH - 41
DS - Kyle - 8 1/2 months -IVF success story!
male factor infertility
Status:TTC #2 with IVF August/September
Status: Beginning Stims mid Sept

Suzlywoozly
Me: Sue (28)
DH: Jeff (31)
TTC: October 2002
10/02: 1st Lap-Found ovarian cysts and endo
4/04: Started Progesterone supplements and 25 mg clomid
8/04 - 11/04: Clomid and IUI's
01/05: Surgery to remove mass on left ovary. Turned out to be endo which caused my left ovary/fallopian tube to adhere to my uterus
02/05-04/05: Two additional clomid cycles with failed IUIs
06/05: Pregnant on an unmedicated cycle and miscarried
8/05 IVF #1 - 8/25 Beginning Stims
9/05 - ER/ET week of Septmber 12th

~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~

Please email your stats to me, and I will update you. :) Islandgirlsj's email (islandgirl_sj@yahoo.com)

[mrselle]

I was hoping an IVF group would start up. I was too shy to start one on my own. A little background on us:

DH and I have been TTC for 2 1/2 years now. We were able to get pregnant on our own after 14 months of trying, but unfortunately I had a miscarriage at 7w5d. Its been a year since my miscarriage and we still have not been able to get pregnant. We tried 3 cycles of clomid earlier this year and while my progesterone levels were great, none of those cycles were successful. This month I started seeing an RE and have made more progress in four weeks than we have made in 2 1/2 years. I had an office hysteroscopy two weeks ago and fortunately everything looks normal. So, given the amount of time we have been TTC my RE suggest that we move on to injectables or IVF. Our insurance covers IVF at 80%, so DH and I are leaning towards IVF. Unless AF doesn't show (and I'm pretty sure she wil :rolleyes: ) I think we will begin the process late July/early August.

[Scooter]

I've been wondering if that group was going to move over here, too. Did LA_Bride mention moving it? I haven't seen her over here yet. :confused:

[islandgirlsj]

mrselle ~

Sounds like you have already been through a lot to get to the IVF stage.

I have to say that it is even more work here! Ha. But I guess if it pays off, and I'm praying that it will, all of this will be worth it.

I'm doing a frozen cycle this time around, and have heard that many women get pregnant at this stage instead of the first. So I'm just going to go with that theory, and hope for the best! :D

Welcome to the group!!

[islandgirlsj]

Scooter ~
I have not heard from LA bride, although I was going to make a post over there about this thread starting.
I'm way to frustrated to stay over there any longer, I absolutely hate the new format.

Glad you found this thread!! :D

[Scooter]

Islandgirl-thanks! I've been lurking in the thread for months, but wasn't sure if I should join yet. We've still got the rest of this cycle and then 1 cycle of injectibles before starting IVF. But really, if I haven't gotten pg in the last 27 months, I'm not feeling very positive about the next two working out! I'm starting to really look forward to IVF, and am hoping the thread starts up here so I can learn more specifics!

[AusMarchBride]

Is that you chained??

[amygrrl]

ok... i finally found you guys... is this going to be the official new group thread? if so, here are my stats :D

me: amy (35)
dh: dan (33)
TTC since: March 2003
Treatments: 6 failed rounds of Clomid. 1 successful IVF producing Avery Elizabeth born still on June 3, 2005 at 27 weeks from possible cord accident (we love you, baby girl!) along with 3 frozen blasts.
Status: July 25th - Meet with RE to discuss next steps. Possible fresh cycle in Sept/Oct. Meeting with Perinatologist to review Avery's case. Undergoing b/w for a variety of clotting disorders. Meeting with Cardiologist to change arythmia med. and praying for a brother or sister for Avery

[Jad]

Yeah, we can start a group over here. DH will make less fun of me than he does because I still go to the WC three years after our wedding. :)

[angelgirl8]

hi all!

chained...thanks for starting this thread. we should see if coreen wants to move all the thread beginning stuff over here?

[Sidsou]

Hi all from the WC boards! I almost feel bad coming over here, but it's just so much easier to post.

Mrselle You sound so much like me when I started IVF. I have a happy little baby boy now. Feel free to ask any questions!!

Jad It's been almost 4 years since my wedding, so DH makes so much fun of me for still going to "newleyweds" :)

A little update on me, I had been meeting with the RE to hopefully try for baby#2 with IVF (my first baby an IVF baby is almost 10 months now). My FSH levels are much higher than they were before (almost 3 years ago now), so we're trying Clomid to see if my body will react to it. It's kind of goofy since I feel like I'm now starting everything all over again when I had hoped I could just start with IVF. I swear Clomid was the worst drug of them all for me.

I feel kind of bad saying this here (I hope no one takes offense), but in a way I thought you guys might be able to understand better than others. If my body isn't reacting very well, we might not continue with ttc#2. I'm sure you all know how difficult it is going through all of this fertility stuff and how life consuming it is. I honestly don't think I want to go through it all again and miss out on DS. I feel like I'm so lucky to have one baby and want to enjoy him. I think I'm just tired of fighting the fertility battles.

[islandgirlsj]

Awww!
Look at all my WC girls!
I'm so glad to see you all coming over here.

I made that post last night in WC, and then went to bed, then I had the most awful feeling that maybe I should not have done that.
After all, it was an active thread, but I think that the stress of those horrible boards was keeping people away.

I'm glad to see you all over here! :D :D

angelgirl8 - Yes, we could see if Coreen wants to move the stuff over, that would be great, can you send her an email, or somehow contact her?? My internet time at work is scarce right now. :rolleyes:

Sidsou ~ I don't think your reaction to being hesitant about doing another round of IVF is bad. This is such a hard journey, and quite frankly, I'm not sure how many of us get through it. However I wish you the best in whatever you decide, and I'm happy to have you here.

Amygrrl ~ Hun, I'm happy, and sad to see you here, You have been in my thoughts, and I'm sending you lots of love. Welcome to the group! :hugs:

Jad ~ you crack me up, and I'm glad to see you found your way over here!

AusMarchBride ~ YUP! I'm chained63 on WC!! YOU found me!!
Happy to see you here! How are you doing??

[mrselle]

I swear Clomid was the worst drug of them all for me.

I feel kind of bad saying this here (I hope no one takes offense), but in a way I thought you guys might be able to understand better than others. If my body isn't reacting very well, we might not continue with ttc#2. I'm sure you all know how difficult it is going through all of this fertility stuff and how life consuming it is. I honestly don't think I want to go through it all again and miss out on DS. I feel like I'm so lucky to have one baby and want to enjoy him. I think I'm just tired of fighting the fertility battles.

Sidsou, I know exactly how you feel about clomid. It was like the devil to me!!! I took it for three cycles, no breaks in between, and by the end of the second cycle I was a basketcase. After the third cycle my nurse told me that I could take it up to one year. I broke down and cried on the phone. I ended up calling her back and telling her that I didn't want to take clomid anymore.

I kind of understand what your saying about TTC #2. At this stage I feel that if I get one healthy, happy baby I will be fine. Anything more than that will be more than I could ever ask for.

[~queen~]

I'm here too :) QueenofHearts/Sharon on WC. I haven't been able to login on the new WC site and haven't bothered creating a new ID. Glad to see everyone else making the journey :)

[islandgirlsj]

:) Welcome over here Queen!!

I hope to see all of us gathered here, in a forum that is once again, easy to use.

[Scooter]

I gave Coreen a link to this page in her LJ, so we'll see if she wants to be the one to startup the thread again, over in the groups forum.

ps Ann, it's good to see you again, I remember us being in the Charting thread together. HOW long ago was that?! I'm glad to see IVF worked for you--hopefully you won't be stuck on that clomid for too long. I hate that stuff.

[mrselle]

I'll go ahead and give my stats:

Me: Jo (30 on 7/14)
DH: Ed (35)
TTC: February 2003
1/2004 - HSG all clear
5/2004 - Pregnant!!!
6/2004 - Miscarriage at 7w5d
1/2005 - Clomid round 1 (P4 = 22.1 at 2PDO); BFN
2/2005 - Clomid round 2 (P4 = 56.3 at 5DPO); BFN
3/2005 - Clomid round 3 (P4 = 54.7 at 5DPO); BFN
4/2005 - DH SA excellent
6/2005 - First visit with RE
6/2005 - Office Hysteroscopy; Everything looks good
DX - Unexplained
Status - given the option of Injectables or IVF. Will probably go with IVF.

[mrselle]

To those of you who have already done a round of IVF can you give me a little insight into taking the shots (pain, mood swings, weight gain, etc...) I did a little reading online the other night and my stomach was in knots by the time I went to bed. I'm starting to get really, really scared.

[islandgirlsj]

mrselle ~
Maybe you can tell us what you are going to be taking?

I can tell you, that for the Lupron, I get headaches, nightsweats... and tired... really tired.

I did Metformin and Follistim, and although I have heard some that gained weight from these, it was not my experience, although I did have bloating and mood swings.

I know it all seems very overwhelming, and I think you really have to just take it one day at a time, and before you know it, you are at the end.

[la_bride_2004]

I am so, so grateful to whomever started this over here- I HATE the new WC board format, I can't even log in, and I am so buried in classes right now I haven't even had time to figure out what the heck is going on over there.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! :)

C

[amychris03]

I'm here! And currently FREAKING OUT! Had the HCG
injection at 2:45 am last night, for a 2:45 retrieval
tomorrow. I got a call from the drs office just now
because the dr has been contacted by several of her
colleagues (whom I assume use the same Pharmacy) that
the batch of HCG that we were prescribed is more potent
than it says, and there have been cases where the women
have already ovulated. So im going in an hour earlier for
the procedure. Im SOOOO scared now. What if its too
late. Not only would this SUCK because we'd be back
to square one, but um HELLO, im the one with the
bad tubes who is at high risk for ectopics. Dont really need
12 eggs in there! So say a prayer for me, if you would that
all is well when they go in there tomorrow...

[islandgirlsj]

amychris03 ~

Oh My Gosh! :eek:
You poor thing! This is not a worry you need right now!

I'm keeping you in my thoughts, and just try to keep calm, as hard as that seems. You need to be as stress free as possible!!

Hang in there, and let us know how it goes!

[Jad]

Drive by to say.....

Amy - :eek: I'd be a little freaked out too. But at least they found out in time. I'm sure if they needed more than an hour, they would have scheduled you earlier. Still. Scary. I know you'll feel better after they get all those great eggs tomorrow, though. :D

Stims shot #1 is tonight! Finally!

[Astro]

Hi everyone. I finally made it over here too. :) So nice to see a forum/thread that's user friendly.

Jad Good luck with the stims.

Islandgirlsj So you're the one formerly known as chained? ;) Thanks for starting this thread.

amychris03 oh my gosh! I'm sure they're calling you in on time, since they bumped it up an hour. Good luck. I've got my fingers crossed for you.

la_bride_2004 hey there. hope everything's going well for you.

To everyone else, sorry if I forgot anyone. Hope we're all cruising, bruising, or relaxing along. Don't forget chocolate is both a vegetable and a milk, so eat plenty. And Icecream sandwiches cure a multitude of issues (according to Jad) ;)

[~queen~]

Angel: I forgot to ask, how are the little ones doing??? I still can't believe you have two! I remember when you were showing your embies and saying how they looked. I hope you saved the pictures! You give me lots of hope this cycle for a 3 day transfer!

Also, we need a new chart of what phase everyone is at. Anyone familiar enough with this code to take a shot at it?

That weird? :confused: It didn't post my reply to AmyChris? (((HUGS))) I would be freaking out too. I'll keep my fingers crossed that you hold on to those eggies until its time to get them out.

[islandgirlsj]

la_bride_2004 ~

I'm glad to see you found our thread!
I have to agree, I could not even STAND to go to WC, and that horrible horrible format! So YAY for this one, and I only hope that the others will soon follow.
I was missing our group!! ;)

Queen ~ Also, we need a new chart of what phase everyone is at. Anyone familiar enough with this code to take a shot at it?

I wish I was that talented, but I have no clue. I can make a post with everyones status though as in the last thread. I think that might help us some.
I will work on it tonight. :o

Astro~ So glad to see you over here! How are you doing? Been thinking about you. Yes, I was chained, but happily free of that name now!

Jad - Good luck with the Stims tonight... it is tough to start, but Eh, you'll get somewhat used to it. (sad enough to say) :cool:

Jan1902 ~ Welcome here! Happy to see you.
Yes, I did jump right back in... it was hard, IS HARD, but I figured why wait right? I am already doing the Lupron shot, just finished BCP's, and I think it is the 8th, I start using the estrogen patches. :rolleyes:
I'm trying to remain postive that THIS is my time.

So, again WELCOME to you all.... and I'm feeling so much better having a group around me again! :D

[AusMarchBride]

To those of you who have already done a round of IVF can you give me a little insight into taking the shots (pain, mood swings, weight gain, etc...) I did a little reading online the other night and my stomach was in knots by the time I went to bed. I'm starting to get really, really scared.

Honestly, I think the fear before you start all the injections is much worse than the actuality. For me, the injections weren't so bad. Don't get me wrong, I'm not thinking of shooting up for recreation ;) Mood swings were ok too, more of an issue for my DH I think, but he says I wasn't tooo bad. The weight gain does happen, but usually has pretty much gone by the end of the 2ww.

I think everyone's experience is different, but use the thread and the ladies here who've been through it. It was a fantastic support for me through two IVF cycles on the WC boards.

Because I'm in Australia, some of my experiences and answers with particular drugs/protocols are not going to be so relevant as everyone else's here. I'll still post my responses though, because I think the UK is more likely to use the same drugs as here, and it might be useful to someone who's lurking and not posting yet.

Hi to islandgirl, queen, Astro, Jad, Jan1902, amychris, coreen, angelgirl and apologies if I missed anyone. I need to read the last couple of pages and catch up with everyone's status/details.

I'm SOOOO glad everyone's come over here, it feels like home :D

[AusMarchBride]

And a HUGE THANKYOU to islandgirl for starting this thread.

[AusMarchBride]

And now for some shoutouts:

Islandgirl Gutsy effort jumping right back in, but good for you. I've my fingers crossed that THIS is your time too.

Queen Nice to see you. When is your transfer date?

Astro Hi there, I saw you in the other thread too ;)

Jad Good luck with your stim shot tonight, it'll be fine. The needle looks uglier than it is, promise.

Jan1902 Hi to you too. Glad that even with your technological challenges, you made it here ;)

amychris Saying a prayer for you that you have a good retrieval. I know it's hard not to freakout when things seem to go wrong, but try and stay calm, it'll have you in the best position for your retrieval and transfer. Let us know how you go.

Coreen/LABride Great to see you also. How are you doing? You sound frantically busy with your classes.

mrselle Hi to you. Re your question about injectiles vs IVF, for me, I figured that with unexplained infertility, cobined with my age of 38 when I first saw the RE, I decided to go straight to IVF. I'm one of those people who likes control (which you pretty much lose during this whole infertility thing), and I felt that I was ready for IVF and the chances of success were higher with IVF than injectibles. But it was mainly a function of my age. I was concerned that if I tried a couple of cycles of injectibles, and they didn't work and I had to move to IVF, I would have wasted months which I felt was an issue at my age. But it's an individual decision, and what was right for me may not be for you. There's really not that much difference between them(I think), except for the actual retrieval under anaesthetic and the transfer. Talk it over with DH and your RE/specialist.

Scooter Hi there. I've seen you around WC lots, nice that you made it here. Hopefully the injectibles will work for you and you don't need to move onto IV, but if you need to, I hope you can get the support for your IVF cycle here.

Sidsou/Ann (great name!!) Hi there. I completely understand about you maybe not continuing to try for #2. This IVF process is harder emotionally than most things in life. For me, the physical side is ok, it's the mental part I find hard. And I think you do get tired of the whole rigmarole of drugs, injections, doctors appointments, scans, blood tests etc etc. Do what you feel best, you'll know if you need to stop. Hopefully, you'll fall pregnant quickly and then there's no decision to be made.

angelgirl Hi, hope you and the littlies are doing well.

amygrrl Hope you're doing ok. I remember you saying on WC that you and your DH were planners, so good to see you have some forward steps worked out.

I think we are still missing a few posters from WC: MIPG, BastilleBride, aloitius, melissa, kakirk(although I think she's quite busy at the moment ;) )and klsoo. I think I saw that chained posted on the WC thread so people should be able to find us here.

[AusMarchBride]

One question for everyone that I posted on the old thread, but I really would like opinions on it. I wanted to ask the ladies who are cycling a question. If you guys don't want me to post updates about what's happening with me, feel free to say. I won't be offended and will happily post and encourage but just not put down my details.
I know sometimes I found it hard to read about other people's success (happy for them but incredibly greeen with envy) and I want to make sure I don't get up anyone's nose. And seriously, even if only one person is not comfortable with updates on me, I'd rather know and leave out my updates.


And now I'll stop hogging the thread ;)

[amygrrl]

for me, the injections weren't bad at all... of course, all of mine were sub-q, but i gave them in my jelly roll around the middle and had no problems... mostly it was just a pain in the a$$ to keep all the drugs and dates straight... but i made myself a spreadsheet so i could look at any particular day and see every drug i was supposed to take and when.

as for side effects, i did 6 rounds of clomid b/4 the ivf and found the injectibles to be a vacation compared to the clomicidal rage i had with those stupid pills. i did have quite a bit a bloating, however, from the progesterone suppositories... so much so that i couldn't fit into any of my regular clothes the first trimester and had to go ahead and get maternity clothes... yet once they took my off the prog at 12 weeks i was suddenly able to fit into my regular clothes again and wore them for months 4 and 5.

on a somewhat happy note, being the little planners that we are, dh and i had a conversation yesterday about worse case scenerios... the worst right now being that they tell me i can't carry a baby for some reason and we still have the 3 embries in the freezer... we decided we'd then look for a gestational host... so i called my best friend since i was 14 and asked her if she would think about doing it if it ever came to that and she said yes. she's 35 and has 3 kids (the youngest is a year old)... gets preggo VERY easily and has very easy labor and delivery. so at least we have that on our side... although we have no reason to believe that we would need her help, it feels good to know that it's there if it comes to down to needing it.

[amygrrl]

one suggestion... can we have an area where we list our protocols? i think that might be very helpful.

[islandgirlsj]

Okay,
I have moved over as many of the stats from the old thread, to the 1st post here.
I KNOW some of them are not updated, so I need your help in emailing me (islandgirl_sj@yahoo.com) the correct information and dates, and I can make everything correct. ;)

Anyone new, or that I did not transfer over, email me also, and I will get you up on the boards quickly.

I tried to be careful not to overlook anyone, and if I did, my sincere apologies, I'm tired. :rolleyes: Just let me know okay.

Now...last and not least. AusMarchBride I personally would love to hear your updates, it gives me hope that all this works out in the end... and I also love hearing how excited you are, so please... let us know.

amygrrl ~ Hmm... a protocol list other than our stats? How about adding them into our stats, would that work?

Ladies... suggestions?

[Suzlywoozly]

Just wondering if I can join...

Me: Sue (28)
DH: Jeff (31)
TTC: October 2002
10/02: 1st Lap-Found ovarian cysts and endo
4/04: Started Progesterone supplements and 25 mg clomid
8/04: 50mg clomid - Had no follicles
9/04: 100mg clomid - Had 2 follicles and 1st failed IUI
10/04: 100mg clomid - Had 1 follicle and 2nd failed IUI
11/04: No clomid due to 2 ovarian cysts. Started Metformin 1500mg/day
12/04: No clomid due to "large mass" and ovarian cyst on left ovary.
01/05: Surgery to remove mass on left ovary. Turned out to be endo which caused my left ovary/fallopian tube to adhere to my uterus.
02/05-04/05: Two additional clomid cycles with failed IUIs.
05/05: Met with new RE and was told we needed to move forward with IVF.
06/05: Pregnant on an unmedicated cycle. HCG levels are not rising fast enough to be a viable pregnancy.
Current Status: Waiting to miscarry... If nothing by Tuesday the Dr. will schedule a D&C.

I talked to the RE today about my current situation. He said the only way I will ever have a healthy pregnancy is to go forward with IVF & ICSI. We will probably start treatment one cycle after the miscarriage. I am suppose to call his office tomorrow to schedule another consult to meet with him in a few weeks.

[~queen~]

Wow! This is really growing! Its so wonderful to see so many of the old names coming over here. It does indeed feel like home (everybody sing: coom-by-ya)

originally posted by ausmarchbride
I know sometimes I found it hard to read about other people's success (happy for them but incredibly greeen with envy) and I want to make sure I don't get up anyone's nose.

Honestly, I think we all have our moments of feeling like this. I know I did after immediately after my failed cycles where I'm so angry and hurt that it didn't work for me, but then I get past the depression part and start to believe again. And it is at that time that I need to follow someone else's journey; to chart the progress with them, go through their ups and downs because it gives me hope that it can work for me. So please, post away! I think anyone who is having a hard time will just cut back until they are ready to reach out again.

I guess they don't call it a cycle for nothing!

As for going through a cycle... I think the scariest part for me was the ER. I was at high risk for OHSS - but thank God that I didn't get it. But I had so many eggs the last time that I was really uncomfortable. The discomfort in your abdomen far outweighs the discomfort from the shots! The hardest part is the 2ww! Nothing else compares!

[Jad]

Breaking news....stim #1 is done. Thank goodness! My, that was awfully hard. Mostly mentally. I sat there with the needle in my hand for a good ten minutes trying to work up the nerve. Wowee, I'm a weenie. :)

When I finally jabbed myself the first time? Pulled the needle right back out.

Moved to another place and didn't do it right in some way, so the needle kind of bounced off me.

Third time, I finally managed it. And of course it didn't hurt at all. I still had to go lie down and recover, though. :rolleyes:

How many more of these do I have to do? ;)

ETA: Hi to Suzly and I promise to come back with SO's for everyone sometime in the near future. (Maybe this weekend as I've got a big ol' deadline on Friday.)

[AusMarchBride]

Breaking news....stim #1 is done. Thank goodness! My, that was awfully hard. Mostly mentally. I sat there with the needle in my hand for a good ten minutes trying to work up the nerve. Wowee, I'm a weenie. :)


Oh that was soooo me the first time I gave myself a shot. You're not a weenie, it's just you have the normal human reaction of not wanting to intentionally hurt yourself.

Congrats, you did it, they just get easier from here.

[AusMarchBride]

Hi and welcome to suzywoozly, but I'm sorry to welcome you under such circumstances. You've really had a tough time of it.

I hope you can get lots of support from the ladies here. They are seriously fantastic.

[klsoo]

only have time for a quick post right now as computer time has been drastically limited due to overloaded work schedule....

hello fellow wc ivf ladies!

jan1902 i owe you an email, but i don't have the patience to navigate the new wc boards to get your email address. would you mind posting it again?

hope all is well with everyone. thanks chained/islandgirl for initiating this thread.

klsoo

[AusMarchBride]

Hi klsoo Glad you found this thread.

I'm also posting to test my sig :D

[amygrrl]

you are not a weenie!!! while the actual poke never hurt me... don't think i didn't play it up for all it was worth with dh! put it this way, i didn't even need to get my lazy butt off the couch to turn a light on if i didn't want to for the full 3 weeks of shots... :D

[angelgirl8]

argh! i can't believe i missed like 3 pages of posts. let's see what i can remember before i go back to sleep over here!

first, i wanted to reiterate what ann said, but for me too. if anyone doesn't want to hear updates let us know. i will still always be here to read and cheer and answer questions.

amychris...oh no! i can't believe they scared you like that. hope everything worked out sweetie!

jad...i was the same way when i gave myself my first shot. i spent like 5 minutes looking at the needle and my stomach, needle, stomach, needle, stomach, trying to convince my head to stab my body.

mrselle...don't know if i missed this, but if you let us know what drugs you're taking we can let you know about side effects and stuff. in terms of the actual injection, the sub-q shots really aren't that bad at all. really!

[mrselle]

Wow, this thread is moving fast!!!! I am going to have a hard time keeping up, but I am so grateful for all of the feedback I'm getting. :)

AusMarchBride, I'm new to all this, so who knows how I will feel later down the road. But I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE hearing success stories. It keeps me encourage and builds my faith.

amygrrl, thank you for sharing your experience.

Suzlywoozly, I'm so sorry to hear about your miscarriage. You are in my thoughts.

queen, I hear you about the 2ww. I can see myself pulling my hair out.

Jad, glad to hear the first night of stims went well. Hopefully it will get easier.

angelgirl8, I don't know what drugs I will be taking yet. I have an appointment next week.

[angelgirl8]

hi

just wanted to add my stats! also i tried to find this thread in the groups area, but i see it's not there. should it be moved it so others can find it?

angelgirl8
me: angelgirl8, 28
dh: also 28
married: 7.6.03
ttc: 1.04
testing: cd3 and 7dpo blood tests fairly normal
5.04: SA normal
9.04: HSG-tubes clear
9.04, 10.04, 11.04: clomid, IUI, trigger, progesterone
12.04: gonal-f 150iu, IUI, trigger, progesterone
3.04: IVF#1 (all but 1 of the 22 fertilized eggs multinucleated and fragmented; transferred 1 4-celled embryo on day 3)
5.04: IVF#2; added metformin: (18 retrieved, 13 fertilized, 4 low quality embryos survived and transferred on day 3)
6.02.05: pregnant with twins, tentatively due on 2/12/06

[islandgirlsj]

This thread is just flying!
Okay, so work is swamped, so I just have a quick post.

Welcome Suzlywoozly, I added you and your stats to the front page.

angelgirl8 Glad to see you! I added your stats as well!! Oh, and Yes, I think it should be moved, but I have to figure out how to do that.... and I'm not sure I have the time while at work. Will have to work on it tonight.

Welocome over here klsoo!!So glad to see you found your way over here as well!!

Jad You GO GIRL! So proud of you making it through your first shot, and by yourself. You are stronger than I will ever be. If my husband isn't there.... were really in trouble! Heh!

Will check back with you all tonight, have a good day!
:D

[kat]

Whew - that was a lot to read when I only have about four minutes.....I ended up just skimming so I'll have to be back later for real shout-outs.

But could you please add me to the thread?




MIPG?
Age: 36
DH: 40
Married: 9/02
TTC: 12/03
Dx: unexplained (HSG, SA, bloodwork all fine)
10/04: miscarried at about 6 weeks
11/04 - 3/05: four rounds of Clomid + trigger (and timed BD) -- all BFN
IVF #1: June '05 (transferred two 8-cell, grade 1 embies)
Status: TBD; beta was 6/23
********

For those of you who weren't on the WC....I'll be telling everyone the results of our first IVF cycle around July 5, because I promised our parents that they'd be the first ones to know (positive or negative) and they're all visiting us on July 4.

I'll be back later with shout-outs!!!

Thanks for starting the new board!

[islandgirlsj]

MIPG? ~
Added you.

And you are driving me nuts by the way, making us wait!
:p
:: hugs ::

[~queen~]

MIPG: You are too cruel! ;) But I understand. I hope it worked out for you!!!

Update on my stats:
Sharon: 38
Robert: 41
Married: 4/12/2003
TTC #1
Final IVF attempt in August, 2005

[amychris03]

I'm back! Retrieval went well, and they got
10 eggs. Is that good? The two people in front
of me got 17 and 18 so I was feeling a bit
inferior. All is well, I had some pretty bad
cramping there for a bit but feel much better
now that I am home and have eaten ;) Im
off to lay down and take a nap!

[Astro]

amychris03 Congratulations! Glad to hear retrieval went well. I think 10 is a very nice number. Not too many, not too few. :D Here's hoping a bunch of them are mature and like to be inseminated. ;)

[~queen~]

Amy: Think quality not quantity! 10 is a great number, especially if they all fertilize normally. :D

[flygirl]

I just wanted to post as a sympathetic cheerleader. I donated my eggs 6 times in my early 20's & I'm very familiar with Lupron & follistim (& there was one more, I think; the trigger? That one left me with major pain in the leg in which I injected). I thought I was the only one to feel so bloated & out-of-sorts. :) It was in the Dr's best interest not to mention that to donors.

Right before my 4th or 5th retrieval I asked the nurse, "I know you can't give any specifics, but how have I been doing?" She smiled & said, "Let's just say there's a reason you keep getting chosen."

I can't begin to tell you how proud & happy that made me feel. My discomfort for a couple of months was nothing compared to what these women had been through with TTC, and my eggs had helped these women be able to carry their own child.

So while I haven't experienced TTC yet, I know physically what you all are going through, and I wish you all the best of luck.

[islandgirlsj]

amychris03
I think you did just GREAT! :D
10 is nothing to feel bad about, you only need ONE wonderful one to get that baby in your arms.

Rest up, and take care of yourself until transfer!!
:o

[AusMarchBride]

amychris 10 is a good number, really. As everyone told me, it only takes one ;) Here's hoping you get fabulous fertilisation results. When do you go in for transfer?? Is it day3 or day5? Rest up and take care of yourself in the meantime.

flygirl Thanks for your post. What a good person you are to have done all that egg donating

MIPG Glad you made it over here. We're hanging out for July 5 you know ;)

Hi to everyone else, hope you're doing well.

[Astro]

AusMarchBride hey there, how's it going?

We just went to our first ultrasound. The RE had said we were going to have one beautiful baby (due to the beta's, that's what they said would happen). It was a bit early (6 weeks 4 days), so they didn't know if they'd see a heart beat....

But they did! My DH was watching and saw it too. :D

then guess what!

Then found another heart beating! :eek: :eek:

We're very excited and nervous. looks like we got twins.

[AusMarchBride]

OMG Astro, that's amazing. Congratulations!! You and angelgirl are a pair of pairs!!

I've had my ultrasound and there's only one heartbeat inside me. My nurse did ask after the ultrasound how many we saw because my betas were so high. I was very happy to tell her that it was only one ;)

[Suzlywoozly]

Thank you to everyone for the warm welcome!

Just wanted to quickly say to Astro... A BIG congratulations on your twins! You & your DH must be so happy right now :D

I'll be back tomorrow for some s/o's. I totally emotionally drained and need to go crawl in bed. Hope everyone is doing okay!! :)

[la_bride_2004]

Hi ladies-

I know I am so, so behind. Is it bad if I don't ever want to go back to WC? I like this thread better. Thank you chained- also, I do have the first few pages of the WC IVF thread on word that Kakirk emailed me.

Also, I have been laying low because a lot of stuff has happened and I need to process it. When we met with the RE after the failed IVF cycle, we were expecting to hear about embryo quality due to our male factor issues. Wrong! Apparently I have an odd shaped uterus I was born with. It's still in the "normal" range, but the RE NOW thinks it may be an issue. According to him, I should have operative hysteroscopy or get a surrogate. I was stunned to say the least, then angry.

First, if I was BORN with an odd shaped uterus, why not mention that BEFORE IVF #1, and the frozen transfer? And two, I am 32 years old and have only been through 1 IVF cycle. Why would I go to surrogacy, especially when my uterus looked just fine a few weeks ago when we did the frozen transfer? I have lost all trust and faith in my RE and in this whole process.

I'm now getting a second opinion. My father knows an RE who is head of a major University research program, and he had me call him at home and go over our entire case history. He said he needed my charts, but that the RE that I have been going to is famous for maximizing profits! The new RE thinks there may be NOTHING really wrong with us, and that the first RE just did a great job into scaring us into treatments that we may not have needed.

I will get a third opinion after that, and we will meet with a reproductive urologist again too to see if he thinks we should proceed with the varicocele repair surgery.

So everythings up in the air, I have no idea what we are doing, I am pissed and angry and confused and running out of faith and more importantly, money for all this. I also loaded up on units (I am studying for my CPA exam) so luckily, I am really tired and unable to think straight!

I apologize for not being around much, but I will return when I am in a better frame of mind. Please know I am thrilled the forum has moved and I am cheering all of you on in spirit!

[AusMarchBride]

Ahh shoot Coreen I'm so sorry to hear all that.

You said "First, if I was BORN with an odd shaped uterus, why not mention that BEFORE IVF #1". I completely agree and I don't understand how your RE could suddenly come up with this. Surely when they do all the ultrasound tests, HSGs etc before you even start cycling they would have noticed this.

I understand why you've lost confidence in your current RE, and I'd definitely be moving on to another RE. You have every right to feel pissed and angry and confused. I think you've lost your trust in your current RE, and when that happens, it's time to move.

Major hugs to you. I hope the exam/study eases off soon (and you pass with flying colours). It's sometimes good to be very busy with other things when dealing with all this IVF stuff. I hope you get good answers and support from the new RE. I'm here cheering for you.

[angelgirl8]

coreen...that's so frustrating. i'm sorry. i hope your appointment with the new RE goes well.

astro...double congrats! let me know if it sinks in (it hasn't over here!)

amychris...10 is great! can't wait to hear the fertilization results.

[kat]

Okay, so now I have about 10 minutes (my in-laws arrive today for a ten-day visit, and I've got a carpet cleaner guy in my house while I'm frantically cleaning the upstairs; we just finished some remodeling yesterday and our house was (is?) covered in that icky construction dust).

I'll pick up the replies starting with the posts I remember and those that appear at the bottom of the page when I hit "reply to thread" (too little time to go back and do them all, unfortunately):

amychris, so glad the retrieval went well! I just read something on another board where an embryologist said he thought 10 eggs was an optimal number, so we'll keep our fingers crossed that you get a great fertilization report!

flygirl, I think that's wonderful that you donated so many eggs!

Jad yay for finishing your first (and by now, second) stim shot! Have you tried the Anji meditation yet? Probably not, given your work deadline. Hope that goes well!

Astro, WOW - congratulations on the twins! We have a huge twin pregnancy rate on the WC/Constant Chatter IVF threads, no? It feels like about 90%....

coreen, I agree with angelgirl and Ann: I'd be really upset and frustrated, too. You've done exactly the right thing -- getting other opinions. I hope you find a doctor you can trust so you get some clearer answers.

angelgirl, how are you feeling? Any better? I know it's small consolation, but the toilet picture really cracks me up. :)

Ann, and you? How are you feeling? I, for one, would love to continue to hear from all our pregnant IVF-ers...


Suzlywoozly, Hello!!! Welcome! (I feel a bit odd saying that, given that I just got "here," too :)). I am so sorry to hear about your pending m/c. So many of us, unfortunately, have some idea what that "dropping betas" news is like. Sending hugs your way...


queen, Hi! What's the latest with you? Just taking some time off until August?

A big "HELLO"!!! to anyone I missed. I've read, but can't remember every post (and unless I'm an idiot -- which is entirely possible -- I can only see the last few posts when I hit "reply").



***********

Oops, carpet cleaner guy is about to trap me in the office if I don't get outta here (our office is upstairs & he's about to do the steps). I'll be pretty busy with the in-laws for a couple of days, but will be back soon!


HAPPY FOURTH!!!

[islandgirlsj]

Is it bad if I don't ever want to go back to WC? I like this thread better.

:p Haha.... THAT is exactly why I started this thread. I could not even stand to go over there anymore.

On another note, I'm so sorry to hear what you are going through, I think you definately need another Dr's advise and consult at this point, glad to see that your Dad has such a great connection. I'm going to hope they find some better options for you.
Hang in there Hun. Sending my love and support!!!
:: SQUEEZE ::

Astro ~*~
WOW WOW WOW!! :D
I'm so happy for you, how exciting.
I'm sure this is all a shock right now... but just WOW!
:: BIG HUGS! ::

Suzlywoozly ~
Welcome, I'm sorry I didn't give a proper welcome to you earlier, I was just in a rush at work.
I'm so sorry to hear all that you are going though right now, and I'm just going to send my support that all this passes quickly, and you get back to feeling better soon.
:: hugs ::

~~~~~~~~~~~~
As for me.
I'm crabby.
Seriously. I think it is the Lupron. Last time I remember feeling slightly out of sorts, but this time... I'm a SERIOUS Crab. Ugh. I don't think Lupron is being very nice to me at all.

Other than that, I'm just sitting around waiting for the next thing.
I was supposed to have Aunt Flo start about today, but I don't have any symptoms that she is coming so.... eh, maybe I'll get to enjoy my 4th of July weekend cramp free. Heh.

Everyone hang in there and have a safe, happy 4th of July.
:)

[amychris03]

Thanks to EVERYONE for their good wishes yesterday.
Just got the call that 9 fertilized (but they didnt give me
any more specifics than that??) and I have the transfer at
9:15am on Sunday, but to show up at 8 for a massage beforehand!
How cool is that??? Im feeling better today, just some "fullness."
The dr gave me some Serum Albumin in my IV yesterday which is
supposed to help prevent OHSS. She thought this was a good idea
since I had a mild case last time. This was fine by me as I trust
her judgement, I've just never heard of this before. Anyone else
have this?
----
islandgirlsj
Sorry the Lupron isn't treating you well this time around, I
never had the mood swings, just the headaches and hot flashes.
MIPG?
So when are you coming back to tell us?????
la_bride_2004
Ugh, I am so glad that you got a second opinion, but I
understand how frustrating this all must be right now.
Big ((hugs)).
AusMarchBride
Glad you saw one healthy heartbeat! :)
Astro
WOW! Double Congratulations! :D That is
great news!
flygirl
Wow, that is a really great thing that you did for
others!

[islandgirlsj]

amychris03 ~

That is wonderful news! What a great fert. report! :D

I'm going to be keeping my fingers crossed, and you in my thoughts on Sunday. ;)

[Astro]

La_Bride_2004 Glad to hear you're getting a second opinion. I bet your old RE is getting some seriously bad vibes from an IVF group. ;)
islandgirlsj Sorry to hear the Lupron is driving you nuts. You might want to try the icecream sandwiches Jad suggested. I tried them last night, and she's right. They cure all things.
MIPG? You're telling us on the 5th, right? Here are some hugs to tide you over till then. They're either congratulations or sympathy hugs. Only you will know until the 5th. :)
amychris03 Great news on the fertilization report. Fanstastic numbers. :D
angelgirl8 I hope you're feeling better, or at least able to keep hydrated.

As for us. Thank you all so much for the congratulations. It still hasn't sunk in yet, and I'm not expecting it to for quite a while. We've told a very few select people (immediate family and a couple close friends). It's amazing how many people are going to send us clothes for the kids. These little parasites are going to be in style! (way more than their mommy ever was) :P

It was cute on the car ride home. DH was so happy and excited he was able to go. Since he was watching on the big screen with the RE, he saw the heart beats, yolk sacks, amniotic fluid sacks, and flippers. :eek: :eek: Luckily we had seen the national georgraphic special on the development of a baby, so he was ready for it. All I got to see on my little screen was two dots of rice. Never knew I could care so much about two little pieces of rice.

Still no morning sickness, not too many symptoms. It's driving me nuts because I don't feel any different.... I know I should count my lucky stars, but puking once and a while wouldn't be a bad thing.... would it?

It's amazing how different pregnancies are. No matter what anyone tells you, symptoms are all random. I have come to believe there is no thing as a "normal" cycle, "normal" betas, "average" betas, nor is there a thing as a "normal" pregnancy. Each of ours will be different and drive our control-feak-selves absolutely nuts! Good luck to everyone.

[angelgirl8]

amy...great fertilization report! you usually don't get any more info than just the number fertilized! if i don't end up in here before sunday, good luck at the transfer.

the massage sounds heavenly.

astro...tell me about it with the "normal". for the record, i felt nothing at all for so long that i was convinced every second something was wrong. the nausea hit around 6w2d (not that it stopped the panicking at all). feel good!

[Suzlywoozly]

Just popping in for a quick update... I made an appt. with the RE for July 25th. Hopefully we will get the go ahead to move forward with IVF. I started spotting this morning and went to my OB's for an exam/ultrasound. He said it looks like the very early stages of the miscarriage and he is hoping that I can hold out until Wednesday to do the D&C. If not to call the on-call dr this weekend and request for him to do one. I find it hard to believe that a dr I have never met before is going to be so willing to do a D&C at the drop of a hat. I could be wrong since I have never been in this situation and don't know what to expect! The cramping is getting really bad tonight and highly doubt that I'm going to make it to Wednesday for my dr to get off his butt! Sorry if I sound snarky, I'm just really frustrated and don't understand why they are dragging this out.

[AusMarchBride]

Suzlywoozly I hope this doesn't sound awful, but I hope you can get through this D&C quickly. It must be so tough, I can't even imagine. I'm glad you've got an appointment with the RE and hopefully they can get the IVF ball rolling quickly. Hang in there, sending lots of hugs your way.

angelgirl I've got the nausea thing happening. Very weird, I'm feeling nauseous but ravenously hungry at the same time. I'm actually feeling sick while I'm eating :) . Hope you're doing ok and resting up.

Astro No matter what anyone tells you, symptoms are all random. I have come to believe there is no thing as a "normal" cycle, "normal" betas, "average" betas, nor is there a thing as a "normal" pregnancy. Each of ours will be different and drive our control-feak-selves absolutely nuts
I agree with this, especially the control-freak part :D Hope you're doing ok, twinmama2, and look after yourself also.

amychris That's a great fertilisation report, well done to you and your DH :D What a fantastic clinic you have to give you a massage before the transfer. Make the most of it. I have my fingers crossed for you.

islandgirl Hope AF makes her appearance when you are ready. Enjoy your long weekend and I hope the Lupron headaches take a long walk off a short pier ;)

MIPG tapping feet, waiting impatiently...... :D

Hi to everyone else. Hope all the Americans have a fabulous Independence Day weekend.

[islandgirlsj]

No matter what anyone tells you, symptoms are all random. I have come to believe there is no thing as a "normal" cycle, "normal" betas, "average" betas, nor is there a thing as a "normal" pregnancy. Each of ours will be different and drive our control-feak-selves absolutely nuts!

Could not have said it better myself. I think this is true for not only the pregnancy part.... but the entire IVF journey. Honestly, trying to compair things to eachother only makes us crazy. :rolleyes: :cool:

Hope everyone is having a wonderful 4th of July weekend.
;)

[amychris03]

Hi!! After a heavenly massage (she even showed me some
techniques I can do to help with migraines), we transferred
two beautiful little 8 cell grade B+++++ (she said an A is
perfect and she's only ever given one of those out) embryos.
One of them was compacting and almost in the morula stage
whatever that means! The dr says the transfer went perfectly
and their 6 brothers and sisters are being frozen! Am resting
right now and eating lunch! Oh, and the PIO shot was cake!
I numbed my hip so well I didnt even feel it!

[Jad]

Happy Sunday, everyone! (And speaking of sundaes, I just started freezing a batch of mahon ice cream -- recipe from epicurious -- that I'm thinking may contribute nicely to another round of gingersnap sandwiches. If it makes it that long, of course.)

Sorry, got off topic there for a minute. The u/s report. So far we've got six follies going and a bunch more other little ones. I was expecting as much. For two reasons. 1. The tech was measuring for substantially longer than I've previously experienced. 2. I am a giant basketcase emotionally, which has got to mean my hormone levels are getting up there. Exhibit A. When we were out running errands this morning I kind of screamed at my poor DH, which I *never* ever *ever* do and am feeling horribly guilty about. Exhibit B. Upon returning home, I decided to listen to the meditation CD and cried through the second half of it. Crazy.

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

Amy - Terrific news and a massage to boot. Nice way to spend a Sunday! Countdown to beta begins!

astro - TWINS! That is so so exciting. I'm just so happy for you. May even start crying again. :D

coreen - Big hugs to you. This process is hard enough, getting different stories from different doctors seriously sucks. But I agree that it does seem like a sudden jump to surrogacy. I'm glad you're going to see someone else, because I really think someone can make this work for you. I feel it.

suzly - Hugs to you too. Hope you don't have to wait until Wednesday. How many of these unfeeling docs are there?

MIPG - Patiently waiting. Had a dream the other night that you told me whether or not the cycle worked. But I won't divulge the results until after you do. ;)

islandgirl - How's it coming with the side effects for you? Hope you're handling it better than me!

sidsou - Don't worry, I don't think anyone here would misunderstand your ambivalence over whether to go through this again. In fact, I would think those of us here would be more likely to understand than someone who hasn't been through it. I think it must be even harder to have to "choose" to do it, KWIM. That said, how high was your FSH? If the doc was discouraging, maybe another would be more hopeful?

Ann - Want us to light some sparklers for you?

angel - How you feeling?

And Hi to queen and mrselle and amygrrl and Jan and Scooter and anyone else who posted while I was off in work-deadline land.

[Suzlywoozly]

AusMarchBride- Thanks. I have to say that this tops it all when it comes to the emotional and physical pain I have endured through the entire IF experience. I hope that we can get things going with the RE in the next month or two.

Amy- That's great news! :D

Well, I finally couldn't take the pain anymore and we went to the er yesterday afternoon. I was actually suprised at how fast they jump when you tell them you are having a miscarriage. I'm sure it didn't hurt that my mom use to work in the er with half of these people! They called the dr that was on call for my dr and he was there in 5 minutes. At first he was going to do the d&c, but after he started the exam, he said the "pregnancy" was stuck in my cervix and that was what was causing all of the pain. I thought I was going to pass out when I looked up to see why he asked the nurse for a pan. My mom was in the room with me and she had the look of horror on her face. So after that, he decided against the d&c and sent me home to finish the m/c on my own. We have to go to the pharmacy right now to get some pill to help me finish the m/c and some painkillers. I really was hoping that he would just do the damn d&c and get it over with, but he was so against it since we are moving on to IVF in the next two months. I don't think I have ever been through something so traumatic in my entire life. I wouldn't wish this on my worse enemy!

Hope everyone else is doing well and enjoying their 4th of July weekend!

[angelgirl8]

jad...good news on the follies! and i hear you on the hormones. i got mad at DH for the most ridiculous things towards the end of my follicle-growing phases!

amy...transfer sounds wonderful. and what perfect embryos!!

suzly...i am so sorry for all your going through, especially this weekend. i hope the painkillers are helping with your physical pain, and i imagine nothing can help with the emotional. thinking of you.

[kat]

Oh, Suzlywoozly, I am so sorry to hear what you're going through!!! I can completely understand why you'd just want to put this behind you; the waiting must be torture. We're all thinking of you....

Jad, that's an awesome ultrasound result! By now, you're probably an old pro at the shots, eh? LOL at your crying at the meditation CD -- but at least you made it to halfway through! I never got past the "now imagine you're in a happy place" part (which as you know is about two minutes into the thing) without snoring. :D

Amy, that's really great news about your transfer!! (And I am sooooooooo jealous of the massage! We should all demand the same from our IVF clinics!). Sticky baby dust to you!

*********

Well, I know it's not the 5th, but my mom & sister decided to come yesterday instead of today, so we told them & my in-laws yesterday that I'm pregnant. :D (Were you right, Jad???). We had prepared ourselves for the worst (I had an entire list of questions to ask the nurse if the result was negative, and not one question on the "positive" list -- so when she said "it's positive," I didn't know what else to say. We were in shock for days (and actually still are).

Beta at 10dp3dt was 92.5; two days later it was 238. (Which is really, really weird -- I had said to myself before getting the results that I thought it'd be 240. When I was pregnant the last time (m/c), I also guessed the number within about 2 points (and that time, it wasn't doubling so it was even weirder that I picked the right number).

Oh, how I wanted to post here, though, because I started spotting on Sunday and that lasted until Thursday. That's the way AF usually shows up, and it's also the way my previous m/c started....so needless to say, we were freaked out a bit. I'm still so surprised that it went away -- I know that that happens to other people, but I've had several years of spotting-turns-to-bleeding, so I didn't expect it to go away for me. But now it's been 3-4 days since it stopped, so we're hopeful.

Our first ultrasound is tomorrow (!!!!) -- just looking for a sack, etc. (too soon for a heartbeat, obviously, since I'll only be 5w4d). I'm waiting until then to tell my other siblings (I have four others besides my sister, who we told yesterday). We're not very close, so I'd rather wait until we pass this "milestone" before telling them.

So anyway, that's the result. And y'all are the first to know outside of our parents & my sister (well, and the guy who cleaned our carpets -- I wanted to be sure he wasn't using any chemicals I should avoid). :D I'm just wondering when it'll start to feel real. So far, the only symptoms are fatigue (but that could also be the 90 + degree weather we had last week + all the work we did to prepare for my in-laws' visit) and extremely sore BBs (but that's the progesterone). Not that I'm complaining about not feeling sick, but I don't think it'll sink in until I start to feel something.

Happy Monday!! I'll post ultrasound results tomorrow -- please keep your fingers crossed for us!

[angelgirl8]

mipg?...i was so hoping for good news from you! congratulations! my first u/s was 5w4d and i really didn't feel anything symptom-wise until halfway through 6 weeks. oh and how i regret wishing for symptoms! feel good.

[Suzlywoozly]

Angel, Jad, MIPG & Jan- Thanks for showing your support! I really appreciate it in a time like this.

MIPG- A BIG congratulations to you!! Good luck at the u/s tomorrow :D

Jad- Sorry the hormones are getting the best of you. I hope all those follies grow, grow, grow!!! :D

Yesterday SUCKED! We stopped by the IL's so DH could say hi to his grandma. We called before to make sure that nobody would be there for their BBQ for a while. They said not for 2 hours. About 20 minutes into the visit, the doorbell rings. It was my SIL, BIL, nephew and newborn niece (who I had never seen). I wanted to run out the back door. I haven't seen these stupid people in almost 10 months why the hell would I want to see them at a time like this. First thing BIL does is sits down the carseat and takes the baby out to start passing around. Somebody just slit my arm open now and pour a gallon of salt on it puh-lease! :mad: I told DH that we needed to leave and they wouldn't even say goodbye to us. MIL, FIL & GIL follow us to the front door and I hear BIL & SIL in the kitchen saying "I don't understand what the big deal is... It's not like she was that far along!" :eek: I ahte these people right now! I'm so tired but can't sleep and have been up the entire night. I thought the pain meds would help me sleep but I think they are having the opposite effect. Who knows what we are doing today! :rolleyes:

Hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th!

[Jad]

MIPG? - Yes! You are! I've been waiting to say that. And, yep, I dreamed on Wednesday night that you told me you were pregnant. Depsite how many of my waking hours are filled with TTC stuff, I almost never dream about it. Wierd, huh? I'm so so glad my dream was right. :D :D :D

Suzly - Sorry for the many insensitive humans. Hope you can avoid them all today!

Jan - I'm no help on the accupuncture, 'cause I haven't done it. But didn't want your QOTD to go unnoticed. :)

Heading in tomorrow for u/s & b/w #2. I figure that by tonight's shot, I'll be halfway done with stims if not more. I'm hoping more, because if not? Oh, my the bloating! If I had a digital camera I'd do IVF belly shots 'cause it's definitely a'growin'.

[amychris03]

Jad
That's great that you have quite a few follies growing!
Cant wait to hear whats changed tomorrow. I am still
SO bloated, but it is slowly getting better.

Suzlywoozly
So sorry that you've had such a rough weekend. ((hugs)).
I can not imagine why any family member, IL or not, would
be so insensitive and say that. Ugh, I think I would have
gone in and punched them... Hope you are feeling better.

angelgirl8
Thank you! Im nervous because everyone says they are
"perfect" so Im getting my hopes way to up here. Im
trying not to though.

Jan1902
Thank you for checking on me!! All is well, now just
the dreaded wait. DH will be out to sea for 8 days so
its going to go s-l-o-w!

MIPG?
Congratulations!!! That is great news :) . Cant wait
to hear how the ultrasound goes!

---
So, ok, this 2WW thing just started and i'm already
going crazy! I can't believe they are making me wait
until the 18th to test! It's torture I tell you! I had
the 24 hours of bedrest and then a "take it easy day"
today. Went for a ride in DH's convertible and promptly
got a sunburn from the antibiotics that say not to be
out in the sun ;) Does the progesterone make anyone
else fatigued? I swear I remember this the last time
I was just on the suppositories, I am always tired for
some reason. The PIO shots are going well so far. DH
hasn't left one bruise yet!

[islandgirlsj]

MPIG ~*~
Happy Dance for you!

I'm so happy to hear your great outcome! So exciting.
We need good news in here!
Much ::love:: to you! :D

Jan1902 ~ I'm sorry I can't answer your QOTD. I didn't do accupuncture my first time around. Might be something good for me to think of this time though. :cool:

Suzlywoozly ~
My gosh Hun. What horribly insensitive people. I can't believe the nerve of them saying that to you! :mad:
I'm so sorry you are having so much pain and discomfort right now, and to have to put up with that on top is just horrible.
Hope all this passes real soon hun, and you get to feeling better.
:: squeeze ::

angelgirl8 ~
I'm sorry you are having morning sickness Hun. I guess it is what we all work towards though, and well... LOOK at all you have been through, I have no doubt that you'll make it through this stage just fine.
Hope it gets better for you soon though!
:: hugs ::

Jad ~
Hanging in there? I know the bloating can get quite bad! I swear I looked like I was 6 months pregnant.
Your doing something good in there though, just gotta keep that in mind!
:o

Amychris03 ~
Hey we crossposted.
Yes the 2ww is rather painful isn't it. I think it almost as bad as the shots! heh. I'm sorry the progestrone is making you tired... by the time I was to that point, and I was just doing the suppositories, I was just exhausted period, I have no idea which of the wonderful drugs was making me that way.
I hope it gets better soon.
So tell me... these PIO shots are not hurting you???? :eek: I have heard horror stories about them. I'm already scared to have to do them. *sigh*

Hang in there! At least you are in the home stretch, and we are all sending our ~*~ bady dust ~*~ your way. ;)

[amychris03]

islandgirlsj
The muscle is a bit sore for the next day, but the actual
shot, I dont feel it go in at all! I think its because I
freeze it so well before hand. I got a refreezable gel
pack and ice it for a good 10 minutes before hand.
Then DH massages it for a bit, then I try to walk around.
I think it also helps that do the progesterone suppositories
3 times a day and the PIO shots every other day. It gives
the sides more time to heal, ya know? ;)

ETA: I did almost hyperventilate the first time we
had to do it because I was so scared based on what
I had heard about them.

[Astro]

Drive by post...

MIPG? CONGRATULATIONS! I'm very happy for you.

SuzlyWoozly Dang your in-laws are rude! Hugs to you and sticking my tongue out in a not so friendly way to them.

amychris03 good luck in the wait. I only made it till 12 days before I tried a stick. Hope you can make it the full 14.

Jad good luck at the next check.

As for us. Still sitting here.... I think everything's ok, I know the girls are growing (dang, they were too big to start with), and I feel queasy, I just wish I'd get some morning sickness. So far the babies (we refer to them as Archie and Lilly eventhough we don't know the sexes.... they are characters out of Nero Wolf books that we absolutely love). Anyway, so far the babies have only made me a little tired, get me up constantly to go bathroom, and make my abdomen feel very very full. I'm 7 weeks 1 day pregnant, they're 5 weeks 1 day into developing. :)

Hope you all have a great week. We go for our next US on Thursday evening.

[AusMarchBride]

Quick post from me, running out the door. WIll be back later today to do shoutouts.

Just wanted to say congrats to MIPG, wonderful news. Even though you did make us wait ;)

[angelgirl8]

jan...i'm so glad jad pointed out your question because i totally missed it.

will answer quickly and then go back to feeling super nauseated. for my pre-transfer acupuncture i had it on a friday and my transfer was sunday (3 day transfer). then i had my post-transfer on monday. my acupuncturist said not to be too concerned about the times because stressing over that just defeats the purpose!

[AusMarchBride]

Astro know the girls are growing (dang, they were too big to start with), and I feel queasy This is me too. I have just felt queasy (sometimes very, sometimes only a little) for 2 weeks now but have not actually ummmm "followed through" if you know what I mean ;) Have fun at your next ultrasound on Thursday.

amychris The torture of the 2ww gets harder towards the end. All I can suggest is to try to keep busy. I think the tiredness is probably partly mental/emotional as well as all the delightful drugs. Take care of yourself and get lots of rest too.

Jad Yay for halfway through stims

Suzly I'm so sorry for the unfeeling family members you had to deal with. All you need to do is put their phone number here and a number of the ladies from this thread would be happy to ring and sort them right out. You're a better woman than me because as Jad said, I think I would have punched them too. Many hugs to you and I hope that you are feeling better soon.

MIPG How's the preggo lady?? :D Try not to worry too much about the spotting (says Ann who spent this morning panicking about spotting and got another blood test to confirm everything is still okay, which it is). We feel very honoured to be 5th in line for the news after the carpet guy :D And about the feeling real part, it still doesn't to me, and I'm only having one.

Jan1902 Can't help with your acupuncture question as I didn't do it.

angelgirl Hope those twins are treating you better with the morning sickness

Mrselle I think you have an appointment this week, hope it all goes swimmingly and you can be on the road soon.

Hi to Islandgirl, Coreen (if you’re lurking), Queen, Amygrrl, Klsoo, Sidsou and Scooter. Hope you're all doing ok and enjoyed your 4th July.

Update on me: As I mentioned above, had another panic about some spotting today, but bloodwork has confirmed all is ok. I don't get into my obstetrician until July 29, which is a bit of a wait especially as I'll be doing all the prenatal testing for Downs and other abnornalities because of my age. So that's my next hump to get past :rolleyes: I'm hoping there will be some point during this pregnancy when I'll stop worrying as I'm not normally a worrier. My mother used to do that for all our family, but she's been gone for a couple of years so it looks like I have taken that task upon myself :)

I had an ultrasound last week at 6.5wks, and we got to see the usual blurry ultrasound picture which, as usual, to me it could have been an aeroplane, an alien, a tree, or a house. I could never see anything properly in those early u/s pics, and even when it's mine I still can't :D My DH cried (bless him) when we saw the flickering heart on the u/s, but for me, it's still not real. I know logically that what's up there is inside me, but I can't quite seem to make the connection yet. Ahh well, give me time.

[Scooter]

Congrats to MIPG!

Islandgirl, thanks for adding my name. :) I kept losing this thread because I'm always looking for it over in the groups section. I don't know where I fit in, really, since we still have 2 IUIs (one this week) left before IVF. But let me give you my stats anyway:

Me: 29, DH:32
Married:8/01
m/c 8/02 at 5.5 weeks
TTC: 4/03
Unexplained Infertility, possible immune issues
3 cycles of clomid & progesterone
2 cycles of clomid + IUI
1 cycle of letrozole + IUI
using accupuncture & on Folgard & baby aspirin
status: on 2nd cycle of letrozole + IUI
next cycle: Bravelle + IUI, and then moving to IVF

It's pretty sad but I don't have a lot of hope for these last 2 IUIs, I'm really looking forward to IVF. The money and the PIO shots are the main drawbacks, as far as I can see it. Thanks for adding me to the thread, I hope no one minds me mostly lurking along and picking up info over the next couple months!

[kat]

Thanks, everyone, for all the congratulations -- we're still in shock, of course. Especially after this morning's ultrasound.

Ummm.....saw two sacs this morning, in the "right spots" according to my RE. However, he said that with the spotting and with my history, he "wouldn't be surprised" if we came back later and only saw one heartbeat. But still.

The funniest part about it? Between the shape of my uterus and the two tiny sacs, the picture on the ultrasound machine looked JUST LIKE those pictures people draw of aliens/UFOs:

http://www.crystalinks.com/grayscars.jpg

So, we aren't running out yet and buying the twin strollers or anything, but it certainly looks more like twins now than it did before this morning's appointment....

I'm just happy they saw something. Now we wait anxiously for the next appointment, which is 7/15, at which time we hope he'll find at least one heartbeat.

Gotta run and get some food -- didn't eat much this morning cuz running late for doctor's appointment.....

I'm with Ann -- when do we get to stop worrying??

[amychris03]

MIPG?
Another possible set of twins! WOW! Can't wait to see how
your ultrasound on the 15th turns out!

[Jad]

MIPG - Um, I didn't dream about twins!!! :D :D :D

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

As for me, it's been a roller coaster day. I had lots of great looking follies this morning (1 @ 18, 2 @ 17, 3 @ 16, 2 @ 15, 2 @ 14, 3 @ 13, etc.), and my E2 level was at 2500. But I also found out that the weekend nurse FORGOT TO TELL ME to start the Antagon yesterday. So I missed a full day of it and now I'm all worried about ovulating early. On the bright side, somehow I had a feeling I'd need the Antagon today, so I took it with me to work. Shot up as soon as I got off the phone with her. I reduced my Gonal-F to 225 tonight and go in again tomorrow. Will likely trigger either tomorrow or Thursday. Assuming I don't ovulate first. :rolleyes:

[mrselle]

MIPG? - WOW!! 2 babies. Congratulations!!!! :)

Suzlywoozly - I'm so sorry you are going through this and I'm sorry your IL's were so insensitive. Some people don't think about anyone's feelings, but their own.

Jad - I think the comment about "IVF belly shots" is hilarious. Once I get started I'm sure my belly will be a sight to behold! Wonderful news about you follies. Hope all continues to go well.

amychris03 - Thinking of you and hoping that the end of this torturous 2ww brings wonderful news.

Astro - Glad to hear everything is going well with you.

AusMarchBride - I hope the spotting goes away and stay away. I hope all goes well at your next appt.

~~~~

As for me, I had my appointment yesterday and its official: We will be doing IVF. AF arrived on Sunday, which is kind of perfect timing....I guess. I'll have my baseline ultrasound July 26 and if all is well, I'll start Lupron July 27 and once AF arrives I get to reduce the Lupron and start taking something else. I'm horrible because I can't remember the names of all these drugs. From looking at the calendar, if all goes well the retrieval and transfer will be somewhere around the week of August 15.

Yesterday the nurse showed us how the do the injections, gave us a rough estimate of when things would happen and.....I had to "practice" giving myself a shot. I was NOT expecting this and me being the wimp that I am, I started crying. But, it wasn't all that bad. Of course I may feel differently when I have to do it every day. :rolleyes: Overall, I feel pretty good about everything.

The nurse didn't mention anything about progesterone during the 2ww. She did mention that DH will have to give me the HCG injection 3 times. She said this will help build up my uterine lining. Do you think this is in place of the progesterone. I'll ask at my next appointment, but I wanted to know if anyone here might have some insight.

[angelgirl8]

ann...so glad you got confirmation of alien baby. i can't imagine it will ever really feel real!

scooter...welcome. as if that's really something appropriate to say. but still, welcome. i'm not sure why this isn't in the group threads? i bet the moderators can move it for islandgirl.

mipg?...possible twins. wow! can't wait until your next appt.

jad...i can't believe the nurse forgot to tell you! good thing you got it in today. glad the follicles are growing correctly, though!

mrselle...i can't think offhand if anyone in here did hCG shots instead of PIO, but i know many doctors do it. i'm happy and sad at the same time for you that you're officially starting. the fear is always worse than the actual giving of shots and retrieval and transfer, if that helps!

____

things are good here. still feeling really sick, but i've gotten me some drugs for that. i was released from my RE today to my obgyn so that's great. very happy with that news.

[Jad]

Well, it's official. I trigger tonight and go in for ER on Friday! Holy cow that was fast. Luckily I made DH give me my shot last night, so at least he's had a little practice. Any advice for my first IM shot? Do I need to ice this one? Is the heat afterward only for PIO?

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

angel - Hooray for release! And hope the meds give you a little relief. Gotta say, though, you *look* great even if you feel like hell.

mrselle - Actually the shots get way easier when you're doing them everyday. You're on your way! And it really does go by fast.

scooter - Tried to reply twice yesterday while the boards were down. Ugh. But just wanted to say that I joined up while still in the IUI process. While I hope they work for you, if they don't, knowing that IVF is right around the corner can make them a little easier, I think.

Anybody know if Bastille made it over here? Isn't she right behind me in the cycle chain?

[angelgirl8]

jad...YAY for trigger!! i was terrified of the IM shot and really it wasn't too bad. i would ice the area beforehand for the trigger, but you don't need to heat it after. that's just for the PIO because the oil gathers in one place.

[amychris03]

jad
ditto what angel said. Icing helps, but you get
to use a much smaller gauge needle (or at least I did) for
the trigger, and it wasnt bad at all. Seeing as ours was
in the middle of the night, I iced it for like 5 minutes, did
the shot, and passed back out. It wasnt even sore the
next day. Good luck!!!

angelgirl8
glad the medicine seems to be helping and that you've
officially graduated!!

mrselle
Ive known one person that has done HCG instead
of progesterone. It is for the same purpose I believe.
I remember it being frustrating for her because she
couldn't really test early, since the HCG was still
in her system- but she ended up with a BFP anyways
so I guess it's worth the wait ;)

[mrselle]

mrselle[/B]
Ive known one person that has done HCG instead
of progesterone. It is for the same purpose I believe.
I remember it being frustrating for her because she
couldn't really test early, since the HCG was still
in her system- but she ended up with a BFP anyways
so I guess it's worth the wait ;)

Yeah, after thinking about it, I realized that the I probably will not be able to test early due to the HCG being in my system. I'll actually have to wait for the doctor's phone call. Joy. :rolleyes:

[AusMarchBride]

mrselle You know, having to wait for the doctor's appt isn't THAT bad. I decided I was not going to POAS before my blood test because knowing my luck, the HCG would take 10 times longer than anybody ever recorded before to leave my system and I'd get a false +ve and then be hdeously disappointed. And congrats to you, you've done your first shot, even if it was at the doctor's office. I promise, the first is the worst, it just gets easier each time.

Jan1902 Thanks for your dance, it seems to have eased off now. :D I am intending at this stage to do CVS (unless they give me some reason not too). I'll be sent off for the blood test/nuchal fold scan first, but I have every intention of doing CVS. I'm sure that because of my age (39 and will be a month off 40 when I deliver) my risk factor will be high so I'll need to do a further test anyway.

Jad Fantastic that you trigger tonight. All good thoughts winging their way from downunderland to you for your retrieval. And I don't think Bastille is here, but I don't think she's posted for a little while at the other place either. But if she goes into the old thread, she'll find her way here.

angelgirl I'm so glad you got yourself some drugs to help with the nausea. It really is unpleasant. I was saying to my DH last night, I know I wanted this but some of the side effects aint so fun ;) Great that you were released by your RE, it's really happening :D

MIPG Wow, possibly another set of twins?? Incredible. I have my fingers crossed that all goes well for you. I LOVE your picture of aliens, had me cracking up :D

amychris Hope the 2ww is treating you ok, sending good thoughts your way.

Scooter I really hope the IUI works for you, but we'll be here for you if you need to move on to IVF. Feel free to lurk and ask all the questions you want.

Hi to everyone else, hope you're all doing well.

Things are rolling along here, still not real. I see my RE next week for her to sign me off, and then my obstetrician appt is not until July 29. I'll be asking the RE to request all the prenatal testing and we'll see where we go from there.

[la_bride_2004]

Hey ladies-

I popped in tonight and I am THRILLED to see good news for MIPG- way to go!!!!! :)


Jad- Wishing you the best of luck.

Jan1902 Thank you for empathizing with me! 2nd opinion is next week, but I am so burned out from all of this I almost don't even care.

AusMarchBride/ Ann So happy to hear things are going well for you.

angel Hope the nausea passes soon! I too am glad you got some meds for it- I hope it helps.

Scooter Hugs and welcome.

Suzly Sending you hugs- I know a little of what you are feeling. I have no idea why people think an early miscarriage is a "nothing."

amy hugs during the 2WW- I know it is tough.


Hopefully I got everyone! I am thinking of you all and wishing you all well.


Me I'm still not feeling "normal" yet. I don't know if I posted about it, but I started hemorraging with the chem pregnancy/miscarriage, so I had to have a trip to the ER. All is well, but I feel really burned out and resigned now, like maybe I am just meant to have dogs. We've been at this a year and a half now. I have talked to the new RE, based on what he is saying, he doesn't think we need IVF at all and the other RE was just scaring us into treatments. I don't know what to think. I just want my life back, and to get off the roller coaster. If it's not meant to be, it's not meant to be, you know? I do not want to be a downer, so I am back to lurkdom until I have better news or am in a better frame of mind!

[AusMarchBride]

Me I'm still not feeling "normal" yet. I don't know if I posted about it, but I started hemorraging with the chem pregnancy/miscarriage, so I had to have a trip to the ER. All is well, but I feel really burned out and resigned now, like maybe I am just meant to have dogs. We've been at this a year and a half now. I have talked to the new RE, based on what he is saying, he doesn't think we need IVF at all and the other RE was just scaring us into treatments. I don't know what to think. I just want my life back, and to get off the roller coaster. If it's not meant to be, it's not meant to be, you know? I do not want to be a downer, so I am back to lurkdom until I have better news or am in a better frame of mind!

Ohhh Coreen, I'm so sorry to hear this. I understand what you mean about the rollercoaster, it really is tough. I think the emotional stuff really hits hard after the end of a cycle, and with your added confusion of different REs telling you different things, it's gotta be so hard.

Is there any sort of counselling/support at your new REs office? I'm seriously the LAST person to ever ask for this sort of help, but my nurse was pretty terrific and really helped me out a couple of times. If I hadn't been able to get help from her, I was considering going to the counsellors that they provide.

If you feel happier lurking, that's fine, but honestly, you are not being a downer and please don't feel you need to stay away because of that. You're posting what you feel, and that's important.

I'm sending you major hugs and all the support I can.

[angelgirl8]

coreen...i'm so sorry you're feeling awful physically and emotionally. i wish i could do/say something to help. just want you to know that i'm thinking of you.

[kat]

Ah, Coreen, I, too, don't have anything helpful to say but still want you to know I'm pulling for you. Please don't feel the need to stay away until you have "good" things to post -- you're not being a downer by telling us how you truly feel. Sometimes it helps to post, you know? If that's the case, please post away even if you think your thoughts are negative.

Jad, I sent you an email, but I'm excited as hell that your ER is TOMORROW!!! Fingers, toes, arms, legs, all crossed (well, at least in spirit).

Ann, can't believe you (and angel) are being signed off to your OBs already -- didn't you just find out yesterday you were pregnant? :D I'm curious about the CVS; given the choice, I'd rather do that than an amnio (cuz it's earlier), but I'll have to talk to my OB about all that. I'm 36 and will be 37 when this baby (ies) is born.

mrselle, As someone who owns (still) about fifteen pregnancy tests at any given time, I thought for sure I would be POAS every morning starting at about 8 days post-retrieval. As it turns out, when push came to shove I was too chicken to do that; too afraid I'd get a weird false positive or something (like Ann). So using HcG might not be a bad thing after all.

Congrats (is that the right word? LOL) at starting the IVF process!

Jan1902, thanks for the well-wishes. I'm so glad that I can finally "answer" my screenname.....for 1 1/2 years it has taunted me (I chose it as an "anonymous" name on the WC shortly after we started TTC, during a month when I was really wondering whether I was pg...and boy did I regret that choice for months!)

angel, sorry to hear you're still feeling sick, but I'm glad they gave you something for it! I've heard the m/s drugs do wonders. Hope you feel better soon!


Hello to anyone I missed!

******

Thanks to everyone for the congrats/well-wishes. In my head I've convinced myself (despite my better judgment) that we're having twins, so now I'm afraid that if we only see one heartbeat on the ultrasound next week I'll be upset. :rolleyes: It never ends, does it?

[islandgirlsj]

Hi all.
I'm sorry I have been missing.
Have been suffering terribly from Migraines, brought on, by part I think, the Lupron, which has just been giving me horrible nagging headaches ever since I started taking it. *sigh*

I had my ultrasound on Tuesday, I started my period, finally 4 days later than expected, and ON the day of my ultrasound (figures.. I hate that!) but everything looks good so far. They said me starting late will not change anything, so that is good. I started the estrogen patches, and on Saturday it will go up from 1 every other day, to 2 every other day. Anyone know if I can expect any lovely side effects from these??
My next ultrasound is on the 18th, and will also start the PIO shots (oh joy)and then they said I should expect transfer about the 26th.
Things are moving along, just wish I was feeling better about it all.

la_bride_2004, I have to agree with AusMarchBride, I hope that you feel like you can post whatever you are feeling here. I do a lot of venting and talking about things that are not good. After all, this is not always a happy place. We WANT it to be, we HOPE it will become, but the road there is hard.

I myself, fight depression each day, ever since our first attempt did not work. I try to remain positive, but somedays just do not go that way.
My husband just yesterday after giving me a shot, that by the way, he did not do very well, and it frigging hurt :eek: and I was crying, told me that we should just stop because he couldn't stand to see me crying anymore. Whether it was over a shot, or the hormones, or the depression. Of course we are not going to just Stop right now... but I dont' think this is an easy road for any of us.

I send you all my love and support through this hard time for you, so please feel free to write what ever you like Hun. We are all here for the support.
:: squeeze ::

JAD!Best of luck tomorrow Hun. Remember to rest and just take care of yourself afterwards!

AusMarchBride So great that you are getting signed off. Wow... time just flies by, and I could not be happier that things are going so well for you!

Scooter ~ Glad to see you back! I updated your stats, so you are officially stuck here now ! Heh

I'm sorry you keep losing this thread, have you subscribed to it? That would help you get back here, and also get notices of any new posts.

** As for moving it to a group thread... I did think about that, and actually sent the moditors a note about it, but we were undecided as to WHERE the group thread would be, as this thread is running in the family planning Group, therefore, it kinda made sense to keep it here.
So Hmmm....
Did you all want to see it just in the main Constant Chatter page, as a group there? Is that what you mean? Let me know where everyone would like to see it, and I will set about moving it. **

MIPG? Wow... we have something going on here! Another winner with Twins! How exciting.
Are you happy about the thought of twins, scared to death.... shocked?
I'm always curious as to what everyone feels when the find out they are having twins, or if they were really hoping for only one.
Either way, I'm very happy for you!!

I know I'm missing some shout outs, and to all of you.... I AM THINKING about you, just running out of time at work. *damm work* :rolleyes: :cool:
I will try to get back later today and catch up some more.

[amychris03]

AusMarchBride
Glad things are rolling along nicely for you! Hope
things continue to go well.

Coreen
I'm so sorry you've had such a rough time lately.
Take care, and know that you are in my thoughts!

MIPG?
No, I dont think it will ever end! Good luck at
the ultrasound, it will be here before you know
it!

islandgirlsj
Sorry you've been having the headaches, I had
some horrible headaches too, that tylenol didnt
seem to touch. Hang in there! I bet they
will feel better when you start to add some
estrogen back into your system. Mine seemed
to anyways!
---
I'm hanging in here. Not much to say really, just
taking it easy and talking to these embies trying
to convince them to stay!

[la_bride_2004]

You ladies are awesome. I just came back from the RE's, and I now have copies of all my records which I have been going through. I'm thinking out loud here; writing clarifies my thoughts:

First, "arcuate uterus" is written all over ALL the records. I have no idea why he didn't tell me about it before IVF #1 (last Dec.)or the FET- he knew this in Sept 2004 when I had my HSG. I feel like I wasn't truly informed of all the risks or possible factors before we began either cycle. Of course, I have been busily researching the arcuate uterus, and the results are conflicting. Some studies say it is a factor, others (the majority)say no treatment is warranted and the arcuate is a normal deviation. No idea of what to think there. I'd like to believe no treatment is neccessary.

Also, in the fresh cycle, my E2 was over 4,000 before I triggered! Scary. I had 17 follicles over 18mm, the five largest were over 25mm. He told me I had 15 retrieved and 10 mature, according to the lab I had 11 mature. Not sure where the missing egg went. Also, he told me my FSH during the clomid challenge test was "high" and unusual for my age (31). I believe he told me it was 13. I'm looking at the lab report, and it was 11.4, which is NORMAL (high end, but normal) for the follicular phase. He did do an excellent job of scaring us.

I'm going to get a second opinion next week (this RE is head of research at a top university, so is not profit minded. My father knows him, that's why we got in so fast. The dr even gave me his home phone number and cell phone number!).

I'll probably get a third opinion from another highly recommended RE. I feel a lot better having all my records in hand. Somehow it's giving me a feeling of control.

Thanks again for letting me vent. I haven't felt this down during the whole process! I suppose everything hit at once.


amy Thanks for your kind thoughts. Sending you embie implant vibes!

island Thank you for allowing me to vent- I really appreciate the support. I have to say I haven't really felt down or angry about this whole process until now. Hugs for the shot breakdown- we had one of those once too. Lupron headaches are the worst!

MIPG Thanks for the support

angel thanks for the kind thoughts.

Ann Thank you too. Actually, I have a 2 great support groups- one through RESOLVE and our mind/body group (about 15 women) still meets every two weeks. It's been a godsend to have all these women to call, bounce ideas off of, or just vent. I don't know what I would do without them! I will get through this, I think the two failed cycles/miscarriages just kind of hit me all at once.

[AusMarchBride]

MIPG How stupid am I. It's just dawned on me after your last post what your screen name means :rolleyes: I cannot believe I've been typing your screen name for this long and hadn't worked out what it meant. I'm doing CVS for the reason you mentioned, it can be done earlier. It's the whole control thing I think, the earlier I know, the better. And as you said, the worry never ends.

islandgirl Yahoo, you've started, although I'm sorry about the headaches. I didn't do the estrogen patches so I've no idea about side effects. Although given that every other drug used during the cycles caused side effects, I think it's safe to assume those will also. :rolleyes: I'm so sorry your porr DH hurt you, and sorry he felt so bad about it. I know my DH always felt terrible on the couple of occasions he hurt me doing the injections. Then I started doing them myself (all of mine were subcutaneous not into muscle so I could do them all). If I hurt myself I only had me to blame ;)

amychris How are you going? Try to keep busy, it's the only thing that helps a little. I think you're testing on the 18th?? Sending sticky vibes your way. Hang in there. :)

Coreen Your first RE needs a good workover from "the boys" (said in a NY accent ;) ). He should have told you about your arcuate uterus (whether he thought it was an issue or not) at the start. I'm so glad you have all your records, I think it helps if you have all the information. I hope your new RE appt gives you a feeling of confidence that you can do this and you will succeed.

Hi to everyone else, hope you're all doing well.

[AusMarchBride]

After all, this is not always a happy place. We WANT it to be, we HOPE it will become, but the road there is hard.

Beautifully said.

[Astro]

la_bride_2004 Please don't hesitate to post anything on this board. I find it so helpful and grounding to read ALL sides/stories.

Jad Good luck with ER tomorrow. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you and positive egg thoughts. :D

Quick note to all (no matter if you're on the upside or downside of the rollercoast that is IVF). Please continue to post what's happening. That's the only way we get a good idea of what reality might actually be for any of us. Some of us have a short ride, some a long ride. There is no normal, no expected. We need to read and feel it to begin to understand it. Some of our RE's are twits (you know which one I'm referring to), some of them are not. None of this makes sense to anyone, but unless we tell each other about it we will continue to become more and more isolated. sorry for the ramble. I just want to make sure everyone continues to post all parts of their stories.

As for us... our RE released us tonight to our regular OB. I'm excited and nervous. As always, I will continue to be here for everyone and keep my hopes up for each of you.

[mrselle]

la_bride_2004, For one year I was told that I have a bicornuate uterus. I started seeing an RE last month. After reviewing the films from my HSG my REtold me that everything looked fine, but she wanted to do an office hysteroscopy to be sure. Turns out that I have an arcuate uterus. What is so interesting to me is that it wasn't detected when I had my HSG, but two different doctors decided that I have bicornuate uterus when I had an ultrasound. Neither of these doctors took the time to review the films from my HSG. In fact, when I asked my last doctor if he should review the films he told me it wasn't necessary. :confused: According to my RE an arcuate uterus is considered normal, does not require treatment, and is not something that would prevent a woman from getting pregnant or cause a miscarriage. (when I miscarried last summer I was told that it was probably due to my bicornuate uterus.....the bicornuate uterus that I do NOT have :rolleyes: ) One thing my RE did notice when she looked at the films from my HSG is that my right tube is open, but she is not 100% sure that my left tube is open.

Have you had an office hysteroscopy? This would allow your RE to get a better look at your uterus.

So, this is my long winded way of saying good for you on seeking a second and third opinion. It will definitely pay off.

[amychris03]

Just a quick fly by to tell Jad good luck today at the
retrieval! I'll be thinking of you! :)

[Jad]

Hi, guys. Just starting to wake up from my procedure this morning. One minute I was awake and aware of what was going on, the next minute I was in the recovery room and DH was walking in. That's some strong stuff they give you!

Anyway, they got 11 eggs. Which seems ok. But then the embryologist came in and said that based on my follicle sizes from Wednesday, she thought only four would be mature. :(

I tried to ask if maybe any more had matured since then but she didn't seem to understand. So. I'm gonna go watch movies and cry until DH gets home. And then just keep my fingers crossed that she was mean and wrong and the fertilization report is good.

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

islandgirl - Sorry to hear you're still feeling lousy. Is there anything that helps with the headaches? That kind of on-going pain just drives me nuts, so I feel just awful for you.

coreen - Interesting about your records. It does feel empowering to have them, doesn't it? But I'm sure it doesn't help offset yet *another* maybe-it's-an-issue, maybe-it-isn't diagnosis. Anyway, I'm with everyone else, please keep posting. We all have times where we're down and -- for me at least -- it's always helpful to know that I'm not alone in that.

[Astro]

HI everyone. No time for shoutouts. I'm on bedrest. I had major bleeding and cramping this morning. DH and I thought we lost the twins. Went immediately to the REs (I love those guys). The RE and nurse still saw the babies and their beating hearts. Looks like I'm bleeding from around the placentas? The RE said that could continue for quite a while. Next appointment is Monday. I'm hoping these babies are stubborn and sticky. They need to stay there until February.

[amychris03]

Coreen
Wow, that's very interesting, everything you found
out in your file. I'm interested to see what the other
RE's have to say about it. Im glad you are getting
more opinions!

Jan
Chris doesn't leave until Tuesday so I have him around
for a few days ;) I'm hanging in, see below...

Jad
Ditto what Jan said! The embryologist "thought" only
four would be mature but you never know what was
growing between Wednesday and today! Hopefully
you will get better news when they give you the
fert. report, but even if not, it only takes one!! ((hugs)).

Astro
So sorry for your scare! Ugh, that would be scary.
Take it easy this weekend and hopefully you will get
more answers as to what caused it on Monday!

---
So- Ive been having some cramping. Nothing major,
but still. What worries me is that its all on the left
side, which is the side I had the ectopic in before. My
dr said the risk of the embies going into a tube were
very slim, but it scares me just the same. Dont want
to go through all of that again, thank you! So thats
my current worry. For those who had cramping, was it
one sided at all? I guess it feels more where my left
ovary is. I have a tilted uterus also, so Im not sure if
that would play into where I would feel cramping or not.
Thoughts?

[kat]

Jad, please don't be upset by what the embryologist said! First off, it's just a guess, and second, even if you have four, that's not that bad. The important thing is how many of them fertilize, and if you get all four, that'd be great. Chin up, and I'm feeling really good about your fertilization report tomorrow!

Astro, that is so scary!!! I'm sure you were freaking out. I'm so glad that everything turned out okay. Take it easy for the next few days!

*******

Oops - in-laws are calling (they're visiting for 10 days, which could inspire a very long rant from me, but I'll spare you all).

[AusMarchBride]

MIPG Feel free to rant away about the in-laws, that's what keeps us sane :D

amychris Not to get your hopes up, but I had the cramping thing only on my right side this cycle, and that's why I had a bit of an inkling this one worked. Didn't have it on the first cycle at all. It was weird, although it was more like a pulling/dragging sensation than cramping. Try not to worry too much. I would guess it's pretty unlikely to have an ectopic because they actually place the embryo in your uterus. Sending good thoughts your way.

Astro Oh you poor thing, that must have been terrifying. Fantastic response from your RE, that's great they eased your worries so quickly. Sending sticky stubborn vibes your way. Take care of yourself and stay in bed.

Jad 11 eggs is great, really. Pooh on that embryologist. And really, it only takes one, I'm proof of that. We only got two eggs, imagine my disappointment and then only one continued to divide. And it took. And I know angelgirl had some not so great quality/maturity ones I think, and she's having twins. Sending you great fertilisation result vibes. Your transfer is on Sunday??

Jan1902 I think kakirk still has a week or so to go. I know she posted in the WC Twins thread on July 6 saying she was 38 weeks. Nothing else there and I'm sure someone would have posted if she'd had the twins.

Hi to everyone else, hope you all have a great weekend.

My due date is 17 Feb, seems like forever away :rolleyes:

Things rolling along here with me, feeling hideously nauseous but I'll live. My SIL gave me the tip last night that lemonade icypoles did the trick for her with nausea so DH has been instructed to get some today. Bit odd, it's the middle of winter here, but I'll try anything.

Signoff appointment with the RE on Monday morning. She'll refer me for the prenatal tests because I can't get into the OB until the end of the month. Hopefully that all goes well.

[angelgirl8]

astro...still thinking of you (in here, too!)

jad...don't worry about what the embryologist said. 11 eggs is great and i can't wait to hear your fertilization report!

amy...cramping on one side? implantation? just rest!

ann...i can't believe it's winter by you. feel good, okay?

[kat]

Spotting started again today. I am sitting out of all planned excursions with the in-laws and staying home, trying not to cry too much. I know, I know - plenty of women go on to have healthy pregnancies with extensive spotting.....but plenty of them, like me (last October) also miscarried this way.

Please keep all crossables crossed for me & the baby (ies), 'kay? I'm really worried this time.

Jad,, I'm hoping your fertilization report today was great!

[islandgirlsj]

MIPG?

I'm so sorry that you are having such a scare right now, and that you have so much worry. You have been in my thoughts ever since your last post, and I have been sending all my postive thoughts and love your way.

I'm glad to hear that you are just going to stay low and rest right now. Don't you let those in-laws get you running around!!
You need to just relax and find a peaceful place and hopefully those babies will stay strong and safe inside you.

((( squeeze )))

[Jad]

MIPG - Spotting sucks. Although I'm convinced that this pregnancy is going to stick, I can imagine exactly how terrifying it must be. You're further along than last time, right? Still. I know we'll all be happier after you see those heartbeats. Glad to hear you're taking it easy, and I'm sure your ILs understand. Keeping everything crossed for the babies!!! Call if you want to chat. 'k?

astro - Hugs and many crossed apendages for you too! I'm glad the babes look ok, but bleeding for "quite a while" doesn't sound like what you want to hear.

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

Stupid embryologist. Of my 11 eggs? 10 were mature thankyouverymuch. And nine fertilized. So we're breathing a huge sigh of relief at our house. Two more hurdles down, umpteen million more to go. :rolleyes: Transfer is Monday morning. Hoping for some nice embies!

[Jad]

Being the bearer of good news! Kakirk's twins are here! Congratulations!!!

Lifted from LJ:

Baby Boy was born last night at 11:02 weighing in at 7.2 pounds!
His name is Harrison Kirkpatrick and goes by Hank.

Baby Girl was born last night at 11:05 and weighs 6.5 pounds!
Her name is Camilla Margaret and goes by Lily

Katie was dozing, but said Hi. Todd said Katie did well, and the babies are both huge and so, so cute. They are taking today to rest and relax as a new family. He also said Lily is nursing like a champ and Hank is starting to catch on to things.

[amychris03]

AusMarchBride
I sure hope you are right. You gave a much more accurate
description. It is more like a pull. Ive had a lot less of
it today, so maybe it was burrowing in yesterday ;) .
Hope your lemonade popsicles do the trick for the nausea!

angelgirl8
I sure hope you are right. I cant believe I have 9 more days
to wait!

MIPG?
Take it easy! I will be praying for you and your little guys.

Jad
I knew that embryologist didnt know what he/she was
talking about ;) ! Great report! You'll be in my thoughts
on Monday! Do you have any idea how many you'll
transfer?

And last but not least, Congratulations Katie!!!! :D

[kat]

Yay, Jad!!!! That's wonderful news!!!! (I gotta laugh, because since yesterday afternoon, P has been asking me, "What's the latest" on you. :) Even he had his fingers crossed for the two of you!

And yay, kakirk! Congratulations!

[angelgirl8]

jad...stupid embryologist panicking a girl for nothing! great report!

katie...YAY! congrats, my dear!

mipg?...(can i say, i had no idea what your name meant either, but now i feel stupid?) i'm so sorry you're spotting. every time i spot, i try to remind myself it's normal but it doesn't help. keep your feet up and rest!

[Astro]

MIPG hugs. I hope your spotting decreases and everything is ok with you and the babies.

Jad Congrats on some great eggs and fertilizations. :) That's fantastic.

KaKirk Dang, you grew some great big babies. :) Congratulations on two wonderful babies. Hope you all continue to do well.

As for us. Still relaxing, stuck on the couch. The bleeding from Friday has decreased and turned brown (supposedly this is good). The plan today is more relaxing and couch time. I told my DH we need a new couch, because this one is not comfortable. He just laughed. It was my couch from before we got married. Luckily we already how a different couch on order. :)

Our next appointment is tomorrow afternoon. I'm hoping the kids are ok, but still very very nervous after all that bleeding. I want to believe they're still in there nice and safe, but I don't know. Oh well, just have to keep waiting until tomorrow.

[AusMarchBride]

Astro Glad to hear the spotting has eased off. I know how frightening it is so I send lots of hugs to you. Hopefully they'll be able to put your mind at ease tomorrow.

amychris 9 days? Yeesh, that's a while. But hopefully they/it are settling into their home for the next nine months.

kakirk Wow, you grow em well :D Congrats on the arrival of Hank and Lily. Get lots of rest and enjoy your babies.

Jad Ha to your embryologist. Fantastic result, well done. :D Wishing you all the best for Monday's transfer. Take care and get lots of rest.

MIPG I'm so sorry that you're having the bleeding. Stay off your feet, and get your MIL to run around after you ;)

angelgirl Hope you're doing ok and the nausea has been sent packing with the drugs the doc gave you.

I have all my limbs and other body parts that are crossable crossed for you all who are spotting/bleeding or just waiting. You should see how odd I look ;)

I'm off to the RE in an hour to get signed off by her, so that'll be nice. One more step on the road.

[Jad]

Back from the transfer. They transfered two, grade one, eight-cell embies. They actually had six to choose from, so I hope they picked the right ones. :p So the remaining four plus two others that were slightly less "good" will get frozen.

Quick PIO question for everyone. Did any of you leave on the 22 gauge needle or did you all swap to the 25 gauge? The nurse mentioned just using the 22 gauge, but I'm wondering if that's because she's a nurse and doesn't mind these things. We've been using the 25, but if this works, I'm gonna have to do a few myself and I'm wondering if quicker (i.e. bigger needle) will be better.

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

MIPG - How you doin'? Been thinking about you and hoping all is well. And thank P for the finger crossing. If this works, it's gotta be because of all the fingers crossed on our behalf. :)

astro - Hope your appt. is going/went well and that the babes are snuggled in there and happy.

Ann - Yay for release!!!

islandgirl - How are those headaches doing? Feelin' any better yet?

[islandgirlsj]

:eek: We've been using the 25, but if this works, I'm gonna have to do a few myself and I'm wondering if quicker (i.e. bigger needle) will be better. :eek:


ACK! Bigger is better???!!! Okay, you completely lost me there.
*runs for the door* :p

So happy to hear that your transfer went so well! WhooHooo!
Now you just have to survive the dreaded 2ww! :rolleyes:
Now... REST, and take care of those little embries in you!!

Oh, and takes for the concern on the headaches.... I'm not much better, I think I'm just trying to "manage" through the day. Ugh.

[kat]

Astro, how did the appointment go? Still hoping all is okay with your babies!

Ann, yay for getting "released" to your OB! I can't believe you're 8 weeks plus already!

Jad, that's awesome!! Now that you know you've done so well this far, you can relax and breeze through the 2ww, right? :D LOL!!! Lemme know if you want to get together to help kill the time. (The nice part is that it's really only a 10-day wait from this point)

We always switched to the smaller needle. For me, if it's nice and iced well, the "worst" part is getting the needle in (once it's in, it doesn't hurt). So thinner was definitely more important that speed. Also, I know they make it sound like it's going to take five years for the oil to go in, but it's really not *that* slow. If I were you, I'd stick (pun intended ;)) with the thinner needles.

islandgirl, so sorry to hear the headaches are still kicking you!! Is there an end in sight? Do they usually go away at a certain point in your cycle?

*******

Thanks so much to all of you for your thoughts, prayers, and finger/limb crossings. :D The spotting has stopped (actually, I hesitate to really call it spotting -- it seemed that way at first, but after the first scare it never looked the same. I don't want to be TMI on these boards so let's just say it's something I'll ask my doctor about on Friday).

In (almost) better news, the in-laws have left! Can I just vent for a minute here? I honestly like my in-laws. Really. Right now they live in Arizona (we live in Chicago). THE VERY MINUTE after we told them I'm pregnant, the FIRST thing (after "Are you sure?") my MIL said was, "Well, now we know where we're moving!" They've been talking about moving for months, and we always assumed it was going to be back to New England (where they're from)....and now (without even really discussing it with me) they announced they were going to move to our area for a while (a year?) after the baby/ies arrive. I don't think it's the "moving here" that's bothering me nearly as much as the "simply announcing it" part, although if I know my MIL, she'll want to be over here every day, "helping." (To her, helping probably means smooching her grandchild, not doing our laundry). I have visions of "Everybody Loves Raymond" in my head.

Anyway, over the next few days I think we made it clear that we didn't want daily visits if they move here, and that once or twice a week is plenty. I gotta cut her some slack -- this is her first grandchild (and her only real shot at having any), and I think she just freaked out at first. But it kind of put a damper on the whole, "telling the parents" thing when the first words out of her mouth were "we're moving to be near you!". Ugh.

/end vent. Thanks for letting me let it out! I'm just so happy that they're gone (for now -- they're coming back for a few days in September).

[islandgirlsj]

:rolleyes: Alrighty…
Personal rant / complaint on all these drugs, and the stress and worry we all go through during this process.

Do you guys have any physical desire left at all?
Am I the only one who could care less…. Or want anything to do with sex
At this point? :confused:

I’m frustrated, as is my husband of course. But he comes near me, and I’m just like
Forget it, I’m not in the mood. I’m stuck with needles each night that make me feel like I’m sweating to death, they have given me headaches that just never seem to go away,
I feel bloated, and yucky, not the least bit sexy anylonger.... and
HEY… DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT BUDDY. :cool:

*Sigh* I feel bad for my husband, honestly I do, but I have no desire at all for sex or to even be intimate. I just want him to stay on his side of the bed…. Waaaaaaay over there, and leave me to be. :(

Is it the stress of all this, along with the drugs……..??? Or is it just me.

End rant.
Sorry, just had to get it off my shoulder.... I know the minute I get home I'll have to deal with it again, as my husband is just not understanding how I'm feeling at all.

[Astro]

Quick drive-by post. :D :D

The twins are doing great. I'm still bleeding, slightly, but the area that is bleeding is getting smaller.

[CapeCod04]

Hi! I have come on over from the wedding channel. I've been there mainly in the TTC at 35+ thread. We are heading into an IVF cycle. I'm at the easy part - starting the pill for a couple of weeks. We'll be doing lupron and gonal-f and progesterone at some point. I'm not worried about the shots for the gonal-f - been there, done that. It's the other stuff that makes me a little scared - but I know if it works, it will all be a memory. So - I'll probably be asking lots of questions - hope no one minds. :)

[islandgirlsj]

Astro ~
YAY YAY YAAAAAAAY!! :D
So glad to hear you are doing good, you had been in my thoughts all day!

MIPG? ~
YAY YAY YAAAAAAAY!! :D
Whew! You have no idea how I was thinking about you!

NOW... The two of you.... stop scaring us, and enjoy your pregnancies!!
:D :D

CapeCod04~
WELCOME! I'm glad to see you found your way over here, and I hope we can help you in your journey!
I'm going to add your name to the 1st page, and if you want, you can email me your stats here (islandgirl_sj@yahoo.com), and I will add your stats to it.
:)

AusMarchBride ~
How exciting.... getting signed off and now moving to your regular OBGYN!
Wow. Makes everything seem much more real now!
So happy for you! :: squeeze ::

Everyone else out there holding on, and hanging out?
I hope you are doing good.

Sending all my postive ~*~ Baby stickies ~*~ to you all.
;)

[islandgirlsj]

Hey Astro!
I just realized that I have never realy updated your stats.
Do you want to give me some dates to plug in, and I'll have you all updated.
Thanks!! :p

[melissafromnc]

Hey. Just wanted to stop by and check in. I'll probably be mostly lurking as we're on hold for a while but wanted to follow up with all the familiar faces.

So glad to hear all is well with your twins, Astro.

Congrats to MPIG? !!!!

Hi to everyone else and hope all is well with each of you.
Ausmarchbride--Yay on the graduation!!

[AusMarchBride]

Melissa Hi there Glad you made it over here. Lurk away to your hearts content ;)

islandgirl I'm guessing the wait hasn't gotten easier. But I did want to comment on what you said about the "sex for non-reproductive purposes" ;) I know exactly how you feel, and it's the drugs and the stress/tension of IVF. I always thought to myself thank god I was doing IVF and not injectibles with just timed intercourse cos it never woulda happened. I STILL don't feel remotely in the mood for any nookie. I know it's tough for your DH, but it's tougher for you because you're the one with all the bizarro hormones running around your body. Explain that you're not in the mood now and he's just going to have to wait. It's only what, 9 days? I'm sure if you spell it out he won't want to coerce you into doing something you don't want to.

capecod Hi and welcome. Sorry you have to join us, but feel free to ask all the questions you want. It's a fabulous group of supportive women here.

Astro Sensational news about the bleeding diminishing/stopping :D

MIPG Sensational news times two about your spotting. :D I'm sorry about your Everybody Loves Raymond inlaws. Let's hope they decide moving isn't such a great idea

Jad Woohoo on your transfer, glad it all went well. Now you've got the easy part, the 2ww :rolleyes: Hope it goes as quickly as possible.

Hi to everyone else. I'm thinking and sending positive sticky vibes for island girl and Jad.

RE signed me off yesterday, but I was surprised she didn't examine me. Just asked if we had any questions, reviewed the U/S results from 2 weeks ago and that's it. So pretty uneventful, which is good I suppose.

My nausea has eased off a little today, so that's a new something to worry about. :rolleyes:

[Jad]

islandgirl - LOL.
ACK! Bigger is better???!!! Okay, you completely lost me there.
I let DH know in no uncertain terms that his thumb could just continue to suffer from the difficult plunging. ;) As for the sex-life issue, we've had a doctor-ordered period of mandatory abstinance, starting with the first ultrasound. And although I'm now feeling a little better, during the stims? Boy, oh boy, was I glad. Because bloating? Does NOT make a girl feel like a sex machine. Nor do the so-sore-you-have-to-wear-a-bra-24-7 bbs. I about decked my DH the other day when he started to aim his hand toward my nips. So, no, I don't think you're alone. :p

MIPG - Breathing a big sigh of relief that it was just a temporary scare. When's your next ultrasound? Friday? Is this the heartbeat one? And I would *love* some distraction in the next 9 days! Will give you a call. We can discuss in-laws. ;)

astro - Yay! I'm going with islandgirl -- stop scaring us!!! ;) Hope the bleeding stops completely very soon.

capecod - Hi! Glad you found us! Ask as many questions as you'd like, vent, complain, celebrate -- this is a pretty open group. Friendly, too.

melissa - Hey, there! Glad *you* found us too! We'll be here when you're done holding. Hope you're able to enjoy the summer.

Ann - Eat something aromatic, maybe the queasies will come back. ;) Thanks for the stickies.

amy - How's the wait going? Is it Friday yet? ;)

[amychris03]

Jad
YAY for the great transfer! I actually draw my progesterone
out with an ultra scary 18 gauge and get the shot with the
22 gauge. It goes fairly quickly, I think. I'd say start to finish
(with the wiping the area with alcohol, etc it takes a minute or
less. Chris says its hard to get the oil out with that size needle
so I cant imagine a smaller one. I really dont feel it going in though,
since I ice it for 10 mins before hand.
MIPG?
Wow, your IL's sound interesting! Glad the spotting has stopped!
islandgirlsj
DH is actually scared that he would hurt me or the embies so
I have nothing to worry about in that department! ;)
Astro
Glad the twins are doing well and the bleeding is subsiding!
Capecod04
Welcome :)
Melissa
Good to see you over here...

--
Oops, my lunch date is here, I will be back later to finish! :)

[amychris03]

OK, false alarm....

AusMarchBride
Yay for being signed off and for starting to feel better!

Jad
You mean is it Monday yet? :rolleyes: I will probably test
myself this weekend at some point since I can not hold out.

---
Im ok- SO bummed because Chris left today for a week. I
know in the grand scheme of things a week isnt very long,
but I miss him every time he leaves :( I have been going in
for blood testing weekly to check my estrogen. I went
yesterday and it was in the 200's so they want me to
come back again tomorrow and test again to make sure
it maintains that. Whats that all about? Is it bad to have
low estrogen I take it? Alrightly, I really am going to head
out for my lunch now to make the day go faster!

[Suzlywoozly]

I'm so far behind with s/o's so please forgive me if I forget somebody!

Astro- I'm sorry to hear about your scary experience with the bleeding! I'm glad to hear it's better and both babies are doing well! :D

Amy- That's a bummer Chris left for a week! When do you go in for your beta? Hopefully he won't be gone when you find out the news and come back to tell us that it's a BFP. Remember.... you said you don't disappoint ;)... no pressure or anything!

Jad- Glad to hear the transfer went well and the embryologist was wrong! :D

AusMarchBride- Yipppeee for being signed off by the RE! You must be so excited. I hope the nausea stays away!

MIPG?- I'm glad to hear the spotting has stopped! I can completely understand the IL thing. I have it rough since mine live 5 minutes away. I can't imagine what I would do if they lived far away and then they tell us they are moving closer... I'd freak out! I actually fear the day we have kids, because as it is now, MIL shows up when I'm not home to do our laundry, dishes and re-arrange our fridge! :eek:

islandgirlsj- I haven't even started the IVF process and already feel how you do! I do feel bad for my DH but after three years of TTC and three years of let downs, I don't even care about sex anymore. If we DTD, I always have the thoughts running through my head about getting PG. I'm sure this will only get worse when we start IVF. Hopefully the RE will put me on a no sex diet :D! There's my excuse to keep DH away!

I have a couple of questions for you smart ladies! If they are too personal, let me know. I completely understand if you don't want to answer. My biggest fear with going forward with IVF is the financial aspect since our insurance doesn't cover a single penny. Please tell me that I am not the only one who worried about this. The other thing is how we decide to do the Shared Risk Program or take our chances & do the one shot deal and pray it works. The RE's said he can't give us any guidance on this decision. I asked my OB the last time I saw him and he said knowing what he knows now (unsucessful attempts at IUI's and now the miscarriage), if I was his wife, he would do the Shared Risk Program. I wonder if he was just telling me this because he is good friends with the RE or if he really feels that way. How many of you went with the Shared Risk Program? I realize it is an awesome deal only if you aren't successful on the first try. I'm so afraid of spending this much money... It's like having another car payment. Right now this is the only thing holding me back... besides the thought of giving myself injections. Also, how much did the meds cost per month? I know the RE's office gave me the info, but I let Scooter borrow it and it's been a couple months since I looked at it and can't remember. Sorry for so many questions!

I'm actually now looking forward to my appt. with the RE. I am hoping he can shed some light on why I did get PG and why I miscarried. Especially when he told me there was no way I would ever convieve on my own. I really want to get things going, but we need to figure out the financial part of it. DH thinks I am nuts because I have been scouring the house to find things to sell on e-bay! He told me that there is no way whatever I sell is even going to put a dent in the price of IVF. Boy I'd love to prove him wrong! :D At this point every dollar counts. On the good side of it, my mom offered to give us $5,000 and an additional $500 - $1,000 per month to help with the costs. I'm grateful for this, but my fear is that I will create a monster with her if we accept the money. When I get PG, I have the feeling she is going to think she "owns" part of the baby! I can see the train wreck happening already.

[Jad]

Drive-by since I'm too lazy to go back to the other site......

What'd you all do with pineapple? I just cut one up and I didn't throw away the core, but I have no idea what to do with it. Munched on a little piece, and, eh. Not as tasty as the rest of the fruit.

[AusMarchBride]

Jad What I did with the pineapple. I think the info was posted on the other board a couple of weeks before my retrieval. I thought to myself, must remember to buy some when I'm in the 2ww. Did I remember??? Nooooo :rolleyes: And then someone mentioned it again when I was one day before my beta, at which point I realised it was a little late to suddenly eat 50 pineapples to make up. So, I had none at all. But I do remember it was definitely the core you were supposed to suck on.

Suzlywoozly I don't think there's any question that's too personal in here. Honestly, I've discussed mucus, the state of my nipples, my non-existent sex life, my periods etc. There ain't much left to be embarassed about :D But, just to note I won't be much help with the costing of IVF because I think I'm in the only country in the world that subsidises about 80% of the cost of a cycle (the government covers it). So a cyle costs me about USD 1400 which includes drugs, retrieval, everything. The only thing I would say is that it's not very common to fall pregnant on your first IVF cycle, it does happen, but not often. So the shared risk thing seems like a reasonable idea. For me, I'd go with that and if I fell pregnant with the first cycle, just be very glad that it worked. And as everyone keeps telling me, the cost is not in your IVF cycles, it's the huge cost of raising and educating a child for the next 20 or so years. Everything else pales into insignificance.

I'm glad you're feeling good about seeing your RE, hope he can get you some answers. I think your mum is going to feel like she owns part of your child whether she helps financially or not. Every other grandparent seems to feel that way ;)

amychris Oh, I'm sorry that you're on you're own for a week. Will Chris be back for your beta? Only 5 or 6 days more to wait if I remember correctly. Positive thoughts winging your way from wintry Melbourne.

Jad I have to say you cracked me up with this
I let DH know in no uncertain terms that his thumb could just continue to suffer from the difficult plunging I misread this at first and thought it was islandgirl informing her husband what he could do with his requests for sex :D

Hope the 1st few days of your 2ww have flown by :D

Hello to mrselle, Coreen, amygrrrl, Scooter, angelgirl, MIPG, Astro, sidsou, queen, islandgirl, Jan1902, klsoo and hopefully I didn't forget anyone.

[Astro]

Jad About the pineapple... I don't like pineapple, and couldn't eat the core, but I did make sure to eat a serving of pineapple (regular, not core) every day for 1 1/5 weeks during my 2ww. :) Not sure if it worked, but I figure it couldn't hurt.

[amygrrl]

what is the pineapple supposed to do?

[AusMarchBride]

amygrrl Something in the pineapple core is supposed to help with implantation. I can't remember who (maybe MIPG) posted on the other board about it a couple of months ago.

I'll find the details and repost but the other board is down at the moment.

[mrselle]

I can't do proper shout outs right now, but I did want to respond to Suzlywoozly's question.

Suzlywoozly, I’m not sure that I can shed any light on the cost of IVF for you. My insurance covers IVF at 80%. We are dishing out a little less than $2000 for IVF and spending an additional $370 for meds. According to my RE’s office, it’s better to use a mail order pharmacy because they tend to have better prices. I didn’t bother to check with any other pharmacies, I just used the one they suggested because it was easier.

If your RE offers a shared risk program I would definitely take advantage of it, especially if you and DH are absorbing the total cost of IVF.
~~~~

As for me, I ordered my meds and they should be here by the 21st. I have my baseline ultrasound on the 26th. Other than that, I'm just trying to remain as peaceful as possible.

[amychris03]

Suzly
My insurance doesnt cover the cycle- we paid about $12000
for it. That included the meds (though I had some left over
from my injectables cycle, which was luckily the really expensive
one), all the bloodwork, ultrasounds, retrieval, transfer, and
freezing at their facility for a year. It would have been more
if we had to do assisted hatching, or ICSI, or if I needed larger
doses of the meds, but luckily we didnt need any of that. The
pharmacy that my RE uses is Schrafts (im not sure if its
online or what, but its based out of NJ I think and they have a
discount program (and I took anything I could get).

Jad
Yep- the pineapple core is supposed to help with implantation,
but dont overdo it because it can also stimulate the uterus I read
somewhere. I just had a couple pieces of core, and a slice or so
of pineapple a day.

AusMarchBride
No, Chris wont be back for the beta, but he did come back
last night for one extra night! See below ;)

mrselle
YAY for ordering your meds! Dont be shocked when they arrive,
its a bit overwhelming to see the mass quantity all at once!

Hi to everyone else, hope all is well :)
---
Update on me:
So Chris got to come home last night for one more night. He wasnt
able to take off because of the weather around the field. It is SO
very exciting when you think he is gone, and then to get a call
to go pick him up at work! Ive dropped him off again, the weather
is supposedly going to be crumby today as well, so we will see how
it goes. So ANYWAYS, Chris forbid me from taking a HPT while he
was gone, because I took one on Sunday to make sure the trigger
was out of my system, and the negative kinda freaked me out.
SO- I figured since he was home today, I could test! I got a
++++++!! I'm only 10dp3dt, so Im trying not to get excited just
yet. Probably will be scared until I see the betas keep rising and
see the pregnancy in the right spot. About 5 weeks 3 days is when
we discovered the ectopic the last time. I dont go in for my beta
until Monday, but when I am there for blood work today, Im going
to mention it and see if they want to test me early. :D

[mrselle]

amychris03, we use Schrafts too. We also took advantage of their "VIP" program. Like you, we took any discount they were offering. I've already mentally prepared myself for the "big box". I keep envisioning a box that takes up our entire porch.
CONGRATULATIONS on the BFP!!!!!! I hope all goes well for you today when you go in for bloodwork.

[Jad]

Amy - Yippeee! Another BFP!!!!!! Congratulations to you, my dear. I'm so happy for you.

Ann - You know, I almost never *actually* laugh out loud when I read things. But your, ahem, interpretation of my comment to islandgirl really did make me laugh. Go wash your mind out with soap and water, young lady! ;)

astro - Well, something worked! So a little pineapple for me every day, it is!

suzly - I'm also no help on the $$ front because my insurance covers much of the cost. That said, I'd probably do the shared cost because I'd be kicking myself if I didn't and it didn't work. And if it did? I'd probably think it was worth every penny.

mrselle - Wow, you'll be stimming in no time! How exciting!

[Astro]

amychris03 Congratulations on the BFP! that's fantastic. :D :D :D
mrselle Congratulations on ordering your meds. As has been mentioned before, don't get too overwhelmed when they arrive. It's a huge box.
Jad I wonder if pineapple icecream would count? ;)

As for me, I'm heading to my first OB appointment this afternoon (in 5 hours). I'm very excited to have graduated from the REs even after all that bleeding on Friday. Anyone have a list of questions or an idea of what to ask the OB? She's my regular OB, my RE trusts her, I just don't know what else to ask since it's twins and I've already had bleeding.

thanks

[kat]

I feel crappy today. No real way to describe it except "crappy." Went from huge appetite, wanting to eat EVERYTHING IN SIGHT over the weekend, to having zero appetite (and everything looking/sounding gross) yesterday.

What I've been calling "spotting" is back, but I've finally decided to stop worrying about it. Not to be TMI, but it isn't very blood-like, and when I talked to my RE yesterday (cuz I was concerned about that + the shooting pains I'm getting in my cervix), he basically said that it's probably nothing. If it *is* a miscarriage or me losing one of the babies, there's absolutely nothing I can do about it anyway. So I'm just going to sit tight and wait for Friday's ultrasound before getting upset.

Went to see my endocrinologist this morning (I'm hypothyroid, so she's monitoring me pretty closely now that I'm pregnant) and my blood pressure was 85/56!!!!! The nurse took it three times because she couldn't believe it was correct. My blood pressure tends to be really low (100/65-70 is probably average for me), but that's by far the lowest it's been. My doctor said (and I've since read elsewhere) that bp decreases during early pregnancy, but I had no idea! I'm surprised I'm still walking. :)

amychris, CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I had my first beta at 10dp3dt, so I don't think that's too early at all! Wonderful news!

Jad, I went nutso with the pineapple. In fact, I started eating the core (though less of it) from the time my lining started to build up (i.e., before the 2WW). I ate an entire pineapple every two or three days, and split up the core into each of those days. Thankfully, fresh pineapple doesn't have the calories of cheesecake. :)

I got the idea from kakirk, I think, who posted that it contains some substance (bromide? or something like that) that's supposed to help with implantation. Have no idea whether it's true, but I figured it couldn't hurt (and it didn't), so I went ahead & tried it anyway.

Suzywoozly, I am no help, either, on the payment question because my insurance covers most of it (yes, I am lucky, I know). But I know from visiting tons of other IVF sites that your worries are 100% normal (and expected). It's a huge investment with no guarantees of success, and that's gotta make anyone freak out a little.

And my in-laws are only TALKING about moving five minutes away, and it's freaked me out. You are far, far more patient than I am -- I'd lose it with my MIL if she came over and re-arranged our fridge! :)

[AusMarchBride]

Driveby from me, am going away for 3 days with DH for his birthday.

Congrats amychris, fabulous result. Hope all the bloodwork comes out just fine :D

[Happy1]

Holy canole is there a ton of posts on here!!

Since my DH and I decided for sure this is the route we wish to try first, I'm joining up with this thread. Here's my info:

Happy1
Me: Nikki, 27 (7/17/78)
DH: Tim, 35 (11/2/69)
Married: 6/08/02
Diagnosis: Male factor
Status: Just starting out


This is all so overwhelming as y'all definitely know. We're at the extremely beginning stage of all this. The family doctor told us to see my OB/GYN to gather more info and to get a recommendation. My aunt and uncle highly suggest going the route they did (G.I.F.T.) but we're definitely thinking about at least seeing what the possibilites are of going to the Gunderson Lutheran clinic in Lacrosse, WI (about 4 hours from us) because we've heard nothing but rave reviews from people who've gone there.

Continuing to gather all information we can and hoping things fall into place.

Good luck to you all!

Nikki :D

[amychris03]

Welcome Nikki! :)

[Jad]

T-minus seven days to beta and nothing to report except a sore butt. Ho-hum. (And ow.)

Nikki - Hi! It is all a little overwhelming, but that's why this thread is so very helpful. So welcome. :D

Ann - Enjoy your little trip. Where are you headed? And can I come? I really really liked Australia. (We were there for 10 days on our honeymoon. Just the Sydney and Melbourne areas, but they were great.)

MIPG - Sorry for the crappy feeling. Sounds like whatever we do, it won't be food-focused. ;)

astro - Pinapple ice cream. Now *that.* Is a pregnant lady talking. :p ;)

[amygrrl]

hey chicas.... i'm reading right along but can't keep up with the shout outs... i promise that once i go back to the RE on the 25th i'll be better about keeping up. in the interim, here's my latest update from going to see the head of perinatology at stanford who reviewed my pregnancy and avery's birth for a cause of death and pre-conception counseling....

cross posted from SAI....

<b>dr update</b>
went to see the peri today. overall, a good appointment. the big thing that came out of it was that we have really good instincts (and advice from all our IF friends on the internet!!) about what standard of care we should have. apparently, my ob called the peri last week and told him all the tests she had ordered for clotting and immunolgy. he was very impressed and said it was a very thorough list and exactly what he would have recommended. well, although i didn't mention it... SHE GOT THE LIST FROM ME. i made the list from talking to several of my IF friends here and on ivfconnections.com and insisted on having them done. the ob didn't even know what many of the tests were!!!

so basically, the peri said that without an autopsy and/or genetic info we just don't have an answer. the meconium in my fluid suggests that sudden hypoxia occured (ie suffication)... this could be from a blockage/ clotting in the placenta or cord, the cord wrapping around her neck or the cord kinking... but he said there really is no definitive answer. the cord was extremely helixed (coiled) which would be due to formation and there may be evidence cords can potentially have slightly more risk... but there are no studies to indicate a direct correlation b/t extreme helixing and cord accidents and there is no way to know if i will always have pregnancies with extremely helixed cords or if it was a one time thing. for now, we need to do all the b/w to rule out clotting and immunology.

overall, we feel good b/c he didn't mention at all that we shouldn't try again or even be worried about trying again. he did say our standard of care would be much different. i would be placed on a diabetic diet from day 1 and have to monitor my blood sugars 4-6 times a day from the beginning b/c my 1 hour glucose test i took about 10 days before losing avery was borderline. i can continue to take the heart meds i'm currently on and don't have to switch to a new drug. i will be monitored with weekly u/s through the REI clinic until about 9-10 weeks. from 10-20 weeks, i will have 3 or 4 more appointments (no extra u/s necessary b/c they can't tell much at that point anyway and i'll have the nuchal fold u/s and triple screen during that period). at 18-20 wks, i'll have the level 2 u/s and then have additional level 2 u/s's every 3-4 wks until the the baby comes. i'll also have non-stress tests and u/s to check cord blood flow every week from about 24 wks on. lastly, assuming the baby is healthy and the lungs are mature, we will deliver at 37-38 wks.

whew!!!!! so overall, it will mean a much more aggressive approach to care, but i'm very happy with that at this point.

[CapeCod04]

I got the rest of my meds for IVF today - already had the gonal. OH MY GOD! It's like a pharmacy here! And all those needles! :eek:

[amychris03]

Thank you everyone for the good wishes! I went in today for
my Beta so I should have results back tomorrow! I am going
out of town for the weekend, but will try my best to get to the
computer before I go! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Capecod04
AHHH, the needles... I couldnt open them up to look at the
size for a few days, I was too scared!!

amygrrl
Glad you had such a good visit with the peri and that you
will be closely monitored the next time around! That must
make you feel better!

Jan
YAY for starting Lupron! Is it bad to say I miss the hot flashes
now that I am back to my being constantly cold in air conditioning?

Jad
I hear ya on the sore butt!

AusMarchBride
Hope you have an awesome long weekend!

MIPG?
WOW! I thought I had a low blood pressure! Sorry you've
lost your appetite.

Astro
How'd your appointment go?

[Astro]

Capecod04 the meds and needles can be very overwhelming. I usually got out the meds I'd need for that week and kept them on the counter in a small box. The other meds I kept stashed away until I needed them. It helped me not feel as overwhelmed to not see all the meds and needles every day. Don't worry, you'll get used to it. :rolleyes:

amychris03 Good luck. I hope you get a chance to come back here before vacation. :)

As for us, had the first appointment with the OB yesterday. She is great. She's got a lot of experience with twins and "older" women ( :rolleyes: I'm only 38), so she said she knew she'd do fine with my pregnancy. She measured the kids. I was worried at this point since all the bleeding. Somewhere in the back of my mind was the fear the kids had stopped growing. I think the fear is there because all our friends have had miscarriages. Anyway, the kids measured right on track. 8 weeks, 3 days. Perfect, hearts going like crazy. She's referring me to a specialist for an indepth ultrasound and bloodwork to be done between weeks 11 and 13. It's non-invasive and will give a good idea of how everyone's doing. She likes to do it much more than CVS because there's no risk of miscarriage with the non-invasive stuff. :) :)

[kat]

Drive-by; anxiously awaiting our 7-week ultrasound appointment this afternoon......this is worse than the 2WW, I swear!

Just wanted to say WELCOME to Nikki and CapeCod. I don't know what I would've done without this thread when I was going through IVF, so you've picked the right place to come!

amygrrl, I'm sure it was comforting to know that you received good care, even if (maybe especially because?) you had to be the one to ask for it. I'm glad the doctor didn't put any restrictions on getting pregnant again. Good luck to you!

Oh, and amychris,

Is it bad to say I miss the hot flashes

Hahahahahahahaa.....don't worry -- they'll be back. :D Only they won't be hot flashes; they'll be a feeling of constantly being warm. I'm hypothyroid, so I am soooo used to being freezing all the time, but not now. Frankly, I don't like it very much, but maybe you will! :) Fingers crossed for your beta!

Jad, yes, as of right now I don't think it's a good idea to take me to a restaurant. Unless that restaurant has one HELL of a selection of food. :D However, by next week I could be back to "I MUST EAT EVERYTHING NOW" mode, so who knows? I'm afraid we'll have to play it by ear.

Sorry the shots are hurting! Sometimes walking a bit afterward helps (in addition to the heat). In fact, we started a tradition of walking afterward around the park across the street, and it's one of my favorite parts of the day. :) Sappy, I know.

[amychris03]

grr- My results are back, but they wont call to give me the
results until this afternoon, so Im going to have to leave
town with out them! I will come post the results on Sunday,
as they are supposed to call me on my cell phone! Have a
good weekend everyone! :)

[angelgirl8]

sorry it's been so long since i've been in here...contending with constant nausea doesn't lend itself to reading and writing.

i'm all caught up now!

just wanted to say hi and i'm always reading along and cheering everyone on. this thread was an amazing source of info and support for me, so i'm never leaving!

and i know someone asked about the shared risk programs around...dh and i used one of the programs around here, so if there are questions that i can answer you can email me or just ask them here. so sorry i can't for the life of me remember who asked!

generally, though, we are happy we went with the program.

[amychris03]

Oooh, they didn't want to miss me before I left town so they called
me back, and I got so excited that I forgot the darn number! It was
either 136, or 146!! I have to go back tomorrow am now for a repeat
beta! :D

[angelgirl8]

amy...YAY! official congratulations for you!!

[Astro]

Amy CONGRATULATIONS!

[kat]

Still feeling yicky, icky, icky. Wishing I could throw up, cuz I think that'd make me feel better (albeit briefly).

But I wanted to let you know that we saw two flickering heartbeats this afternoon at my RE's office. I wish I could've gotten more excited about it, but all I kept thinking was, "I want to go home and lie down." :)

Anyway, twins it is. Freaky, freaky concept. But we are happy as heck, as is my mother (and DH, who just keeps walking around going, "TWINS!")

An "official" congrats to amychris -- those are some nice numbers!

[Jad]

Hi, all! Still just waiting. Feeling a little down today, but I kind of expected that. We're starting to get into the potentially-post-implantation period and I've noticed nothing different. Plus, I have this unfounded fear that I'll be the regression to the mean. I know, I know, I know. Each case is independent and all that statistical jazz. But I just don't quite believe it. At least it's almost the weekend. <sigh>

Oh, and I forgot to discuss Paris. I'm not going. Not sure how that happened exactly since the person who *is* going doesn't have the same background in the topic that I do. But I just can't get too worked up about it. It wasn't great timing re: the betas. Plus, if this works by some off chance, I'm already going to be PIO-ing myself for a week in August in NYC. And as far as I'm concerned, the less of that, the better.

amygrrl - So glad to hear you'll be getting good, aggressive care next time you're preggo. Glad your doc will be looking out for you. :)

amyc - Nice beta! So are you gonna be yet another twinmamma? If so, you guys are going to over run the March and twinmamma's threads with IVF success stories. How cool would that be!

Jan - So you're back on the cycle train? Yippee! Keeping my fingers crossed that this one does it for you.

capecod - We've been keeping the needles, meds (sans Gonal-F, which is in the 'frigde), etc. in a basket in the pantry. Keeping it out of sight has been good. Feels less like it's my whole life than when we had it all out in the open.

MIPG - TWINS!!! I have nothing more to say. :D (Oh, and we do our PIO shots in the morning after which P leaves me prostrate on the bed with a hot water bottle on my butt as he heads out to work. Not nearly as pleasant as an evening stroll in the park.)

Hope all our other preggos are feeling ok!

[angelgirl8]

jad...now, i'm not just saying this and when anyone else said this to me i never ever believed them, but i felt nothing in terms of symptoms. nothing different from any other cycle. was totally and completely shocked at my beta. actually felt nothing for 2 1/2 full weeks after my beta, during which time i freaked out every 15 minutes. so think positive thoughts for now!

also, you're going to be in NYC? we should meet up...i'll let you use my PIO heating pad!

[AusMarchBride]

Shoutouts, wow, there's a lot to catch up.

Jad Try not to worry about symptoms or not. I'm convinced the whole symptoms thing is completely random, and a trick played on us all to muck around with our heads during this whole IVF process ;) Shame you're not off to Paris, but nicer to be at home for those PIO shots. I'm glad you enjoyed Australia when you were here, I'm quite fond of it. DH and I went to this place about 3 hrs drive from Melbourne here's their website (http://www.borokadowns.com.au/) and it was amazing. Kangaroos and all sorts of wildlife everywhere as it's on the edge of a national park.

MIPG I hear you on the ickyness, it's yucky. But how incredibly exciting to have TWINS :D Your DH sounds excited so that's really cute. I hads to laugh at ytour comment about the restaurant having one HELL of a selectiuon of food. I went away with DH for the weekend, and I took so much food with usit was nuts. I tried to explain to DH that I'm not sure what I'll feel like eating, so I'm trying to cover all possibilites.

amychris Major congrats on your beta, that's a nice number.

angelgirl So sorry the nausea is still hitting you for six (or is that twelve because you're carrying twins ;) )

Astro The testing that your OB will do, is that the nuchal fold/bloodwork screening that will determine your risk factor for certain abnormalities? I spoke to my RE about that, and she said for me (at my "advanced maternal age" of 39 :rolleyes: ) that I will automatically come up with very high risk factor due to age alone and so they will recommend amnio or CVS to get a definite outcome. So she figured why do the screening tests, might as well go straight to the diagnostic tests. I'm very glad to hear all is well with your two bubs.

capecod I know what you mean about the home pharmacy, it's comical. My fridge had more drugs than food I think at one point.

amygrrl Sounds like this peri is really going to keep a close eye on your next pregnancy, that's great news and will help to make you feel a little more confident I hope.

Jan1902 Yay for starting Lupron. The time will go by so quickly. And I did find those icypoles but they don't really help me with my morning noon and night sickness.

Happy1/Nikki Welcome and I hope your stay here is a short one. I used to lurk in your journal on WC, and I hope that IVF will answer your prayers. Feel free to ask all the questions you want, someone here is bound to know the answers, have done the same tests, or asked the same questions.

mrselle Congrats on getting all your meds sorted, now you just need to rearrange the house to fit them in ;)

Hope I haven't missed anyone, I had pages to catch up on.

DH and I had a lovely 3 days away, very relaxing. I felt a bit guilty that as I felt so crappy we didn't do that much, but it was still nice. He was very understanding about not having a terribly exciting birthday, said it was for a good reason and he'll look forward to being a Dad at his next birthday. Everyone say ahhhhh lol.

Nothing else really happening here, just waiting for my first OB appt on July 29.

[la_bride_2004]

Hello wonderful ladies! I wanted to send some congrats to Amy :)

I am behind again on shoutouts, and I hope you forgive me if I do sort of a driveby.

Me- we met with a second RE. He is head of a major university's reserch program, and is pioneering techniques in egg freezing. As a favor to my Dad, he met with us gratis. I was able, for the mere fee of $25, to get all my records from my previous RE in my hot little hands. Freak that I am, I made TWO copies, one for him and one for me, and used self-stick flags on both to indicate things to go over. He loved my proactive approach and said he wished all patients were as organized and well informed. ;)

Ok, are you ready for all this? Here's what he said:

1. We are not infertile (!)

2. There is NOTHING wrong with my arcuate uterus, it is NORMAL. He vehemently disagreed that I needed surgery which the other RE recommended. He had some choice words here.

3. My FSH was NEVER "high." It was normal, which was evidenced by my speedy response to the stims and OHSS. He said it was unbelievable the other RE used it as a scare tactic.

3. My eggs are great, and it appeared that the ICSI completely overcame the male factor (100% fertilization rate.)

4. Ok, the male factor. His thoughts are that yes, we have lower counts, but that doesn't mean we can't make it work on our own, it just may take longer. IUI would be an option if we wanted to undergo the hassle. He does not believe in the SCSA test as a predictor. He thinks mass clinical trials have not yet been performed and it's too new of a test to say it's valid. He did not think DH should do the varicocele repair surgery- he said it's not always proven to help.

5. Biochemical pregnancies are not uncommon with IVF, and shouldn't be taken as a sign that something is wrong.

6. He never would have grown our blasts to 6 day (lots of reasons here, including a paper he recently did on monozygotic twinning), and he really gives low odds even to the most perfect appearing frozen embryos.

His overall recommendation: Do NOTHING for 6 months, and see what happens. (? I'm guessing he means have sex here like normal people? :eek: )We can then come back and discuss options, possibly unmedicated IUI if we want to up our odds (he thinks I respond too fast to injectibles, and Clomid is a no no for me), or, if nothing happens by the time I am 34, we'll discuss if another IVF is warranted (that's in 2 full years).

What we're doing: We met with the reproductive urologist too, who does believe in the SCSA, and highly recommends the surgery to repair DH's varicoceles. He said it could only help, not hurt, our chances. Also, it's covered by insurance. I left this one completely up to DH, and he wants to do it, so that will probably happen next month.

Whew. Rollercoaster city. I think the new RE is right in that the old RE used a lot of scare tactics to push us towards treatment.

[AusMarchBride]

Coreen Wow, talk about rollercoaster city. It sounds like you had an extremely productive meeting with this guy, with the end result that you don't have to do IVF. That's fantastic news. No-one needs to be pushed into doing IVF with all its stresses.

I think your old doctor needs more than a good slapping :mad: Send him here and we IVF ladies will give him a good going over for trying to make you go through more treatment than was necessary.

I know you mentioned in your previous post that you were maybe seeing a third doctor. Will you still go ahead with that, or do you feel that this RE has given you the answers?

I'm thrilled that you feel more confident about the road ahead, and the road looks like it will be much easier than you thought. :D

[kat]

Drive-by to say that I think Coreen's old RE should be forced to take five weeks of Lupron, Gonal-F/Follitism, and two shots of PIO per day. All at the same time. And he should have to do the PIO shots WITHOUT ice or heat.

Off to try to get back to sleep.....

[angelgirl8]

coreen...glad you got a 2nd opinion and some good info. not glad that everyone disagrees with each other! how frustrating. sounds like you're on a good path, though, which is great!

[amychris03]

Jad Only 4 more days, right? Hang in there! Sorry to hear about
Paris, but it sounds like it will work out ok, since you wont have beta or PIO
issues!

AusMarchBride
Glad to hear you had a nice weekend, despite feeling so crumby!

Coreen
WOW. Im SO GLAD you got that second opinion. Sounds like you
guys have a good plan!
---

Thanks for the "official" congrats ladies :) I actually did have the first
beta # wrong, it was 166, not 146. My second one, taken Saturday
was 299, which doesn't quite double (33) shy, but it wasnt quite 48
hours (it was 44), so the dr doesnt seem at all concerned. That means I
shouldnt be concerned right? I went in today for my third beta, and should
hopefully get them back late today and schedule the first ultrasound! Im
feeling ok so far, just really sleepy, sore bb's, and occasional queasiness,
usually if Im really hungry, or if I just ate, not during. And I seem to be
affected mostly by dairy products, which is a real bummer.

[alo]

Aha! I finally found you all. :)

I was a member of the IVF group on WC, but hadn't really posted much, because my IVF cycle hadn't started yet. Well, that's about to change. I start injections on Wednesday. And am scared out of my mind. So I'm glad to find you all again.

Here are my stats:

alo (aloitius on WC)
Age: 29
DH: 32
Married: 10/01
TTC: 2003
Dx: balanced translocation on chromosomes 1 and 4
4 m/c (3 chemical pgs, and 1 loss at 10 weeks of triplets)
Status: IVF with PGD #1 July 2005

[Jad]

Yesterday? Was the slowest day yet. Didn't help that I was working and DH was off playing without me. I'm gonna go buy some $-store HPTs tonight. Not testing until Thursday, though, so don't go gettin' all excited.

angel - I'd love to get together when I'm in NY! I'll PM you with more info (we can do that on this site, right?)

alo - Glad you found us! You were one of the folks that I worried had gotten lost in the transition. So stims on Wednesday, huh? That's so exciting. It goes so fast at that point. Well, fast until the 2ww, that is.

kat - Changed the ol' user name, eh? Just as well. I was gonna suggest we start calling you MIP. ;)

coreen - Wow! So how are you feeling after the meeting? I'm so glad he confirmed that there is nothing wrong with you. That seemed completely inappropriate for your other RE to suggest. What do you think about his male factor opinions? Isn't morphology the issue with your DH, too? Does he think it won't be an issue because the numbers are just slightly low or because he just doesn't think it matters that much? Crazy how different that all is from your other RE. Hope it's not throwing you for too big a loop.

Ann - Oh! We didn't see *any* kangaroos while we were there. Very disappointing. Although we did meet some very tipsy Aussies in the wine country outside of Melbourne who claimed to be searching for them. Clearly, I need to come back and rectify that oversight. :)

AmyC - Good luck on beta #3!!!

[kat]

Wow - they sure did that quick!!! I just asked this morning to change my username. I hope it doesn't confuse too many folks!! (It's me, f/k/a MIPG?). I always hated that name on the WC....why I didn't just pick a different name when I came here, I'll never know.

Welcome, alo!!! You'll be soooo happy to have this thread, I'm sure! Nevertheless, I hope your time here is short, if you know what I mean.

Feeling icky. Going back downstairs to the couch. Thank GOD I have the type of job I can do at any hour or from home.

[amychris03]

Seriously. These PIO shots are really starting to hurt. And I
find that my bruises are REALLY itchy. Did anyone else
have this strange itchiness? The nurse that gave me my injection
today said it was normal, because the body just gets sick of
the oil, but didn't say what I could do for it!

[islandgirlsj]

Oh My GOSH!
I go away for a few days, and there are so many posts! hahaa...
I see I can never leave you all alone for long, or I'll spend an entire day trying to catch up! ;)

So first of all... and most imporantly....
CONGRATS AMY!!! :D
Wow! So happy for you. Ugh... just want to send you a BIG HUG!!

angelgirl8 ~
I'm sorry to hear that you are still feeling so sick. I mean it is GOOD that you are sick for this reason, but all the same, I hope that things get better for you soon!!

AusMarchBride ~
I'm glad that you had a nice break with DH... but again, sorry you are not feeling so well either. I guess we all just have to remember that we are actully TRYING to get to this point. :rolleyes:
Feel Better Hun!

Jad ~
Hun, how you doing?? I know this is the hard part. Just hang in there.
Oh, I'm sorry about Paris also. I wanted to live viracously through you!
Hugs.

kat~
Girl! Don't go confusing me!! Hahaa.. I was starting at the beginning of my missed postes, and I'm going KAT?! Who is KAT? Hahaha...
I hope that you are happy now with your NEW wonderful name!
Lucky you... being able to work from home... and being able to rest when you like! I'm sorry that you are HAVING to rest cuz you don't feel good.. but as I said before and will keep repeating... HAPPY your sick because that means you have those wonderful babies! ;)

la_bride_2004 ~
Wow! What a wonderful Dr. Visit. I'm with the other girls... something needs to be done to your old one. Sheesh. So much he has put you through for no reason! Ahhh! Madness. I'm glad things are looking so good for you now though, and I hope that THIS time around, you are going to have positive results!

ALO ~
Welcome to our little group! I am heading over to update you on the first page next.
I hope that your stay is going to be short and sweet!

******
So a little update from me. I had another appt this AM. Had my ultrasound and blood work to check my estrogen.
Guess WHAT??!!

They Scheduled my Transfer for next Monday! :eek:
Wow! Where did the time go?? I was like "really????" Haha.
I am finially OFFICIALLY off the damm Lupron. I swear to God... I hate that med. more than anything. *whew*
Of course I get to begin the PIO shots tomorrow. I'm scared of those damm shots. I know.... it is just another shot, must ice area first...and not THINK to much about it.

So one more week, and I will be doing the dreaded "Wait".
I can do this right??!!

Okay, I'm sure I missed someone, I'm SORRY if I did, but work is calling me now.
Take care Ladies!

[islandgirlsj]

Amychris03 ~
These PIO shots are really starting to hurt. And I find that my bruises are REALLY itchy:eek:

See....!! I know there is a reason I am scared of starting these shots! :cool:

Okay, so I do have to say that in all the areas I have been getting shots, they itch. It is rather irritating. Glad to know my fun will only continue though. Hahaa...

Hang in there!!
:o

[kat]

amychris, I don't have any itching (or bruising, actually) from the PIO shots, but do you think a topical anti-itch cream would help? You could always ask your doctor if it's okay to use it while pg. Otherwise, the old standbys (ice, heat, exercise to help move the oil through your muscles) are all I know. Sorry to hear that it itches!!!

islandgirl - yay for transfer date!!! And double yay for being able to kiss Lupron goodbye. I know how much you & others have hated that drug.

Oh, and considering I keep wanting to call you "chained," I'm sure it'll take everyone a while (unless I'm just really slow LOL) to get used to my "new" username. But the MIPG thing was really starting to bug me.

And yes, I am very very lucky re: my job.....but I should've probably said that RIGHT NOW I can work from home -- I'm a professor, and school starts in another couple of weeks. How I am going to be able to stand up for 2 hours and lecture if I still feel as crappy as I do now, I do not know. Maybe I'll adopt a new laid back persona and get them to move a couch into the classroom or something. ;) Seriously, I am really dreading class time. I shouldn't complain b/c others in other jobs have to stand up a lot more than I do (if I was still waiting tables, I'd have to quit), but I'm still dreading it nevertheless. My biggest fear is having to run out of the classroom to throw up or something. Or, worse yet, actually throwing up in class. What a great first impression I'd make on the students! :D

[islandgirlsj]

HEY! :eek:

I JUST realized I'm SHOT FREE TODAY!

WhooHooooo!! :D :D

(it is the little things that make me happy)

[Jad]

Just remembered that I had a funny 2ww-related dream last night. I had gone to the OB's for some reason and they wanted to give me this "new" pregnancy test. Basically, they put a sticker on your cervix that registers HCG. It was bright "safety" orange and read Not Pregnant, but it would change to say "Pregnant" if you were. They put the sticker in and told me to come back next Monday. At which point I tried to explain that I was having a beta on Thursday so I'd already know before Monday and get that damn sticker the hell off my cervix. Woke up around then.

Crazy dreams. Sign of pregnancy? How about the fact that (TMI alert) my ovaries hurt after I pee? Sign of pregnancy? Congestion? Sign of pregnancy? UGH! Can it be Thursday already? I am a complete mess and just wanna know one way or the other.

Jan Yay for shots!

islandgirl - Yay for no shots!

[amychris03]

Jad
Crazy dreams were definitely a sign of mine ;)

Islandgirl
Dont get me wrong, the soreness and itchiness is
definitely worth it ;) I'd say it isnt really any worse
than the other (well, a little more sore). I can't
believe how quickly this cycle has gone for you!

Jan
Good luck this cycle! I bet you'll find that you like
the belly shots rather than thigh. My nurse told me
that it was a lot less irritating to do it in the belly, since
most people have more padding there!

Kat
As long as you don't throw up on the first day of classes,
you'll be fine ;) I'll never forget my college biology professor.
He had a cordless microphone on and ran out of class once to
have a coughing fit in the bathroom and totally forgot
to take the microphone off. SO glad all he was doing was coughing!

Welcome Alo! :)

---
No word on the beta today. Darn it! Oh well, I really want to know when
the ultrasound will be more than anything. Those currently PG, how far
along were you when you got your first one? I am getting more and
more queasy both before and after meals. ICK. My last bite of tacos
tonight tasted to "meaty" and I gagged and spit it out. OK, gotta go clean
up the kitchen, walk the dog, and take out the trash! Chris comes home
tomorrow! YIPPEE!!!

[AusMarchBride]

Wow, I go to bed and in the morning I see you ladies have been posting up storm :D

amychris I got my first u/s at 6.5 weeks. I think it's standard to get a fairly early u/s after IVF because they need to check your ovaries after all the drugs. (That's what the technician told me anyway.) And I know EXACTLY what you mean about something tasting too "meaty", it's weird but meat, especially minced/ground tastes very odd to me at the moment. Have fun with Chris when he gets home.

Jad Don't remember any crazy dreams in the 2ww, but maybe my dreams are already crazy. Roll on Thursday, thinking good positive thoughts for you. Oh! We didn't see *any* kangaroos while we were there. Very disappointing. Although we did meet some very tipsy Aussies in the wine country outside of Melbourne who claimed to be searching for them. Clearly, I need to come back and rectify that oversight Tipsy Aussies??? Can't imagine that lol.

islandgirl Yaaaaay for shot free, it's a beautiful thing :D Fantastic news that your transfer is Monday. Buy some pineapple beforehand, it can't hurt.

Jan I cracked up at your toddler questions, especially the one about "why can the dog poo on the lawn and I can't". Brilliant :D Congrats on starting the shots, and the belly ones have to be easier than the thigh. I can't really compare, every one of my shots was in the belly, and it was pretty good. You wondered how cold it is here, well today, middle of winter, it will be 58F, that's about average. So it's not really cold.

kat/MIPG It's good that you changed your name, now I don't have a constant reminder of how stupid I was not to have worked out what your old screenname meant :o I'm sorry you're worried about lecturing your classes, but maybe you can organise to sit down during some of it. You could have lots of breaks; the students would love it but not so sure the rest of the faculty would approve. ;) And you know what uni students are like, if you have to throw up, just tell them you had a big night, they'll understand.

alo Hi, glad you found us here. Woohoo for starting stims on Wednesday. Really, don't be scared, it'll be fine. If you're scared about actually doing the injections, the first is the worst, then you're past the mental part which is the hardest. If you're scared about the whole process, that's pretty normal too. Feel free to ask any questions, no matter how unimportant they seem, there's no such thing as a dumb question in IVFworld. Someone (probably me) is bound to have already asked it. Honestly, knowledge about the whole process helps.

Hi to everyone else, hope you're doing ok.

[kat]

Jad, that dream is freakin' hilarious. I'll never see another orange sticker without thinking of you.... :) And I cannot wait for Thursday; I can only imagine (remember?) how impatient you must be.

amy, I had my first u/s at 5w4d, where it confirmed that there wasn't anything outside the uterus and that there were two sacs. My second one (where we saw the h/bs) was at 7w0d.

Sorry to hear that meat is tasting funny! Funny that ground beef is about the only meat that doesn't sound gross to me right now (it doesn't sound GOOD, mind you, but it doesn't sound gross).

Jan, ah, yes - it did make all those RE appointments much easier (though mine were always soooooo early in the morning that even if I was still a 9-to-5 'er, it would've been okay). I love my schedule right now, especially since I can take it easy for most of my first trimester. Of course, I'm supposed to be doing research this summer.....yeah, right. :)

Ann, I keep meaning to tell you that I think of you every time one of the commentators for the Tour de France (we are diehard fans -- my DH used to race way back in high school and he got me hooked on the sport) mentions one of the Aussie riders. It's funny, because obviously I cannot picture your face, so I picture the words "AusMarchBride" instead. :)

And you know what uni students are like, if you have to throw up, just tell them you had a big night, they'll understand.

LOL!! These are first-year law students (graduate students, extremely high-strung and scared), so I could also just tell them that their collective anxiety is making ME sick.... :) Hey - I kinda like that idea! LOL.

islandgirl, Happy No Shot Day!!!

Hello to everyone else!!!

[AusMarchBride]

[Ann, I keep meaning to tell you that I think of you every time one of the commentators for the Tour de France (we are diehard fans -- my DH used to race way back in high school and he got me hooked on the sport) mentions one of the Aussie riders. It's funny, because obviously I cannot picture your face, so I picture the words "AusMarchBride" instead. :)


Hehehe. At least picture "Ann" not "AusMarchBride", it's quicker. :D

[Jad]

WARNING: Mood swings ahead. Read at your own risk.

Feeling sad and angry today because I'm convinced I'm not pregnant. As opposed to yesterday when I was convinced that I just might be. :rolleyes:

Yesterday evening I volunteered at the last minute to attend a meeting so that I couldn't go buy the HPTs. Because I have no will power left for this. I think tomorrow night will be my first chance to go get some. That way I'll be able to test before my beta on Thursday but no earlier. Of course, that's if I make it that long without losing it. Maybe I can go back and request some of those drugs they gave me for the ER. :o

[amychris03]

Jad
Sorry you are having such mixed feelings. I was having the
same thing before I tested. Convinced one minute that it
worked, and the next that it didn't. Hang in there. Only
2 more days and you will know one way or the other. ((hugs)).

---
Third beta is back! It was 675, at 18 days past retrieval, which
more than doubled this time, so I feel better. I have my first
Ultrasound set for Monday at 3:40 and I will be 5 weeks, 5 days!

[Suzlywoozly]

Amy- A BIG CONGRATULATIONS!!! :D You must be on top of the world right now. Did Chris come home yet?

[AusMarchBride]

WARNING: Mood swings ahead. Read at your own risk.

Feeling sad and angry today because I'm convinced I'm not pregnant. As opposed to yesterday when I was convinced that I just might be. :rolleyes:

Yesterday evening I volunteered at the last minute to attend a meeting so that I couldn't go buy the HPTs. Because I have no will power left for this. I think tomorrow night will be my first chance to go get some. That way I'll be able to test before my beta on Thursday but no earlier. Of course, that's if I make it that long without losing it. Maybe I can go back and request some of those drugs they gave me for the ER. :o


Jad I'm so sorry you're finding these last couple of days so tough, but I felt exactly what you did. One minute yes, next minute no (in fact much more no than yes). There's really not much I can suggest. I didn't use any HPTs as I was too frightened of seeing a -ve result and then I would over analyse whether the test was wrong/defective/out of date etc etc. For me, it was best to wait for the official results from the clinic, at least there would be no doubt then.

Sending you many many hugs and wishes that the next 48 hours go quickly.

Amychris Congrats on a great third beta and your u/s appointment. It's all real :D

Suzlywoozly How are you doing?

[islandgirlsj]

There's really not much I can suggest. I didn't use any HPTs as I was too frightened of seeing a -ve result and then I would over analyse whether the test was wrong/defective/out of date etc etc

I was the same way. Taking one of those, EVEN if it turned out positive, would have made me more insane I think. Wondering if it was actually a true result.
You are so close Hun. Hang in there!
:: hugs ::

So another slight wrench in my plan.
Okay, not such a big deal, but the RE called me today and said I need to begin using 3 :eek: Estrogen patches now. *sigh* I had thoughts all day of me being covered in those patches, standing next to poor JAD in her Safety orange stickers. Hahaa...

PIO shot in about an hour. I'm thinking of hiding in my office and locking my husband out for the rest of the night.
:cool: :rolleyes:

[amychris03]

Suzly
Chris just got back yesterday! He is very excited, and I think still in somewhat disbelief! He did rub my belly a few times, which is cute.

islandgirlsj
How did the first PIO shot go? Ugh, Im about to go get one myself.

[Sidsou]

Jad You are so good for not running out and getting a HPT. I remember I did before my beta, got so excited that it was positive, called the doctor, and then had the nurse tell me that it was "probably a false positive". That was devasting to hear! Much better to just wait it out.

Yeah AmyChris!!!!

Kat Hope you aren't feeling too bad. When I was pregnant I taught classes at a law firm. I would discretly munch on pretzels and drink ginger ale. But, I actually had a few people figure out I was pregnant at only 7 weeks! I guess while I was teaching I must have touched my stomach - probably looked a little weird now that I think about it :o and also they said I looked green most of the time. If you can, see if you can have a back up person to take a class one day if you need to. I remember having a couple of really bad morning sickness days where I would not stop getting sick until I finally laid down and slept.

I'm just waiting for insurance approval to go ahead for my IVF. Apparently my Clomid challenge went ok. I was too scared to ask about my FSH levels again. But if they must think that they are good enough to go through with IVF to send it to insurance. :)

[islandgirlsj]

Hmmmm. :confused:
Well, I had my first PIO shot last night. I iced the area only for a few minutes, just to basically numb the skin on top. I was suprised at the fact that it didn't hurt very much. DH rubbed the site for a little bit afterwards as the Dr. told us, and then I went to sleep.
So WHAT am I worried about you may ask??
Well.. I'm worried about the fact that it DID hurt so little, and that today I don't feel anything.
Shouldn't it be sore SOME??
I'm afraid that maybe he didn't go in enough to get the muscle.

ARG. I can't believe I'm worried that it doesn't hurt. Maybe it is just the build up that I THOUGHT it would hurt alot more, or be sore because it is a muscle. :cool:

Okay... just tell me to stop freaking out.
*sigh*

[amychris03]

islandgirl
Did he put the needle all the way in? My nurse said you put it all
the way in till the plunger is touching the skin basically. You have
to make sure the whole needle is in there to get deep enough
into the muscle. That's what my nurse said anyways. But that
being said... Mine didnt hurt at all when I first started, they
started getting more sore as I went along. Hang in there, your
butt will be sore in no time ;)

[islandgirlsj]

I have to ask him. I *think* he did, but we need to make sure.
I wonder how horrible it is if this first one didn't actually go to the muscle.
:rolleyes:
Hang in there, your butt will be sore in no time

LOL!! Great. :p

[Jad]

islandgirl - With the ice, I don't really feel the shots at all. And the soreness doesn't happen every day. So don't worry that your butt isn't sore! And as Amy said, there's still plenty of time for the PIO to become a PITA. :D

sidsou - A nurse said that? Honestly, sometimes I wonder what they're thinking when they talk to us. It may be an everyday thing to them, but it sure as hell isn't for us! Congrats on "passing" the clomid challenge. So you starting BCPs soon?

Ann - I definitely agree that it's good to not drive yourself nuts too far in advance of the "official" results. That's why I've been forcing myself to wait until tomorrow morning. But, man, has that been tough. :rolleyes:

alo - Shot #1 is tonight, right? Good luck!!

Feeling a little better today. One day doesn't seem as long to wait as two. :p

[alo]

Thanks for the welcome, ladies!

My first lupron shot was actually this morning (they have me do them in the morning, I don't know why). I was a little concerned about it, but it ended up being no big deal! The ice pack helped, and the fact I have plenty of inches to pinch in my tummy was good too.

The only thing I'm concerned about is that about an hour ago I started getting muscle spasms shooting up and down my right arm. It's about 5 hours since the injection - do you think it's related? Anybody have anything similar.

It feels similar to Restless Legs Syndrome, except that it's in just one arm. It feels like I need to stretch out my arm, particularly around my elbow, but that's not helping.

Any ideas if this is related to the lupron? Thanks.

[Suzlywoozly]

Amy- That is very exciting that Chris is home now. Hopefully he won't leave again for a while.

AusMarchBride- I'm good... thanks for asking. I've been around just haven't been posting. I'm still just trying to take everything in.

I'm still waiting for Monday to get here to go to the RE. We have decided to do the shared risk program. I think if we do get PG on the first time around, we will be so happy that the money won't even matter. Instead of financing the cost through Integra-Med, we are going to refinance our house and it will only raise our house payment $120.00/month. $120.00/month in a house payment is better than $500/month through Integra-Med. Now I just want to get the ball rolling. I'm suppose to go get a pre-IVF pap today, but I woke up to some bleeding :confused:. I have no idea why and am not sure if I should call and cancel the appointment. I wonder if AF is going to start, which seems early to me since I only had my m/c 2 1/2 weeks ago.

Anyways, I hope everyone is doing well. Thanks to all of those that gave me the info on IVF costs. Sounds like some of you are very lucky to have insurance coverage for IVF. I'm so jealous :p

[DallasLady]

Hi everyone,

I am sorry to barge in on your thread, but I am wondering if any of you have experiences with IUI? I know that it often the first step for many women, and it looks like it is what DH and I will be doing. He had low sperm count and marginal morphology, but I check out fine. The doctor said IUI would be a good option for us.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give!

[Jad]

alo - I didn't do Lupron, so I'm no help with the s/e. But the Lupron-equivalent that I took was a morning shot -- the stims were in the evening. (I had a different protocol that didn't start those shots until I had already been stimming for a few days.)

Suzly - Hope you had a good appt.

DallasLady - I would guess that most though not all of us here went through at least one IUI at some point. Does you doc recommend moving to IVF soon? (Male factor is one of those complicated issues where docs seem to vary a lot.) If not, you might try posting in the Still At It thread since there's probably more current IUI experience there. Good luck!

[AusMarchBride]

DallasLady No need to apologise for asking a question here, we're not an exclusive club :D No help here on the IUI I'm afraid, we didn't do it at all. At my age (38 when I started IVF) I decided to go straight to IVF as it had a higher success rate than IUI. Also, I checked out fine and DH had no sperm issues so we figured placement was not the problem ;)

Suzly Glad to hear you're doing OK. The shared risk program sounds good, and $120 pm is far better than $500 pm. You've probably already decided what to do about the bleeding with today's appt, but in these situations, I always ring the clinic. I'm NEVER the first person to ask a question, they've always heard it before and can give me an answer straight away to stop me umming and ahhhing and stressing.

alo Congrats on starting your shots. No idea about your restless arm syndrome, but I didn't do Lupron. Maybe someone else here can help.

Jad Get on a plane, it's Thursday lunchtime here already. You'd just about have your results ;) Seriously, have all my limbs and crossable body parts crossed for you for tomorrow. You'll have the results before I post again.

islandgirl It's nuts isn't it? We stress if it hurts, and we stress if it doesn't hurt enough. I hope the others have reassured you that your time of muscle ouchiness will come soon enough :rolleyes:

Sidsou Congrats on your clomid challenge going ok. Hopefully your insurance approval will come thru very quickly and you'll be on the road again.

amychris Does it feel real yet?? That's so sweet that Chris has already started rubbing your belly.

Hi to everyone else. Not much happening here. Have my first OB appt next Friday, and have my CVS booked for August 3. So we keep crossing our fingers. Still sick as a cat, one day my poor DH will get a home cooked meal at night, but it won't be anytime soon. He's so patient, I'm a lucky woman.

[Suzlywoozly]

I went ahead and went to the appt. today. By this afternoon, there wasn't any spotting. I'm totally confused though... I asked my OB if he had gotten the pathology report back and he looked it up for me. The report says that the tissue I passed in the ER showed no evidence of fetal tissue or "pregnancy cells" :confused: :confused: :confused: ! How the heck could that be? He says that would point to an ectopic pregnancy, but I didn't have one since he confirmed that on the u/s. So other than that, it was a pretty uneventful appt. When I was leaving he said to me "Hope to see you back when you are pregnant or otherwise I will see you in a year for your next pap." I started thinking about what he said when I got to the car. I have heard him say that to me everytime for the last 3 years! Last year at this time, we were finally starting to do IUI's and I thought for sure that would work. Another year seems like an eternity to come back there not pregnant :( .


AusMarchBride - Sorry you aren't feeling any better! Good luck at your OB appt.

Jan & Jad - Thanks! Everything went as well as to be expected! I use to fear going to the gyno but now it feels like my home away from home :rolleyes:

DallasLady - I second what Jad said... I'd check out the SAI thread. I think almost everyone over there is doing IUI's or has done them already. I did five of them without any luck. I'd be more than happy to answer any questions! :)

[Jad]

Well, don't get your hopes up for me. BFN on the test this morning. I know that I *could* still get a positive beta, but I doubt the numbers would be high enough for it to be a sticky one. So. That's it. With all likelihood, I'm out.

[Sidsou]

Jad I'm so sorry :(

[mrselle]

[QUOTE=Suzlywoozly]"Hope to see you back when you are pregnant or otherwise I will see you in a year for your next pap." I started thinking about what he said when I got to the car. I have heard him say that to me everytime for the last 3 years! Last year at this time, we were finally starting to do IUI's and I thought for sure that would work. Another year seems like an eternity to come back there not pregnant :( .

I know what you mean. DH and I have been TTC for 2 ½ years and every year I think, “This time next year we’ll have our baby.” This time last year I was recovering from my miscarriage and although I was sad, I had high hopes that despite the fact it took fourteen months to get pregnant the first time, I would get pregnant again quickly. Maybe my body had figured out what to do and just needed a little jump start. One year later, still no baby. Hugs to you and congratulations on deciding to go with the shared risk program. Hope everything goes as smooth as possible for you and DH.

DallasLady, We never did IUI’s. DH checks out fine, but we’ve been TTC for 2 ½ years and had one miscarriage along the way. We were given the option of injectables with IUI or IVF, but decided to go straight to IVF because we have good insurance coverage and from looking at the films from my HSG my RE is not 100% sure that my left tube is open.

alo, I will be taking lupron in the morning too. I have my baseline ultrasound on Tuesday and if all is well I’ll be starting lupron next Wednesday.

Jad, I’m so sorry. ((((((hugs))))))

~~~

Not much going on with me. I should have my big box of meds today. Baseline ultrasound on Tuesday. If all is well, I'll start lupron Wednesday.

[amychris03]

Quick post before I leave for the weekend- Just wanted to
offer some ((hugs)) for Jad. I'm sorry. Will check back
in on ya Monday when I get back!

[Astro]

Jad hugs. Sorry your day started out so crappy.
islandgirlsj I'm sure your tush will get sore soon enough. :) Isn't it odd how we're always wishing for some discomfort to show something is working?
alo hope you got an answer as to why your arm was spasming. How's the lupron going?
AusMarchBride interesting you have your CVS test coming up. That's one of the tests my OB said gives a high false positive when pregnant with twins. That and amnio. Isn't it odd how Dr's contradict each other? Your Dr said the test I'm going in for gives high false postives, my Dr said the one you're going in for gives high false positives. Basically I think they have no idea. It's all guess work and odds. :) Sorry to hear you're still sick as a cat. I know it sounds odd, but I wish I was sick as a cat. :D Seriously, I have no ms, just extra non-needed boobage and a bit of a tummy already.

As for us... I've continued to bleed, but the OB and RE said that's to be expected. As long as it's not more than that one day, they said not to be concerned. Yeah, right. Oh well, it's kind of nice not to have the dildocam. Last week I got it monday, wednesday, and friday. The kids were fine. I'm going to assume all things are going well until the next set of pictures on August 10th. Until then, these kids love chocolate milk and like to eat every couple of hours.

[kat]

Oh, Jad. :( :( :(

I'm still holding on to a flicker of hope, but at the same time my gut is just aching for you. Please please please give me a call or send an email if you'd like to chat, 'kay? I don't want to pounce on you so let me know if/when you'd like to talk.

I'm so bummed. :(

[islandgirlsj]

Jad????

Why all the sad smilies??
Did she hear anything yet??

Ugh... Damm waiting.

Jad, hope everything is okay, you have been in my thoughts!

*Ah.... I guess I completley missed her post earlier.
Now I just feel sad.
I know just how she feels.
Still holding out hope though, you never know with those damm HPT's :(

[Jad]

Beta is 8.1, so it's almost certainly a chemical pregnancy. But I have to keep taking the bleeping PIO anyway until after the retest on Saturday.

Thanks, everybody, for all the sympathy. It is much needed.

[islandgirlsj]

Oh Hun.
I'm so very sorry! :( :(
You take it easy, and take care of yourself Hun.
We are here for you anytime you want.

[AusMarchBride]

Driveby from me, will do shoutouts later today.

Jad I'm so so sorry :( Sending you many hugs and good thoughts. I guess the fact they want you to retest is a small glimmer of hope. You are in my thoughts, let us know how you're going.

[Suzlywoozly]

Jad- I'm so sorry :( I was really hoping for you. I'm thinking lots of good thoughts for you.

[alo]

Lupron is going fine for me so far. I did my third shot this morning, and it was actually the worst one! The needle didn't want to go in (dull needle?) and then I got a blue welt after the injection. Weird. Hope that doesn't happen again!

The weird arm spasms only occurred after the first shot, so the side effects aren't too bad so far.

What kind of side effects did you all have from the lupron? I hear headaches are the most common.

Did anybody else feel like they were caught up in something and just couldn't escape, when they were doing this? I, for some reason, am starting to feel like I am drowning. Like I'm in this now and there's no way to get out. And there's SO much ahead of me, I have to get past this feeling.

I ordered the Anji cd and the fertility yoga dvd that was recommended in the wc IVF thread, so hopefully those will help.

Jad: I am so sorry. I hope there is good news soon though.

Astro: Nope, no answer! Perhaps it wasn't even related! (although I looked up lupron side effects, and it said that "bone pain" was one - which this could have been).

mrselle: So you're just starting too? I didn't do a baseline u/s at the beginning of my cycle - I wonder why? If you're starting lupron next week, it looks like you'll be about a week behind me.

Jan1902: So are we about in the same place in the process? How are you doing with the lupron?

[mrselle]

alo, Yeah, I start Lupron next week, probably on Wednesday. Glad to hear that you haven’t had any side effects since the first shot. As far as feeling like I’m drowning….I think I’ve been so busy the past few weeks that I haven’t really had time to focus on it too much. My box of meds arrived this morning. I talked to DH on the phone (he works from home) and said that it is a “nice sized box”. That means it must be HUGE. I have a feeling that it will hit me when I get home and see the box for myself.

Jan1902, Hope all goes well at your ultrasound next week.

[islandgirlsj]

Alo ~
Did anybody else feel like they were caught up in something and just couldn't escape, when they were doing this? I, for some reason, am starting to feel like I am drowning. Like I'm in this now and there's no way to get out.

You nailed it Hun. This is such a BIG journey, I think I can speak for most of the women here, that you will definately feel overwhelmed at times. You just have to keep your eye on the goal, and go one step at a time.

Side effects for me on Lupron. HATED THE DRUG!! Ahhh! Had horrible horrible headaches, and also exhaustion.
I'm just going to hope for the best for you, and hopefully you will be among the lucky who are not to bothered with this. :p

For me....
I'm FREAKING out also.
My retrieval is Monday, and I can't help but feel nervous NOW. Just remembering and thinking about the last round is enough to make me crazy.

I need to go listen to some of those relaxing tapes, and try to keep a positive attitued that THIS TIME.... will be different!! ;)

[miaclear]

I just got word that my DHs best friend and his wife are pregnant!!! She's been keeping us up to date with every step of her IVF process and we've participated in multiple fundraisers for this baby. I'm so excited for them!!!!

Congrats and good luck to all of you too :D

[CapeCod04]

We went for our class to learn how to do injections yesterday. Some of the husbands - mine included - were entirely too gleeful at the size of the needle for the PIO shot. That's the one I'm dreading most - but I'll do it if it means getting pregnant and staying that way. Have any of you had to give yourself the PIO shot? My husband is a NYC firefighter, and with his schedule, he won't always be home to do it for me, so I'll have to do it myself. I'm not looking forward to that. I start on lupron next Saturday - I'm kind of anxious to get going.

[amygrrl]

miaclear - as someone who's broke and going through IVF, i'm wondering about your friend's fundraisers. can you please clarify?

[miaclear]

amygrrl. They saved for a little over a year to raise the money. Some of the things they did were:

* garage sales (where anyone/everyone donated items to sell)
* raffels
* spaghetti fundraiser dinners (this was done by her mom, not sure how it worked...maybe just invited family and friends and charged 'em)
* recycling toner (asked all their friends to donate)
* Ebay auctions (a couple friends with way to many purses auctioned 'em off and gave the money to the fund)
* Pampered Chef (you can have a party as a fundraiser and somehow, not sure how it works, you get profits)

They had their baby fund as they called it. It was a seperate savings account and any money earned was put in there. For xmas/birthdays/etc they'd ask for money for the baby fund. Most of these events were done by family and friends, heck... the grandparents to be wanted it just bad. A lot of people would just donate to this fund because they knew how bad this baby was wanted.

Good Luck!!!! Let me know if you have any other questions.

[kat]

Drive-by to answer this question:

We went for our class to learn how to do injections yesterday. Some of the husbands - mine included - were entirely too gleeful at the size of the needle for the PIO shot. That's the one I'm dreading most - but I'll do it if it means getting pregnant and staying that way. Have any of you had to give yourself the PIO shot? My husband is a NYC firefighter, and with his schedule, he won't always be home to do it for me, so I'll have to do it myself. I'm not looking forward to that. I start on lupron next Saturday - I'm kind of anxious to get going.

Honestly, I think (and I think a lot if not most of us would agree) that the PIO shot really isn't that bad itself. It's the soreness afterward that can suck, but it's muscle soreness (feels like you've done a bunch of squats on that side or something). Today was the 6 week anniversary of our very first PIO shot (wow - I didn't realize that until writing this!), and the only thing I really hate about them now is that they interrupt our evening.

That said, I've also given myself PIO shots when DH was out of town. I know others here have done it, too. Normally, he gives them to me in the butt/hips, but I gave it to myself in the thigh. For me, the worst part was wondering where the heck all that needle was going and NOT hitting anything that hurt. (In other words, it looked like a needle that long should hit something painful if it all goes in, but in my case at least, it didn't). And, of course, it's always difficult to consciously give yourself something painful like a shot, but by the time you get to the PIO shots, you'll be an old pro at doing that, most likely.

Good luck to you!

(And good luck on Monday's retrieval, islandgirl!).

[AusMarchBride]

Jad How are you doing sweetheart??

islandgirl All the best for the retrieval on Monday. Try to relax (easier said than done huh) and get some pineapple too :D

mrselle The box of meds can be a bit overwhelming at first. I think someone on this thread earlier suggested splitting it up, and only keeping a few days supply in the kitchen, store the rest somewhere else and replenish the fridge every few days.

Jan1902 Thanks for the suggestion about CVS threads on WC. I hadn't looked over there, I will now.

Hi to everyone else, hope all the shooting up is going ok. ;)

[Jad]

Got the "good news" that the betas are heading down. Only 4.9 this morning. So at least this shouldn't be too protracted. I don't know if I could have handled everything for a pregnancy that wasn't going to be viable in the long run.

As it is, I'm feeling a little better. I chopped my hair off last night. Well, I had someone do it for me. I wasn't *that* distraught. But seriously. I started letting it grow around the time we started TTC in earnest. I was hoping that pregnancy would give me nice hair for a few months (I have really fine, straight, boring hair normally.) The hair was actually getting pretty long, and it was an annoying reminder that I'm no closer to being pregnant. So now it's gone. And I'm happy to have my short hair back. It feels free-er somehow. Not that there's not still crying and my fair share of negative thoughts I'd wish I didn't have. But the hair thing really did help. Weird.

Don't know what the plan from here is. The doc will supposedly call me sometime next week to discuss.

capecod - My DH starts in with the "needle humor" once in a while. Men. As for the PIO, I agree with kat. It isn't fun but it isn't *that* bad. Just don't go too low on your butt. I found they ached more the lower the shot was. I didn't have to give myself any, but I think sidsou once mentioned giving them to herself. Maybe she'll have more suggestions for you.

island - Wait, so you're doing another fresh cycle? Why did I think you were doing frozen? Good luck at the retrieval. I'm pullin' for you!!!

Hope the lupron isn't hitting any of our cyclers too hard!

[sandybride]

Hi ladies. I'm new to CC...came over from WC...this is my first CC post! :D

Actually, jan1902Again posted in my WC. TTC Journal and suggested I take a look at this board. I've been lurking for a while because there is so much going on here it's a little overwhelming at first. But finally, I thought...just post and you'll catch up as you go!

I'm currently starting an FET cycle. We started and IVF cycle in May/June and made it to ER but I had OHSS and we had to stop everything. So I have three frozen embies waiting for me. Should be ready for transfer mid to late August.

On the topic of PIO shots...my DH HATES them! I get everything ready...ice the area for a good 15 minutes, prepped all the alcohol pads and the syringe...he's take a deep breath...bring the needle close to me..and then say, "Ok, wait...did you ice?" or "Ok, wait...is this the right spot?" The actual shot though...I agree...not as bad as I imagined.

So, I'll try to keep up with you all if you don't mind.

[islandgirlsj]

Jad,
I'm still feeling bad for you. Still have my own memories to close at hand, and with my transfer this monday, I'm freaking out.
I'm glad that your hair cut helped some, although I know it is still hard.
Hang in there Hun!

Yes, I think I may have said "retrieval" a few posts back didn't I.
:rolleyes: :cool: Weird. I am doing a FET cycle this time around, thank god! no retrieval for me..... Only putting them back in. :D

*I think all these drug have gone to my head, and I cant' think straight anymore. ha!

sandybride ~
Welcome! I'm glad that you have decided to just jump in here, and not be a lurker! :o Soon enough you will be posting away like the rest of us.
If you want to post your stats, or you can Email Me (islandgirl_sj@yahoo.com) and I will add you to the 1st page as well.
I'm sorry about your OHSS! I know how you felt. I had it as well, but my Dr. didn't stop our transfer. Although sometimes I do wonder if that is part of the reason we didn't get pregnant. However, good to know that you have some frozen ones to start with.
Your husbands fear of the PIO shot is to funny. My husband definately does not like these, but he is doing them okay so far.


CapeCod04 ~
Just chimming in on the PIO shot. I think I was TERRIFIED :eek: of starting these shots, but I tell ya, a little icing before, and it really is no worse that any of the other shots. A little sorness, but over all, not to bad.
You will do fine.

mrselle ~
Good luck starting your shots this week!

AusMarchBride ~
How are you feeling Hun?? I hope some of your m/s is beginning to wear off.
(( hugs ))

Astro~
How are YOU hanging in there?

Kat ~
And You?? I hope your hanging in there as well.

Did I get all my preggers in there?? :D

Seriously, I hope all of you are doing well, weather it is sticking your selves with needles, dealing with m/s, Just starting this nerve wrecking journey, or just hanging in there.
Remember to take care of yourself!

[kat]

jad, I still feel terrible that this cycle didn't work for you, but I just know that the next one will. Let's hope you can get started on it soon!

And by the way, unlike the others here, I've SEEN you in person, and you do not have "boring" hair. Though I am anxious to see your new 'do. I'm really glad it made you feel better (a nice new start is always a good thing).

Do you have any interest in the "Fertility Yoga" DVD? I stupidly ordered it far too late in my cycle and never even had a chance to use it, but I know others here have liked it. Let me know.

islandgirl, whoops - I wasn't even paying attention & thought you had a retrieval on Monday, too! Okay, so you have a transfer then, right? I doubt I'll be on-line tomorrow, so GOOD LUCK!

Thanks for asking how I'm feeling. Yesterday I felt so much better that I was actually a little worried (but only a little; "relieved" is more like it). Today it's back to almost total food aversion (but sicker if I don't eat). Hoping that I can end the PIO shots soon and hoping that will help, even if only a little bit.

sandybride: welcome!! My fellow posters are a great and very helpful group of women, so you're in the right place!

[sandybride]

Thanks for the warm welcome ladies. :D I am excited to be here. I noticed someone mentioned pineapple. It's supposed to be good for implantation right? Anybody get that from a reliable source? I've heard it before but don't know how that information was born. Just curious. I'll probably eat lots of it anyway.

[alo]

Hi ladies. Day 4 of lupron and still doing well. My bbs are sore though. Is that a normal side effect? They haven't been this sore since I was actually pg (I later m/c'ed). Of COURSE my mind immediately goes to "OH god, I am 18 dpo, maybe somehow we screwed up when we were avoiding?! Could I be pg?" and blah blah blah. Right. That would be my luck - get pg now and kill the fetus as I inject lupron into myself. Anyway, I am sure it's just the lupron, but wanted to check with you all first.

I did figure out that I believe I must've hit a blood vessel with my shot the other day (the one that caused a welt). So hopefully if I avoid that spot from now it won't be as bad!

islandgirlsj: Thanks for letting me know everybody else feels like this too. It's so crazy going through this.

So your transfer is Monday?

sandybride: Welcome! I just joined up myself.

Jad: I wish there was something I could do to make this easier for you.

CapeCod04: I can't say my husband was gleeful, as he's as afraid of giving me the shot as I am of getting it.

Is there a neighbor or friend that you can teach to give you the shots? Or maybe there's a nurse that you can hire to give you the shots when DH is away? I know that you can give them to yourself in the thigh, but I don't know anything other than that. I haven't gotten to that scary part yet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, now that I'm caught up, I wanted to share this with you. I HAD to buy one, and I plan on wearing it to my retrieval and transfer. Thought some of you might be interested too.

http://prodtn.cafepress.com/6/8105806_F_tn.jpg
It's from www.cafepress.com (just type in "ivf"), costs $21, and comes in all kinds of sizes and colors.

I thought it was great! :)

[Sidsou]

CapeCod04 You really can give yourself the PIO shot. I did it after probably 2 weeks of DH doing it, so I was "comfortable" with the size of the needle etc at that point. I ended up still doing it in my bum though, just because the idea of doing it in my thigh really scared me. I just had this weird feeling that it would go through my thigh (my thigh certainly isn't that small!) or hit a bone. I would sit down at the dining room table and twist my body a bit to do it. I always just aimed for the upper and outer area. If I can do it, I'm sure you can. I was even one that never bothered icing or warming the area.

Alo That shirt is great!

Jad I'm not sure what I can do besides send you a ton of <<<<Hugs>>> :)

Sandy Too funny about your DH. He's probably so scared he'll hurt you :) My DH was almost too anxious to give me the shots. He's had to take weekly huge needle shots himself for his MS (Multiple Scloresis) for years now, so I think he thought it was "fun" to get me now :rolleyes:

I'm still at the waiting stage now....

[Astro]

Jad Glad to hear the numbers are going down for you. That sounds wrong, but you know what I mean. I wish you a quick, short, and painless end to this cycle. Sounds like the haircut was a good idea. :) I hear you on the fine, stright, boring hair. Mine is fine and straight as well. It refuses to hold a perm or any style. I keep telling my DH our kids better have his hair. :)

Sandybride Welcome to the group.

kat Sorry to hear you're having food aversion. Hope it gets better soon. I hear a lot of it is/can be blaimed on progeserone.

alo great Shirt! My bbs got sore on lupron as well and my mind also immediate raced to the "oh crap, what if I'm pregnant and screwed everything up" Don't worry. sore bbs can happen on lupron.

AusMarchBride I was watching the Tour yesterday with DH, and the commentators mentioned an Australian racer. I piped up, hey, that's where AuMarch is from. Dh asked how you're doing? fummy how you're getting well known as AusMarchBride. :D

As for us, nothing different. still cruising along without m/s and wishing I had it (you all know what it's like when you don't get a symptom/side effect of a drug and think something must be wrong). I'm still bleeding, mainly brown blood, but they claim it'll happen the entire first trimester. Supposedly it might be related to the progesterone sups. We think everything is fine with the kids. I'm still craving chocolate milk. Next chance for us to see them is Aug 10th. :)

[Suzlywoozly]

Jad - I'm so sorry! I'm sending lots of hugs your way :). I wish I was brave enough to cut my hair. I loved it short, but DH would kill me if I cut it now that I have grown it out. I hope you are doing okay!

Alo - Thanks for posting about that shirt! I just went over there and ordered two of them :D. Most people probably IRL won't even know what the shirt means. It took DH a minute to figure it out. Can't help ya on the lupron stuff... I'm sure in a month I'll be right there asking all the questions once we start IVF.

Sandy - Hi! Welcome to the group :D

Astro - When I saw August 10th for your next u/s, I was thinking holy cow that' so far away... until I realized it's already the end of July! :rolleyes:
I hope the bleeding stops and the m/s stays away!

Tomorrow is the BIG day... we meet with the RE to sign our lives away for the next 20 years plus some :D. I never thought I could actually be so excited about something like this. All these mamas-to-be in here are giving me lots of hope that this is going to work! I'll be back tomorrow to give an update after the appt. Hope everyone is doing well!

[AusMarchBride]

Suzlywoozly Hope your appointment goes brilliantly tomorrow. It's great that you're excited about it. Let us know how it goes and what the RE says.

Astro Good grief, I'm going to have to go by an assumed name, I'm getting famous ;) I was watching the final leg of the Tour de France late last night, and had to wait until 2.30am our time o see the presentation. It was incredible, those cyclists have unimaginable endurance. I'll send you my MS, I'd be very freakin happy to get rid of it. I still have spotting too, apparently when my emby implanted he/she dig right in and created a nice little pocket of blood which just decides to scare me evry now and then. They also said it could have been another emby that didn't make it (which would have been an identical twin as I only had 1 transferred). Glad to hear you are doing ok and keep scarfing down that chocolate milk, you need lots of calcium ;)

Sidsou You're waiting for insurance approval aren't you? Do you have any idea how long they'll take? (Given I'm not in the US I'm not quite sure how that all works. We just start the IVF here and then it all gets submitted to insurance after we pay, but it's cheaper here.) How is Kyle doing? Can I ask any more questions ;) ?

alo LOVE the t-shirt, fantastic idea. I think sore boobs are a side effect of EVERY drug in IVF ;) I hope you have no more welts from the injections.

Sandybride Welcome and I hope your stay here is a short one. You'll get lots of great information here, this is a wonderful group of women. The pineapple thing is certainly known in Europe, I know that many of the clinics there routinely give people bromelein (the important ingredient in pineapple) supps while cycling.

kat Sick/not sick, scared/not scared, what a rollercoaster :) Hoping your ms stays at a reasonable level

islandgirl I completely misunderstood too, regarding the retrieval vs transfer. So I wish you all the best for your transfer tomorrow/today. Try not to stress and take care of yourelf. Then it's the easy 2ww :rolleyes:

Jad You sound like you're doing ok, I hope you really are. I think you're right in that it's better to have it over with quickly than drag it out. I gotta say this I chopped my hair off last night. Well, I had someone do it for me. I wasn't *that* distraught. made me giggle. A haircut always helps the confidence. I send you hugs and as Astro said, wish a quick, short and painless end to this cycle for you.

Hope everyone else is doing well. Me, nothing exciting, just waiting for my first ob appt on Friday and then my CVS next week.

[angelgirl8]

wow, i go away for a few days and miss 4 pages! hope i can catch up.

amy...numbers doubling, i had itching from the PIO. nothing to do about it, i just kind of scratched and ignored!

jad...i'm so so sorry, sweetie.

kat...what do you teach?

islandbride...good luck today!
_____

so i've been in boston for the last 6 days, nice to get away. not nice to bring my m/s with me! it still hasn't subsided but the nice zofran is working quite well!

[Suzlywoozly]

Island-Good luck at the transfer today! Wishing you lots of *~*~*~*~*~*~*~* good luck *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hi AmyChris- I saw you were in here... do you go in for your u/s today (sorry I can't remember & I'm way too lazy to go back and look ;)?? If so, I hope everything goes well.

[amychris03]

Hi everyone! Im back from my mini-vacation! It was nice
to get away for a bit! We went to the outer banks with
my family. Of course we live at the beach so going to the
beach isn't terribly exciting, but we always seem to enjoy
it just the same. Today is my first ultrasound! Im so
nervous, I just want to make sure everything is ok in there.
Ive been feeling on and off queasy, but felt completely
fine on Saturday, which scared me. Yesterday I felt
queasy again though, which made me feel better.

---
Astro
Glad things are going well, despite the continued bleeding!
August 10th will be here before you know it!

Jad
I'm glad that you are feeling better. It's amazing how liberating
and refreshing a hair cut can be! Hopefully you will get
some answers from your RE this week.

Alo
Glad the Lupron is moving right along. I did get the welts
with the Repronex, and my dr said that was normal. I
guess it's just how your body reacts to the shots. That's
a cute shirt you found!

Jan1902
Glad the Lupron is going well! When is your ultrasound
this week?

Islandgirlsj
Good luck with your transfer today!

CapeCod04
Nope, I never had to give myself the PIO shot but I
do have to say that my DH does seem to get entirely
to excited about the shots. He acts like a Dr and
says "I'm going to need 2cc's of Progesterone, Stat"
every darn time he does it. He does feel bad over
the size of the needle though. I think that he has to
make a joke of it to lighten the situation.

Kat
How are you feeling these days? Any better?

Sandy Bride
Welcome! I dont know if the eating pineapple
came from a reliable source or not, but I ate a little
bit of the core (and some of the good tasting stuff)
every other day. I read on some message board
that GNC sells bromelein supplements if you dont
want to eat the core.

Sidsou
Hope you are doing well and the waiting isn't too painful...

Suzly
Good luck at your appointment today!

Ann
How are you feeling? Any better? Wow, your CVS is next week?
Where does the time go? I'll be interested to hear how it goes!

angelgirl8
Welcome Back! Glad you had a good time in Boston despite the
m/s!

[islandgirlsj]

Thanks everyone for your well wishes today.
I have to say I'm SO NERVOUS!!

I found myself pacing the floor already this morning.
My husband ordered me to take some computer time to relax and vent if I needed.

I was no where near this nervous last time.
I think the thought of another failure is a strong feeling.

I WILL HAVE STICKY THOUGHTS today!!!
:D :p :o :) :cool: :rolleyes:

[Jad]

islandgirl - Good luck today!!!!!! Keeping everything crossed that this time they transfer the *right* blasts! You're almost there!

[amychris03]

Well, I'm back!!! We have ONE little baby in
there :) They dated me as being 5 weeks, 1 day, so
I guess I figured out my EDD incorrectly :confused: I'm
due 3/26/06. So anyways, all they were able to see today
was the gestational sac and yolk sac. I go back next
Monday for another ultrasound and hopefully we will
see more then! :D

[angelgirl8]

amy...sounds wonderful!! congrats again.

[amygrrl]

my update from the RE appointment today cross posted from SAI:

- Fresh cycle v. Frozen next time in October: She wanted to know why we didn't just go for the frozen since our 3 blasts are 'beautiful'. 1 is a 4AA (perfect on all 3 criteria so the best possible) and the 2 others are 4AB's which is the second best possible. Once we explained our logic, she got it. She just made us promise that even if she gave us twins this time that we'd come back and 'take our frozen babies home'. No worries there. I'll start the bcp's in september.
- Blood test results for immunology/ clotting disorders: Not all the results are in yet, but what we have so far is all clear which is a good sign
- Confirmation that she's on board with ICSI-ing everything next time: we decided we'll do all icsi if we have fewer than 10. If we get 10 or more, we'll do 1/2 and 1/2 again since when we put back avery and she stuck, we put back one natural and icsi and there's no way to tell which batch she came from.
- Test to see what egg reserve is/ FSH: we're doing day 3 blood work in a couple of weeks, along with rechecking my thyroid.
- Vaginal exam/ u/s : she said my uterus and lining look absolutely beautiful. i did actual just O... she said likely in the last 36 hours. (i'm glad i tested so we had the chance to bd like crazy since friday) and she said even though it's best to wait 3 months to go for ivf again for things to be optimum we should try on our own as much as possible in the interim since it seems everything looks so good.
- Discuss anything she'd do differently with the drug protocol: we'll likely go with the same protocal assuming all the day 3 labs come back the same which she anticipates. she may up one of the stims just a bit to increase the # of eggs, but we are still in the quality over quantity mindset and the 5 we fertilized last time were all either perfect or nearly perfect so we both agreed getting similar results would be great
- DHA/ Omega 3 fatty acid suppliments (will get to this below) - thanks to kemorr, this prescription will be called in tomorrow.
- Extra folic acid: also part of the new prenatal
- Getting insurance negotiated rates: we are checking into it to see what we can do here.

so we have a plan! i'm also going on a very low dosage of a drug to kill my panic attacks. i'll be on it for the 2 months then drop off it during the ivf cycle and that should kill any of my panic. over all, we are feeling good.

[Suzlywoozly]

Somebody please tell me there is light at the end of the tunnel!!! Everything WAS going great at the appt. with the RE until we went over the details of my miscarriage and he asked why the dr. never checked my HCG levels after the last one was at 25. It's been over 3 weeks and I'm still bleeding and having the same pain on the left side. He said based on those things plus the path report showing no pregnancy cells, it sounds like it's a tubal pregnancy. So we did an u/s and my lining was super thick and my ovaries were HUGE and totally covered with big cysts. The RE was shocked at the size of my ovaries and said it's no wonder I am in so much pain. I repeated the HCG level today and he said to call back tomorrow for the result. If it is over 5, I need to call my OB asap and tell him to do a lap. This sucks... I really thought we were on our way to start IVF and this is just another set back :mad:.

On the good side of things, the RE talked us out of doing the shared risk program. He really thinks that planning on 1 fresh cycle and if needed 1 frozen cycle is all it is going to take to get pregnant. The cost is a lot less than the shared risk program and if those two cycles don't work we can always do the shared risk program later. I feel good about his advice and I think this is what we will do. So his game plan (before the u/s) is to wait till AF shows, come in for an u/s and start b/c pills. He wants to do cd3 b/w during this time and we will start the stims a few weeks later. He did say that the only way I can do the shared risk program is if I re-do the HSG, since it has 3 years since they did the dye test during my lap. I really don't want to have to do that. Now I don't exactly know what is going to happen since the results of the u/s and if the HCG is below 5. I wonder if the wait for the cysts to resolve themselves or what. I guess I need to ask the nurse that tomorrow.

Amy-Congrats on your little one :D

Sorry, I don't feel up to any s/o's right now. I hope everyone is doing well!

[Suzlywoozly]

Sorry to be a pest... Just one more question. Is there anything that you did not know going into IVF that you wished you knew? Or is there anything that I should know? I'm really nervous about not knowing what to expect. Thanks!

[AusMarchBride]

Suzly First off, you're not being a pest by asking questions. Is there anything I wish I knew? Not really, but I do think that until you're in the middle of the cycle, it's hard to grasp how much it will affect you physically and emotionally. Everyone tells you, but I guess it's not until you experience it yourself. I also found my 2nd cycle much harder than the first emotionally. I wasn't really optimistic about the first, but I was surprised by how much that failure affected me mentally in the 2nd cycle. Hopefully that won't even be an issue for you and the first time will be the winner.

Other things: my mood swings were fairly unpleasant (for my DH ;) ) while cycling, the shots are really fine once you get past the mental hurdle of the first one, and I never realised my boobs could hurt as much as they did while on progesterone. Seriously, the boobs were agony.

I'm afraid I can't help with your other questions after the RE appt, but I send you many hugs and hope it is all resolved soon. Ring the RE or the nurse back tomorrow and clarify what you need to know. Sometimes I found I didn't even think of any questions until after the appt and I had sort of digested all the info.

[AusMarchBride]

Shoutouts.

amygrrl Sounds like a good plan, I'm really glad the appointment went well.

angelgirl Welcome back, I was wondering where you got to, thought you were just away for a couple of days. Sorry the m/s is still kicking your butt but I'm glad the zofran is helping.

amychris Congrats on your one emby. About your dating miscalc, did you use this site (http://www.ivf.ca/calcu.htm) It should be spot on with regards to accuracy. You need to make sure you put in the retrieval date, not the LMP date as IVF completely throws all those standard calculators. Also, I think the u/s can also show you as being out by a couple of days from the actual due date based on retrieval.

islandgirl Hope today went beautifully. Sending you many sticky vibes. :D

Hi to everyone else, hope things are going ok for you.

[Jad]

Quick question for those with failed cycles. How long did it take AF to show after you stopped the PIO? I thought she'd show yesterday, but I'm still waiting. I guess the whole chemical pregnancy could have an impact, but my numbers were never that high to begin with, so it just doesn't seem like it should delay things.

In other bad news, my doc had to leave town unexpectedly, so don't know what that'll do to my timeline. :confused:

Ann - I haven't even started round two and I agree with this:
I was surprised by how much that failure affected me mentally in the 2nd cycle. I just can't even imagine how I'm going to get through the second cycle. :(

suzly - The wait for AF is to get the CD3 bloodwork. They'll use that to decide your protocol. And although I've never had them, I think the BCPs should help with the cysts. Keeping everything crossed for betas at 0 and noooooooo tubal.

Amyc - Yay for another singleton! I think Ann's was getting lonely. ;)

amygrrl - Glad you're feeling good. As you should, because it sounds like a really good plan.

Sandy - Welcome!

ETA: island Can you change my stats to chemical pregnancy as the result of the first round? Thank you!!!!

[angelgirl8]

amygrrl...sounds like you have a good plan. you're so organized! i'm glad you're getting some help for the panic attacks for now.

suzly...i'm so sorry that things got messed up for you and i'm sorry you're still in pain. as for IVF, i don't think there's anything i didn't know going into it. being on this thread and going to my IVF class pretty much taught me the basics. but like ann said the emotional side is something you really can't be prepared for. and the side effects of all the drugs. for me, if if makes you feel better, the general side effects weren't bad. tons of pain and bloating with the stims (but your ovaries probably won't feel worse than they do now, i'm sure) but the progesterone didn't mess with me too much.

jad...i can't believe your doctor is away! just another thing, huh? for my first IVF, i stopped the PIO on a tuesday (didn't do my shot that night so the last one was monday night) and i got my period on saturday.


hi to everyone else...hope everyone is doing well.

[mrselle]

amychris03, Congrats on your little one. :)

amygrrl, Wow!!! You really have everything together. Sounds like a good plan.

Suzlywoozly, I'm just getting started with IVF (take my first shot tonight), but I would say that the fear of the unknown is what is really taking its toll on me. I hoped against hope that it wouldn't come down to this, but here I am getting ready to take my first lupron shot. And I can't figure out which is scarier for me, THIS round not working for us or IVF NEVER working for us. I'm sorry you are going through so much right now. I suspect that your doctor wants you to start taking BCP to give your ovaries a break from ovulating and to help clear up the cysts you have. Also, with your miscarriage it may take a while for your cycles to return to normal. By taking the pill they are controlling your cycle from the very start. Hope that makes since.

angelgirl, Welcome back. Sorry to hear that the morning sickness is still around.

Hope all is well with everyone else. :)

~~~

Had my ultrasound this morning and "everything looks good". I'm glad everything looks good, but its starting to become frustrating to hear "everything looks good", but I can't seem to get pregnant on my own. :confused: Ovaries look good, I ovulated from my left side, lining of my uterus looks good, everything looks good. They did bloodwork to make sure I'm not pregnant and they'll call me back this afternoon with the results and to tell me to go ahead and start lupron tonight. I didn't realize that my first dose of lupron will be tonight and my second dose will be tomorrow morning. :confused:

[amychris03]

Ann
I did use a similar site, both of which gave me the date I
calculated. They go by transfer date for some strange
reason, which is why it was off? Something about implantation.
Whatever, I guess it's only 3 days difference. :rolleyes:

[Suzlywoozly]

Just talked to my OB and the beta is 0!!!!! Thank g*d! I was really starting to freak out last night (but that's nothing new). So, I guess today I need to call the financial coordinator and our case nurse to find out what needs to be done in the meantime. I read thorugh all the paperwork the dr. gave me and it says there is all kinds of tests that need to be done before we meet with the case nurse to get things started, but the dr. never mentioned any of this stuff to me. So I need to go do that right now.

I almost strangled DH last night when he tries to act serious and tell me that he's alright with this now that he has met the RE (like he had any choice to be alright with it!). He said he SO excited to get his started. I don't he has a clue what's coming to him :eek:. He thinks PMS is bad, whoa buddy brace yourself!! There's gonna be a mad woman running around this house. I might as well get out my broom now and I don't mean in time for Halloween!

One more ?... when you started IVF, did you have to pay for the entire cycle before you started it, put a down payment or pay as you go throughout the cycle?

mrselle- I think the fear of the unknown is really starting to get to me already. I have no idea what to expect, especially since I haven't gotten to know any of these people at the center besides the dr. Last night, it hit me... what if we go through all of this and it NEVER works! I keep telling myself that I can't think negatively going into this. Good luck with your first injections. I hope they are easy to do.

angel- I'm not to worried about the s/e's since I'm already in a crappy situation right now with being in pain and majorly bloated (yeah, I may be eating those words in a few weeks). I hope you and those little ones of yours are doing well. I need to pop over to l/j to get an update :D

Jad- I think you are right about the b/c pills. He did mention to me on the first visit that they start all the patients on them so the estrogen level is lower which decreases the chance of cysts. I think thats what he told me :confused:. I thought for sure they were going to make me wait for AF, do the cd3 b/w and then wait another month for AF to start taking the b/c pills. I was so happy I can do both at the same time. Sorry your dr. had to leave unexpectedly. I hope this does not effect your timeline too much. I'm still thinking happy thoughts for you and I know that the second time will work like a charm :)

Ann- Mood swings?? what's that :rolleyes:? I think DH is already use to them by now. The clomid mad me a mad woman for 10 months :eek:. My OB said to me last week that if I was that crazy on clomid, he has no idea what the stims are going to do to me now. They may have to lock me away for the month. Like you said, I know that I am going to have to experience it myself. That's the part I'm scared of!

Alright, I'm off to get some ?'s answered! Yipppppeeee... I can finally get this started!

[mrselle]

...when you started IVF, did you have to pay for the entire cycle before you started it, put a down payment or pay as you go throughout the cycle?

We received a bill in the mail a few days after we met with the nurse who showed us how to do the injections. I paid the bill today when I went in for my baseline ultrasound.

[amychris03]

Suzly
SO glad your beta is zero. I bet that was very stressful to hear!
I had to pay upfront (on the day of my baseline ultrasound) for
everything but the freezing, assisted hatching, and ICSI since they
weren't sure which of these we'd be doing. We were responsible
for paying the remainder on the day of transfer once they knew
which procedures they had to do and that we had some to freeze. :)
Hey, do you mind if I friend you over on LJ so I can follow your
cycle?

[amygrrl]

today i was offered a new job. if it weren't for IF and our IVF in october, this would be a no brainer but now i'm not sure what to do... here are the pros and cons... any advice?

current job
- unbenefited contract set to end in 1 month. it COULD be extended again, but they have been extending me 6 weeks at a time so that's the farthest they would extend.
- decent money
- work from home 90% so complete flexibility with schedule and dr.'s appointments
- no insurance. i am on my husband's. we've used up our 10k limit on IF with avery so we will likely have to pay out of pocket for the round in october, however, we will still have all the meds covered as they are on a seperate plan
- work environment is tolerable. no really good friends there. but i work from home anyway so it doesn't matter. however, the company is not considered family friendly.

new job
- fully benefited 1 yr contract.
- increase in pay of 27%
- would have to be onsite 90% of the time with a commute time of 30-45 min each way.
- insurance offers $3500 in IF coverage (which is really a 7k benefit to us since we will get the insurance company's adjusted rates)
- manager is very familiar with IVF and what goes into it and understands dr's appointments and last minute scheduling etc.
- work closely with one of my best friends
- company is considered VERY family friendly.

on the one hand, i think i should just chill out in my current job and if it doesn't get extended so what b/c not working might make me more relaxed for IVF. on the other hand, maybe having nothing to do for a couple of months will just give me more time to mull over everything and become obsessed with it. working off site in a new job might give me a good distraction. i really want to keep stress to a minimum for this round of ivf. working at the new job would mean all of our money stress related to paying for IVF and paying for dh's MBA which he starts in the fall would go away. arrggg... what do you guys think?