IVF HAMMERSMITH

[CarolynB]

Hi All

Noticed that we had moved onto page 2.

Thought that I'd just wish all the Hammers a very very happy New Year and hope that it brings us everything that we wish for.

Had a nice relaxing break with dh in Tenerife. We laughed a lot which must be good. Plus very chilled out after a week of lazing by the pool and being looked after.

See Mr T on Wednesday. Have quite a list of questions for him as you would expect! dh and I both want to go again at Hammersmith. Think dh has slight preference to use our Frosties from cycle 1 but think that he will be swayed by Mr T and also that it is just to try something different. I'd be cool to do another Fresh cycle although hope that he recommends short protocol again rather than long!! Want him to tell us something new that might make it work....................of course.

I shall report in post-Wednesday.

Take care everyone
Carolyn xxx

PS - Lola - hope that your arms still ache from carrying all those NY shopping bags. Was it totally fab???? Hope that you & dh had a top top time hun

[AGallagher]

I have a co-ordinators appointment booked in Feb and will hopefully be starting my second course of treatment in March. Is anyone else due to start soon. The doctor has recommended that we try IVF with ICSI this time. :?:

[CarolynB]

Hi Hammers Girlies

AGallagher - looks like we will not be far apart, I might just be a little before you.

Great appointment with Mr Trew today. He spent about 1/2 hour with me & dh. Must be as we are regulars!!!!!

50/50 chance that they'll reach both sides this time around. He is going to up my dose a little to try to get the ovaries on tricky side to drop or to aid getting more from the side that they can reach. Will do short protocol again. Phew!!! He has also said that he agrees that we can have 3 embryos back so we don't have to persuade them on ET day. 1 less thing to worry about!!

So AF should be here tomorrow but will not be due to the drugs. May be 5 days late like last time. So figure that I shall be starting around mid-Feb if acupuncture can get AFs back to 31 day cycle.

Mr T was amazingly supportive of accupuncture. Going to see Daniel at Harley Street tomorrow so hope that he'll be able to support me through the cycle again.

Back in blue/yellow sofa world yet again. Some how I am just getting used to it. Done all the paperwork this evening to get it out the way. Don't need to do the nurses appointment either as same protocol so will just do a call and then get started again.

Just to let you all know - with the New Year - price of Fresh has gone up by £100.

I am ever hopeful that it might be 3rd time lucky for me. PMA PMA

Love to you all
Carolyn xxx

Lola - are you on the missing list???? really worrying about you. Hope that you are ok hun. Speak soon

[lolajones]

hi guys!!

Sorry I've been MIA - NYC, Work, Head-In-Sand-About-Inability-To-Get-Pregnant.

AGallagher - march is not far!! Then you'll be happy and safe in Floral Annex of Fertility Good luck!!

Carolyn - sorry I've been a crapster buddy. Great appointment with the trewster - you are probably on his favorite list.... So you're doing another fresh? 3 embies put back!!! Hoorah!!! And full acu support by Handsome Daniel - fantastic. I too am hoping that it's third time lucky for Ms B - you deserve it!!! I also note, Ms B that you has a mighty fine time with your dh at Christmas break away, just what you needed - it all gets a bit serious and real lifey sometimes.

I have appointment with El Lav tomorrow. I have to admit to feeling a bit ooh a bit ahhh a bit woosh at the moment - y'know? Fragilis mentalis bonkerz. I'm completely up for another cycle but don't want to ever do ivf again - y'know what i mean? Ah well, sure sanity will come a-visiting as soon as I hit the 2nd floor. I can probably start in a couple of weeks (day 21 will be the 30th January) I suppose I (rather we, sorry Lav! And dh!) will have to decide whether fresh or frozen and whether to blast or not...hmmmm, chin strokey.... May try and go for broke and have another fresh and make them give me blasts. Lets look at the evidence....

So Panorama tonight and the Mythical ARGC... the debate goes on. See that you've put your name on the waiting list? I'm a mere year behind you there...

OK take it easy my pumpkins, I'll let you know the plan after tomorrows appointment

love
Lola
xxxxxxx

[CarolynB]

Lola

So pleased to hear from you. Was getting a little concerned. Know exactly what you mean about having some time away from being infertile person. It is required. No need to apologise - we are all crap buds at times!!

Hope that NY was fab.

Good Luck for appointment tomorrow. Good looking Daniel certainly made me feel that Fresh were way to go if you could take the strain - financial and emotional. Trew did not try to persuade us otherwise. I would certainly like to go to blast if we get a reasonable crop.

Not on ARGC list yet but dh picked up the forms today. You have more time on your side than me hun! Programme just not helped me & dh get any clearer at all............

Hope that all goes well tomorrow. Let me know what he has to say. I'll cross everything for you. Looks like you might be just ahead of me again.

Love
Carolyn xxx

[lolajones]

Hola lovely Carolyn

Well. W.E.L.L.
Appointment was bizarre. DH was late so I was alone for most of it. We discussed last cycle, y'know how well it went until moment o truth and then started talking about the future and..... I cried! Can you believe it?? I cried! What an idiot, spineless girl. I told you I was feeling a bit ooh. I guess I am more, whatever, than I thought about this here Infertility waltzer machine. Anyhoo, it was a momentary blip and I regained control swifto with muchos apologising. He was very kind and talked about how hard this is and how I need to take care of myself. My head was swimming at this point. Then dh turned up. So to cut the rest short, I'm starting another frozen in 2 weeks. Maybe this is a bad idea given my apparent emotional state? I can't think straight at the moment, straight enough to decide whether its best to wait a month. Oh lordy - answers on a postcard. I cannot believe this will be my fourth time - can't believe I'm here.
Will sleep on it and decide tomorrow, all very Scarlet O'H.

Hope you are doing better than me - you seem to be! Will you be doing flare protocol again? Lets hope 07 is the year of the hammer one way or another!

Take care
Love Lola
xxxxxx

[CarolynB]

Hey Lola

Just thought that I'd drop by and see if you had any news of your review. I am sure that you try to keep it together most of the time - being a hard, straight and cool chick - and then just sometimes it creeps out when you least expect it. I blubbed the other day for no apparent reason and could not figure it out. Then suddenly realised that I had been bottling it up for a while and it had just all come out.

Going back to 2nd Floor and sofa city always brings it all flooding back. Sure that Mr L has seen it all before. He sounds sweet. You have been through so much that he is right that you need good taking care off. May be going in there on your own was weird and hard too.

You'll feel better no doubt after a good nights sleep. Afraid the only way to get what we want is to keep climbing this bloody mountain. At some stage we have to reach the peak don't we!?

So you are ahead of me again and I'll shall be following you along. Yep I do flare again. He said my reaction was similar so why do 7weeks when you can crack through in 4 weeks and 20 less injections. I found it easier on my body too. So am happy (right) about that. So I'll be looking at EC/ET at the end of Feb. What will your timing be? We are going to bump into each other one day. And you'll be so disappointed that I look like a frumpy 40 than a rock chick!

Chin up. You can do this. We're going to nail it. I was well stressed after the Panorama last night. To ARGC or not to ARGC? Stick or twist. it was doing my head in. The views are so polarised. Cannot figure it out at all. Have filled in forms and dh will take them in tomorrow to try to get us on the waiting list. It only wastes another £50 if we cancel it.

Are you sticking with acu? and the lovely Christina. Did Lavery mention at all. Mr Trew mentioned without me saying anything at all.

Take care hun. Love to all the rest of the Hammersmith Chicks.

Carolyn xxx

[lolajones]

Hola

Thank you for wise words. Feeling a little less fragile today - I'm just not sleeping and thats not helping I reckon.
Anyhooooo, yes! You will be right behind me again and I know for sure that you are not a frumpy 40! the ARGC programme was wierd, I hate those sort of entrapment, single view docs. In some ways it seemed clear that they were giving incorrect info (the immune tests that were supposed to be highly abnormal but were in fact entirely normal) but a part of me thinks he's just a bit of a maverick and is doing something that actually works. I won't go there yet, will do another few cycles at Hammersmith first.
Going to start on 30th Jan so my ET should be around 1st week of March. If that doesn't work going to do a fresh cycle in the summer, hopefully on the NHS, with blasts - go for broke! Actually, I could be just behind you this time??
I talked to El Lav about transfer and how that last twice has been unpleasant and he might sedate me. Hope so, love sedation!
I am sticking with acu - Lav was very positive about it. Apparently 3 trial results were published in the past few months all of which show increased success rates with acu. The trials were done by non - acu people so Lav impressed.
We will do this thing this time girlfriend!!

So keep me posted youngster! Will need your magnificent support for numero 4!

Stay sane
Love, Lola
xxxxxx

[lolajones]

Hola

Thank you for wise words. Feeling a little less fragile today - I'm just not sleeping and thats not helping I reckon.
Anyhooooo, yes! You will be right behind me again and I know for sure that you are not a frumpy 40! the ARGC programme was wierd, I hate those sort of entrapment, single view docs. In some ways it seemed clear that they were giving incorrect info (the immune tests that were supposed to be highly abnormal but were in fact entirely normal) but a part of me thinks he's just a bit of a maverick and is doing something that actually works. I won't go there yet, will do another few cycles at Hammersmith first.
Going to start on 30th Jan so my ET should be around 1st week of March. If that doesn't work going to do a fresh cycle in the summer, hopefully on the NHS, with blasts - go for broke! Actually, I could be just behind you this time??
I talked to El Lav about transfer and how that last twice has been unpleasant and he might sedate me. Hope so, love sedation!
I am sticking with acu - Lav was very positive about it. Apparently 3 trial results were published in the past few months all of which show increased success rates with acu. The trials were done by non - acu people so Lav impressed.
We will do this thing this time girlfriend!!

So keep me posted youngster! Will need your magnificent support for numero 4!

Stay sane
Love, Lola
xxxxxx

[poochie]

Hi Lola & Carolyn

Hope you are both OK. Good luck to both of you on your next cycles.

Lola - sorry to hear you feeling down. IVF is such a difficult long road and the lack of sleep makes things so much harder, I too have problems sleeping so I fully sympathise.

Carolyn - Antagonist cycle is much easier than LD2, not being suppressed makes such a difference. Hope they access your right ovary this time I to had this problem on cycle 2 but cycle 3 they accessed OK.

I had my appointment for second opinion on Wednesday and I have decided to move clinics and go with Essex Fertility. Despite having good stats I felt good about the clinic. My consultant was very understanding and reassuring about my situation whilst being realistic. The care and attention to detail for my specific needs made me feel they were treating me like an individual needing a tailored cycle. They also were ever possible do blast transfer so there ICSI fee includes this you just need five good grade embies. So I am going to do Antagonist cycle in April hormones permitting as they do full bloods and antral follicle count on day two. I just have to arrange to transport DH 4 tubes across London to their new home, (they are well travel tads this will be their third home).

Good luck I will be looking out for your BFPs.

Love Vicki X

[CarolynB]

Hi Vicki

Sounds like you had a really good session at the new clinic. I figure that I may move after this next go. 3 Fresh at one place seems like enough for me. Sounds like they will tailor to you and I think that going to blasts is a great idea. Helped to know that they got to both sides for you on go 3. Mr T told me that it was 50%/50% after having both sides on go 1 and just 1 side on go 2. Fingers crossed.

Sounds like you'll be right behind me and Lola.

Keep us posted on your progress hun.

Lots of Luck
Carolyn xxx

----------------------------------------------------

Hey Lola -

Hope that you are sleeping better. I love my sleep and get super stroppy without it!!!!

Think that you'll start on the meds before me but we sounds like we'll be neck & neck for ET as I am looking at v early March. I am hoping that I can get good numbers and go to blast this time. Fingers crossed all round. Would be so funny if we could be there on the same day

I have been busy shopping around for drugs today to see if I can get them cheaper as Hammersmith just mailed me the perscription. Was a bit thick first time around and just trotted into the pharmacy at Hammersmith. Not sure if the shopping around will yield savings but must be worth a go!

Feeling quite sane and practical about go 3 right now but may be that is cause I have not started. I am sticking with the acu - seems unfair to junk after just one assist. Makes me feel calmer anyway - just think that I like lying down rather than running around for 20 mins and have some listen to my rants!!! Saves dh hearing it all..............

So hope that there is no need to invest ££££ in ARGC and that neither of us ever has to go there.

Keep smiling.
Love Carolyn xxx

[lolajones]

Hi Ladies

Vicki - good to hear from you. Glad you're happy with new clinic - are their stats better than H/Smith? As for your dh's swimmers - they are like the Ranolph Fiennes of the sperm world! May their journey be smooth and wave-less. Keep us updated about how you go so we can cheer you on!

Carolyn - hola buddy. Yes, the troublesome two in the pastel salon - if this cycle is anything like last one (and lets hope it's not given the outcome eh?) I reckon I'll be having transfer last week of Feb. We're bound to bump into eachother this time! Its like Sliding Doors with us! Good idea to shop around - I usually get my drugs from Calea. I checked against the drug prices in the British National Formulary and they are pretty cheap - you want their details for a quote?
Glad you are all business about round 3 (ding ding) - calm and centred is the way to go. I reckon the acu is worth continuing - what's to lose?
Well, I've pretty much definitely (I think) decided to go ahead on the 30th. Had a chat to my boss today about the whole thing and fair play she was very supportive, surprisingly so really. So the upshot is I'm going to try and decrease my hours for the next month to 4 days a week and then have the whole 2 weeks off after transfer.
My positivity has buggered off to lord knows where - don't have a good feeling about this cycle at all. Need to get me some up up up! Off out tonight for muchos cocktails - the path to positivity? It is paved with little paper umbrellas!
So here we go again dude!
I wish wish wish that this works for the two of us - we've been through a lot and deserve this! Hope you're listening Fertility Goddess - bestow your gifts or be afraid!

Take care my lovelies

Lola
xxxxxx

[margaretgo]

Hi All

Just thought I'd drop in for an update on my IVF antics!

Been reading but not writing I'm afraid. Partly because me and DH were away for December - doing our best to get healthy - started down-regging while away. First injection of Buserlin in a hotel room in Thailand (expected the maid to shop me as some sort of junkie!!) - weird but soon got the hang.

Been busy with injections through January too - started on 250iu Puregon which was upped to 350iu after 5 days - injecting for ages - 16 days -Ovitrelle injection on the 17th day. Buserilin gave me headaches but otherwise not too bad - realised that any booze triggered them so forced to completely give up - no bad thing. Even managed NYEve with only 2 glasses of champagne - and a mild Buserilin headache the next day...

Had 8 large follicles (only got the one ovary so thinking that's ok). Egg Collection was 22nd Jan - we got 4 eggs - slightly dissapointing but a friend got pregnant with 4 so that somehow felt ok. Decided on ICSI due to small number of eggs and DH's previously variable sperm count - this time he was 'off the scale' though (his words). Holiday must have helped - although we completely forgot and he had a couple of saunas!!

3 eggs actually fertilised - nerve wracking waiting on phone call from Hammersmith. Worse than O-Level results! Actually asked them to call me day after EC- apparently the don't normally- but I'm far too impatient.

Got 2 good quality embryos which I'm delighted about really - they were 2/3 cells in morning and 4 cells when put in - which was yesterday. Feels like 3 weeks ago!!! This 2ww thing is going to be interesting. I'm resting up now but got to keep busy or I'll go bananas.

Incidentally I used Calea as well - Hammers nurse recommended them. Very convenient to start with as they delivery with 24 hours notice - but if you start to run out (as I did with so long injecting) - it doesn't work so well as you need prescription anyway - so then used Hammersmith Pharmacy. Found prices roughly the same between the two. Very interested to hear about any cheaper alternative though!

Anyways ladies - keep positive for your next IVF adventure! And I will let you know whether it's a thumbs up or a thumbs down from the fertility fairies for me.

mxxx

PS - must change my profile - actually 38 now...

[lolajones]

Hola!

hey margaret - good to see you pop in and already on the 2ww! I hope this works for you and in 1 a bit weeks we're reading (for you'd better tell us the news missie) about your fantastic BFP!!! have everything crossed for you.

Carolyn - how're you? gearing up to numero 3? I have bailed out of my cycle. After more thought and conversation have decided to leave it a month. I feel quite mixed up about the whole thing really. Will use this extra time to get a bit fitter, eat a bit better and chill out. Hopefully work will be a bit less frantic in a month. Hopefully I'll feel a bit happier too.
So, I can now focus all my positivity on you! Get ready for the pma downpour!
Keep me posted with your cycle news!

Love, Lola
xxxxxx

[margaretgo]

Hi All!

Lola - thanks for the support!

Still on the 2ww. Test is on Monday - arrgh! This is a strange sort of time isn't it? Got the song disease - lots of lyrics going around my head - Blondie - 'Tide is high but I'm holding on...' also that Morrison bloke's song 'I know that it's a wonderful world but I don't feel it right now...'.

Am quite puffed up and can only wear larger size trousers - and bras - things have gone nuts in that department.

Trying not to examine every symptom though - seems to me from what I read everywhere it's impossible to tell.

Weighing up the pros and cons of testing on day 13 though - can't decide.

Is it counted as negative thinking to be planning the next IVF?? It feels like a safety net to stop my mood falling into the depths if it's a negative... We've got funding for June/July - at Hammersmith again - would have preferred to start sooner but non-millionaires can't be choosers. And of course it is an opportunity to have a physical and mental break from this - it's all I seem to have to talk about these days!

Anyways - what's everyone's latest???

mxxxx