1st IVF in August - Any possible cycle buddies?

[ceiba]

Hi there,

For you ladies about to start your shots, don't stress too much. It really isn't all that bad, and I'm a person who has always hated needles and had to look the other way and hold my breath whenever they took blood at the dr.'s office. And now I'm giving myself three shots a night- just think!!! It helps that the first med, Lupron, is easy. I don't even feel a thing with that one, and had hardly any side effects either. So by the time I got to the stims, I had the whole injection thing down pat.

Of course, I haven't started the big booty shots yet, so I may change my tune when I get there... But for now, all's well and I can't wait to hear how your shots go!

[Aliann09]

Hello to all, I just wanted to say thank you for all the kind welcomes. I had my first appt today since I started my stims. I was nervous becasue I have been very uncomfortable and though tI might me hyper-stimmimg but all was well. The doctor said he liked what he saw the left is probably ready but wants to give my right another day or so. I go back tomorrow morning so it looks like I will have my retreval on Thurs 9th or Friday 10th at the latest. Nervous but very excited!

CEIBA I had the same feeling as you like it has made all of the shots and everything up to now feel worth while when you get that appoval from the Dr.

JILL and SNOWSEVEN any luck with AF?

MEGGS, the shot thing will be a cinch I am terrified of needles! as a matter of fact when the told me week befor last that I would be going from 1 shot a day to 3 shots a day I cried the entire way home 40mins from the Dr.s office and then on and off again any time that I had to tell someone I would cry again. Then when I got my BIG box of S*@% from the pharmacy I thought I was going to hypervenalate but it has been NO problem at all. Hopefully you are going to be using the small needles like I have been and they are quick. As far as the DH thing can't help there my DH works out of town about 3 nights a week so I have had to do mine on my own all I can say is just don dilly dall stick and push.

[cyclone]

Hi Ladies,

Well I just finished my antibotics over the weekend and AF came today. I have a baseline US and blood work on Wednesday. I should start Repronex and Follistim next Monday.

So right now I am just on the Lupron and it is going well. I haven't had any side effects from it. Hopefully the repronex and follistim are just as easy but I am starting to get a little worried about them, as it sounds like some of you are having some yucky side effects.

For those of you who have had the baseline US, what kind of questions should I be asking my doctor. I have a few hundred of my own ...but just thought you all might have some that I haven't thought of yet.

It is so nice having others on here to get advice from as I don't know anyone else who has gone through this. You are all so great!!


Melissa

[Jill_n_Mark]

Hey Ladies! Well I have some not so great news....I am so sick....like fever, stomach ache and headcold. I am afraid that when I go in this week, they may tell me we have to cancel. Anyone ever heard of this? I think I've read on a board before that someones RE canceled their IVF cycle. I will let you all know as I do later in the week.

Take care,
Jill

[Aliann09]

Jill, sorry to hear your not feeling well don't get to worried yet it could just be a flu bug. double up on you vitamins and stay positive I'm sure by the time you see the doc all will be well.
Ali

[kbat]

Started my Lupron and Follistom/Gonal last night. It's one day later than antcipated, but mainly that's due to the fact that I didn't get AF until Sat at about 5 pm. I had to do a u/s and had to wait until yesterday to do it. I had 2 unused vials of Follistom that I will use up before going to the Gonal. I was told that it's the same drug, just a different company. My insurance (which covers pretty much everything--meds are on regular pharmacy plan $10/25/40). The Gonal is actually cheaper than the Follistom, but why waste it if it's not neccessary??? Anyway, I am taking 10 of the lupron and 300 of the Follistom/gonal. I go in on Sat morning for my next round of blood work and u/s. the hardest part for me is not knowing exactly when the er will be since my husband's schedule is so hectic. Sometimes there are dates he can't switch around at work, so for me that's the most stressful thing. This is the 4th ivf cycle, but the 1st one w/ the "new" clinic. In the past, we were always told that my husband could freeze his sperm ahead of time, but this is the first time we've been told that there is a cost involved (at least $350, which the insurance does not pay because it's not medically neccessary.) We don't want to have to spend it if it's not neccessary and especially since the insurance in only approving one at a time these days, but I don't want to be caught at the last minute w/ my dh saying that he can't be there for a certain day. But I guess I will go w/ the flow and not worry about something that may or may not happen.... Hope all is well w/ everyone else.

Jill--hope you are feeling better soon and that all goes well.

[Ronnie]

Hi every body.
I am starting my IVF in about two weeks from now and I have been feeling very anxious and nervous...after 2 years of tryng to conceive (1 naturally and clomid, and one with an infertility doctor) we landed in IVF. I am feeling very tired, I can not focuse on work, my stomach is a constant wrap...have any of you been felling the same way? I want to have a child so badly with my husband and start a family..if any of you have been felling the same way, please share your experiences and tell me how to be calm!! I am from Chile and this is a new procedure here.

Thanks I love this forum and would appreciatte if we could share feelings during this time.

Ronnie

[kbat]

It can be a very nerve-racking and stressful procedure. I am on my 4th try and no matter what I try to tell myself, it can still be nerve-racking. But in the everyone is different and acts differently. I am kind of a little neurotic sometimes and worry about the littlest things. I find the hardest part to be waiting for the preg. results.... Good luck to you...

[nannybear]

UPDATED LIST

Retrieval

ICSI GIRL - 8/9

nannybear - 8/9

Aliann09 - 8/9

Stimming

ceiba

julianna26

emm

kbat

Down Regging (Lupron)

Jill_n_Mark

cyclone

Ladies in Waiting

snowsseven - Aug. 7th

nicoleslp99 - Aug. 6th

meggs1012 - Aug 11th

hopealways - waiting for AF

sarahc - Aug. ???

marmey - mid August

Ronnie - August

[nannybear]

Hi ladies,
I will be giving myself the hcg shot tonight so will have retrieval on Thursday morning at 8:00!!!!!!!!!!!

[Aliann09]

Hello all, I too will be doing retrevial on Thursday morning at 7:45 very excited and nervious. More importantly I just did the HCG and it wasn't bad at all so fast I couldn't believe that it was even done. I hope everyone is well.
Ali

[kellym]

Hi Ladies!

I have been reading some of the forums trying to find a group that was on the same schedule as me and it seems I finally found it! I hope its okay that I am joining so late!

I am on my 6th IVF cycle, only this time it is a frozen cycle instead of a fresh. I've never done a FET before so I am hoping this is the round for us! I started my estrace on Sunday (the 5th) and believe that my ET will be sometime around August 20 with my pregnancy test on Sept 3rd.

Hope everyone is doing well with their injections.

Kelly

[nicoleslp99]

I started stimming on Aug 7 with tentative ER for Aug 19. So far, so good with the shots. It's great to have so much support from this message board. Good luck to all!

[Jill_n_Mark]

Hey everyone! I am feeling a little better and I spoke to my RE's nurse today. She said not to worry about the cold as long as no fever comes. I also told her that AF hadn't come yet and she again said not to worry b/c not everyone will have one while on all the meds. So I am going to take it easy from now on and stay positive! I also set up my baseline US and BW for this Friday and start my Gonal-F the same night

I am getting so excited as my ER and ET are less than 2 weeks away.

Well, I will keep you all posted and Good Luck to Ali, nannybear and ICSI Girl tomorrow. Wishing you the best and let us know how many eggs you each get..how exciting

*****BABY DUST TO ALL*****

[ceiba]

Yay nannybear, aliann, and ICSIgirl for making it to your egg collection! Hope all goes well, and I can't wait to hear how many eggs you each got. Jill, glad to hear you're feeling better. And welcome to this thread, ronnie and kellym. I hope with all my heart that this is your time, kellym! And I will be very interested to hear about the FET in case we have to go down that road at some point.

As for me, I've actually been feeling better this week than last. I guess my body has acclimated to the stimulation drugs, and I'm feeling almost normal these days. Except, of course, for the tightness in my lower abdomen, where I can feel those enlarged ovaries growing. Since yesterday I've been going into the office for monitoring every morning, and so far my RE says I'm progressing right on schedule. He thinks I'll have two more days of stims, with the hcg shot on Saturday and the egg retrieval on Monday. It can't come fast enough for me- I'm so ready to move on to the next step!

So I'm thinking of taking all of next week off work, between the egg retrieval and the embryo transfer. But I've heard that it's more important to rest after the ET than the ER. What have you all heard? And how much time are you taking off work?