Dec/Jan 08 Cycle Buddies

[jomae]

hi ladies
Wunnam i wanted to say how sorry i am to read about your cycle being cancelled i couldn't think of anything more fustrating and uspsetting. hopefully you are refunded a good chunk of your money if they didn't charge people an arm and a leg it would definately take a little of the sting way. i hope your doing ok and can keep positive to keep trying all the best.
Lisa don't give up yet i know its hard to stay positive right now but while you still have that one you still have a chance so heres thinking of you and your dh and your strong embie doing what it should be doing .

Congrats to all the ladies who have made it or about to go through collections and transfers hope everything is going smoothly. And to all the other patient ladies like my self who have to wait hang in there were getting closer.

As for me Aunty flow came for a visit this morning so i'm one step closer i'm just waitng for my clinic to ring back with my start dates i actually think my er dates will be more to the end of the month instead of mid month miscalculation on my behalf. I know this sounds weird and my doc hasn't heard of it before either but has anyone (sorry if to personal) had pain in their colon after ER (i think it's my colon) after er my first cycle i had the pain about two days after my transfer and on my second cycle as soon as i woke up i had the pain which is quite severe and lasted until i was about 9 or 10 weeks with my ds. Just wondering if anyones heard of this before or if i'm just special

Thanks again ladies
Take Care and goodluck
JOMAEXXX

[Neffi211]

Hello ladies.....

Lisa--SOOOOO Sorry, My heart is aching for you...but not to sound like a broken record......One is all you need

Colesmom--yes we are using The Fertility Center in York. We actually met with 3 different RE's before choosing one. We live in Lancaster, but there are none here...our options were Hershey, York or Reading. Where do you live? In Allentown??

Baby dust to all that have ER/ET soon!!!

I actually got some good news today.....my estrogen level was 50! Last day 3 test was 96! So there is a very high chance that we will be able to do the shared risk program that our RE offers. I did have a bacterial infection come back in one of my cultures..so I have to take antibiotics and redo the culture??? It was some really long name? I Dont know what it is???

[CT_Michele]

Good Evening ladies,

I just wanted to get a chance to post since i do not think I will have enough time in the morning...now we have to shovel out from 6 inches of snow in order to get to our embies in the morning!

Tomorrow is ET and we are excited! They told me on the phone we will get a picture which I think is pretty cool. We had a small champagne toast the other night...I toasted to giving my dh the child he thought he could never have and to fighting for what we both thought was the impossible...hopefully, in 10 days, all of our wishes will come true!

Wunnam- I am so sorry they cancelled your cycle...had you already started stimming? Hopefully you will be able to try again soon, and I have heard many stories of it working better the second time around...so keep your head up!

LB- As everyone has said, you only need one! My dr. has said that from day one, since his sperm count was so low. We were just looking for that magical one, and maybe that is what you have now...i'm praying for you...

Pumma- congrats on all of the follies, did you get a fert. report yet? Keep us updated. Are you ET tomorrow too? Good luck!

Esperanza- Congrats on med arrival. I remember that day being excited and overwhelming all at one. I was especially nervous, because I did my med class in early october, then my cycle got postponed twice due to the male factor...so by the time my meds arrived, I was completely lost. I finally figured it out and got through it though.

Hellokitty- Congrats on trigger! And good luck on upcoming ER. In no time you will join me during the dreaded 2ww.

Thanks again all for your support! I am planning on being home and resting all day tomorrow after ET. I will post as soon as I can.

Baby Dust to all!

[hellokitty]

Hi Ladies,

Still groggy from ER. We got 21 eggies. We find out the fert report tomorrow. Please pray for us that at least 1 is mature.

Baby dust

[LB]

Keisha - wow!! 21 - that is great! I am glad things went well and I am sure that you will have lots of good ones to choose from!!

Pumma and Michele - you are in my thoughts and I hope things went well today and that your precious Christmas gifts are on the way!

Thank you everyone for the words of encouragement. I am feeling much better. I think the hardest part was not that the cycle itself may not have worked, because we knew that was a possibility, especially our first time. It was more that I might have yet another problem - 30 follicles and 1 egg is a little odd.

The good news is my 1 little guy is still hanging in there. It is only a 2 cell, which they claim is ok although from what I read it should be at least 4 by now. But anyway I just got the message that they are going to go ahead with ET tomorrow - I haven't even gotten the time yet, and it's tomorrow! I did my first PIO last night and they put me on estrogen. Here's hoping this 1 little one is our Christmas miracle!

Thanks again for your support and kindness through all of this - I appreciate it more than you know, especially because most other people I talk to really don't understand because they haven't been through it!

Best wishes to all - I will be sure to keep updating!

[MLB]

Hi Ladies,

Experanza - thanks for the summary the other day - WOW 29 Ladies on this thread all waiting for something!! I can tell you are a fellow graduate student and from your categorization of all of us I can tell that the literature review part of your thesis will be a snap!

It has been 2 weeks since I updated you and I can't tell you how crazy it has been with the end of the semester and the 3 hour trips (1 hr each way) to the RE office. Dec. 3 was the last day the RE office would allow anyone to start cycling for Dec. They decided that my cysts were small enough, so I started Gonal F that night. Went back Friday to find a few small follicles and they upped my dose. Upped the dose again Monday, but saw lots of follies. Wed they scheduled my retrieval for Saturday (tomorrow ). So, DH and I will get up early and head in.

Thanks to everyone who has reported on how painful/not every procedure has been. It is amazingly helpful to hear everyone's story and I can't really explain why that is. For my contribution, I will say that I did not have any side effects from Lupron and the Gonal-F brought on AF after I did not see her after BC pills AND a shot of progesterone. She came so suddenly and fast that I thought the belly and back pain I had was from the Gonal-F, but after she left, I felt fine.

I wish that I had some more info about what is ok to do/not do (eat, exercise etc) while taking stims. Also the same info for after the embryo transfer. I will be more proactive about getting that info when I go to the embryo transfer, but that is what I would have like to see.

If this cycle doesn't work, I think I will try acupuncture next time.

GOOD LUCK and may the waiting go fast to everyone at every stage of the game. I will let you know how it goes tomorrow.

Melissa

[CT_Michele]

Good Afternoon Ladies,

Well, I had my ET this morning. Everything went great. When we arrived they told us we had four 8-celled perfect embryos. That was great news, but led to quite a long discussion and difficult decision about what to do with 2 of them since only 2 would be transferred in. Due to financial constraints, we were not able to freeze today, so we need everyone's prayers that the 2 embryos in me will turn into a BFP in 12 days! We are very optimistic at this point.

We got a picture of the two embryos, which was really neat. My dh put it as his background on his laptop so he sees them everytime he turns on his computer! The transfer itself was very easy, only took a few minutes. The hardest part was having to wait to pee since I had a full bladder.

They told me today that my pregnancy test will not be until 12/26, the day after christmas. I was dissappointed in that since I was siked for testing on christmas eve. The nurse did tell me that I could cheat and take a hpt on 12/24 and that it would be accurate. I know I will not be able to wait and will take atleast one hpt. I have to go back on Wednesday for a progesterone blood test.

Hellokitty- congrats on so many eggs! I am praying a lot of them are mature for you. Keep us posted.

to everyone else- I am very excited about everyone else making it to stimming and er/et. I can't wait to hear everyone else's updates and reports.

I will be around this weekend as I will be resting and thinking lots of sticky baby thoughts. Everyone have a great night and fantastic weekend!

[Neffi211]

hey Ladies-- My Dh and I got great news...we were accepted into the shared risk program at our RE office. 6 cycles of IVF/ICSI for $22,000 with a guarantee. I'm so relieved...it takes a lot of pressure off!

CT michelle--congrats on your 4 perfect embryos! STICK!!!!!!

LB--thank god the little guy is hangin in there.....I'm crossing everything for you.

Hellokitty--21 eggs! thats awesome! cant wait for the fert report!

[esperanza]

Hello dears!

I'm so excited for all of us. Things are moving, and your experiences are making it more real for me.

Wunnam--how are you doing sweet heart? sending healing thoughts your way.

Tali-How’s that cold doing? I hope you’re feeling better now.

Angie –Great to hear about the good deal you got on the medications. See, experience does help! how's that big report coming? I'm done with my statistics class One more paper to go, and I'll be done!

Jomae—this is my first cycle, so sorry I can’t help with your colon question. Hopefully that won’t happen again next round.

Neffi—Woohoo!! that’s great news. I’m telling ya, finances are a big concern of mine. When I heard that we had to do IVF I cried A LOT mostly because I was afraid we would not be able to make it financially, but thankfully our insurance covers it…there’s no way we would be able to afford it right now. Congrats to you and dh!!!

Pumma, Michelle, and LB—CONGRATULATIONS, you are one step closer to your BFP!!

Boo1, Angel 505…where are you?

MLB—hahaha, you made me laugh with your comment about the lit review. I hope so Congrats on your ET, how exciting; I’m happy for you.

Amy--you're welcome. I hope I can be a good mother as you said This forum and this list help me keep going, otherwise I'll go crazy.

As for me, I got my medicines! I'm so excited. DH was a bit shocked, I don't think he realized how much medication I need to take. We start injections tonight. We are going to watch the videos today so we can get ourselves ready for tonight. We are both really looking forward to a BFP at the end of this process.

Sending love to all. Bring all those BFPs! can't wait

[esperanza]

ER

MLB—Dec 15th TODAY!!!

FaithHopeLove approx. Dec 17th

Amy2410—Thyroid test after holidays

PrincessB— Jan 4th

Tracy S—start shots Jan 6th

Tali— Week Jan 7th

ICSI Girl—week of Jan 7th

Higgins237 – week of Jan 7th

Washingtonda—Jan 9 ET

Esperanza – January 10th

Neffi211— Jan 18

Colesmom—Jan 21st

Laglenik—Jan 23-25

Jomae—end of January

Wunnam—Sadly canceled...for now. Back in March!!!

WaitingforMia ???

ET

Pumma-- Dec 14th

LB –Dec 15th TODAY!!

Hellokitty—???

Boo1-- ??

Angel505--??

Branbree –week of Jan 15th


TEST DAY (2 WW)

Schel--Dec 21st

CT_Michelle-- Dec 26th

Pumma-- Dec 24th or 26th

LB ????



ALL looking forward to BFPs!!

Sticky baby dust to all!

[hellokitty]

Hi Ladies,

Just popping in to give my fert report. We have 7 embryos. I know that does not seem like a lot from 21 eggies but I knew that some would be immature. DH and I are excited about them. Still feeling pretty crampy and full, so I am off to bed again. Told you ladies I was a big wuss ! My ET is scheduled for 12/17.

Sending out sticky vibes to all my ladies who have made it through transfer.

[esperanza]

ER

MLB—Dec 15th TODAY!!!

FaithHopeLove approx. Dec 17th

Amy2410—Thyroid test after holidays

PrincessB— Jan 4th

Tracy S—start shots Jan 6th

Tali— Week Jan 7th

ICSI Girl—week of Jan 7th

Higgins237 – week of Jan 7th

Washingtonda—Jan 9 ET

Esperanza – January 10th

Neffi211— Jan 18

Colesmom—Jan 21st

Laglenik—Jan 23-25

Jomae—end of January

Wunnam—Sadly canceled...for now. Back in March!!!

WaitingforMia ???

ET

Pumma-- Dec 14th

LB –Dec 15th TODAY!!

Hellokitty—Dec 17th

Boo1-- ??

Angel505--??

Branbree –week of Jan 15th


TEST DAY (2 WW)

Schel--Dec 21st

CT_Michelle-- Dec 26th

Pumma-- Dec 24th or 26th

LB ????



ALL looking forward to BFPs!!

Sticky baby dust to all!

[MLB]

So - the retrieval went well this morning. Actually, I was sort of suprised at how fast it was. Of course, I was not conscious for it - but I expected some warning that the anesthesia would be administered and then all the sudden I was waking up.

I got 25 eggs and, like others, am certain that they were not all mature. My friend does IVF in a research setting (on mice) and said to expect an 80% fert rate with ICSI. So...I'll get the fert report tomorrow.

The Dr is going on vacation (!), so we will all be having ET's at 3 days, which means Tuesday. My pregnancy test was supposed to be 12/29 - but I will be out of town then for the holidays. Perhaps I'll do a home test, but after reading all the drama that they can cause on other threads, I may skip it and just be in suspense.

CONGRATS to LB on your Et and to Hellokitty on your fertilization news. Seems like you might even have a few to freeze if they look good.

Good luck to all that are in the throes of the 2ww. I will be with you soon and I know it is long. At least it will busy with pre-holiday (or pre-mini vacation for all that don't celebrate x-mas) preparations.

For the ladies starting in January - it goes fast, but I know how it feels to wait. It was 2.5 months from the time we said we would do IVF until I actually started because I needed to get done with my first marathon that I was already training for. During the race all I could think about for the last few miles was that I would be starting IVF soon. ENJOY the holidays and have a big glass of wine for those of us that must abstain.

Melissa

[MLB]

Well, LB - I now know your frustration a little. They retrieved 25 eggs from me but only 12 were mature and even though they did ICSI - only 5 were fertilized. I know that I only need one, but I was hoping for some to freeze after the rough day yesterday. I guess when they retrieve that many eggs, you can expect to have a bit of bloating and general unhappiness. The nurses said that I do not need to give up caffiene altogether, but since I couldn't eat or drink anything before the retrieval I decided that it would be a good day to quit cold turkey. Caffiene withdrawl might have been the reason for some of symptoms yesterday. So to all the ladies that have not done this yet, please don't stress. I feel much better today.

So, the transfer is 8am Tuesday morning. Fingers crossed that some of the little embryos keep diving and I have 2 or 3 to transfer.

Melissa

[tali]

Hello Ladies,

We are getting slammed with a huge nor’easter by the time it is all finished we will have a foot and a half of snow on top of what we already had and it is only December.

Wunn how are you doing? Do you have a follow up appointment yet?
I hope you are feeling better about everything.

LB – Glad you are feeling better. How did ET go – I am keeping my fingers crossed for your Christmas miracle

Pumma, Michelle and Schel – Hopefully your 2ww will go by so fast and your will be posting your BFPs in no time.

Esperanza- How are you doing? Are you all finished with your papers? Did you and DH watch the video? We never got a video and during my first cycle, I was a nervous wreck the first day of the injections, by day 3 I was an old pro. You’ll see it will become pretty easy.

Hellokitty- Congrats – Only a couple of days till ET. Lots of sticky vibes to you

MLB—Glad the ER went well. I think one of the really nice things about doing our cycles during the holidays is that there is so much going on that we tend to obsess less on the process. I am sending you lots of sticky baby vibes

ICSI Girl—Girl, I hope you made your deadline at work. That is great news about getting your meds at such a good price. This process can be so costly for cash paying couples that every bit helps.

Higgins237 – week of Jan 7th

Neffi211— Great news about getting into the shared risk program. You are right, knowing about the finances does take a lot of pressure off. I am soooo fortunate that my insurance covers this process almost at a 100%.

Jomae—Hey girl, do you have your dates yet? This is my second cycle, but I never made it to ER last time (I was converted to iui due to poor response), so I am sorry, I have no advice for you. I hope you are doing well.

As for me, my DH picked up my meds for me on Friday and I was sooo happy that my insurance picked up more than the last cycle. My prescription insurance has these very strange deductible and I am assuming we met most of them in the last cycle because all meds cost lest than $10 this time. I kept telling my DH to make sure that the pharmacy did not make a mistake, since we paid almost $500 last cycle – Another great thing about doing the cycle before the end of the year.

I also got some news that made me feel pretty down. I found out that one of my old friends that I have not talked to in a couple of years had her 3rd child. She is a few years younger than me and it is so frustrating that getting pregnant can be sooo easy for some while so difficult for others.

Anyway, We have to dig out from more snow… oy way!!!

Baby dust to all

Xoxo
Tali