OCT / NOV / DEC 2008 Buddies

[karenvancouverisland]

rosario, that's great you're taking advantage of a fresh cycle being covered while you can.

sloan, i'm sorry to hear you're having the 2ww freakout..i hope to make it to the 2ww, andi'm sure i'll be freaking out too!

just got the call from the lab, out of our 9 eggs, we had 5 mature ones, and 4 fertilized. i'm a cross between grateful and disappointed..fighting to keep a positive outlook. i know 'it only takes 1', as i've said that myself a thousand times...but i'm just scared. i want this so bad and don't know what will become of me if it doesn't work. if it does work i'll be the happiest person around!

i don't really get how we only had 5 mature eggs with the size of our follies? ..but i guess there's no predicting what's inside those follies for sure.

[Kas101]

Sloan88 Hang on in there. The 2WW is tough and all we do is look for symptoms till we go crazy!!!! Some people have symptoms and it turns out to be a bfp and for some it was just the progesterone causing these and its a bfn. For others they have no symptoms and its a BFP and for others its a BFN. There is just NO SIMPLE ANSWER. WHen people get preg naturally the first symptom is usually a missed period and then a few weeks later they start to have noticable symptoms, so dont worry... ajdec had no symptoms and got a BFP and i have seen that story over and over again. Hang in there!!!!

NY4th 10 follies is great. I know you had more last time but this was your first u/s and as you know, they only count measureable follies, so you may have more that next time will be included. Also all the treatments that you did were specifically to increase the chances of implantation and continuing a successful pregnancy, so i'm certain you will reap those rewards with a BFP

Wonderce Glad you like the book synopsis. I know organic is so exensive and i'm not being fanatical about it, but i have cut out any perservatives so no more rice a roni or pre-packed foods. Apart from that i now buy all my meat and vegetables at wholefoods (meats always contain hormones etc of they arent organic) but everything else still comes from the grocery store as usual - as does DH's meat, its just me on the organic bandwagon due to cost!!!)

ajdec Congrats on telling your mom - i also havent told mine as she is a panicker, so i will just makeout like it 'just happened' only DH and i will know how much of a miracle our baby will be

Karen Congrats on the fert report. I cannot believe you got 9 eggs!!! So are you letting your 4 carry on to blasts or will you do a 3 day?
Also you asked a question about caffine in tea.... As far as i know some teas have as much caffine as coffee i know black tea does. Green tea is the one i cant remember, and fruit/herbal teas have none, but comfrey teas should be avoided (i think its like caffine but not 100% on why)

Embie testing positive 7 days after a 3 day transfer is an excellent sign. That means its over 10 days since your trigger shot and so the HCG is out of the body. I was testing negative at this point in my last (failed)cycle, so (tentatively) i would say congrats!!! Try again in few days time to be absolutely sure !

Havbaby Love the onesie!!!!!!! OMG where did you see that!!If i get PG i will definately get one as , boy, never a truer word was spoken!!!!!!

Bell02 Hey i remember you form the Aug/Sept buddies. Ther are of a few of us her i'm sure you recognise who also bottomed out last time. Glad you are able to restart and congrats on starting the lupron!!!

To Have Fun Yeah!!! bcp's are done!!!! Glad you get to start on the 'hard' drugs now!!!! here we go.........

Robin Hey sounds like you have a lot of good size follies in there!!!! Some do get too big and some stay too small to be mature, thats completely normal. You have plenty 'in range' so it looks like a great result for you - have they told you when you will trigger? I'm guessing it will be soon as you have been stimming a while and you seem to be almost there...

As for me, not uch to tell, as AF is not due til Sat, after which i can start the bcps probably Monday or Tuesday. Then i will feel like i am in the game and not just watching from the sidelines!!!!

[gina1234]

hey ladies so today is day two of meds & i am feeling like my estrogen level is going to be high tomorrow i just have that feeling i have to call my doctor & let them knoe that i am also keeping track of my weight within one day of meds i have gained 2 pounds do u ladies think this is weird...anyways i go for BW tomorrow & will see if they lower my follistim i am at 200 iu right now so they my lower to 150 iu because the meds work very fast with my body...i hope all you ladies are doing great...i am sending good vibes, baby dust & alot of hugs to u all.....

[Embie30068]

Thanks to all!!! I am keeping my fingers crossed for everyone on this board.

LOTS OF BABY DUST TO ALL!

[bonnie_bc]

Hi!

This is my first post on this website. We just had 2 little egglets put back on 10/24 and we're pretty excited. I am NOT loving this waiting game to take my preg test, which is Nov 5th. I cramped all weekend after the eggs were put in but doc says this is normal and expected. Still a bit crampy off and on. bbs are bigger, according to dh! Ha! Taking shots of progesterone each evening, with baby aspirin. Start Vivelle tummy patches tomorrow.

[karenvancouverisland]

-how many ivf patients does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

hmmmm..screw in a lightbulb? do you think it would help?


-why does it take 50 million sperm to fertilize 1 egg?- they don't ask for directions.

ha ha

[robin611]

adject, karen, babyhope - Thanks so much for your condolences about my Dad. I know you are right that he will be a guardian angel for us. babyhope - my Dad had pancreatic cancer too. It's such a horrible disease! We were fortunate in that he was able to survive for 21 months and we are thankful that even after he had been diagnosed already 11 months, he was able to attend and dance at my brother's wedding! I know that if we get our little one, it will be with his help...
karen - good luck with your ET - I know you said it yourself but it only takes 1! Also, love those jokes!
bonnie - Welcome and sending you sticky vibes for your 2WW!

And, here's my update. I've been going for u/s every day. Had another one this morning, again with the RE - I think he's trying to keep an extra watch on me. The good news is there were now like 8 follies on each side. On the left they ranged from like 10-20 and on the right from 12-24.5. I think I had heard that 16-18 is considered mature. Does that sound right to anyone? Anyway, he's going to keep me on the meds at least one day more, making my ER no earlier than Sat and possibly Sun. But, his confidence that we are moving in the right direction is keeping me going...
I'll let you know when I trigger! Thanks for all your support through all of this!

[sloan88]

robin - that sounds like great news! you are humming along.

bonnie - welcome to the 2ww - there are several of us here - reading into every symptom ... after significant internet research time I have truly come to the conclusion.. .that you can't guess this one in advance... maybe if you are puking then it's worth taking a test but other than that - only the beta will know. somehow that's reassuring....

Karen - I love your lightbulb joke... ha! good luck with your transfer... is it tomorrow?

Kas - great that you get to start so soon! thanks for your sanity check on my 2ww.... i'm breathing again...

babyhope - so sorry about your past year and losses... challenging... and I think you're right about not telling everyone. Hope the lupron shots are getting better. My follistim shots made me itch the first day and then it didn't happen again. maybe it's your body acclimating...

chris and NY 4th try- how are things going?

As for me i'm hanging in there... beta is now only 4 days away.... trying to keep my mind on other things....

hope everyone else is well...

[karenvancouverisland]

hi bonnie, welcome to the board and congrats on your 2 ET, i'm curious how you responded to treatment? do you have any frosties? is this your first IVF? let us know more about you. i hope to join you soon in the 2ww.

robin- that's wonderful about your follies, i'm glad they're checking them daily, thats' a good idea. my clinic has given me the impression that between 17-20 is mature..once they're over 20 they're at risk of becoming old and not fertilizing ( i think that's what happened to some of mine). i believe your dad's spirit is with you right now .

sloan- can't believe you have 4 more days to go!! wow, awesome, steps closer to celebrating a miracle. it really brings to mind how much COURAGE we all have..being close to the beta results was a terrifying place for me to be before.

so i updated some of my close friends and family about our ER and that 4 out of the 9 retrieved have fertilized, and i have to say, god bless people who are ignorant about IVF..many of my friends think 4 is an AWESOME number, they are so excited and hopeful..they had no concept that this was disappointing! that helped me feel good. the exception was my MIL- i heard her disappointment (which i'm hypersensitive to anyways), i had an instant reaction to blow up at her, but had to stop and see she's also been so supportive and so much more emotionally available to us than my mom..and i know she desperately wants to be a grandma.

well i'm so praying for a good call from the lab today..GOD PLEASE BRING ME A BABY!!!!

How's everyone else doing? chris, wicked wheel, wonder, NY, and the many others i haven't named...

[wonderce]

Hi Karen, doing good thanks. Just counting the days until my beta next week! I can so relate to your disappointment on the follies...I think you and me had the exact same count except you ended up with 1 more fertilized than me. Stay positive though, as you and others have said, it only takes one! Do you know their grades yet? I'm still learning about grading and what it really means in terms of ending up with a BFP. BTW, your jokes cracked me up.

Sloan, Melissa and Bonnie, are you all going as crazy in the 2ww as me? This is so hard!

Kas, I'm hitting the grocery store this weekend and am really going to focus on trying at least a few new organic foods. Just curious because I think I do eat a lot of processed foods, but what do you snack on? You'll be in the "game" soon enough with BCP's next week. And we'll be here to cheer you on like you have us.

Gina, that's great you respond so well on lower meds. I took the highest dosage they would give me and still came out on the low end. You should be coming right along when you get your b/w today. Let us know.

Robin, also so sorry to hear about your dad. You sound so strong and positive. And babyhope, you too. You both are very inspiring and know that you have angels looking over you.

Hi to everyone else and hang in there.

[karenvancouverisland]

hi wonder, yes i think we do have several things in common i'm actually hoping they transfer 3 embies into me tomorrow, today when they call they'll have the grades..and an idea of how many they'll transfer, they'll wait to see what they look like tomorrow for final decision.

so in your signature when it says FSH- does that mean you have high FSH? i do, we're also both 36... AND...... we'll BOTH GET A BFP THIS TIME!!!

have a great day..i've taken off work til monday...so i'll be very present on this board

[to_have_fun08]

wonderance and sloan - Glad to see you gals are doing as expected on your 2ww. I was going crazy on my 2ww. I don't think I got any work done. Then I POAS 5 days before my beta and it was negative. It made the rest of my 2ww more miserable but I am glad I did it because I can't take getting the call from a stranger telling me it didn't work. With my next cycle I might wait to POAS until a day or 2 before my beta.

Karen - 4 is still a really good number. Just think it is double the amount you had last time. Also this time you have more eggs to choose from. For my last cycle I would have liked to have at least 4, that way I could have gone to do a 5 day transfer. I know all lot of people say that a 3dt is just as good as a 5 day but in my mind I want to do a 5 day just to see how my embies continue to grow. In comment to those people that are oblivious to IVF. I was one of those people a few years ago. My friend was doing IVF and I had no clue what she was talking about. Now looking back I should have been more supportive. Though now my friend isn't really supportive because she doesn't remember much about her IVF. I love her to death but she is kind of an air head and doesn't remember one day to the next.


Robin - Sounds like you are slowly chugging along. There is no problem with that some people are just slower. You will be at ER before you know it. Sorry to hear about your dad. My Mom past away in 1999, if everything goes smoothly I should have my beta test the same week as her b-day. I hope she can send me some extra BFP vibes.

bonnie - Bonnie welcome to the board. Hope your embies are snuggling in tight.

babyhope - I know you haven't had the best of year. Just keep in mind that you will get another BFP and it will stick for 9 months. So this year will end in a happy ending.


Hope everyone else is good. I know I missed a lot of people.
I still have not ordered my meds. Usually I order them way ahead of time but I am not very motivated with this cycle. I still had Lupron from previous cycles so I can put it off a little longer. I think I might wait to order them until next Wednesday and I get the official OK that I can start to stim. I just don't want to put out all the money right now and then have my cycle pushed off longer or canceled. I know that is not very good PMA but since they changed my protocol again I won't get my hopes up until I get that call that my b/w and u/s is OK.



Chris

[karenvancouverisland]

hi chris, thanks for saying 4 is a good number,, you're right, it is, and i need frequent reminding of that.

it sounds like PMA is a struggle for you right now also...this is so hard on us. i have to say that i admire you- i see alot of perseverance and courage in you, and i also admire how honest you can be with your feelings when you are down. it is unrealistic for us to have PMA all the time. we get jaded and have to really work at, and reach out for help with staying hopeful. i suggest you check out the aug/sept board today- hilarious post that's good for those of us who've been around the ivf block a few times- the 'ivf barbies'. it's maybe not so good for those who are newer to IF.

here's my quote for the day: Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don't give up. (anne lamott)

[to_have_fun08]

This is hilarious! I stole this from Renee over at the Aug/Sept board.


IVF Barbie
When Mattel were looking to design their new Barbie, IVF Barbie, they soon realized that there was not one universal Barbie that would accurately portray the spirit of IVF Barbie. So they decided they would come out with a few variations thereof.

Newbie Barbie: Newbie Barbie, also known as BabyDust Barbie is a bright, perky, Barbie, filled with optimism and confidence that IVF Will Work. She is thinner and usually younger than the other IVF Barbies. Her accessories include rose-tinted spectacles, a positive bank balance, healthy insurance coverage and a million questions. Newbie Barbie has lots of other Newbie Barbie friends and they congratulate each other on a job well done. This Barbie only says pleasant, optimistic things and believes that Attitude is Everything. Their motto is Think Positive!!

Pregnant Newbie Barbie: Pregnant Newbie Barbie is the big sister to Newbie Barbie. She is still slim, now with a cute belly. She is proof that IVF Does Work, usually the first time. She also comes with rose-tinted spectacles, a positive bank balance (only very slightly depleted) and total confidence that All Will Be OK. She glows when pregnant and liberally uses baby dust when playing with her sisters, the Newbie Barbies. She comes with Very Cute maternity clothes, a double stroller, and a fully decorated nursery even though she is only just a few weeks pregnant. Her motto is ‘See! Thinking Positive Works!!’. Newbie Barbie and Pregnant Newbie Barbies are great playmates and you can collect them as a set.

Veteran Barbie: Veteran Barbies are not at all related to the Barbies above. Veteran Barbies are the Anti-Barbie. They are a whole lot plumper than the Newbie Barbies, less perky (in boobs and attitude), have grayer hair, a largely negative and over-drawn bank balance, plenty of bruises and marks and a slightly cynical attitude. They are dressed in comfy track pants with elasticated waistbands. Their accessories include a wealth of knowledge of reproductive procedures and protocol, the ability to practically do their own cycle, a snarky attitude, little tolerance for stupidity, a well defined sense of humor, the ability to laugh at themselves, a fondness for wine/beer/crack and a aversion to pineapple, baby dust and Newbie Barbies. This aversion in its more severe form can be allergic and acerbic. Veteran Barbies tend to swear quite a bit (especially when playing in the Barbie House with Newbie Barbies and Pregnant Newbie Barbies) and parental guidance is advised.

Pregnant Veteran Barbie: Very similar to Veteran Barbie, only now with an added dose of neuroses and paranoia. Continuously and obsessively over-analyses every twinge, convinced that the end is nigh. Only buys stroller and decorates nursery when in eighth month. Accessories include disbelief and a sense of not quite belonging, and 10 home pregnancy tests just in case the first one was faulty or the clinic made a mistake with her beta. Pregnant Veteran Barbies have been known to pee on the sticks up until the day before giving birth just to see the two lines.

Celebrity IVF Barbie: Celeb Barbie comes in two versions: Denial Celeb Barbie and Out the Closet IVF Barbie. Denial Celeb Barbie does not play with the other Barbies and pretends not to be an IVF Barbie at all. She drops the IVF part of her name and thinks 'Donor Eggs' is a swear word. She pretends that her twins at age 49 are Natural and she did it all On Her Own. She also claims her boobs are her own and that she has never had a face life, hence her credibility is not at an all time high. Out the Closet IVF Barbie is the preferred Barbie. We like her.

IVF Ken: Ken is a wanker. Sorry to sound so harsh, but besides being a wanker there is very little that Ken does in IVF land. Sometimes Ken administers shots, hands out tissues and occasionally accompanies the Barbies to their Dr’s visits (normally during the first few cycles only), but mostly he is just a wanker. If you choose an IVF Ken, then try and get one that also cooks or does DIY. Otherwise just sit him down in front of your Barbie TV and let him know when it is time for him to do his, um, contribution. Mostly the Barbies love their Kens, unless Ken is being particularly insensitive or obnoxious, then he becomes a wanker in all senses of the word. Some IVF Barbies don’t even have a Ken and they do just fine. If you do find a good Ken, hang on to him, don’t swap him with your other friends.

RE Ken : RE Ken (RE = Reproductive Endocrinologist) is the all knowing, all seeing Ken. He might be a wanker, or not, but here we are talking about being a wanker in the figurative sense. He could also be very nice. He may call you by your first name but you may only call him Doctor. His accessories are many and wonderful. He comes with a zooty new car (normally very expensive), a smart house, a very healthy bank balance and a holiday home or two. RE Ken knows every thing and is considered second only to God. Some RE Kens are kind, some are not. They are all rich. Ken’s office is filled with fun toys like ultra sound machines, dildo like probes, waiting rooms filled with the different types of Barbies (some annoyingly come with miniature Barbies or Kens en tow), medicines, procedures rooms etc. RE Ken also comes with a free Nurse (Ratchet) Barbie, who will not return your calls, will hand out annoying platitudes and generally add to your frustration levels. When purchasing RE Ken you will get Ultrasound Ken and BloodDrawer Ken. Unfortunately they come as a package deal and you are not able to get RE Ken without them, they aren’t as much fun. However, you will need a RE Ken if you are going to play the IVF Barbie game.

Mattel foresee a big demand for these Barbies and say that for extra fun and lively interaction, collect the full set of IVF Barbies, put them in the Barbie house together and see the sparks fly.

[to_have_fun08]

Karen - We are posting at the same time. HE HE. I love the Barbie thing. I think I am also a Veteran Barbie. I agree, we can't have positive PMA all the time. It would be great if we were but then we would be like newbie Barbie and after a couple of IVF's I don't think anyone can still be a newbie Barbie.

For all those doing their first IVF. There is lots and lots of hope for you. Don't let us vets get you down. Believe me it would be great to be Newbie Barbie and have everything work like it should. Tons of ladies get PG with their first cycle, some of us just arn't so lucky.

Chris