NOV/DEC 2009 -- Cycle Group

[teacher2bmom]

justwannabamom:
I totally agree!!! Especially about the money part and needing to be the "top of the list!" Our insurance doesn't cover IVF at all, and the 10,000ish that we paid was after saving for over a year! I get so mad when they screw stuff up. It is completely unacceptable. At our clinic we would have nurses who would tell us different things to do and when we got our BFN they were seriously heartless. My husband just got the call and they said "sorry it was a negative." He asked if there was anything else we needed to do and what was our next step and the reply was "it was a negative so there don't need to be any more follow up visits." and that was that. I really think if you are going to be dropping a bomb like that it should be said directly (that was good) and then followed with "your next options are..."
If I went into any store and planned to spend what we spend on IVF--we would be getting some SERIOUS customer service!!

[lou71]

So yesterday was rough. It was day 3 post ER and the clinic told me they'd call between 8:30am and 9am to let me know if I'm coming in for my ET. Let me also tell you that I had nightmares that all my embryos died the night before so I was already pretty nervous when I woke up at 6:30am! Took a shower and got dressed but couldn't eat a damn thing. Watched TV while keeping an eye on the clock. By 9AM, I was going out of my mind. At 9:15 I broke down and called them. They said "we still don't know anything yet... wait... hold on.... we'll call you back in 5 minutes". So 20 minutes later they still hadn't called back! Finally... after 27 minutes, the phone rang. They simply told me to insert the prometrium supp and be there in 1.5 hrs for my ET and drink 24-32 oz of water so my bladder would be full. By the time I got there, I could barely walk I was sooo full. So they did a quick u/s and told me I could empty 1 cup. Talk about bittersweet! Felt good to release a bit but to force myself to stop after a cup was awful. They checked me again, and I was still too full, so I got to go another half cup. Now things were tolerable. RE came in and told me of my 6 eggs, 5 mature, 4 fertilized, that I had 3 left. Two of them were perfect 8 cell embryos. I was even given pictures!

The third one was almost perfect but had a small amount of fragmentation. He said they would be transferring the two perfect grade 4 embies and possibly freezing the third on day 6 if it made it.

The transfer procedure was very smooth and easy. Only took about 5 minutes. After which I could choose to be straight cathed immediately or pee in a bedpan after 15 minutes, or get up to the toilet after 1 hr. I choose the cath, but my opening was too small for the size they had so I had to wait the 15 mins and use the bed pan. Really wasn't a big deal. I released it slow so there was no mess. After 1 hr I was discharged home for bedrest until today. I slept a little and watched movies all day from the recliner. RE said to me "what are your dinner plans?" And I said I had no idea. He recommended Chinese food. Said it worked for him. (He and his wife have twins with IVF). Sooo.... sent DH out for chinese food for dinner! Hey, whatever works.



What are your guys' thought on POAS before my beta on 11/10? My clinic doesn't recommend it. Said "we've seen many perfectly healthy babies born after a negative HPT". I'm debating.

10bear -- You should be heading back for another u/s today, right? I've been wishing your 8 follies along. Let us know how you're doing.

Riley baby maybe -- Welcome! In regards to how much to pay. I choose to do a shared risk plan which is available for women meeting their criteria who are under 39 years old. Basically, you pay for 3 fresh plus any frozen up front and if you don't bring home a baby, you get 80% back. Meds aren't included. The tough part was that for any canceled cycles, you end up paying for all services up to the point of cancellation PLUS a $500 cancellation fee. My clinic also does financing and provides a "cash" discount for those of us without insurance.

jandm -- Thanks for your good thoughts! Glad your baseline went well and you will be stimming soon.

justwannabamom -- Wow, that is really awful how your clinic treated you. I haven't had any problems like that with my clinic. They always call and are very helpful. I choose a small practice, 2 docs, because of they're high success rates and proximity to my home. I made an effort to learn all of the nurses names & a little something about them. That way when I called and she said "Hi, it's Sue", I would say "Hi Sue, how's your ankle doing? You were limping the other day". Because of this each RN gave me free Follistim and I didn't have to buy any for this cycle. At the pharmacy, 600 units costs $850 and I was taking 450 units a day!!! Try "making friends" with the staff at your clinic... it really works! Good luck!

me2009-- My mom had spine issues as well. Benign tumor, radiation, scoliosis, etc. She passed away in 2002. I have herniations at L4-L5 and L5-S1. I see a chiropractor regularly now but I used to get epidural steroid injections when it was really painful. I wonder how this will affect me carrying a child someday? Glad you got the green light on your suppression. That's great news! Stim follies, stim!!

olim78 -- Thanks for thinking of me! The injections do get easier over time. But the progesterone in oil never gets easier...lol. You're almost there now. Keep us posted.

Well, my husband made me pumpkin pancakes for breakfast and I'm being summoned to go eat them!

Good luck everyone.

Good luck everyone.

[turtle0619]

lou71 woooohoooooo you're PUPO!!!!!!! 2 perfect embies sounds great!!! i cant wait for you to get this board off to a great start with our first BFP!!!
as far a POAS i'm not sure if i'm going to do that but if i do i'm gonna wait till the day before my beta...just in case its bfn i will have time to deal with it on my own without it coming from a phone call...if its BFP (and it WILL be) then i will poas 20 times i'm sure just to see those lines!!! haha
just relax and try to stay calm during your 2ww...i have everything crossed for you hun!

[justwannabamom]

Lou71
Congrats on your 2 perfect embies that sounds great! We look forward to hearing you got a BFP. Looks like those of you who are transferring now are getting the rest of us off to a good start!

[katie99]

Hi everyone -

Well I guess I'll be joining in with you all, as here we go again! This has been the year of IVF for us (Dec will be #3) plus 2 cancelled cycles, so by now I've been on every cycling thread since June! Yikes! We've been ttc for 2 years now, but the ivf journey started about a year and a half ago. We tried for a year on our own, then went for an HSG to find out that both tubes were 100% blocked & needed to be removed before starting IVF.
Like most of you we are all out of pocket as well, so this has really been taking a toll on us. I cant believe I'll be using the last try of the package we bought from our clinic ( I'm so happy we decided to go that route!) I remember the 1st consult when DH wasnt sure about buying a package
luckily the RE told us it would be the best choice for us! Of course I had no idea that I'd be at this so long! ha ha
RE finally agreed to an EPP/Antagonist protocol ( its suppossed to work well with "older" & poor responders) So I'm hopeful this try. We came close last time with ET of 2 "perfect" grade A -8 celled but still a BFN
But now my RE feels that there are still a few good ones left, so hopefully the dice roll in my favor this time! I have the med class on tues so I'll get my schedule then. I look forward to getting to know you all, but I see some familar faces already -
Hi Chris! Hi Franny!

Hugs & prayers to us all! - xoxo

[turtle0619]

(((((((((((((katie))))))))))))))))) hi my dear friend!! i'm so glad you get another chance at this, and that you are starting again! we have both had a pretty crazy year..(i found out i had endo this year) but i KNOW its going to end well for us! i was talking to my DH the other day and we were saying what a crappy year this has been....my surgery to find out i have endo, we've both had deaths in our family, and a canceled ivf cycle...i said its GOT to end on a good note....we have to leave 2009 with something positive!! so i totally think this is finally OUR time!! it's so good to see you back..ive missed you
good luck at the RE on tuesday....your new protocol seems very aggressive, and i think thats whats going to make a difference this time!

[KJGrant]

Wow this board is really hopping (EXCITING!!!) I have just caught up after a week of MIA, I started my estrogen last Friday, for my FET on 11/11 but that was short lived on Tuesday I came down with H1N1, and my RE canceled my cycle I called them Wednesday and told them, and asked if I could take the Tamiflu, and they said thats what they would give me if I was pregnant, so it was okay and we got a call back later saying they were pushing us back a month because they don't know how long the virus will stay in my body.
So thanks Supergenius for putting me one the list but I guess I should be moved to the "waiting" section.
I am feeling much better, I am still in bed but I can lift my head finally to type so . . . improving!!

Turtle0619: That's great that you get the MA benefits for IVF, DH and I would be SOL if we didn't have them!

Jandm: Where in W. Mass did you grow up? I am in the Amherst area.

To_have_fun: It is the best getting the meds in the mail, it does feel like x-mas. This time was a little less the my first cycle, cause its a FET, but still exciting. I just wish I got to use them a little longer!! (I guess I can wait a month)

[2010]

Lou71 congrats on your transfer!
katie99 good to have you here. i think i saw you on sept oct board.
KJgrant so sorry about the flu, get better, i guess one positive thing is you now have your immunity and wont get it while you are pregnant!

I had my first hot flush from the meds today, so weird! i also have had this horrible horrible headache for two days, interesting that its sort of on one side of my head... has anyone had anything like that? tylenol or ibuprophen are not helping really, the pain is just coming and going, but at the same time its not affecting my activities and/or sleep (thank god)... anyway... will see whats next from prostap/lupron. i am not even mentioning the mood swings... not sure if that is the meds or just my usual

have a good weekend, everyone

[turtle0619]

2010 lupron gave me horrible headaches while i was on it last cycle. i'm hoping that since this cycle i am using a very low dose of diluted lupron it wont be as bad. i also cried at the silliest things. i did however enjoy using it to my advantage with DH. anytime i asked him to do something i followed it up with...i'm filled with hormones so dont even think about messing with me!! haha it was fantastic!!

[tabbdm]

Hello ladies! my name is Angela and I would like to join your forum. I have been on stim meds for 8 days now I go to the in the morning to see if I start on Ganerelix. I have about 28 eggs growing between the two ovaries the Dr says that is a good start. This is my 2nd cycle and I am praying that we all have a successful one! I am not having too many side effects a slight headache other than that nothing I just wonder if I am suppose to be feeling something?? I take follistim in the am and repronex at night. Oh I guess I should say what brought us to ivf my tubes are tied I had children from my first marriage and decided to tie my tubes bad mistake my marriage ended. I met the man of my dreams and he did not have any kids so I felt I should try. Has anyone had a tubal reversal?? I thought of that option but found out my husband has 2% motilty and that he has a lot of funky swimmers thats how the Dr. put it. So here I am on day 8 prayng and hoping for the best!!!

[jenice]

Hi everyone, I'll be doing my FET in about a week I'm trying to stay optimistic but am afraid of the dissapointment if it fails I can only try !!!!! I'm still getting over my bronchitis/ probable swine flu, I was so sick......

KATIE99- I've done the antagonist protocol last IVF cycle, less injections but I do ganarelix which is expensive compared to lupron. I'm not sure how much since I have insurance for it.

JUSTWANNABAMOM- I think the RE offices are like that I know mine is. Love my RE and know the nurses are probably overworked and it has to be a crazy atmosphere @ x's . But I'm always on top of them as far as my meds go, I'm calling the pharm double checking if they called it in or not. Repeat everything they say especially dosages.Last cycle nurse told me dosage of stims to start with which wasn't want the RE and I agreed to start with. If my FET doesn't work here I'll take my insurance elsewhere already thinking of this clinic 1 hour away which is what I drive anyway but RE by themselves there.Maybe it won't be as crazy. I'm getting tired of seeing different faces all the time last cycle had one RE almost cancel me then they called RE who really knows me and I wasn't cancelled and went through the whole cycle.Also I had 15 embies i fractured 4abnormal left with 10 fertilized embies last cycle. Only have 2 frosties left cause I went to blast last cycle which I had transferred 2.Don't know if that is helpful but I was surprised @ low #'s maybe ask GHOST about that.

[LuLu668]

Hi everyone, I went to see my RE on Friday, She wants to use an antagonist protocol this time. Not sure what is an antagonist protocl. We went for another u/s and lab on Halloween. The nurse called back at 4pm, turns out my estrogen level went under 50, so RE wants to start stims tonight, CREEPY . I guess I have an alien body that doesn't react the same way as anybody else, so they are going to do one step at a time. She want another u/s on Wed to see what we will do next. I hope everything still turn out ok after all this craziness.

Lou71: congratulation on your transfer! I know how you feel about waiting, just can't stand it. Now just relax and let the baby settle in. You will be the first MOM among us Tons of baby dust

[baby hopes]

LOU71... my fingers, arms, legs, and toes are crossed for you. Try to stay busy or just keep yourself busy for the next 2 weeks....I think the 2ww is the worse than anything else... get on the blog when you get too anxious.. that's what we are here for!!!!!!!
Lulu.... Yeah your on to the stims!!!!!!!! I like to think of this IVF thing we are all going thru as marathon..so your @ mile 20!!!!!! ( I know weird way to think but it keeps me focused on the goal) Best of luck!!!!
This board is getting so exciting I find myself checking it a couple times a day. You all give me hope and the feeling that I am not alone..... Thanks to all and best wishes to us all.......

[lou71]

Hi All,

I'm going out of my mind trying to read my bodies cues during this 2ww. The evening of my ET, I felt a SHARP twinge in my uterus that lasted maybe 5 seconds. This has been followed by slight cramping, almost like AF is coming. My boobs, which weren't sore the day of the transfer, have become SUPER sore. And late last night, I had a tiny amount of brownish pink spotting. Thought for sure AF was here and I thought "Oh, No!". But that was it. I'm also peeing a lot. Got up 3 times during the night. What does this all mean? I dunno.

Funny story... I decided I wanted to check HPT every couple of days, so DH and I stopped at the Dollar Store to pick up a few. He grabbed 5 of them and we got in line. The people in front of us turn around and it's our next door neighbors! Who don't know we are doing IVF in the first place. I ended up telling them it was part of my Halloween costume. So yeah... I went as a pregnancy test...?????? I took the first HPT, and it was a faint positive line. Probably HCG left over from the trigger shot. I'll check it every couple of days and let you all know. But I've adopted the attitude that I'm not going to read a lot into the results... esp if they're negative... haha.

Now I have to get ready to go to a baby shower. Oh, how I don't want to go! The mom is pregnant with twins from IVF. She had 3 IUI's and 3 IVF's over 2 years that failed before this positive on a FET. She's got PCOS. She also promised me her left over Follistim and then turned around and gave it to someone else on the day I went over to get it! Oh well... I can't expect anything from her. I barely know her. She's my bosses daughter-in-law. I'm close with my boss, so I know most of her family pretty well. At least this means I have a boss who is understanding about what I'm going through. But if I have to see one more ultrasound of those twins...... #@$%$^%$!!!

Everyone have a great day.

[julia_78]

Lou - congrats on the 2 perfect embies transfer, and fingers & toes crossed for you. It's so hard to not drive yourself crazy in that 2WW - and even hard to read early symptoms given all the medicine we are on - I think the progesterone causes tired feeling & the need to pee more often, so that may be the reason, but yoir spotting sounds like it could be implantation bleeding!!!

Jenice - so glad you are starting to recover from the flu & good luck for the FET!!

Everyone on stim - Best wishes for plenty of high quality eggs!

teacher2bmom and justwannabamom - sorry to hear you are having such bad experiences with your clinics! our clinic is very small (one RE, one IVF coordinator, one NP) and we have received great service & experience so far, i would recommend it to anyone. the staff is responsive, compassionate, and provide personalized service, and i think some of it has to do with the size of the practice. the only downside of small clinics is the lack of back-up for each of their staff member. we almost had to postpone our first cycle b/c the RE & the nurse were out w/ the flu the week we were supposed to do the med teaching and start the shots, and by the time the staff would be back i would be out of town on a business trip. we scrambled a bit and finally pulled it off but that is the only time i questioned whether we had made the right decision with going for a small clinic.

It's so exciting to see so many of us on this board!! I'll probably be one of the last one to go - our FET is tentatively scheduled for Dec 21st. I got the protocol this week - BCP thru Nov 22nd, then Estrace & Baby Aspirin, then Endometrin/ Prometrium & Medrol before the FET. Do you know what Estrace does? Also for this FET cycle like for the last IVF cycle my RE is prescribing the progesterone in inserts (Emdometrin) & pills (Prometrium) rather than as shots. I am not complaining b/c so many of you have bad experiences with the Progesterone in oil, but was wondering whether anyone had heard of whether one is supposed to work better/ differently than the other?

have a great weekend everyone!