May cycle buddies :)

[mcfarland2213]

Ryann - welcome to the group - I wish you tons of baby dust as you start the journey. My old roommate was named Ryann and would get so frustrated anyone pronounced it "RY-ANNE" - she's like 'It's Ryann, just like the boy's name" It always made me laugh!

I just talked to my IVF nurse today (I love chatting with her, she always puts me in a good mood!) and she wants my husband & I to take an antibiotic (like normal) the only problem I had is that I just got off of a 3 week antibiotic for a bad sinus infection and it's my 4th one this year so I asked her if I could skip the antibiotic this time around and she said "Yes" So that made me happy! My DH still has to be on one which is fine - have to pick that up today (after my follow-up sinus infection appointment). The fun never ends with some of these doctor's appointments! My DH got OT today so it'll just be me - give me some "alone time" to just relax!

I hope everyone has a great weekend - I start estrogen patches on Tuesday - never done those before, it says for the first one to take it in the AM and then the rest of them I take in the PM...I have to read all those instructions sometime soon!

Until next time - Ashley

[rypell1985]

Thank you all for the welcomes!! I had my trial transfer today and it was a PIECE OF CAKE!!! So many people had me prepped for it being extremely painful and it wasn't (aside from the full bladder thing!). One step closer...med class next week. I have to have a thyroid retest in a week or two because my TSH levels were out of the normal range. No starting until they are back in the normal range, but my RE nurse doesn't seem to think that will take long with a med increase. Hoping for af on April 29 which would mean I get to start. Otherwise, 10 days of Provera to bring her on and THEN we can start! I am so excited to have some of you to share the 2ww with...this will be my first!

For those of you that have gone through this already...any recommendations about taking days off of work after the ER and transfer? I'm a teacher and since we are nearing the end of the year I would hate to miss more days than I need to, but would also like to have an idea of how I will feel. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Again, thanks and best baby wishes to us all!

Ryann

[purpleFish]

Ryann - I am glad the mock transfer went well for you, I also hope that your TSH goes back to normal so you can start soon!

Tiger04 - 3 1/2 years was hard, but I know some people have been trying even longer and I really feel for them. I tried (not always successfully) to focus on the good things that I did have in my life.

PMApsy (Sophie) - It is nice to meet someone else going for another child. The first time I was going through infertility everyone was very supportive, but now that I want one more everyone thinks I am insane. I missed breastfeeding after weaning, but I also regained so much energy. The IVF is a lot different than IUI's but it is nicer in a lot of ways. They have a lot more control over everything that happens and they actually have a schedule. I had one failed IUI where I just wasn't responding to medicine and was on the injectables for 51days! I had to cancel my Christmas flights and we ended up finally having the IUI the night of Christmas Eve... it was such a pain.

I am very very lucky and grateful to have a beautiful set of boy/girl twins William and Hannah. I could talk about them all day... but I won't I know it can be hard to hear about other's children when you are trying so hard to just have just one.

We had our teaching class night. It was fairly boring, but they did answer a few questions. I personally think that I could have just read through the packet by myself and saved 2 hours, but oh well. My husband hated it so much he is sending me to the second class by myself. The second class is just injections, so he doesn't really need to be there anyway.

[AnnetteASalinas]

Hi Everyone,

I am new to this thread and to IVF... DH and I have been trying for the past 3 years with no luck. We do have a beautiful 6 year old daughter in which we had no problem in conception... I had a HSG done in Feb. my goodness one painful exam.
Dr. said both of my fallopian tubes are blocked and our only chance of a baby is thru an IVF. The only thing we were told was to return when we were ready and for it to be 10 days prior to my AF. I have no idea what an IVF entails and I am very confused and scared over the whole procedure... I would love to hear from ya'll. I welcome all advise and suggestions.

I wish everyone on this thread the very best of luck! My prayers go out to ya'll.

[rypell1985]

AnnetteASalinas...I'm brand new here too, so welcome and good luck! Although I'm sure I won't be able to answer any questions yet, I hope I can learn from yours!!!

purplefish...Your teaching classes are split into two sessions? Ours is only going to be one (this Thursday), other wise my DH would LOVE to be able to sit out...he isn't looking forward to it! I just keep reminding him what the (hopeful) outcome of this all will be That's awesome that you have your twins...I'm hoping for twins myself, though one would be a blessing.

mcfarland...Everyone tries to call me Ry-anne as well. My favorite though is when people ask if my parents wanted a boy!! That is so exciting that you are scheduled for a May3rd ER!!! I'll keep everything crossed for you!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Ryann

[Tiger04]

Ashley – I’m glad everything is on track for you! I never did the estrogen patches either, but if it’s not a shot, that sounds good to me!

Ryann – Lots of doctors suggest different protocols for after the transfer. If I were you, I would do bed rest for 1-2 days after the transfer. You should be fine after the retrieval. Yeah for an April 29 start date! Let’s hope that AF is on time!

PurpleFish – You are absolutely right. I too am super thankful for what I have. Thanks for the reminder  Sometimes it’s easy to take advantage of what we have if we’re always looking forward to what we don’t have. That’s so funny about your husband… are you going to give yourself all the injections? I’m deathly afraid of needles, another ironic thing about me going through IVF, that I had to close my eyes and not even look at the needle. So, my husband did all of the injections. You are brave!!

Annette – welcome! You have come to the right place! I didn’t use the Chicago ivf clinic, but have used this website frequently for questions. Each clinic is a bit different, so your timing might be slightly different, but I thought this could be helpful: http://www.advancedfertility.com/sampleivfcalendar.htm

Riogirl, nicky, Molly, Jenice, dys, – where are you? We miss you!

I hope everyone is doing well!

[kizmet]

How's everyone going?

It's hard to keep up in here! I'm so glad to see I'm not the only "new to IVF" one here! I've currently go no real idea of what's happening next and some of the jargon is hard to follow, esp. since I'm in Australia and I think we have different names for drugs and proceedures! My next step is pre-payment (oh great, there goes a giant pile of money!!! ) and an appointment with the IVF nurse on the 20th April who will hand over the drugs and show me how to administer them and when.

Cheers
Kiz

[PMApsy]

Good morning!

How are you guys doing? Here in Montreal we're having a sunny, but chilly week. Ah, it's normal temperature for this time of the year, but we've had such exceptional weather in March that I miss the heat!

Tiger,
My son's name is Jérémie, and he'll turn 1 on the 27th. And of course, I can't wait until he smears his face with chocolate cake...! Thanks for the comments on the photo, I removed it because I started posting here and I didn't want to offend anyone. I know I was sensitive to baby pics on the cycle buddies thread when I was still trying for a BFP. Yup, you definitely have to stop breastfeeding during tmts. Many meds we take are mostly used with prostate cancer patients (Lupron, Suprefact) and, because of that, there aren,t any studies that documented their effect on breastfeeding. All the other meds could be okay according to my pharmacist, they're just hormones that your body normally produces... but not the cancer meds. HEY you know Traci!!!! How did you meet her? How are you doing today? And what are your tmt plans?

Ashley,
Oh, you're starting the patches today, how is it? I've never had those before... Sorry to hear about your sinus infection, those are BAD... it's always annoying when you can't even recuperate during the night because you don't sleep well... Are you feeling better now?

Ryann,
Hehehe yeah, mock transfer, and real transfer, are a piece of cake indeed. They do so many each week that they're really used to it and they do it well. The worst part is the speculum! I'll be rooting for your thyroid until it starts behaving! Hehehehe don't plan for AF too much. The moment you start expecting things from her because of tmt, she makes you wait, the ugly little thing! As for post-transfer rest, I've read several studies when I started this whole tmt marathon years ago. No matter of you remain seated or in your bed, avoid stairs, public transportation, walking, and so on, it doesn't have any effect on the outcome. If it can stick, it will. Personally, whenever I stress during the 2ww, I just remind myself that my body, and my embies, are doing the best they can to make it work, and if it doesn't work, it's nobody's fault. It helps me let go of a control I can't have. That being said, my clinic advises me to miss one day at work, transfer day. And egg retrieval day, of course. I've always found it useful. And stop exercising until you can see a heartbeat on the monitor, which means the baby(ies) is/are well attached. Other than that, you just follow the normal recommendations for pregnant women: cut down on caffeine (around 1 cup a day), avoid lifting objects heavier than 5 pounds, avoid contact sports, and so on. Hope this helps.

Purplefish,
Oooooooh boy, the IUI from hell!!! What a pain indeed!!! It must have driven you crazy, I'm so sorry for you!!!!! Indeed,after an adventure like that, no wonder IVF feels more controllable! Hehehehehe I'm happy to see that you had two wonderful babies, though, it does make it all worth it. Yes, I understand your feeling on talking about your kids with fellow IVFers. It can be a very delicate subject, and usually I let people ask me questions instead of volunteering the info. I've argued until I was blue in the face with some IVFer moms here, a few years back, who refused to see that, sometimes during your IVF adventure, you just don't want to hear about other people enjoying what you can't have. They firmly believed that their life stories would make people hope because it had worked for them. Ah, well. Hehehe and one last thing, you,re definitely NOT crazy! A friend of mine used to say that, by the time your baby reaches 6 months of age, you pretty much know whether or not you want another one or not. And if the answer is YES, then GO FOR IT!!! Although sometimes, hehehehe, when I'm elbow deep into a dirty diaper, fighting with ecstatic legs and arms, or when I'm rocking a crying baby at 3am, part of me wonders why I'm inflicting this on myself AGAIN. LOL but fortunately, the feeling never lasts!

Annette,
Hi, and welcome! I think reading about the procedure on websites or asking for documentation at your clinic are good ways to start. I'll also be happy to answer specific questions anytime!

Kizmet,
LOL don,t worry about the jargon dear! I was completely lost at the beginning and people had to explain everything to me! Don,t hesitate to ask!!!

As for me, nothing new, other than I started to sniff Suprefact! Hehehehehe the body always remember, I recognized the smell right away. And my old blue alarm watch is back on my wrist! I use it only for tmts, to warn me when I need to take meds, it's very useful when you take them 5 times a day! I've officially stopped breastfeeding, thankfully other than sore breasts I've yet to feel the baby blues that's supposed to come with it. I've had a super weekend, went shopping with my best friend and our DSs (we delivered 8 days apart), did the cooking for the whole week, did the laundry, some cleaning, pilates... It was just bliss, spending time at home. Yesterday, I went to a huge sale at a fabrics store. I bought amazing fabric to make pj pants for DH, and lots of summer clothes for me. It's great, because I bought enough fabric to make matching tops and skirts from the same fabrics. So I'll be able to mix and match with my other clothes, and make it look like a full dress when I feel like it. Tomorrow is the patterns sale, I can't wait to buy them so I can get started!

Okay, gotta start working now. I finally finished crunching data from a huge pile of research questionnaires (that's what happens when you,ve been gone a whole year!!!) and now I'll enter them in my database and see if I can write an article with the results. I really hope so, because I had to stop recruiting patients (I'm a psychologist and I work in a hospital with cancer patients). Right now, the surgery waiting list is 4 months and patients are, understandably, way more anxious than usual. It would completely bias my research project so... no more recruiting.

Take care ladies!

Sophie xxox

[purpleFish]

So they way our teaching class works is the first half is the general IVF instruction. My husband said his part was so simple why did he have to sit there for two hours. (He does want to do this he would just rather read it than sit through it). The second part is a injection teaching. Which is next week, kind of funny since I started my injections this week. Some of my medicines have to be mixed so hopefully it will at least be useful. My husband doesn't do well with needles so for all my IUI's and this I will be giving myself the shots. I am not exactly sure how I will do the one in my bottom, hopefully they will let me do it in the thigh.

Happy to see some new people here. Don't worry there are a lot of people who haven't been through either this before and there are a lot of great people who have been through it and can offer advice. This is my first round of IVF, so I am a bit nervous about it too. There is lots of great info about it and a good doctor will guide you through everything.

I am still on my suppression cycle (my doctor suppresses the ovaries first before stimulating egg growth). This week I started, an antibiotic, aspirin, dexamethasone, injectable lupron, still on birth control, and of course vitamins. Next week I will go in for a check to make sure I am not growing follicles yet and get AF again I will also be handing over a wad of cash, but I am very lucky that I have some insurance coverage, so maybe just half a wad of cash=) I also am sad that I will have to give up running in about a week. My doctor said no running after day 3 of stimulation.

I hope everyone else is doing well.

[purpleFish]

for those new and really lost, here is a great overview of IVF and what it involves:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_vitro_fertilisation

Also remember every doctor has a slightly different protocol and set of drugs (my doctor has 4 different protocols just depending on the patient).

Best of Luck!

[PMApsy]

I am not exactly sure how I will do the one in my bottom, hopefully they will let me do it in the thigh.

Oh dear, I'm sure you'll find hundreds of IVFers here who went through the dreaded butt injections and can give you tons of tips. If it's progesterone in oil injections (called PIO here), I've never heard anybody injecting it elsewhere than in your rear. There are many tips, but soon you'll be an expert. I've had friends here who even did it in the car at a red light!!! (DH was driving, of course!!)

From all I've read over the years, the most useful tips are to begin by doing your first injections while sitting in a chair. That will help you remain still when you turn around to do the injection yourself. A nurse who had to inject me a vaccine in the bottom told me she always gives her patients a good sharp slap on the butt before she does the injection. It seems really silly the first time, but let me tell you, you don't feel a THING because your body is still processing the pain from the slap, and it doesn't notice the pain from the injection. It's not the needle per se, it's the oil. It's thick, so you really feel it go in. So here are the other super useful tips.

The oil will penetrate your body much easier if it's warm. So warm your meds in the palm of your hand for several minutes before you do the injection. While you do that, it's a good idea to press an ice cube against your skin on the injection site. Push the meds in veeeeeeery slowly. And when you're done, apply heat on the injection site for about 10 minutes (water bottle, hot wet cloth). It will help keep the oil warmer than body temperature, and it will penetrate better. Because after several injections, people all report a very bumpy bump! Of course, everybody's different, you might not need to do all that, but just in case, you have the tips.

I don't understand why so many doctors around the world still prescribe injectable progesterone. My clinic doesn't. My doctor explained that progesterone vaginal inserts (two pearls three times a day) are way better because, compared to the injection that gives you one progesterone boost that slowly decreases in intensity over 24 hours, the inserts give you a steady dose. I always feel for the women who still have to go through that, it's unnecessary. *hugs*

As for mixing meds, you'll see, after a few times you'll be an expert for that too! At times, I had to do three injections in the morning and with all the mix'n'match meds on the counter, I felt like a barmaid!

Take care,

Sophie xxox

[Tiger04]

Sophie – Hi! I met Miracle on this website a few months ago. She’s been a great resource and now we’ve become friends. I can’t even tell you how comforting it is to find someone that is going through what you are going through. Sometimes you feel so alone through the whole process and just need someone to talk with! She’s been that person for me! I’m still trying to get her to join our group  Oh my! First birthday…how exciting! Is there anything special that you are going to get him for his birthday? I appreciate the consideration and you’re right, it is hard to see people with children, but I know that it was hard for you too to have Jeremie and you deserve to be a happy and proud mom! So, talk away! It’s fun to hear stories. My treatment plans are actually not IVF. I found this website and the support of all of these wonderful ladies when I was going through IVF. I started in Jan 2010. My husband has non-obstructive azoospermia, meaning he doesn’t have any sperm. The first biopsy that he had in April 2009, they found a few sperm! We were so excited and so we were told that we could move forward with IVF. So we did! Then, on the day of ER, my husband had his second testicular biopsy and on that day, they didn’t find any sperm, it was the most devastiating day of my life. So, we were out of options. They had to cancel my ER and the whole cycle. So, we just had to pack our bags and walk out of there after all of the money and planning and the cycle. So, now we are moving forward with donor sperm with IUI. I am hoping that it will happen around May 10th…is it May 10th yet? I’ll be doing a medicated cycle of IUI. I know a lot of you have done IUI, so hopefully you can give me some guidance and feedback! That’s so great that you like to sew! I have made a few things, but nothing as great as it sounds like you are going to make! How fun!

Purplefish – I agree with Sophie, I iced my bum before doing the trigger shot and boy did that help! I couldn’t even feel a thing! That is so great that your insurance is going to cover some of it! I know, it’s still a huge wad of money though.

Kiz – How are you doing? I hope you’ve survived the handing over of the cash! It’s almost April 20th! It’s so exciting to get started. We’ll help you with the jargon…just ask away! How are you doing? When do you think your ER and ET will be?

[rypell1985]

Hi ladies! Hope everyone is doing well!! I had my teaching class yeterday and all went well. Seems easy enough when they talk about it...I just know it will be a different story to actually DO it! I had my thyroid retest this morning so I'm waiting to find out if my levels are back to normal...fingers are crossed! I can't wait to start hearing updates as we are all getting so close.

Thanks for all the injection tips...I'm sure they will come in handy

[DCRunningMama]

Hi! I did IVF in Feb 2008 and had a beautiful baby boy in November 2008. We've been trying again since Nov w/ no luck and have jumped back on the IVF train. We're going to do an FET with the two remaining embryos from the first IVF. I'm stressing over whether we should do 1 or 2 embryos though...any advice? I don't think that I would mind having twins/3kids, but am worried about the pregnancy and risks associated with twins. Does anyone have a success story on having twins? Is life just miserable for the first year?

[rypell1985]

MY THYROID IS NORMAL AND I GET TO START!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have read a lot about Lupron for suppression, but I just ordered my medication and it looks like my doc has be on Ganirelix antagon instead...anyone else use this instead of lupron?