Summer cycle group

[anacris]

Hi everyone, my name is Ana I am from Costa Rica and I will be doing a FET cycle this august, I did my first IVF back in 2008 and now have my precious twin boys. I am patiently waiting till august and it is great to have a group of women going through similar things. All my family will be traveling to California this august so we will be having a vacation too, good thing I hear FET is an easier process than a fresh cycle and last time I had mild OHSS so I am happy this time that wont happen...
Very glad to meet everyone!

Ana

[Lauren]

Franny yed I am glad to be back with you ladies! Yes I am on a antagonist protocol but my doc said just start estrogen on day 20. Im not sure about LH and all. They couldnt believe I only got two eggs?!?! Crazy huh..we will do it this ti
e girl!! Im gonna be getting relaxing massages bc I stress all the time. Its funny you said that about teachers I am a nurse.alot of us on here too. As far as nicknames u can call me jersey girl since thats where im from unless u have something better..american idol?? Whos gonna win? Not sure I like Lee Dewize. We'll see.

Lauren-men are funny. They dont think like we do. Why close the door? Haha so funny. My DH does stuff like that all the time. Drives me crazy but then I remember he cant be perfect like me LOL..home for lunch. Wish I could do that. Its hot here too. Fighting the urge to turn ac too.

[audraespino]

Ok. I have a couple of questions.

The first medical loan my dh and I applied for (yesterday, via online) was denied.
We have a few other options (we hope) in regards to financing IVF.
We applied to another medical loan company via online. Its the company that is on my RE's website to use for financing.
If we get denied should we call the office and explain we were denied & ask if we should try to reapply during the appointment on the 1st with the assistance of a financial adviser/counselor?
The loan amount we asked for was $30,000. Maybe we asked for too much? If we lower the amount we are asking for, do we stand a better chance of getting approved?
We could lower it to perhaps $23,000 and see if insurance will cover the blood tests, ultrasounds, etc.

Our other options are;
Bank loan?
Credit Card? ~ He already applied (yesterday).
Perhaps a different online medical loan company someone can suggest?

Also, how much do the medications run?

I would LOVE & NEED ANY AND ALL REPLIES ON THIS! PLEASE!!

[hopeforbabies]

Franny- I'm doing fine just playing the waiting game. I picked up my RX for Provera yesterday because my AF STILL hasn't come and I think I'm cycle day 43 or 45 now?!? Nurse said to call her again around July 4th if my next one doesnt show up and then they might do Provera again leading into that wonderful BCP you are dealing with right now.

Ana- Welcome to our little (and growing) family. I'm glad to hear you might be in the August end of this thread. I will be doing my second fresh cycle then. How many frosties do you have? How many do you plan to transfer?

Lauren & Jersey girl- I have to say I am sooooo jeleous that you guys are just barely turning on the AC. I live in Arizona so have had ours cranked down to 72 since the end of April. We have had some surprisingly cool afternoons this month but its way too hot to sleep at night. I do not however envy you guys for the humidity. I dont think I could handle that. Here's wishing that your cooler weather holds out a little longer!

Audra- I'm not real sure about medical loans but I did see that you mentioned Aetna as your insurance group. That's who my husband has and where we have gotten our benefit for it. Now I know there is a separate department from your regular insurance that is just for infertility. Maybe you can call your regular insurance and ask them about the infertility benefits. I dont know if it depends on the plan or not but at least it might give you an idea of where to go.

[jamila20]

Hello ladies I am happy to join this group, my signature explain everything about me on this road of infertility. I just got my calendar for July, I started birth controls on May 23/10 baseline ultrasound June 30/10, stimulation meds July 1/10, eggs retrieval and embryo transfer week of july 12/10, I wish all of us a positive beta.

[jamila20]

Hello ladies I am happy to join this group, my signature explain everything about me on this road of infertility. I just got my calendar for July, I started birth controls on May 23/10 baseline ultrasound June 30/10, stimulation meds July 1/10, eggs retrieval and embryo transfer week of july 12/10, I wish all of us a positive beta.
05/06 surgery to open right tube
09/06 Ectopic pregnancy
03/08 Ectopic pregnancy
07/09 Ectopic pregnancy ( All pregnancies were removed by surgery)
09/09 First IVF, BP 9, 8 ruled as ectopic
12/09 Tubals Legation
03/10 Second IVF (Frozen) BN.jamila20

Posts: 15
Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2010 6:10 pm
Private message

[Lauren1171]

Ana - your twins are adorable!!!

[kizmet]

Hi Ladies,

Thought I'd poke my head in and say hello. I was in the May cycle group but due to a cycle that started out somewhat promising but has ended badly with 6 nights in hospital from OHSS - just escaped hospital today, I'm looking to do FET with the embies we managed to get from that round in maybe July or August.

I look forward to getting to know you all. You've got no idea how much it meant whilst trying to sleep at night while in hosp, that there was a group of people online here that would understand how terrible I was feeling, how devastated I was that what I thought was 6 embies to freeze turned out only to be two and how completely mentally exhausted i am by the whole process.

Cheers
Kiz

[karin1]

Lauren-

It sounds like we are on the same protocol. I don't produce alot of eggs either. I will be doing the estrogen priming too. I'm pretty sure about the same time. My RE said that we would start on day 23. He said that I could still do an IUI this cycle to increase my chances. I will know more on Thursday. We only had a conversation on the phone and I didn't get all the details. I was wondering if you thought about doing an IUI or just trying naturally?


~Karin~

[audraespino]

Good Morning Girls!

No one was kidding when they said that the IVF journey is an emotional roller coaster!
~I havent even started the process at all yet, but even still.....

Ive been afraid of the "what if's"....
What if we get a BFP & really, it turns out, we are not?
What if we get a BFP & we miscarry?
What if we go through all of this & get a BFN? ~I mean, we have discussed it & already know we will do 2 cycles of IVF.

Part of the reason for the worry is because I havent been to a doctor since I lost my right ovary.
After the surgery, I was told that, if they had taken my dominate ovary, I wouldn't have regular periods. In which, I do.
So, I assume, I didnt lose my dominate ovary in the surgery.
I didnt even know there was such a concept of one ovary being dominate & the other, not.

However, Ive been worried & nervous about the quality of my eggs left in the remaining ovary.
Thinking, perhaps I shouldn't be worried.

AF is pretty regular.
I have had 4 healthy pregnancies in the past that all carried to term.
Only reason for NOT being able to get pregnant now, other than having just one ovary to do it with?
I opted for fissure clamp sterilization (there is a titanium clamp on my fallopian tube) 4 year ago after my daughter was born.

So last night, my "worrisome" attitude regarding my IVF being successful or not, seemed to become more positive and self encouraging than, stressed, anxious, nervous about if we will or wont conceive &/or nervous.

Im in good health. Im only 26 & the dh is the same.

Now....
Fingers crossed. The loan we requested comes back today either approved or unapproved.
After calling & speaking with my clinic's financial adviser/counselor yesterday, I felt a lot better.

She said, my IVF procedure would only be $20,000. $14~$15,000 on the IVF procedures itself & the other $5,000 for med's.
I asked if my med's would be covered by the loan & she said yes.

So we called the loan company & requested a smaller loan. One for $20,000.
We get the answer back today as to if we are or are not approved for that loan.

We asked to meet with the financial person at the clinic the day of my appointment afterwards. Since things like blood work, u/s, etc can & will be covered by insurance it will lower to initial $14~$15,000 cost of IVF at least a tiny bit & the dh's insurance covers a % of the cost of pharmaceuticals.
Im holding my breath

Oh & today....
I got pick out my wedding dress.

Dh isn't my offical dh yet. He is only the fiance. We are getting married in Feb of 2011.
So, today, will either be a very good day or.... Ill spend it with a chocolate ensure, under my covers, crying.
Or fighting someone to get a loan to cover this, since now, NOT having a baby isn't a option & I know that there are ways to go about getting the money needed for this. No worries. I wont rob a bank. Lol. I may just ask for a loan & hold my breath on the CC the DH applied for.

Alright, Im done, venting my thoughts & hopes & worries for now.
Can't wait to see some of your responses as I so do enjoy your ladies company!


Ps: If I get the wedding dress now & our embryo transfer is in September/October & is successful, Ill be 4 to 5 months pregnant in Feb. If I suck it in, think I can fit into a wedding dress. Pregnant!? LOL

[hopeforbabies]

Jamila- Welcome to the group! I must say that although your journey has been very rough I think you should find it encouraging that you were able to get pregnant so many times even if they did result in etopics. I think that makes your chances of having a healthy pregnancy with IVF look pretty good. I will keep my fingers crossed that this cycle results in a healthy pregnancy for you.

Kiz- You poor thing! Its sounds like you had an awful case of OHSS! How are you feeling now? Are you happy to finally be free of the hospital? I know its sad to not have as many embies left as you thought but you do have some and that means you wont have to go through a fresh cycle again. Do you plan to transfer both of them back?

Audra- How exciting that you will be planning your wedding at the same time as you are planning to get pregos! I dont know if you will be able to squeeze into a normal wedding dress at 4 or 5 months but I do know some places carry maternity gowns. I am keeping my fingers crossed that your loan gets approved today. And dont worry about venting that's what we are here for!

AFM - For you Steven King fans out there I think S.S.D.D. sums it up pretty well. Enjoy your hump day ladies and baby vibes to all!

[audraespino]

Hopeforbabies~

Thanks! I just love this forum! ~Really enjoying talking too you girls.
I wish I had more advice to offer those of you who are new or are going through this again.
At least I can be of some emotional support & the cheerleader in the background through this all!


Muah!


Have a REALLY REALLY good day girls. Ill be back periodically.

[anacris]

Hi all,

Lauren Thank you so much!

Teresa Thanks for the welcome... I will be starting the cycle on august 16th and the transfer is expected to be on September 2nd, I have PCOS so I produced a lot of eggs, so now I have plenty of embryos (six blasts and six 3 day embryos) which for me is good because I have enough for several FETs in case I need them (FETs are sooo much cheaper and I don´t know if we could afford another fresh cycle), but I think at some point we will have to make the hard decision of what to do if we have remaining embryos. My doctor is suggesting to transfer 2 embryos, it is sooo hard to decide what to do, sometimes I think I should put only one, but since for each cycle I have to travel to California for 3 weeks, if this cycle is a BFN next time I guess I will have to leave my kids here and go by myself which would be hard, so that is when I think I should put 2... It is not legal to perform IVF in my country and I have a cousin in California who had to do IVF and loved her clinic, this is why I decided to go there, for my fresh cycle I stayed at her house so I did not have to pay for a place to stay, this time since I have the twins we are too many so we will have to pay for a suite for 3 weeks, so if it is a BFN next time I will have to go by myself and stay at my cousins house.

Audra I now the what ifs can certainly drive you crazy, but I have learned the outcome of the cycle is something I can´t control so I try not to stress to much since it does not help, now I know it is easier said than done...
How exciting to be planning your wedding congratulations! I really hope your loan gets approved.

Kizmet Wow I can´t imagine how hard it most have been, I developed just mild OHSS and was awful, after my ER they did not know if they would do the transfer or freeze for later, they told me to walk and drink gatorade, luckily my case was not that bad and they decided to do the transfer. As hard as it is, pregnancy worsens OHSS so it is better to wait if you already have a bad case of it, will be praying for a successful FET.

Hugs to everyone,

Ana

[kizmet]

Hi all,

Anacris - the threat of the OHSS getting worse on pregnancy was what made me tell the clinic there was no way I could go through with it. I had the ER on Tuesday the 18th and was hospitalised on the Wednesday overnight. Came home OK but then Thursday night I started vomitting and was admitted to ICU Friday morning. I had rung the clinic prior to going into the hospital on Friday morning to say how sick I was and they rang back with a time for the transfer on Sunday! I was mortified. The message had gone through to my phone and DH rang them back to say I was in ICU and he thought we should just freeze the embies. They wouldn't take it from him and I had to ring from my ICU bed so they could hear it from me!

Hopeforbabies - happy to be free of the hospital? You BET I am! I was going slowly mad in there. Especially on the second last day as I was in a shared room with a 99yo woman who was begging the doctors to kill her because she was so sick. They eventually moved her to a private room and replaced her with a alcoholic bulimic man who smelt awful. Fortunately they moved him as well after the nurse found me sitting on my bed crying with my t'shirt pulled over my face to avoid the smell. They replaced him with a lovely old polish woman who was very sweet. She had lived a long and painful life, having outlived both of her children and her husband whom she'd met in the camps during the war. So at night she cried out loud in her sleep for the children she had lost, while I wept quietly for the ones I cannot have. I was very, very happy to get home. We will only transfer one embie at a time as this is the usual rule at our clinic (I am in Australia and our rules are different to the US)

Audra - sounds like you have a lot going on! 4 kids, plus a wedding and IVF! Wow!

AFM - DH and I had a chat yesterday about whether or not we could go through another fresh IVF cycle again despite having already said that I couldn't do it due to the torture of this recent one. I felt I was too emotional right now to be able to say, NO, that's it, no more fresh cycles because that meant only two chances with the frosties. So for now, it's a maybe.

[hopeforbabies]

Ana- Wow it sounds like it will be quite the adventure for you this time to go through IVF with your twins in tow. But, at least they will keep you busy during the wait. Sounds like you and me will be just a couple weeks apart so I'll try to keep you company too. I have PCOS also and produced a lot of eggs but unfortunately none of ours made it to freeze. Although I was devastated that I got a BFN I think in the back of my mind I was expecting it. I mean if 13 other eggs didnt make it to blast what was the chances that the two they put back into me would survive. But I am hopeful that our chances will be better this cycle. My DH has male factor issues and he is on some suppliments this time to hopefully improve them and therefore embryo quality. I have continued my Metformin (evil stuff ) and am trying to lose around 20lbs to hopefully improve my egg quality. I pray that our efforts combined will make stronger embryos.

Kiz- Wow as if suffering from your issues weren't enough the hospital thought they would throw in a few other people to spice things up. Poor old ladies I cant imagine what either of them have been through in there lives. Plus I surprised that your RE's office wouldnt listen to your DH. I mean he is part of the process, hopeful father, and your family member! Did they think he was some strange guy that was there to answer your phone and make mindless decisions about your future and health? Sometimes I have to wonder what are nurses are thinking when they talk to us. Well I'm glad you are finally home and feeling better. As for doing another cycle you should check with your RE and see if there is anything they can give you to help surpress the OHSS. My RE was afraid I'd develop it so they injected me with something after aspirating the first ovary and then again after the second one. I just dont remember what it was called.