Talking about the bloodwork, I remember on my baseline day, the nurse trained a new nurse, the new nurse is Vietnamese. The old nurse was teaching her and asked her to point out what vein that she suppose to poke, the new ones pointed it out. She said 'good'!

On my next visit, the new nurse take in charge...I was nervous like crazy! Because I knew she is new. I don't have issues with blood draw, rarely they cannot find the vein. At first she said "Wat your nam and bird?" Okay I catch that and told her my name and my birth date. Then she gave me a soft ball to squeeze, then she said "SQUID!!!"....I said huh???? Took me few seconds to catch what she meant...ohhhhh squeezeeeee....hehe.

My 3rd one, she also the one who did it, she tie my arm with the band, and then said "SQUID!!!". This time I already understand her. But then my arm felt numb, cool....and she having hard time draw the blood, she asked me "Are you ok?"....I said nooooo, you forgot to loosen the rubber band! hahahah. Geshhh.

noasaint - all the best for today hun!!! Hope it goes ok... and that you don't get someone like poor Rona had!!!

Rona - OMG!!! That's just so cringe-worthy!

rona- omg id lose it if someone said squid.. thatd be the best.. i actually know the word in vietnamese but thatd likely confuse her =)

afm- day 5 of 8. on hour 40 of 79 (or 82 of 111.5 if you count in last m-w as i had thurs off). ive hit the wall,. forgot to check the menu for the cafeteria at work today.. .again nothign i can eat.. sure the one year i decide to actually care about passover (im not a religious jew, just cultural, im pretty much an atheist (though i consider myself an apathetic, in that i dont bother questioning or denying the existence of a higher being, it just isnt part of my life)). noodle soup, pasta etc. and by dinner the box of matzah i bullied them into finding had disappeared again. i tried to buy some last night but the store was out. just cranky icky yuck today. feeling bloaty again which had pretty much gone away. a bit crampy (though tmi that may be a bowel issue). face is broken out etc. luckily i have the pick of the litter in coworkers this week so that helps but.. just treading water.

I have some news. I just got back from my appointment at RMA NY to discuss next steps. My doctor is very open to doing whatever his patients want to do. He gave me the option of continuing with clomid and IUI (no thank you), or moving onto injectables or IVF. We discussed the pros/cons to each. Injectables is less expensive and invasive, but less effective. Given my insurance situation (10K max for fertility treatment), we've decided not to use my benefit on treatments that have lower success rates, and go straight to IVF, should this current cycle not take.

I am a little torn - I was strongly considering doing IVF at RMA NJ instead of RMA NY, since their success rates are much higher. That said, I feel like it will be more expensive for me at RMA NJ - my copays will be $50 instead of $10 with my current doctor. AND, I would most likely not be able to start an IVF cycle with a new doctor so quickly.

I think what I will do is try a cycle of IVF with my current doctor, and if it doesn't work out, I will try to get a job in NJ that covers infertility (NJ has better state mandates for infertility coverage), and then switch to RMA NJ. So I have a plan.

My IVF protocol is a long protocol with BCP and Lupron. I will be starting BCP in about 2 weeks if this cycle is a bust, and egg retrieval will be sometime in late May most likely.

I am excited and scared. Excited to be doing something that has a much higher success rate (my doctor quoted me 50% after one try, 75% after two tries), but scared it won't work and I won't be able to afford another round. Please GOD let this work.

daisy- fingers crossed for you that this cycle works and you dont even have to go to the first ivf =)

No such luck. Same tech as always but today she had problems finding the vein in my right arm so she moved to the left. 4 tubes of blood later and I'm out the door with a nice bruise in my right arm. My sono was uneventful although she said I had lots of eggs left from the injectables cycle and that my AF will probably be longer than usual since it's so light. Great.

Good luck Daisy!!! Wishing you the best.

Daisy,

I totally understand how it feel. That's why we're here, even all of us probably never met in person, but I think we have something in common. The urge and dream to become a mother. I don't have success either yet, but I want you to know, you're not alone. Hang in there and a big hug! I hope whatever you decide it will be a success one. You're still young and your chances much higher.

I just look at my statements for my trip in NY...wow! It will take me 2 months to cover all those expenses...haha. Hope it worth it.

Sarah, on the other note, what protocol do you use? Sorry I try to search back but this thread is getting huge and cannot find it.

If this cycle failed, what do you guys think the suitable protocol for me? For the one that I did recently, is Antagonist protocol. Straight to stim on Day 3 after period with:

1. Bravele (150) + Menopur (150) - 2 vials each
2. Centrotide - for three days before trigger
3. Novarel as trigger
4. Estrace
5. Endometrin
6. Hexadethasone
7. Baby aspirin
8. Prenatal Vits

On baseline I had 9 follicles
On retrieval they retrieved 5 eggs, all mature and all fertilized with ICSI and AH
All eggs fertilized but all grow slow to Morulas (as per Day 4 embryos)

Thanks Rona (and Squid and noasaint). I appreciate your kind words.

I have no idea about IVF protocols, but I'm sure you could discuss it with CNY? Can you make a phone appointment to discuss next steps if this doesn't work?

Daisy thats a great plan and Im hopeful that your first IVF will work.

rona her was my protocol below, its hard to say what protocol would be best if this cycle hasnt worked. Ask your FS why would be the reasoning for the slow growth? however I do think that sometimes its just luck which are good eggs in any given month. they might be able to put you on slightly higher dose...I was on 375 in total, my FS said it was an aggressive plan due to my age.

Nov 4-7 (CD3-6): 300 Gonal F plus 75 Repronex Nov 8 (CD7): 17 follicles Nov 8-9 (CD7-8): 250 Gonal F plus 75 Repronex + Ganirelix Nov 10 (CD9): 19 follicles, 150 Gonal F plus 75 Repronex + Ganirelix. Nov 11 (CD10): 19 follicles, HCG trigger Nov 13 (CD12): ER, 20 eggs collected, all mature and injected Nov 14: 19 embryos Nov 15: 17 embryos Nov 16: 16 embryos Nov 18: Day 5 Transfer of 2 blasts Nov 19: 8 blasts frozen! Nov 28: BFN or chemical....beta was a '6' January: FET


to all those in the 2WW, hoping for a bfp in here very soon