First time IVF - Started Lupron last Thurs - Would Love some Buddies

[booger76]

I'm super excited for you too, Terri!

I won't tell my boss unless I absolutely have to do so. I have tons of sick and annual leave so that isn't an issue, thankfully. I just don't have the greatest relationship with him - I didn't even really tell him about my wedding last summer. Oops. It's not like we have any issues working together, he just loves people to kiss his ass and I refuse to do that so I think he is a little afraid of me.

Since you said it was okay......I guess I should ask y'all what kinds of questions to ask tomorrow at my appointment? I have been reading A LOT about IVF so I feel like I'm not completely in the dark about it.

I also feel like I didn't have a ton of options when it came to choosing a clinic. I chose this one based on their success rates and the fact that it was the closest one to us - I did look at others but none of them had as good of success rates and we would almost certainly have to fly, requiring us to take more time off and be away for days at a time instead of night or two (that ties into the whole privacy thing - seems like it's easier to keep private if you aren't having to fly to Denver or Seattle for a week or two).

Anyway, now that you guys have some experience with this - are their things you can think of that you wish you has asked about sooner? Or didn't know to ask because you hadn't done it yet?

Thanks in advance! Not sure what I would do if I didn't have my online ladies to turn to for help.

 

[ERosePW]

Terri, I was sooo happy to read that your follies are growing like crazy and it's time to trigger now!! I'm so excited to hear that! I know you were afraid it was going to get pushed to the weekend, weren't you? So this is great news! Wow, ER on Sat, and then transfer either 3 or 5 days later! Can't believe its finally here. So bloating mostly in younger women? Odd, since I'm not really a "younger woman" and my bloating was really bad and I had a tough time because of all the fluid. But I guess 20 will do that, huh? Maybe your recovery from the ER will be easier than mine was too then.

booger, as far as telling people about this... I'm VERY close w/ my family, and they are not nosy or prying people. So my parents and siblings know (plus, they were coming to visit soon after, and I felt they needed to know just in case the procedures got pushed out). My mgr does know, because she and I are very close, and I needed a lighter workload (due to my stressful job and the fact I'd be out so frequently for appts). And 2 of my best friends know. I'm not a super secretive person, but I also don't put my business out there either, because I don't want people to have these expectations and wondering about it month after month. But the people I've chosen to tell are people that don't ask me about it. They respect my privacy and do not ask questions...they know what's going on, but they wait for ME to tell them anything. I chose not to keep it a complete secret because I've found the support system awesome. When I am ready to talk about things or really need to get something out, it feels SO good to talk to someone who loves me.

But just an FYI... if you don't want to tell your boss, you don't have to. Where I work, because IVF includes a procedure, this is considered one of those personal things that I can be out for, and my HR dept doesn't require me to give my mgr a reason. I would've been allowed to take FMLA if I'd felt the need to, and wouldn't have been required to tell my mgr the reason. The only reason I spoke to my HR dept, was because it was happening during quarter-end, and we aren't supposed to take off work at all during QE. I wanted to see what my options were, JUST in case my mgr couldn't accomodate my schedule during QE. My HR dept told me none of that mattered. I could also have just used vacation (I get 6 wks/yr, so I had plenty). I didn't feel I needed any time off except for the appts and the recovery after ER and ET. So I didn't feel I needed any of those options, and I just ended up telling my mgr and she accommodated my schedule perfectly. But I just wanted to let you know that if you are that uncomfortable telling your mgr about it, just know that you probably don't have to, and you can tell your HR dept about it and see what your options are. Major life-changing (and private/personal) events like this come up, and if you really don't want him to know, trust me when I tell you that your HR dept will back you up on that. Of course, if you have sick time and vaca time, then you're good to go anyway. In my case, I HAD to make sure, because we aren't normally supposed to have ANY time off during QE.

 

[ERosePW]

booger, to answer your question about what to ask at your appt... I think if I were you, I might just ask if THEY agree that you need to move straight to IVF, or if they think you have a good shot trying IUI. Of course, if you aren't interested in IUI and you're ready to get this show on the road, then trust me, I understand that too! And in that case, just let them know you dont want to waste anymore time. With one blocked tube, your chances do go down obviously with IUI because they can't manipulate which ovary you'll O from. But maybe they'll feel they can do something to clear that tube. A second opinion wouldn't hurt, but again, if you're just ready to get on with IVF, then I'm sure they'll be happy with that too! Hehe!

My RE was really good about giving me tons of information up front, so I don't recall having to ask a lot of questions once we got into the IVF phase. If I think of anything else though, I'll certainly let ya know!

 

[booger76]

Thanks for the information, Erin! That's all very helpful.

I am open to whatever the doctor suggests. But I'm also kind of ready to just get moving with all of this since ideally, we'd love to have at least 2 kids. Some of the reviews I've read online make it sound like the doctor isn't necessarily the most personable person - not mean or rude, but can be quiet or blunt - but hopefully he'll at least be forthcoming with information.

There are some other friends of mine who know we have been TTC but I haven't said anything about the potential for IVF to anyone other than my sister. I am afraid to tell my mother because she is super Catholic (I was raised Catholic but I am not really religious anymore) and I'm not sure how she'll react. I think she might be okay with it but I just don't know.

As promised, I had my lunch time cookie, a peanut butter sandwich cookie from a little restaurant here in town:

 

[beaglemom]

That looks awesome!

I have not told my mom because she tends to react harshly. More so out of worry & concern...but I just can't deal with that reaction. So I plan for her to be the very first person I tell when I am pregnant (outside of me & my husband).

 

[ERosePW]

booger, that cookie looks SOO good!

Update from my nurse... She said she could tell my P literally JUST started rising, so she could tell I just O'd within the last 24 hrs or so. So she wants me back in on Mon to test one more time. I guess they like it to be over a certain number before they have you go ahead with the Lupron, and she felt that Mon would have me where they want me. So I'll probably start my Lupron the morning after. Who knows when AF will come since I O'd SO late in my cycle! But once it does, I go in for a baseline and a pregnancy test (to make sure i didn't conceive during the natural cycle), and if all looks quiet in there, I'll begin the Estrogen patches and I'll be on my way.

I'm feeling excited again, and just totally ready to hear good news very, very soon.

 

[beaglemom]

Erin that is awesome. I am very curious how an FET cycle goes. How long after the baseline would they do a transfer? Would it be around the time your body would naturally O? CD 14 or so? Very exciting. So a summer baby for you

I don't think anyone on here is already a mom...so I know you can't really help with symptoms. But when I walk around, my lower abdomen feels similar to before/after an IUI. It feels like it did when I had all the follies & it felt like they were bouncing around as a walked. It is an odd feeling & I don't recall it before.

I am tired of this wait already! Ugh...I am tempted to ask my husband if we can test early. We are only waiting because it is his birthday on 14 dpo. I am getting so anxious. I just want this to be it so BADLY!

 

[moni77]

Ugh - post just deleted... lets try again!

Terri - Yay!! FXed for lots of eggs on Saturday.

Erin - things are getting close now.

Booger - that's a cookie!!!

I have not really told anyone at work. I have one coworker that I go jogging with that I have discussed everything with because he went through it himself. He and his wife had failed IUIs and IVFs with no explanation - a couple months after they gave up she got pregnant naturally. They are trying for number 2 now. Other than that, work does not know and I am hoping I don't have to tell them until I am 4 months pgers. I have told my immediate family and a few close friends. Otherwise, a lot of people know we were trying (you don't get married after 15 years just for giggles - it was obvious we were getting ready to try) - and we get asked a lot about kids and just say still trying.

I am only 2 days into the injections but I feel I am already running out of room on my stomach - 4 shots a day is filling up quick. So far I think the gonal f pen hurts the most - it is the only one that has made a spot of blood after. I have had a headache since yesterday- otherwise not too bad. Trying to drink a lot of water. I'll touch base after tomorrow scan and let you all know where things stand.

Time to go try to update the other pages...this was the easiest one to catch up on - so you guys will get the most updated news, The other blogs go so fast I still have 30 pages to read from while I was away. So Erin - I am with you on updating this one first!

 

[terripeachy]

Beaglemom-Ha! You got me on symptoms! I was never a really big symptom spotter, so I never felt any different really. One time my back was hurting, and one time I got a pimple (remember that ERose/moni), but other than that, nada, except peer pressure from the other ladies. HA!!HA!!

ERose-So glad you finally O'd for real, and now you can get moving forward again. I know you're happy. Just like I'm super happy. Well, except that the air conditioning went out in my 2012 Prius. WTF? Anyway...it's not super hot here, and I can ride to work tomorrow, so I'm not that worried, but still. It's a new car! But aside from that, I'm happy to get moving again..the nurse called and said I'm going to trigger with the hcg. She said you trigger with Lupron/Leuprolide if your estrogen is > 4000. Mine was 1616 on Tuesday, so they doubt it would go up to 4000. Apparently, it did not. I trigger at 10p, and have my procedure on Saturday at 10a. Yeah!

booger-Hmmm...I would ask about (if they don't explain it), is when they will do assisted hatching (breaking the shell of the embryo prior to transfer), and if you will be getting ICSI (which is like assistance for shy sperm and shy eggs). You may want to ask about frozen transfers if you get OHSS, and if that is going to cost you extra, you may want to ask how much it costs to freeze embryos if that is something you would consider...um..my doctor explained a ton of stuff, but then I already knew a ton from this site, so I wasn't THAT overwhelmed with all the information he presented. I was supposed to take an injections class, and that was like 50 bucks, but I watched YouTube and read the instructions pamphlet so I didn't waste my money on that...We talked about finances the first day, so definitely find out if you can get cheaper meds (generic vs. name brand), if your hubs has to give his sample in the facility on the morning of, or he can do it at the hotel. My guy is quite shy, so that was important to him. I also didn't ask about nutrition, so I might go back and ask what I should and shouldn't eat/take (Advil, for example), etc..The only restrictions they mentioned were drinking/smoking, but I only rarely drink at this point, so it wasn't an issue. If I think of other stuff, I'll come back. That's a lot of stuff! hee hee. Oh, and don't let that doctor rush you. You're paying good money for his/her expertise, so make him tell you everything you want to know.

And finally, your cookie looks amazing. I could only eat the top half in one sitting, but I would be thinking about the other half the rest of the day. Sorry for AF, but tomorrow will be exciting!!

 

[ERosePW]

Erin that is awesome. I am very curious how an FET cycle goes. How long after the baseline would they do a transfer? Would it be around the time your body would naturally O? CD 14 or so? Very exciting. So a summer baby for you

I don't think anyone on here is already a mom...so I know you can't really help with symptoms. But when I walk around, my lower abdomen feels similar to before/after an IUI. It feels like it did when I had all the follies & it felt like they were bouncing around as a walked. It is an odd feeling & I don't recall it before.

I am tired of this wait already! Ugh...I am tempted to ask my husband if we can test early. We are only waiting because it is his birthday on 14 dpo. I am getting so anxious. I just want this to be it so BADLY!

I haven't been much of a symptom spotter unless it's something I know is rare for me. So if you know this is different from anything you've felt before, I'd be wondering about it too! Sounds promising!! I don't know how you're gonna hold out testing but you've always been a little stronger than me I think!! I can hardly wait for you to test!!!

After the baseline, I think they'd do the transfer around the time the uterus would be expecting a 5-day blastocyst. I don't know if u girls knew this, but the embryo stays in the tube for a few days after fertilizing. It only moves into the uterus when it's close to hatching, which is around the 5th day, and then hatches shortly after, or sometimes the 6th day. Once it hatches, it works on implanting. So as long as everything looks quiet in there atmy baseline, they'll have me start the estrogen patches since that's when estrogen starts to slowly build. I start w/ 1 patch, and then after a few days, 2 patches, then 3, then 4. Then I start the P around the time the body would O, so that my lining will be ready 5 days later or so, and will be ready for a 5-day old blast. It should basically mimic the body's natural cycle, and my uterus should be in a place where it would be expecting an egg that got fertilized five days earlier. It's actually quite fascinating to me!

 

[terripeachy]

Moni-I had a headache too. No Advil...only Tylenol they say. I did take an Advil before I knew the restriction. I liked the Gonal-F shot the best! Are you using the redirect pen? That didn't bother me at all, and I could push the trigger in fast, and felt zero effects. The menopur stung sometimes and there was a lot of resistance pushing the plunger, and the Ganirelix was hard to inject, but once it was in, I didn't have any problem pushing the plunger in. Interesting...

ERose-You are always dropping knowledge everywhere you go! hee hee. I didn't know what that egg was doing. I just thought she was making her way down the entire time. I guess that makes sense though...they put the 5 day blast right in the uterus where it's supposed to go and hope for implantation. Cool cool.

 

[ERosePW]

Moni, i hear ya on the injections! The tummy starts to feel beat up pretty quick. And by the end of all those injections, the vag ultrasounds, the blood draws over and over, I felt pretty beat up myself. I was worn out. But what keeps you motivated is the fact that you're making some babies! I'm SO excited for you! Even though I was worn out by the time my ER came, I was still super excited, so you will be too. It will be a great day!

Terri, that makes sense about the estrogen. It sounds to me like you're in a great spot! Mine was 3800 the day of my transfer. I did not know that though....they didn't tell me that until my follow up. She said they can control it really well to some extent, but they can't totally predict what will happen between trigger, retrieval, and transfer. And it wasn't high enough for them to consider canceling the transfer. Although i wonder if they would've cancelled if I'd had less embryos...? Hmm... starts to make me think, ya know? Oh well, nothing I can do about it now. They know what they are doing, and they do a ton of these all the time, and we have six left, so we're in a good spot now. I'm so glad your hormones are at a good level! This is getting SO exciting! I know this is it for you lady!!! I CAN'T WAIT for Sat for you to report back!!

 

[booger76]

Thanks for all the helpful advice. Hopefully, my brain doesnt seize up tomorrow (as it has a tendency to do when I am excited) and I can remember everything.

The cookie was awesome. I ate the whole thing but I am a pig. Hehe.

Moni - glad the shots aren't terrible. Hopefully the spots where you have already taken them heal up fast so you don't run out of room! We get asked a lot if we are going to have kids and most of the time I just say we haven't decided unless it is someone close to us and then I tell them we are trying. People must thing I'm a total weirdo for saying we havent decided if we want kids because we too have been together a long time - they must think we would know by now! Hope your scan goes well tomorrow.

Beagle, it is always tempting to test but I first think about how I will feel if it is negative - that is enough to bring me off the ledge. Somehow, getting AF is easier for me but everyone is different. So you guys do what will bring you the most peace of mind. It really is a personal thing if you ask me and patience truly is a virtue!

Good luck with that shot tonight, Terri!

ERose, Im so glad the P test confirmed your O and that you now know whats going to happen with taking your meds again. Exciting times all around this place! I agree that all of this is very fascinating. Thank God for science is all I can say.

Getting ready to head out - I'll let you lovely ladies know how things go tomorrow. Have a fabulous Friday.

 

[ERosePW]

Thanks for all the helpful advice. Hopefully, my brain doesnt seize up tomorrow (as it has a tendency to do when I am excited) and I can remember everything.

The cookie was awesome. I ate the whole thing but I am a pig. Hehe.

Moni - glad the shots aren't terrible. Hopefully the spots where you have already taken them heal up fast so you don't run out of room! We get asked a lot if we are going to have kids and most of the time I just say we haven't decided unless it is someone close to us and then I tell them we are trying. People must thing I'm a total weirdo for saying we havent decided if we want kids because we too have been together a long time - they must think we would know by now! Hope your scan goes well tomorrow.

Beagle, it is always tempting to test but I first think about how I will feel if it is negative - that is enough to bring me off the ledge. Somehow, getting AF is easier for me but everyone is different. So you guys do what will bring you the most peace of mind. It really is a personal thing if you ask me and patience truly is a virtue!

Good luck with that shot tonight, Terri!

ERose, Im so glad the P test confirmed your O and that you now know whats going to happen with taking your meds again. Exciting times all around this place! I agree that all of this is very fascinating. Thank God for science is all I can say.

Getting ready to head out - I'll let you lovely ladies know how things go tomorrow. Have a fabulous Friday.

GL tomorrow, I'm really excited for this step for you, yay! I'll be waiting anxiously for an update! I'm curious what they'll say. Take notes if you need to. It is a lot of info, but you'll be surprised at how familiar it will all sound from being on these forums, and you're gonna feel so good when you walk outta there.

 

[terripeachy]

Yeah booger-write your questions down and check them off. You don't want to go all that way and then remember later. Your DH will be overwhelmed and won't retain anything! Have fun and can't wait for the report!!

 

[JCM]

Good luck with your appt! I was going to say one question I asked was what a typical ivf cycle looked like. What meds of what days and how long and when the trigger happens etc etc. I like to look at everything on a calendar. I'm way too controlling. Especially when it comes to my schedule. I set timers throughout the day for things. Sometimes even to shower so I'm not in there too long! Lol don't make too much fun of me but we have never ending hot water and I will stay in there forever if I'm allowed to!
To answer the other question I tell everyone and I don't care. I've got 4 stepkids and I got sick of everyone asking! After my husband had his vasectomy reversal everyone expected me to just pop up pregnant. So basically I tell them to chill the f out and I'm working as hard as I can on it. Plus it's a real nice excuse for my random meltdowns. I had one at the waterpark Sunday. Yikes!

Erin, so great there's light at the end of the cycle tunnel! I always feel good when there's a plan in place. Even if it may sway a day or two here and there...it's something to look forward to!

Terri! Good luck with the trigger! It will be a nice to not do any shots tomorrow won't it!? So so excited for you!

Moni, my last cycle I was doing 4 shots a day too. I take heparin shots to reduce inflammation and help blood flow 2x per day. So I was definitely running out of room when I started adding fertility meds. Then I had awful immediate bruising (due to heparin of course) so I didn't want to stick those and bleed more! I found that if I iced my tummy before, I was able to do all 4 shots in the same area and then just worked my way around! Gosh, I sound like a lunatic!

Beagle, sometimes I'll read stuff to my DH like updates and he's like what about beagle? She didn't update. I'm like yeah she did but I already read it on another thread. Pretty serious about your updates I guess! Lol

Afm, I had my acupuncture/meditation today and loved it again. I really like the guy and he's really good looking so that helps! Haha kind of looks like Ryan Gosling. A little thinner though. So I have decided to attempt a less hard core version of paleo diet. I'm really bad about eating processed food so healthy eating here I come! Healthier I should say. My girlfriend that recommended I see this guy did it and she said she felt great, stayed busy learning to cook better foods and ended up pregnant! Let's hope that's me! I'm going to LA for girls weekend so I'll eat bad and drink lots and be ready for cave woman eating on Monday!

On that note, I haven't stopped thinking about that cookie...

 

[beaglemom]

Jen that's funny your husband keeps up with us. My husband knows a couple of girls but only when I tell stories. He isn't reading the thread. Glad go have someone else out there rooting for me.

So my husband said no on testing early. I think I am a horrible symptom spotter. My breasts feel heavy and a slight dull ache. And the feeling similar to O in my pelvic area. The 2nd week is always a psych out week for me. And no matter what I try I never seem to be able to stay distracted.

 

[moni77]

Scan today - 2 follies on the right and 6-7 on the left. Next scan on Monday.

 

[beaglemom]

I can't believe everything is moving so fast. It doesn't seem so long ago everyone was waiting to start their IVF cycle...now you guys are so close to the waiting part.

 

[moni77]

Ugh - feeling really nauseous right now. Did any of you feel that way? I prob should be eating before the injections...