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

[terripeachy]

My estimated retrieval dates are between 3/25-3/29, so it's not that far away. I was thinking about taking tomorrow off (I was born Terri O'Peachy, but couldn't get a job, and had to change my name to Terripeachy-my dad hates that joke because he said when my ancestors came over, slaves had 100% employment. Booooo), but now maybe I better wait until retrieval date since it's not that far away. Hmmm..

I'm still going to hope that the fibroid is out of the way. I really can't tell where it is in relation to everything, but I did notice that he measured it today, so we'll see.

kfs1-Happy birthday to your sister. I had my own party and I treated everyone to a steamed crab feast. That was what I wanted. A lot of people love giftcards (amazon/fave restaurant in her town), so maybe that is something she would like. I also like the idea of jewelry too, if she wears it. Not sure how much you want to spend but pearls are always pretty.

brighteyez-You're next up..how are those embies doing? And, since you're not doing a fresh transfer, what's the latest on AF? You're not taking endometrin are you?

Hi to everyone else.

 

[beaglemom]

Amy - my husband never wanted me to be pregnant in the summer...it gets real hot here too. But oh well!

I don't think I told you but I had my first mini melt down yesterday. First off, I love cheap stuff. So my fav thing is hitting Sonic before 11 to get a large Limeade for $1. So we ate eggs & bacon (a whole pack between us). So I was feeling bleh & needed liquid but tired of water. So we went to Walmart & I was so excited because Sonic next door & not 11 yet. So I got my huge Limeade (my mom & I also have a thing about ice). So it was nice & cold. We get inside & it was in the cart. The cart moved & I said joking not to spill my drink or I would kill him. So we were at the service desk & they had these mini flash lights. I told my husband to get them but he said no they are at all the registers. And I am like yeh but they are RIGHT HERE were WE ARE NOW. But whatever. So we go look for them. And I find some...my husband turns the cart around & kills my poor Limeade. All over the floor. Seriously guys, I almost cried. I have a temper anyways, so I just walked around silent & fast...fuming. Finally I felt better & joked with him saying you know I almost killed you. He felt so bad. But what bothered me most was it would have never happened if he had just listened & got the flash lights while we were staring at them. I felt like a kid whose scoop fell off my ice cream cone.

I know it was just a drink...but the perfectness of my drink & morning had come crashing down...& I was dying wanting a drink the whole time we were in the store.

 

[Babywhisperer]

Beagle, yup, irrational reactions are par for the course. So is crying for no real reason. A girl was walking down the subway stairs trying to push her way down the side all of us were walking up and she pushed me almost sending me backwards...I pulled her fake blonde hair. I thought it was a wig or extensions. I don't know what came over me. But moral of the story, don't mess with a prego woman. The wrath can be fierce. It doesn't have to make sense to you, but you have been warned. That's what I tell dh and he knows when I'm irritable b/c I almost never am.

 

[Amy1976]

My beta for today is 20,392 (20dp5dt). They were very happy with the number. So I guess that eases my mind. The average doubling time was 50 hours which I guess is really good since doubling times slow down after your HCG reaches around 6,000. I have my ultrasound scheduled for Monday morning I'm equal parts excited and nervous!!

 

[beaglemom]

Painting done... still need some touch ups but I love it!

 

[sars930]

LadySosa: Hope you're hanging in there. Sounds like you two coped as best as possible. Glad you took care of yourself and cancelled your Saturday night plans. Sometimes you gotta put yourself first. I know it is so hard to feel like your infertility journey is going to end. I definitely had those "it is never going to happen" moments. But just know it will. I hope you got some answers on your next steps.

Terri: It's super early to be worrying! I'm sure they're growing, growing. Before you know it you'll be uncomfortable from all the follies.

KFS: I always love getting things I wouldn't buy myself. Like pricier jewelry. I love Kendra Scott stuff or a more expensive shirt or bag than I'd buy myself. Happy birthday to your sister!

BabyW: Glad you're all on the mend. Hope it stays that way! I cracked up picturing you grabbing that woman's hair.

Amy: A friend of mine, who lived in LA for years, went out to run the marathon. He said it was 88 when he finished. It took him five hours, much slower than he hoped,but he felt super proud for even finishing. Congrats on some crazy betas! I'm calling twins all the way.

Beagle: Looks great. Sorry for the meltdown!

I had an ultrasound today at my OBGYN practice. This was my first time meeting the doctor and I loved him. His 16-year-old son is an IVF baby and he was really open about it. Definitely felt like he understood what we went through and was kind and funny. The ultrasound was SOOOO amazing. This is our first one where it actually looked like a baby. It was moving like crazy so we got to see the arms and legs move and hear the heartbeat again. Baby was measuring a day further ahead than last time but there's that whole plus or minus 3 days thing, so don't think it really matters.

Next up, I have to schedule appointments with the perinatal specialists upstairs from the practice. They handle a lot of the first trimester scans. And I think there'll be some more appointments because of IVF and since DH actually had two siblings die in infancy. His sister got an infection in utero, which they tried to treat with antibiotics but she was born septic. She only lived a day. His brother died from pediatric pulmonary hypertension when he was a few months old. I have no idea how his parents survived that. Neither are genetic. It will likely just mean more ultrasounds I think, which is Ok with me.

Hi to everyone else! Hope you're all doing well.

 

[terripeachy]

Amy-Congrats on the high beta! I bet you're feeling really great about that. I know I am.

sars-How amazing..I'm glad you love your new doctor and I'm really happy that he was honest about his situation. Especially since it's a man. That is really something.

beagle-I love your nursery. I was thinking this morning that I'm actually surprised you didn't have a nursery done BEFORE you got pregnant. Either way..looks great. Oh, and I understand your limeade sadness. We have a few Sonics around here but they are not close to me. When I'm on vacation, I usually try to stop for a cherry limeade. Yum yum..

kfs1-What was the verdict on your sister's present? My bestie was telling me about her new fancy wallet (yeah, I know, how fancy can a wallet be), but a nice wallet is another present that she might like. I'm still rocking my Vera Bradley, college style, wallet, but I will probably get a big girl wallet this year for my bday.

AFM-I'm not worried..I was just saying what was going on. It's not in my nature to worry. With that being said, I hope tomorrow I can actually see something on the ultrasound. The BD microneedle that comes with my Follistim has been giving me a small blood drop when I remove it. I work for that company, and although we don't make those needles here, I definitely prefer the Gonal F needle. No bleeding at all. I am going back to using my Gonal F today. I have 4 days worth of Gonal F remaining and then it's back to Follistim. They gave me 600 IU vials, and I'm not sure why when I am going to be taking it for a while. They make a 900 IU, so why not give me the max vial size?

 

[kfs1]

Happy St. Patrick's Day all!

Amy - Congrats on the great beta! I can't wait for your ultrasound! Did they say anything about the potential cause of your bleeding? I'm sure it was nothing but I know how nerve wracking that can be.

Sars - Congrats to you, too. Ultrasounds are always so amazing to me. That's so sad about your DHs siblings. Like you said, I can't imagine how his parents got through that. I do think it's a plus that you will get more monitoring. Hey - the more the better, right?

Beagle - Cute colors. Once again, you make me feel very unmotivated being that I've done nothing at all to prepare my nursery.

Terri - I remember being confused about the amount of meds and the sizes that they gave me, too. Remind me for your next cycle because I feel like I have extra meds lying around so I can send them to you. Did you end up taking today off? I've been craving a day off myself but have been trying to hold off. Maybe I'll take a few when my DH has his spring break. Hmm - I'm thinking I'll look into some jewelry for my sister or maybe tickets to a show or nice restaurant. Thanks to you all for the great ideas.

 

[beaglemom]

Terri - my pharmacy gave me a larger vile & some smaller...reason being so if you are close to the end of stimming you can use a 600 or 300 so you use most of it up without wasting. Instead of puncturing a 900 vile & only using like 150 or 200. Also try icing the are before your shot. That limited bleeding for me...also is your meds room temp? That helps too.

I never did anything before getting pregnant that was too expensive or hard to take back. Painting a nursery would have been over the top. Being baby crazy for over a year & 13 years no birth control...I finally have a focus for all that energy. I think me & my husband are just so excited to start everything. Plus his new job will be exhausting so we want to start as much as possible now.

I am aware I am a bit nuts!!! But I haven't done any of the important things like researching day cares or pediatricians. Thats stuff makes me so nervous.

 

[terripeachy]

kfs1-I'll let you know if I am having a med crisis. Several on here took Follistim, so if it's looking tricky and like I'm going to run out, I will definitely say the word. This time around I am taking Follistim/Gonal F and menopur. I decided to come to work. My husband has been in a bad mood the past two days and it's probably related to his looney tunes mom, so I'm trying to stay out of it. Work is not bad, so I'll just power through until retrieval. I did look at my vacation calendar and make sure all my moto. trips are on the schedule. That makes me happy.

beagle-Yeah, I get that, but my doctors know that I am going to have to go through a few cycles, so why not give 900 and if I don't need it all, I'll have it for next time and I won't have to order as much. It's only a small blood drop, so not a big deal, but yes, all my meds are at room temperature. I know it's the brand/sharpness of the needle. Some are inherently sharper than others. I work in manufacturing, so I know there are a million differences between products and that is why some customers like one person's product over another. For example, that Ganirelix is dull, but it's easy to push, so it would be good for old people. hee hee. The manufacturer just has to determine what's better for the customer; ease of pushing the plunger, or sharpness of needle? I could go on all day, so I'll stop.

I'm glad you can focus on all things baby. It has been a long time coming! Enjoy it.

 

[booger76]

Hi ladies!

Oh, and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I feel like I am so far behind.....

Beagle - Cute nursery! Very bright and colorful. Can't wait to see it all put together.

Terri - My nurse ordered the smaller vials for me because she said there is a little overfill in each of them. I was able to get closer to 400 units out of a 300 unit vial. She said that you actually end up ordering less this way and since Follistim is so ridiculously expensive, I was all about less!!! Oh, little right ovary, please make an appearance! This is no time to be playing hide and seek......

kfs - I'm the worst present buyer ever so I'm not going to offer up any ideas. It sounds like you got some really good ones already. I'm sure she'll love whatever you get her. And if she doesn't, too bad it was a gift, so no room for complaining. Hope you can take your day off soon.

sars - Hooray on loving your new doctor!!! Oh man, your poor DHs parents. That had to be so tough. Have you been running very much??

Amy - Wahoo for your awesome second beta and for getting your first US on Monday!! Things are looking really great this time around. I can't wait to hear if you're cooking up one or two in there. How are you feeling?? While we are nowhere near the 90s, it has been unseasonably warm here lately too. No bueno. Our trees are already budding out and I saw a forsythia bush in full bloom yesterday. That doesn't happen until late April or May usually. I can see our snowpack retreating up the mountains daily. Just makes me nervous because if we don't have a really wet May and June, I'm fairy certain we are in for a summer full of smoke.

babywhisperer - Your hair yanking story made me chuckle. Sounds like the girl had it coming to her. I hope you are on the mend soon from your cold. Ugh. I have escaped anything nasty this winter but with everything around here budding out and getting ready to bloom I am bracing for my allergy explosion. I have horrible seasonal allergies so springtime can be miserable for me if the pollen gets too out of control. I hope springtime brings the relief you have been seeking!!!!.

LadySosa - I hope each day passing brings you a little more comfort. It sounds like you and DH are taking the time you need and being there for you which is great!!! Take all the time you need. You'll know when you are ready to go again.

brighteyez - We need an update from you!!! Let us know how things went when you're up to it.

jkb - How did your party go??

Hello to everyone else!!! I hope you're all doing well.

As for me, not much to report. Weekend was super lazy and involved watching lots of college basketball. This is my favorite time of year for sports. Baseball season is starting soon and college basketball is at it's best.

I'm originally from KY and went to the University of Kentucky (UK) so it's kind of a huge year for us. And while I'm a big fan, my mother is insane when it comes to the CATS. She has season football and basketball tickets and goes to the SEC tournament every year. Anyway, I told you that to tell you this: she is going to be devastated if UK doesn't win the NCAA championship. I had originally planned to tell her I was pregnant when we went to visit her at the beginning of May (I really wanted to tell her in person). That trip is probably going to get pushed back a little bit now since plane tickets are ridiculous for that time right now (I think due to the Derby). Anyway, I think I might break down and tell her if UK loses in the tournament. She'll need something to cheer her up!!! If they don't lose, then I'm going to find some UK-themed way to tell her (I'm telling you, she's crazy. She even admits it). I don't think I can wait until the end of May (which is when we would likely travel to KY now).

Sorry, I'm not sure if that made any sense!!!

 

[booger76]

Oh, and Terri - I was always instructed to keep the Follistim refrigerated. Not sure what you've been instructed to do.

 

[Babywhisperer]

Beagle I love the colors!!

Sars, I'm happy you had a great u/s experience and your Dr sounds great.

Amy, what an amazing beta girl. Don't fret, spotting is very very common. Don't think it's deja vu...and I can't wait for your appt!

Not much from me, I feel huge already, chest is out of control and milk hasn't come in yet which means I'm going to be ginormous. Jack is 15mos today, he celebrated by waking us up more than an hr early crying...took a bottle and wanted to play...has to be his teeth waking him up. Really looking fwd to the u/s tomorrow. We get a nice long look at her.

 

[beaglemom]

I always kept my unused viles in the refrigerator & the vile I was using room temp...it helps with bruising. My pharmacy said it was okay. But everyone gets different info. I think the refrigeration keeps it better...but if you are stimming...especially for IVf, you go through a vile pretty quickly.

Booger - I have no affiliations with basketball...just a huge Carolina Tarheel HATER. So I hope your mom gets a win followed by the grandchild surprise. Did she know anything about your treatments?...I assume not.

Amy - I meant to tell you I thought I heard multiples cause more spotting in pregnancy...so may be why you were seeing it.

Booger any symptoms? I had nothing until 6 weeks right on the dot.

 

[moni77]

Happy St Patty's Day everyone!

Lady - sorry for the negative - but you have more on ice - hopeful for the next cycle!

Booger - glad the scan went well!

Amy - great numbers!

Beagle - great room!

Hi to everyone else...

AFM - we had our birthing class this weekend - I loved the nurse who gave the course and hope she is working when I show up in labor. She has calmed some of my nervousness (for now anyway). The class was more about what to expect when you go into labor and less about the breathing exercises. She also gave us a relaxation cd which I am still trying to figure out how to get onto my phone so that I can play it at night... no CD player in the bedroom. Other than that - definitely slowing down at night and having some pretty bad insomnia. Back pain has eased up for the most part - feel it when I carry too much in my work bag...but otherwise it is ok. I am way behind at work and hope to spend the week catching up. I'll be more vocal on here come April (I think.) Oh and our tax refund hit the account today!! Time to buy more baby stuff!

 

[LadySosa]

Good morning ladies!

Beagle - your nursery is Seahawks colors! Yeah! Hehe. I know that was probably not your intent. I like it! Sorry about your limeade. I can relate - I blew up at DH when I was on Lupron over a towel. He was like, "whoa. Crazy lady."

Amy - Ohmgosh! I bet you've got twinsies in there! Can't wait for your scan on Monday.

Booger - Me too - follistim was in the fridge for me. That's a good plan for letting your mom know. I can't believe you've held out this long! My parents know everything about the IVF. I felt bad on Saturday when I had to break the news to them. They were really bummed. Part of me wonders if I should've stayed mum till I had good news to share. Our household is the opposite on the sports-front, football is our season so it's hard this time of year with no sports. We're not too big into basketball or baseball, though it is fun to go to baseball games at Safeco, but more for the experience rather than watching the game. Although we are pretty into IndyCar and Formula One, and those seasons are kicking off now, so that's fun to watch.

BabyW - HAHAHA I love the hair-yanking story! Good for you.

Bighteyez, Jkb, Knitgirl, Mrs. W, how are you ladies doing??

Sars - glad you like your new OB. He sounds awesome. I never wanted to have a male doctor, but he sounds kind and gentle. Oh, I wanted to tell you, I have since added that Tuscan villa to my bucket list. It sounds like heaven. I told DH about it and he's like, "wait, no TV or wireless?!" Haha.

Terri - No wonder ganirelix hurt like a b**ch! Hehe.

Kfs - hope you get a day off soon! I say take it now before you get too burned out.

Afm, still coping. It's funny, my consolation was being able to drink wine and coffee, but I really don't look forward to wine anymore. I'd rather be abstaining knowing that I've got a little treasure to take care of. Blah. And seeing preggo ladies is even harder than it was before. Did I tell you a coworker recently found out she is pregnant? She's had infertility troubles, including a m/c, so I really am happy for her. She was home yesterday with morning sickness. I try to stifle my little green monster, but I can't help my internal voice: "I wish I was home with morning sickness. Hmph."

My follow-up appointment w/my doc is not for another week. I hate to wait so long just to understand what happened. My nurse said via email that we should be able to start back up right away, depending on when my last "full flow after meds" was. I was like....ummm...well, I've been bleeding for over a week now, during and still after meds. I feel like I have an eternal period. It's getting really annoying.

 

[terripeachy]

moni-I was wondering how your class went. Thanks for checking in. We are about to go on baby watch in the next couple weeks. Yeah! I am so excited.

booger-Gah! UK is in the same bracket as MD this year. I always end up picking UK for the win or at least getting to the final four. That blue and white is just easy on my eyes and they usually have a great team. My hubs and I always make a bracket against each other. He always picks Duke for the win, so the past two years, I have won the bracket. HA!!HA!! I guess Duke's blue and white isn't easy on my eyes because they are MD's biggest rivals. Hope your allergies aren't too bad this year, but with no moisture in the air, I'm worried for you.

BabyW-Yay for Jack's 15 mo. birthday. As small as you are I'm sure you're not going to be ginormous and I'm sure you only FEEL huge.

LadySosa-I meant to write to you this morning. How are you doing?

 

[sars930]

Terri, I only used the Follistim and I did bleed occasionally from them. I didn't think they hurt so it didn't bug me. I found the better hydrated I was the less I bled. My nurse explained they say to refrigerate it to prevent bacteria growth. I kept the one I wasn't used in the fridge but I often had to take my meds not at home due to my job, so the pen I was using wasn't in the fridge. It's interesting how you know all the differences about the needles.

I was impressed the doctor came in, introduced himself and said I'm the father of a 16-year-old IVF baby. He even made jokes about how sometimes you'll wonder if they picked the wrong one. IVF humor for the win. He won't necessarily be the doc when I deliver. I have to see all 5 docs in the practice. But so far I really like 2/5.

Booger, I've been running but nothing crazy. About 15 miles total last week, yoga one day and two days of an exercise class. Car seats are heavy, I need to keep up my weight training. =) I did decided trying to do the half marathon at the end of April is too much. I'm sad about it but I was worried about hurting myself. Pre-pregnancy I have some hip/joint issues that seem to be resurrecting themselves. I am signed up for a 10K in early April so I've got that to work towards.

Your mom sounds like a riot. I love nutty sports fans. I'm sure this will be the best gift you could give her, even better than a win. Does she know you were trying?

I know unseasonable warmth that results in forest fires is no bueno. But I have to say I'm jealous. Today is pretty nice but temps are supposed to drop back to the 20s and there's a chance of SNOW Friday. I can't take anymore. It just melted. My car is parked on asphalt for the first time in four months.

 

[sars930]

Good morning ladies!

Beagle - your nursery is Seahawks colors! Yeah! Hehe. I know that was probably not your intent. I like it! Sorry about your limeade. I can relate - I blew up at DH when I was on Lupron over a towel. He was like, "whoa. Crazy lady."

Amy - Ohmgosh! I bet you've got twinsies in there! Can't wait for your scan on Monday.

Booger - Me too - follistim was in the fridge for me. That's a good plan for letting your mom know. I can't believe you've held out this long! My parents know everything about the IVF. I felt bad on Saturday when I had to break the news to them. They were really bummed. Part of me wonders if I should've stayed mum till I had good news to share. Our household is the opposite on the sports-front, football is our season so it's hard this time of year with no sports. We're not too big into basketball or baseball, though it is fun to go to baseball games at Safeco, but more for the experience rather than watching the game. Although we are pretty into IndyCar and Formula One, and those seasons are kicking off now, so that's fun to watch.

BabyW - HAHAHA I love the hair-yanking story! Good for you.

Bighteyez, Jkb, Knitgirl, Mrs. W, how are you ladies doing??

Sars - glad you like your new OB. He sounds awesome. I never wanted to have a male doctor, but he sounds kind and gentle. Oh, I wanted to tell you, I have since added that Tuscan villa to my bucket list. It sounds like heaven. I told DH about it and he's like, "wait, no TV or wireless?!" Haha.

Terri - No wonder ganirelix hurt like a b**ch! Hehe.

Kfs - hope you get a day off soon! I say take it now before you get too burned out.

Afm, still coping. It's funny, my consolation was being able to drink wine and coffee, but I really don't look forward to wine anymore. I'd rather be abstaining knowing that I've got a little treasure to take care of. Blah. And seeing preggo ladies is even harder than it was before. Did I tell you a coworker recently found out she is pregnant? She's had infertility troubles, including a m/c, so I really am happy for her. She was home yesterday with morning sickness. I try to stifle my little green monster, but I can't help my internal voice: "I wish I was home with morning sickness. Hmph."

My follow-up appointment w/my doc is not for another week. I hate to wait so long just to understand what happened. My nurse said via email that we should be able to start back up right away, depending on when my last "full flow after meds" was. I was like....ummm...well, I've been bleeding for over a week now, during and still after meds. I feel like I have an eternal period. It's getting really annoying.

LadySosa: I'm sure your parents are just sad to see you hurting. But they'd definitely want to know. Don't worry about others right now. Worry about yourself. I've definitely felt the green eyed monster many times. I try to remind myself you never know what others are going through. That stinks you have to wait a whole week to see the doctor.

The no Internet/TV was definitely weird. We downloaded Breaking Bad so we had some things to watch at night. You can drive up to the main house for some slow wireless. It did make us go to bed early.

Moni, glad to hear you're doing well. Yay for tax refunds!

 

[booger76]

Sars - I forgot about your upcoming trip to Italy. That sounds amazing!!! I'm a little jealous. And I actually enjoy being on vacation and not having internet or TV. I think it makes me find more entertaining things to do where I'm at. And yes, my mother is a fanatic it's safe to say. She has more UK crap than should ever be produced. She has lucky blue shoes, earrings, socks, purses, jackets, you name it - she has it. She's a hoot!

Terri - I keep hearing that Maryland is a tough team and could give KY fits. I guess we'll find out. I think KY is great this year, but it's anyone's game come tournament time. You just never know what's going to happen. I can't stand Duke. I can appreciate a good program and a great coach but you'll never find me cheering for them. I need to double check with my nurse but I'm pretty sure Claritin is okay to take for my allergies - if so, I need to start popping those things every morning.

Lady - I think it's normal to still feel sad and jealous. Who wouldn't? There is so much build up to this and so much emotional investment, it's hard not to feel hurt when it doesn't work. I feel it for you! I think you'll feel better after next week when you meet with your doctor and have a plan to move forward. But take all the time you need. None of this is easy.

moni - I'm glad your birthing class went so well! You are getting close!! Crazy how fast it seems to have gone by - well, at least for this bystander. And for tax refunds!! Yeah!

Beagle - I think I might be starting to get some nausea. I can't really tell. Yesterday and today there have definitely been some moments where I've been pretty queasy. But it also feels pretty similar to when I had an ulcer once, so I'm not sure if it's just all in my head.

Babywhisperer - Sorry poor little Jack's chompers are giving him (and you guys) such a hard time. He sounds miserable, poor guy.


So, my Mom knows nothing. I'm pretty sure she has given up on us ever having kids so this is going to be a pretty big surprise for her. She's going to love it. She already has 4 grandchildren from my brothers and sister but it's been almost 12 years since the last one was born. I can't wait to tell her!