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

[booger76]

Good Morning!

Erin - Hooray! I'm so glad to see you're back. I love your resilience and hopefulness - it's infectious. That's why we're all here! I'm glad to see your doctor is so proactive, too. It shows she cares. I think we all want that when we're going through something as stressful as IVF.

I am hopeful that we'll get at least a couple of normal embryos - and I'm also aware that just having normal embryos doesn't mean we'll get pregnant but it at least increasing our chances right off the bat. There are are so many other things that factor into IVF being successful or not successful. I've been doing a lot of reading lately about how critical it is for your lining and uterus to be perfectly synced with the embryo that's being transferred. That is why they are seeing better success rates with FETs - it's easier to sync the endometrial lining and uterus. I still have to have a mock embryo transfer at some point and they have recommended I schedule a hysterscope/saline sonogram to make sure I don't have any polyps or fibroids that could interfere with implantation.

Moni - Wahoo! I'm glad you can stop the shots. I'm sure that's a relief. It's exciting to see how you pregnant ladies here progress. Can't wait to be there someday myself. I tried to go see your scan but I can't get your journal link to work.

Beagle - Your manager sounds awesome. I'm glad she was willing to accommodate your IVF if necessary. Isn't it nice when work makes time fly by - at least when you're waiting on something.....I am busy at work but I'm bored by what I'm working on (if that makes any sense). Some days fly and some days are just torture. I can't wait for our upcoming vacation.

Amy - Still waiting, waiting, waitng, I presume? Tick tock, tick tock......

Terri - The lupron trigger is supposed to prevent or lessen the effects of OHSS. https://www.advancedfertility.com/lupron-trigger-prevent-hyperstimulation.htm Let us know how your monitoring goes today. I'm sorry all this is interfering with the potential games that you were so excited about. If he is willing to pay a little extra for the tickets, why not get a little more and then you can get yourself a little treat to feel better? Did you see that Royals/A's game last night? Exciting! I'm glad the Royals won. Oh, and thanks for having our backs. You said what I was thinking but couldn't put into words.

Jen - I'm glad you plan on sticking around because your posts always make me laugh!! Plus, we want to see how things go for you and little bean.

Hello to kfs and brighteyez!! Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!

I finally got to go for a run last night. It felt so nice to be outside and moving. My was happy too!

 

[booger76]

kfs and beagle - We must have cross posted (since it takes me forever to type these things up!).

kfs - Hooray for CD1! How exciting for you get going. I was just like you and beagle. When we started a year ago, we said "if it happens, it happens and if it doesn't, it doesn't." Well, funny how quickly things changed when it didn't happen!


beagle - Oh yeah! Today is the day - I hope you hear something!!!

 

[JCM]

Great news about starting your cycle kfs!
Terri, is the entire trigger shot lupron? Mine was half lupron/half HCG. When do you find out about your game time? Baseball is fun to watch when it's an exciting game but I have to admit, I mainly like going for the snacks! I'm on a mission to find the best soft pretzel ever made. I'm obsessed with ballpark food though.
Hope you get some great news today, Beagle!
Happy hump day to everyone!

 

[brighteyez73]

KFS1 - Yayy!! I can't wait for the nurse to send me my schedule. Have you gotten your protocol shedule yet? When I started my BCP I was so excited.

 

[brighteyez73]

Booger - My day is going pretty good. I really would love a nap.

 

[Amy1976]

Happy Hump Day!!!

kfs1 - YAY for CD 1 and BCP!!!

beaglemom - Can't wait to hear about the grant. FX'd for you.

booger - Yes still waiting, waiting, waiting!!

It's so funny that for all these months AF always came even when I prayed for her not to... and on top of that, always worried about my short-ish luteal phase. Now when I want her to arrive, she decides to take her sweet time and will probably give me the perfect 14 day luteal phase I always wanted!! Ugh, I just hate her.

 

[terripeachy]

Amy-That rise looks promising. fxfx for whatever you want. hee hee.

kfs1-Yeah for AF and BCP. Two acronyms I never thought I'd type in one sentence.

beaglemom-sticky huh? Interesting. And glad the prego FB announcements didn't get to you this time. You have more important things to worry about than FB announcements.

I was busy today at work and then the machine broke, so I decided to catch up on stuff so I don't have to do it tomorrow. I'm taking a half day and then we're heading downtown to try and find free parking.

I have lots of updates to share. I wasn't upset with the nurse, really, because I know she's rude. I guess I was just getting tired of shots, and total consummation of my thoughts with this stupid ball game. Today I was much better. Anyway, my doctor (my actual doctor who is not a morning person, but said I was fun) made a joke today about the baseball games after I told him he ruined my life. He said, while doing my ultrasound, 'well, if you can't make the game on Friday, you can certainly give the tickets to the man you love. The one between your legs right now.' I died laughing. Then he said 'Let's hope Pittsburgh wins so the game will be at 3pm, and then you can go, but take it easy.' I was happy. So...I have 18 freaking follicles! 18!!!! Unbelievable. 9 on each side. Trigger is tonight, so I had to meet with a random nurse. I told her that I'd really like to get the first appointment if possible. She said Lupron helps OHSS (good research, booger), but then I will get hcg the morning of retrieval to help my lining. After work I had a message from my nice nurse (all cylinders were firing properly today with the nice people), and she said that I will do a combo Lupron/hcg and not get one in the morning. So, I have two subQ shots today and no butt shots at 9pm for retrieval at 9a. Boop boop! I have to go back tomorrow morning for bloodwork (which is fine), and then to work, so no biggie. I'm SOOO happy today. I was able to reschedule my dentist's appointment for another day, and because I didn't have to work late, I still made my eyebrow waxing appointment on time. Today is my day! If you ever have to go bald, definitely keep your brows in tip top shape. That's my PSA for the day.

 

[beaglemom]

You are too funny. I am so glad the stars are aligning for you...maybe a good omen for the embryo as well

No news from the grant today. The director is in TX, so I guess it is possible I will hear later with the time difference. So I get to keep waiting. But it is turning in to a busy week at work. We are getting RSVPs for our dumb banquet & other things going on...so I hope the times goes by fast. I am seeing a show with my friend called Spank...it is a spoof on the 50 Shades books. My husband & I also want to go see Spamalot which is playing...so funny...that is a sort of remake for broadway of Monty Python & the Holy Grail. And then our banquet is next Thurs. So before I know it the TWW will be over. I was online today but really should not have been because I was so busy...but I am addicted. I will try to stay off the next couple days during work.

I am just starting to feel like IVF will be here before I know it.

 

[moni77]

Yay , glad things are working out. I'll post my scan on here tomorrow. Notsure why thelink didn't work?

 

[Amy1976]

Terri - So glad things are going your way!! And for 18 eggs!! That's awesome!!

 

[beaglemom]

Terri...so sorry...I totally forgot to say congrats on the egg count!!!

 

[beaglemom]

Good morning ladies. This is going to be a long post. I would appreciate you guys reading it & giving me your honest feedback. Thanks.

I have an update on the grant. I can’t really say if it is good news or bad news. I am processing it & looking at it at several different angles. So the website stated application deadline was Sept 26 & the decision would be announced on Oct 1. I was a little skeptical at this timeline, but figured whatever. So yesterday I look on the website not sure how we would be notified of a winner. Nothing there…same Oct 1 announcement date. I forgot all about it then remembered before bed. Checked the website again…the announcement date now says Nov 15. I think somewhere in the back of my mind I always feared this would happen. Everything in our paperwork says 6-8 weeks for processing…so I never knew how they were going to announce 5 days after the application deadline. Plus that was a postmarked date…so applications are still accepted if postmarked by Sept 26. So of course calendars are running through my head, can I still make this happen…all kinds of questions. Just FYI, funds cannot be used on services already paid for. So I can’t do IVF, then win the grant, then give them a bill I already paid. Also, my IVF paperwork says my total is due when I go to my education class. Can you guys let me know how funding happened at your offices? So anyways…I feel like even though the timeline would work for me to just be on BCP until Nov 15 then start everything, my education class & all the other preparation would be happening way before so nothing is rushed. I really do not want to wait…and I can’t push it back any further because that would put me into the holidays and the issue again at work with time off. Also with all the money spent so far, I want any other major medical expenses to happen in 2014 for tax reasons. So I have a dilemma.

I am not upset right now…just torn…I feel like I know what I want to do, but would love some feedback. Here are some of the ways I am looking at this. I really want to move forward. I know it is possibly stupid to just ignore the grant, but I just am so tired of waiting. Believe me, I do not see the money about to be spent as small change. We would need a loan to pay it. We have all the loan details figured out…basically a backup if the grant does not succeed. We are not poor or living pay check to pay check. We could def cut back a lot in order to get the loan paid down quickly. Plus we need to do that anyways to prepare for the expenses of a baby. I have sort of thought this whole time we are not high on the list of people to receive the grant. We have decent jobs, 401K, small savings, little debt (not counting the house), and my husband has stock options at work. We are way luckier than a lot of people. So part of me is thinking just move forward. If I win the grant, maybe it is just good karma to say someone else out there needs it more. Please guys, give me some feedback.

Of course, I plan to double check the payment process with my clinic. If I have to pay on the education class day, I guess it depends on when the classes are. I wanted to start my IVF meds the last week or 2 of Nov to allow for an early Dec retrieval & transfer. So with an announcement on Nov 15, maybe I can get in to a class right after…might put my schedule back a week which would be fine…but still cutting it close. Plus we are in the holidays, so I do not know if that would make the schedules any different.

Anyways…that is my short & not very important or stressful update…LOL! To close this whole thing out…if I am being completely honest with myself…this is how I am feeling: I don’t want to wait, we can make the financing work, I never really expected to win the grant.

Thanks guys.

 

[terripeachy]

I am about to leave work and was just popping in, but I had to pay on the day of my first bloodwork after AF caused by stopping BCP. I had the class and other testing done while i was on BCP, but didn't have to pay for that until later.

I think you should wait patiently for the grant money, and just try naturally for a month or two (plus, if you do win, you'll make it work during the busy time of your work, especially since everyone knows what's going on), or just bite the bullet and pay now and pay the grant forward. If you're tired of waiting, just pay out of pocket and call it a day. Then it doesn't matter what they decide to do with the grant. What does hubs say? How old are you again? I couldn't afford to wait, but maybe you can. You'll make the right decision either way.

 

[Amy1976]

Wow beaglemom that's a big decision. I think you already know what you want to do. I would probably do the same. I know how I am feeling right now and know I wouldn't want to wait any longer either. Especially if I felt I didn't have a great chance at receiving the grant to begin with. I would also be upset if I was waiting and waiting for this announcement and then it got pushed back 6 weeks. Now it gives you the feeling of not being a reliable source in a sense. But this is a decision only you can make. Do you know how and when the grant is given? What if on Nov. 15th they announce the winner and then say the grant funds will be available in 30 days?

 

[beaglemom]

I am about to leave work and was just popping in, but I had to pay on the day of my first bloodwork after AF caused by stopping BCP. I had the class and other testing done while i was on BCP, but didn't have to pay for that until later.

I think you should wait patiently for the grant money, and just try naturally for a month or two (plus, if you do win, you'll make it work during the busy time of your work, especially since everyone knows what's going on), or just bite the bullet and pay now and pay the grant forward. If you're tired of waiting, just pay out of pocket and call it a day. Then it doesn't matter what they decide to do with the grant. What does hubs say? How old are you again? I couldn't afford to wait, but maybe you can. You'll make the right decision either way.

I am 32...so still young. I could def wait it out. It annoys me that if I wait & it goes past Dec 31, I can't deduct it. I was really hoping to be done spending money on all this after this year. But I guess if I have to pay that early, I could pay in December but not have IVF until January. January is actually a better month because things will sort of slow down all around for both our jobs. I am just so anxious. Waiting it out is probably smart. Just not something I really want to do.

Side note...no emails or anything letting us know about the delay. That really pissed off my husband. He said it is pretty shitty to delay it even though the date has been posted for months. But it is even worse they didn't let anyone know.

 

[beaglemom]

Wow beaglemom that's a big decision. I think you already know what you want to do. I would probably do the same. I know how I am feeling right now and know I wouldn't want to wait any longer either. Especially if I felt I didn't have a great chance at receiving the grant to begin with. I would also be upset if I was waiting and waiting for this announcement and then it got pushed back 6 weeks. Now it gives you the feeling of not being a reliable source in a sense. But this is a decision only you can make. Do you know how and when the grant is given? What if on Nov. 15th they announce the winner and then say the grant funds will be available in 30 days?

That is something else I am unsure of. I know Ihave 12 months to use it & the funds are paid directly to the dr office. But the timeline from when they announce & when funding is actually available, I am not sure of.

 

[booger76]

Good morning, ladies!

Beagle - You know what you want to do but since you asked..........My clinic batches its patients into series and they only allow so many women per series. You have to pay for everything up front to secure your spot in a series and it is done on a first come, first serve basis. When we went for our initial consult in August and decided we wanted to move forward with IVF, we paid that day to ensure our spot in the September series. My clinic only has one doctor so I'm sure his office has to do it this way to make his schedule work. When I was stimming and having monitoring done in his office, he was the one doing all the ultrasounds, not a nurse or technician. Then he looked at the blood results, made any adjustments etc. Everyone had to be there at 7 am in the morning for monitoring. He does the FETs in the afternoons of the first few day of the series, then moves on to the retrievals and fresh transfers toward the end. This is the only way I imagine it can work with only one doctor. (Not sure why I went off on that long tangent there - I think to explain why and how the series thing works).

In any case, if you are really ready to move forward and don't think you can't wait any longer, then I would move ahead without the grant. It sounds like you guys have already figured out the financial piece anyway. I do think it's critical to find out exactly when you have to pay, as you could figure out your schedule and still have time to find out if you get the grant money. I would also find out about their cancellation policy - if we had cancelled after we paid, but before the start of the series, we would get almost all of our money back minus $500. If your clinic has something like that, you could always pay of up front, then cancel if you get the grant and repay later - you'd be out whatever their cancellation fee is but it might be worth it in the end if the grant pays for most of your IVF.

Terri - I was so glad to see you were in a better mood yesterday afternoon. How did the trigger shot go? Hooray for all those follies - I hope they all show up tomorrow!

Amy - I see that temp drop this morning - looks like AF is on her way!

Jen - I love ballpark food, too. The Albuquerque Isotopes have the best ballpark food ever. Seems kind of strange, but I always loved it.

Hello to Erin, kfs, and brighteyez!

Not a lot going on here. Ready for the weekend. I think we might go camping.

 

[beaglemom]

Good morning, ladies!

Beagle - You know what you want to do but since you asked..........My clinic batches its patients into series and they only allow so many women per series. You have to pay for everything up front to secure your spot in a series and it is done on a first come, first serve basis. When we went for our initial consult in August and decided we wanted to move forward with IVF, we paid that day to ensure our spot in the September series. My clinic only has one doctor so I'm sure his office has to do it this way to make his schedule work. When I was stimming and having monitoring done in his office, he was the one doing all the ultrasounds, not a nurse or technician. Then he looked at the blood results, made any adjustments etc. Everyone had to be there at 7 am in the morning for monitoring. He does the FETs in the afternoons of the first few day of the series, then moves on to the retrievals and fresh transfers toward the end. This is the only way I imagine it can work with only one doctor. (Not sure why I went off on that long tangent there - I think to explain why and how the series thing works).

In any case, if you are really ready to move forward and don't think you can't wait any longer, then I would move ahead without the grant. It sounds like you guys have already figured out the financial piece anyway. I do think it's critical to find out exactly when you have to pay, as you could figure out your schedule and still have time to find out if you get the grant money. I would also find out about their cancellation policy - if we had cancelled after we paid, but before the start of the series, we would get almost all of our money back minus $500. If your clinic has something like that, you could always pay of up front, then cancel if you get the grant and repay later - you'd be out whatever their cancellation fee is but it might be worth it in the end if the grant pays for most of your IVF.

Terri - I was so glad to see you were in a better mood yesterday afternoon. How did the trigger shot go? Hooray for all those follies - I hope they all show up tomorrow!

Amy - I see that temp drop this morning - looks like AF is on her way!

Jen - I love ballpark food, too. The Albuquerque Isotopes have the best ballpark food ever. Seems kind of strange, but I always loved it.

Hello to Erin, kfs, and brighteyez!

Not a lot going on here. Ready for the weekend. I think we might go camping.

Thanks for the tip on cacellation...I don't think that was explained to me & a good point.

I have never gotten any indication there is any kind of wait process at my clinic. She just told me to call to get the bcp & we go on from there. My office has 3 doctors. They always seems fairly efficient & they do have u/s techs & nurses helping out with the smaller things. I have only seen my dr twice...initial consultation & then when I asked for an IVF consultation. I did see the other 2 dr...once because he went in to the wrong room, so he did my u/s anyways...then once when the wash came back really low, they had the other dr come in to talk to me about it. Basically from what I understand, the 3 of them work together & rotate everything. So even though I have a dr assigned, I may not see that dr. I am fine with that.

Your office sounds like an assembly line! Not in a bad way, I know he is much more personable/availble than my dr which is great. But when you were telling me that, all that popped in my head was a line of women in stirrups in a big room & he just goes from one to the next!

 

[booger76]

Your office sounds like an assembly line! Not in a bad way, I know he is much more personable/availble than my dr which is great. But when you were telling me that, all that popped in my head was a line of women in stirrups in a big room & he just goes from one to the next!

Haha - it pretty much is an assembly line. At one point, one of the nurses even joked about us being like cattle. Even though my Dr. does the ultrasounds, they are super quick and there is no talking for the most part. I bet if he saw me on the street, he wouldn't know me. The only time I have actually spoken to him was at our initial consult - didn't even see him on the day of retrieval. I'm totally okay with that. I know a lot of people wouldn't be comfortable with that situation. He explained everything so beautifully and eloquently at our consult that I fully trusted he knew what he was doing and so far, he has maintained that trust based on the results we have had. His clinic's success rates are really good (and I don't think he screens out difficult patients) so whatever system he has set up, seems to work. I guess we'll see what happens in December!

 

[kfs1]

Beagle - That's a tough one. I would say hold off if you think there's a chance you could keep your original timeline anyway. You were already planning on waiting for a December retrieval, right? Like you said, you can get everything else in place and make sure that no matter what happens (grant or no grant), that you can just start immediately. On the flip side, totally understand not wanting to wait. This process is SOOO annoying sometimes.

Terri - Thinking of you lady! Can't wait to hear how ER goes.

eRose - Hope your appointment goes well today. I'm sure your RE has some good ideas on how to proceed.

Amy - YES for a temp drop. You're almost there!

Hey everyone else! How's it going today?