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

[terripeachy]

I was able to call my insurance company. Life in a cubicle is so tiring sometimes. I have about 10k left for my medical insurance, so whatever I do next depends on how much it costs. I have unlimited tries at all ART, so if I wanted to go back to IUIs, they don't care one way or the other. My prescription insurance is still at 0 until January 1, 2015, so that leaves me exactly where I thought I was. I remember my girlfriend doing the $50k guarantee thing, but I'm not sure if that covered the cost of meds or just the ultrasounds and such. Has it really come to this? Gah..One more thing to ask the doctor this afternoon.

I went riding yesterday and it was SOOOO nice. My boss let me leave early so I was able to ride around for a good two hours before it started getting dark. The leaves turning colors were beautiful, and one of my happy fall moments while riding is when the leaves are falling on the ground right in front of me as I ride over them! hee hee. The only thing missing was that no one was making a fire because it was 70+ degrees. I also only filled my gas tank half full because i want to go out riding one more time before it gets too cold. Filling a half tank forces me to go back out and make sure it's full before the dead of winter sets in. I'm having a great day today because I went riding.

Lunchtime!!

 

[ERosePW]

I'm excited about your appt tomorrow too beagle!

To be honest, if I were to do another ER (and who knows, I may end up there again), I will definitely do PGS. I'm not saying I wish I could go back and do things different, because I know everything happens the way its supposed to. But if I end up back doing another one (praying that I don't), I will do that. Of course, if I do, I will also do a freeze-all like booger and jkb, and wait to do a FET, but that part is mostly because I already know my body was in way better shape for my FET than it was during my fresh cycle. It's unfortunate that my body and mind felt so great during my FET, and I even had implantation, but probably had embies that weren't viable due to chromosomes. So if I go through all this again... PGS and freeze-all for me.

I have to decide soon whether I'm having my last 4 tested before my next FET. I've been hopping back and forth. At first, I felt like I really needed to do it. And then I started feeling like, eh, let's just throw three in there this time and roll the dice. But now I'm going the other direction again. With my luck, we'd still grab the wrong 3 and put them in, have yet another CP, and I'd have to do a FOURTH transfer, not having any clue whether my last SINGLE embryo is viable or not. The thought of that is enough to throw me into a panic attack, lol. If i dont test them, I could end up kicking myself for it.

 

[ERosePW]

Well, terri, the $10k is a pretty good amount if you're just doing a FET! That would pay for like 2-3 FETs easily. Although like you said, you would have to pay for meds. I'm assuming your insurance company has negotiated rates with your clinic, right? If so, even a full blown IVF cycle (if you decide to go with your Dr suggestion and do another ER), would probably be covered with that amount, because the negotiated rates are significantly cheaper than full price. I know my IVF would've been around $9k (not including meds). But my insurance co's negotiated rate took it down to about $6k, so that's all they had to pay them.

As far as drugs, I'm curious... when you say your prescription plan is back to zero, is that for injectables, or is that for ALL drugs? For some reason, my plan separates injectables from any other meds. So unless it's an injection, it doesn't come out of my fertility plan. So my E pills, my E patches, my P gel, etc.... all of that got paid by my regular drug plan. It would be nice if yours was the same, because you can often do the FETs without any injections at all. But I know everyone's insurance plan works different.

i'm so happy you enjoyed your riding. I bet that's a nice release, especially with the changing leaves and the perfect temps!

 

[jkb11]

My dr office just called to say 2 more made it�� so I have a total of 9 frozen. She said the biopsies will be sent tomorrow and I can expect to hear back in 5-7 days, sometimes sooner.

 

[brighteyez73]

Moni - Congratulations!

Terri - Good luck today. Hope you and your RE can come up with a solid plan for moving forward when you're ready.

Beagle - Ahh. Sounds like you had a relaxing night. I had to go over to a friend's house to help her decorate for her Halloween party this weekend.

Brighteyez - Any updates?

Amy - How'd the second night go?

So, last night my RE called and told me to reduce gonal-f from 225 to 200 units (or whatever they are). Before my ultrasound this morning, she said that according to my bloods from yesterday, I was responding very well to the meds. And then she did the ultrasound, and said "Everything looks fine but I may decide to increase your gonal-f dosage again, depending on your bloods from today." And that was it. She didn't say anything about how many follies there were but there was a line of women waiting so she seemed rushed.

So, what exactly does gonal-f do again? Increase the # of follies or the size? I'm sorry - I should know this - don't hit me. Do you think it's possible that there aren't enough follies? Just curious about why she would change her mind after my ultrasound. Also, when did you all start Ganirelix (or whatever version of it you were prescribed)?

I will not have ER on Friday, it mat not be until the Sunday so i had to order more meds. There is still eight ranging from 11 - 17.5mm and estradiol went from 423 to 844. So i guess everything is ok. Just a little nervous and worried but it will be ok.

 

[knitgirl]

Hi everyone! So many posts to read after not being on for 4 days!

JKB - so exciting that you have so many follies!!

Babywhisperer - the menopur does sting! it's my least fav of the 3 shots - and it seems to take forever to inject. i actually started feeling faint the other night because of that and had to lie down on the kitchen floor!

KFS - congrats on starting! could you see any of the follies on the ultrasound yourself?

Erin - good luck on the lupron, and i am totally here as an ear if you start to feel crazy. it made me feel sooooooo emotional.

Moni - so exciting - congrats! such a beautiful ultrasound pic!

Hi to terri, beagle, and booger ... hope i'm not missing anyone.

My update is that I started stimming on friday night and felt like a new woman this weekend - they reduced the lupron by half and it made all the difference! i feel sane again, thank goodness.

Thanks to everyone who provided info about PGS costs - i found out that i would have to stop my current IVF cycle to meet with the RE and the PGS people and sign all sorts of releases and then start up again. We decided to keep moving forward for now. if we need to go through a FET, then we will prob do the PGS.

I had my day 5 u/s and blood work yesterday and they saw 28 follicles! I am really starting to feel the discomfort - my ovaries must be getting huge. My estradiol was over 600. Every result she gave me i kept asking "is that good?" because i have no idea. but the nurse said i was responding really well and they had me cut my Gonal F in half. day 7 u/s and blood work tmr at 7am!

 

[beaglemom]

jkb, that is awesome.

Brighteyez, this whole process is so unpredictable...but I am sure it will work out fine...sorry you have to wait longer & go through the effort of ordering more meds.

 

[brighteyez73]

Just believe they know what they are doing. It will work out!

We are calling him Max now.

Here's my pic from Monday's NT scan:

Welcome back Moni77. Max looks great!!!

 

[moni77]

brighteyes and knitgirl - looking good!!!

 

[kfs1]

eRose - I'm with you. Everything happens for a reason and I know you'll come to the right decision when you need to. That said, your chart's looking mighty interesting...

Terri - So glad you had a nice ride. I LOVE fall so much. I agree with Erin - 10K isn't the worst thing in the world - but then again, no coverage for meds definitely stinks. I can't wait to hear how your appointment goes later.

Beagle - We're all excited for your appointment tomorrow!

JKB - Congrats on 9! That's so great.

Brighteyez - Try not to worry. Like these ladies said, everything seems to be progressing nicely with you. I'm sure your ER/ET will be great.

Knit - Thanks! No, I wasn't able to see anything on the monitor from where I was and like I said, the office was PACKED but I'm definitely asking more questions at my next appointment on Friday. And you said there are 28 follies?!?! Wow - that's so great! I have a feeling that i have a lot less...

Heard from the doctor. Keeping Gonal-F at 200 and Menopur at 150, at least until Friday.

 

[knitgirl]

eRose - I'm with you. Everything happens for a reason and I know you'll come to the right decision when you need to. That said, your chart's looking mighty interesting...

Terri - So glad you had a nice ride. I LOVE fall so much. I agree with Erin - 10K isn't the worst thing in the world - but then again, no coverage for meds definitely stinks. I can't wait to hear how your appointment goes later.

Beagle - We're all excited for your appointment tomorrow!

JKB - Congrats on 9! That's so great.

Brighteyez - Try not to worry. Like these ladies said, everything seems to be progressing nicely with you. I'm sure your ER/ET will be great.

Knit - Thanks! No, I wasn't able to see anything on the monitor from where I was and like I said, the office was PACKED but I'm definitely asking more questions at my next appointment on Friday. And you said there are 28 follies?!?! Wow - that's so great! I have a feeling that i have a lot less...

Heard from the doctor. Keeping Gonal-F at 200 and Menopur at 150, at least until Friday.

Yes - ask as many questions as you want, and if you feel like they are rushing you out, just tell them that and ask them to slow down. maybe even have the questions written down so you don't forget any if they are trying to rush you. i hate that feeling! also, i prob have so many follies because i have PCOS ... fingers are crossed that there are some good eggs in those follies.

 

[ERosePW]

knitgirl, yay for so many follies! And hey, someone else on this thread had pcos too... maybe jkb? And her stats turned out excellent! She has 9 frosties now, i think.... So I think you're gonna do great!

btw, jkb, congrats on that number! That is amazing! Can't wait to hear the pgs results.

kfs, beagle mentioned my chart earlier today too, ha! It does look interesting, lol. But I believe today's temp is a fluke. I'm making sure to test often, since I started the Lupron, and I'd want to know asap. But I'm not expecting anything at all. I've moved past it, and i'm just focusing on my next FET. I'm glad you're keeping us posted on your progress! So, are you going every day, or every other day?

brighteyez, sorry you don't get to do it this weekend! But it's all worth it... they know what they're doing, so they'll put you in the best position they can to get you the most eggs they can.

 

[terripeachy]

I'm back!! Long update to share.

Firstl, I'm such a sucker, I'm no longer in lurking mode. hee hee. I'm going to squeeze this FET in before the end of the year. SOOOOOO that means I'm back on BCP starting tomorrow. It'll be for a few weeks and then I have to take estrogen shots in my butt, every third day, and then progesterone (probably in oil) shots everyday. The office says the meds are only like $100-200, but I'm calling in the morning to see what they say. My nurse was PISSED that my insurance money ran out. She wished I had called them, AND she said to bring in the receipts because if I'm really out of money, she wants to make sure that they charged me the cheaper cost. So I got home and looked for my receipts. I saved them all this time, BUT, I think I was so upset with hearing my negative result that I recycled them ALL. I'll save the world and be mad at the same time. "I WAS SO MAD.....I RECYCLED!!!" I'm stupid. Anyway, we'll see what the insurance place says about my injectables. She is SOOO nice. She told me that as long as she's been a nurse at Shady Grove, she still gets really emotional calling everyone on test day. She said she is happy for positives, and 9/10 times when she tells someone it's negative, she cries after she gets off the phone. So nice...I almost started crying listening to her say that. The rude nurse would never say that. She'd say 'well, you're a , it happens.' hee hee.

So...the doctor says he can't understand why this isn't working. He showed me all of my embryos and their progression. He said that the first time, 3 of my embryos that were transferred really were of perfect status. The second time, they weren't perfect, but the three transferred were hatching blasts, so they were well on their way. The two that we froze are also hatching blasts, so we can just try it again and hope it works this time. He is also going to do the endometrial scratch this time. I'll have it done twice. Once when I am on BCP and then again when I start my injections. He said he's happy that I'm not blaming him, like others do, but he didn't perform my retrievals or transfers, so I can't really blame him. He thinks that my lining is fine. It's been fine in both cases. We just don't know. I also asked him about FET versus fresh, and he said that if the studies showed that the results were overwhelming one way or the other, everyone would have changed. There's just no telling. The nurse said that sometimes the doctors tell patients that there is just no hope for you and you should look for other means of having kids, and my doctor hasn't said that, so he's hopeful for me. They also have a $30k guarantee using donor eggs, and he said that I could do that until I'm 50 if I wanted to. But I have six chances to get a positive or I get my money back. I think if I'm going to spend $30k it's going to be on the next round of adoption for my second (or third) kid. So....this FET HAS to be it.

That's the long and the short of it...ERose you can update me to mid December for transfer.

 

[ERosePW]

oh TERRI!!! YAY!!!!!! I'm so happy you're doing a FET!!! This is SO gonna work, wuhu!!!!!

 

[terripeachy]

Thanks ERose-You're the best! I forgot to tell you girls one other thing.

On the walk back to my doctor's office, he reached out and touched my head. He said "I just have to touch your head!" I was like 'Uh...only my husband touches my head.' I hope he got razor burn. hee hee. He's a nut. My nurse said 'I think that's like walking up and just touching a woman's pregnant belly. I said 'I wish he was reaching out touching my pregnant belly, BUT that will have to wait for another day.' *sigh* I think my doctor likes me because a) I have a good personality and b) I'm not blaming him or being ridiculous about this whole thing and c) I already know half of what he's going to tell me (because of BnB) and I understand what he's talking about and I ask sensible questions. I honestly think he was surprised when I said 'SHOW me my perfect embryos on your computer. I want to see the report from each day.' clicking away and explaining. 'Ok...and now the second cycle.'

 

[Amy1976]

Terri - Whoo Hoo I'm so glad you're back in the game!! Maybe a FET is just what you need! This is it! I can feel it

Erin - I know you think your temp jump is just a fluke, but your chart sure does look good!! I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow!!

Brighteyez73 - Try not to worry too much. It seems completely normal for the dates to change. They wouldn't even give me a specific date at all. They gave me a range and told me it would vary and we wouldn't know until we got down to that time.

Knitgirl - Glad you are back to feeling like yourself and congrats on all the follies!

jkb - YAY for 9 frozen. Can't wait until you get your results!

beaglemom - Can't wait to hear about your appointment tomorrow!

kfs1 - The second night went pretty good. I'm still a little clumsy with all the mixing but the shot was ok. I got a tiny little bruise at the injection site but it doesn't hurt at all, while the first site is still a little sore. I felt a little more tired today than usual and had a headache for part of the day. Don't know if that's the meds or just how I'm feeling today. We'll see what tomorrow brings

 

[beaglemom]

Yay Terri! You will be in line with me (I hope). I def think this next shot will be it for you! It sounds like such a productive appointment & very positive.

I think it is so exciting that so many of us are on the same timeline...lots of Aug/Sept babies!!!

So yesterday I had an upset stomach, but sometimes that just happens. But today was worse...I thought I wouldn't be able to get home. I wonder if maybe I have a bug or something. I hope to feel better tomorrow because I have really been wanting Sonic for breakfast!

 

[beaglemom]

Oh & I am so nervous about the baby bump touching...I work with A LOT of women...& I am not someone who likes to be touched...basically just my husband & immediate family.

 

[moni77]

Yay terri!

 

[Babywhisperer]

Moni yeah for a boy!!! They are so much fun!! Congrats Mama!

Jkb that's great 7 frozen already! I did the bulb and nose Frieda with drops and after his bath. He either fights it or let's me do it and laughs. He seems better but still congested but be ate and slept. I need to use the humidifier. I keep forgetting. Too much on my brain.

I will try and get caught up, lots is drama going on in my life right now. Went for acupuncture last night and blood this morning. So far estrogen is over 100 so I am responding well they said. 2 more nights of the same dose and then back for blood on Fri. It's weird but during acupuncture she hooked up this electrode to 2 needles and it feels like shock therapy. It's supposed to give a deeper treatment. I ended up crying during the treatment. She said it was my liver releasing. I've only experienced this during yoga. Work has become such a toxic place. They want me to repay my maternity leave pay for bogus reasons and are trying to force me to sign another 2yr contract. They are holding my paycheck until I sign. I feel like an indentured servant working for no pay! If I don't sign they will fire me without my pay check. If I sign I can't leave for 2yrs and being there while pregnant knowing what they are trying to do with my maternity leave makes me sick. Hubs is a lawyer so he is helping me but I feel violated. I'm being punished for having a baby. They covered my leave and now they want to undo that. It's insane. They are using it to back me into a corner. So hard to work like this and go thru IVF.