ICSI/IVF/FET October/November Buddies wanted!!

[Plex]

Ilovetomatoes - paying any amount of money hurts! More than the injections i think too we have to pay at the baseline scan. Weight loss buddies sounds great!! I was good and had a beef stew today cooked in water and all fat cut off with loads of veg I take a lot of will power to eat healthy lol. Have u changed ur diet much? xx

Kaye - How are u hun? xx

Morana - Good luck for ur FET - will u be doing a medicated or natural FET? xx

Jungleland - I thoroughly recommend time off from work ive just gone back after a month off - and my last cycle was such a flop i was glad to be off! Are you paying all in for this next cycle? Wish u the best of luck hun! xx

Bumpsparkle - Wishing u luck for ur cycle! The endo scratch increases chances by quite a bit so its good to do Ive had one this last cycle xx

Chimmi - lol Im the same with the eating! I know i should stop but i just cant help myself my bmi is around 28 too now and my weight is still going up and up. Good luck for your cycle! xx

Afm - not up to alot AT ALL, been shopping bought supplements (lots of them!) been working - i do nights *sigh* hate nights, love my bed I have 9 weeks 3 days left till hubbies blood test results are back not that im counting!

 

[Ilovetomatoes]

Plex, I've been cooking soups for lunches and dinner at times. Adding more fruit and veggies to my diet. Starting last week, I exercise twice a day (luckily I own a treadmill so don't have to drive back and forth to the gym). Short exercise in the morning before work (approx. 20 minutes or so) and 30 minutes at night. A few days ago, DH came home with a box of chips!!! Arrrgghh!!! Told him to take it with him to work. I don't want to see any chips, ice cream, chocolate chip cookies, cookies, any type of super sweet stuff in the house. I do wear Nike Fuelband everyday and I found it very helpful to motivate myself to move more.

AFM, I have an appointment with the IVF nurse today. But, I am not sure what it's for ahahahha. It could be for U/S or an IVF class. Either way, DH is coming with me so in case it's a class, he can help me later on with injections . Two more weeks to go before I can start BCP. I think after that time will go faster .

 

[Plex]

Yeah once you start the bcp things should move a bit quicker as ur doing something towards ur ivf

I just cant help myself as far as foods concerned! I did get that Davina's fit in fifteen dvd - did that before my last ivf and OMG its GOOD! really feeling the burn, tried the abs workout and it nearly killed me! couldnt even do some of them! im sooooo unfit! think im going to have to start doing that again oh the joys of treatment and what we do to get pregnant.

Hope ur appointment goes well today xx

 

[Ilovetomatoes]

I found that the best exercise for me is jogging. I am a slow jogger
Just finished with my appt. It's a surprise u/s to check my uterus, follicles, saline ultrasound, & mock transfer. I have 12 follicles on each side and normal uterus. Yaayyy. Super excited. The RE said he doesn't see any problems so far and everything should be pretty easy

I tried P90x and know people who are successful using it. But it's a very hard exercise regime.

 

[Jungleland]

Great news ilovetomatoes, it sounds like your appointment went well.
plex- yes I'm paying this time too.
1st cycle egg share ICSI with surgical sperm recovery = approx 2k
2nd cycle egg share ICSI with frozen sperm = approx 1.4k
This time....3rd cycle ICSI with endo scratch and frozen sperm = approx 4k (plus another £450 if we are lucky enough to have embies to freeze) eak! We pay the 4k on day2 scans/bloods. Handing over the card DEFINITELY hurts more than the injections!
I need to exercise too, I think it'll help me feel strong for ICSI. Been doing ad hoc cycling but weather here has taken a turn for the worse so maybe an exercise vid might be the way to go! Xxx

 

[kaye]

Hey

How much time do you need off work for ivf the first couple of weeks. I have told my manager that we are having ivf and she said I can work the time back or have unpaid leave. Just want her to be aware of all the facts.

 

[kaye]

Ilovetomatoes - appointment went well you must be very happy especially RE saying everything should be pretty easy. Bet your feeling good x

Plex - I'm good thanks and how are you? Had a bad weekend with the food and wine.. back on track and no alcohol for me for a while. I am following a diet called metabolic effect it's amazing. Limited carbs at each meal and lots of fibre and protein.

Well we are just waiting for hubby to have another SA on 20th August and then hoping we should get our appointment through. Really want it before the 12 week mark as I'm getting frustrated how the weeks are dragging.

 

[lizzie78]

Hey Plex,

I think we will be doing a FET in October/November although won't know for sure until our appointment on 2nd Sept. My diet went brilliantly until about an hour ago today. this morning was slimming world perfect and I have just ruined it by eating SIX (!) digestive biscuits I think because I know I'm going on holiday in a few days I can't get my head back into it. hopefully when I get back i'll knuckle down

 

[Bumpsparkle]

Plex - hope we are right about the scratch! I'm a bit frustrated it wasn't offered in cycles 1 or 2 tbh considering the benefits.

Did you have the scratch on day 21 of the previous cycle (ie about a week before the ivf cycle?) Also did it hurt much? I'm picturing it's a bit like ET? Do you need a full bladder (I hate it when they say that!) x

 

[lizzie78]

Kaye, I didn't take any time off in the first few weeks of my IVF cycle. I made the time up with work to cover my scan appointments and just took a day off for Egg Collection. I worked the day of Embryo Transfer and then took the first week of TWW off as annual leave. It's personal choice whether to take time off after ET but I have a stressful job with lots of travelling so decided it was the right thing fo rme to do.

 

[Morana]

Plex, looks like it's a medicated FET since I've been promised patches. Now I'm a bit concerned with that since I have an allergy to adhesive... having a bandaid on for 15 minutes leaves me with a burn-looking patch of contact dermatitis!

You guys are so strong with the weight loss! I never have enough willpower and something always happens to me whenever I try to start exercising :-D Technically, I could stand to lose quite a bit but I was also told by my doctor not to stress about it since I'm regular and ovulating just fine on my own.

Ilovetomatoes, it's too bad your clinic doesn't offer the option, I find a bit of comfort in the set price It does turn into a bad deal though if you have a baby on the first fresh cycle, that would mean you'd pay about twice as much... But since we were given 50% chance for the first fresh cycle, we went for it and good thing we did.

afm - Spoke to IVF nurse and I have to re-do my physical, set the appointment for the 18th. At least waiting for the appointment makes waiting for the cycle shorter And then I have a week of vacations on 23rd, that'll make it go faster too. Can't wait, I haven't taken a vacation in almost a year

 

[Ilovetomatoes]

Jungle, wow...that's pretty expensive for blood tests. 4K!! I thought you guys get one free IVF treatment in England? Do you have to go through the private route? I heard that the wait could be pretty long for IVF.

Kaye, I was told by my doctor that I only need 2 days off to rest after ET. But, a full day for ER. We did a mock transfer yesterday to make sure that there will not be any surprise on ET day. It wasn't bad at all. No pain. Just minor discomfort. Hang in there Kaye. It'll come before we know it .

Morana, I can see how that can get expensive if the first one work. But there is always something to worry about and possibility of the embryos don't take, it's good to know that you have a safety net. By physical, do you mean that you have to re-take all of the blood tests? I hear you about vacation!!! Can't wait. It'll make the wait much shorter.

I am quite happy to know that everything will hopefully go well. But, a bit worried and hope that the medication they'll give me won't be too strong. I am afraid of having OHSS. I can't imagine how many follicles I'd have later if now, without medication, I already have 24 (4-5 days due to ovulate). I couldn't figure out the counts. He counted really fast. I counted 2 and he was already at 5 ahahhaha. I know it's hard for some of us and we all have different challenges to face. So Ladies, I apologize if I am sounding a bit too obnoxious with the follicle count.

Also, in addition to exercise, I've been going to acupuncturist. I can't say that it works since so far nothing is happening. But, the sessions do relax me more.

Everyone else, Hi :wave:

 

[Plex]

ILoveTomatoes - Yay for mock transfer!!!!! Awesome number of follicles too!

Im deep cleaning my house hoping thats my exercise for the week xx

Kaye - I would say from when u start stimms as you'll have an u/s every few days.. I remember long protocol, baseline scan day 2 then first stim scan day 8 then a scan every other day after that. Short protocol, baseline scan, then scan 6 days later then every other day after that.

I would say time off during treatment depends on if you can get away with just nipping out for scans and making the time up later. Also you will need at least 3 days off - day of egg collection and two days after. Day of transefer you could nip out of work to do - take a half day or just the day off. Lots of people dont take any time off in the tww, it all depends on how u feel about it all - no regrets and all that!

I took a month off work from half way through stimms till a week or so after results - glad i did if im honest as my cycle, towards the end was awful and i couldnt face work.

Ive never heard of that diet before - is it complicated? Im not good with complicated things lol xx

Lizzie - hiya hun!! It couldve been worse, you couldve eaten the whole pack! You had the will power to stop where are you going on ur hols? xx

Bump - Yeah i had it around day 21 - it has to be done 7-10 days after ovulation (i think) Well i had a biopsy taken aswell which was uncomfortable and i was glad when it was over and done with! I think the scratch wont be as bad, they did take quite a large biopsy form me so thats why i was uncomfy. dont think u need a full bladder, although dont quote me on that as i cant remember brain like a colander most of the time xx

Morana - Im no good when it comes to weight loss either - i have no get up and go wish i did! are you going to ask about the patches? Im sure they'll have an alternative?

Is that appointment on the 18th August? if so, not long till that! Enjoy ur holiday too hun, u going anywhere nice? xx

Jungle - Why is it sooo damned expensive???? Not right at all, feel like we're exploited We have to pay 3165 for ICSI, 1000 for meds or there abouts then if we want the embryoscope its 400 for that too! Also for consultant lead care its an extra 200-300! so in total 4865 All this money we shell out, hope it bloody works this time! lolol xx

 

[Morana]

By physical, do you mean that you have to re-take all of the blood tests?

Not yet, my blood tests expire in December and hopefully I either won't need them or manage to re-do them before my insurance deductible resets again. It's the annual exam with cultures and pap smear the way I understood it. The only thing that scares me there is that my right ovary has been bothering me for the past few weeks and now I'm afraid that they'll say it's back to surgery with me. I have a chocolate cyst on my right that was small in the spring but who knows what's going on with it now.

Kaye, I took a couple days off for transfer and worked from home the day after ER. I was in a bit of pain after retrieval but I'm lucky enough to work in IT and to be able to work from home whenever I need to. Going to work and sitting in a chair that day after retrieval was def out of the question. Actually, now I wish I would take couple days off or worked from home before retrieval too, it got really uncomfortable for me.

 

[Plex]

ILT - acupuncture relaxes me too! Its like a therapy session aswell, the lady that does mine is so nice and helps me come to terms with everything that we're going through

They will keep a close eye on you OHSS wise for sure - make sure u drink plenty of sports drinks to keep yourself hydrated and dont be afraid to call ur clinic if you have any possible OHSS symptoms - they'll be happy to help even if it is just to reassure you xx

 

[Jungleland]

Kaye- for my 1st 2 cycles I only had minimal time off work (all scans and bloods at my clinic are dome before 10am which is within my flexi start time so I didnt have to have special leave for this, then 1 day off for egg collection followed by 2 recovery days and 1 day off for embryo transfer and half a day off for the prenancy test result! I've fallen lucky and had the weekend as my recovery days so only really had a couple of days leave. My work gives 37hours (5 days) ivf leave per year which I can dib into bit by bit or all in one go. Very lucky in that respect.

I'm changing things up for our 3rd and possibly final cycle, so taking a batch of unpaid and annual leave to see if it helps us get our

Plex I agree it feels like exploitation, I'm convinced that whenever we get to the end of our journey it'll all suddenly become free on NHS, sods law!

ilovetomatoes We're ineligble for free nhs treatment due to my OH having children from a prev. relationship.. sadly its not taken into account that Ive never had a biological child myself. I didn't have to wait at all for my first cycle, possibly due to the fact I was paying private or eggsharing when they were short on donors xxx

 

[Jungleland]

Plex - hope we are right about the scratch! I'm a bit frustrated it wasn't offered in cycles 1 or 2 tbh considering the benefits.

Did you have the scratch on day 21 of the previous cycle (ie about a week before the ivf cycle?) Also did it hurt much? I'm picturing it's a bit like ET? Do you need a full bladder (I hate it when they say that!) x

Hi, I'm having scratch for try#3 too and wasn't offered it before now either. Mine's pencilled in for day21 of my sept cycle. I've heard mixed reviews about it being painful/painless. It's not got a very pleasant sounding name has it! Scratch! xxxx

 

[kaye]

What is a scratch ladies? You can tell I'm a newbie to all this ivf!

 

[Ilovetomatoes]

Plex, I so need to deep clean my house. Wanna come over after you are done with yours? ahhahaah So how much and how long should you keep drinking the sports drinks?

Morana, hopefully there is nothing wrong with your right ovary. Btw, what is a chocolate cyst?

Jungle, oh woow. I've never heard work gives leave for IVF treatment. Yay for you! That really sucks that you were not eligible. Something is just wrong about that regulation!

Afm, I just got my IVF schedule from my doctor. They are putting me on the Antagonist protocol (I think this is the most common one?). I will start stim on 10/24 and hopefully ER on 11/05. THEN, I received a phone call from the pharmacy for the meds. OMG!! I almost died. It comes with $4100 price tag!! I was expecting to pay in to the thousand but $4k! Holy guacamole! Hopefully, the other two pharmacies will quote me cheaper prices. I got referred to Walgreens and Avella. Any ladies in the US familiar with this?

Now that one credit card commercial keeps playing in my head. IVF= $12k + Doctor's visits=$2k + labs & extras = $1k + surgery + IVF meds $4k = baby...priceless.

 

[Jungleland]

Kaye- endometrial scratch is when the doc scratches the lining of the womb in the cycle BEFORE you start injections. Generally around day21. I'm told it's a short procedure with no anaesthetic, just like a smear test but they pass through cervix with a small catheter and scratch around. The idea being that an embryo will find a place to snuggle in after embryo transfer better than if the endometrial lining was smoother. Uk clinics only seem to offer it after 2 previous failed attempts but might be worth asking your doc about it. It's costing me approx 140pounds

Ilovetomatoes - im not in the US but ive been on the antagonist protocol twice and will be on it again around the same dates as you in October so we'll be able to compare notes! Any questions just ask Xxx