IVF in june/july 2012

[MsTX]

Yes it is a lot of medicine to take. I am taking prenatals, juice plus(2 fruit and 2 vegetable pills per day), doxycycline which is an antibiotic, medrol which is a steroid, baby aspirin to help with the blood flow, prometrium which I will be taking vaginally in the am and by mouth at night, crinone progesterone suppositories at night, vivelle estrogen patches and the medicine to prevent OHSS I can't remember the name but it starts with a d. That was a lot even to type! I feel a little nauseous today and I think it's from the high estrogen Or maybe its all these different meds ive been taking these last few weeks. I try not to take medicine as much as possible so my body is a little overwhelmed right now. Its so not fun but worth if if this all works out.

 

[drsquid]

so i had 4 grade 1, 2 grade 2 and 5 grade 3 blasts. had 2 transfered, 1 frozen today and they are checking again tomorrow to see if more make the freezing grade. the transfer went well today (other than lying down on the table which was excrutiating on my poor tushie). was only 30 min late to court and the lawyers and judge were actually on a sidebar anyway so no one even noticed. figure it isnt bed rest.. but i sat all day without doing much. tomorrow night my new meds come in but.. i dont have to do another shot (this am was the last one.. sucked to have to do it knowing how bad it would be)

 

[Afamilygal]

afamilygal - When do you go in for your next scans? Ugh! You had to draw your own blood? No thanks!

on Wed I have my bloods drawn and an u/s so we'll get to see what's cooking soon. and NO WAY did I draw my own blood! sorry, I meant to go back and see what I wrote on that but I just had a drawn a lot. that would be TERRIFYING. and apparently finding veins is really hard. (shiver) sorry for the confusion!

About the TWW....you're right that it's not really that long with IVF thankfully! My clinic usually does betas 9 and 11 days post transfer but looks like mine will be 10 and 12 days past transfer. I'm assuming because day 9 is a sunday but who knows...

gotcha. I get why they do 2 but why not just tell you after the first one? in case it is negative but there's a possibility that it will go up in the meantime?
that would make me nuts!!! and why cant they draw blood on a sunday? my labs arent attached to my clinic which is a pain cause it would be simpler but it does mean we can get blood done at any time. although my clinic is open on the weekend too so maybe it would just be better if they were attached!

Wow- so much activity!! It's great to hear about all the progress with everyone good luck to everyone for the BFP!!

I can't wait to get started with the stims for mine. I've got another week of luperon before I start the stims. BTW- does anyone get red blotchyness around their luperon injection site? It takes a few minutes to appear but lasts for almost an hour afterwards. It doesn't seem like its from the needle stick- just curious...

I've had that a little bit with the lupron injections, its just a little redish ring around the injection site? do you ice it before hand? I do and I've always thought the whole thing is just irritating for the skin so it reacts a bit. as long as it goes away!

Hi!! I think i'll have to try your cool washcloth tonight if I have trouble sleeping!! Thanks for the idea!!

How exciting!!! Already feeling the commotion down there huh?! I think that's a good sign!! I was overly paranoid of OHSS especially with my PCOS but I feel like it was mostly for nothing...just do as we've all been saying and eat lotsa protein and drink gatorade! YAY for Wednesday!!! Can't wait for your update...

Well technically I have my first beta next Monday and the 2nd Wednesday and they don't tell me any results till Wednesday so yup! 8 days!!! ahhhhh yes work is CRAZY so that helps but it's always still in the back of my mind of course.

Oh my gosh hun I am so terribly sorry to hear this....I had no idea you had had a loss. What happened if you don't mind me asking? You definitely can ignore that question if you'd rather not talk about it....I feel like that might not be a coincidence though...maybe your angel is giving you a really special gift this time.

I drank a big ass thing of gatorade yesterday and Im going to go stock up on more today. and eggs are on the menu for lunch. how much protein are we talking here? like steak every night??

thanks for the kind words about the mc. I have had 2. I kind of figured we all had had a few. (?) the first was when we first starting trying I got pg right away but lost the baby at 11 weeks. It was heart breaking, I went crazy wondering if I had done something wrong. but I found out that I had a uterine septum nearly a year later and they think the baby implanted on it and ran out of blood supply and nutrients. It was devastating to learn that my body had caused it. I had 2 surgeries to correct the septum (its mostly gone) I didn't ever want that to happen again.
the second was last month, I got pregnant after 20 months of working on it but it was an ectopic and we lost the baby at 6 weeks. hence why Im doing IVF.

Thanks afamilygal! Yes it's always nice to get away, and to have a beach nearby is even better. You mentioned not being busy with work...I'm a teacher so I'm off for the summer. Don't get me wring I love love love it!! And it's nice for all of the appts, but it does make it seem like time is going slow. On the flip side I feel like I can relax more too which is a good thing for this process. I hope you find some tricks for making the shots less ouchy!

I'm a freelance graphic designer. I used to make baby clothes too but it got really depressing! hopefully I can resume once I get pregnant and STAY pregnant. I used to want to teach, I have a feeling the kids might eat me alive though.
glad you are getting to time to relax! do what you can! we need to find a hobby to consume us!

Yes it is a lot of medicine to take. I am taking prenatals, juice plus(2 fruit and 2 vegetable pills per day), doxycycline which is an antibiotic, medrol which is a steroid, baby aspirin to help with the blood flow, prometrium which I will be taking vaginally in the am and by mouth at night, crinone progesterone suppositories at night, vivelle estrogen patches and the medicine to prevent OHSS I can't remember the name but it starts with a d. That was a lot even to type! I feel a little nauseous today and I think it's from the high estrogen Or maybe its all these different meds ive been taking these last few weeks. I try not to take medicine as much as possible so my body is a little overwhelmed right now. Its so not fun but worth if if this all works out.

totally worth it!!

so i had 4 grade 1, 2 grade 2 and 5 grade 3 blasts. had 2 transfered, 1 frozen today and they are checking again tomorrow to see if more make the freezing grade. the transfer went well today (other than lying down on the table which was excrutiating on my poor tushie). was only 30 min late to court and the lawyers and judge were actually on a sidebar anyway so no one even noticed. figure it isnt bed rest.. but i sat all day without doing much. tomorrow night my new meds come in but.. i dont have to do another shot (this am was the last one.. sucked to have to do it knowing how bad it would be)

yay! so now it's just a countdown to the beta huh?

you and JMC need to send me your numbers and Ill post them all on the front of this thread. In fact, all of you do it and I'll update it.

like:

AFamilyGal
BCP 5/25-6/11. Lupron 6/7. Start Stims 6/16. Trigger _____. ER _____, ___ eggs & ___ fertilized. ET _____, ___ transfered. ____

(and anything else you want to add)

 

[Afamilygal]

after I wrote this I found a thread where they did this (putting everyone's info together on page 1) and I know a lot of you have your dets up there so we don't have to do it again on this thread if you dont want to.

I just did a yoga class and it was amazing. I feel so good after stretching it all out. although I'm sure in a few days I wont want to get all twisty if I get some follies growing.

can I ask a gross question to the ladies who have done this already? how is the BM issue afterwards? I like to know if I am going to get very constipated so I can try to battle it before hand. (told you- gross)

 

[raelynn]

E2 was at 280 this morning. I'm staying on my low dose of meds. I didn't get any measurements today so I'm kind of bummed about that. I guess I should have asked. They counted 12 follicles on one side and 15 on the other. I must be doing ok though because I start on Ganirelix tomorrow morning to hold off ovulation. Not really looking forward to having to try and inject myself while half asleep in the AM. I go back in on Thursday for bw and us. I'm starting to feel bloated and definitely getting crampy. I also had the worst headache today. I guess the fun is really beginning now.

 

[raelynn]

Here's my stuff:
BCP 5/26-6/12. Start Stims 6/16. Trigger _____. ER _____, ___ eggs & ___ fertilized. ET _____, ___ transfered. ____


afamilygal - I am so glad you didn't have to draw your own blood! I was starting to freak out. I think injections are all I can handle.

 

[amylou123]

Hi,
Here are my details:
BCP 5/31-6/19. Start Lupron 6/12. Stims 6/26. Trigger _____. ER _____, ___ eggs & ___ fertilized. ET _____, ___ transfered. ____


The gatorade is a good thing to keep in mind. Maybe I'll stock up on it. Apparently they are changing my protocol a bit this time because last time it looked like I came close to OHSS.

Afamilygal- the BM question is a very important question. I agree with being well prepared for that type of thing. I don't remember having an issue with it in my last cycle though. At what point in the process is it supposed to be problematic?

 

[jmc111]

Hello ladies!!!

Afamilygal - I attempted to try to figure out how to do a big reply with all of the quotes like yours but I can't figure out for the life of me?! So i'll answer yours in just this one reply hehe.

Yes, they do 2 betas to see if the 2nd doubles...I believe because the trigger shot could still be playing tricks and also to make sure it doubles and is in fact legitimate. I'm actually glad for that because I wouldn't want to over analyze the first beta for a day and a half and then get bad results for the 2nd one.

As for the protein, im not sure of an amount but she just said to increase protein so I tend to try to have some protein with each meal. I eat a lot of Luna protein bars or Atkins protein shakes since im not a huge meat person and those things are easier when you're busy at work. I usually have chicken or pork at dinner.

As for the BM....oh boy, I forgot to tell you girls about that...well it wasn't terrible but it wasn't fun or normal for me...the first few days after retrieval it was painful to try and it hardly ever happened. My nurse instructed that Colace was ok to take for it and so that helped a bit and I still take it each day just to help. My hubby found it at Walgreens.

I know that a lot of gals on here have had MC's and I feel so terrible for that....I on the other hand haven't even come close to ever being pregnant. Never had a positive test or anything...I haven't even wanted to test after my trigger because I feel like it would just be so sad that it wasn't real. What is a uterine septum?? I am going to google it and educate myself

here is my info! Except I don't have all of the dates by me so i'll just start at ER.... I like the idea of putting it on the first page...
JMC111
ER 6/12, 10 eggs & 5 fertilized. ET 6/15, 2 transfered. 3 Beta results on 6/27!!

drsquid - yay for your ET!!!! How are you feeling now? I am surprised you went to court/work after!! I assume you work in the legal field?? Sorry if im wrong

raelynn - sounds like you're coming along....slow and steady wins the race!!!

Mstx - how are you feeling today?! "Full" yet?!

 

[jmc111]

Hi,
Here are my details:
BCP 5/31-6/19. Start Lupron 6/12. Stims 6/26. Trigger _____. ER _____, ___ eggs & ___ fertilized. ET _____, ___ transfered. ____


The gatorade is a good thing to keep in mind. Maybe I'll stock up on it. Apparently they are changing my protocol a bit this time because last time it looked like I came close to OHSS.

Afamilygal- the BM question is a very important question. I agree with being well prepared for that type of thing. I don't remember having an issue with it in my last cycle though. At what point in the process is it supposed to be problematic?

Hi! I only had BM issues after retrieval and as of yesterday it has mostly eased up. It's weird....after retrieval and actually it still is the case when I go #1...it's like there is still this pressure down there and sometimes hurts a bit so you can imagine when you're trying to go #2 and it isn't really working....definitely try the Colace if your doctor ok's it for you!! It wasn't excruciating or anything but i'd eventually just give up and not deal with the pain till I absolutely had to go and then got it over with quick....sorry if that's TMI but wanted to let you know my experience.

 

[drsquid]

jmc- nope getting sued. eh i just have to sit there. what else ya gonna do after the et. there is no proof or even evidence that bed rest has any effect.

got a call from the doc. 3 more frozen today. i think he said i have 2 grade 1 and 2 grade 2 blasts.

 

[Afamilygal]

Raelynn- 27 eggs?!? awesome! I'm sure you can get all the measurements next time. You go back tomorrow right? Do they think you are getting close?? so exciting! so glad to hear you are responding well.

and TG we dont have to draw our own blood, that would send me through the roof. I go this morning to get mine done.

amylou- how do they know you got close- from your estrodial number? that's scary. but I'll bet they are watching you closely to make sure it doesn't happen.

jmc- thanks for all the advice. I'll be sure to mention it to my dr. last surgery I had was more intense but I took something before hand to 'relieve my stomach of its contents' charmed- I'm sure. and that worked really well. but I was up half the night on the loo and dealing with it so I was exhausted the next day and SO dehydrated since you cant have any water. so I many not want to do that this time.

but Colace seems like a good idea. glad to hear things are back to normal so not long now til betas eh? ooo... you're going to see you first + test soon, I'm very hopeful for you!!!

and thanks for all the dets girls, I updated the first page accordingly. and for those of us who dont have all out info yet, Ill update it as we go along.

and to Ms TX- good luck today love!!! We'll be thinking of you!!

afm, I better get going, I have my bloods and u/s this morning so I'll know how its coming along soon (hopefully) Im excited! I can feel activity more and more... Ive got to get all that done then race home for my lupron injection. big morning.
btw, I got new needles for my lupron and they are TINY. like mini tiny things that I can barely feel. I was like why the F didn't they give these to me in the first place?! anyhoo. thats it for me! more later peeps!! xxx

 

[L4hope]

Sounds like everyone is coming along nicely!! Very exciting to see everyone progressing. I think adding the info to the first page is great!

So I'm freaking out a little and hope someone has had experience with this or advice! So, I'm doing a shared risk program that gives you 6 tries or your money back. I have to "qualify" for it by passing certain tests. They did bloodwork on cd3 to check my fsh and estrogen levels. My fsh was fine but my estrogen was 94. They said it should be 60 or less. I don't have any issues with cysts and my ultrasound was fine last week. I have to wait for the doctor to make the final decision on if I qualify (naturally he's on vacation until the 29th). Have any of you had any experience with this?

 

[MsTX]

Hey girls! I am sitting in my room waiting to be taken back for retrieval. Sorry I wasn't on yesterday. My meds they gave me to prevent OHSS have been making me really nauseous :/ It sucks really bad but I don't want to be hospitalized. I feeling full and very ready to get this over with. These last few days have been tough but overall it's been better than expected. wish me luck! I will update everyone when I find out how many they retrieved.

 

[L4hope]

Sorry the meds are making you feel bad. But yay for retrieval!! Good luck, hope they get lots of eggs!!!

 

[NewbieMum]

I am getting so anxious reading the posts about the shots & meds. I hope I make it through. I do have a 2 yr old that loves to jump on me. I am sure that is going to be an adjustment.

I wish you all sticky eggs and lots of 'em

Hi NewbieMum! When is it that you start again?? Oh boy, I have a dog that is small and is always jumping on me and that is hard to deal with so I can't imagine a 2 year old!! I wouldn't be too worried about the shots and a jumping 2 year old but definitely after ER and ET you'll want to be careful. your tummy will for surely be tender from the shots but I didn't find it unbearable so hopefully you will feel the same!

Thanks. That helps a lot. I feel like I am going to walk into darkness when I get the first phone call to start the meds.

 

[NewbieMum]

Hey girls! I am sitting in my room waiting to be taken back for retrieval. Sorry I wasn't on yesterday. My meds they gave me to prevent OHSS have been making me really nauseous :/ It sucks really bad but I don't want to be hospitalized. I feeling full and very ready to get this over with. These last few days have been tough but overall it's been better than expected. wish me luck! I will update everyone when I find out how many they retrieved.

Good luck & easy resting!

 

[NewbieMum]

Newbie- I agree with what the others said about your son. its just kind of tender is all. you will be fine but at retrieval and transfer you will have to try to take it easy. They say no heavy lifting after transfer. they told me no housework- so probably no lifting your kiddo. do you have someone who can help you with the LO in that time frame?
but dont worry until then, I could have a 2 year old jump on me now- no problem!

rae- sorry about your arms- its hard isn't it? in my last round I had all the injections plus the blood draws and then when I was pg and it was abnormal, I had to draw my blood every other day for nearly 3 weeks! ridiculous! but we are TOUGH and we can do this! I am woman, hear me roar!!

so yours is 18 days? bogus! how come? maybe I have my dates wrong.. hmmm...

so cool that you seem to be responding well enough to lower the dose, can't wait to hear your report from tomorrow!!! got my fingers crossed for you! GL! keep us posted! x

My mother in law & husband, but they work during the day. We will see how it goes. I am just trying to take deep breaths.

 

[Afamilygal]

Hey girls! I am sitting in my room waiting to be taken back for retrieval. Sorry I wasn't on yesterday. My meds they gave me to prevent OHSS have been making me really nauseous :/ It sucks really bad but I don't want to be hospitalized. I feeling full and very ready to get this over with. These last few days have been tough but overall it's been better than expected. wish me luck! I will update everyone when I find out how many they retrieved.

GOOD LUCK!!!! hopefully you will be back to normal in no time.

 

[Afamilygal]

well I am BEYOND bummed. I had my u/s today and I had 5 follicles. 5 FREAKING FOLLICLES! all you women have like 28/33/39!!! what the hell is wrong with me??? he is upping the dosage tonight and tomorrow to 375 and will see me on Friday to see if anything else has popped up. I am so upset. The biggest was 11 too! the smallest was 4. this is not good.

feeling super sorry for myself... did anyone else have so few at their first u/s? I have already done 4 stims nights...

 

[oneof14]

Afamilygal, I am in sort of the same position. My 3rd days stimming I had 2 follies and they even asked if I was doing the shots correctly, and my e2 was 31. Today is my day 7 (day 6 stims) I have 8 follies and my e2 is 268. I am paranoid everytime I go for b/w and u/s. My biggest is 10, my concern now is them growing. I am hoping I am just a slow responder and that the next couple of day all my follies grow.

Dont worry, they do pop-up.