TTC Check-In

StacyLH24

Happy Veteran's Day for those of us in the US.

For those TTC, whether actively or in the planning stages, let us know where you are at in the process and what's going on.

QOTW: What is your favorite memory from your childhood?

StacyLH24

Nothing exciting going on here. I have two pre op appointments on Wednesday. One at the hospital and one with my RE. Then we just wait until surgery on the 19th. I'm a slight bit nervous but not a lot yet. Thanks to a few folks on here, I have a decent idea what to expect for recovery. Right now my only concern is that I have to stop eating at midnight the night before and then my surgery is scheduled for noon. That is a long time with no food and I tend to feel ill if I go too long without eating. On the upside, since it is at noon, we won't have to leave before the sun comes up to get there. It will be a long ride home though. We travel to Buffalo for all of this and it is about an hour and a half drive one way. I'm guessing I won't even remember the ride home though.

We will be picking a new donor, so I have already saved a few profiles to look over more seriously once we get the green light.

QOTW: One of my favorite memories is the trip I took with my parents to Massachussets and Maine when I was about 10. It was one of the best vacations I have been on. I ate shrimp for every lunch and dinner.

GoaliesWife123

We're waiting for our appointment with the RE on the 25th. We're very excited and in the meantime, we are still charting so she can have a complete view of my cycles. The acupuncturist is doing her thing and we're chugging along. 

QOTD: We used to go back and forth to Rhode Island when we had to move to Michigan for Dad's job. Those trips were always awesome. 

healz413

StacyLH24 said:

 Right now my only concern is that I have to stop eating at midnight the night before and then my surgery is scheduled for noon. That is a long time with no food and I tend to feel ill if I go too long without eating.

I have complained on this board many times about how much I hate not getting to eat before surgery or conscious sedation! My lap was at 2:00 (although it got delayed and didn't actually happen until 3). I was allowed to have a light breakfast of toast before 7am and then have clear fluids until 10am or something like that. I felt so weak and out of it by the time they brought me back for surgery. I hope the time flies for you and you don't feel too miserable!

healz413

I'm copying and pasting my check-in from Third Party Reproduction this morning to save time since it's the same info both places:

We'll use my eggs and transfer into @Manada, if all goes according to plan. On Thursday, M passed her saline sonogram with flying colors (uterus looks good and clear). She's currently in the middle of 2 weeks on the BCP. After the 2 weeks are up, she will wait to get a period and then go in on day 2 of her cycle to start estrace. She expects this to be around Nov. 17.

I have been on BCPs since my lap in June to help control my endo. I will take my last BCP on Nov. 20 and then wait to get my period. I will go in on day 2 to start my stims. If all goes according to plan (which we all know it rarely does), we expect to do an ER some time during the first week of December and an ET five days later.

I'm going to acupuncture twice a week (just started last Weds) and eating high protein, relatively low carb, and lots of healthy fat to try to prepare my eggs for the big game. Also my acupuncturist wants me to significantly cut dairy, so I'm trying to do that, too.

QOTW: One of the best things of my childhood was that we would go on great family trips once every few years in addition to our twice annual car trips to Oklahoma to see family (which I also loved!). There were two trips in particular that stand out-- one was a train trip from Chicago to Arizona. We got a sleeper car room, which made the train trip really fun. We went to the grand canyon and did lots of other things and ate amazing Mexican food and Indian tacos.
Another was a trip to Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington. Some friends of my mom's lived there and paid for our trip as a thank you/bonus for work she'd done for them. It was beautiful and such an adventure.

Manada

I guess I'm back from my little break.

As H mentioned - our new plan is the partner IVF world.  I'm doing okay.   Generally terrified something will go wrong, and trying to keep that in perspective....

I've been on BCPs for about a week now, and will finish them this weeekend to get a bleed and get on Estrace before H. starts stimming.   AFAIK I'll be on estrace alone up until the transfer day, and then will add probably PIO to the mix.  

I went with H to her acupuncture appointment yesterday and the Dr suggested I do a treatment while I was waiting -- so I had a bunch of needles in my ankle, which was both relaxing/energizing for a short time AND reminded me of why I hate acupuncture so much!   I HATE that nerve pain I tend to get with it!  Luckily I will only have to do 2 more treatments, one a couple days before transfer and one the day off.....

QOTW:  My fav childhood memory is probably being on the Georgian Bay up by my cottage.   My grandpa would take us out in the boat to see the sunset on the bay and drive all crazy over the waves bumping us around in the boat     I feel most relaxed being on and around the water.

StacyLH24

@KLeigh1 - Are you meaning that your doc wants to do a HSG? If so, I would say yes, do it. Not the most pleasant feeling, but it will show you and your doc if your tubes are blocked or not. I had one done before we even started. If your tubes are blocked, then that could explain why your IUIs have failed. I'm all for finding out early on if anything is wrong since we all have to pay so much.

@healz413 - Thank you! I'm glad I'm not the first one to think this. It will all be fine, but I can also get a little testy when I'm super hungry!

StacyLH24

@Manada - Welcome back. We are glad to have you back with us

wishiwaspreggo

@KLeigh1- My RE said the same thing to me after my last IUI failed.  I have two more tries before I have to do the HSG, just because my first IUI was such a tremendous failure anyway lol... ETA: fingers crossed this IUI is it so you won't have to have an HSG done!!!

So, I'm back in the saddle now.  I had my baseline u/s this morning and my ovaries look good.  I'm starting Clomid again tonight, then go back in for another u/s a week from Thursday.  Hopefully I'll have some good follies and I'll have a shot with the next IUI!

I think I might have had a cp this past cycle.  I know I had faint positives at 11 and 12 DPO but they went away and then I started my period.  My period has been much heavier than normal - though it's also been less painful.  Weird as it sounds, it kind of gives me some hope.  Maybe the embryo just wasn't viable which is why it didn't work.  I prefer to have explanations for WHY something didn't work than to not know at all, so it is reassuring to me

ATXmommas

@kleigh1 and @iwishiwaspreggo - FWIW - Regarding the HSG, my RE recommended we do it before we started TTC (did it before the first and second pregnancy).  I didn't think it was that bad of a procedure, and there is some evidence to show that an HSG can increase chances of pregnancy because it "flushes" your tubes out.  Also, your insurance likely will cover it since it is a diagnostic procedure and the out of pocket cost wasn't too much for me - around $70.  

keepsawaythenargles

@kleigh1 & @iwishiwaspreggo I had an HSG earlier this year and it seriously wasn't as bad as I had imagined. She had to do it twice because the catheter was the wrong size or some crap, but it was like 4 minutes and I barely felt anything. My RE is fantastic and talked to me the entire time! It was expensive for me, but I have pretty crappy insurance as far as fertility goes.

Now on to my TTC journey... K & I have been eating healthy and going to the gym regularly. I am down 5 pounds in 2 weeks or so. I went in for my lab work and will hear in the next few days whether or not I can get off the bench and actively start trying! Hopefully my A1C and thyroid numbers are in check. Can't wait!

wishiwaspreggo

Thanks, @ATXmommas and @keepsawaythenargles!  I'm less worried about the physical pain and more worried about the financial pain If it would improve my chances right now and my insurance would cover it, I'd have no trouble saying yes!  But with my ultrasounds costing $300 a pop and then $380 for the insemination, my savings are running out rather quickly.  It's absolutely ridiculous that infertility is not a covered medical expense but I cannot change minds so I'm stuck footing the bill.  Blargh.

keepsawaythenargles

@wishiwaspreggo -- preach! I feel you. I am sitting here with like $600 worth of medical bills for them to say naaah, not yet. Work on some things first and then we can talk. Very frustrating! 

doodah1013

We are currently 6dpiui and I am feeling really chill. Honesty, this has not worked so many times, I will be floored if it ever does (like I have
mentioned before, this isn't a bad thing... I seriously am just ready for whatever comes!)
And BONUS I worked about 20 hours over the weekend AND came down with a terrible cold. Altogether unpleasant... Although my programming was still super fun. A is taking good care of me today.

QOTD: I had a really lucky childhood (sometimes I think I am payin for it in bad luck now)... Probably my favorite was a very special Christmas Eve with my family, where we listened to some old time radio programs and drank homemade hot cocoa (not from packets)... Maybe this is the first one I think of because I have spent the last couple of days thinking about my Christmas gift strategy!

trisholio

KLeigh1wishiwaspreggo I had the HSG also last December.  It was uncomfortable, but only because it was done by a radiologist and not an RE or OBGYN.  He wasn't exactly sensitive to it being that part of my body.  But once it was over I didn't have any further cramping or problems.  My RE recommended it before starting the TTC process.  We are lucky that our insurance covered a lot of the cost, but not all of it.  I would think it would be well worth the money though because it notify you if you have any blockages.  Best of luck to you both!

As for my TTC journey I kind of explained everything in a separate post.  Here is everything in a nutshell.  We are taking this month off ttc due to having a uterine laparoscopy on Thursday.  I have had previous tests done like the HSC (tubes are clear), hysterscopy (water ultrasound) and lots of blood work.  My RE is concerned that we have been ttc and on clomid and not getting pregnant.  So this surgery is the next step.  Thoughts and prayers are appreciated :-)

kristi&p

Right now just in the middle of my TWW 6 DPIUI. I am starting to get the want to test itch but I know I need to hold out longer. Right now I am just thinking good thoughts and relaxing the best I can ( got to love my wife giving me nightly back and foot massages) I am currently using the crinone gel I really am not a fan but will do what needs to be done.

 

QOTW: What is your favorite memory from your childhood? Playing hockey on my dads hockey team.

ATXmommas

wishiwaspreggo said:

Thanks, @ATXmommas and @keepsawaythenargles!  I'm less worried about the physical pain and more worried about the financial pain If it would improve my chances right now and my insurance would cover it, I'd have no trouble saying yes!  But with my ultrasounds costing $300 a pop and then $380 for the insemination, my savings are running out rather quickly.  It's absolutely ridiculous that infertility is not a covered medical expense but I cannot change minds so I'm stuck footing the bill.  Blargh.

Well, poo.  I don't have fertility coverage, but at least my insurance covered the diagnostics.  My RE did recommend I have a hysteroscopy (sp?) after both HSGs, but I declined both times.  Only 1 out of like 8 images showed something "suspicious," which I didn't think was worth shelling out the $1000 or so the procedure would have cost me OOP.  I'm glad I trusted my instincts because as it turned out, there was nothing in my uterus to prevent pregnancy.  These decisions can be hard to make.  You want to do everything in your power to get pregnant, but limited finances are a reality.  Hopefully you get knocked up before you get to that point!

firstcomeslove2013

C already gave everyone our update for the week. I think I am feeling less chill and my anxiety is growing...but I think that is pretty typical of a TWW. I am hoping everyone is having a good week!!!

Amber&Reva

I went in for my blood test on Saturday morning 14dpIUI and got a call about 4 hours later saying they had good news that the test came back positive!! My beta numbers were 99 (which the nurse said were good numbers?) and I am going in for my second beta tomorrow morning to make sure the numbers are doubling.  I couldn't believe it so I finally took my first home pregnancy test just to be able to see it for myself.  I don't feel pregnant at all, I have no symptoms other then some mild cramping and lack of AF.  Fingers crossed my beta numbers double tomorrow.

As far as the HSG I had one prior to starting the TTC journey.  My insurance isn't great but the procedure was covered and I paid less then $20 out of pocket.  It was painful for me because the cath. wasn't going in right so they had to use a balloon and one of my two tubes weren't filling right away so they had to put the dye in twice.

StacyLH24

@Amber&Reva - Congratulations! I will keep my fingers crossed for another strong beta for you!

Fingers also crossed for everyone else in the TWW.

doodah1013

@amber&reva Congrats and fx for a good second beta and a sticky little bean!

Amber&Reva

Thank you StacyLH24 and doodah1013 It still hasn't really sunk in.  Hopefully good betas tomorrow will make it feel more real.  Still nervous to move over to the pregnancy check in.

2MamazInSeattle

Hi all!

Thinking of all of you - lots going on and most of it is either stressful or no fun...or both. Congrats @amber&reva, way to get KU'd!

AFM - I'm shooting up with Lupron and my suppression check is Wednesday - seriously snuck up on me since I'm work traveling atm which has helped pass the time nicely. Assuming all goes well, we just do the drill: start patches to being building a lining, blood test next Wed; and then a lining check the day before Thanksgiving...and FET is scheduled for 12/5.

This is FET#3...it's just feeling a little...well, sigh. However, we have decided to do one more cycle with frozen eggs (new donor) if this doesn't work. I'm not quite ready to give up - though, J tells me to stop thinking future and trust that this one could actually work. Fair point. So, with that, FX!!

QOTW: Honestly, I really loved taking care of/hanging out with my sisters, especially my baby sister who is 8 years younger. My backyard as a kid was a parking lot, and we had it plowed in the winter making HUGE (or what seemed huge at the time) snow mountains. My sister K and I would build forts, slides, and arches and things on the hill and be out there for hours and hours, never bored, freezing but still having fun. I loved that!

ATXmommas

@Amber&Reva - Congrats!

2brooklynmoms

Hi. First of all, I should say that I changed my username. My first couple posts on this board were as az1010 but I decided not to use that since its a name I use for many other accounts.

Anyway... thanks to the advice of a bunch of people on this board, we ordered our donor sperm this week! We ordered 6 vials from Cali cryo and are having them stored at their facility so if there's anything wrong with them or we choose a different donor, we can still exchange or do buy back. Although we're pretty happy with our donor and don't plan to change.

We've been charting temp and using the fertility monitor and if she ovulates AFTER 11/19 we might be able to try our first IUI this month! The issue is we need to wait 2 full months for her chicken pox vaccine to be complete. 

Re: HSG. We also did it up front because it was covered by our insurance and because we're in our late 30s and didn't want to "waste time" trying if there was a known problem. My wife didn't experience any of the discomfort we were warned about. 

wishiwaspreggo

Congrats, @Amber&Reva on your BFP!!!!  We needed one of those around here

I looked into the HSG and it costs about $900 without insurance... and my insurance won't cover it.  I guess I'm not terribly worried about it because most tube blockages are caused by pelvic inflammatory disease or an STD.  I've never had any problems and I was super diligent about using condoms when I was a teenager.  No glove, no love, amirght?  Anyway, I just feel like it may be a waste of money initially because I cannot imagine why my tubes would be blocked.  Yes, I'm sure some folks have blocked tubes without PID or STDs, but $900 isn't worth the slim chance that I fall in that category, unless I don't get KU within the next 2 cycles.

So CVS made a fun error yesterday that I wanted to share.  As you've obviously noticed, I'm suffering from a bit of sticker shock from the lesbian TTC process.  I went to get my Clomid yesterday from the pharmacy and 15 pills costs $55 (or around $3.67 per pill).  I expected that so I paid and moved on (it's exactly what I paid last month).  When I went home I opened by package to get my nightly dose ready and found 4 packets of 10 pills.  They gave me 40 pills.  I have 2000 milligrams of Clomid in my bedroom.  That means I have almost enough Clomid to get me through 3 more cycles Bonus!!!!  Of course, I won't touch the extra Clomid without my doctor's green light.  Nor will I shell it out to friends who are having troubles TTC... It's tempting, I admit, but 1) it's illegal and 2) it's incredibly dangerous without monitoring and I'd feel several shades of awful for putting them at risk.  But in any case, even if I do get KU this time around then I'll have that Clomid for DP when her time comes

trisholio

Congrats, @Amber&Reva on your BFP!!!!  We needed one of those around here

I looked into the HSG and it costs about $900 without insurance... and my insurance won't cover it.  I guess I'm not terribly worried about it because most tube blockages are caused by pelvic inflammatory disease or an STD.  I've never had any problems and I was super diligent about using condoms when I was a teenager.  No glove, no love, amirght?  Anyway, I just feel like it may be a waste of money initially because I cannot imagine why my tubes would be blocked.  Yes, I'm sure some folks have blocked tubes without PID or STDs, but $900 isn't worth the slim chance that I fall in that category, unless I don't get KU within the next 2 cycles.

So CVS made a fun error yesterday that I wanted to share.  As you've obviously noticed, I'm suffering from a bit of sticker shock from the lesbian TTC process.  I went to get my Clomid yesterday from the pharmacy and 15 pills costs $55 (or around $3.67 per pill).  I expected that so I paid and moved on (it's exactly what I paid last month).  When I went home I opened by package to get my nightly dose ready and found 4 packets of 10 pills.  They gave me 40 pills.  I have 2000 milligrams of Clomid in my bedroom.  That means I have almost enough Clomid to get me through 3 more cycles Bonus!!!!  Of course, I won't touch the extra Clomid without my doctor's green light.  Nor will I shell it out to friends who are having troubles TTC... It's tempting, I admit, but 1) it's illegal and 2) it's incredibly dangerous without monitoring and I'd feel several shades of awful for putting them at risk.  But in any case, even if I do get KU this time around then I'll have that Clomid for DP when her time comes

I haven't had pharmacy make mistakes, but I have gotten free stuff from stores when they ring something up wrong.  Sometimes I will point out the error, but if I am already home then I rarely go back.  The research I had done I was thinking Clomid ran around $1/pill.  If my memory serves me correct I paid $10 for 10 pills.  I know we have good insurance but some medications are not covered and I believed Clomid was one of them.  

What have other people paid for their Clomid?

wishiwaspreggo

Mine may be name-brand rather than generic.  It's called Serophene.  My insurance doesn't cover even a penny of anything remotely related to IF - not even when I did an ultrasound prior to TTC because they were checking me for PCOS (my cycles had gone wonky on me out of nowhere).  Stingy bastards.  Anyway, I would have pointed the error out to CVS if I'd opened the bag in the store but because I took them home with me I don't think they can take them back now...

ETA: I'm wondering if I should say SOMEthing though... that could've been really, really bad if I didn't know what I was doing.  My doctor said to take the pills over 5 days.  If I wasn't a questioner and haven't gone throuhg this already, what if I'd just gone ahead and divided the pills into 5 days worth of medicine without checking the mgs?  Big error on their part, but my pharmacy (and healthcare in general in this town) is operated by a bunch of monkeys.  They've messed up my orders (and C's orders) more times than we can count.

KH826

Congrats, @Amber&Reva! What great news! I will be excited to see what your second beta comes back at!

firstcomeslove2013

wishiwaspreggo said:

Mine may be name-brand rather than generic.  It's called Serophene.  My insurance doesn't cover even a penny of anything remotely related to IF - not even when I did an ultrasound prior to TTC because they were checking me for PCOS (my cycles had gone wonky on me out of nowhere).  Stingy bastards.  Anyway, I would have pointed the error out to CVS if I'd opened the bag in the store but because I took them home with me I don't think they can take them back now...

ETA: I'm wondering if I should say SOMEthing though... that could've been really, really bad if I didn't know what I was doing.  My doctor said to take the pills over 5 days.  If I wasn't a questioner and haven't gone throuhg this already, what if I'd just gone ahead and divided the pills into 5 days worth of medicine without checking the mgs?  Big error on their part, but my pharmacy (and healthcare in general in this town) is operated by a bunch of monkeys.  They've messed up my orders (and C's orders) more times than we can count.

I don't know..,I agree that it is totally tempting to just pretend nothing happened. I think my fear is that they would discover the error and I would have to paid for it later. You may want to call and let them know...

GoaliesWife123

Congrats to Amber&Reva!

Amber&Reva

Second beta was at 456! Go in for my 6 week ultrasound on November 27th.  Then I guess it is trying to find an OB I like. 

The only free stuff I get is occasionally getting undercharged on coffee and I always figure I have spent so much money at Dunkin Donuts that I have earned a free coffee every once in awhile.  I would say the same goes for medication in your case wishiwasprego. 

I am hoping for more for more November BFPs, to everyone who hasn't tested yet good luck.

singingmua

My wife and I have our very first IUI tomorrow!! We are so excited! We've both taken the day off, and will spend the day just relaxing and thinking positive thoughts afterwards. I will go to acupuncture on Thursday (I've been going once a week since May). It seems like we've been waiting for so long to finally make our first attempt. Of course we know there are no guarantees, but at least we actually get to TRY, instead of just PLANNING to try.

AandStilltrying

Well we are on cycle day 6 and Sarah is taking follistim daily injections. We go tomorrow to see if she is on the right track. Then we will eventually trigger, IUI, followed by 2 more HCG shots. I'm not real sure what those shots are for, but if he thinks it will get us our baby...oook. If Sarah has iui on day 14, the due date would be on or around my bday. Would be the best bday gift EVER!

Favorite childhood memory:

Going to the beach for the 1st time with my mom and dad when I was in 7th grade. My dad was like a little kid. When we got there and parked he took me by the hand and we ran up a sand dune and there it was. From that day forward the ocean runs through me for sure! The ocean is where I connect and life becomes a little clearer

CageyMack

Hi, folks.  Man, IUI #4 is a bust.  I think maybe we will try one more before we go to IVF, but an appointment on Thursday with our RE (aka Dr. Cool Hand Luke) will help us with our decision.  

Sucks not being able to get knocked up.  

singingmua

Well, I'm officially in my first ever TWW! I'm excited and nervous. Not trying to get my hopes up, but not wanting to feel defeated from the very beginning. Power of positive thinking and all that...

 

IUI#1 went well yesterday. I've been crampy and bloated ever since, but feel fine other than that. I have acupuncture tonight, and I'm very much looking forward to that time to relax.

 

What sucks is that the lab at our RE's office had to use 2 of our 10 vials for yesterday because the counts with just one vial were below what they use for IUI. We will have to seriously re-evaluate our plans if I don't get preggo soon. Because using 2 vials at a time was not in our original plan, and as you guys know, vials are not cheap.

 

We got our vials from NW, so they were cheaper than other options (Fairfax, California, etc), even though we live close to Fairfax (we live in the DC-metro area).

 

Blah... I'm rambling. Fingers crossed and prayers said/thoughts given for all!

singingmua

Thanks! The problem with the refund situation is that we bought ICI vials, with the thinking that we could also use a vial or 2 to try at home, just to get away from the sterility of the doc's office, etc. So, before they can be used for IUI at the RE, they have to be washed by the lab, which we knew.

 

NW's guarantee says that they guarantee counts as long as the preparation you ordered was not processed in any further manner (i.e. - washed). So, we are waiting for information from the RE's lab now to determine what the counts were pre-washing. If the counts were below NW's minimums pre-wash, then we can go back to them and ask about a credit. However, if the counts met their standards pre-wash, then we are out of luck....

 

*Sigh*... I know it only takes one little guy with a sense of direction, even with a lower than desired count. We'll see in about a week and half.

shelly2314

My DW and I began our TWW on Veteran's Day!  I am on Day 3 and feel like it has been a week! Geez!