TWW Thursday 12/10

bows22

**This is a thread that welcomes all regardless of where they are at in their TTC journeys. Please be mindful of topics that are discussed that could be hurtful to those going through tough times. Mention of children or pregnancies of others should have a TW (trigger warning) and be in a spoiler if possible, and only be mentioned if it is extremely pertinent to the conversation. Thanks for keeping this a safe place for us all to engage!** 

Month/Cycle: 

CD/DPO: 

Timing: 

Typical LP length: 

Testing: 

R/R: 

CS/Q: 

bows22

Month/Cycle: 25/27

CD/DPO: 22/6

Timing: EOD

Typical LP length: 12 

Testing: sometime next week 

R/R: Somehow 12/8 came and went and I forgot it was my month rollover/2 years since we started TTC. Yay. I did finally call the new RE last week but it was weird and they had to call me back and when they did I was walking into a doctors appt so I said I would call them back the next day but I didn’t. I just am kind of in denial I think that we need help. I’ll get there. 

So happy that tomorrow is finally Friday!! Longest week ever!

CS/Q:

inthewoods23

@bows22 welcome to the club of having some kind of milestone this month 😔 what kind of results did you get with your 1st RE? I can't remember if you did IUI at all, or did you just have tests done? You know we're here for you! ❤️

Month/Cycle: 42 / 1 AL

CD/DPO: 19/3

Timing: -3, -1, 0

Typical LP length: 13 days

Testing: next week Thursday at the earliest

R/R: a huge surprise came in the mail yesterday. I had (totally forgotten) amended our 2018 tax return earlier this year because at the time, they hadn't worked out the credit for making energy efficient improvements to your home. We had replaced all the windows on our house so we were hoping that would qualify. Well that check finally came in the mail and boy was that a nice chunk of change! Stashing that in our savings for the home reno 🙂

Also rave - we're suppose to hit 50 today! And then it's gonna drop 20 degrees this weekend and snow haha. No idea how much we're supposed to get. As long as it doesn't prevent me from going out and finishing my Christmas shopping which will just be for the gift cards. All other gifts I plan on ordering online. Shipping is being delayed a bunch just based on my black friday / cyber monday orders so better get that all ordered now than at the last minute!

CS/Q: I gotta stop using the Flo app... It puts too much weight on the OPKs so it always puts O the day after your last positive so it says I was Tuesday. FF gave me CH and is definitely right

gingermama29

@bows22 sending hugs for this anniversary, friend 💕. 

@inthewoods23 yay for a nice surprise check!! Feel free to send all the snow my way! 

Month/Cycle: 18/11

CD/DPO: 26/5

Timing: good

Typical LP length: 12-13

Testing: not sure yet

R/R: I'm so behind on my Christmas shopping. I honestly haven't even started yet. I need to get my butt in gear and order stuff asap. Is anyone else struggling with motivation to do that this year?
Also we chatted with ILs last night and mentioned that with cases the way they are right now, we're not sure we can see them for Christmas. DH's coworker just tested positive yesterday so that's fun.

CS/Q: 

dobbysfavoritesock

@bows22 I am sorry about the date reminder.  I hope you have a good experience with the new RE.

@inthewoods23 Hooray for more money!  What are your renovation plans?  We’re considering doing an addition but I find it daunting.

@gingermama29 You are not alone. I am feeling more exhausted by shopping/Christmas preparations this year even though I am doing all shopping online (which should be easier).  I am sorry about the struggle with keeping family safe during this pandemic.  It is so hard.

Month/Cycle: 2/2

CD/DPO: 19/4

Timing: good

Typical LP length: ~14 days

Testing: I have some anxiety/unresolved feelings about testing and seeing a negative so I only test if I am late.

R/R: I am enjoying the escapism of watching bad/silly television shows.  “Welcome to Plathville” is currently in my lineup.

bows22

@inthewoods23 I had all the testing done and they removed that polyp/thinned my lining so then they said we could just try on our own for awhile to see if that was the problem. I’m AMA so I was going to give it 6 months but I think in the back of my head I just thought we might need a little more time. Anyway, that’s awesome about the refund! That reminds me that I meant to amend my brother’s return for the same reason but haven’t yet 😬

@gingermama29 I am so with you on the lack of motivation for Christmas gifts. A package arrived yesterday that I know is for me and I was like crap. DH is on top of it! He bought for his dad too. At least one of us is making progress. How did your ILs take the news? Mine will not take it well if we decide to do that. 

bows22

@dobbysfavoritesock I love watching mindless TV too. Is that show streaming somewhere? I hadn’t heard of it so I googled and saw it’s on TLC so I wasn’t sure. I may check it out if so 

inthewoods23

@dobbysfavoritesock okay this turned into a massive paragraph so I'm putting it all in a spoiler.

We plan on renovating the foyer, dining room, kitchen, mud room, and bathroom area. It will include taking down and moving walls, relocating 1 air vent, and relocating the entryway between the kitchen and foyer for a better layout. And by some miracle does not require moving any of the heat registers in the rooms haha. Re-routing pipes would be the absolute worst. We'll have all new flooring, new appliances and cabinets in the kitchen, removing the built in china cabinet in our dining room to expand the shower in the adjacent bathroom, removing the closet in the mud room and converting it to one of those built in cubby things with a seat so you can put your shoes on, all new moulding in all the rooms, new shower, likely a new toilet, new vanity, and a new railing in the foyer for the stairs (original to the house, definitely not up to today's code and would allow a toddler to fall through). Our house is 50 years old so everything was dated when we bought it but it's on an acre lot so there's a massive backyard and some trees. We replaced the carpet and moulding that was in the living room, bedrooms, and the hallway the summer we first had the house. That carpet was from like 1996 and was so worn down and just ugly Like a puke green color in the master bedroom and the living room was this maroon carpet with gold dots which hilariously was the same carpet at a funeral home for my great grandma's wake but in navy with gold dots  

@bows22 girl you are patient! I understand that feeling of "what if we need just one more shot at it". I felt that way after the 3rd IUI and were considering IVF. Like what if just 1 more IUI will bring us success instead of having to move to IVF and pay all that money?

@gingermama29 every time I look at your chart I just get so happy for you! I struggled a bit getting started (mostly because I didn't have people's gift ideas yet). Definitely get on that if you're ordering online because it seems like lots of shipments are getting delayed a few days.

krash_

@bows22 hugs, friend! Sorry about the anniversary. I hope you don't need to schedule with the RE!
@inthewoods23 your chart looks so good! Is it odd that I'm excited about a stranger on the internet's chart?
@gingermama29 I'm somewhere in between on Christmas shopping. I really need to get the gifts for the family we are sponsoring and dropped off at the facilitators house!
@dobbysfavoritesock I got pretty lost in The Queen Gambit last night. Not exactly fun and silly but MH will watch it with me and he usually doesn't like my shows. 

Month/Cycle: 13/13

CD/DPO: 31/15

Timing: -1, +1

Typical LP length: progesterone

Testing: Another BFN this morning for good measure and waiting for Beta to come back

R/R: I'll rant about the talk with the nurse at the RE in the IF thread. Busy day of meetings today but I need to put some gift orders in because our first Christmas celebration is next weekend already. I might just place a pick up order at Target. 

CS/Q: none

gingermama29

@dobbysfavoritesock yes to the escapism of tv shows. DH and I are watching old seasons of Big Brother because it's mindless and trashy and we love it. 

@bows22 I think they're disappointment but they understand. They talked about driving out to us to give gifts but that's a 3 hour round trip for them and I'd hate to see them spend all that time in the car for such a short visit. It sucks. We already missed Thanksgiving with them.

@inthewoods23 aww thank you friend 💕.

@krash_ I feel like the Christmas celebrations snuck up on us this year! 

inthewoods23

@krash_ haha nope, as evident by my excitement for @gingermama29's chart looking much more normal and having a reasonable ovulation date. Always excited when things are looking up!

acleverusername

@bows22 I’m sorry about your “anniversary”. I totally get the “what if we just need one more month?” feeling and struggles with feelings of “giving up too quickly” and going to IF treatment. But my rational brain - when I let it do it’s work - helps by breaking down the problem: good egg/good sperm, ability for sperm to fertilize the egg, ability for the fertilized egg to implant. Trying naturally and even medicated cycles plus IUI only solve for good egg/good sperm (to some extent) part of it. 

@inthewoods23 hooray for surprise bonus! As for OPKs and apps, The Egg Whisperer (aka my Bible) says that you can stop OPK testing as soon as you get your first positive test; no need to wait for peak or any of that. Enjoy the balmy weather. 

@gingermama29 totally with your on Christmas shopping apathy. I’m just so over shopping online. Argh. I’ve already bought gifts for DH and by nibblings. Just have my mom/dad/sis/bro-in-common-law and they’ve sent it their gift lists. I hope YH wasn’t exposed to his coworker and that you don’t get sick!!!

@dobbysfavoritesock first can I just say how much I love your username?! I totally get the testing anxiety. If you can hold out, do it. I’m gonna try my best to hold off until my beta. Also +1 on the watching mindless TV; MH and I are researching Friends. 

@krash_ The Queen Gambit is so good! MH and I binged on it a few weekends ago. Are you gonna pick up chess lessons afterwards?! Also off to read your rant in IF thread.

Month/Cycle: 11/11

CD/DPO: 19/7

Timing: IUI so bang on

Typical LP length: 17 while on progesterone suppositoires  

Testing: I can’t remember what I had said yesterday but I’ve decided I’ll wait until Beta after all. Moved my follow-up appointment to the new year. 

R/R: DHEA supplements makes me get these Godawful pimples that are so deep and then take several days to hatch so I can’t even pop them because they’re not “ready”. This is the 2nd cycle this has happened so I know it’s DHEA related as I’ve restarted it at the end of Oct. The one on my chin right now has 2 HEADS! Like WTF?  (I legitimately considered adding a photo of my pimple on a spoiler but the photo doesn’t do it justice. 🤣)

Also, I mentioned yesterday how I’ve come to terms with never being able to afford a home in SF but it’s truly a beautiful place to live in. Adding a few snaps from my morning walk in spoiler. That’s fog in that 2nd shot.

CS/Q: Nope.

grogu

Month/Cycle: 1AL

CD/DPO: 31/6

Timing: Good

Typical LP length: 12

Testing: Next week maybe

R/R: Not much in my world. Just ready for the weekend because that means only one more work week until I am off! 

CS/Q: Crappy temps, I wont temp for the rest of this cycle.

@bows22 Two years is a tough pill to swallow. Last time around we went to an RE around 3 years but held off on doing treatment until 4 years on. I hope things work out for you. 

@inthewoods23 Surprise (forgotten) money is the best. We rarely get snow this time of year, but thats good because we don't have the infrastructure to deal with it well. It usually hits us in February and causes chaos. (I'm talking 3 inches of snow shuts everything down and everyone panics  

@gingermama29 not seeing family is so hard. I was lucky enough to go see my parents in August but likely won't see them again until next summer. Our health minister has restricted gatherings to exclude anyone from your household where I am so I am glad we are going away and don't have to feel awkward about telling my outlaws we won't be coming up to their place over xmas.

I make most of my christmas gifts and I have only made one soooo I need to get in gear.

@krash_ I read your update in the IF thread and that sounds like an incredibly frustrating conversation. 

@dobbysfavoritesock I have been watching mindless shows. Usually Brooklyn Nine Nine or the office. I don't get TLC so I can't watch my guilty pleasure shows  

@acleverusername what a gorgeous sunrise! We can't afford a place where we are (hence a tiny house on the outlaws property). We are halfway towards a down payment to a piece of property from out stocks we bought earlier this year, hoping it sky rockets next year so we can move  

Have you seen these ? I get painful pimples and want to try them... 

gingermama29

@acleverusername those are some GORGEOUS pictures. It's so crazy to me how high the cost of living is in California. I like to watch home reno shows (like Flip or Flop) and the cost of the houses BEFORE they're redone is significantly higher than what my house cost. It blows my mind.

@baby_yoda1986 hahaha it's always helpful when the gov gives a ready made excuse for not seeing family you want to avoid. 

acleverusername

@gingermama29 haha. So totally true. Here's a fixer upper in a "nice" neighborhood that's not too far from where we live: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/40-Homewood-Ct-San-Francisco-CA-94112/15140680_zpid/ MH and I keep an eye on houses here, just to remind ourselves how much more of a house we can have ANYWHERE else for 1/2 the cost. 

@baby_yoda1986 will be hoping for you and your stocks! What corner of the world are you in right now? As for outlaws... as long as you like them and can co-habit on the same property... then it's a great way to save up for your own home. 

grogu

@acleverusername I am just outside Vancouver, BC and unfortunately my area is becoming a suburb to Vancouver and house prices are getting outrageous. We will end up in the boonies but I think I am okay with that since I don't particularly care for people

We do okay living on the outlaws property but they are very particular and their guilt game is strong. I originally booked our staycation right after my MMC and they haven't spoken to me since.  Luckily I can avoid them but MH works for his dad so he has to see them on the daily.

ETA
That house is around the same as what one would pay in Vancouver. There are APARTMENTS going for that much. It blows my mind.

bows22

@inthewoods23 yes the money is a huge part of it for me. DH’s insurance has a lifetime max of 2,000 for infertility treatment and who even knows if anything I did with the first RE got counted as that even if it shouldn’t have. I’m on his because it’s much better in all other aspects but this. My work’s actually covers unlimited IUI but open enrollment is not until July. I totally missed the boat this year because we do everything last minute and I had like 2 days to figure out if it made sense to switch over. 

@krash_ I read your post in the IF thread and that would have annoyed me too. Like even if she is right you were coming from a totally reasonable place based on what she said. So odd that they don’t do monitoring on the weekends also. I hope you figure out a plan that works for you. 

@a@acleverusername so I get what you are saying but it only reaffirms why I am procrastinating the RE - I can’t see us doing IVF unless one of our employers steps up and gets an insurance plan that covers it. We could make it work financially but based on our personal circumstances it is not something we would spend that much money on. I do want to see another RE because I have concerns about my lining and the answers (or lack thereof) that I received and make sure I don’t need to take any medication to make it more normal. Everyone has a different path in their fertility journey and has to do what works for them. It’s not always going to appear to be logical. 

Also, those pictures are amazing. I can see why you like your daily walks! 

@b@baby_yoda1986 yesss to it almost being Friday! I also realized we are DPO buddies. I think I’m going to test on Monday to eliminate the suspense buildup haha. We’ll see! 

grogu

@bows22 I am hoping to hold out until Sunday/Monday but working from home and the tests mock me from the bathroom 

bows22

@baby_yoda1986 I order a 3 pack of FRERs on amazon every cycle but wait to do it until they would be delivered on 9 DPO, then I take them on DPO 10,11,12. That’s probably too much effort but it solves the early testing problem haha 💁🏼‍♀️

acleverusername

@bows22 I hope I didn't offend you with my "rationalizing"! You're 100% right that everyone's journey is different and, to a certain extent, I'm putting off IVF because I'm hoping my employer gets its shit together and offers fertility coverage. Even though I know that at 37, putting things off isn't the best idea, that is what I hope happens. At the end of the day, you do you. I just really want to see your name on the grad thread!!! 

@baby_yoda1986 MH sometimes looks at places in Vancouver (we're Canadian; Vancouver is on our list of places we could potentially settle when we move back cause #westcoastbestcoast) and ultimately, we always immediately disregard that as an option because of housing $'s. With Vancouver too, you don't have the tech industry to support that kind of home valuation (and we're both tech workers.) The BC boonies, however, is an absolutely lovely place to end up! We've looked into Revelstoke and that's not entirely off the options list. 

inthewoods23

@acleverusername I suppose I could stop at the first OPK but sometimes I like getting to see the peak just to see how high of a number I get on Premom my record is 2.54! Ugh I used to get those under the skin pimples that would be painful to the touch. Just the worst! I totally 2nd using the pimple patches!

@baby_yoda1986 lmao I love places that rarely deal with snow. In the midwest it's never bad unless you're getting above 6 inches. The previous company I worked for had a location in Alabama and they actually shut their office down because they were dealing with a dusting of snow PLUS freezing rain! I've heard that states in the south have like, 1 snow plow for an entire county or something ridiculous like that because they very rarely get snow. Funny how some people are like "eh, whatevs" while others are all "OMG WE'RE GOING TO DIE" when driving in the winter lol.

@bows22 2k and that's it?? Wow that's basically nothing! I'm on DH's insurance and it has a 10k lifetime max. I think we used up less than 7k in all our IUIs, IVF, and FET. I have no idea how that worked though, I thought it would have been a lot more since I think our insurance covered.... 8k of our ER? Wouldn't that have gone towards our lifetime max?? I don't get insurance

grogu

@inthewoods23 Yeah, I am on the west coast of canada to it's a "wet snow" and we have 2 or 3 plows for 80km of the highway and all the side streets. I am from here but I can drive in snow, just don't drive like an idiot and you'll be okay. 
I remember working in a rec centre and patrons would call to see if we were still open when it *just* started snowing. It cracks me up.

@acleverusername YGPM

inthewoods23

@baby_yoda1986 exactly! If you have to drive half the speed limit to be safe then do so! I only get super anxious when I'm around a bunch of cars and worried about not stopping fast enough. Even with the added control having AWD I still make sure to drive slow and steady. Kinda glad that really won't be the case this winter with us all WFH!

bows22

@acleverusername oh no you didn’t offend me. I just wanted to point out that it’s not always a straightforward answer! Especially during a pandemic. I’ll get to the grad thread eventually (I hope haha)

@inthewoods23 right?? $2K would be like one IUI maybe? Makes no sense.  

babybelugaco

@inthewoods23 ugh delayed shipping is currently the death of me! I've got a couple packages that say shipped and haven't made any progress in almost a week.  

Month/Cycle: 2/2

CD/DPO: 16/1 ish

Timing: -3, 0

Typical LP length: 14ish

Testing: I think I'm only going to test if I'm late this month. I got so worked up after the first round of ttc last month lol

R/R: my 31yo brother just had a heart attack yesterday. It's kind of given me a huge wake up call in terms of getting my own body and health in control since he's a year older than I am.

CS/Q: n/a

bmo88

Month/Cycle: 1/1

CD/DPO: 14/3

Timing: -2, O

Typical LP length: 14 days 

Testing: undecided 

R/R: This is random, but I just found out Leann Rimes sang "How Do I Live" when she was 15. Thats crazy for how good that song is. And I also wonder what happened to her...she was so good and then fell off the map. 

CS/Q no

@babyroma I am so sorry to hear about your brother! That is so young. 

@gingermama29 uhhhh shoot. Christmas is coming. Haven't bought anything. I am also a terrible gift giver. Like awful. Like I have bought my husband a toaster oven because he likes toast. I really should start thinking of ideas. Thanks for the reminder! 

@baby_yoda1986 are you in education? We have only 6 more work days until a two week break...and I am so ready for it!   

@bows22 sorry the anniversary has come that isn't one anyone would want to have to reach. Hugs. 

dobbysfavoritesock

Sorry to have posted and run.  This thread got away from me.

@bows22 It’s streaming season 1 on Hulu.  Season 1 and the released episodes of season 2 are on TLC Go but it requires a tv provider to log in.

@inthewoods23 If sounds like you have made significant improvements already with more to come.  Our house also has a lot of 1990s items that need replacing. We’re doing it slowly because it’s mostly been diy.

@acleverusername Thanks!  You’re pictures are beautiful.  So serene.

@baby_yoda1986 TLC really does have some of the best guilty pleasure shows.  I haven’t used those patches but I like the CORSRX ones from Amazon.  Unfortunately I have a lot of experience with acne.

@babyroma I am so sorry about your brother.

@bows22  and @acleverusername I am sorry that funding and insurance are limiting options.  It is infuriating that fertility treatments are frequently not covered or inadequately covered.