Been There, Done That Check-in 1/6

Carol77B · January 2015

Welcome to the Been There, Done That Check-in!!! Check-ins will be every Tuesday. Your check-in leaders are @Carol77B and @zeynsom.

This is check-in is for anyone who is past their 2nd IVF cycle (including any FETs) or if you have suffered multiple losses. If you haven’t made it to your ER but have done at least two cycles, this place would be great for you! After multiple failed cycles we aren’t as chipper and full of sunshine like we were during our first cycle. This group is intended to give us a safe place where we can vent, update, obtain info and bond with other veteran IVFers. If you are currently cycling or waiting on a cycle this group would be a great place for you! You are more than welcome to join the monthly group if you are currently cycling and if you are "hanging onto a dream" feel free to stay with that group also and you can always post here, too! Any questions or concerns just ask!!

So we can keep a running list of all you lovely ladies, please fill us in on where you are in your journey below. Please include what cycle number you are in, where you are in the process, and what your plans are for the future.

And because we know that things can be very uncertain early on, we think that our "BFP graduates" should still feel free to participate until they feel comfortable graduating into PAIF.

Here is the link to our new badge...

https://i57.tinypic.com/35l56j4.jpg (small badge)

https://i58.tinypic.com/2br5ed.jpg ; (large badge)

Cycling

AuroraP725 IVF #3 FET #1

CML11 IVF #3

cokiebear IVF #3

Buttmonkey34 IVF #2 FET #1

hmz819 IVF #7 FET #1 PUPO!!!

IfMamaAintHappy IVF #2 ER only

Jetta83306 IVF #3

tumbleweed123 IVF #3

Twinkie0612 IVF #4 FET #2 (first from IVF#4)

zeynsom IVF #2.2 FET #1

In between cycles

berries555 IVF #2

Calbiz IVF #1 FET #1

CallaLily30 IVF #3 FET #2

Carol77B IVF #4.1

ChristieH917 IVF #2

CRMHoney IVF #1, FET #2

fizzachaudhary IVF #3

KM721 IVF #3

mariana81 IVF #2

missmarypoppins IVF #2

mm29 IVF #7

MrsCSW IVF #3 FET #2

nowthatsalady IVF #2

O2girl IVF #1 FET #3

Spring78 IVF #1 FET #2

tabbytown IVF #3

November & December BFPS/Graduates!!!

blueeyes233 IVF #3 FET #1 BFP!!!

Justone13 IVF #4 (ER) FET #1 BFP!!!

MeatandBandP IVF #1 FET #3 BFP!!!

Nutmeg8484 IVF #2 FET #2 BFP!!!

RunCC37 IVF #5 BFP!!!

shelbeans82 IVF #3 BFP!!!

BTDT Angels

ronniesgirl1981 IVF #2 (((HUGS)))

QOTW: We are currently getting our first snow of the season where I live. Does it snow where you are? If so, what's your favorite snow-related activity?

Twinkie0612 · January 2015

Right now is the calm before the storm for my cycle. I am still cruising along on prednisone, lupron, lovenox, baby aspirin, and all my supplements (PNV, folic acid, Fish oil, L-Arginine, ubiquinol, vit C, Vit E, Vit D, and Calcium). I am also on delestrogen 2x a week and start Viagra 4x daily on Friday.

Next week will be really busy. I have monitoring blood work on Monday, my doppler u/s and IVIG on Tuesday, and my lining check u/s and blood work on Thursday. If all goes well my transfer will be 2 weeks from today.

QOTD: Umm... Staying inside drinking hot cocoa and looking out at the snow? Not much of a snow activity person.

Carol77B · January 2015

Twinkie0612 very exciting that you are so close to your ET! FX that your b/w and lining cooperates.

Yes enjoying the snow from INSIDE totally counts!

CallaLily30 · January 2015

Hi ladies! Monitoring for FET #3 begins a week from today. I'm excited but also very nervous. I'm back on my gluten free, dairy free diet which is really hard as well.

QOTW: I'm a warm weather girl and try to avoid the cold as much as possible. I'm with @Twinkie0612 and I'd prefer to be inside drinking hot cocoa looking at the snow than outside in it!

Justone13 · January 2015

Good Morning Ladies.

This is my last post with you all. I just wanted to take a minute to thank you all for the tremendous support that you all have given me over the past months. This group was the vision of @carol77B and she was sweet enough to let me hang as a co-leader with her. I am just positive that @zeynsom will be an excellent new check-in leader. I have learned an amazing amount of info from everyone in this group. From the bottom of my heart THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

I'll be back to stalk the group to see how you ladies are doing. Good luck with your future journey. I truly look forward to seeing you all over on the PAIF board. XOXO!

***************ticker & siggy warning**************

Twinkie0612 · January 2015

@Justone13 congrats on graduating from this group! FX for a H&H 9 months!

nowthatsalady · January 2015

I'd like to join. Everything is pretty much in my signature, but I'm between cycles 2 and 3. Planning IVF #3 in March. I have a second opinion appointment on 1/12. I've implemented pretty much everything from ISWTE, just trying to give it a little time to hopefully help my egg quality, which is clearly an issue at this point.

QOTW: I think the snow is beautiful, but I prefer to just watch it fall from inside my house, office or car

Carol77B · January 2015

@nowthatsalady I've added you to our team. I hope you find this group helpful.

mariana81 · January 2015

Good Morning Ladies!!

I was not around last week, so I would like to wish you all belated Happy New Year!!

justone13 Thank you for running this group and being supportive to so many of us. I wish you all the best!!

Twinkie0612 How are you? Are you excited that finally you are close to ET? I have everything crossed for you, sending positive thoughts!!!

CallaLily30 next week!! FX!!!

nowthatsalady, I am glad you've joined us!! How are you??

AFM: This week I will have my first appointment (looking for another ER once my last one gave up on us) and hopefully he will have a great plan for us. Mostly I am very scared because I don't want to listen bad news, last year was so full of it.. At least DH is getting some good ones, this week he had his appointment with his urologist and slowly his numbers are getting better.. in his first S/A (6 months ago) he had 600.000 (total count) and now we are very happy with 3 million.. I know it is far from anything normal but at least it is something to be happy for

QOTD: Here where I live it is snowing a lot today. I am not a fan of outside activities in this cold weather, I guess it is because I am from a warm country, feeling cold annoys me a little.

Twinkie0612 · January 2015

@mariana81 I'm doing ok, I'm trying to be excited about our transfer, but I'm not convinced that it will work. I am doing a lot of planning ahead trying to figure out what our next steps will be. Hopefully this transfer will work and I won't have to worry about it, but I want to be prepared with a plan for if it doesn't work. Figuring out finances will be the biggest issues...

Yay for your DH's numbers improving. I really hope the new RE has a great plan for you!

CML11 · January 2015

I am actually between cycles today, my ET is on Thursday 1/8. My fert report was 8R, 7M, 7F which our my best # yet!! I'm very happy

So FX for sticky embies on Thursday!

Congrats to the BFPs!!!

QOTW: We get A LOT of snow where I live, I'm already over it by January lol. It hasn't been too bad this year, just brutally cold. I LOVE skiing, but probably (hopefully) won't be doing that this year!

Carol77B · January 2015

CallaLily30 good luck with your diet! And yay for your FET monitoring starting so soon!

@Justone13 you know how freakin' happy I am for you, but am going to miss you on here!!!

Buttmonkey34 I'm sorry about your FET moving, but hopefully it'll all go super smoothly, now!

mariana81 best of luck with your appointment with the new RE! I felt like mine had given up on me, too, and I really like my new RE and the staff at the new clinic. I hope you find one you like even better than your old one and he comes up with a great plan for you. And that's a big improvement in your husband's SA!

CML11 congrats on a great ER and fantastic fert report! 100% is so amazing, I'm so jealous! FX for a terrific transfer on Thursday!

AFM: I have a sonogram with my new RE next Monday and have several other blood tests I need (including a few my other RE never had me do, so that will be interesting) so I feel like I'm make some progress instead of completely at a standstill. AF was a few days late, so of course, I started wondering, but it showed up today with a vengeance, that bitch! For some reason the IUI in November really messed with my system, I think because we forced my ovulation a week earlier than I would normally have it. Hopefully, my system will be back to normal by the time I cycle again. I hope that's Feb, but have no idea what my new RE has in mind.

QOTW: I do like watching the snow fall and spending short periods of time out in it!

mariana81 · January 2015

Twinkie0612, and try to stay positive, I really hope that this transfer works for you! Hang in there!! >:D<

Carol77B it is always comforting to hear experiences like yours, gives me hope

I am glad that your new RE has a plan for you, good luck with your sonogram and b/w!!

cokiebear, I've completely forgotten that you would be cycling this week, best of luck to you!!! FX!!!!

O2girl · January 2015

Twinkie0612 said:
Right now is the calm before the storm for my cycle. I am still cruising along on prednisone, lupron, lovenox, baby aspirin, and all my supplements (PNV, folic acid, Fish oil, L-Arginine, ubiquinol, vit C, Vit E, Vit D, and Calcium). I am also on delestrogen 2x a week and start Viagra 4x daily on Friday.
Next week will be really busy. I have monitoring blood work on Monday, my doppler u/s and IVIG on Tuesday, and my lining check u/s and blood work on Thursday. If all goes well my transfer will be 2 weeks from today.
QOTD: Umm... Staying inside drinking hot cocoa and looking out at the snow? Not much of a snow activity person.

Exciting!! FX for you love!

zeynsom · January 2015

Hi ladies!

I am very excited about being your next check-in leader! I hope I do not screw it up!

Quick update about me as I am waiting for my home infusion nurse to arrive for IVIG:

Had my suppression check for FET today (after three weeks of BCP and 10 days of lupron). Everything looks good. I have a little cyst (about 9mm) but it does not concern my nurse. Tomorrow I will start my estradiol valerate IM injection (on my own!) and my transfer is still scheduled for Jan 26. I am hoping that my immune system will be calm and ready next week when we do the bloodwork and also that my lining cooperates so we can move forward with my transfer, which may be my last chance with my OE. If this one fails, we may move to DE.

Question for you nice ladies: We are starting estradiol valerate intramuscular injections twice/week starting tomorrow. That is all estradiol they are giving me. I am concerned about my lining because I have never had good lining so far (always less than 8mm). They will definitely do a neupogen wash 3-4 days before transfer. When I asked about more, she said that the RE may rx estradiol 2mg pills to be used vaginally. They apparently prefer that to viagra. Has anyone used estradiol pills vaginally? Did it work? Is there more risks of fluid with estradiol vs. viagra vs. neupogen? I do not have a history of uterus fluid but trying to be careful here.

QOTD: Where I am from and where I live now we only get a few snow days every year. It is never more than 1-2 feet of snow and that does not happen very often. So, when it snows my favorite activity is watching it peacefully from my house while drinking coffee/tea

Carol77B · January 2015

@zeynsom I hope everything goes well with your IVIG treatment and you build up a beautifully thick lining! Unfortunately, I have no experience with those meds (just the oral Estradiol and Endometrium vag suppositories) so can't offer any advice there.

Twinkie0612 · January 2015

zeynsom said:

Hi ladies!
I am very excited about being your next check-in leader! I hope I do not screw it up!

Quick update about me as I am waiting for my home infusion nurse to arrive for IVIG:
Had my suppression check for FET today (after three weeks of BCP and 10 days of lupron). Everything looks good. I have a little cyst (about 9mm) but it does not concern my nurse. Tomorrow I will start my estradiol valerate IM injection (on my own!) and my transfer is still scheduled for Jan 26. I am hoping that my immune system will be calm and ready next week when we do the bloodwork and also that my lining cooperates so we can move forward with my transfer, which may be my last chance with my OE. If this one fails, we may move to DE.

Question for you nice ladies: We are starting estradiol valerate intramuscular injections twice/week starting tomorrow. That is all estradiol they are giving me. I am concerned about my lining because I have never had good lining so far (always less than 8mm). They will definitely do a neupogen wash 3-4 days before transfer. When I asked about more, she said that the RE may rx estradiol 2mg pills to be used vaginally. They apparently prefer that to viagra. Has anyone used estradiol pills vaginally? Did it work? Is there more risks of fluid with estradiol vs. viagra vs. neupogen? I do not have a history of uterus fluid but trying to be careful here.

QOTD: Where I am from and where I live now we only get a few snow days every year. It is never more than 1-2 feet of snow and that does not happen very often. So, when it snows my favorite activity is watching it peacefully from my house while drinking coffee/tea

I think that adding estrace vs. viagra is trying to solve the problem a different way. It assumes that your lining issue is insufficient estrogen, where using viagra is trying to improve blood flow to increase the lining. My clinic will increase E2V if needed and have switched people to estrace if there estrogen levels aren't responding well to the E2V, but they usually add meds like viagra and terbutaline if the lining isn't building enough.

You could also increase your Vitamin E. Margaret with KK's office had me increase mine to 600IU a day or alternating 800IU and 400IU since I have 400IU soft gel capsules. She said it would help build my lining as well.

This is my first FET with E2V, but my lining responded well to oral estrace for my FET last May with a different clinic. I've never used estrace vaginally, but I have heard that others had a better response when taking estrace vaginally.

ChristieH917 · January 2015

Hello ladies... I'm back. Thank you for keeping me on the list while I was gone.

I switched REs in November. I have an HMO so I had to get a new referral. The OB office screwed that up so I was out for December. The clinic does batches and my body hates batching. January AF should up a week too soon for their batch. I go back on Monday for blood work. Assuming the my body cooperates, I should be able to cycle in February.

mariana81 · January 2015

Good Morning Ladies!

I have good news!!!

Yesterday we have found our new RE!!! YAY!!!

We had our appointment at Cornell and we loved them!! My new RE told us that he saw a few cases like mine and there is even a research about it, since last year... Totally differently from our previous RE, who said that our results were bizarre. Now we have a plan and maybe I will be cycling next month!!!

ChristieH917 FX that your body cooperates, maybe we will be cycle buddies!!

berries555 · January 2015

*****Warning - BFP and Losses Mentioned*****

Hello Ladies...I am hoping to join your group. DH and I will be starting IVF#3 in February. I took a break from TB and any and all fertility discussion since our 2nd loss last year. We actually had 2 losses last year and I was just not ready to do anything for a while. However, I am back and feeling pretty good.
2014 was probably one of the most difficult times of my life. I am glad it is in the past and have a positive outlook on 2015. I have a new job that is much less stressful, so I feel like I am ready for this fertility battle to begin. I feel that I am in a place that I might just win. And if I don’t, I am okay with that too.
That being said….we contacted RE in Dec to tell him we were ready to move forward. RE has suggested that we proceed with another round of E2 Priming, which was pretty successful for IVF#2. I just finished AF, so I will start OPK on 1/14. I will likely start patches around 1/28 and antagon the day after that. The only thing I really dislike about this protocol is the patches. Does anyone else agree? I HATE THEM!! They just feel icky on my skin for some reason. At least it is winter and I do not have to worry about them showing or anything.
One more question for you all. When I was given instructions on how to do the subQ stim shots, RE advise to do them in thighs and abdomen. I always got terrible bruising when I did them in my thigh for IVF#1. For IVF #2 (which resulted in m/c for fresh transfer and FET), I only did them in my abdomen. Is this an issue??

Twinkie0612 · January 2015

@berries555 I have always done my sub-q injections in my abdomen. Some cycles I have bruising and other cycles not much at all. Right now I don't have too much bruising but since I am doing a FET the only sub-q injections I am doing are lupron and lovenox.

mariana81 · January 2015

berries555, welcome back! I share your pain, I HATE those patches... and my new RE said I will be on them next month again.. My skin becomes red and itchy, and it hurst to remove it.. awful indeed. Regarding the shots, I have bruising, specially after Ganirelex. I only do it in my abdomen.. I tried once in my thighs and don't like it at all. Good luck in your cycle!!

berries555 · January 2015

Thank you for the feedback @marinana81. I don't really like Ganirelex either. I get these pre-filled injections...and the needle is never that sharp. At least I don't think they are. The nurse told me it was in my head. I don't think so....I do up to 6 shots in a day...and the only issue I have ever had is with Ganirelex. Boo.

mariana81 · January 2015

berries555, I have seen here in the board ladies complaining about Ganirelex needle... I remember reading that the supplier of this med has been notified many times regarding this problem but so far they haven't done anything about it.. Tell your nurse to try Ganirelex a few times, soon enough she will understand what we are talking about lol.

hmz819 · January 2015

I hated ganirelix. I would always squirt the ganirelix into a different syringe with a sharper needle before injecting. I could never get that dull needle on the ganirelix syringe to go in

vballbaby · January 2015

I didn't have a problem with the ganirelix until tonight. It's actually a bit smaller needle length wise but I jabbed it in and it just kinda got stuck and then bounced out again! Had to restick myself. By now I'm used to this torture so it didn't phase me

Carol77B · January 2015

berries555 welcome to our group. I hope you find it helpful. I'm glad you feel good with your plan. I hate the stickiness of the estrogen patches, too, but found that heavy-duty eye makeup remover removed the sticky residue.

With my second IVF, a nurse told me I could do the SubQ shots in my thighs, to give my stomach a break, but I didn't feel comfortable with them and only did it them that that one cycle. She told me that it didn't matter if I did them in my stomach or thighs, so I think if you are more comfortable with your stomach, you should do them there.

FWIW, I hate the Ganirelix shot the most of all of them. I didn't think the needle was so bad (though compared to the Rediject pen for the Gonal-F it's huge), but I always had a major stinging/burning sensation about 5-10 minutes after the injection that lasted for about 30 minutes. I didn't have that with the Cetrotide.

Carol77B · January 2015

ChristieH917. I'm sorry that you had referral drama your body wouldn't cooperate for January. It looks like I might be cycling again in Feb, too.

Carol77B · January 2015

@cokiebear I hope your stimming is going well!

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