TTTC 8/2/18 Check-In

Bababatty · August 2018

Hey ladies, let’s get a new week started? Last week was no good for a lot of us! How is everybody doing?

QOTW: Fur baby check-in! Did you know yesterday was Dogist 1st? How are your pets (fur, plant, rock, or otherwise) doing?

2018 BFP Hall of Fame
lablover78 dx: PCOS, Compound Heterozygous MTHFR Rx: IVF
Tops-2: dx: anovulatory PCOS Rx: Metformin, Letrozole & TI
halfanewt: possible PCOS, MTHFR gene, slight MFI Rx: IVF
seethosestars: dx: DOR Rx: IVF + FET #1
Kim41313: dx: unexplained Rx: IVF
soehlerk: dx: Unexplained Rx: Femara + IUI
Mlight28: dx Unexplained Rx: Clomid
SoonToBeMommaHowe: dx: Unexplained Rx: naturally until IVF
honeybeebub: dx:septate uterus, MTHFR Rx: septum resection surgery, baby aspirin & progesterone
be08ryan: dx: PCOS and AO Rx: Clomid
kiwielopingbride: Dx: Unexplained Rx: IUI
thothscribe81: dx: unexplained Rx: IVF

PAGING:

@BWhitta: dx: PCOS, low AMH and endo Rx: letrozole
@Bababatty: dx:Low Motility Rx: IVF
@ChristinaV2015: dx: blocked tubes, PCOS, endo + MFI Rx: lap, OPKs + TI
@ChristenMA83 : dx: MFI Rx: IVF w/ISCI
@emgem819 dx: PCOS, Rx: provera, femara + Bravelle
@hoffmanr7: dx: unexplained Rx: IVF
@jmr1515: dx: Mild MFI/morph, fibroid Rx: Surgery + TI
@mackenzie07 dx: PCOS and Endo Rx: metformin, letrozole, ovidrel
@mandasand: dx: low AMH Rx:IVF (Lupron, Menopur + Follistim)
@MrsM00re87: dx: DOR PCOS, low morph Rx: Femara + TI
@Mythril: dx: PCOS (anovulatory) Rx:levothyroxine, metformin and femara + TI
@rachlee2010: dx: DOR Rx: IUI
@Samanthaarielxo dx: anovulation Rx: still in testing
@sarah0985: dx: PCOS, possible blocked tubes Rx: Lap
@SM746830: dx: PCOS, blocked tubes Rx: Surgery, Clomid
@starlitfae dx: MFI & balanced translocation, thyroid Rx: ivf with pgd testing
@funkykey dx: unexplained Rx: IVF
@Worldtravler0522 dx: PCOS/Unexplained Rx: IVF
@notamyrtle: dx: unexplained Rx: IUI + injects
@Kate437: dx:anovulatory Rx:Letrozole + trigger
@SP128: in testing/unexplained
@eranvo27: dx: anovulatory PCOS Rx: metformin
@brittlefebvre: in testing
@Charligirl28: dx: unexplained Rx: Clomid
@kristimh80: dx: unexplained Rx: Injectables + trigger + IUI
@Brooke4131: dx: Secondary unexplained Rx: in testing
@fluffybookworm: dx: Anovulation + insulin resistance Rx: Metformin + prometrium + testing
@Asampson87: dx: unexplained + MFI Rx: metformin + testing
@hannahlce: dx: anovulatory PCOS Rx: metformin + letrozole
@emmasemm: dx: DOR & autoimmune Rx: IVF
@floridanursegirl: dx: unexplained anovulation Rx:Metformin, IUI+Femara+trigger
@aeb1116: dx: unexplained Rx: IUI
@Happyin14: dx: unexplained, RPL Rx: IVF
@amac2313: dx: unknown Rx: Clomid
@nurseerin2012: dx: unexplained Rx: letrozole + IUI
@Knottie1467155066: dx: unknown Rx: letrozole + trigger + TI
@BenJay: Dx: PCOS/unexplained Rx. Metformin + supplements
@MicahDahn: Dx: irregular cycles Rx: preparing for testing
@moloninge Dx:PCOS, hypothyroidism, insulin resistance, fibroids. Rx:Metformin,Synthroid,IUI w/letrozole, ovidrel, and progesterone.
@beec2421: dx: PCOS, hypothyroidism Rx: metformin, synthroid, clomid
@wishing-and-hoping: dx: unexplained rx: poss. IVF
@echocharlietango: dx: Unexplained Rx: trying naturally
@kgabhart: dx: Unexplained/PCOS Rx: letrozole + IUI
@linz36: dx: Low AFC, MFI Rx: testing/IUI
@jrm_14: dx: Adrenal/overian insufficiency, Borderline-low AMH, Low progesterone Rx: IUI w/ injectables.
@Bgreenfield10: dx: anovulatory PCOS, LPD Rx: Clomid + trigger
@serownarain: dx: in testing
@allisona66: dx: waiting for testing
@manhattanmama2: dx: unexplained Rx: IVF
@mirabelle33 dx: DOR, possible endo Rx: TBD
@meganttc3: dx: PCOS, unexplained Rx: waiting to test
@mrsjcrane: dx: unexplained Rx: femara + trigger + TI + 2nd HCG booster
@mighty-mouse: dx:pcos & HA Rx: provera/letrozole + trigger
@ladystout08: dx: unknown Rx: waiting for testing
@leafyarch: dx: MFI, no thyroid Rx: IVF
@oklahomak: dx: PCOS Rx: metformin/letrozole/estradiol/progesterone+ trigger
@drewsdarlin: dx: RPL, PCOS, Hashimotos, low vitamin D and Iron RX: ?
@ChristenMA83: dx: MFI Rx: IVF w/ISCI

NEWCOMERS:To be added to the Weekly Checkin, please answer the following:

1. How long have you been TTC?
2. What is your diagnosis?
3. What is your current Rx plan?

Bababatty · August 2018

@Worldtravler0522 I want to go smack some doctors around for you because, seriously, give me a break. You couldn’t even review a chart before the appointment and your Fellow stalled for you...with wrong information? And then your best suggestion is to blame it on weight? I agree with @funkykey that you seem to have the patience of a saint.

I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but blaming it on weight is a cop out. I know weight can be a factor, but let’s try a little harder here, people. I’m really sorry you have to repeat the hysteroscopy and that they’re revisiting the embryo, and for all of your frustration. ElgatoIVF (thanks @emmasemm for sharing that IG account!) had a great comment the other day about how the American medical establishment is a bureaucratic nightmare just chugging along because of ALL these delays and additional testing. It sounds like that aligns well with a lot of our experiences, yours especially with this visit.

Whine away! You have every right. I don’t think doctors understand when we say we’re “tired.” I suspect we probably feel the same way; it’s like an intense weariness. For me, it’s the same sensation as if I’m running and I’ve stopped on a hill and I need to start again because a monster is chasing me, but I’m not sure I have the energy to run one more step. I’m sure doctors try to understand, but I’m not sure it’s possible for people who haven’t gone through it to understand such a physical reaction to mental weariness. Sorry, I ramble. Suffice to say, I hear you, I understand you, and I’m behind you trying to push you up that Hill.

@emmasemm Everytime you post, I’m like, “I must write this down to ask my RE about.” This time with the HGH suggestion. You are a fount of information!

I’m so happy to hear about your 5 so far! And that the MDL is not kicking your butt. What a nice reprieve! I can’t wait to hear more hopefully good news on Friday.

@drewsdarlin Good luck with your AMH!

@funkykey I hope that B AF shows her face so you can get started! Or even better, doesn’t because she’s not coming. A girl can always hope!

AFM Would you believe I did not manage to get a hold of a human until 11PM on Monday night to give me my pre-op instructions and arrival time? Poor DH. I was losing my fricking mind and he was in the way. Apparently my voicemail was full—note to iPhone users that deleting voicemails simply sends them into a deleted box that continues to take up room—but it’s unclear if the PreOp people even bothered to call me (my phone was off for ONE HOUR during acupuncture). At the hysteroscopy my RE said that they should have reached out to his office if they couldn’t get a hold of me.

Anyway, I DID make it into my hysteroscopy and it went fine. Apparently it all looked fine, so we’ll see what the biopsies indicate.

In the meantime, my insurance denied the PGS testing because “repeated losses don’t make it a medical necessity.” Color me confused. I finally got through to a helpful insurance person who explained that my doctor’s office failed to provide the information needed to prove multiple IVF failures and losses. So apparently repeated losses do constitute a medical necessity if proven correctly? My RE has agreed to do a peer to peer convo with an insurance doctor to push the issue. In the meantime, we wait and twiddle our thumbs. I now have a new follow up on the 23rd and I just sent an email to the team pushing back to see if it’s possible to have all the test results by then. I am NOT missing another cycle. If I didn’t lose my entire mind on Monday, I definitely will if we’re not cycling until October.

QOTW Our eldest and fattest Cat spends all winter worshiping at the altar of the radiator and all summer lying in the middle of the floor like she’s dying. I don’t understand. Our youngest and tiniest cat thinks I’m the antichrist and runs from me in terror. Even though I’ve done literally nothing to her ever. So, all is normal in Cat-land.

drewsdarlin · August 2018

Thank you

ChristenMA83 · August 2018

@bababatty Ugh! Between your insurance and the lackluster attitude of the hospital in scheduling your hysteroscopy I would be going nuts! I'm one of those people that like to have everything scheduled to the details at least a week in advance so WOW I would be a nutcase. Glad all went well in the end. Hope the PGS coverage gets sorted out. Insurance can be such a blessing, but sometimes I think it would be less stressful to figure out a way to pay out of pocket than worry about is this covered or not (probably not really easier to go all OOP but it feels that way sometimes.....if only we were all independently wealthy with no financial worries....sigh)

@worldtravler0522 I second what others have said about your weight loss to date, those docs deserve a slap with reality if they won't give due credit. I hate when it feels like the medical community blames us for the issues. We got that a lot with the first RE we went to and our MFI diagnosis. Because my DH is a fit guy, the RE kept asking about steroid usage, which DH has never done, and it felt so accusatory. Thankfully our new RE is a much better fit and works with us in a supportive manner instead of blaming us for our circumstances.

@emmasemm glad you're feeling a little more normal this cycle. Hopefully this protocol tweak will give you AMAZING results.

AFM: AF showed up and I've been a little miserable the last 3 days with a headache that WILL NOT go away no matter what I try, including sleep. I'm not prone to migraines so this is really crippling for me because I'm so not used to it. I don't know if I'm crashing off the hormones or if it's because I had to wean of the prednisone....it started the first day of 1/4 pills. If it doesn't get better over the weekend I'm going to have to see someone about it. But other than my eyeballs feeling like they're going to explode I'm doing well.

We see the RE next Thursday. DH is leaning towards donor sperm for our next round but I'm not ready to give up on his soldiers just yet. We're going to ask the RE if we can do a retrieval cycle and fertilize half the eggs with DH & ICSI and the other half without ICSI with Donor sperm. The good news is DH's sinus surgery got us to our OOP max so this round we'll just have to pay for meds and freeze. Of course insurance is still denying the anesthesia portion of our last retrieval so I need to appeal that. They're saying we don't have coverage for ART....but they paid the rest of the claim because we do have coverage for ART....so I think it's just b/c the anesthesia bill is coming from a 3rd party and ART was approved for our clinic.

Still planning to take off from IF until November. I'm starting the Blood Sugar Solution 10-day detox on Sunday and plan to pretty much cut out all processed foods and sugar for the next 3 months to lose weight and improve egg quality. I'm actually really looking forward to this change. I'm trying to get DH on board to do it to, he's starting to lean in but I don't have him 100% convinced yet.

QOTW our furbabies are doing pretty well. Our older girl is in the beginning stages of having kidney issues, her numbers are just slightly elevated and we're able to manage with a homecooked diet for now and she goes in every 3 months for bloodwork. Our 1 year old boy is doing great. For the last 12 years we've always had purebred boxers and Lenny is a mix. He has such a neat personality and is just such a joy. Like I love my boxers, but Lenny has a little extra twist.

funkykey · August 2018

AF has finally started! I start suppressing tonight, and I'm to pick up my stimming drugs next week! And we can pay for them! Lol!

@Bababatty - I 100% agree re: weight not being the only factor. And what you said re: "I’m not sure it’s possible for people who haven’t gone through it to understand such a physical reaction to mental weariness." - I 100% agree. I've read a lot about physiological responses to grief/grieving, and physical exhaustion is pretty typical. I think the grief from infertility has the same effect, and until someone has really grieved, it can be hard for them to understand.

That is insane about the 11pm instructions! Glad you got the hysteroscopy, and good on you for pushing to get everything together before the 23rd!

@ChristenMA83 - I'm sorry about the headache. I laughed when I read about the steroid accusations - I mean, I can see how that would be accusatory, but WOW. That's like something from a TV show, it's so absurd. (An aside - with all of our stories, we actually could write a "The Office" based in a fertility clinic, there's enough material.)

My first IVF cycle, we did a mix of IVF and ICSI fertilization, so I think it should be fine to do half donor sperm and half DH's sperm. I actually think that's a pretty nice solution. We might actually try half ICSI half IVF this time around, too, if we retrieve enough eggs.

QOTW: you made me laugh with the rock pet comment, @Bababatty. Our dog is fine. Part of me hates that he's getting older (slow down, time!), but he makes me laugh with his old dog grumbling and snorts.

mirabelle33 · August 2018

@Bababatty sorry to hear you had so much unnecessary stress before the hysteroscopy. Your comment about YH being in the way made me lol. Whenever something time sensitive is stressing me out, I turn into a mini-tornado, destroying anything in my path and poor DH is usually the first victim. We had trouble getting to our psych consult on Friday due to all the road construction and one-way streets in our city and I thought DH was going to leave me on the curb once we finally arrived. Luckily he gets over stuff like that pretty easily. I'm glad the procedure went fine in the end and fx for quick biopsy results! Sounds like you're taking charge of the insurance situation as well and I really hope it all works out for the 23rd

@ChristenMA83 how are you feeling? Has the headache subsided? I'm so sorry you're having to deal with that. I can sympathize since I used to get a lot of migraines in my teens and twenties, but stopped getting them as frequently once I started bcp in my late twenties. If I get one now, it's typically just before or during the first few days of AF. Recently I've started getting a mild to moderately severe headache in the middle of my cycle and I'm not sure what that's all about, but I'm sure hormones have something to do with it. Hope you're feeling better by now

GL for your RE appointment next Thursday. Your plan for fertilization sounds like a good compromise and I hope your doctor will be on board. Fx your insurance issue gets worked out quickly!

Wishing you GL as well for starting your detox and new diet. I'm about to make some diet changes too, which I'll mention below. Hopefully we can motivate each other to stay on track! One of the hardest things for me will be to get DH to comply since he is the main chef in the family. While he won't be following my new diet himself, it will definitely change what he cooks for us the next couple months.

@funkykey I'm sorry for AF, but also excited for you to get started and I have absolutely everything crossed that it goes well for you this time

AFM, this week was a little better, but mostly because I decided to be proactive during the next 6-8 weeks while we're waiting to get started. On Tuesday I went to see a Naturopath, not with the hopes of getting pregnant naturally, but with the intention of getting my body in as good as shape as possible before starting IVF. The consult was supposed to be 1.5 hours and it ended up going over by an hour! It felt really good to have someone hear my whole story for once and not just bits and pieces. We covered absolutely everything I could think of during those 2.5 hours and she had some very interesting observations and advice. Basically, she thinks my body is full of inflammation and needs to "calm down." She's also suspicious that I have a sort-of yeast infection in my digestive system (we all remember my issues with this elsewhere!) and that my liver is not properly absorbing all the supplements I'm taking. So she prescribed some "cures" for the inflammation, my digestive system, and my liver, as well as something to help me sleep better at night. Apparently I also need a lot of Magnesium and Omega-3. She wants me to stop the Vitamin D3 at the end of August and the CoQ10 immediately, which I'm a little hesitant about, but I've been taking it for more than 3 months now, so chances are it's already done what it can do. Once I finish my PNV, she wants me to stop that too, but unbeknownst to her I'm going to keep taking the extra Folate that I was also adding to the mix. I will be continuing with the DHEA, which she seemed to agree that I needed. She sent me a 4-page document yesterday with dietary recommendations that I still need to go over, but it looks like I will definitely be stopping all dairy for the next couple months and will also try to limit my carbs as much as possible. Like I said above, getting DH to eliminate dairy from what he cooks for both of us will be the biggest challenge. My Frenchman loves his cheese (and butter and cream, etc)! Truthfully, I think he finds this all a bit nutty and the cures and some of the dietary changes are going to be a bit pricey, but it’s only for a month or so and if it helps me get through this waiting period relatively unscathed and will leave me with no regrets afterward, then he is willing to go along with it. He mentioned yesterday that he was googling some dairy free recipe ideas, so that was cute.

We also had our psych consult on Friday and it went fine. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect and assumed he would report everything we said back to the clinic. But actually he told us from the beginning that it was not his job to determine if we were going to be good parents and he was very clear about what he was going to mention to the clinic afterward (not much and all stuff they already knew). It was emotional at times, but overall not too bad and I’m really glad they had us do it. He told us that it was a recommendation under French law but that each clinic could decide whether to require it or not. He’s also available for any additional appointments if we feel like we need it.

QOTW: I know this was meant to be a fun question, but unfortunately our cat is a sensitive subject these days. She will be 5 years old this month and is usually pretty well-behaved and sweet with us. She is more attached to me since I was the one who was around the most when she was a kitten, but that also means she takes out most of her aggression on me. It used to only happen when we came back from vacation, but more recently it has happened kind of randomly. Well, about a month ago she bit me very hard on the arm and drew blood. It got infected and I had to go on antibiotics. I’m really torn about what to do with her and afraid she will bite me during IVF or when I’m hopefully KU (not to mention how she might behave around a baby). But most of the time she is very sweet and last night when she was sleeping peacefully at the foot of our bed, not disturbing us at all, it made me forget, for a little while anyway, of what she is capable of. I’m at the point though where I’m ready to find a new home for her if she does it again, but DH loves this cat and would be devastated. I’m willing to try behavior therapy and the Naturopath even gave me a few suggestions, but I’m not sure it will work. I’m constantly on edge when I’m alone with her in the apartment (she never bites me like this in front of DH) and it breaks my heart, but I think finding her a new home might be the right thing to do. Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated

Worldtravler0522 · August 2018

I know I say it often but seriously thank you for all of the support. I read all of your responses to DH and we both tear up over the amazing support you have all given us, thank you. I'm sorry anyone out there understands this process but I'm grateful to not be alone. The way you described my weariness is dead on @Bababatty. I'm just so freaking tired and I just wish I could move forward instead of just staying still.

I pulled my visit summary the other day from the RPL doctor and she put obesity on this visit as one of my issues. *huge eye roll* Come on, since my first visit with her I've lost almost 30 pounds! I get that I am still overweight but give me a little credit, jerk. I'm trying to lose about 11 more by the time I hit my birthday at the end of next month. End of story I'm doing this for me and no one else.

@Bababatty I'm glad your hysteroscopy went well but OMG I can't believe you didn't have your instructions until 11 PM the night before. I would be out of my mind! I hope you get the insurance to cover your PGS testing, crossing my fingers for you they aren't hateful bastards.

@ChristenMA83 that is ridiculous!! I mean fine if the doctor secretly thinks that but come on?? Good luck on the detox! It sucks to start but you seriously feel so good once you've cut out all the junk. I had a love hate relationship with Whole 30 for this reason.

@funkykey yay for AF showing up and getting the ball rolling again!

rmarble23 · August 2018

new here

most info is in my sig but we are just starting for baby number two as baby number one is 14 months yesterday, IVF fresh cycle to start on my next period in about 2-3 weeks. our main DX is MFI as I am now all clear after originally having a fibroid removed prior to the start of our first cycle.

QOTW: pets are all up in my business....I have a puggle Paul and cat Bella. The dog is all concerned with food and nothing else so constantly in the way as DD is all about throwing food on the floor these days. Super trying on my patience....thank god for meds

ChristenMA83 · August 2018

@funkykey Yay for being on the move again. Hope this stim cycle goes super well for you.

@mirabelle33 the headache took yesterday off, then much to my surprise it was back this morning...but not as bad. Sunday was wonderfully pain-free though. Sounds like our diet changes are pretty similar. I'm cutting out all processed foods, added sugars, grains, dairy. That leaves me with lean meat, veggies, some fruit and water. Yesterday was day 1 and it wasn't as tough as I thought it would be, and the recipe so far have been pretty darn good (except for maybe the morning smoothies, those are just ok). DH was already complaining yesterday that there wasn't much food in the house -- I told them there were plenty of veggies he could eat.

Also, sorry to hear about your cat. Have you done any bloodwork to rule out a medical cause? I know for dogs at least thyroid levels can cause aggression. Our older girl has random bouts of aggression towards our younger dog for no reason (like we know how to look for triggers and 85% of the time it's completely random). But we know when we do bring a baby home we will have to be very diligent in managing that. She's never shown an ounce of aggression towards humans - but I've gotten caught in the crossfire a couple of times...and she seems to be getting worse with age.

@rmarble23 Welcome to the group.

How was everyone's weekend? We celebrated the 17th anniversary of our first date with a musical and some amazing Mexican food at our fave place Saturday before I started the detox Sunday. So far I've been able to stay 100% on plan with the detox diet so I'm pretty proud of myself. Even got up at 5 this morning to get the 30-minute pre-breakfast walk in as prescribed...I'm hoping the habit of yanking myself out of bed that early gets easier.

mirabelle33 · August 2018

@Worldtravler0522 I hope that you will start to feel like you're moving forward again soon. Do you have an idea of when you'll repeat the hysteroscopy and biopsy? I think your weight loss goal sounds great and good for you for deciding to do it for you and no one else! We're all here to support you in any way that we can

@ChristenMA83 I'm glad you had a pain-free Sunday at least! I hope yesterday's headache was just a fluke or maybe it's related to starting the detox? I don't think it's uncommon to experience some wonky things when your body is adjusting to a change like that. Our diets do sound similar! Lean protein + certain fish like sardines and mackerel, veggies and some fruit is mostly what I'll be eating as well! I was only told to limit grains, so I won't be cutting them completely, but already I've been eating way less than I normally do. So far so good, but I have a feeling it's going to get tougher as the days/weeks go on. How did your DH react to the veggie comment? I'm sure he was pleased

Thank you for the advice about our cat. She has had some medical issues since we moved almost two years ago, mainly some routine gastrointestinal issues and a few cases of severe anemia. She responds well to the treatment for both, so the doctors are hesitant to put her through more extensive testing at this point (especially since she does NOT enjoy the vet). She did have some blood work done during the first bout of anemia, but I don't know if they tested her thyroid levels. I will ask about it at our next vet appointment. I'm sorry to hear about your older dog occasionally going after the younger one and I hope you can stay out of the crossfire!

Wow! Congrats on 17 years with your hubby! That is quite an accomplishment and definitely reason to celebrate. We had (homemade) Mexican on Saturday too and I think it's a great way to kick off a new diet! I hope you're still going strong with it and that those early-morning walks are getting easier

@rmarble23 welcome to the group!

BWhitta · August 2018

Good morning, friends, long time no see! I am going to try to keep this as short as possible but it could get long

I want to apologize for disappearing, I have been lurking a bit to keep up with all of you, but I just couldn't bring myself to post the last few months. I can't even remember if I posted around the time of my surgery or not? I will give a brief recap of everything going on with us after I catch up with you guys!

@Worldtravler0522 I am so sorry for everything you're going through, I know all too well how frustrating those meetings with doctors can be. I am so sensitive about all of this (duh) and every time I get so upset DH is like why does that upset you so much and I just always say my body just doesn't EVER do what it is supposed to do, haha. Like, ever. Any time they say "we usually see this with PCOS..." mine is the opposite. Or "with your estrogen level we should see this..." but, nope. So really, every time I talk to a doctor I come away feeling completely defeated. I am really hoping that you get some answers soon, friend. As for the weight loss, my current RE is really big on diet and exercise, he makes all of his patients (regardless of weight) eat a low/no carb high fat diet, and no working out

I won't get into it all here, but he's actually a part of this group of RE's around the country who have published studies about how they think excessive exercise is a huge part of infertility, as I'm typing this I kind of am remembering telling you guys about this already, but he thinks I've had low estrogen basically since puberty, and probably caused by my hypoglycemia (caused by carbs and sugar) and the fact that I always was doing a sport when I was that age. It's interesting, but I mean my best friend works out like a crazy person and has 2 beautiful babies, so. You know. I am so tired of this diet, but that being said, it does seem to "work", my blood sugar is stabilized and my weight has slowly but surely gone down.

@Bababatty I looked at your signature to "catch up" and my goodness, when you see it all laid out like that...I just don't think I will ever meet women who are as strong as the ones I have met on this journey. *TW* I was meeting with a nurse the other day for an injection lesson, and she said "now don't get discouraged if this doesn't work, you're just getting started and we have to teach your body what to do" I wanted to be like "oh, honey, how much time have you got?" haha. I told her briefly that this was not my first time and her face and demeanor immediately changed and I knew that she herself had been on this journey too and we understood each other. The word I always come back to is warrior, we are fighting a long and lonely battle but we have each other! Also, losing my mind and my poor husband being in the way is the current definition of my marriage. I hope you get to get going in September!

@ChristenMA83 I hope your headache is better today!!! I get hormone crash migraines and they are the WORST, I actually haven't gotten one since they sorted out my estrogen levels, and that is the single best thing that has come from my infertility, haha. I'm sorry about all the insurance crap too, it's the worst...we've been dealing with that pretty much non stop and it's so frustrating, even though we are completely covered (which we are so thankful for) it's like every step is still like pulling teeth. Just curious because I just read about this in one of the many packets my RE gave us, haha, has your husband tried any supplements? My office recommends using Therologix for all of ours and they have a few different for male reproductive health. Also, I've been off sugar, wheat, grains, fruit, dairy (except cheese and butter, thank God) and basically anything else that's good to eat for 6 months now, it's annoying but I do feel pretty awesome most of the time and it has fixed my blood sugar and insulin problems so I begrudgingly stick to it, haha.

@funkykey excited for you to get started again!!! I have an old grumbling dog as well, she is such an old lady and cracks us up!!!

@mirabelle33 your meeting with the naturopath sounds amazing...I mentioned all of my dietary restrictions above, I did have to cut out dairy but I do get to keep the lower carb cheeses and I actually am supposed to eat a lot of butter, haha, it keeps me sane. I'm glad you're being proactive during this time, it helps so much! My doctor put me on the diet when we started testing with him back in February and it really made a huge difference in my mindset, it gave me something to focus on that I felt could actually be making a change in my body and might help, like I was actually DOING something. *TW* as we face trying again it is really helping my nerves, like I have reason to believe that we've made enough changes that maybe I won't have to go through another loss.

OKAY as for me: Again, I am unsure of where we "left off" but I have really missed you guys and I promise to be better and keep up so that I don't have to do these giant catch ups, haha. So...quick recap, started with new RE in January, 3 hour glucose test showed hypoglycemia so started the low/no carb high fat diet. Confirmed PCOS, but also low AMH (1.13) so he suspected endometriosis, (hysteroscopy and HSG were clear) and found that I had extremely low estrogen, like menopausal (but FSH was normal) I had surgery in May to remove endo, which he found was "low stage 2" but he also found several uterine fibroids including a rather large one that was pushing on my ovary, he's hopeful that this could be partly to blame for the low AMH, causing inflammation and pushing on the ovary, thus damaging the eggs. He also worked on my tubes some, had a cyst on each and the "finger like things" that attach to the ovaries were all tangled up? Very weird...I have high-def pictures of all of this from the surgery and it is fascinating, haha. So all in all, I feel like there was a LOT to fix that will hopefully make some positive changes!!! Just as a reminder *TW* once we got some ovulation going for me it was "easy" to conceive but I have had three losses, so I am really trying to be hopeful that the surgery and my dietary changes have created a completely different environment in there. So we had to wait like 6 weeks after my surgery to have my follow up with the RE, where he recommended timed intercourse with mini-stims, but also wants me to consider IVF for preservation. He started the meeting by asking how many kids we want to have, which COMPLETELY threw me off, I can't get past just one healthy first trimester at this point. But I finally said okay I'd really love to have 3 or 4 kids (which I realized has to be the HARDEST thing for an infertile woman to admit, how could I possibly dare to wish for more than one healthy baby?!) so I actually cried a little when I admitted that to him, but he was like "okay so this is what you need to do" and like mapped out a plan based on my age and my AMH, etc. It was such an eye opening conversation and just really made me fall even more in love with this practice. SO, I am currently in the middle of my first medicated cycle in almost two years. On CD3 I took 10 Letrazole all at once (has anyone else ever done this? I thought it was so weird) and then I had an ultrasound on CD8, had several follicles growing but they were all around 8-10mm. Checked them again on Friday and found I had an 11mm on one side and a 13mm on the other so we started Menopur injections that night hoping to trigger yesterday. Unfortunately, it turns out that 13mm was actually a 6mm and a 7mm who had gotten cozy, so the biggest on that side now is like a 10mm and a 14mm on the other side. Definitely bummed me out just because I was fully expecting to trigger yesterday. But luckily I had a few more vials of Menopur, so we are stimming for a couple more days and checking again tomorrow morning. Trying to get a refill on the Menopur (between all of my testing and the surgery we hit our OOP max and my meds are covered so we are SUPER grateful for that!!!) but they are denying the refill right now, so my RE is working on getting that worked out, I do have a sweet friend who has some extra she is willing to share with me in case I need to do another injection Thursday. Whew. We've been trying for three years now but the last 6 months have been the most insane. But again I just can't say enough how thankful we are to be with this RE, we love him and the entire staff in the office is just so impressive, there are two PA's who I mostly work with and I am obsessed with both of them, and you are assigned a nurse to work with so every time I call I can speak to her and she knows me and my situation and I can email her, too. It's just a dream and a complete 180 from our first RE who I basically hated. Okay I will stop now. Love you guys!!!!!!!!!

ChristenMA83 · August 2018

@bwhitta HI!!! Great to have you back. It's so nice that you're in love with the new practice. The right practice makes a huge difference. They had DH on fertilaide supplement and a short list of other things...I will admit though he isn't the greatest at actually taking his supplements. And we never did a follow up SA to see if they were making a difference. And it's exciting they "fixed" so many issues, hopefully it's exactly what you needed.

@mirabelle33 I'm thinking the headache might be related to the detox at this point, caffeine specifically. I'm trying not to take anything for it and it is much better than last week.

Time management is definately the hardest part of the new diet. I just gotta find my grove. But so far still 100% on plan with the food.

BWhitta · August 2018

@ChristenMA83 I admit I never gave up coffee

the first few days on my diet were so brutal, try adding a pinch of salt to a glass of water and chugging it...helped me!!!!!!!!!

BWhitta · August 2018

Well, we triggered this morning! Follicle on the left jumped to 19mm (thank God!) I've got 4 on the right at 10mm 11mm 12mm and 13mm, so I am pulling for that little 13mm to keep growing and go, too!!!!!!!!! They have me starting progesterone supplements on Friday which I am happy about, my other RE never had me start until after pregnancy was confirmed, which I think is probably too late if the progesterone is going to help. Feeling nervous but trying to stay positive!!!!!

rmarble23 · August 2018

good luck @BWhitta

mirabelle33 · August 2018

@ChristenMA83 yes, caffeine withdrawal can definitely cause headaches! If you went cold turkey, then that could explain the migraines. I've had to do it a couple of times and when I did it gradually I was able to avoid a migraine, but had to put up with a mild headache for a few days. Hope it's over by now!

@BWhitta welcome back!! I'm glad the diet has been working for you and also that it gave you something to focus on during your long wait. I'm hoping the same for me!! I am SO happy that you love your RE and I have all my fx that the surgery and dietary changes you made will bring you a THB very soon

I think it's great that you were honest about how many kids you want and that your RE was able to give you a solid plan to make it happen. Did you decide to wait on IVF for preservation? It sounds like you're doing the mini-stims + TI right now. Glad you were able to trigger and sending you lots of good vibes and calming thoughts for the TWW

As an aside, I am positive that excessive exercise is NOT a contributing factor to my IF

BWhitta · August 2018

@mirabelle33 yes we decided to hold off on the IVF for now because I was just so ready to try and get going, if this cycle doesn’t work, we might do one more TI with adjusted meds since it took longer than usual to get my follicles where they needed to be, but we also might just go ahead and do IVF. Since we’ve hit our OOP max, we’d like to do IVF this year if we have to do it! I love how positive my doctor is about making it happen, but at the same time I don’t really believe him yet, haha. Like yea...I’ll believe it when I see it.

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