Long Term TTC & Assisted Conception - April 2007

Thanks Carrie. Yeah we are doing really well actually! We've been calm and just going about our normal stuff this week..but I can feel myself getting a little unsettled as we get closer..this time next week we will know. :pray:
I have found the crinone to be fuss free, no drama with side effects or leakage or discharge etc. Like you I had noticed sleep to be a disturbance, but not with nightmares. Are you still having them? Personal reactions to meds are so extreme aren't they.
I was really happy with the synarel too, I was dreading it and the fact a friend called it psycho spray had me really paranoid! I was onto my second bottle of the stuff and my sniffs were all in the same nostril, no worries. I reckon I had hot flushes the first few days and that was it.

How are you travelling? Apart from the crinone you poor chook :hugs: Hopefully it'll prove all worth while next week. Is your DH getting anxious? As for the HPT, I don't have any in the house *yet*...would you recommend the discover? We had a negative experience with a round of clomid and testing...had a faint line etc and BT was neg..it was in a hot pink box, can't remember the name of it. Anyway, bit wary on the ol tests! Having said that I don't want to hear our result from a nurse while at work either...

Take care :)

Thanks BW - I'll hold out as long as I can!
Smudge- Glad to hear you're doing good. Hmm your experience with the HPT would be bound to make you think twice before doing it again! Discover I think is quite good.
I've been sleeping okay now, but still a bit disturbed, no nightmares though.
You're lucky you've had no side effects of the crinone. I'm prone to thrush, and the crinone has given me that and - TMI alert, I feel like I'm totally clogged up with the stuff, ewwww.

Smudge, I had a bad experience with a HPT in a bright pink box - pregnosis, I think. They say false positives can't happen... but they well and truly do!

Stay strong, Carrie! Although, I can't imagine not testing before the blood test, it would be best to wait as long as possible.

BW

Yes - that was the one! Evil. I reckon our cat could have got a bfp with those tests

hehehe... I have lost count of how many times I have stuck an hpt under DH's nose and gone "there's a line there isn't there? tell me it's a line!!"

I'm feeling really, really scared this morning. :cry: I think this OHSS is getting way worse than I thought. I've gained 5kg since my collection, my belly is so bloated it hurts - right up to my rib cage! I can't bend over because my belly gets in the way, I can't stretch out straight because the skin has no more stretch. And worst of all, I'm now feeling very short of breath... it's not that I'm struggling to breathe, I just feel like I've done some light exercise and I'm slightly puffed. The pain is no longer in my ovaries, it's everywhere inside.

I had really wanted to go to church this morning. :( DH is down there now doing sound. I'm just going to sit quietly with my powerade for a couple of hours until he gets home... then if I haven't heard from the clinic about my embryos (they always check on me at the same time - and today I will NOT minimise how I'm feeling like I did yesterday) I'll get him to call the emergency number the clinic gave us after the collection. I know something is very, very wrong here... I guess it's just a question of how bad it has actually got.

BW

BW - make sure you tell them exactly what you're feeling hun - you need to get yourself looked after. don't let them shrug you off - from what i was told, a weight gain of a kg could potentally mean a litre of water sloshing about in your tummy - and that's not something you can really let go past. take care hun.

Spoke to my FS... he said I'm probably not doing too badly as he could make me giggle a bit when he said something stupid. He also told me to increase the dose of the meds I was prescribed on Monday to the dosages he listed on the sheet I was given, not the actual dosage I was prescribed. I'd already done that anyway - I'm so used to adjusting dosages the way my rheumy has taught me - if I know what the maximum dose is, I can do whatever I feel I need to do under that limit. He's going to get me to squeeze in an extra Evista tablet today as well. I'm also supposed to switch to gastrolyte rather than powerade so I'm not loading myself full of carbs. In his words - it tastes like ***** - so I'm not really looking forward to that!

Other than that, it's ride it out at home or go to hospital if it gets too bad. I'd really, really like to avoid the hospital option! Will continue to take it easy. and rest up. All that extra fluid should start to go soon. He's pretty sure that today will be the worst of it for me.

Oh yeah, all 15 embies are still hanging in there! The 4 slow ones are about a day behind the others, but they have continued. Just remains to be seen just how many can be frozen tomorrow... or perhaps Sunday for those few stragglers.

BW

BW - good to hear your embies are still going strong, all sounds very positive, hope your feeling better very soon.

Smudge & Carrie - not much longer to wait now, hope you have some good news next week.

Sazza & BG - how is the painting going? We're painting our house to, well DH is he does it for a living so he will only let me paint the gym room down the back because its the only room not everyone has to see lol apparently my painting skills arn't up to he's standards! Sazz, glad to hear the injections are going well

Shannon - goodluck with the lap hope all goes well and your next cycle is a successful one.

Well I had my BT this morning and picked up all my drugs, just waiting on a call from the clinic to find out when to start taking them, my FS rang yesterday and we have decided to try the syranel spray. As soon as we got home this morning i went through the bag of drugs and checked everything out - i kind of wish i didn't, that trigger needle looks HUGE - i'm going to be having nightmares about it! DH is excited, he's now calling him self Doctor H and can't wait for the injections to begin :rolleyes:
He was just on the phone to he's brother in Darwin telling him all about it, BIL and he's wife have just started TTCing this month - DH was telling him all about timing and ovulation giving him all these tips, it was funny listening to them both - between the two of them they worked out that SIL is due to O any day so BIL hung up in a bit of a hurry saying he had some "work to do" lmao.

Hope everyone is having a nice Easter weekend I'm off to give the dogs a bath and wait for the clinic to call.

Boo, that's one reason why I was glad my clinic gave me each bit one at a time when I was ready to use it. Just remember with the trigger injection, there's one needle to mix the liquid with the powder stuff, and the other to actually inject is about the same size as what you'll use for the puregon. There's a cool trick with a 50c coin in the freezer that also helps with the trigger shot, too. It's really not so bad! Good luck with it all, and there's plenty of us here that can talk you through if you get stuck with any of it.

BW

Oh BW - maybe i was looking at the wrong thing? I hope so! I'll have to remember about the 50c thing.
I got the call from the clinic, i'm starting on the syranel on Monday - the nurse said it didn't really matter when i take it but it would be a good idea to do it before i brush my teeth morning & night - i thought i read somewhere about other girls being told to have the two doses 12 hours apart?

Hi guys,
BW- Hope you're feeling a bit better tonight and that the FS is right and it'll get better from here on in. Great news that the embies are all doing well!!
Boo- Ohh, starting a cycle is so exciting! I was always told to have my syneral 12hrs apart, so had it at 10am and 10pm, to make sure I was always up. Your Dh sounds sweet - I suppose by doing the injections he might feel a bit more involved in the IVF process. The trigger injection isn't that bad so don't stress. This time with my trigger I didn't have to mix with powder, the injection was ready to go.

Hi Boo - exciting that you are starting! I think it's really nice that your DH can talk to his brother. Sadly DH's brother is king of dumb comments, so we keep them (and everyone else!) out of it all.
I take my Synarel exactly 12hrs apart, but honestly I only do that because of the advice of BB ladies. The nurse wasn't too worried about when i did it. Thankfully i don't pick up the next drugs until after the u/sound and then the trigger i get after the other u/sound. The trigger comes pre-mixed for me too and the needle gave DH a fright! He looked at me as if to say - rather you than me!
BW - good to hear that your embies are going so strong. That must be so heartening.

The fact that the embies are going so well is making this seem all worthwhile. Did I tell you all that DH wants pictures of them, and wants to name them? I thought he was being funny, but he's serious. I guess when you think about it - they are our children! And then it all gets very real and very freaky.

I'm still feeling pretty cruddy. I feel like a giant beach ball because I'm so bloated. I gave up on clothes a few days ago and just laze about in my PJs, they are the only thing that fits at the moment! I think I'm maybe coming through the worst of it - mainly because I feel like I'm peeing more than I'm drinking now. I've been so freaked out by all the fluid and bloating that I've been weighing myself each time I use the bathroom. I've not only stopped increasing, but I've also dropped a kg! Hopefully I am right and the worst has passed... Girls, this is so seriously something you really want to avoid! If your FS suggests doing a freeze all because your levels are so high - AGREE!! Although, I'm really praying that nobody else has to experience this. Yuck!

Carrie, how are you doing with your TWW?

BW

BW- That's good that you're getting rid of some of that fluid. Let's hope that you don't have to go through this again and that the next time you feel crap is because your pg and have m/s!
As for the tww, the first week went quick, probably as I was recovering for the first few days. But now I'm feeling really impatient and a bit negative. I want this to work so much!! I think this is the worst bit, you are so close but then again could be back to square one again.
Jo- Hope your cycle is going well.

Boo, how exciting that you're about to start your first cycle! :) My DH was the same about the injections. He's already started to talk about our next cycle which is still 2 months away! lol I guess it keeps them hapy and involved in the process.
As for the Synarel, I did mine 12 hours apart at 7am and 7pm. That is what the nurses suggested, but it was also most convenient for me too. I had my alarm on my mobile in case I lost track of time.
My trigger needle was just ready to go also. Just took it out of the packaging and DH jabbed me...took him 2 shots to get it in though!! lol ouch ;)
BW, I'm happy to hear you are starting to feel better. What an awful experience for you to have to go through on your first cycle. But as your embies are going so well, hopefully you will never have to go through it all ever again!!
No news this end. Just plodding along for another 6-7 weeks before starting on the pill for our next stim cycle. I've just started yoga and am looking to do start acupuncture as well. I'm hoping this will help me get through my next cycle and help me relax more.
Hope everyone is enjoying their easter break! :)

Megan, you should find the yoga to be very relaxing - I did pilates for a while and it was great, did wonders for my stress levels! I'm not doing much at the moment, but I am finding the acupuncture absolutely brilliant - hope you find someone soon.

BW

Hi Megan, I also found the trigger hard to get in. I was expecting it to be like the other injections and just slide right in...so i tried to get it in probably about 6 times before I finally pushed hard enough to break through!
I hope the time goes quickly till your next cycle. I'm sure the yoga will be great, it's so relaxing.
I suppose that I'd better be off to bed soon!

Carrie, having the trigger shot was actually quite funny surprisingly! DH was so used to the tiny thin needle for the Gonal-F injections and the trigger needle was a bit thicker. He was literally jabbing it in from a height and I was laying down at the time, I felt the needle but it didn't go in. The look on DH's face was priceless, he said it just bounced off! lol Thankfully he got it in 2nd go because I didn't want to go through that over and over.
I couldn't imagine trying 6 times though! All of you girls who do all of your own injections are very brave because I don't know if I could do it all the time!

Just got my call from the clinic... or, not a call as such, but a voice mail message because I left the phone in the other room. We've got 4 blasts in the freezer and a few other embies that are still compacting, the decision on those ones will be held over until tomorrow.

I'm a little annoyed with myself as I have no idea what it means for an embryo to be compacting, and I don't know how many were unsuitable to freeze. As far as I know, it was only 4 that were running a day behind, and they were fragmenting as well, so I don't hold out much hope. Although, they did say that if they got to blast, the fragmentation wouldn't matter.

I know I said I would be happy with 4-5 good blasts in the freezer after this, but it's a little disheartening to have effectively gone from 15 to 4 all in one day. I think it may have been a little easier to deal with if we had lost some each day.

As for the OHSS, I think I'm finally coming out the other side of it and starting to feel better. YAY!

BW

BW- thank goodness your starting to feel better. all these lovely things i may have to look forward to. but you girls are helping each stage be so much more understandable....

sounds like you have some pretty tough embies there!!!!!

hope tomorrow is all good news. maybe being Sunday and the religious aspect of easter sunday being about 'new life' will send out good vibes for you...

G'day!
LOL about the jabbing 6 times with the trigger!!! You poor thing!!! I have always done all my own needles, including giving myself a trigger shot in the car at a wedding reception during the speeches! Nothing like raising the stress levels a little! hehe.
Just a question, where does everyone have their trigger done? I have always done it in my thigh as I was told it needed to be in the biggest muscle (and I obviously cant reach to do it in my bum!). Is this still the recommended place? I think being intramuscular rather than subcutaneous is the reason. Or have things changed since my last time?

Bruising, I have only had a little with each one so I probably wont turn into smurfette after all. I know I will get a whopper from trigger though.I have just had bloods to confirm my dosage is right but wont find out till tomorrow pm. I feel pretty good if that is any indication. Actually, I feel great!! My synarel symptoms have subsided with no flushes and fewer headaches and no real side effects from puregon. I can feel my ovaries getting bigger/swollen but not hurting in any way. Hooray! In the past I was feeling blah and an emotional mess but not this time. Hope I continue to feel this way in the TWW....
Regarding HPK, I had never used them as I was told it was too early and only testing by blood could work. That was before I found BB and everyone on here has given tips and suggestions. I think the drugs will show on HPT up till day 10 then you should get a couple of days of neg till your own hormones get strong enough to show a positive on about day 12 PO. That is what I think happens with IUI but I dont know about EPU cycles... and why do they do bloods 14 days after transfer rather than 14 days after EPU?
I dont get that one at all.
As for painting. It is slow going as we have to fix flakey ceilings first!!! Yucky job. Lucky DH is doing all that and says I dont have to. ( I am a truely bad painter!) So, I am off to catch up on gardening. Weeds coming after the lovely rain. Vegie patch needs pulling up and getting ready for winter. Hedge trimming.... Long list lol.

Sazz, my trigger shots have been subcutaneous and into the belly both times. I got a massive reaction to the first one (done by a clinic nurse), the second wasn't so bad reaction-wise but I got a massive bruise from it. I hope everything continues to go well for you, and good luck catching up on the gardening.

Sonya, I do sincerely hope that you never have to find out what OHSS feels like. You've just got to remember than my experiences with IVF have been far from normal. Thank you for reminding me about the Easter symbolism - it's why we chose to get married on Easter Saturday (to put to death our old single lives on Friday and arise in a new, married life on the Sunday). Lets just pray those embies take after their parents and we can get at least another one into the freezer with it's siblings.

BW

LOL on the trigger shot in the car Sazz! from what i've read, the current triggers are done in the abdomen as well, but i'm not sure seeing my first and only other cycle was cancelled!

good luck with the gardening. i had big plans to either paint or garden all weekend (have to plant a heap of spring bulbs - and the weeds need to come out first) - but my brother and his family (wife and three kids) came out for dinner last night, and dont look to be leaving til tomorrow! good thing we all get along so well. my brother and SIL have just nicked into town for some "spare clothes" so we're looking after the kids for a while - and lucky me, i get to surf the web looking for pictures for the kids to color in!! there's actually some pretty good sites out there...

day two of injections finished - and no bruises so far. have found that i'm better off injecting to either side rather than directly beneath my belly button - have had a couple of laps done at different times, so i'm thinking there may be some scar tissue there - it doesn't bruise, it just hurts a bit more. was very interesting injecting last night - the kids were wanting to know what i was doing - and there's no such things as privacy with a 2 year old in the house!

starte elevit a couple of days ago - figured a multi vit would be better than straigh folic acid (and elevit has been mentioned heaps on BB) - feels like it's giving me a bit of grief - have IBS, and feel like i've gone from one extreme to the other - might take a few days for my poor battered body to adapt i think!

BW, just did a little bit of reading as I was interested to know as well about compacting.

:

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By Day 4, the cells have divided rapidly but the embryo has not yet increased in size. It is now compacting (you cant distinguish the cells) and is called a morula.

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So, it just seems they are a day behind but they are still progressing so hopefully will be ok tomorrow.
I'm happy you're feeling better and are now well and truly over the worst of things. :)

BG, I had the same problem with Elevit when I started. It took about 2 weeks until I started to feel normal again!

Thanks for that, Megan. So there's a real chance those ones that are a day behind will make it to the freezer. I'm still left wondering if 4 blasts in the freezer after a stim cycle is a good number or not. Having all the embies hold on for so long was making me think I'd end up with more. And after DH initially feeling uncomfortable about getting too many, he's feeling a little disappointed with only having 4, too. It all won't matter if only our first FET sticks, then I think we won't care how many are in the freezer at all.

BW

I hope so BW. Sounds like they just need a bit of time to catch up and they will continue compacting and turn into lovely little blasts or you.

I can imagine that you are disappointed with the number frozen, because even though it's still a good number to have, if I put myself in your shoes I would be disappointed with the result. Hold on until tomorrow though, hopefully you will have a couple more!

I also hope that you have a much better experience with thawing than I did. I'm not sure if there are any differences thawing blasts compared to Day 3 embies (which mine were). Think I am going to go off and do some more reading! I feel like I don't know as much as I should about all of this!! ;)

It's amazing what you do end up learning in all this! It's so hard to know where to start looking for information, and it certainly doesn't help that I'm not feeling the best - I find searching for information in this state fairly pointless. Hopefully in the next few days I can get back on the research and reading band wagon. I know my acupuncturist suggested a number that would mean we had done well in terms of numbers, but I just can't remember what it was! I'll have to check with DH. Could you PM me any good links you find, Megan?

BW

i've found that too BW - the only way i can accept the fact that i have no control over what is happening through this whole process is to educate myself as much as possible on what is happening so that at least i KNOW - i'd be such a mess without knowledge cos i'm a control freak big time!!! (although sometimes i think blind faith might be the better was to go....)

It is a bit like trying to find a needle in a hay stack when you start looking for some info. But I will PM you any useful links when I find them. :)

ETA: BG, Maybe that's why I am happy to start researching again! lol not doing a cycle and having a break has me in a different frame of mind at the moment. It's a nice change to not be obsessing looking for something in the middle of the TWW!

Hi girls,
time for a new thread already!
You can find it here.