TTC & Taking Clomid &/0r Metformin ~ January 2006

[Willow]

Sushee is wonderful, I just wish for her sake she wasn't SO experienced

[briggsy's girl]

Wilow - 8 is, from what i've read, really not a bad number! i know some people get huge numbers, but if i had the choice between 8 good looking follies 15 or 20 average ones, i'd got the 8 every time - and you're obviously doing ok for them to drop the meds back again!

Mako - finally got to the doctor this evening and, after a lot of poking and prodding he managed to get the stinger out of my heel - i hadn't realised how much relief i was going to get, but as soon as he took it out - woo hoo! i could walk (albeit it a little limpy) - still sore, but nothing like it was before. i've been put on antibiotics for 5 days - and if it's still inflamed after that, have to go back to see him again. thanks so much for asking!

BW - your FS appointment is approaching so quickly! i was looking at that today and recalling when i first came on board and you were counting down to your first appointment - brin on number three! i have next appointment next thursday - keep thinking i should do a ticker, but seem to alwasy find something else to do! maybe that's a job for this weekend

[mako]

Willow I'm sorry that you were a bit disappointed but like BW and BG have said 8 great follies are much better than more "just average ones". It's also great news that you are on a reduced dose again. Things are looking good for you hunny. Keep your chin up and know that you will have a bfp in the near future

BG So glad your dr got that awful stinger out of your foot. I hope the inflamation goes away soon. All the best for your appointment next Thursday. I hope all goes well for you chicky

BW Try not to stress too much about your next appointment. I'm sure everything will be just fine for you sweet

[DJTTC]

Hi there ladies,

I usually post in the LTTTC thread but as I am about to start IUI I thought that I would pop in & say hello.

Well apart from my now treated endo we don't have anything actually wrong but it has still been a year and a half of ttc so we are going to start IUI.

I will have my last chlomid tablet tomorrow then b/t next Monday & then as soon as I am about to O I will be going in for the IUI.

I do O on my own so I am only on half a tablet but I am having hot flushes & major insomnia, I didn't actually connect it until I read the symptoms on the packet.
I would hate to be on a higher dose.

So I guess I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on what doing IUI is like?

Dh is a little concerned about his swimmers sample that he is going to have to do & the fact that he'll have to get out of work at a days notice.
We have to travel an hour to get this done so it's a little tricky with work.

I see a couple of you are about to start IUI as well so I look forward to going through this with people who know what it's like.
Jo

[emmydee]

Hi everyone!

Willow -- I'm sorry that you were disappointed. But it doesn't sound bad at all to me. You have 8 good follies! Like the other girls have said, that's lot better than lots of smaller follies. I have faith things are going to go well for you...

Mako -- I hope things work out for you too, and you don't have to do IUI. That would be just wonderful!!! I have my fingers crossed. Keep us updated.

BG -- congrats on getting that stinger out! that sounded so uncomfortable!

Jo -- Good luck on your IUI. What date is it scheduled for? Clomid has the weirdest side effects. I get some blurry vision (scary, but I got my eyes checked by an opthamologist, and he says I'm fine. Aside from that the Clomid actually makes me feel good, like I took a valium or something! So funny it can have such different effects on different people...

As for me, I'm seeing my doctor this coming Monday. I guess I'll start the clomid soon after...

Also I'd like you guys's input on something -- I saw my specialist before leaving on vacation in December, and he said that stress pays a big part preventing conception, and not just the ovulation process, and he recommended that I do everything I can to lower my stress (acupuncture, yoga, counseling, etc.) What do you guys think about that?

[butterfly_warrior]

Emmydee, my FS also went on at great lengths about stress and cortisol levels at the first appointment. I have an article he gave me, which actually shows that cognitive behaviour therapy has been found to restore ovulation in some cases! I do wish he would give them to me in electronic form, as then they are easier to keep track of, and find later when you want to refer back to them. I've been doing acupuncture for a while, and it is brilliant at calming me down and reducing stress, wouldn't be without it now. I have also found that getting out and exercising does help a lot - I'm not much of one for councelling, but I do talk this through with my friends a lot, and on here, and I know it makes a huge difference to my ability to cope.

BW

[Mrs P]

Hi girls,
Just scanning through the threads (I'm not taking clomid yet but it may be an option) and was interested to see the chat about STRESS!!
I've got a pretty full on stressful life - currently at the end of 3rd year of my Phd, funding about to run out (!), recently moved into brand new house, work about 50-55 hours a week (uni and other work) etc. I'm interested to learn about stress and ovulation. BW - did your FS say that they could test for cortisol levels etc? What exactly do you get done with your acupuncture? How often, how much $ (if you don't mind me asking!) and do you get any rebate from medical ins?? Cheers

[butterfly_warrior]

I don't know that they can test cortisol levels - the article just talked about how stress raises the levels and the increased levels can make it more difficult to become pregnant. At the first appointment he had me pegged as a stressed out control freak, but at the second appointment, I appeared much more relaxed and we discovered that my problems ran deeper than an increased stress level!

The acupuncture treatment I've been having is aimed at supporting the fertility treatments I have, the place I have found does a lot of work with infertility, IVF support, etc. If I'm in a state, I'll have certain spots needled to help me calm down - it does work wonders. I go weekly normally, it costs $60 for an hour session. I drive over an hour to get there and our PHI only has basic ancillary cover so we get no rebates, but I simply wouldn't be without it now!

I'll start searching for the article... I don't hold out much hope, though!

BW

[Mrs P]

Thanks BW
I just checked and I can get a $24 rebate from HBF for the first 6 visits per year. Something to keep in mind I guess. I'll wait til I see my gyno on Feb 7 and see what he says - but will definitely be keeping acupuncture in mind! I hate being told to 'stop stressing' - you know, if it was that easy I'd just do it, wouldn't I? Grrr.

[briggsy's girl]

I agree with you Mrs P - if it were so easy to stop stressing - we'd do it in a heart beat! not like you have an on/off switch for it, is there! i've been told i need to reduce my stress levels too - but i think in a lot of ways it's almost impossible

Emmydee - good luck with the appointment on Monday - just hope you don't have such nasty reactions from the clomid this time around

DJ - looks like i'll be cycling only a couple of weeks behind you with IUI - unfortunately i don't O on my own very often - maybe once every six months if i'm lucky - and i haven't responded to clmid yet, so i should be starting the injectables at the end of next week.

to everyone else - hope you're having a great day and looking forward to the long weekend. mine will be pretty quiet - foot is infected from wasp sting, so i'm relegated to sitting on the couch with my foot elevated waiting for antibiotics to kick in - doc wants me to take anti-inflammatory drugs to take the swelling out of my foot - but that's a big no no with the metformin - and if i have to choose, i can deal with a bit of pain to make sure don't mess things up with the TTC efforts.

[butterfly_warrior]

doc wants me to take anti-inflammatory drugs to take the swelling out of my foot - but that's a big no no with the metformin

:eek: Now I'm scared! Nobody ever mentioned interactions between metformin and anti-inflammatories! The doctor who first prescribed the metformin checked what I was on, the rheumy who prescribed my naprosyn knows what I'm on, the GP knows all the drugs I'm on (even the ones the specialists give me), the FS knew about the naprosyn when he talked about increasing the dose of metformin... and nobody has mentioned any problems??!!?

*panic*

I guess I'm off to google drug interactions again...

BW

[briggsy's girl]

don't panic BW - there was something in the paperwork with metformin (or maybe i found it on the net) saying you should avoid NSAIDS (ibuprofin) when taking metformin - was something to do with increasing the side effects of the metformin - i'd been told to take nurofen plus for an issue with my teeth - and i started having massive dizzy spells and almost passing out and stuff - wasn't fun. have had barely any since then!

woo hoo - had a quick look on the net (not sure how to do a quote, but i'm sure i'll work it out eventually!)


""You may be more likely to have hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) if you are taking metformin with other drugs that lower blood sugar. Drugs that can lower blood sugar include:
· nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); ""



sorry - hope you haven't stressed out too much!

[butterfly_warrior]

I found pretty much the same thing. I had to laugh because I also found

You may be more likely to have hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) if you are taking metformin with other drugs that raise blood sugar. Drugs that can raise blood sugar include: birth control pills and other hormones

So one sort of cancels the other. It's again I have the little "how can I be TTC while taking the pill?!" moment. But ultimately, my blood sugar levels are fine - the insulin is completely shot, but the sugar levels are fine, so I guess it's not a huge issue for me. I try to avoid the naprosyn unless I need it - I find if I'm taking it constantly and end up not needing it, I start to get joint pains. The joint pain from that is different to the joint pain from the arthritis, both are difficult to describe and I realise it sounds weird, but I guess I'm ok!

BW

[briggsy's girl]

i understand where you're coming frm - i'm having ongoing root canal work and it's become infected (again - only the third time in 12 moths - not that i'm counting!) - i found when i was taking the nurofen the pain went away, but i started having lovely little hypo's - decided to give the nurofen the flick, use panadol and put up with a litle bit of the pain - is so much better than the head spins with the hypo's!!! DH agrees - he had the job of picking me up off the floor a couple of times his stress levels are so much lower now..

[butterfly_warrior]

If the panadol isn't enough, how about panadeine? That hint of codeine is enough to take care of most things - I learned so much about pain killers when the arthritis was at it's worst! When you are on NSAIDs constantly, and prednisone at one stage - the ibuprofen type drugs are completely out, but I sometimes needed more, the panadeine did the trick.

BW

[briggsy's girl]

did try that - trying to avoid pretty much everything that isn't prescribed by te FS at the moment. i took panadeine the other day to control the pain before i got the stinger out of my foot - it's not so painful now, just swollen - ah well, it's an excuse to keep my feet up for a while. DH has even offered to take me out for dinner tonight so that neither of us has to cook - how sweet!

thanks for the advice BW - i have other stuff lying around, but while it's controlled, i'll stay clear of it all!

[butterfly_warrior]

I'm actually a bit of a shocker when it comes to medications! My rheumy has always taken the approach of teaching me how to adjust my medications for the arthritis so that I'm only taking as much as I need of anything, and I've tended to apply that to everything I take now. I've talked to my GP about it, and he knows that if I'm ever unsure about what I'm doing I contact a friend of mine who is a doctor herself to double check what I'm doing. BUT... once I actually start a cycle, I'm hoping to put my doses of EVERYTHING (including arthritis meds) into the hands of the FS. The whole idea of messing things up because of something else I've taken is pretty scary. At the very least, I'll be wanting a confident assurance from the FS that what I take will be fine.

BW

[DJTTC]

Hey there,

Emmydee - they can't actually schedule an IUI it is just whenever you are about to O (which can be a little hard to get out of work at a days notice) but if I O 14 days after AF it will be sometime next weekend which is kinda getting exciting now.
I was a bit nervous at first but I am just soooooooooo over the whole ttc thing now I just want to do something about it. (well try anyway).
In saying that though I am not pinning my hopes on this because I know that it may still not work.

Bw - it's funny you say the whole stress thing affects ttc because my fs said that it doesn't affect it, it just makes the whole process all the more awful.
I have also read something from someone on belly belly saying that if that were true why do some get pg from being raped or during wars etc.
I guess all dr think different things, I hope mine is right though because otherwise I'm screwed! lol

Happy Australia Day for everyone tomorrow!!!
Jo