# First post ever



## ritad (Oct 22, 2007)

Hi

I'm new to all this but am finding the site really useful. TTC for 2 years but no joy. I'm hoping to begin ICSI in a few months and am a bit worried about the process leading up to e/c. As I live a couple of hours away from the rvh, will there be alot of visits involved? Also, are the nasal spray and injections handy enough or did you find there were side effects. (bit of a scaredy cat when it comes to injections etc)


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## blmcni (Jul 5, 2007)

Hi, welcome to the boards. A lot of us hang out on the Northern Ireland girls thread to join us there!!

We're currrently on our 2ww following our first ICSI treatment at the Royal. Never worry about asking questions on here, I've asked loads and everyone's been great. We had a pre-treatment appointment with a nurse to go over the drugs etc a couple of days before I started spraying. Sprays were 4 times a day. The only real side effect I had was weepiness so I think I got of lightly. Common ones would be moodiness, headaches, hot flushes but everyone responds differently. I srayed for 3 weeks before starting injections but I think that can vary also (you'll get a scehule with all this on it). One injection a day. I'm not a huge needle fan but the stim injections are done with a pen so it's not as bad. I got DH to do the injections, I did on but found I really needed 3 hands (but that could just be me!!). We were back at hospital for a scan on day 6 of injections to check how things were going (really all they do is check you aren't over-stimulating and change the injection dosage if necessary). These apoointments tend to be between half 7 and half 8 unfortunately not great if you live far away. ANother scan day 10 or 11, if all is going well you'll do a final injection that night and in for egg collection 36 hours later. Then hopefully embie transfer 3 days later. 

So to summarise in case I've bored you we had pre-treatment appointment, 2 scans, egg collection and embie transfer.

Hope that feels, hope to see you on the N Ireland thread.

Bev


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## Fionab (Aug 30, 2006)

Hi

Welcome to the board, come and join us on the NI thread.

I think Bev covered most things for starting.  One thing a friend told me was that some of the drugs need to be kept in the fridge so she lent me her portable fridge that you can put in the car as I wasn't able to go straight home the day I picked the drugs up.  Before you go for your pre-treatment visit they will advise you of the drugs your require and the phone number for the pharmacy at Royal.  You phone them and they will give you the price for your individual drugs.  You do need to pay for them with a bankers draft, which you bring on the day of the pre-treatment visit and collect the drugs before your appointment.

The nasal spray and injections are fine once you do it for the first time.  The thought of it is worse than it really is.

We are hoping to start ICSI soon so maybe we will be on the same cycle.
Fiona


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